13. Like Equals
THIRTEEN
LIKE EQUALS
GIGI
The bed shifts beside me, rustling me from sleep, as Jackson gets in. “Hey, sleepyhead. Good morning, although in about five minutes it’ll be good afternoon.” He chuckles and gathers me into his arms. “I got up a little bit ago and checked in with my team and Davis.”
“You let me sleep in?” I groan. I’m not usually a late sleeper on a Saturday, but after our hot tub debate he kept me up. One time wasn’t enough, no. He burned through my body twice more like a man on fire. No wonder I must have needed the rest and slept in. I’m not mad, although I’ll bet I have dozens of messages and emails from work needing my attention.
“I wore you out after our debate.” He laughs. “Losing takes a lot out of you.”
“Why do you always have to win, Jackson?” I croak, my mouth dry, my body well-used but completely sated, and my eyelids yet to open.
“I don’t always, but I’m glad I did last night. And, as a bonus, I truly am sorry about the spit wad and fifty other things I probably did to irritate you in school and shouldn’t have. Is it possible that I can just issue a blanket apology for all the things and start over now? You and me from this point forward, darlin’?” He nuzzles into my neck, lightly sucking my pulse point, begging me to forgive. From his sweet apology to his kisses, I want all that his “from this point forward” implies.
“Maybe…” I tease and finally open my eyelids halfway, gazing at the most handsome man the world has ever produced. My fingers explore the ridges of his pecs as I admire how his hair falls perfectly, even after the night we’ve had in bed together, while I’m sure my curly hair is a frizzy mess. With his fingers in it though, he must not mind it—or he can’t stand it and is trying to fix it. “Then again, I might want you to grovel a little more.” In his arms, I stretch like a kitten, my hands reaching up to the headboard.
“My pleasure. Mind if I start now?” His gravely voice hits good while he shifts me onto my back and hovers over me, kissing down my neck, inhaling a nipple, a hand heading to the apex of my thighs.
My body hums alive again, even after being so well-used. I’m about to give a confirmation with a moan of his name from my lips, when his phone dings on the beside table.
He sighs, releasing my nipple. “I better get that.” Once he settles on his back again, he announces, “It’s Beau texting. He says he and Addie are throwing a spring break party for all of us today. It starts in an hour.”
“I forgot about it, what with everything that’s happened.” I sit upright, but he pulls me back to him.
“We can tell them we’re busy. Which wouldn’t be a total lie because I could keep you busy here all day.” His mischievous smile and his hand squeezing my ass almost have me convinced.
I feel torn in multiple directions. I should go into the office and work. And I should check-in with Dad. But I really do want to see all of our friends today. Then there’s Jackson. How much longer will he be here before he has to go again? I can feel myself desiring nothing but time with him. That’s how far down the road I’ve gone toward falling head over heels for him. If only the world would stop turning and slow down the hands of time.
“Everything has happened so fast the past few days. It would do us good to relax on the beach and catch up and get some sun.” I love when Addie and Beau have us all over to party because they built a dream home on beachfront property and it’s perfect for our friendly get-togethers. “Besides, I bought a new yellow thong bikini for this season that I’ve been itching to wear and had planned to show it off today.”
“Yeah?” That got him, judging by the way his eyes bulge.
“Hm-hmm. So why don’t you carry me into the shower, soldier. We’ll have a little fun washing each other up and get ready together, and then we can swing by my house on the way to pick up my suit.”
“Can’t argue with that logic. You’re not only a good girl, but a smart one, too. Let’s go.” He wastes no time hoisting me over his strong shoulders. I yelp and laugh and take full advantage of having a military hotshot hero at my disposal by resting my hands on his tight glutes. I could get used to this. And, after what he told me last night, it’s a possibility that I could get used to seeing more of him really soon, as long as he follows through with the decision to not renew his contract.
It’s worrisome. He’d still have to leave Love Beach for a little while until he finishes out this contract. But what-ifs scare me… Something bad could happen to him out there in the field while he’s gone and I could lose him forever. I wouldn’t dare bring that up to him, though.
Jackson groans the minute I remove my white hand-crocheted cover-up at the truck when we park in the beach lot by Addie and Beau’s place. “Jesus, G. If you’re trying to prove how in shape you are now, point taken. You’re a breathtakingly beautiful woman in that skimpy yellow string. Now cover up, please.”
With only my daisy duke shorts on, flip-flops, and my barely there yellow bikini, I love showing off how hard I’ve worked on my body while training for the marathon. Let the suntanning begin today. I live for days like this in our cozy beach town.
“I like my body in this strappy little thing and I fully intend to show it off all day,” I stand my ground.
“I like it, too. But I’d rather no one else saw,” he mutters.
Beau passes us by, carrying his toddler son, Brayden, on his hip. He does a double take before covering the toddler’s eyes with his hand. “Gigi? My God. I thought this was a family outing today.” He rushes away toward our group, who are beginning to gather on the sand.
Jackson quickly whips off his t-shirt over his head—quite the sexy move—and tosses it at my chest. “Put it on before another man sees you. I’d hate to gouge anyone’s eyes out today, especially my brother’s.”
“Possessive much?” I toss the shirt back at him.
“Maybe. Sue me.”
“How do you think I’d feel seeing other women ogle that washboard of yours without a t-shirt on? How’s that fair? And I’m not getting into a catfight with another woman over you.”
“Why not? Don’t tell me I’m not worth it?” One sly corner of his lips turns up.
My eye twitches, and neither of us budges for a minute. Instead, we work together to unload a cooler of food and drinks, folding chairs, an umbrella, towels, and my bag that I’d stuffed various things in it at my house, I figured we’d need in order to enjoy this day at the beach. Then he grabs me from behind and tickles me, cutting the tension between us. He has me giggling nonstop when Noah Dawson and his four younger brothers run by heading to the party.
“Hey you two, get a room already,” Dawson jokes. Among his brothers that he’s single-handedly raised for the past five years are a set of twins, Danny and Cooper, who are seniors in high school, both in sports hoping for full-ride scholarships for college. And the two younger ones, Josh and Wes, are both freshmen, Wes having been held back a year in kindergarten. All of them take a prolonged, drooling-adolescent-boy stare at my body more than they should, earning a growl from Jackson.
“Yeah, why haven’t you two slept together yet?” Parker comes up and adds to Dawson’s wisecrack. Apparently, our friends have been talking about us. But as he passes us, pushing his sister in her wheelchair, I put that out of my head at her bright smile.
“Gigi, you look so good,” Kelsea calls out to me and waves as her brother takes her down the wooden slatted path through the sand. There’s a point further in where the wood stops and he’ll have to park the chair and carry her the rest of the way.
“You do too. We’ll talk later.” I miss her. In school, she was not only my debate partner, but the one girl who was smart, like me, that I could talk with about more than makeup and boys. Then, she went on to become a lawyer. Sadly, she’s now confined to the wheelchair and has delicate kidney issues, often in and out of the hospital. By looks of it, she’s too pale. I should try to visit her more often.
When I turn my attention back to Jackson, he stands there holding his t-shirt out to me.
“No. Deal with it, buddy,” I say, and grab a handful of our stuff. It’s getting warmer as the sun graces Love Beach with perfect weather today for spring. I’d hate to be at the public beaches or down on the boardwalk on a day like this that would bring out the swell of crowds, locals and spring break visitors alike. “I have every intention of gaining some new tan lines today.”
“Fine,” he grumbles. Then he changes up with a sly smile. “And yeah, nice suit. You look... fucking amazing in it, G. I have a feeling I won’t be able to stop staring all day.”
“Good. Because I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man of mine. Now let’s go.”
“Wait.” He reaches down and adjusts himself in his shorts. I snort-laugh, loving this effect I’m having on him. “Yep, laugh now, darlin’. But if I go ballistic on some asswipe who stares a little too hard, the consequences are all on you.”
While I surprise myself by enjoying his possessive side, this is new. Everything with Jackson is new. Treading the waters of what is budding between us keeps nervous energy flowing through me.
I’ve dated plenty before, but somehow always managed to attract men weaker than me. I can’t help it if I’m a strong woman who loves her career, an entrepreneur with my own newspaper now, and expect a guy to man up. With Jackson, he is all man. More than that, he’s a take charge hero. I tend to see us more like equals, which means we butt heads for power now and then. Only I feel like we respect the hell out of each other, too, and a foundation like that could carry us far, far into the future.