“I acted like you’d done something on purpose to make this week difficult for us, which is ridiculous. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
The idea wasn’t ridiculous at all. A pang of guilt struck him right in the chest, but though his head told him to tell her the truth right then and there, something else told him to hold onto this time with her just a little while longer.
He tried for an easy smile and said, “I didn’t exactly take the high road with the stunt I pulled to win your game. So we’ll call it even, okay?”
“True,” she said, returning his smile. “So, what am I wearing?”
“A thong and stilettos.”
Her jaw dropped.
“What?” he asked with a look of innocence. “You didn’t mean in my fantasies?”
She laughed and shoved him away.
“Beachwear,” he finally answered. “And you can put a suit on underneath in case you want to lay out or jump in the ocean. If you want to read or nap in the sun, then I’ll entertain myself with a little surfing. The goal is to relax and enjoy Mother Nature.”
“That sounds great. I’ll be ready in just a few minutes.”
Jackson retrieved the basket and waited while she changed. They drove to one of his favorite spots, a secluded beach only the locals knew about, so it wasn’t clogged with tourists. He parked his Jeep and took the picnic basket and other supplies to a nice spot next to a high cliff. He spread two blankets next to each other, one in the sun and one in the shade of the cliff, so she could get out of the sun if she needed to. With her fair complexion, he was afraid she’d get a tan like a lobster.
“Jax, this is…absolutely the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
He liked the fact she used his nickname and hoped it meant she was starting to like him, if only a little. Standing behind her, he tentatively laid his hands on her hips, unsure of how she’d react. Just because he fought a hard-on every time she looked his way didn’t mean she wanted any affection from him. When she relaxed against his chest on a sigh, he felt a high rush through him like when he knew he’d won the first round of a match. Feeling bolder, he circled his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head as he tried to view the scape through her eyes.
Cotton-ball clouds lined a powder blue sky and met the royal blue ocean in a flawless horizon. As the eye traveled in toward the shore, royal turned to cerulean, which turned to aqua, and each with several shades in between until the clear water finally met the white beach. To the right, black cliffs covered in a myriad of foliage stretched up into the sky and out into the ocean, tying everything together in a magnificent package of paradise.
“Yeah. It’s in my top three favorite spots.”
“Will you show me the other two before I leave?”
The question took him by surprise. This was in second place. The third one wasn’t so much picturesque as it was his favorite hangout spot with friends, so he could for sure take her there.
But his absolute favorite spot was very private to him. Though he wasn’t the only one who knew about it, his “neighbors” rarely hiked that far up the mountain to enjoy it. He thought of it as his own slice of heaven, a place to think and reflect. A place he’d never shown anyone before.
He pictured taking Vanessa, seeing her there in his place, and surprisingly it didn’t bother him like he thought it would. In fact, now that the idea was in his head, he kind of wanted her there. Besides, soon she’d be gone, so it wasn’t like he had to worry about her randomly intruding on his privacy in the future.
Remembering he hadn’t yet answered her, he said, “Definitely.”
“Good,” she said, stepping away from him. “Now, what’s in the basket? Because I’m starved.”
…
They sat next to each other on the sun-drenched blanket. Vanessa licked the strawberry juice from her fingers and moaned in pure foodie bliss. Jackson had somehow wrangled one of the resort chefs into packing a veritable feast, and she’d eaten until she passed “stuffed” about three times over.
As he drank some water and watched shore birds play in the surf, she took the time to study his tattoo stretching across his shoulder and bicep. She’d never been one of those girls enamored with ink, but she found the images in Jackson’s rather beautiful in a masculine way.
Waves inside a black band wrapped around his bicep. From that, ocean waves arced up and over his shoulder with other more geometric-looking waves. Everything was in stark black with the exception of four cherry blossoms with red petals and yellow centers. Two of them were in the middle of the design and the other two were riding the crest of a giant swell.
“Does your tattoo have a meaning behind it?”
He looked at his arm, then up at her. “Sort of. I wanted something to represent the culture here and show my love for the ocean and how much it’s become a part of me since I moved to the island. Also, Maori tattoos are believed to have protective qualities, so putting the waves on me is supposed to keep me safe when I surf. But the flowers are really the only things that have any true symbolism.”
“Which is what?” Too pushy. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”
“It’s okay. Cherry blossoms were my mom’s favorite flower. The two inside the main part of the tattoo represent Lucie and me, still trying to make our way through life.” He lowered his head, clearly focusing on the two flowers riding the wave at the top of his shoulder. “These represent our parents…swept away from us by powerful things we couldn’t control.”
Vanessa’s heart broke. She couldn’t imagine losing parents who loved you. It must have been so hard for him and Lucie. Probably still was. “I’m sorry, Jackson. It’s a beautiful tattoo.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a warm smile. “Did you get enough to eat?”
“Oh my God, are you kidding? I feel like I could give birth to a Vegas buffet right now. That was so good. Did you have to charm the pants off a hostess to sneak all that out for you?”
Leaning back on one hand with his other arm propped on his bent leg, he raised his left eyebrow, the one with the sexy scar running through it.
“Is that what you think of me? That I’m just some playboy who gets what he wants by sleeping with women?”
“I don’t know. Are you?” Please say yes so I can hate you and be done with this insane attraction.
“I’m not sure,” he said with a teasing smirk. “I’ve forgotten all the other women since I’ve met you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You’re so full of shit your eyes should be brown.”
“Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch.” The wide smile slowly faded. Topaz eyes enslaved her with a sudden seriousness she hadn’t expected, and her fading laughter died in her throat.
The intensity of his gaze, and what it meant, unnerved her. “What?”
The hand not supporting his weight lifted to the side of her face. He kept his touch so light she wondered how hands meant to destroy could be so incredibly gentle.
“There is something I haven’t been able to forget,” he said, his voice gruff.
Vanessa swallowed hard as his thumb caressed over her cheekbone, the rough pad causing tingles in its wake. “And what’s that?”
His eyes abandoned hers to settle on her mouth, and his thumb followed and traced the fullness of her lower lip. “The way you responded to my kisses last night. And how badly I want to kiss you again.”
He pulled lightly in the center until her mouth parted and ran his thumb along the edge of her bottom teeth. The tip of her tongue met the tip of his thumb as she licked, hesitantly at first, then more boldly. The hint of the sweet pineapple he’d eaten earlier made her mouth water and the simulated invasion made her sex ache.
Their bodies leaned toward each other of their own volition, and now they were halfway to an embrace. Even sitting, he towered over her. Not many men were much taller than her, but Jackson was large enough to make her feel almost dainty.
His breathing became rag
ged as he watched her tongue swirl around his thumb. Then she closed her lips and sucked. He groaned and a wash of heady power gave her the idea to get back at him for the stunt he pulled on her last night.
Her breasts felt heavy in the bikini she wore beneath her tank. She wondered if his body was just as affected but didn’t take her eyes from his face. Finally, to prove he didn’t completely run the show, she opened her mouth, tilted her head back to get the angle she needed, and bit the pad of his thumb. Hard.
She’d expected him to jerk his thumb away and curse. She’d planned on laughing at his shock and then exact her revenge by leaving him hungry for more. But she thought wrong. Instead of cursing, he growled in pleasure.
“If we weren’t on a public beach right now, I’d show you exactly how much that turned me on. For now you have a reprieve. Later…you won’t.”
“And if I don’t want you to show me anything?”
Leaning in the rest of the way, Jax sipped at her lips once, twice, three times, and then captured them in a slow and sensual kiss that made her feel cherished and wanted. When at last he pulled away, he grinned and said, “Then I’ll just have to change your mind.”
Ordering herself to pull it together, Vanessa hoped she didn’t appear as breathless as she felt. “You’re not off to a bad start.”
“Glad to hear it. Now I’m going to go surf off this raging hard-on while you relax.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Good luck with that.”
“I’ll need it. It’ll probably throw off my balance.” He winked. She rolled her eyes. “Be good while I’m away, bride-to-be.”
“We’re not at the resort, Jax.”
“I know,” he said with another wink before grabbing his board and running into the waves.
She watched as he lay on his board and paddled out to where the waves gathered their strength. She’d never thought much about surfing one way or the other, but when she saw Jackson dive under a smaller wave to get to the bigger one behind it, she found herself in complete awe.
The muscles in his back and shoulders bunched and moved with every rotation of his arms. Just as he reached the wave, he hopped onto the board as easily as if it were on stationary ground, not a rolling swell that changed shape as it flowed toward the shore. His feet seemed glued in place as he alternated between crouching and standing.
His board sliced through the wave, zigging and zagging as he pushed it in different directions. Then the wave curled over him and anxiety nearly choked her with worry…until she saw him through the watery window, strong and upright. The nose of his board edged out from behind the shimmering curtain, and then she could see him, water spraying in his face, his hand stretching out to trail his fingers through the side of the tunnel the wave had created. Finally the wave ebbed and Jackson dove off into the water.
Then he resurfaced and started the whole thing over again.
Surfing had officially become her favorite spectator sport.
Vanessa sighed. What was she going to do with him? He was the definition of dichotomy, that was for sure. For all intents and purposes, he seemed to be exactly as he appeared: a talented fighter with the carefree life of a surfer. But something didn’t add up. His actions didn’t reconcile with the responsible man she’d heard about all those years from Lucie. Was it a simple case of idolization on her friend’s part? Or was Jackson hiding the real him? And if so, why?
There were definitely some mysteries about the mega-hot MMA star Jackson Maris. The lawyer in her craved the truth. The woman in her wanted to know the man. Unfortunately, the woman in her wanted to know him a little too well.
She was by no means an inexperienced lover. Being comfortable in her sexuality had been one of the few bandwagons she rode on with the feminists. But it had been a looooooong time since she’d let herself have enough time for anything other than work. Besides that, her dating pool had dwindled down to more like a dating puddle, and even that was drying up. There just weren’t any guys she met that felt like they were worth the effort.
But Jackson… She had a feeling he would be worth the effort and then some. Vanessa chewed on her lip and moved ideas around in her head as she watched him conquer yet another wave.
The butterflies in her stomach began a slight fluttering of their wings.
A talk would need to happen prior to make sure they were on the same page with things. After that, there’d be nothing stopping her from getting horizontal Hawaiian-style with Jackson.
Now that she’d decided to give it the green light, the fluttering escalated to a frenzied flight. Anticipation of finally giving in to the desire she felt for Jackson spread through her, settling heavily in her core.
She took a deep breath of salty air and let it out with a smile. She already felt more relaxed. And even though she’d gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before thanks to her allergy pill solution, she still felt a little worn out. Maybe she’d take a power nap while he surfed. Stretching out on the shaded blanket, she yawned and closed her eyes.
She could still feel Jackson’s kiss on her lips as she drifted off to sleep.
…
The sun and late afternoon breeze had already dried Jackson’s body and suit as he lay on his side watching Vanessa nap. He’d come in from surfing about a half hour ago and hadn’t wanted to wake her. She looked so peaceful, so soft. She was a tough woman and always had a strength about her, like a wary alley cat, ready to fight anyone at a moment’s notice should she need to.
But when she slept, her features relaxed, her muscles sank into the sand beneath her, and wisps of curls danced around her face. Her auburn eyelashes, long and slightly curled, lay like fans above fine cheekbones, and her breaths came light and even through parted red lips.
The memory of her taste was its own aphrodisiac. One small sample and instead of quenching his thirst, it only served to addict him more.
As he lay there watching her, he wondered what she was like in her own element back home. He’d heard a couple of stories from college when they’d go out and Vanessa would convince his normally straitlaced sister to do something crazy, which didn’t quite match up with the woman he’d seen in the last thirty-six hours. He wondered if she’d calmed down after college or maybe was different because of the circumstances they were in.
As Lucie’s best friend, how much did she know about him? Did girls typically talk in depth about their families? He assumed they did. As far as he knew, girls talked nonstop about everything. But even still, Lucie would’ve only talked about the superficial stuff. Funny stories from their childhood, like when he and Reid ruined Lucie’s tea party when their G.I. Joes took her Barbies as POWs. (Hey, it wasn’t his fault. Snake Eyes was a highly trained government assassin who had reason to believe Ken was a secret agent working for the Russians.)
But all of that was just fluff. Lucie couldn’t tell Vanessa the most important thing about him, because even his baby sister didn’t know his secret. How could he tell her that their family—which they’d always thought was so perfect—wasn’t so perfect after all?
When his parents died in the car accident, Jackson’s life had been turned upside down. He’d just barely graduated high school and was set to go to Vegas with Reid so they could both pursue their careers in MMA. Instead, he found himself fighting to be the legal guardian of his thirteen-year-old sister. And soon after that, he found the paperwork tucked away in his parents’ lock box at the bank. Paperwork that shattered his reality.
After the initial shock wore off, Jackson had put it far back in his mind while he raised Lucie the best he could. Really, she’d made it pretty easy on him. She was a great kid, never got in any trouble, always got straight A’s, and didn’t date. But it still didn’t detract from the stress of being responsible for her during the most crucial years of her adolescence and having to learn real quick how to be an adult with a job and bills.
That’s why, when he got to Hawaii, he made the decision to live as simply as possible, only buy
ing what he could purchase outright with cash and being responsible for no one but himself. And he’d been living quite happily that way ever since.
Vanessa stirred beside him, rubbing her nose with her fingers and twitching it like a bunny. He smiled and reached up to tuck the curl that had caused the tickle behind her ear. To his surprise, her face turned in to his touch, and she whispered his name. A feeling he couldn’t describe ran through him, knowing he was in her dreams. He didn’t have long to revel in the idea, however, because almost as soon as she said it, her eyes fluttered open.
“How long have I been out?”
“I’d say a couple of hours.”
She sat up like the blanket had scorched her. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I was out that long. I mean, I thought I’d take, like, a thirty-minute power nap or something.”
“What’s the big deal? So you took an afternoon nap on a beautiful beach. It’s certainly not a crime, V.”
“I realize that,” she snapped. “I’m just…not used to wasting so much of my day.”
“I’m gonna go ahead and state the obvious here. You’re a workaholic who doesn’t know how to unwind, even on vacation.”
“Technically, this isn’t supposed to be my vacation. I wasn’t supposed to be here until Friday, remember? Next week is my vacation. I still have work that needs to be done. I’m simply working remotely from a tropical island.”
“Yikes, that sounds like zero fun.”
She stood up and started putting her clothes on and gathering the picnic items. “Yes, well, not all of us can have jobs that allow us to be carefree surfers.”
He stood, too, and picked up his board. He didn’t think she’d be one of the people who made assumptions about a fighter’s life like it wasn’t a real job. “Just because I’m not in a training camp right now doesn’t mean that when it’s time for me to work I slack off and it’s all sunshine and roses.”
“Come on, Jackson. Your career consists of eating healthy and working out. Most people do that on top of everything else in their life.”