Jackson's Destiny (Sawyer Brothers #2) (4 page)

Chapter Six

Jackson

My neck ached as I stretched it upward and tried to work out the kink. Something tickled at my nose, and as I lifted my hand to rub it, my fingers got caught up in something. I opened my eyes and looked down at the blonde hair tangled in them.

The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon, and the soft glow in the room highlighted Bailey’s face. An uncontrollable smile pulled at my lips. After what she shared last night, we both curled into one another, not caring that we were still on the couch. As I held her, I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in days. She didn’t stir as I carefully untangled her hair from my hand and pushed it back off her cheek. She looked so sweet and gentle, but I knew she was so much more than that.

Bailey was feisty and full of surprises. She was untamable, nothing like what you would expect from a woman who had so many painful memories tucked safely inside her head. We shared that pain because we had both lost someone we loved. Someone so close to us that we knew going on without them in our lives would be next to impossible.

Without hesitation, I traced her jaw with my thumb, and she leaned into my touch. She was painfully beautiful, and my chest felt tight from the overwhelming sensation of being so close to her.

My phone chirped, muffled from where it was in my back pocket. I hadn’t removed it the night before and was surprised it still had enough battery life to be on. Slowly, so as not to wake Bailey up, I lifted my ass from the cushion and slipped the phone from my pocket.

Sure enough, it was showing a low battery message. I was just about to check my messages when it began to ring as Ryan’s name flashed across the screen. I hit Answer before it woke Bailey and lifted it to my ear.

“What?” I whispered.

“Where are you?” he barked. “I’m up here shoveling shit on my own. Noah is inside with Mom, and your ass is, what, still in bed?” I could tell by how out of breath he was that he was hard at work.

“Not in bed, but on the couch.”

“Bailey still with you?” he asked. “Amber said she didn’t stay at the apartment last night.”

I looked at Bailey, and once again that damn ache in my chest took over. “Yeah, she’s here. She just needs some time.”

“Well, I can guarantee you that Amber will be seeking her out today. She was climbing the walls last night with worry.”

“Bailey has a lot of shit in her head, bro. Things she needs time to sort through.” I hoped Ryan understood what I was trying to say.

“I understand needing time, Jack, I do. But Amber is freaking out. She knows it has something to do with Carla, and the not knowing is driving her insane. I don’t think she slept last night. And seeing her worry only makes me wanna fix things for her. It may sound selfish, but if she hurts, I hurt.”

“Same here,” I assured him.

“Oh yeah?” He chuckled. “So Hercules is falling, huh?”

“Don’t push it, Ry. Just know that I get what you’re saying. Bailey is just a lot more than I took the time to see three months ago, that’s all I can say.” She was more than I think a lot of us took the time to see.

“We need to get them together. They need to work it all out.” He took a deep breath. “It’s the only way either of us are gonna see a smile on their faces right now.”

“I’ll be up in a bit. I just need to wake her up and move her to my bed.”

He chuckled, and I hung up before he could make some stupid-ass comment. I laid the phone on the arm of the couch and worked my other arm out from behind Bailey’s shoulders. Moving slowly so I wouldn’t wake her, I slipped one arm beneath her legs and the other behind her back. When I lifted her, she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“What are you doing?” she whispered hoarsely.

“I’m taking you to my bed. I gotta get up to the ranch to help Ryan, and I didn’t want to leave you on the couch, sweetheart,” I assured her as I carried her to the bedroom and nudged the door open with my hip.

Just before I laid her down on the bed, our eyes connected, and she smiled back at me. Damn if that didn’t hit me like a punch to the stomach and make my knees just a little weak. Her happiness had come to mean so much to me, and it was still a new feeling.

I lowered her to the bed and slowly pulled my arm out from under her shoulders and legs, but I still hovered over her as our eyes locked on one another’s.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

My body moved of its own accord, and I lowered my lips to hers and kissed her softly. The kiss started out gentle and quickly became heated and more intense, and Bailey gripped the back of my neck, holding me close. She and I had been attracted to each other for months, and after our first kiss, that attraction was almost like an uncontrollable pull and just as hard to fight.

I pulled back, allowing my forehead to rest against hers, breathing her in. I kept my eyes closed as I spoke, my voice sounding weakened by lust and need. “Stay in bed, relax. I’ll be back in a few hours.” I inhaled, attempting to calm myself. “We’ll go grab something to eat then.”

“Okay.” Her soft whisper sent chills over my back and arms.

After kissing her once more, I stood tall and took one last moment to take in the beauty that now lay tangled in my sheets. Visions of joining her fought against the need to get up to the ranch. Finally, I slowly took a few steps backward, shaking my head to clear it of the images of spending the day rolling around in bed with her. The smile that spread out over her lips told me she was having the same thoughts.

Bailey was an intriguing woman. She had a dirty mind like a guy and a mouth like a sailor, but she was sweet as honey when you got her alone.

Chapter Seven

Bailey

I woke just after eight, and the house was still empty. Stretching my arms above my head, I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow at my side, where I was engulfed almost instantly by the sexiest scent. Jackson drove me crazy. I had never been turned on by something as simple as cologne until I met him.

The last twenty-four hours had been emotional overkill. A lot of things I had hidden away had come back, and whether I was ready or not, it was time to face those demons. Which also meant it was time to have a discussion with my best friend that I should have had a long time ago.

As if she could read my mind, the theme from
Toy Story
filtered through the open bedroom door. As a silly joke, Amber and I had chosen it as our ringtone for one another. The looks I received when standing in the middle of a grocery store or a salon as “You Got a Friend in Me” blared from my purse always made me grin.

I knew I owed her an explanation for running out on her the way I did. I also knew there would be more tears in my near future.

Just as I was about to crawl out of Jackson’s bed to answer my phone, I heard the click of a door and looked up just in time to see him walk in from the adjoining bathroom. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. The towel around his waist hung low on his hips, and those damn dips just above the cinch in the middle of his waist made my mouth water. What I wouldn’t give to trace those very dips with my—

Jackson chuckled, bringing my dirty thoughts to an abrupt halt. “Darlin’, if you wanna touch, all you have to do is ask.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to appear irritated by his cockiness. But he didn’t buy it at all as he took a few steps closer to the bed. “I can unhook this towel and give you a closer look.”

My gaze fell to his taut and mouthwatering stomach as he fisted his hands in the towel and slowly began to pull it open. I swallowed hard right before the Disney song broke through the silence of the room again.

Our stares connected once more, and he arched a brow in question.

I shrugged and sat up. “Amber,” I confessed. “Pretty sure she’ll keep calling until I answer.”

I felt a slight pang of disappointment as Jackson tucked the towel tightly around himself once again. I was so close to getting a glimpse of what I was sure would be anything but mediocre. He took a seat beside me on the bed and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind my ear. “We can hold her off for a while longer if we need to.”

I shook my head. I had dodged her too long. She didn’t deserve to be ignored. “I can’t. I need to talk to her,” I confessed. “I know she’s going crazy.”

Jackson rested his hand on my thigh and rubbed it, sending warm flutters through me. “Ryan said she was up most of the night. Apparently, she knows you’re upset because of something to do with her mom, due to the comments you made at the bakery.”

I cringed, remembering that both Amber and Olivia had seen my outburst. “Yeah, I need to apologize to Liv. She was there too.”

“Sweetheart, she has me as an uncle, so I’m pretty sure she’s heard worse.” He chuckled. “But really, I can take you to see Amber.”

“Or I could drive myself.”

He stood and walked toward his closet. His back was to me when he released the towel. As it fell to a puddle at his feet, even I heard my intake of breath. He looked back at me over his shoulder. “I like my idea better, darlin’. Now get up and get ready. We leave in five minutes.”

I didn’t move, still captivated by the perfect ass that was now on display. Jackson Sawyer was a work of art. He was sexy and domineering. He was a control freak, and when things didn’t go his way, he used his size to make sure they did. Yet right now, he was being playful, and it was a side of him I didn’t get to witness often. Things between us were always so tense. I had been fighting my attraction to him for months, but I was beginning to wonder why. Maybe it was time I gave in to temptation and let him have his wicked way with me.

***

I felt slightly uncomfortable as I walked into Heavenly Temptations a few minutes later. I had never once been nervous inside the bakery. Even on opening day when Amber was a nervous wreck, I knew this place would thrive. Amber was an amazing baker, and I knew everyone in town would think so too. But now the mood felt different, and I was positive it had a lot to do with the fake-as-hell blonde behind the counter.

“Stop growling, darlin’. This ain’t the place to claw her eyes out. Let’s find Amber.” Jackson laced his fingers with mine, and the gesture made me smile despite Carla’s presence. As he tugged me along, Carla, of course, decided this would be a perfect opportunity to try to flirt with him again.

“Hey there, handsome, is there anything I can help you with? I would be happy to give you all you need.” Her eyes lit up as she perused Jackson from head to toe.

I was just about to interject when the kitchen door flew open and Amber rushed into the lobby. She all but threw herself at me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Bailey, I was five minutes from driving myself to Noah’s and dragging you out,” she cried, and Jackson gripped my hand just a little tighter. “I was so close to tying Ryan to his bed last night so I could get away long enough to talk to you.”

I smiled and wrapped my free arm around her as Jackson held my other hand securely in his. As Amber looked at Jackson tucked close at my side, her expression turned into a questioning frown. Puzzled, I turned to Jackson and saw that his expression was hard.

“She wasn’t with Noah. She was with me at my place,” he corrected her. “Noah was just in the right place at the wrong time, and that shit came to an end real fast. If Bailey needs anything, at any time, you call me, not Noah.”

Amber and I stared back at him as all kinds of unanswered questions rolled around in my head. I had no idea what Jackson and I were to each other, but I appreciated him being there for me when I needed someone. He listened to me when I needed it most, and I would always appreciate that.

“Jack, you mind telling me what is going on?” Amber asked.

“Let’s just say that Bailey has avoided me long enough, and that shit has come to an end too.”

When I tried to tug my hand from his, he only squeezed it tighter. “Jackson,” I muttered, hoping to get his attention. When he didn’t let go, I knew he was ignoring my protest.

“I brought Bailey here to talk to you, but I’ve realized this isn’t the best place. The current company is only souring my mood, and frankly, this place isn’t as inviting as it once was.” He tugged my hand, pulling me closer.

Amber stood gaping at him, and I was sure I wore the same disbelieving expression. None of this was Amber’s fault, so why was he being such an ass? “Excuse me?” Amber gasped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Amber, really it—”

“Tonight, you and Ryan come to my place for dinner, and bring Liv,” Jackson cut me off, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He squeezed my hand again, then leaned in closer to Amber. “Darlin’, I mean no disrespect, but Bailey isn’t staying here until you take out the trash.”

Amber looked up over his shoulder at her mother, and I knew she connected the dots immediately. She shifted her gaze to mine. “Bay, what am I missing? Please, I know this is bigger than a simple misunderstanding between her and you.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and I felt mine doing the same. “Tonight,” I whispered, and she nodded in return. “I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

I felt sick, and I hated it. Amber wasn’t tremendously close to her mother, but Carla was still her mom. Telling her that Carla was the person responsible for ending my parents’ already broken relationship would be hard. My biggest fear was losing the only person I considered family. If Amber walked out of my life, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over that.

Amber looked over toward her mother. “Could you please give us a minute?”

“No, Am,” I said as I placed my hand on her forearm. “Tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, Am, you’ll talk tonight.” Carla’s menacing voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. “I’m sure whatever drama this is related to, it will still be there tonight.”

“Enough,” Amber said angrily.

Her eyes met mine once more and I forced a smile. “We’ll talk tonight.”