Jackson
They slept late the next morning. Mainly because they’d initially awoken early. Jackson had stirred to find himself wrapped around Leah, tucked in behind her as if he couldn’t bear an inch of separation, the curve of her ass nestled into his pelvis. The covers had fallen from one creamy shoulder and the top of her head rested beneath his chin.
She was temptation and comfort. Everything, all at once.
He could no sooner prevent himself from hardening than he could have gotten up and walked away. His cock connected with the warm residual dampness between her gorgeous thighs and he woke her with his smothered curse. Leah’s giggle was sleepy, lazy, and sexy enough to blame for what happened next.
After waking a second time, they breakfasted at a café nearby—Jackson wincing at the ocean of syrup she ladled over her pancakes; Leah retaliating by showing him her entire mouthful of half-chewed food.
“Nice, Raven. You’re such a lady.”
“Didn’t stop me landing the cute, rich boy.” She shot him an arch look of lofty mischief.
Jackson grinned and stretched. “Ready to hit the beach again later?”
“Can’t wait. What time will we need to leave?”
“Not until six-ish. We can make a day of it.”
“Will you stay over at Amity Court tonight?”
He shouldn’t but he knew he would. Didn’t want to even think about what the week ahead would bring. “I’ll leave early in the morning. I can be in the office by eight.”
Leah’s eyes glowed. “Hey, why don’t we have a barbecue next weekend! A small one. You could ask people from work if you wanted, and Sam and Kash would come. Hazel, too. Maybe Florence, if she isn’t busy.”
Jackson grimaced. “It’s Father’s Day on Sunday. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away.”
“Ask your parents, too.” Leah shrugged. “They can see the progress you’ve made on the house.”
Anything that diluted his exposure to his family was tempting. And the thought of Leah spending another Father’s Day alone was an uncomfortable one. Ignoring the niggling feeling that he would live to regret it, Jackson gave in, too relaxed to spare more than a passing thought to next weekend when he had this one still to enjoy. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
They sauntered back to the beach house. The sun high in the sky, the surface of the lake glistening like a swathe of jeweled fabric. It was already hot and he craved a long, carefree afternoon in the water with Leah. Hours when her laughter was his, her body only an arm’s length away. Time when he could believe he’d finally found some balance in his life. That he was enough, just the way he was, and everything was easy. Looping a casual hand around Leah’s waist, he shortened his stride to match hers.
Cursing the alarm, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and fumbled to silence it. The lock screen that lit up wasn’t his. Jackson dropped Leah’s cell next to him and reached for his own, thumb swiping on Snooze.
Beside him, Leah mumbled and spread out over the opposite side of the bed, leaving one of her ankles trailing across his knee. He fought the urge to pull her against him. If it weren’t so ridiculously early, he’d wake her with the light kisses on her neck that made her eyelids flutter, and his fingers between her legs.
He’d wanted to wring out every last minute of the weekend even if it meant leaving for the office at stupid o’clock, but it wasn’t fair to wake her just because he was turning into an emotional limpet.
Jackson raised his phone to check the time and found that, once again, he’d picked up Leah’s. Her lock screen showed the first part of an unread incoming text message from the evening before. He squinted at it in the half-dark.
Matt:
Hey, babe. Good to hear from you . . .
And that was all he could see. The rest of the message wouldn’t come up unless her phone was unlocked and the text opened fully.
Good to hear from you.
Matt. Leah’s ex-boyfriend—the one she’d lived with before coming to Amity Court? She’d been in touch with him. Jackson’s chest cramped.
Why would she message Matt?
And why wouldn’t she have told him she’d messaged Matt?
She’d said she was an open book.
Even as he tried not to jump to conclusions, Jackson could feel himself spiraling. Somehow, Leah had cracked open a fissurein his castle walls and he no longer knew how to be chill. Was she a fucking Trojan horse after all?
