Kicking and Screaming (7 page)

JACKSON

I was listening to every word and wondering what Denton's game was. He knew I was right behind the door, and would most likely hear every word they said. Maybe that was it, maybe he wanted me to hear for myself.

As if I was too green to realize what they were, I didn't live thirty-two years as the man I am not to know these things. I just liked to let people hang themselves.

When the Petra girl started in on Denton's father, I thought Maxie would have a coronary. I could actually see the change come over her; she was beyond pissed.

I tried to stop her from getting out the door, but she was too fast for me that time.

  Of course her mother was just in time to see her knock the shit out of Petra, and lit into her once again.

"Maxie Irene, whatever are you doing, are you insane?"

"Screw you lady." Oh shit.

"Sis..." Jonas tried to hold her back, but even I the relative stranger in the bunch could see that there was no turning back.

"No Jonas, this has been a long time coming, go, to, hell, Cynthia. You and your whorish money grubbing daughters."

"Maxie, apologize to your mother right this minute." Her father came up the stairs at a run.

"No dad, I'm sorry but I won't do this anymore, I love you, but I can't stand them, they're mean and hateful and I've had it."

Those wretched tears were falling again. I had the insane urge to grab her and make a run for it, but in the end all I could do was stand behind her and let her lean on me if and when she needed to.

"Baby, come on." Her dad reached for her just as his wife moved to block him.

"Conrad, I can't believe you're gonna side with her against me." Poor guy, I could see the struggle within and wouldn’t wish his plight on my worst enemy.

"I'm not siding with anyone, I'm just trying to understand what in the hell is going on around here?" he looked around at everyone gathered there but no one was talking all of a sudden.

"What's all the yelling, I thought we were going out to dinner?" Janet and Michael joined the melee.

"I'm sorry Jan, so sorry." She ran down the stairs in tears again and I felt gutted.

"Oh Mr. Collins, I'm so sorry you had to see that."

"Are you crazy lady? Your daughter just ran out of your house hurt and in tears and you're apologizing to me?"

I put a hand out to stop Denton as he made to go after her. If anyone was going to console her, it was going to be me.

"I've got her." Sink or swim I’d put my foot in it now.

I had to reach her before she got on that bike of hers and hurt herself because of these fools.

"But what about me, why's he going after her?"

I heard Petra whine on my way down the stairs. Imp was right; she really is stupid.

"Maxie wait, where are you going?" I held onto the handlebars of her bike, just as she was about to turn the key. I’d all but broken my damn neck coming down those stairs after her.

"What does it matter Jackson? I can't stay here."

"Then we'll go somewhere, but we'll take my car."

I helped her off her bike, which was a testament to how upset she was, because she didn't even snipe at me. I used my handkerchief to dry her tears, which I was sure if she were her usual snippy self, she would've had a lot to say about.

I kissed her lips because quite frankly I couldn't help myself, and then led her to my Aston, which was in her parents' driveway.

We were halfway down the driveway when I saw her sister Jenny come running out the door behind us.

I looked over at her and caught her looking at me with a strange look on her face.

"What?"

"I don't think you're what she said you are, but I don't understand. Why?"

"Who Maxie, who told you something about me?" She bit her lip and looked out her window.

"Do you remember me asking you about Sophia Ambrose?"

"Yeah but I still don't get it, what does she have to do with the way you've been treating me?"

"She said some things about you but, can I tell you about this later? I really don't want to get into that now, suffice it to say that I think I might've been wrong."

"Okay, I'll let it go for now, but at some point you're going to tell me what she said." Though I couldn’t imagine what the other girl had said, it’s not like we had that many dealings with each other, the girl was way younger than I am. And so is this one Collins or did you forget?

"Uh Collins, did you hit your head? I'll tell you if I want to, not because you demand it."

"And she's back, so, anyplace in particular you want to go?" I found that being here alone with her like this, gave me a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in a long time, not since I became a man and went off into the world to make my own way.

"No, just drive around for a bit, unless you need to hurry back to go to your dinner. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on all that admiration back there." Was that a hint of jealousy I heard in her voice?

"I'm not in the habit of kissing one woman and then going out to dinner with another."

I looked straight ahead as she turned to me. Her eyes burned a hole in the side of my head until I guess she got what she was looking for, whatever that may be.

Had she ever had a beau? For some reason it seemed that she hadn’t which was strange for someone who looked like her, strange but good for me.

I had the feeling that the man who finally possessed her, was going to be one lucky son of a bitch, and more and more it was looking like I wanted that man to be me.

No, this weekend wasn’t turning out anything like I’d expected. For one thing, I hadn’t expected to have my heart tested in such short order.

Looking over at her as we drove along, I could see it. I could see her next to me in life, a place I’d never envisioned anyone else ever.

***

MAXIE

See, now I'm confused and I hate being confused about anything. I just can't for the life of me figure out why someone would make up such an abhorrent thing about someone else, and unless he was a very good actor, she'd told a whopper.

Now I feel kinda foolish and I hate feeling like a fool. Things usually went very wrong when that happened.

"What are you thinking about so hard over there, you're not plotting the demise of some poor unsuspecting soul are you, namely me?"

"You're a riot." There wasn’t much steam in my retort and I’m sure he noticed. I needed time to process this new development, time to realign my thoughts, because if I’d been wrong then that meant...

Don’t get ahead of yourself here Maxie one thing at a time. Just because you might’ve been wrong about one thing that didn’t mean that he was the right one for you.

"So tell me, why not your name, why Le Dove?" I felt my shoulders tense up as soon as the words left his mouth. Some things I just did not speak of, especially not outside the family.

"That's private."

"You're full of secrets aren't you, that's fine, I'm the master of uncovering those."

"If you stick your nose in my business I'll snap it off, why are we stopping?"

The crazy man was unbuckling my seatbelt and drawing me over to him.

"What're you...?" I barely got those few words out before he was stopping me again.

"From now on, every time you threaten or swear, I'm gonna kiss you breathless."

Oh lord not another one of those, I barley survived the first one. If he keeps this up, I'll end up telling him everything.

Too late, his mouth covered mine and I went under. If I found out that Sophia Ambrose had lied to me two years ago, I am going to be so pissed.

JACKSON

I had to stop myself from going too far; this girl had her own brand of...something and it’s very potent.

One minute she's sniping at me, and the next we're sharing the sweetest kisses. I wonder if she realized what she gave away in those kisses.

No one kissed with that much passion without there being something there. I just needed to get to the bottom of the mystery and the sooner the better.

I nibbled my way around her lips because I found it next to impossible to let her go just yet.

She was pliant and sweet as her weight rested against my chest, her little mouth red and slightly swollen from my kiss.

I touched her skin softly where my five o’clock shadow had scraped her a little.

“I have to be more careful with you in the future, you’re so soft.” Her eyes still held a look of hunger so I pulled her back into my arms and kissed her.

I started to feel the closeness in the confines of the car when my hands accidentally brushed against her nipple and she hissed into my mouth.

Fuck! Not the time or the place. I eased her away from me and sat her back in her seat.

"It's time to go back Firefox.” Before I lose my head and take you here. I kept that last to myself for now, no sense in giving this one fair warning. She might take flight like the bird she’s named for.

It took me a minute to get myself under control while she sat next to me stiff as a board. It was beyond amazing that someone like her, could still be so innocent, untouched.

The thought that I would be the one to tap into all that heat, to own it, was extremely exciting.

Oh yeah, it was looking more and more like I was gaining more than a sister in law out of this bargain.

***

MAXIE

He's turning me into a simpleton, an air headed ninny. Those kisses of his leave me needy and confused, and all sorts of shivery. Not that he'll ever know.

I’d chew a hole in my tongue before I ever tell him. Though I had the sneaky suspicion that he knew already.

We both kept our silence as we headed back to the house, but there was no denying that something had changed between us.

I could feel the shift like a physical thing between us, and when he reached for my hand, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to give it to him.

I don’t think I breathed the whole time until we pulled up and he walked around to get me.

  The others were still there when we got back. I think the only one happy to see my return was Janet and Mike. They smiled at Jackson and I, Mike giving Jackson a little secret smile.

I didn't see Jonas so I asked.

"Where's Jonas?" I looked around for him but he was nowhere to be found. If they had done anything to him, I really was gonna let them have it. They know he’s off limits.

"Don't you worry about that young lady, you have some explaining to do, your behavior has been..."

"Jan where's Jonas?" I ignored the harpy that was my mother since I had nothing to say to her.

"I'm here brattasaurus." He came out of the kitchen with a chicken leg in his hand. Giving me a wink, he came to stand on my other side. Now I'm between him and the author of my confusion.

"Conrad are you going to tell her or should I?" That didn’t sound too good. From past experience I know that once she enlists dad’s help in corralling me, he usually has to come down hard to make her happy and keep the peace.

***

JACKSON

"Cynthia, I don't think..." Conrad started to answer his wife while I braced myself for whatever was coming next. I knew that whatever it was I was going to protect her. I’d made the decision, now I will see it through.

"Fine, then I'll tell her, we're sending you to your aunt in Arizona."

"You're what, you do realize that I'm almost twenty one right? You're not sending me anywhere."

"Yes Maxie, but you know the rules, until you're married this is home."

"Sorry dad but fu..." I pulled her back into my side and heard the hush that fell over the room. I wasn’t interested in any of them at this point, only in sparing her anymore of this farce, and maybe stopping her from saying something to the woman who’d birthed her that she may later regret.

Though I found much to be desired in the woman myself, I didn’t want my Firefox to disrespect her parent. It wasn’t well done at all no matter how you look at it.

"I have a splendid idea." I jumped in before she let loose on her father's head, she looked at me as if she were about to claw my eyes out.

"Since Janet is coming back to Texas with Michael, why don't Maxie come along with them?"

"I don't think..." Mrs. Dove started to object, but was overruled by her husband, thank fuck. I wasn’t in the mood to be diplomatic and she was really teetering on the brink.

"That's a great idea Jackson, thanks for offering." Either I'm crazy or the rest of them are because Dove and Denton started laughing their asses off.

Weird group that’s for sure, I was beginning to think my girl might be the only sane one in the bunch. My girl, I like the sound of that.

Even though she was glaring me down at the moment, but I had the remedy for that now didn’t I? All I had to do was kiss her out of her pique and she’d be putty in my hands.