This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) (9 page)

Although there was
nothing even remotely amusing about their current situation, Jake attempted to
inject a degree of humor as a means of convincing her to stay with them.
“Please don’t place me in the position of having to deal with the wrath of
Aviva if I let you go home alone? Don’t even get me started on Jason. If she
gets mad at me, he gets mad at me, and you know my delicate disposition can’t
cope with that type of intimidation.”

Jake tried for the
puppy dog eyes but since he’d never attempted anything of the kind before, he
didn’t know if he had pulled it off.

“You have got to
be kidding me,” MacKenzie sighed with a roll of her eyes. “My advice to you; do
not try that again. You look as though you’re constipated.”

“Constipated!”
Jake barked, surprised at her interpretation of his look. “Jesus you’re a tough
sell.”

Jake saw that she
almost smiled. When her eyes clouded again, he knew thoughts of Noelle had surfaced.
The look on her face was all the confirmation he needed to drop all attempts at
subterfuge. She would remain exactly where she was, with him until her child
was back where she belonged. Anything else was unacceptable to him.

“I’m not about to
call you a cab, nor am I driving you home. You’re exactly where you need to
be.”

“You don’t
understand; I need to be at home in case he calls.”

“I think I do
understand. You want to go home so you can cry alone. Well, you’re not alone.
You have us. You have me.”

Jake watched as
she fought an internal battle that he didn’t understand, but he would. In time,
he would know all there was to know about her.

“Okay, I’ll stay,”
MacKenzie said ducking her head.

That she so
readily agreed to stay alerted him to the fact that he had been right. She
didn’t want him to see her cry again, and that thought broke his heart. That at
a time like this, she thought her tears were a sign of weakness, was just
another fragmented section of her personality that he hoped to piece together.

Reclining into the
supple softness of the couch, Jake waited a few moments until MacKenzie looked
at him. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and invited her in.
MacKenzie’s eyes travelled from his face to his extended arms and back again.
Throughout her internal struggle, he didn’t move a muscle. If she wanted his
comfort, he would give it freely, but it would be her decision.

As though in slow
motion MacKenzie inched her way towards him. When she was settled against his
side, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Running his large
hands up and down her back, Jake attempted to give her the comfort he thought
she needed. He didn’t know if he was doing it correctly, but having her in his
arms felt right. Being the one to comfort her felt right.

Pulling her even
closer, he placed a soft kiss against her forehead. The first sob that passed
from her pulled at his heart. He didn’t know what words of comfort to offer so
he remained quiet. All he knew was Carlos Ernesto was going to be one sorry
son-of-a-bitch for making her shed a single tear.

Chapter 14

It hadn’t taken
MacKenzie long to fall into a fitful sleep. When Jake was certain she wouldn’t wake
up, he lifted her into his arms and took her to his room.

Returning
downstairs, he entered his office to find his brothers waiting for him. “What
the hell is he playing at?” Jake stormed, pleased that he could finally voice
the thought that had been running through his mind.

“I take it you
didn’t get much information from MacKenzie?” Josh asked.

“Not really. One
of the only things she said that I found questionable was that this was the
first time Carlos has kept the baby overnight.”

“This is
significant because...?” Jason trailed off, a look of enquiry on his face.

“I don’t know if
it has any significance, all I know is that I don’t like coincidences. If I
were in his position, there is no way on earth I would go running over there to
babysit, while the mother of my child was having dinner with another man.”

“I agree,” Jason
said. “However you would have to give a damn about said woman for there to be
that kind of reaction. From what I can tell, Carlos doesn’t feel that way about
MacKenzie. Plus, Aviva and I should have been there, remember.”

“Yes you were, but
MacKenzie and I ended up having dinner alone, and while we were at the
restaurant and again at her place, I was sure we were being watched.”

Jason and Josh
shared speculative looks but remained quiet, waiting for their brother to
continue.

“The first time I
met Carlos, he was chasing after Aviva, and by then, he knew MacKenzie was
pregnant. The next time I met him was at that farce of a party in LA, and he
was chasing after a producer. That man doesn’t give a damn about MacKenzie. He
probably had ulterior motives for his babysitting stint,” Jason told his twin.

“The guy just
sounds like a jerk to me,” Josh added, being the only brother that had yet to
meet Carlos.

“Yeah, that’s kind
of what I thought the first time I met him, but that’s maybe too simplistic,”
Jake added. “From what I can tell, MacKenzie is a good parent, so there has to
be something else going on as to why Carlos would feel the need to keep Noelle
away from her mother.”

Turning to his
twin, Jake pushed forward with their dilemma. “I need Carlos’ number. Aviva has
it, right?”

“Come on, man, you
must be slipping or something. His address and number were the first things I
got my hands on,” Josh told him, answering for Jason.

With the phone in
hand, Jake made ready to dial the number Josh gave him.

“Don’t you think
you should wait until we at least discuss what you intend to say to him?”

The echoes of
“No!” being spoken in unison by his older brothers was enough for Josh to
rethink his comment.

“Well okay then,
no discussion, but just out of curiosity what are you going to say to him?”

“Don’t know yet
but I’ll think of something, like bring the baby back, so I don’t have to kick
your ass!” Jake voiced.

Jake tuned out his
brother’s laughter as he dialed Carlos’ number. Expecting nothing else, it came
as no surprise when the call went to the answering machine.

“This is Jacob
Kingdom. I have MacKenzie here with me. As you can imagine, she’s extremely
upset that you have yet to return Noelle. I’m sure you feel you have some
deluded reason for keeping the baby from her mother; whatever that is, I don’t
care. Under state law, your actions are tantamount to kidnapping, and those are
the charges you will answer to by 9:00 am if Noelle isn’t returned before that
time. You have my number, and I will await your call to tell me where and when to
pick her up.”

“You know that’s
not gonna happen, right,” Jason told his brother once he disconnected the call.

“I know, but I had
to try. At the very least, I hope it forces him into showing what he’s
thinking. I need to have something to tell MacKenzie by the time she wakes up.”

**********

Moving down the
hallway the house seemed eerily quiet. Making slow progress down the stairs,
her thoughts disjointed, MacKenzie edged her way towards the family room.

As she slipped
inside the door, the first thing that caught her attention through the pulled
back curtains was the glow of the sky as it began to lighten with the dawn of
another day. At first glance, the room appeared empty of occupants. About to
turn away, her eyes landed on a sleeping form stretched out on one of the
well-used sofas. Jake slept with one arm hanging off the sofa, and the other
resting above his head, his long muscular body taking up the length of the
seat. On his chest lay a computer tablet, and to MacKenzie it looked as though
he had fallen asleep in the midst of reading.

On silent feet,
she made her way towards him and carefully lifted the tablet. Brushing her
fingers across the screen to take a peek at what he had been reading. To her
frustration the computer asked for a password. Scrunching up her face, because
her curiosity wouldn’t be appeased, she attempted to replace the device in its
original position without waking him.

Pleased with her
accomplished mission, MacKenzie’s eyes travelled up his chest, and a very nice
chest it was too. Shaking her head, she tried to pull her gaze away from Jake’s
sleeping form. Her intended message never reached her brain as her eyes
continued their perusal.

Her gaze continued
up to his shoulders. Try as she might, there was no getting away from the fact
that these Kingdom men were built for strength and endurance. The sheer breadth
of his shoulders left MacKenzie staggered. A second, or two or four, spent on
his neck in appreciation, and her eyes moved on. Up to his chin, she decided he
had a nice chin that currently showed signs of dark blonde stubble. Up to his
lips, nice, if a little thinner than she was used to. Feeling a tingle pass
through her body, MacKenzie pulled herself out of her near trance and gave
herself a mental slap, disgusted with herself at how easily her mind had
wondered away from her child.

Flicking her eyes
upwards, she was confronted by orbs of dark green, over which a thick eyebrow
was raised. Being honest with herself, MacKenzie understood her interest in his
masculinity, even if the current moment of recognition was highly inappropriate
given the circumstances.

To his credit,
Jake didn’t say anything to make her more uncomfortable, and she was grateful
for that.

“I’m sure you’re
hungry, how about a cup of coffee and something to eat,” Jake suggested,
lessening the charged atmosphere that suddenly surrounded them.

Grateful for his
ploy, MacKenzie readily accepted his offer.

**********

Alone in the
kitchen at the break of dawn, Jake felt as though he and MacKenzie were the
only people secluded in a world of their own. Knowing the thought was
whimsical, he still enjoyed it.

Jake brewed a pot
of coffee, one of the only things he could actually do in the kitchen without
disaster. At the same time, his thoughts turned to how he would answer
MacKenzie when she asked about their plan to get her child back.

Jake had used his
time alone to refresh himself on the information he had gathered about Carlos
Ernesto. He came across one piece of new information that, for the moment, he
would not divulge to MacKenzie. It had been buried so deep that even he had
almost missed it.

“So what do you
want to eat?”

As he watched her,
Jake realized she hadn’t heard his question. Her eyes were fixed on a spot
somewhere off in the corner of the room.

Moving towards
her, he did his best not to startle her. Her gasp of awareness at his closeness
was sufficient to indicate that his care of movement hadn’t been enough. “I
didn’t mean to frighten you; I’m sorry.”

Seeing the tears
that had gathered in her eyes, Jake gave no consideration to his actions.
Picking her up as though she were as light as a feather, he reversed their
positions; him sitting and MacKenzie on his lap. Her start at his sudden move
didn’t bother him. In fact, it gave him a sense of satisfaction that she knew
without a doubt that should the need arise, he would lift and hold her safe.
What she still had to learn was that he was also prepared to carry her for as
long as she needed him to.

Feeling her
stiffen on his lap, Jake refused to allow her to stand. That she wanted to was
obvious in the way she squirmed for release.

“MacKenzie, how
long have we known each other?”

“I... I don’t
remember.”

“Well, I do. I
remember everything about you. I remember what you had on the first time we
met. I remember every word you have ever said to me. I remember how I felt each
and every time we were in each other’s company, and most of all, I remember how
it feels to have you in my arms.”

Jake understood
that she might feel uncomfortable with what he was saying. In his mind, he knew
he wasn’t making a play for her, rather he was attempting to voice his feelings.
As far as he was concerned, what he felt for MacKenzie was more than
attraction, he cared about her.

While he couldn’t
say it was love at first sight, he had recognized the need that plagued him for
what it was. He needed to be in her company. He enjoyed their trade of words.
When, and it was when rather than if, her child was returned to her, he
intended to pursue her without restraint. Such a thing was foreign to him, but
somewhere deep inside, he knew they could have something special together.

Without conscious
thought, Jake’s hands moved to her face. Gliding his thumbs across her
cheekbones, Jake moved on to brush them over her lips. Her small gasp of breath
opened her lips to his touch, and his eyes slowing rose to meet hers.

What he saw
reflected in her eyes was a battle that was impossible to dismiss. “It’s okay,
my lovely MacKenzie. Everybody needs someone whom they can trust when they are
at their lowest. I haven’t forgotten Noelle, and I know you haven’t either.”

As though his
words of assurance were what she had been waiting for; with a small sigh,
MacKenzie pulled his thumb into her mouth and sucked. The feeling was so
erotic, Jake didn’t attempt to hold back the groan that passed through him. The
pull of her mouth was all it took for his body to harden. As his arousal pulsed
through him, his attention fixed on the woman who always seemed so contrary;
except when she was in his arms.

His conscious thought
wasn’t at play; all he wanted was to feel the closeness they had experience
when they had been together in her home. Moving with slow deliberation, Jake
pulled his finger from between her lips even as her mouth fought against it.
With yet another show of his strength, he lifted MacKenzie and set her astride
his body. He wanted her to feel what she did to him, how her closeness was
enough to ignite his body.

Placing his hands
against her backside, he pulled her towards him as he slowly pushed forward. When
she was exactly where he wanted her, he stopped, his erection pulsing against
her core. The feeling was so pleasurable, Jake closed his eyes and allowed his
hands to roam up and down her back in a sensual sweep.

A rogue thought
entered his mind at how stupid Carlos Ernesto was to allow such a beautiful
woman to slip through his hands. Following close behind his thought was a
feeling of thankfulness that the man had been that stupid.

“You are the most
beautiful woman I have ever encountered.” With her sound of laughter, Jake knew
she was about to refute his words.

“You don’t need to
say that to me, Jake. I know there’s no way that’s true. I’ve been something of
an oddity all my life. A black woman with red hair and more freckles than
anyone could count; does not a beauty make.”

“Forty-seven.”

“What?”

“You have
forty-seven freckles on your face, and once I get the opportunity, I’ll be
happy to let you know exactly how many cover your body.” Jake couldn’t help but
smile at her look of shock at his disclosure. “I already told you, I remember
everything about you, and I meant it. I especially like this one that reminds
me of a heart, and it’s right here.” Dipping his head, Jake place a kiss
against the spot that always seemed to draw his attention.

For Jake that one
small kiss wasn’t enough, so he moved on until his mouth hovered over hers. He
paused, giving MacKenzie a choice. He wanted her to be fully invested in the
moment. He wanted, no he needed to know that she understood that he wasn’t
taking advantage of her while she was vulnerable. He needed her to be left in
no doubt that this was something they both wanted.

Jake didn’t have
long to wait, on a groan that came from deep within her, he had his answer.
Needing to reacquaint himself with the taste of her, he wasted no time fixing
his lips against hers. It was what he had been waiting for. Since New Year’s
Eve, she had been his every fantasy. He had given her the time and space he
felt she needed. This moment was their turning point, and he wouldn’t allow her
to retreat.

MacKenzie’s
reaction to him stunned him. It was as though with the first touch of their
lips a dam opened up within her. She became the aggressor, as she wrapped her
arms around his neck and cupped the back of his head.