Page 14 of Wild Cub

“Are you always this sarcastic this early in the morning or am I that special now?” He traces my mouth with his index finger.

“Don’t flatter yourself, A.J” I deadpan, attempting to bite his finger. Maybe I can distract him so I can leave. But something whispers to me, to stay and ride this out. Fight back, show him that he didn’t get under my skin.

He crosses his legs around me, effectively trapping me between his legs, “Call me Jackson” he rumbles out. I hear Seamus growl, and Jackson growls back at him with a deep rumble.

I roll my eyes so hard it hurts. “Are you seriously having a possession fight with my dog? Jesus, maybe I dodged a bullet.”

He looks back at me. “Oh darlin’, it’s no fight. It’s about establishing dominance. Protectiveness”

“You think I need protection.” I shove his chest, trying my best to push myself free.

He just chuckles. “We all need help once in a while, especially a beautiful woman who wants to save the world” Flattery can only get him so far, but not to me. I still don’t know him. But maybe Seth was right. I shake the thought.

I go to shove one more time into his chest, but Jackson is faster. He captures my wrists in each hand and places them to my side. I’m pinned, unable to move. His brute strength takes over, and unfortunately, I don’t know how to get out of it.But do you really want to?

I’m caught by surprise when he yanks me forward and slams his mouth onto mine. The kiss immediately starts to melt away my rough exterior. I sink into the kiss. It’s a hungry, brutal kiss, a game of give and take, almost a power fight. I can feel the heat of our bodies against each other; it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this. His kiss is intoxicating, sending butterflies in my stomach, like a siren calling to the sea.

He pries my mouth open, slipping his demanding tongue in for a taste. I hear nothing but our breathing and the sounds of our lips connecting. He releases my wrists, and my hands fly into his hair, wrapping around the strands of blonde hair and tugging. I try to control the kiss, give myself something to anchor me, but Jackson nips at my bottom lip. It’s not hard enough to draw blood, but it’s enough to send a shot of pain down my core. I let out a small whimper of defeat.

He lets go of my lip with a pop and gives me a small look up and down as he releases a low grumble. He licks his lips. “I have wanted to do that for a few days now.” He goes to kiss me one more time, but I shove him back as I lean to the side, hoping to escape from him. With enough force, I scramble out from his legs and into the ring.

Jackson bends the ropes to let himself in. He stalks around the ring, trying to intimidate me into bending. “Tell me, Teresa, what brought you here this morning?”

I snort. “Not that you care, but everyone has their outlet to escape the world every once in a while. I am sure a man of your status hits the booze or finds a woman to satiate yourself.” I keep my space, not wanting to give into temptation.

“Whatever happened to never judge a book by its cover? Maybe if you give me a chance, you’d be surprised.” He moves in the opposite direction.

I’m not getting out of this, I know it. “You know what AJ, I’ll make a bet with you. If you pin me, I’ll agree to the date. If you can’t and tap out, I win, and you leave me alone.” Okay, I know it doesn’t seem fair, but I can take him. Plus, part of me wants to bruise his ego, knock him down from his almighty throne.

“Any rules?”

I nod. “Don’t kill me. I have people counting on me”

I turn my back from him and fix my ponytail, but before I know it, I feel a yank on my hair. I grab his wrist, steading myself as I sweep my leg with his. We land backwards, the initial shock allowing me to swing my legs over his lap and straddle him, landing a couple of punches to his abdomen. I attempt to pin his arms, to no avail.

Instead, he fixes them behind his head. “Darlin’, I know winning is the goal, but I must say, the view ain’t half bad. I could get used to you being on top.” He laughs like it’s nothing, and here I am panting as if I sprinted a mile.

Something primal leaves his lips, and for a split second I think I need to run. I watch him wide eye; I know I won, but he hasn’t tapped out. He goes to buck me off him and I try to maneuver into an arm lock but it fails me. Jackson flips me to my stomach, so that he’s straddling my backside. I go to buck him off, trying to use my arms to push off, but to no avail. He quickly grabs my wrists and locks them behind me with one hand. There’s strength there; there’s no way I’m getting out of this hold.

Sweat drips off of me in sheets, but there’s a strange, heated sensation fluttering across my skin.No ma’am, now is not the time to be horny. I grunt in an attempt to get him off, like a donkey he’s pissed off. He trails his other hand down my spine in response.

I feel him lean down, bending towards my ear. I feel the warm whisper of his breath against the side of my face. “Just give in. It’s easier than fighting me.” He nips at my ear, and I try to kick out again. I don’t know why I try, because he grabs my legs with his other hand. I’m truly trapped, all my energy exerted. Maybe this is a sign: things happen for a reason.

I sigh and tap my back to let him know I’m out. He eases up, removing his weight from my spine. As he does so, he tenderly kisses my cheek.

“Don’t paint me as a villain in your story yet, beautiful,” he murmurs as he eases up on my backside. I think I’m out of the woods until I feel a sharp pain across my ass as Jackson smacks it hard. I gasp, expecting irritation and instead feeling particularly turned on. “That was for the attitude and stubborn, Little Cub.”

Heat rises to my cheeks. This is the first time a man has said that and here I am, turned on by a man more than I’ve ever known what to do with. We sit up and face each other, as if he knows what he just did.

I cross my arms. “So, you won. You never saidwhenyou wanted to take me out.”

He just shrugs. “I’ll let you know the date and time.”

I’m flabbergasted. “What? No grand ideas? You gonna leave me hangin’ and guessing your next move?”

“Oh, I have ideas, but what better way to keep you on your toes?” He grins, his smile splitting wickedly. He moves suddenly, crouching down to get closer. He cups my chin, tilting it up; I blink, still flush from our previous interaction.

“Teresa, all I’m asking is for a chance. If you’re anything like the woman in front of me when you open up, you deserve someone good.” He leans to plant a soft kiss on my lips. This kiss is different from the others; it’s sweet and light, but still makes me yearn for more. I pull back and watch Jackson walk away, disappearing to the back into Romero’s office. We went from strangers at a children’s birthday party to hungry for another kiss in a matter of days. This is not like me.

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