Forbidden Fruit: Volume 1 (29 page)

Chapter Eight

A week had passed since Nora walked into his life. Seven days and nights of her sexy body and beautiful mind. By the second night, he’d begun to understand that his feelings for her were more than sexual. Even though he wasn’t sure if they could navigate the muddy waters they were in, he wanted to attempt an actual relationship with her. Nora was willing to try, but she still wasn’t ready for everyone to find out about them. Jackson wanted to shout to the world that they were together. There was no denying there would be negative reactions to the age difference, but he didn't care. It was all new and exciting to him. Things he'd almost forgotten about. But all of it still scared Nora.

Even after spending days with her, Jackson still couldn't believe that she'd come home with him that first night or his body's reaction to her. Not only was she sexy as hell, but she was witty and mature—way beyond her years. Her worry for her brother and sister because of their parents’ screwed up mess was more than any nineteen-year-old should have to shoulder, but she did with a smile.

The more time he spent with her, he found his need for her was more focused on simply spending time with her and less about the physical attraction. Nora had spent the last few nights at his house, in his bed. But it was more than just sex; he was learning more and more about her, and that had him completely infatuated. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

No more so than the night before when he finally convinced Nora to go out and have dinner with him. He wanted to make a real go at this relationship, and he couldn't do that by keeping them hidden in his house. He understood Nora's fear of her father, of people questioning their age difference, but he didn't have to like it. It hurt and annoyed him that she wanted to keep him hidden away like some dirty little secret, and while he was willing to give her this for now, it wouldn't be forever. At some point she was going to have to face the reality of their relationship

Nora was beautiful and fun, and he wanted the world to know he’d found her. It had taken him almost a week, but after she was completely wrung out from a couple of amazing rounds of sex, he'd finally gotten her to say yes. 

The plan was for her to meet him at his house and they would leave for dinner from there. Once again she'd be spending the night. He had no idea what she was telling her roommate, but he'd let her worry about that one. The final tip in his favor had been when he pointed out how unlikely it would be to see any of her classmates at the restaurant he was taking her to.

There was a light knock on the door. He walked over to answer it, and the vision that created him had him thinking about skipping dinner completely.

Nora was standing on his porch in a red halter dress that showed of plenty of her gorgeous breasts. The sight of her had his hands twitching to reach out and run his fingers down between her breasts, but this was a victory hard won and he wasn’t giving up dinner that easily.

They made it to the restaurant in no time. Uncomfortable as Nora seemed when she arrived at his place, as the night wore on, the worry lines around her eyes eased. About halfway through dinner, she brought up her parents’ hearing. Not that he was unwilling to talk to her about it, but he didn't want to ruin the mood.

“What do you think is going to happen on Thursday?” she asked, playing with her food.

He looked at her, trying to decide how honest he should be with her. Could she handle it? “I'm not exactly sure. The judge has to hear both sides.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know that. But if you had to guess, what would you say?”

He sighed. “I'd say the judge is going to split custody between your parents. They're both good people who make a decent living. There’s no reason to deny either one of them custody.” He didn't want to tell her that her mother usually raved like a lunatic. He was pretty sure that was something she already knew, especially with the way she reacted when they were yelling at each other at the last hearing.

“Good. That's exactly what I think should happen. I just hope that my mother doesn't freak out too bad.”

He had to laugh at that; of course her mother was going to freak out. Her head snapped up to look at him, and she finally joined in the laughter. She held her hand up in surrender. “I know. I know. My mother is going to freak out no matter what.”

“Nora?” a woman's voice called from behind him. Turning around, he saw a young, petite blonde, her brows furrowed in confusion. When he looked back at Nora, her eyes were wide and her mouth partially open.

“Nora?” he asked, trying to get her attention, but she seemed frozen.

By that time the tiny blonde had already walked up to the table. “Is this who you've been spending all of your time with?” she shrieked, her eyes moving to take him in.

After a moment Nora snapped out of it. “Kara, what are you doing here?”

Kara waved a dismissive hand. Don't change the subject on me, but my parents asked me to have dinner with them tonight. Now are you going to introduce me?”

She gestured between them. “Jackson this is Kara Haper, my roommate. Kara this is Jackson Garnes”

She cringed, waiting for her friend’s reaction. He wanted to reach over and comfort her, but he wasn't sure how receptive she would be, so he kept his hands to himself. “How did you meet him?” she asked.

Nora cleared her throat, her eyes not quite meeting Kara’s. “Umm…we meet at the courthouse the other day.”

“Oh my god. Is he one of the lawyers from your parent’s case?” she practically shrieked. Many of the other diners had looked over to see what the commotion was. Kara seemed to recognize the problem and quickly mouthed apologizes before turning her attention back to Nora.

Nora nodded, a flush staining her cheeks, Kara seemed as if she was having trouble putting her thoughts together as well. He reached his hand out in her direction. “It's nice to meet you.”

Nora's brow was creased with worry while she waited for her friend’s reaction. Kara's head whipped back and forth between them until she settled on Nora. Taking them by surprise, she reached down and wrapped her arms around Nora. “I'm so glad to see you worry about yourself for a change. Have fun and enjoy life for once.”

Nora's shocked eyes stared at Kara. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do. I don't care about the age difference, which is obviously why I ha
ven’t met him yet, I’m sure. As long as this makes you happy.”

The she quickly turned to Jackson. “Now you listen. You better not hurt her. She's played the parent for too long.”

He nodded at Kara. “I know she worries about everyone else more than herself. There's no way I going to hurt someone as wonderful as Nora.”

She studied him for a moment before turning back to Nora. “I'm going get back to my table. You guys have fun, and Nora, we'll chat some more tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Kara. I'll see you tomorrow.”

After Kara walked away, Nora slumped back into her chair. “Well, that went better than I expected.”

He smiled at her underestimation of the conversation. Her friend had been downright happy to see Nora with him. Hopefully everyone would be that accepting. But he pushed those thoughts out of his mind when the waiter asked if they wanted anything else. Looking at Nora so he could give her a chance to decide, he noticed the way her bottom lip was pulled between her luscious, wet lips. The way his dick jerked against his pants, he knew that dessert would happen at home. As quickly as he could, he paid the check and hauled her to the car, desperate to have her all to himself again.

He made it to his house in no time. Once they’d gotten inside, he shoved her up against the door, his lips on hers in a bruising kiss. She softened him with a swipe of her tongue. Using her foot she shoved off the wall, forcing him towards the living room. She pushed him down onto the couch and paced in front of him.

The gleam in her eyes told him something was up. There was something different about the way she was looking at him. She must have noticed his erection since her eyes dropped to the crotch of his pants. Slowly she stood up and looked at him, and his fear that she would want to give up on their relationship reached new heights. Then she did something that shocked the ever-loving shit out of him. Taking a step between his legs, she slowly lowered to her knees and ran her hands up to caress his thighs. The touch of her fingers felt like electricity zipping through his muscles, making them contract. Her hands continued their journey upward until they reached the button to his pants. Without a wasted moment, the button was popped and she lowered the zipper, exposing the soft cotton of his boxer briefs.

“Nora?” he questioned with a lift of his brow.

“Shh...”

With that she lowered the waistband, letting his dick spring free. This definitely was not what he expected when she showed up at his door. He figured he'd have to help her overcome her misgivings after the incident dinner, not watch her kneel before him with her lip caught between her teeth. The sight had the tip of his dick leaking in anticipation of what was to come, literally. Leaning forward, she licked his shaft from root to tip, where she swirled her tongue around the top in a motion that had his eyes crossing. He felt as if the floor had been pulled out from under him only to be replaced by the feeling of floating as sensation ripped through his entire body. Before things went too far, he tried once again to talk to her. “Nora, you don't have to—”

She covered his lips with the fingers of one hand while the other traced down to massage his balls. Her mouth opened and took his dick all the way to the back of her throat before sliding back up to the top where she sucked hard. A hissing sound escaped his lips. His hand fisted in her hair, holding on for dear life while he watched her mouth slide up and down his erection. In all of his fantasies about Nora, this was something he never imagined. He wasn't sure how a nineteen-year-old had the ability to shake him to his core with the suction of her mouth, but he relished every moment of it. Her wet mouth was like warm, wet heaven, that spread heat through his body.

“Oh God, Nora... that feels... amazing,” he gasped between labored breaths.

Once again she pulled her mouth to the head of his erection, licking across the slit and taking in every drop that leaked from him. As her mouth continued to assault his shaft, one of her hands curled around the base and created a rhythm that had his balls pulling up tight to his body. Even though he was dying to shoot his seed in her mouth and watch her swallow down every drop, the thought of her warm and wet pussy had him taking her head in his hands.

“Nora, I'm gonna come,” he groaned. “But I want to be buried balls deep inside you when that happens.” She fought his grip on her head and continued to slide him in and out of her mouth, his confession only seemed to make her double her efforts. The soft brown hair spread across his lap was like a dream, his fingers gripping the silky texture. No matter how he tried to hold off, it was too much. The orgasm tingled down his spine, his hips slamming up as he came down her throat. The world turned on its axis as ecstasy spread through him. He’d never had such a reaction to a woman's mouth.

Unable to hold himself up, his body slumped back against the cushions. When his breathing returned to normal, he cracked an eye open to see Nora, her lips puffy and swollen—evidence of the work she'd done to bring him to unparalleled heights of satisfaction.

His hands cupped her face and brought her forward for a long, heated kiss. When he pulled back, they were panting. “Nora, that was absolutely amazing.”

“Yeah? I’ve never done that before.”

“Oh my god, you just keep amazing me. Trust me when I tell you, it’s never been better.”

With his body relaxed, and his fear of her wanting to leave gone, he was able to voice his opinion on the events at dinner. “I'm glad I got to meet Kara today.”

“Well it wasn't exactly like I expected. I can't keep what we have between us hidden for long.” She smiled.

Jackson was glad Nora was finally beginning to realize the need to make their relationship public. “Probably not.”

“Well let’s just hope that everyone is as accepting as Kara.”

Jackson stood up. “Let’s not worry about that right now. I’ve got a better idea what we can do with our time.” Her eyes darkened in need. Taking her hand, he helped her from the floor and led her directly to his bedroom. Once again, tonight she was all his. He knew that they would eventually need to tell Richard, and he only could hope that he reacted just as well as Kara had.

Chapter
Nine

It was the day of her parents’ hearing, and just like a week and a half earlier, she really didn't want to be there to see them fight. But unlike the last time, she was going to get to watch Jackson in the courtroom, knowing what all those muscles underneath his suit looked like. She'd left him that morning to meet her father at the courthouse so she could sit with Charlie and Jenna again while her mother and father dealt with their lawyers. They’d decided to not show up in the courtroom at the same time. Her parents didn't need the distraction of her love life when they should be focusing on what was best for Charlie and Jenna. Since she’d arrived first, she got to watch him walk into the courtroom—this time without trying to be the referee. The way he carried himself made him look like the powerful attorney he was instead of the compelling man he was when they were alone together. When her eyes reached his, she noticed that he was watching her as he made his way to the front of the room and took his seat next to her father.

After that Nora, checked out. With all the sleepless nights, she was having trouble concentrating on the proceedings. Her mind focused on Jackson's shoulders and the way he used his hands and his tongue to drive her mad. It wasn't until Jenna tugged on the sleeve of her shirt that she was able to shake off her daydreams and pay attention.

Nora leaned down. “What's up?”

“What does joint custody mean?” Jenna asked.

Nora's head snapped up to whip back and forth between her parents. Her mother was having some kind of fit and taking it out on her poor lawyer. Her father, on the other hand, looked pleased, but was shaking his head at her mother's behavior. Her dad knew her mother didn't act like that towards her children, so he had no issue with sharing custody. Sole custody had been her idea from the beginning.

“Joint custody means you live part of the time with mom and part of the time with dad,” Nora replied absently.

When she looked to connect with Jackson, he gave her a quick wink before turning back to talk to her father. The judge had everyone rise before he left the room. Nora watched as her mother threw stuff into her bag, chewing out her lawyer the entire time. She stopped in front of Nora. “Thank you for watching your brother and sister today.” Nodding, Nora watched as she turned toward Charlie and Jenna. “Come on, guys, we need to get going, and Nora needs to get to class.”

Leaning over, she gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you honey. Be careful at school.”

“I will, Mom. I love you, too.”

With her mother's departure, there was only her, her father, and Jackson in the room. She knew he had a full schedule for the rest of the day so she wanted a few minutes alone with him before she had to leave for class for the rest of the day. Her father finished his conversation with Jackson and made his way toward her. “Are you ready to go?” her father asked.

“Sure,” she said with no real enthusiasm to her voice. Jackson must have picked up on it, and he gestured toward the table where all his papers lay spread all over. Nora picked up her purse but intentionally left her phone on the chair next to her.

“Thank you for everything,” her father said, reaching out a hand to Jackson.

“It was my pleasure. We'll be in touch when it's time to sign the papers.” He stole a quick glance at Nora before cleaning up the table.

“Let's get out of here Nora. I know you have to get to class,” her father said.

“Okay.”

They’d made their way to the lobby when Nora started digging through her purse. She knew very well that she'd left her phone inside. “Dad, I left my phone inside. Why don't you get going so you're not even later getting back to work?”

“All right.” He nodded. He turned back toward the front doors, and Nora ran back into the courtroom where Jackson was leaning against the one table with her phone in his hand.

“Missing something?” He asked with a smirk.

She smiled. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

She stepped into his embrace and his mouth came down to possess hers. Her lips tingled and her mouth opened. She was dying to feel his tongue slide against hers. They were so caught up in the kiss that they didn't hear the door open. “Nora!” her father bellowed.

Jackson and Nora immediately jumped apart. Her father stormed up into Jackson's face, screaming, “Why the fuck do you have your hands all over my daughter?”

Nora was shocked when her father, who was much smaller than Jackson, took a swing at him.

“Daddy!” Nora shrieked.

His face was so red she thought he might have a heart attack. “Do not 'Daddy' me! He's twice your age. Get in your car and go to class.”

This was what Nora had feared from the beginning. She knew, no matter what, that her father would never understand. Even though she felt free for the first time since meeting Jackson, she let fear control her. Fear of repercussions. Fear of the loss of her family. Nora could feel the sting of tears in her eyes when she raised them to Jackson.

“Nora, don't you dare,” he begged.

“Jackson, you stay the hell away from my daughter!”

Jackson turned to her father, his jaw taut and his fists clenched at his side. “Richard, you better get the hell out of here before you do something that we'll both regret. Nora is nineteen and can make her own decisions. I care very much for your daughter, and I'm not going to stay away from her.”

He turned to face Nora, and her father took a step in his direction. Jackson’s eyes never leaving hers as he warned her father. “Richard, if you take one more step toward me, I'm going to have security come and arrest you for attempted assault on an officer of the court. Now get the fuck out!”

Her father looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead of risking the arrest, he stormed out of the room.

Jackson gripped her shoulders. “Nora, look at me.” Her eyes lifted to meet his as a single tear hovered on the edge of her eyelash before finally tumbling over to slide down her cheek. “Don't do this. I can see the fear in your eyes. Your father will get over this.”

She shook her head. “No, he won't. Kara may have accepted this, but my father… how is everyone else going to react? Maybe it's better for both of us if we find someone closer to our own age. Maybe it's the right thing to do.”

He raked his hand through his hair, taking a step back but keeping her within his gaze. “Bullshit, Nora. Sometimes what is right is not the easiest path to take. You have to decide whether the journey is worth it. And to me, you’re worth everything.”

She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. Everything in her screamed to run right into his arms where everything would be okay, but she couldn't. She didn't know what to say to him because part of her knew he was right. She was just too afraid to take that path, and something told her he knew it.

“I can tell by your eyes you've already made your decision,” he said sadly. “I think one of these days you're going to wake up and realize everything you missed out on by not facing your fears.” He turned, threw the disorganized papers into his briefcase, and walked to the door. “Good-bye, Nora,” he said without turning back.

Nora did the only thing she could do at that moment. She sank down to the floor and cried.

~*~*~*~

It had been a week since Jackson had walked out of the courtroom, or perhaps she should say it’d been a week since she didn't face her fear and fight for what she wanted. There had been no contact with her father since the blow up in the courtroom. She’d left him multiple messages, but he returned none of them. A few times she thought about calling her mother, but the thought of explaining it all to her made her stomach churn. So instead, when she wasn't in class, she wallowed in her own self-pity in her dorm room.

With her head under the blanket, she wondered for the thousandth time how she could have been so stupid. Yesterday she even tried calling, but he refused to answer his phone. The slamming of her door had her peeking out from underneath the covers.

“I've had it!” Kara announced. “You are going to get out of bed and fight for Jackson.”

She pulled the covers back over her head. “I can't,” she squeaked.

Suddenly, the light from above was blinding her. Kara had ripped the overs off the bed. She covered her eyes with her arm. “You can't sit here and mope anymore.” Once again, Nora's eyes filled with tears.

“How am I supposed to fight for something that everyone will eventually hate me for?”

She sat down next to her on the bed and took Nora's hand in hers, pulling it away from her eyes. “What does it matter what anyone else thinks?”

“But—”

“No, let me finish. Your entire life, you've worried about everyone else. And for the first time, when I saw you with Jackson, you were truly happy. I could even see your happiness through the fear of me finding out about you two. Was it a shock? Yes. But I'm of the opinion that if someone makes you happy, their age doesn’t really matter.”

Nora still was skeptical about the whole relationship, not because of Jackson, but because of her family. “And my dad?”

“Nora, just give him more time.”

“And if he doesn’t come around?”

She shrugged. “Well, then he doesn’t come around. It'll be his loss. But
you
need to be ready to fight for Jackson and stand up for him when things get tough. And I’m not going to lie to you—things will get tough. You just need to always let your feelings lead you.”

Nora nodded but didn't move from the bed. Kara picked up her bag. “Look, I'm going the library to get some work done. It'll give you time to think about whether or not you're willing to try and win him back. And please remember you are not your parents.”

With that, Kara was out the door, and Nora was once again alone with her thoughts. She cared so much for Jackson, and Kara was right, she was so happy when he was around. He made every day brighter. Was the age difference a problem? Maybe for some people, but it really wasn't a problem for her. Instead, it was her fear of others’ reactions. She couldn't live her life for others any more. She’d been doing it as long as she could remember. With that thought, she hopped out of bed, deciding she needed to clean herself up to go see Jackson.

When she arrived at his house, the nerves had kicked in. She wasn't sure if what she was doing was right, but she had to try.