She continued to stare at him, her vision roaming over his face, looking for something unspoken. If it was the truth, she wouldn’t have to look far, because Jackson meant every word he’d said.
“Jackson,” she huffed as she dropped her arms to her sides. “I don’t know how you can be such an asshole one minute and so endearing the next.”
He dared to let a smile cross his lips as he took slow steps toward her. He placed a careful hand on her cheek. They might have shared each other’s bodies, but it was obvious he hadn’t earned the right to touch her at will. Besides, knowing she wanted him, that she would allow him to enter her personal space, was so alluring. He lived for moments like this one, where she answered his request by burrowing into his touch. “It’s part of my charm.”
“It has to be.” She stepped closer until she was pressed against him, pulling his hand from her face and wrapping it around her waist as she laid her head on his chest. “Otherwise, that cut I got on my head when the barn exploded did more damage than I realized. Because for some unexplainable reason, I keep wanting to end up in your arms.”
He tightened his hold on her, reveling in the way her nearness soothed and excited him at the same time. What he wouldn’t give to keep them like this all the time, secluded away from the outside world. They fit together perfectly when it was just them. When his job and her crusade to save everyone else weren’t in the way, there was harmony between them. It was selfish of him, and he had no problems admitting that to himself or anyone else who would listen, but he wanted more of this. More of her.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head, and she looked up at him. The fire in her eyes had cooled to a sexy simmer instead of the angry blaze he’d witnessed before. He leaned down, taking the moment to press hungry lips to hers. When she responded with a languid moan, he deepened the kiss, licking at her full bottom lip, demanding entrance into her mouth.
Aja was no wilting flower. She met each demand with one of her own, and soon, instead of arguing like two fools, they were standing in the middle of the room, tongues tangling, fighting to taste as much of each other as possible.
He felt her pull away first and chased her mouth with his until she took a step away from him. “I would so love to see where this could go, but I’ve got lasagna coming out of the oven in”—she looked down at her watch, then back at him—“two minutes. And Cajun lasagna isn’t a thing, so I have to save it from burning to a crisp. And also, you’re filthy. I love a rugged cowboy as much as the next girl, but ‘smelling like outside’ is not as tantalizing an aroma as one might think.”
He reached for her, and she dodged his hand by stepping to the side, barely out of his grip. “Are you telling me I stink?”
She tugged her bottom lip playfully between her teeth. “You said it.”
“You could help me get clean.”
“I could, but the lasagna would burn.” She looked at him again, something wicked flaring in her eyes. “It would also violate that one-night rule you instituted. And I wouldn’t want to contribute to you breaking your own rules.”
He closed his eyes. Her words were as sharp as a slap across the face. “That was my rule, wasn’t it?” He opened his eyes again to see the gleam of amusement brightening her features. She liked this. She wasn’t the least bit concerned that her entertainment came at his expense.
“It certainly wasn’t mine.” She circled him, appraising him as she took her fill. “I’m all for indulging in the things I enjoy. Denying yourself the things that make you happy is masochistic, in my opinion. And masochism ain’t my thing. Although since I met you, I can’t lie and say the whole bondage thing hasn’t crossed my mind. Imagining what you could do to a girl with your handcuffs has been…entertaining, to say the least.”
He groaned so loud, he was certain the people downstairs could hear it. “You are trying to kill me.”
She smiled, then walked to the door. “No, Jackson. I’m trying to show you the opportunities that lie in front of you. All you have to do is take them. Now, clean up and get downstairs. I’ll have a thick slice of lasagna served up for you when you get there.”
She left him standing alone in the room, wondering what the hell had happened. He’d dragged her up here to bend her to his will. But instead of getting her to agree to keep Mat off the ranch, she had him rethinking the one-night moratorium he’d placed on their lovemaking.Like you haven’t been rethinking that stupid rule of yours since she let you slide inside her.
He ran a hand through his tight curls and shook his head. Once again, the sexy lady lawyer had used her skills to turn the tables. And deep down, he wasn’t so certain he was all that upset about it.
Chapter 26
Jackson had never been so happy for a meal to end. Sitting across from Mat, he found fighting to keep the scowl off his face harder than he’d thought. Even after Aja’s declaration that the man had a thing for Brooklyn, the memory of his hand on Aja’s knee didn’t sit well with Jackson.
Quit it, Dean. You’re only mad because you’re being a possessive asshole.
It was the truth. He wouldn’t lie to himself by saying it wasn’t. Jackson was a brute for sure. But jealous and possessive weren’t traits he usually exhibited. He didn’t walk around marking his territory. But his inability to do so with Aja was making him suspicious of a man who wasn’t even interested in her.
“Jackson, may I have a moment on the back porch?”
Jackson turned to see Aja’s uncle standing at the counter. He followed the judge out the back door and looked around to make certain they were alone. Satisfied they were, Jackson waited for him to speak his peace.
“I see you’ve taken her safety seriously. There was security to greet us at the front gates. Is the entire ranch secure yet?”
“Not all of it.” Jackson huffed. “This is a big place. It will take at least a week or more to get the ranch covered in weatherproof cameras. But the crews are working hard. I’m keeping an eye on Aja, and my men are watching the ladies that work for her.”
“So you don’t think it’s them?”
Jackson couldn’t definitively say what he thought. Other than them being ex-convicts, there wasn’t a clear motive why Seneca or Brooklyn would terrorize Aja. “As of now, they’re clean. My men were actually with them when Aja’s attack occurred. We have no reason to believe the culprit is one of them.”
The judge scratched at the back of his head. “What’s the next step, Jackson?”
“We prepare and wait. He was bold enough to step into her room. He won’t stay away after that. And when he returns, I’ll make him wish he hadn’t.”
