An Offer He Can't Refuse (20 page)

Madison pulled him on top of her, their breathing ragged as she wrapped her legs around him again, feeling the thick hardness of him against her stomach. She ran her hands down his well-muscled back and whispered his name, begging for him to take her hard and fast.

His mouth rested on her breast and she could feel him against her, rock hard. Breathless, Madison’s whimper died on her lips when the doorbell rang. She jumped to her feet in a flash, bumping Jackson’s mouth with her leg. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.” She looked toward the door. “They’re here and they’re early!”

While he checked his face for any signs of bleeding, she pushed at his large naked body, trying to recover her boxers from beneath him.

The doorbell chimed again just as she located her shorts, slipping them on as fast as she could.

He laughed.

“Jackson, this isn’t funny. I’m supposed to be setting an example for these kids.”

“But—”

“Please, hand me my T-shirt.”

He tossed it to her, but he wasn’t moving.

“What are you doing? Get dressed!”

“I’m enjoying the scenery.”

He’d seen her naked too many times to count, but there he sat gazing at her as if he had all the time in the world. She shook her head at him as she raised her arms and slipped her shirt over her head. The expression on his face made her smile. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his whiskered jaw. Then she threw him his robe and made her way to the door as she combed her hair with her fingers. “Coming!” she called.

After making sure Jackson was dressed, she opened the door.

“Heather. Wow, what a surprise.” She didn’t know what to say. “Jackson, look who’s here.”

She turned to him. He looked confused, definitely frustrated by her presence.

It made sense that
she
would be flustered. Heather was her cousin, after all, and she had just been caught having sex in the middle of the foyer. But nothing ruffled Jackson’s feathers. Every time Jackson and Heather were together, though, Madison got the distinct feeling that Jackson and Heather had known each other long before she ever propositioned Jackson.

At dinner a few weeks ago, Jackson had acted oddly toward Heather, and then at the wedding when she’d spotted the two of them talking, huddled together as if they were making plans.

Tension hung in the air like cobwebs.

Heather’s tight smile softened as Jackson did his best to pull himself together. “Nice to see you again, Heather.”

Glancing from Jackson to Madison, Heather took in their ruffled appearance and stepped inside. “I was passing by and thought I would stop by to say hello. Did I interrupt something?”

“No, of course not,” Madison told her. Spotting the rug all bunched together at the bottom of the stairs, she walked that way and tried to kick the carpet back into place. “As you can see, we sort of got a late start today. And just before you rang the doorbell, I remembered that the kids from CFC were coming today.”

Madison turned to Jackson and made a face to let him know she needed help here. She was burying herself alive.

Jackson came to her side and kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you go ahead and get yourself ready for the kids,” he told Madison, “while I keep Heather company.”

That same funny feeling washed over Madison. What was it about these two being together that made her insides knot? She thanked Jackson, apologized to Heather for having to run off, and hurried up the stairs to get ready.

~~~

Jackson waited until he heard the sound of the bedroom door closing before he ushered Heather to the kitchen. “What are you doing here?” He searched through the cupboard for another mug.

“I wanted to stop by unexpectedly and see for myself how the two of you were getting along? Quite well, it appears.”

Jackson raked a hand through his hair. “You should have called.”

“Why? You haven’t changed your mind, have you? The two of you looked as if you’d been making love right there on the—” Heather stifled a gasp by placing a pale hand over her mouth. “You’re sleeping with my cousin, aren’t you?”

“She’s my wife,” he stated firmly.

Heather’s eyes narrowed. “We had an agreement.”

“What Madison and I do behind closed doors is none of your business.”

“It is my business,” Heather said. “You and Madison wouldn’t be together if I hadn’t asked you to do this one favor for me. I’m glad I came because I can see she’s already gotten to you. Tell her it’s over, Jackson. Tell her today.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” Before he could continue, though, he heard approaching footsteps.

Madison stood in the doorway. Her brow creased. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Heather stiffened. “Nothing, dear. Jackson was assuring me he’s treating you well; better than any of us could have ever hoped,” she added crisply.

Madison looked skeptical. “Something’s going on. Did the two of you know each other before Jackson and I met?”

Jackson opened his mouth to answer her, but Heather cut in, saying, “It’s a small world, dear. It seems your husband knew my dear sweet Walter.”

“Oh,” Madison said, still confused. She looked at Jackson. “You knew Walter?”

He nodded, not at all happy with the way things were unraveling. He needed to tell Madison about Heather. He needed to tell her everything.

The doorbell rang, making Jackson’s head throb. The children from CFC were here. Now wasn’t the time to come clean. First thing in the morning, though, he would tell her everything. And then he’d call Heather into his office and give her the news there. Not here. Not now.

Heather retrieved her car keys from her purse and followed Madison out of the kitchen and to the front door. “I just remembered an appointment I have downtown,” Heather said. “Since you have other plans, it will all work out for the best if I pay you a visit another time. I’ll call you in a few days.”

Madison opened the door, revealing Erin, Katy, Steven, and four other small kids who spent a lot of time at CFC. Seven kids all together. An insipid smile formed on Heather’s face as she tiptoed around the children as if they were poisonous snakes ready to strike.

Some things never change, Madison thought. She put her arm around Erin and watched Heather get into her car and drive off. Very strange, indeed. But there was no time to worry about her cousin now.

Madison and the kids waved goodbye to Sally, a volunteer at CFC, who sat in her car, making sure the kids were safe inside before she drove off. Madison peeked inside the kitchen and saw that Jackson had disappeared. Then she looked around at all the little happy faces and smiled. “Where’s Adam?”

“He couldn’t make up his mind about coming,” Katy said.

Ten-year-old Steven stood next to Madison. She ruffled his hair. “Well, I guess Adam is going to miss out on a lot of fun, isn’t he?”

“What are we gonna do today?” Melissa wanted to know.

“I’ve got lots of fun things planned,” Madison said excitedly. “Let’s see, there’s one, two, three…seven of you, and me, that makes eight. We have two teams, perfect!”

“Teams for what?” one of the smaller kids asked.

Another knock sounded at the door, interrupting their discussion.

When Madison opened it, the smaller kids jumped up and down when they saw Adam standing on the other side.

Since Adam disliked being coddled, Madison draped a casual arm about his shoulder instead and led him inside. “Glad you could make it. How’s it going?”

He shrugged his bony shoulders.

“You’re looking good.”

“Who’s that?” Katy and Melissa asked in unison when they caught sight of Jackson coming down the stairs, freshly showered and wearing a white cotton T-shirt and jeans. It didn’t matter how many times she looked at him, she’d never tire of looking at his broad shoulders and well-defined chest.

“This is Jackson,” Madison said, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt, still bothered by the scene between Jackson and Heather.

The smaller kids swarmed around Jackson like bees.

Madison didn’t try to stop them as she tried to shake off the feeling of doom she’d felt since Heather’s unexpected visit. Heather had been showing quite an interest in her life since she met Jackson. And now to find out that Jackson knew Walter…it made her feel uneasy.

If Jackson knew Walter, it only served to reason that he would have known Heather, too. And how was it that they had just figured out the “Walter” connection this morning?

She couldn’t worry about it now. She’d promised these kids a good time.

“Ms. Madison,” one of the boys said, “since Adam’s here now, we need another person to make the teams even again.”

Madison rubbed her chin. “You’re a pretty smart boy. Hmmm.”

“You wanna play baseball, mister?” he asked Jackson, not willing to wait for her to figure it out.

Jackson pointed to his chest. “Me?”

Except for Adam, the kids all shouted their approval.

Before Jackson could reply, the kids ran off to join two small boys who had wandered up the stairs, giving themselves a tour of the big house. A few of the smaller children giggled at the sight of a naked statue in the living room while the older kids sort of gasped and whispered to one another, noting the size of the rooms.

Jackson moved toward Adam and introduced himself.

Uninterested, Adam sauntered off.

Turning to Madison, Jackson lowered his voice. “I think I’ll run by the office for a few hours.”

She frowned.

“I’m not good with this sort of thing. I tend to make kids nervous.” Jackson peered downward and saw a six-year-old kid with scraggly red hair tugging at his pants. Jackson bent forward. “What is it, buddy?”

“My name’s Tommy.”

“What’s on your mind, Tommy?”

“My friend, Joey, has a dad. And guess what?”

“What?”

The kid yanked on Jackson’s belt loop until Jackson got the picture and kneeled down lower until he and the child were face to face.

“His dad lets him ride on his back sometimes,” the boy informed Jackson.

“No kidding?”

Tommy nodded, his eyes widening.

“How about your dad?” Jackson asked. “I bet he’s given you a piggy-back ride before.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“He’s in Heaven with Mom. But I don’t think he gave me one ever. I live with Aunt Lisa and her kids and their dad’s in jail.”

“So,” Jackson said, his brow furrowed, “I guess he didn’t give you a piggy-back ride either, huh?”

“Nope.”

Jackson glanced at Madison, but she had already walked away to check on the rest of the kids.

Kneeling lower, if that were possible, Jackson swiveled around and said, “Hop on, buddy. Let’s go for a ride.”

~~~

Right after Tommy punted the ball, Jackson took off, running toward home base as fast as he could. He slid through the dirt, dust flying into his mouth and eyes as his foot neared the plate. Then Erin tagged him and little Tommy yelled, “Out!”

Jackson came to his feet and brushed himself off. “You’re a natural, Erin.”

“Thanks,” she said. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Jackson’s mouth. So far he’d played soccer, football, and now baseball. The funny thing was he was actually enjoying himself. These kids were great, every single one of them. For the first time since meeting Madison, he could see exactly why she’d marry a stranger to help them out. They loved her as much as she loved them.

Madison waved at him from the pool area. He waved back. She was one of a kind. Not once had he seen a smidgeon of the greedy, selfish woman Heather had warned him about. He felt foolish for taking so long to see the truth. He knew she was beautiful and sweet. He knew how she felt about him, too. But he still had a difficult time allowing himself to add it all together and see the reality of what was staring back at him. Jamie had been right all along. Heather was not being honest. Either she lied to him about not needing the money or she was just mean-spirited—out to hurt Madison for no reason other than greed. He planned to get to the bottom of it first chance he got.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jackson saw Adam sitting quietly beneath the shade of an elm, where he’d been for most of the day. The boy looked away when he caught Jackson looking his way. Strolling over to where Adam sat, Jackson said, “How about shooting a few baskets?”

“For money?” Adam asked, chewing on a blade of grass.

“No, for fun.”

“I’m not any good at basketball,” Adam muttered.

“Neither am I.”

With a snort, Adam pushed himself from the ground and followed Jackson to the side yard. Jackson grabbed a few balls from a wooden chest outside and threw one to him. After they both made a few shots and missed, Jackson asked, “Have you known Madison long?”

Adam stopped bouncing the ball and spun it around in his hands instead. “She started coming around the center about five years ago, I guess. How about you? Known her long?”

“Not nearly as long as you.”

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“About what?”

“She married you because of us, didn’t she? To get her grandfather’s inheritance so that she could keep the center from going under?”

Jackson didn’t want to lie, so he didn’t say anything.

“I knew it. Erin’s convinced you two are in love, but I knew it was a crap load of shit.”

“I don’t think your mother would want you talking like that.”

“She’s buried right smack in the middle of the Riverside Cemetery. I really don’t think she’d care one way or another.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s a nice cemetery.”

Jackson ignored the hint of sarcasm in the boy’s voice and said, “Yeah, it is. My mom’s buried there, too.”

“No kidding? Maybe they’re friends.”

Jackson’s head shot up. He looked Adam square in the eye, thinking he’d see cynicism there. Instead, he saw Adam crack a smile for the first time since he’d met the kid. “Yeah, maybe they are,” Jackson agreed.

They both smiled.

“Okay,” Jackson said, “that’s enough practice shooting. Now we play for cold hard cash.”

“Cool.”