Page 24 of Hidden Desires

“No.” She smiled. “I’m sleeping in.”

Jackson stepped back, making his way to the door. If she didn’t know better, she would have said that he hesitated a bit before going to his room. A small part of her wanted him to stay, even if they didn’t have sex.

Autumn crawled in bed and tucked the covers around her. She had to get things back on a professional level before they totally fucked up her life. First thing being ending all intimate interactions with Jackson. No matter how great it felt to be in his arms, she didn’t belong there.

* * * *

After lying in bed three hours, Autumn was still awake. She was exhausted from lack of sleep and the adventures of the day but her mind wouldn’t turn off. Finally, she threw the covers back and stood. The house was silent and dark as she walked down the hall toward Jackson’s room. Her heart beat erratically in her chest. What the hell am I doing?

Before she talked herself out of it, she knocked on his door, slightly opening it. “Jackson?”

Nothing. She pushed it open more and walked into his room a few feet. She saw his figure sprawled out in the middle of the bed in a pool of moonlight shining through the window.

“Jackson?”

He moved slightly. “Hmmm?”

Now what? She walked closer. “I can’t sleep.”

He rolled on the bed and flipped the bedside lamp on. The light nearly blinded her. Jackson rubbed his eyes and yawned, sitting up. He looked so sexy in his disheveled state, stubble along his chin, no shirt, and she was willing to bet no pants either.

He lifted the sheets and patted the empty spot on the mattress. “Come on.”

“Do you mind?”

“Sweetheart, you don’t even have to ask.”

She crossed the room and climbed in beside him. The sheets were warm and smelled like him, a scent that was nothing but pure pheromones. He leaned over her to take care of the light.

“Jax, I don’t expect anything from you. I just want to make that clear.”

His hand brushed against her breasts and then down her stomach. “Are you talking about feelings or sex?”

Autumn shrugged in the darkness. “Either. It wasn’t professional of me to say that this morning. Not after I admitted I still have feelings for you.”

“You think way too much.” His hand went lower, to her thigh where he pushed the hem of the chemise upwards a bit. “I’m not going to lie. I’m also not going to apologize for anything.”

Autumn bit her lip when his fingers brushed against her pussy. “Sex only complicates things. It was a weak moment, and I promise it won’t happen again.”

He stopped and pulled away completely. “Is that what has your exhausted mind all worked up? Autumn, I’m not looking for a relationship. Me going down on you in your living room is hardly anything to fret over. I told you I wanted you and I’ve never hidden it.”

“Are you saying I’m more than an orgasm to you?” She held her breath.

Jackson sat up and reached across to flick the lamp on. “It offends me you even have to ask.”

She sat up, too. “Well what am I suppose to believe, Jackson? I fully acknowledge I instigated it. I accept it for what it was, but you confuse me. I can’t help but wonder if this is history repeating itself.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “That was fourteen years ago. I was an ignorant fool back then who said all the right things to get between a woman’s legs. I admit that. But I don’t want it to be like that with us.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “How do you want it to be?”

Jackson met her eyes. “Honest. I’ve been honest with you since I stepped through your doorway.”

“But you don’t want a relationship, so why does honesty matter?”

He groaned and fell back against the pillows. “I didn’t say I didn’t want a relationship. I said I wasn’t looking for a relationship.”

“So you do?”

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