Page 27 of Hidden Desires

“Oh, all right. I suppose I’ll suffer through the agony of having fun with you with no intentions of sex afterward. It’ll be torture but I’ll manage,” he said.

Autumn rolled her eyes. “You’re a buffoon.”

“Yeah and you’re smiling. I succeeded with my mission.” Jackson gathered all the painting supplies. “You pick what we do and where we go while I rinse these brushes.”

She watched him walk toward the back. Although she’d seen his body many times, she simply couldn’t stop staring. When he returned, he shook a few brushes at her, sprinkling water across her cheeks.

“Quit!” She grabbed his hands and pushed them away from her. “You’re getting me wet.”

He chuckled. “Isn’t that the point?”

His arms came around her. She was helpless against the strong man and surrendered with a light kiss. “You’re so bad.”

“To the bone, baby. Where are we going?”

“I want to walk in the park. It’s not overly romantic or even remotely fun, but it does let me clear my head.” Jackson’s hands slid to her ass and she lifted her legs around his waist. “You can even hold my hand.”

He smiled. “Whatever you want. What about the much-needed work to be done?”

She looked around the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Well, since Summer went on hiatus, I think our work can wait until tomorrow. Besides my no-good brother and his wife are coming in. Got to save something for them.”

“Jeff will get a kick out of that.”

After they grabbed their stuff and locked the door, Autumn crawled in the truck beside Jackson, grateful to be alone with him outside the mess. He put his shirt back on, though the simple fabric did nothing to hide the strong muscles beneath.

After spending an hour walking hand in hand at the park, they stopped by the local Chinese place and grabbed a quick order of takeout. Home couldn’t have sounded better to Autumn when they pulled in the drive, her bed sounding even better.

“How come you don’t wear your dog tags?” she asked out of the blue.

He tilted his head to the side. “I’m not really in the Marine Corp any more. I do odds and ends kind of stuff, but I’m basically a soldier for hire. I don’t really have a need to wear them any more.”

“I used to wear my dad’s when he was home. I snuck in my parent’s room and took them off the dresser. He used to get so mad at me because he was afraid I’d lose them. I don’t know what made me think of that just now.” She sighed and gathered her belongings along with the food.

“The Major is really special to you, isn’t he?”

“Of course. He’s my dad.” Autumn saw pain that she couldn’t identify in his eyes. “I don’t want to pry, but I would like to know where you come from sometime.”

“My life began when I turned eighteen and entered the Marines. That’s all there is to know.”

She watched Jackson climb out of the truck and walk toward her house. She didn’t understand what his statement meant but knew he would tell her in his own time. If he really wanted her to know, he’d tell her everything that she saw hurting him. He never showed weakness, and she chalked up his behavior to male pride.

“I’m going to take a quick shower,” he said when she came through the door. He started stripping, walking toward the hall. “It’s been a helluva, day and I stink. I’ll only be a minute.”

Autumn glanced at the bag of food in her arms and sighed. The food will be cold by the time you get out and sweet and sour chicken is never good cold. She kept her thoughts to herself and went to the kitchen bar to began sorting through the containers. She didn’t bother with plates, too tired to clean up the mess when they were done. After everything was situated, she poured herself a glass of iced tea and sat in her regular spot.

Ten minutes later Jackson came back with a towel wrapped around his waist, damp from his shower. “I’m starved.” He took his seat next to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired. It’s seven and I’m ready to fall asleep. How sad is that?” She bit into her egg roll.

“I’m with ya.” Jackson literally dug into his food, inhaling it more than actually chewing it.

Autumn watched him, amazed at how different women were from men. Even living with four men for nearly five years of her teenage life, she still didn’t understand them, couldn’t begin to fathom their way of thinking or their rationality on things.

“Jax, that food isn’t going anywhere.” She chuckled and stood. “Take a breath in between bites and actually chew it.”

Jackson turned his head toward her. He looked adorable sitting on her bar stool naked with sweet and sour sauce on his lips. She couldn’t help leaning forward to lick off the excess,which gained a groan from him

His lips parted, and she slid her tongue between them. It was their first real kiss for the day, the peck this morning not counting. She ached for this man all day long, and now, she could finally have him.

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