Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
JACKSON
I thought that finishing the repairs after the fire would put Meyer more at ease, but with each passing day, she seems to grow more and more on edge. Every time I ask, she insists that she’s fine, but I can’t bring myself to believe her. I’m just waiting for the day she decides she wants to trust me with the truth. Her truth.
Since that day at the creek, we haven’t slept together. Not for my lack of wanting to, but Meyer made it clear that she only wanted it once. So, although I think she’s lying to herself more than she is to me, I’ve let it go.
As far as things with the inn, she has become a bit more willing to compromise. I’m not sure whether it’s the fear of everything being taken away from her or if she’s genuinely warming up to me and my ideas, but I’ll take it.
I wave to Winona behind the front desk on my way by, and then I slip through the office door.
“Hey,” I say to Meyer. “I bought us some lunch. ”
I learned rather quickly that although Meyer loves the restaurant at the inn, it gets old eating food from there every day. The deli downtown is her favourite alternative. They make the best reuben sandwich in the whole province, according to her.
Meyer is standing in the middle of the room, looking distracted. She shoves her phone into her back pocket as she nods. “Thanks,” she says absentmindedly.
“Are you okay?” I notice the worry lining her expression. “Did something happen?”
Something else . Something new on top of all the shit we’ve had to deal with so far. I certainly hope that isn’t the case, but the look on her face doesn’t seem to bode well.
“Nothing like that. It’s—” She sighs. “My mom found out about the fire and she’s coming to town,” she finally admits.
“Found out?” I ask. “You didn’t tell her?”
She shakes her head. “No. Of course not!”
I set the bag from the deli on top of the nearest filing cabinet. “I think that’s something she would have liked to hear from you. She just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
Meyer shakes her head again, and when she speaks, her voice is quiet. “I don’t want to see the disappointment in her eyes.”
I frown in confusion. “Why the hell would she be disappointed? She’ll be worried. Probably mad that you didn’t mention the fire before she heard it through the grapevine. But not disappointed. It’s not like you set the fire. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She doesn’t seem to be listening to me. She’s still caught in her spiralling thoughts, letting them strangle her. I want to comfort her, but I don’t know how. I don’t know if that would cross a boundary and send our progress backwards.
But fuck, I want to be the one she comes to for reassurance.
“Maybe this whole thing is a sign,” she continues. “Maybe this means I don’t belong here. It’s only been a few months and I’m already a failure.”
“Never fucking say that again.”
My tone is harsher than intended, but her words piss me off. Not at her, but for her. That she can even think that about herself is maddening. In no way could Meyer ever be considered a failure. Not by me, and certainly not by her mother. Beatrice knew what she was doing when she let her daughter take the reins. There is no one more passionate about this place.
Meyer’s eyes are wide in surprise when they shift to me. “What?”
I stalk toward her. Now she’s leaning on the edge of the desk, arms braced on either side of her luscious hips. She’s right where she belongs, and it frustrates me that she can’t see that.
I take her chin in my hand, forcing her to meet my eyes. Her breath hitches from my closeness.
“ Never say that you’re a failure again. You hear me, Meyer? Because that is the farthest thing from what you are.”
“What am I, then?”
Mine .
The word comes out of nowhere. So does the knowledge that I want it to be true. From day one, Meyer has intrigued me. But getting to know her over these past months has been a privilege, and selfishly, I want more. I’m always going to want more when it comes to her.
I swallow thickly. “You’re my partner,” I say, instead of everything I want to tell her. “And I refuse to let anyone insult my partner, even you.”
“Yeah?” Meyer fists the lapels of my jacket, a dare in her eyes. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Punish you, of course.”
The next second, my lips descend on hers. She widens her stance and I step between her feet. Pressing into her, one hand winds around her back to hold her upright while the other braces my body weight on the desk.
Like with everything, Meyer gives as good as she gets. The kiss is bruising. We both try to get as close to each other as physically possible.
I’m not sure what this means. If it means anything. I’m too chicken to ask. Scaring Meyer away is the last thing I want to do, but I’m afraid that’s where I’m headed if I try to get her to examine this too closely. So I won’t. Instead, I just lean into the kiss.
My hands find the backs of her thighs, and I scoop her up. She clings to me, never breaking the kiss. A stapler and a handful of pens fall to the floor when I set her on top of the desk. From this position, I have easy access to what lies beneath her skirt, and I take full advantage.
My palm skates up her thigh until I reach her underwear. She grips my shoulders as she bites her lip in anticipation.
“Can I?” I ask .
She nods. “God, yes .”
The desperation in her voice nearly does me in. I start rubbing circles over her clit through the material of her panties, and she tips her head back. Then I slide the material aside and begin to tease her entrance. She shifts forward on the desk, trying to get closer, but I grab her hip with my other hand, holding her in place.
“Not so fast, gorgeous. You’re not in charge right now.”
Meyer tries to protest, but it quickly turns into a gasp when I insert a finger. She feels so good like this, but she feels even better when she’s wrapped around my cock.
I pump my finger a couple times, watching the way her eyes close and her lips part. She looks so pretty like this, preparing to let go and chase her release. I want to savour this moment. Instead, I pull away entirely, stepping out from between her legs.
Her eyes pop open. “Wait,” she says, reaching for me, “where are you going?”
“Back to work.”
Her jaw drops. “You’re just going to leave? In the middle of that? I wasn’t done.”
I shrug. “I said I was going to punish you. Now be a good girl and eat the lunch I brought you.”
I make sure she’s watching when I slip my finger in my mouth, sucking off the taste of her. And then I grin to myself on my way out the door as she curses in frustration behind me.
“You’re fucked.”
I scowl. “And you’re not helping.”
Wells chuckles through the phone. He stayed for a couple days after the fire, but then he had to get back to the city. It was just as well, since I barely had any time to spend with him. I think he mostly hung out at the restaurant with Pippa.
“I’m just saying! I haven’t seen you this gone over a girl in, well, ever. So again, you’re fucked.”
The back of my head thumps against my headboard as I shut my eyes. “I am, aren’t I?”
That kiss with Meyer earlier today has solidified what I’ve been suspecting for a while, and that is the fact that I am so into her, it’s not even funny. It’s not just about the sex either. That is undoubtedly a plus, but everything about her draws me in.
“You are,” Wells confirms. “Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. She keeps pushing me away. I’m afraid if I try too hard, she’ll run for good.”
“Just be patient. Let her come to you, but be there when she does.”
At this, I chuckle. “When did you become some kind of relationship expert?”
“Because I listen .”
I know what he’s saying is right. It took Meyer long enough to warm up to the idea of me being her business partner, let alone the idea of me being more. So I can be patient.
“How are things with the inn?” he asks, changing the subject. “Sorry I couldn’t stick around to help. ”
“It’s alright. Pippa’s brother and some of his friends fixed up the storage room for us. It’s almost like the fire never happened.”
“But…”
“But it did happen, and I can’t shake the feeling that things are only going to keep escalating.” The hand resting on my knee clenches into a fist. “I just don’t know what to do. It feels like we’re always one step behind.”
“The police don’t have any leads?”
I shake my head, though he can’t see me. “No. And short of never letting anyone I care about out of my sight, I don’t know how to keep everyone safe.”
“Jackson, that’s not your responsibility. None of this is your fault.”
Logically, I know that, but it’s a hard feeling to shake when none of this danger arrived until I did.
A few months ago, I had no ties to Fraisier Creek or any of the people living here. Now, I care about this community and this inn, and the thought of any of it being harmed—of Meyer being harmed—guts me.
I don’t say anything in response to Wells, and he sighs.
“You’ve got that charity dinner thing coming up, right? Try to focus on that and not everything that could go wrong.”
“I’ll try,” I say.
“I mean it, Jackson. No stress.”
I roll my eyes. “Have you been conspiring with my mother again?”
“Should I be?”
“ No . I’m fine, Wells. Even with all of this going on.”
“Alright.” He doesn’t sound like he entirely believes me. “I’ll talk to you later. Keep me updated on the investigation.”
When he hangs up, I set my phone on the nightstand, and then I let out a sigh.
I’m fucked .