Page 43 of Hidden Desires

“And here we go with the silent treatment.”

Autumn ignored him. He was worse than Davis when he didn’t get his way. Both cried and pouted until someone gave in. Jackson, she found, hated the cold shoulder. She heard the rasp of his zipper and the soft sounds of his jeans coming off and being tossed in the hamper. Nice to know he’s making himself at home.

He then stepped next to her legs and situated himself at the other end of the bathtub. He pulled her legs up and propped her feet on his thighs.

“Can’t I have some privacy?” She tore off the blindfold and threw it across the bathroom. “Maybe I want to be alone. Did you ever think of that? You don’t have to be with me twenty-four-seven. Maybe I just want a simple bath with some quiet time all to myself.”

Jackson rested his head against the wall, eyes closed as his thumbs traveling the length of her soles. “If that’s what you really wanted, I would have given it to you. It’s not what you want.”

Autumn narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know what I want because you never ask. You just do what everyone in my family does. You do what you think is best for me.”

He opened his eyes, the tips of his fingers gently caressing the tops of her feet. “We’re a lot alike, Autumn. You don’t think so because your eyes only see what you want, but we are.”

She pulled her feet from his grasp and sat up, baring her breasts to the cooler air. The bubbles drizzled down popping against her skin in a tingling sensation.

“You think you know me?”

“Yeah. I do.” Jackson glanced down at her bare breasts then closed his eyes again, resting his head against the wall. “You say you want peace and quiet which just means you want to sulk until I come in here and make it all better. Don’t deny it because that’s exactly what you want. You want me to beg your forgiveness, tell you I’m a complete moron and kiss every inch of your body to make up for it.”

“Sex doesn’t solve everything, Jackson. I’m sorry you think it does.” She grabbed the loofah and squirted some bath gel in the middle.

“It does solve a lot though. Releases tension. Creates intimacy. Gives you reason to cuddle without your best friend making fun of you.” His lips tilted up in a smile, and his voice deepened, became more intimate. “Not to mention it gives you pleasure at the end of a crappy day. In my book, that takes care of most problems.”

Autumn rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. Typical Jackson answer. “What if your sex partner is mad at you?”

“You apologize your fuckin’ heart out so she’ll give you some.” He opened his eyes with a smile.

“Wow.” Autumn threw the loofah at him and rinsed her body with handfuls of water.

“Oh, come on, Autumn. Lighten up. I’m just joking.” He grabbed her arm and she pulled away. With quick movements, he went for her ankles and achieved his goal, pulling her legs apart and moving over her. He pressed her into the side, his face inches from her own. “You’re so beautiful. Even when you get riled up, you have that post-orgasmic glow. Rosy cheeks. You nibble at your lower lip trying to hold in your smile. Wide, attentive eyes. Do you have any idea how lost I get when I’m surrounded by you? When I’m deep inside you I never want to pull out. When I’m staring into your eyes, I never want to look away.”

Autumn closed her eyes though her hands still gripped his biceps. “I feel like I’m in a one sided relationship with you, Jackson. That I’m giving it my all and you’re livin’ it up. You keep things from me, mainly your little trip to Gallagher’s.”

His hand came out of the water to tilt her chin up. “Is this really about Gallagher? Because if it is, I’ll tell you everything we did today starting with us leaving the house.”

“This is about you, Jackson. I want to know we’re in this together. I’m tired of feeling like I’m the only one who cares.”

“The only one who cares about what?”

“Everything.” Tears leaked out the corners of her eyes and she blinked them away. “I feel like a burden. Nobody really gives a damn whether I get my clinic open. Nobody really cares about those puppies that almost died in the fire. Nobody cares about Frank’s puppy mill or the dog fighting.”

“I do.” Jackson moved to her side to sit by her. “I’ll admit I didn’t at first. I distanced myself from you and considered you a job, but after I saw you working with Dodo, something changed. You’re not a burden. Your family loves you, and they care about the clinic and the puppies and the shit going down with Gallagher. They care because you care. We all love you, Autumn, so quit feeling sorry for yourself.”

“You love me?”

He stood and grabbed a towel. With his back to her he wrapped it around his waist and took a seat on the closed toilet, staring at her. “You’re pretty hard not to love.” Tears formed in her eyes again. “No. Don’t you dare do that to me. I don’t have the energy.”

Autumn pulled the drain plug and stood, reaching for the towel on the rack next to him. He handed it to her, and she wrapped it around her body, bubbles sliding down her legs and onto the bathmat.

“I don’t know why that’s so hard for you to admit, but one day, I hope telling me you love me comes easy for you.”

She blew out the candles and exited the bathroom leaving Jackson alone in the dark.

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