Page 45

The way up the mountain still gave me the sweats, but I made it, parking in my usual spot. Jackson followed me up and parked right behind me.

"You didn't have to follow me home." Although it was a damn fine way to end my night, watching this tall sexy man saunter up like he wanted to take me inside and show me a good time.

He kicked a rock as he came to stand beside me at the base of the stairs. "I have a hard time watching you leave." His eyes wandered over my face. "You can't fault me for wanting to make sure you're safe."

The one thing I hadn't had in so long but kept feeling here, with him.

"Besides," he reached out and cupped my cheek, "this way I get to kiss you goodnight without an audience."

"Karis was pretty asleep," I teased as I stepped closer and looked up into his twinkling eyes.

"Travis would somehow manage to find a bag of popcorn in time to watch," he teased right back.

"Is that what he meant by 'front row seats' when we were leaving?"

"My friends are as interested in watching me fuck this up as the rest of the town is." He brushed my hair off my face. "But I really don't want to fuck this up."

"Then don't." I didn't know how any of this was going to work or what the future held, but the one thing I did know was that something magical was happening here.

"I'm sorry I lost my mind a little this afternoon." His other hand came to my face and he settled in even closer as he gazed down at me. "I think about you all the time. And that kiss...good god, woman. I think you broke me last night." His thumbs stroked my cheeks as he smiled. "I'm closer to Travis than I am any of my brothers. I love him but his nickname is Pretty Boy for a reason. I saw him smiling at you and I lost it."

"Why?" I needed to hear him say that he was as head over heels as I was.

His eyes darted between mine. He swallowed hard. Then he whispered, "Because I'm falling for you. I'm falling for you and I know it's fast but then I see Travis smiling at you and all I can think, all I can feel, is that you're mine. I don't like what I did or how any of this sounds but it just confirms that this is so much more than chemistry."

And yet, Ilovedthe way all of it sounded. So I took the initiative again and kissed Jackson before he could overthink his confession.

He groaned, dipping down so I didn't have to crane my neck so hard, and took the kiss deeper. I stumbled into the column and kissed him right back. It was all instinct because there wasn't a single functional thought in my head. No time to doubt or strategize. None of that was needed in the middle of a raging fire. All that was left was to burn.

"I can't stay." He dropped his forehead to mine. "But I want tomorrow. Give me tomorrow."

I could barely think straight. What was tomorrow? Did it matter? It belonged to Jackson. "Whatever you want."

He smiled as he kissed me. "Wear clothes for hiking. Be ready at nine. I'll pick you up."

All alone with Jackson? In these mountains?Yes."I'll be ready."

He wrapped one strong arm around me and lifted me off my feet, climbing the stairs to my front door. "Code?"

Mischievous Jackson was back. And I liked it.

I rambled off the code and he slowly punched it in, then turned the knob and opened the door, all without breaking our kiss. Then he set me on my feet just inside. "Good night, Marley."

"Good night, Jackson." Without his arms to hold me together I might just faint.

I swooned a little as he hopped down my steps and turned to flash me one last smile before he climbed into his big truck.

Somehow, in the space of a week, I'd met a man who made me swoon. And tomorrow I was giving him my whole day.

Things were looking up.

Fifteen

Jackson

She was joyous, hopeful, so goddamn beautiful it made me ache

I searchedthe shelves but came up empty. "Do you have any of those Sammy books laying around?"