Page 63 of Dangerous Pursuit

“Love and like are two different things.”

“Ugh, you’re such an oaf. I hope Mia knows what she’s getting into.”

“Getting into or already in?” Jackson says with a raised brow.

Okay, so I’ve gathered that she knows about us. He’s being very open about touching me, not to mention the kiss.

“Potayto, potahto. See what a pain in the ass he is, Mia?”

I’m laughing at their hysterical banter. They’re a force to be reckoned with. “Not sure if he told you, but I only knew him as a pain in the ass until a week ago. He’s working his way up the ladder,” I reply.

She laughs. “Hmmm, what a strategy. Maybe I should try that. Hell, maybe we should coin the method and make millions coaching people on it.”

“If anyone could do it, you could.” His respect for his sister is evident. Their jesting is fun, but he obviously adores her.

“All right, I forgive you. Now, let’s get going. We’re due at our first stop soon. It’s going to be a long day,” Cici says, propelling me into motion.

And right she was. We spent all morning going from location to location fast enough to make my head spin. We’re only halfway through the day, and I’m already experiencing information overload. It’s fun looking at the different units, but with all the technical information associated with investment properties, I’m ready for a break. Luckily, she scheduled lunch, because not only am I spent but starving, only now remembering that I was too nervous to eat anything this morning.

We end up at a restaurant in the middle of town, a busy lunch spot tucked inside their mall, which I’m surprised they even have for a city this size. Bozeman is so different from San Diego that I feel like I’m in another country. We have skyscrapers, and they have mountains. The tallest building in their downtown—one street, I might add—isn’t even half as tall as ours. And they have pine trees instead of palm trees. The air smells fresher, and the people are extremely friendly. It’s like they have happy drops in the water here.

“So, what do you guys think of Bozeman so far?” Cici asks, practically reading my thoughts. I can tell by her enthusiasm that she loves it here. Or maybe she’s just always enthusiastic.

“It’s—” Jackson and I both start to answer at the same time. We laugh, and he leans in to kiss me, telling me to go first.

“Oh my God, you guys are adorable.” Cici says.

I can feel the heat in my cheeks. I’ve discovered that Jackson isn’t shy about PDA. He doesn’t get carried away, but he has no problem touching or kissing me in front of anyone. Admittedly, I sort of dig it.

“It’s way different than San Diego, that’s for sure. I don’t know if I could get used to it, but it’s charming. I think I like my palm trees too much,” I tell Cici.

“I do miss the foliage from back home. It’s sad not having all the fruit trees around. But how cool is it to be surrounded by Christmas trees all year?”

I laugh, “That’s one way to look at it.”

“What about you, Jackson? Besides the amazing investment opportunities there are, what do you think about the city itself?” She’s pushing him hard to purchase something here. I think she misses her brother more than she admits. I wonder why she moved away.

“City might be an exaggeration. Like Mia said, it’s charming, and I can see why they call it the Big Sky State. Being surrounded by mountains is cool, but I couldn’t live without the ocean. There’s something about the salty air that just resonates with me. I’d miss that. It suits you, though, and that’s what matters. I’m glad you’re happy here.”

Christ almighty, I already liked the guy way more than I should, but seeing him with his sister, I’m practically in love with him. It’s surprising how strongly my feelings have grown in such a short amount of time. Although, looking back over the last couple months—not at our interactions, but who Jackson was otherwise—I can see how my feelings morphed so quickly. He’s proven himself a man of integrity. Someone who’s kind and considerate to his staff. I need to remind myself of this when I start panicking about falling for him because whatshouldbe happening versus whatishappening scares the daylights out of me.

Jackson

Cici dropped us off to get ready for dinner once we finished the longest day of property showings in history. After ravaging Mia in the hallway outside her door, she asked for space to get ready—alone. She insisted on needing extra time, saying it would be worth it, which had me agreeing to leave her.

The day couldn’t have gone better. My sister and Mia hit it off, bonding by giving me enough crap to bring my ego down a few notches. I love it. Cici is the most important person in my life, and it may be considered too soon, but Mia is right up there with her, so having them get along means the world to me.

I’m a lucky bastard to have received a chance at redemption after treating Mia so badly. She didn’t have to give me the time of day after my behavior, but the fact that she did speaks volumes about the kind of person she is. Mia is good through and through. She can hold her own yet be vulnerable enough to let someone in. That someone being me.

I’m anxious to get her alone tonight. I’m already addicted, and after the fantastic night at my place, I’m more than prepared to take things further—as in, I will be balls deep inside of her before tomorrow morning… multiple times. She’s made it clear she’s ready, and I don’t plan to hold back any longer. Besides, my dick has been protesting my decision to wait for long enough.

Ever since her revelation, my conscience has been kicking in, giving me hell for corrupting her. I’m not exactly the most vanilla guy out there when it comes to sex. Not that I’m outrageous, but I’ve definitely become more intense since a particular night a year ago.

I alluded that I’d been in the position of walking in on someone, but I didn’t elaborate that I watched the entire fucking scene—literally. I’m not sure what compelled me at the time, but looking back, part of me was intrigued, all of me was turned on, and fuck if it didn’t end up being the hottest experience I’d had.

After, I started looking for the next high, you could say. Some of the credit goes to Sebastian, who was the star performer along with his fiancé Lily, and the shit he spewed during theirencounter. I wasn’t much for talking during sex before, but fuck, now I can’t get enough, and the dirtier the better.

Judging by the other night, I’d say Mia is on board. But that doesn’t stop me from debating with myself over whether she should be with someone who ruins her right out of the gate. Unfortunately, my inner selfish bastard is winning the argument.

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