Jackson's Destiny (Sawyer Brothers #2) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Bailey

“What I find funny is that you actually thought you would be able to hide from him.” Amber laughed, and I rolled my eyes as I continued to cut up the onions for the potato salad. “We’re talking about Jackson,” she continued. “He is the most impatient person I have ever met. He would never sit back and wait for you to calm down.”

“Well, from the looks of it, I would say he pounded the anger right out of her.” Alena laughed when Amber’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You are so crude,” I said, trying to hold back my own laugher, because that was exactly what Jackson had done.

The front door opened, and Olivia walked in, followed by Tammy.

“You girls better hurry up with the salads,” Tammy said. “My boys have already attacked the dessert table and have moved on to the meat. By the time you gather all this up and take it out, the salads may be all that’s left.”

Olivia nodded proudly. When Jackson and I decided to have everyone over for dinner, Oliva hijacked her grandma’s kitchen, and the two of them made all sorts of sweet goodness. Of course Amber couldn’t resist bringing her own treats, so dessert was something we were sure to have enough of.

“Okay, then we better get this out there.” I gathered up the bowl of potato salad and the container of coleslaw and walked toward the front door.

“The avoidance tactic. Not obvious at all, Bay,” Alena announced from behind me. I didn’t turn around because I knew my red cheeks would surely give it all away. The last thing I wanted to do was continue any conversation regarding my sex life with Jackson in the presence of his mother—or Liv.

As I walked outside, I found all three men hovering near the table of food, a beer in one hand and a plate in the other. As I approached, they all looked up with guilt written all over their faces.

“Seriously, you three are pigs,” I said and pushed my way between Noah and Jackson to place the salads on the table.

Jackson leaned in and nipped at my ear, and I pulled back from him. “Stop it, you animal.” I tried to appear offended, but the truth was, his sexy playfulness mixed with his scent was turning me on, and this was not the time or place for that.

“You like my animalistic ways,” he cooed as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He kissed my neck and licked along the side of it, sending chills over my skin. A soft moan escaped my lips before I could stop it, and Noah’s chuckle brought me out of my haze.

“Damn,” he said.

Olivia shoved at Jackson’s shoulder and smiled. “Move back, you big lug. She needs to focus here, and apparently she can’t do that with you in the way.”

Jackson winked at me before leaning in and kissing Liv on the cheek. “Okay, but only ’cause you’re my favorite niece.” He stepped back and allowed me more room to work.

“Wait.” Olivia looked at him in confusion. “I’m your only niece.”

“I know. Clearly, I need more options.”

“Smartass,” she shot back at him. He shrugged and pointed to his left.

When Olivia and I turned to look, Ryan was standing there with his arms crossed, giving Olivia a stern glare

“What?” she asked.

“Watch your mouth.”

“But Uncle Dill Weed over there started it,” she offered in explanation. When that got her nothing but the same glare, she turned back to Jackson and snarled, narrowing her eyes.

He chuckled, and she stuck her tongue out at him before a small smile stretched across her lips.

***

Tammy and Olivia had left, and all that remained were the six of us. Alena was flirting with Noah, and I saw a little spark light up his eyes every time she smiled at him. Amber was trying to dissuade Ryan from going back to the dessert table for what must have been at least a third helping at this point. Jackson had his arms wrapped around my waist as he held me on his lap. I had tried on more than one occasion to move to the chair at his side, but he refused to allow it. He really was a caveman.

“So now that Alena is here, we have an extra person to help get this wedding planning on the move,” I said.

Ryan’s face lit up, and Amber’s eyes connected with mine.

“We only have a little over a month. There’s not a lot left to do, but there is enough that a little help would make a big difference,” Ryan said. “Jackson, Noah, and I have the ranch handled. We’ll set up the reception part inside the barn and extending out toward the lake, and we have the trellis being brought in the week before. You girls need to set up all the flowers and things like that.”

Amber sat on the edge of Ryan’s chair, and he pulled her into his lap and kissed her softly. The scene heated up, and I felt like I was intruding, so I wiggled in Jackson’s lap and pulled free.

“Where are you going?” he asked, refusing to let go of my hand.

“I’m just going to get something sweet.”

“But, baby, I’ve got your sweet right here.”

When he said things like that, my heart raced. Jackson was this big ol’ intimidating man, yet when he gave me sweet, it melted my heart. I leaned over and placed my lips against his, then pulled back to whisper so only he could hear me. “Save that sweet for later on, handsome.”

He bit at my lip and smirked, which only caused heat to boil in my stomach. I walked toward the dessert table, shaking away the images in my mind. As I looked at the tray of sweets Amber brought, I was shocked to find some untouched items.

I looked back at Ryan just as he and Amber came up for air. “Well, spank me cross-eyed, Ryan actually saved some brownies for the rest of us.”

Of course Jackson took my comment and ran with it. He sat up taller in his chair, looking excited. “Did I hear something about spanking?”

“Dial it down there, Cowboy. There’ll be no spanking going on today,” I said as I spun back around to grab a brownie from the tray.

“We’ll see about that,” he announced, and I looked back just in time to catch him wagging his eyebrows suggestively before tipping his beer back. As he lowered the bottle, he cocked his head to the side and hollered, “Hey, Noah, I may need to borrow those handcuffs.”

Once again, my mouth ran off before I could stop it. “Oh, you don’t need his. I have my own.”

“Bailey.” Jackson’s eyes grew wide, and I suddenly felt like I was on display. Each and every one of them looked back at me with widened eyes—well, except Alena; she owned a matching pair of cuffs, after all.

I shoved the brownie in my mouth to avoid explaining why or how I obtained them. But when my gaze connected with Jackson’s, his eyes were gleaming with excitement.

“You ready to head inside, Bay? Or do we need to head into town first to pick up these so-called handcuffs?”

If my face wasn’t already gleaming with embarrassment, it sure was now.

Chapter Thirty

Jackson

I crawled out of bed and stalked off toward the bathroom, where I flipped on the shower to allow the water to heat up. When I entered the bedroom, I froze in the doorway when I found Bailey sprawled out across the bed.

The sheet had slipped and settled just below her bare breasts. Her arms were stretched out above her head, and her puckered lips indicated she was still in a deep sleep.

I walked toward the bed and gently began gathering the sheet, exposing even more of her beauty as I slid it down her body. My cock stirred as I crawled between her legs. The moment I parted them and glided my tongue along her thigh, she whimpered and placed her hand on my head. I took this as my invitation and nestled between her thighs, kissing along her chest and neck on the way up her body.

“Good morning,” she cooed, and my gaze shifted upward and connected with the blueness of her still-sleep-filled eyes.

“Mornin’,” I offered in response before I placed a kiss against her clit. She whimpered, and I ran my tongue over her before sucking her between my lips.

She rested her hands on top of my head and slipped them into my hair, gripping gently. When she began to rock her hips with the rhythm of my tongue, I inserted a finger inside her and curled it just enough to create the friction I knew she needed. In no time at all, she was grinding her center against my face, and I almost worried she might start pulling out my hair the way she was going. When she screamed my name and her back arched, I smiled against her clit. As soon as I was sure she had reached the point of completion, I crawled up her body and gripped my hard cock. Wasting no time at all, I slipped inside of her and began thrusting deep. Our moans and the sounds of our bodies slapping together filled the room as we raced toward the finish line.

***

I left the house after Bailey and I finally got out of the shower. If I didn’t get away from her then, I knew I would only find myself in bed with her legs securely fastened around my waist again. Even though that thought was a damn good one, I had shit to do. I was so engrossed in strapping the weight onto Cherry’s back that I didn’t noticed anyone walk up behind me until someone poked me.

“So I’m here. What exactly is it you need me to do?”

When I spun around to face Bailey, I couldn’t help but laugh. She stood before me in a tank top, cutoff jean shorts, and a pair of bright blue flip-flops. She looked cute as hell, but nothing about her attire screamed horse training.

“Why the hell are you laughing at me?” she asked as she looked down at herself.

“Sweetheart, flip-flops?” I asked.

“What’s wrong with flip-flops?”

I walked toward her and placed my hands on her hips. Pulling her body flush against mine, I slipped my hands onto her ass, and she yelped when I squeezed.

“You look sexy as fuck, baby, but this outfit won’t work when helping on the ranch.” She tried to argue, but I covered her mouth with mine and swallowed her whimper. My body instantly reacted to her, and I was just about to drag her off to the nearest room with a lock when the sound of a clearing throat made me go stiff, and not in a good, fun way.

“Is this the kind of training Cherry is gonna get now?” Phoebe’s voice was like a cold bucket of water.

Bailey tried to free herself from my hold, but I only held her tighter. The only movement I made was to release my grip on her ass.

“What are you doing here? I thought I told you your presence was no longer needed,” I said, trying my best to keep my temper in check.

“The way I look at it, Cherry is my responsibility. My daddy wanted me to make sure her training stayed on task. And with the amount of money he’s paying you to keep her here, I think that entitles me to be present whenever I see fit.” Phoebe glared at Bailey, and I was just about to tell her to get the hell out of here when Bailey surprised the shit out of me.

“Phoebe, is it?” she asked as she spun in my arms.

Phoebe nodded.

“Well, you are more than welcome to stay and observe Cherry’s training from over there.” She pointed toward the fence just at the edge of the barn. “There is a bench for observers.”

Phoebe of course shifted on her feet and placed her hand on her hip. “Who in the hell—?”

“Who am I?” she asked. “I’m Bailey, and I can assure you I have no intentions of allowing you or any other girl to intimidate me when it comes to Jackson. I am well aware of your past. I know all about the months you two spent together. We all slum on occasion.”

I almost choked at the comment, but I stood back and let my girl run free.

“Now, as I said, you can stay and observe—over there.” She pointed once again. “If you have any concerns regarding what we’re doing during training, you can save those concerns for the end, and we can go over them together. If you have a problem with any of this, then I challenge you to find someone else in the state of Montana that will tolerate your shit like Jackson does. And I challenge you to find someone who will train Cherry better than him.”

Bailey crossed her arms over her chest as I stared at her in awe. When Phoebe huffed and stalked off toward her truck, I could no longer hold back. I grabbed Bailey’s waist, pulled her to me, and backed her toward the side of the barn. Covering her mouth with mine, I pressed my erection against her.

“That was one of the sexiest damn things I have ever witnessed in my life.” Bending at the knees, I lifted Bailey, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. “Training is gonna have to wait, because right now, I need to bury myself inside my Fireball.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Bailey

“Did he put up a big fight?” Amber asked as she carried the bottle of wine into the living room.

“Yeah, but I wore him out before I left just to ensure my escape.” I wagged my eyebrows.

Alena fanned her face as if to cool her heated cheeks. “This is so unfair,” she complained, “you have Jackson, she has Ryan, and I am about ready to hump the arm on the recliner to relieve my built-up frustration.”

“Don’t you dare hump the recliner.” Amber threw a pillow at Alena, and we all giggled.

We were having a sleepover at Amber and Ryan’s. The guys had gone out, and we decided a night in would be best. It was sort of the last hoorah before the wedding. We told Olivia and Tammy to come, but they decided on driving to Jeannie’s for the weekend instead.

“So give me some details, please,” Alena pressed. “I know the Sawyer brothers are…skillful. That is obvious. You two smile entirely too much for them to be lousy in bed. So spill. Give me some juicy details.”

I looked over at Amber, and she was already staring at me. “Well,” I taunted, and her eyes grew wide. She hated when I brought up sex stories about Jackson and would always stop me before I could finish. She said it was too weird because he had become like a brother to her.

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

“Jackson does this thing with his tongue.”

Amber plugged her ears and began humming.

Alena slid farther back on the couch and crossed her legs, gripping her wineglass a little tighter. “Tell me more.”

“Let me just say he is extremely giving. And those hands of his do devilish things.” I smiled when Amber squeezed her eyes shut tightly. “Oh, don’t you dare act like Ryan doesn’t know how to give you head-spinning pleasure, Amber. I’ve seen the smile on your face after a night of sweaty sex with that cowboy.”

Amber’s cheeks reddened, but she nodded and lowered her hands form her ears. “Okay fine,” she offered. “Ryan does things that make me forget my name.”

“This night was supposed to be relaxing, damn it. But now I’m just horny as hell, and no one is around to fix it.” Alena flopped against the cushions and let her head fall back.

“We could always call Noah. I’m positive that man would be more than happy to fix you up.” I giggled when Amber began nodding in agreement.

“That man is an enigma. Seriously, what is up with him?” Alena asked, showing that she truly was interested. “He flirts like crazy, and I would be on him so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him. But he’s so hot and cold. He truly confuses me.”

“Ryan told me he had a girlfriend—well, fiancée, that truly crushed him,” Amber said. “Apparently, he was head over heels in love, and she gave him an ultimatum. She wanted to leave Livingston and he didn’t, and when he told her that, she left anyway. It was about three years ago.” Amber tipped up the wine bottle and topped off our glasses. “About a month after she left, he went after her. She moved to LA, and when he found her, she was already in the arms of another man.”

My heart instantly broke for Noah, and I suddenly felt a little different about the guy. I always thought he was the ultimate bachelor that liked the freedom of an unattached, no-expectations fling. Instead, he had chosen to never allow another woman to break his heart.

“Well, shit,” Alena whispered. “Now I just feel like crap for thinking he was a promiscuous kind of guy.”

“Me too,” I replied.

“Okay, enough of this. We’re supposed to be having fun.” Amber stood up from the couch and made her way toward the stereo. She pressed the power button and turned the music up louder and louder.

The seriousness of the situation shifted as we danced around like three drunk teenage girls.

It was an amazing, free feeling.

***

Something was tickling my cheek, and I lifted my hand to scratch it. Without opening my eyes, I settled into the couch once again.

I was just fading back into that deep darkness of sleep when that tickle began once again. I swatted at whatever it was and startled when I connected with flesh.

“Humph!”

My eyes shot open. Hovering above me was the silhouette of a man. I opened my mouth to scream only to have it covered by a large hand.

Jackson’s deep chuckles filled the room, and he buried his face in the crease of my neck.

“You asshole.” I pushed against his shoulder as I tried to slow my racing heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“I told you she would freak,” Alena said.

Tilting my head, I looked up to find Alena and Noah staring down at me like I was some freak show.

“You’re lucky she didn’t nut-shot ya,” Noah offered. “That would have put a damper on your evening for sure.”

“Aw, Bay would have kissed it and made it all better, I’m sure,” she teased.

“Shut up, Alena, or I’ll be forced to tell the guys about your recliner fantasies.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. The two men in the room looked at her with interest, and she dove for me, placing her hand over my mouth.

“I swear I will spill all your dirty secrets, you have my word,” Alena threatened, and I giggled at how serious she was. The determined look on her face was completely ridiculous. She carefully pulled back her hand and pointed her finger at me in a final warning.

Just as she stood and took a step back, a thought ran through my mind. “Okay, I won’t say a word about the recliner.”

She nodded, looking pleased.

“But you never said I couldn’t tell Noah here that you find him intriguing and seriously confusing.” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, and let’s not forget you stated you are severely horny and—”

The pillow came at my face so fast, I couldn’t stop it. I turned to the side, laughing at her embarrassment. Having Alena around was going to make things interesting. She was rarely ever caught off guard, and I had never seen her get so flustered and tongue-tied around any man.

Not until now.