To his relief, Leah read it and answered almost immediately.
Leah:
All good here! When will you be back?
He swallowed, then thought of the message from Leah’s ex and put away his phone without replying. He tipped back his head to stare up at the ceiling, a groan ripping through his throat. Grabbing his car keys, he followed his father out of the office.
After helping with the clean-up at his parents’ house until the early hours, Jackson finally reached Amity Court before dawn on Sunday morning with a jumble of emotions in his chest. He searched the property for damage and, finding none, crashed into bed, slept for a fitful few hours, and woke late.
When he stumbled into the kitchen in a desperate, foggy search for coffee, an ebony-haired whirlwind spun around from the stovetop and launched itself at him. Instinct had him catching Leah as she hit his chest. She smelled of pears and hidden truths—the first intoxicating, the second unbearable.
“I saw your car!” Leah bounced as he dropped her back onto her feet. “What time did you get in? I must have been dead to the world. I didn’t hear you at all.”
The feel of her in his arms, the sound of her voice. It was all too much. He wanted to pull her close and never let her go. He wanted to shove her away to keep her safe. He wanted, more than anything, to ask her about that fucking stupid text, but the words wouldn’t come. Where he needed common sense and clear thinking, he could only find open wounds and old habits.
Jackson retreated behind the solid defenses he’d spent so long perfecting. “It was early and I was quiet. Some of us don’t feel the need to announce our arrival like a fanfare.”
Her smile hitched, before recovering. “Did something happen? I thought you’d make it back for the full weekend.”
“I had to work,” he snapped. Coffee, he just needed coffee.
“Is everything OK, Jax?” Even without meeting Leah’s eyes, he could sense the unease in her face.
“Why would it not be?” Bitterness sparked, fanned by exhaustion. “You tell me, Leah. Why would it not be OK?”
He wanted her to bring it up. Simple words were all he needed.
I’ve been in touch with my ex-boyfriend but it’s nothing serious. I can explain. I’m not choosing him over you. You won’t lose me as well. We can work out the Landon Peake thing together.
Leah’s mouth moved but no words came out. A furrow rippled between her eyebrows and Jackson found himself watching her lips, the soft curves sending a familiar shiver of awareness over his skin. He knew them so well now. The way they tasted, the feel of them around the most intimate parts of himself.
He thought of Peake’s guy being this close to Leah, and rage made him lightheaded in his impotence; his hands were tied in so many ways. Hell was being desperate to protect her from Peake’s attention but crippled by the thought of keeping her at arm’s length. It was having to be at Amity Court to fulfil the terms of Esther’s request but not knowing if his being there brought an added danger. Aching to hold her but not quite trusting her.
Jackson thrust a pod into the coffee machine and flipped the switch. “If we’ve got people coming over later, I need to head out and pick up some supplies. It won’t happen on its own.”
For once, Leah continued to say nothing; instead he could feel her inspecting him closely, as if she was trying to make sense of his inner thoughts.
Good luck with that one, Raven.
He was halfway out of the door, steaming mug in his hand, before she spoke. “I’ve made a couple of desserts, the salad stuff and soft drinks are all in the fridge, plus a few people are bringing sides. I picked up the charcoal from the general store yesterday. It’s mainly the meat and alcohol we need because I wasn’t sure of numbers.”
Jackson grunted and nodded but didn’t turn back.
“I need to talk to you about something, too. When you’ve got a minute.”
“Later, Leah.”
He couldn’t be near her right now, wanting her as he did with the strength of a fucking tectonic shift. Either she was about to tell him something he didn’t want to hear, or they would smooth things over and then he would be putting her in danger. Distance was what he needed. Even if that distance pushed her back into the arms of her ex-boyfriend. Jackson ground his teeth, fighting the breathlessness the image brought with it.
He’d make sure Landon Peake could not use Leah as a pawn if it killed him.
Downing his coffee so fast that the steaming liquid scalded his throat, he stifled a tortured groan and reached for his car keys. It was possible he’d never experienced so many conflicting emotions within the same ten minutes in all of his life.
Jackson flipped the meat on the grill with murderous intensity and wished himself a thousand miles from Amity Court. Life had been so much easier when he’d kept people at arm’s length.
“That bathroom is sinfully extravagant,” Marjorie announced with a flourish, collapsing onto one of the chairs Leah had draggedout to the veranda. "I haven't seen it since you had it tiled" I’d change my name to Belle and powder my nose every half hour if we had one like it!”
“Jackson doesn’t look much like a Belle,” Kash commented from his position against the railing, beer in hand.
