Love Left Behind (55 page)

"To spending the
rest of our lives together." Jackson clinked his glass with mine and took
a sip of his champagne. I released the breath I didn't realize I had been
holding, feeling a little deflated by the lack of a proposal, but I dismissed
the thought. It was too soon and I was just happy to be with Jackson now.

"To spending the
rest of our lives together," I repeated with a smile, taking another sip
of my champagne as well. Jackson's smile faded slightly so I turned towards his
hand on my cheek, kissing the center of his palm softly. I would catch Jackson
looking melancholy every now and then, and he would admit that it was hard for
him to get over us being apart for so long because of Claire's deceit. It was
hard for Jackson to forget how happy we had been, and how that happiness had
been destroyed by Claire's obsession with him. I would remind him that we
couldn't change the past, that we had our whole future ahead of us, and it
looked glorious.

Jackson's expression turned
serious at my caress. He took my flute from my hand, putting it down on the
table along with his. He drew me closer, his thigh wedged between mine and his
arms wrapped around my waist.

"Promise me you'll
never leave me," he whispered fiercely. I remembered my last promise to
him, to never leave him as long as he never hurt me.

"I promise to
never leave you." I cradled Jackson's head in my hands, kissing him
softly, our lips clinging together. "It doesn't matter if you hurt me, if
you make me angry or if you make me cry. I'm yours forever no matter
what."

Jackson groaned,
crushing me to him as he slanted his mouth fiercely over mine. I responded just
as intensely, feeling desire course through me as his knee pressed against my
softness and my thighs clung to his, wetness pooling in my center. I was
wearing a skirt so the only barrier to my arousal was the thin cotton of my
panties.

"I need you
now," Jackson said harshly against my mouth, his hands already moving up
underneath my blouse.

"Jackson!" I
protested, looking behind me at the cockpit door that was closed. "We
can't. What if they come back here?"

Jackson gently pushed
me back onto the couch so that I was laying down, his eyes glittering with
desire. "Don't worry sweetheart. They have strict instructions not to
enter without permission."

I wanted to protest
more, but I was lost once Jackson unbuttoned my blouse, pulling the cup of my
bra down and latching his hot mouth onto my hard nipple, suckling hard. I tried
to suppress my cry of pleasure, not wanting the pilot or the first officer to
hear me.

"I need to hear
you, baby. Don't hold anything back from me."

I couldn't deny Jackson
anything, and when he slipped his hand underneath my skirt and fingered my
wetness, I cried out wantonly.

"Always so wet for
me," Jackson muttered, as his mouth moved down my body until his mouth
joined his finger.

"Jackson,
please!" I was circling my hips restlessly, pushing up against him as he
relentlessly suckled my clit, two fingers slowly plunging in and out of me. I whimpered
in need, my legs trembling as I felt the pressure mounting. I blinked when
Jackson pulled away, looking up at him confused. When I saw him unbuttoning his
pants, I automatically lifted my legs, my lower body convulsing with the need
to have him inside of me.

"I can't wait,
sweetheart," Jackson said through gritted teeth. "I need to be inside
of you."

My back bowed in
pleasure when Jackson rammed into me, crying out as ripples of pleasure
shuddered through my body. Jackson made guttural noises as he withdrew his
erection almost all the way, then slammed back into me. His hips pumped faster
and faster, his breath harsh and his face tight with desire.

"C'mon, baby. Come
for me, sweetheart."

Jackson's words tipped
me over the edge and I cried out as my climax convulsed through me, rocking me
with such pure pleasure that it was almost painful. Jackson swallowed my cries,
kissing me fiercely as the last of my release left my body.

I caressed Jackson's
cheek, damp with sweat, and gazed up at him, feeling so much love that it was
almost frightening. "I love you, Jackson," I whispered. Jackson
groaned at my words and I felt his erection jerking inside of me, spurting into
me endlessly until Jackson finally collapsed on top of me.

I caressed his sweaty
back, loving the feel of him still inside of me. Jackson raised his head,
grinning at me. "How does it feel to join the mile-high club?"

I burst out laughing,
shaking my head. "So much for words of love and romance." I sobered
as an unwelcome thought invaded my happiness, but I pushed it aside.

"What's
wrong?"

"I just..." I
trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. I told myself it didn't
matter, but I took a deep breath and asked, "Are you an established member
or is this your initiation?"

Jackson smiled, leaning
down to kiss me softly. "Definitely my initiation. There's no room in my
club for anyone except you and me."

I felt relieved by
Jackson's answer. It was sometimes hard not to assume that he had led a crazy
celebrity lifestyle while we had been apart, but I was learning that Jackson
had led a pretty tame life.

I was grateful that
Jackson hadn't popped off any buttons on my blouse, as he was apt to do during
the heat of passion, and straightened my clothing. I dug into the food with
relish, my appetite enhanced by our impassioned interlude.

Afterwards, I dozed off
in Jackson's arms as we listened to music. When I woke up with a start, it was
already dark and I sat up to stretch languidly. I turned around to see Jackson
laying beside me on the sofa, but he was wide awake.

"How long have I
been asleep?"

Jackson smiled, rubbing
my thigh with his hand. "The champagne must have gotten to you. You've
been asleep for two hours."

"Two hours!"
I exclaimed. I then laughed ruefully. "I guess that's what happens when I
drink three glasses of champagne in under an hour."

I peered out the window
but I couldn't see anything except the blackness of night. "Where are we
right now?"

A knock on the cockpit
door prevented Jackson from answering. It was kind of funny that the pilot was
knocking to enter instead of the other way around. My cheeks flamed when
Jackson called out permission and the pilot stepped into the cabin. I wondered
if he had heard my earlier cries of pleasure.

"Mr. Reynard,
we'll be landing in LAX to refuel and restock in about an hour and then we'll
be back up in the air. We're right on schedule and the weather looks clear for
the rest of the flight."

"Thanks for the
update. Let me know if anything changes."

The pilot nodded and
stepped back into the cockpit, leaving Jackson and I alone.

"What does he mean
we'll be refueling and restocking in LAX? That's our final destination." I
was still fuzzy from the champagne and waking up, but I was sure I had heard
the pilot correctly. Jackson grinned and I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"Where are
we-" I abruptly stopped talking when I caught sight of my left hand. I had
looked down at my hand because something felt odd, and that's when I saw it. My
third finger on my left hand was now adorned with a ring. But it was unlike any
ring I had ever seen. An enormous square-cut diamond was surrounded by smaller
diamonds, the band made up of smaller diamonds as well. I wanted to squint, the
glare of the diamonds twinkling on my finger so brilliant.

I looked up at Jackson
openmouthed, speechless as he sat there grinning at me, looking extremely
pleased. I finally found my voice, although it was strained.

"What...what is
this?"

Jackson gave me a mock
frown, ruined by the twinkle in his eye. "You mean you don't know?"
He gave a dramatic sigh, speaking as if he had an audience. "It figures
the love of my life doesn't even recognize an engagement ring when she sees
one."

"Hold it right
there," I said, resisting the urge to shake my head to clear it, the
comedy of the situation not lost on me. "Aren't you supposed to
ask
me first?"

"Your answer isn't
yes?"

"Of course it's
yes!" I exclaimed, feeling exasperated. I didn't think this was what I
should be feeling when the man I loved asked me to marry him. Except he hadn't,
exactly. "But you're supposed to ask me! I wasn't even awake for the
proposal!"

I folded my arms across
my chest, wanting to pout at Jackson's imperious manner. Jackson's expression
turned serious as he shifted his body to drop to one knee by the sofa.

"I've never wanted
anything more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I slipped the ring on
your finger while you slept in my arms because I wanted to see you wearing it
so badly. But I know the ring is just a symbol. We already pledged to be
together for the rest of our lives, and this is just making it official. You
already belong to me. And I belong to you." Jackson reached up to caress
my cheek and I couldn't stop trembling with emotion. "Emma Mills, I love
you. You're my heart and my life, and I can't imagine breathing one breath
without you by my side. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I
whispered, feeling dizzy with joy. The happiness was almost too much to bear.
"Yes!" I said louder, and then I yelled it. "Yes, yes,
yes!!"

Tears were streaming
down my face and Jackson pulled me close, kissing me fiercely, the promise of
our future in his kiss. I could taste the saltiness of my tears in our kiss,
making it even sweeter.

When we broke apart, I
caressed his face with my hand, loving the feel of stubble against my fingers.
I gave him a crooked smile, hardly able to believe that this beautiful man was
mine. I blinked when I remembered the pilot's words.

"Wait a minute.
Where are we going?"

Jackson quirked his
mouth, his eyes dancing with merriment. "I remember someone once telling
me that she would be happy spending her days fishing and her nights listening
to the ocean, as long as we were together."

I thought for a moment
and then realization dawned.

"We're going to
Bora Bora?" I asked in excitement, my face breaking out in a smile. I
squealed when Jackson nodded. "I can't believe it!"

Jackson grinned at my
enthusiasm, but I bit my lip, remembering the context of my request that I had
said in jest. "I said that we should leave everything behind for life on a
deserted island." I looked at him uncertainly. "Is that what you want
to do?"

Jackson's grin faded as
he looked serious. "If that's what you want."

"But-but," I
sputtered. "We have a life back in New York. You have your career and I
have my job. Jackson Reynard can't drop off the face of the earth to become a
beach bum!"

Jackson shrugged.
"Why not? I'm happy as long as we're together."

"But you love
acting! You can't give it up!"

Jackson shook his head.
"That's where you're wrong. I
like
acting, I love you. I know life under the spotlight has been difficult for you.
I know you think I make all the decisions, but this decision is up to
you."

Love for Jackson rushed
through me, and it was tempting to throw caution to the wind, along with all
the obligations of our life, and dedicate ourselves to enjoying each other. But
it seemed too reckless, too extreme.

Jackson leaned over and
kissed me gently, as if he understood the debate going on inside my head.
"You don't have to decide now. This can just be a vacation. But I hear
Bora Bora is a great place to raise children."

My heart squeezed at
Jackson's words, the thought of having children with him making me so happy
that it was impossible to express it in words. Even though Jackson said we had
time to decide, I couldn't stop weighing the pros and cons, not knowing what
the right decision was. Jackson just stretched out on the couch, watching me
with a smile.

The thought of living
in paradise was tempting but I also loved our life back home. Our friends and
family were there, but then again living with Jackson in Bora Bora would be an
adventure. Finally, I smiled widely, knowing in my heart what was right.

"Did you
decide?" Jackson asked, looking at me inquisitively. He smiled when I just
nodded. "Are you going to tell me?"

"I'll tell you
later," I said airily. "Right now I have to figure out what I'm going
to wear in Bora Bora. I packed for L.A., not a tropical island."

Jackson pulled me
close, his eyes gleaming with humor and love. "Going to make me sweat it
out, huh?"

I nodded with a smug
look. "It's only fair since I had to put up with your non-proposal."

Jackson grinned, not
looking the slightest bit perturbed. "Soon you'll realize that it doesn't
matter to me. We could live in Bora Bora, we could move to a podunk town where
I bag groceries and you flip burgers, we could go anywhere. It doesn't matter.
All that matters is me loving you, and you loving me."

I gazed up at Jackson,
my heart brimming with happiness, as I realized I would gladly spend the rest
of my life making myself worthy of this man.

"I love you,
Jackson Reynard," I whispered.

"I'll hold you to
that," Jackson replied with a gentle smile, kissing me softly.

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Turn the page for the
first two chapters of
Seeing Shadows
,
a paranormal romance with a twist. Add one gorgeous rocker, a resistant heroine
and a dash of paranormal angst for a recipe full of intrigue and surprises.