Scared of Beautiful (12 page)

I’m so confused by this.
Where the hell is Jade? And why is she not going to be back ‘til next semester? And more to the point, how am I going to get this bitch out of my space?

The door swings open, and in walks a pair of legs and a box. “Babe, where do you want this?” Bryce’s irritating voice fills the room.

He lowers the box, and glances at a very clothing deficient me, gaping at him. His lips curl into a seedy smile.
God, how I hate this guy
. Morgan clears her throat dramatically and he immediately averts his eyes back to her. “Meet my new roomie,” she says cattily.

Hey, your man is a dog, which is clearly obvious. I chose to let him go.
Why the hell hate on me?
But Bryce, in true asshole form, walks over to my bed and extends a hand. “Bryce, nice to meet you.” I look at it as if he has leprosy. “Morgan should have warned me that her new roommate sleeps in the nude.”

I pull the covers tighter up my neck. Just the sight of Bryce makes me feel dirty. As I open my mouth the retort, a soft knock interrupts me and the door slowly opens. I have never been so thrilled to see Jackson in my life. Standing there in a white V-neck tee and grey jeans, holding two coffees, his golden god-like features make Bryce look like a pasty-faced school boy.

He examines the situation slowly, clearly baffled.

“Out!” I say to Bryce and Morgan. “I’d like to change.” Morgan opens her mouth to protest, but Bryce grabs her hand and they walk out the door. I slump onto my bed as Jackson walks over to kiss me gently on the forehead. Taking my coffee from his hand causes my cover to slide down, and Jackson’s eyes fill with lust as he offers me a cheeky grin. Like me, he’s probably replaying last night in his mind.

“What was that about?” he asks, gesturing towards the closed door where the banes of my existence had recently exited.

“I have a new roommate apparently,” I say still shocked by the turn of events.

“So, Jade’s staying in Atlanta, I’m guessing.” Jackson’s eyes fall to the floor.

“I’m sure it’s just for this semester, that’s what Morgan said.” I gesture to the offending door. “But now, I need your help,” I continue, standing and letting the covers slide to the floor.

Jackson’s eyes widen as he takes me in and leans forward, grabbing my hips. “Happy to oblige,” he grins, still not looking up.

“
Hmm
, sounds tempting,” I say running my fingers over his head and down his neck. “But I need your help apartment hunting.”

Jackson finally looks up. “Now? That’s expensive, and I doubt you’ll find a lease mid-semester in this area.”

He’s probably right, unless... I grab my phone and dial my investment firm’s number for the elite clients 24-hour service. After a few quick checks on apartment listings and the arrangement of funds, the investment adviser gives me the okay to go ahead.

Jackson eyes me suspiciously. He thinks that my money comes from daddy like the spoiled brat waiting in the hall. I have yet to tell him my actual net worth.

“You’re buying an apartment? Just like that?” he asks, astounded.

“Good investment in this area according to my financial advisors,” I shrug, walking over to the closet to grab clothes and my towel. “What? Did you really think I was gonna stay in this dorm room with Lucifer and his bride?”

Jackson agrees to wait in the car while I shower and change. Thankfully, when I leave the room, Bryce and Morgan are nowhere to be seen. After a longer than usual shower, I change and walk over to the Mustang. Jackson is leaning against the passenger door, phone in hand, oblivious to anything around him.
He is truly a god
. His not too huge biceps amply fill the sleeves of his t-shirt, as do his broad shoulders. His just tight enough jeans give me a full silhouette of that oh so tempting bulge. And his caramel skin looks almost edible. For a moment, I stop and just observe, taking in the Adonis. Until he looks up and catches me. His face alights into a wide grin as he exaggeratedly opens the door, chauffeur style, and gestures for me to get in.

We pass by a few real estate agents on the way into Providence, some of whom take one look at me and assume that I am looking for a two square-foot studio apartment with barely enough room to swing a cat, because that’s all I can afford.
I get it
. I dress simply, with barely any makeup. I don’t look like the type of trust fund brat who could afford a decent apartment owing, to my lack of gold and ridiculously expensive six-inch Manolos.

Finally, we come across Cindy, an agent in her mid-twenties who doesn’t baulk at what I’m willing to spend, and offers to show me everything in that price range. Admittedly, Jackson also baulked when I said the budget out loud.

Seeing the surname on my driver’s license, Cindy’s eyebrows perked. “You sure you don’t own property in the area already?” she asks.

“My family does,” I reply and the word family grinds out of me. It’s better than saying my father. Noticing that this was a point of contention, she doesn’t continue to question why I don’t just occupy one of my father’s apartments. Instead, we start the trek into town to see what she has to offer.

I hate the first three, and so does Jackson. None of them have windows or views of anything. In fact, the only window the first one had looked over onto another building, directly into a window wherein a middle-aged woman was strategically bent over her husband’s torso. Jackson suppressed a laugh and Cindy and I rolled our eyes, smiling.

The fourth apartment was just a few doors down from the Clever Bean. It was a front facing top floor apartment, with bay windows in each room that overlooked the busy street below. It had two decent sized bedrooms and hardwood floors, and I was in love.

Always being one to trust my own instincts when it came to money, Cindy, Jackson, and I headed back to her office to sign the paperwork. “Can I move in soon?” I ask her excitedly, after completing the paperwork and funds transfer.

“I really shouldn’t allow it until the funds clear, which will be Tuesday,” she answers regretfully. I’d be treading carefully, too if I had just made the amount of commission she had for two hour’s worth of work.

I think of spending the next three days with Morgan in the bed next to me and cringe.

“It’s okay,” I smile.

After hitting a few furniture and appliance stores to buy some essentials and have them delivered on Tuesday, Jackson and I make our way back to the campus. He’s been rather quiet since we left Cindy. I notice his hand wringing the steering wheel periodically as he stares at the road ahead.

“Wanna share?” I ask, almost scared of what I’d hear.
Maybe he does think I’m some spoiled rich girl. Maybe his opinion of me has changed.
Before he can answer, I interject. “I should have told you I had that kind of money, since we said no secrets. It’s just, it’s not that important to me. Honestly, I invest it and forget about it.”

Jackson lays a hand over mine. “Why would that bother me?” he asks looking at me.

I breathe a sigh of relief, which is short lived.
If that’s not it, then what?

“I was thinking of asking, maybe seeing if you wanted to come down to Atlanta with me. See Jade. I was going in a few weeks anyway to see my folks, but now you need to get away ‘til Tuesday…” Jackson speaks apprehensively as if he’s not sure that he really wants this. “Shana and Daniella will probably be there, too. It’s bizarre, but I feel like I need you with me to face that.”

Shit! What the hell am I supposed to say?
Saying no makes me look unsupportive, after his last comment.
But do I really want to land myself in the middle of the shit fight that will probably ensue? Am I really ready to meet families?
To be honest, after only recently emancipating myself from my own family, did I really want to get anywhere near another? My stomach knots but before my brain has a chance to derive a good excuse, the word ‘sure’ rambles out of my mouth.
Holy freaking hell! What did I just do?
Jackson loosens his grip on the steering wheel and his shoulders visibly relax as the tension in them releases. After dropping me at my dorm to pack a few things, Jackson heads off to do the same at his. I book two business class flights to Atlanta, before shutting my laptop and leaving to meet him.

We arrive at the airport just as twilight breaks. The chill in the air only adds to the nervous tension in my stomach. Jackson pulls out his wallet as we approach the counter to book the flights.

“Oh, wait. I took care of it,” I say, handing the clerk the credit card I used for the booking.

Jackson’s averts his gaze across the terminal and grows quiet.

“What?” I ask as we make our way to the boarding gate.

“Maia,” he sighs, not meeting my eyes. “I don’t need charity from you, or anyone for that matter. I invited you to come with me and I told you that I would take care of the tickets.”

“I…I just figured…” I stumble for an explanation.

“Figured what? That I couldn’t afford it?” Jackson looks well and truly pissed off, and it’s a look that I’m not used to on him.

Tears sting my eyes as a nervous knot rises in my throat. He looks towards me and his face softens. “It’s fine, okay,” he says wrapping an arm around my waist. “Thank you. Just next time, can you at least talk to me about these things first?” I blink back the tears and nod solemnly. Ever since I was a child I’d learned to avoid conflict, and my automatic mental reflexes made a note to never do that again.

Jackson

I probably shouldn’t have been so hard on Maia. She was only trying to help. Still, something about the way she just assumed that she should handle it pissed me off. The hurt in her eyes immediately made me regret my anger. She didn’t have to come with me. And Lord knows I replayed in my mind a hundred times whether this was a good idea or not. My folks would love her. But what was I dragging her into, with Jade and Shana? She’s not built for drama.
That’s obvious
. She’s already experienced enough of it in her life at home.

Our flight is the red eye, which means it’s empty, and late. Maia and I are the only two passengers in Business class, along with a handful of people in economy. After serving us drinks, the flight attendants all exit to their seats midway through the airplane, to presumably take a nap. Maia changed into a black skirt and almost knee high wedge-heeled boots at the dorm, and they’ve been driving me crazy ever since I saw her walk out the building.

She seems really into the rom com playing on the screen in front of her, but there is no way in hell I’m letting this pass.
Hell, I’ll rent her the fucking DVD when we get to Atlanta!
Trying to be slick, I casually place a hand on her thigh. She observes me cheekily, with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Guess she wasn’t so into that movie after all.

Without warning, she places her hand over mine and guides it up her skirt, straight towards the Promised Land. I twist into Maia, and her lips crash into mine as my hand finds its mark. Last night we took our time, free from interruption. Tonight, this is urgent. Maybe it’s the idea that at any moment someone would walk down the aisle and catch us? Her right hand unbuttons my jeans and her fingers wrap firmly around my shaft. Her hand glides up and down, to the same frequency of my fingers sliding in and out. My lips latch onto her neck, and she stifles a moan, arching her back in response. We’re both so close. Then suddenly she yanks her hand away and stands up motioning for me to follow her. I know what she’s thinking. I don’t even bother to button up my jeans.

Maia closes us in the airplane cubicle and turns her back to me, resting her palms on the sink in front. Her ass juts out invitingly, and for a split second I really can’t think straight enough to remember what to do next. Then it hits me, and I hitch her skirt up over her waist, pulling her G-string to the side. Within seconds, I slide into her.
Jesus
, she feels even tighter than she did yesterday in this position.
Is that even possible?
Thank god this is meant to be a quickie. She backs her ass into me, harder with each thrust. The mirror in front provides me with a full view of her face, and I see her in all her glory, eyes closed, trying to stifle back cries. Her back arches in response to me. I wish I could tell her to scream;
just scream, baby
. I lean my chest into her back. My eyes are glued to the mirror. Seeing her reaction to me is so fucking hot.

“Fuck, Maia.” The words escape my lips in barely a whisper as she leans back to grip my thighs and pulls me deeper into her, just as I feel her come. And as I join that party, I could swear that my whole fucking body has just imploded.

The mirror in the small cubicle is now completely fogged up, and the humidity in here is at an all-time high. Maia and I dress breathlessly and quickly and exit the stall. Thankfully, no one has ventured through the cabin; at least none that we can see.