Page 54 of Hidden Desires

Chapter Fifteen

Jackson woke with Autumn curled against his body. His head pounded and the more he moved, the worse it got. He rubbed his face, realizing he hadn’t shaved and was way past due. He opened his eyes, squinting at the light streaming through the window. It took him a minute to realize where he was, what had happened.

“I have some aspirin in my purse if you want some.” Autumn pressed a kiss to his chest.

“That would be great would be great.”

Autumn threw the covers back and stood to find her purse. Jackson watched her move about the room totally nude and perfectly comfortable with herself. She grabbed the bottle and disappeared into the bathroom. When she came back she held a Dixie cup of water and she sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

“Here.” She handed him the cup and then poured two gel caps in her hand.

He sat up. “God. It’s been two years since I had a hangover. I’m too old for this.”

Autumn stroked his cheek. “Do you feel any better?”

“A little bit.” He swallowed the pills and set the cup to the side. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.” She smiled.

He smiled back. “I love you.”

The entire time he talked to her last night, he couldn’t help wonder why such a wonderful person would want to be with him. He thought the same thing fourteen years ago when they’d first met. He would have bet for sure when she found out he shot his father she’d head for the door and never look back again. But she stayed. She hugged him, kissed him and told him she loved him. And he couldn’t deny it any more. He didn’t want to deny it anymore.

“You look lost in thought.” Autumn propped herself up with a hand. “What’s on your mind?”

He shook his head and then immediately regretted the action. “Fuck.”

Autumn rubbed his leg. “How about we take a shower and get some food. Breakfast will do you some good.”

While she went to the bathroom to start the shower, Jackson followed slowly behind. He really was getting too old for hangovers. He wanted nothing more than to make love with Autumn in the shower but his legs barely held him up. The bitter taste of beer lingered in his mouth and his stomach growled from abandonment.

“Do you happen to have any toothpaste?”

Autumn looked around the bathroom. “No.”

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and laid his head on her shoulder. “I feel like an old man.”

“Drinking isn’t the same as it was when we were twenty, is it?”

He rubbed his forehead against her from side to side. “Every muscle in my body hurts.”

“Tough it out, old man. It’s only going to get worse as you get older.”

Jackson groaned when she forced him toward the shower. “You aren’t ready to trade me in, are you? For a younger stud?”

Autumn narrowed her eyes. “I just got you to confess that you love me after all these years you tried to deny it. No way in hell am I trading you in now.”

She stepped to the side and waited for him to move inside the stall slowly. Jackson stood under the hot spray, allowing the heat to soak into his skin. Each muscle began relaxing as the water pelted him. He rested against the wall, eyes closed, water droplets rolling down his face. Steam filled the stall creating a cocoon of warmth around them.

Autumn grabbed the bar of soap and worked up a lather between her hands. “My dad is supposed to come in tomorrow. Davis said he didn’t want to be on another continent any longer after all the shit that’s been happening to me. I told Davis I would staple his damn mouth shut if he didn’t learn to quit yakking to everyone.”

She ran her hands over his body, slow and sensual as she took her time to feel every contour.

Jackson moaned, his body relaxing. “Your family loves you. And whether you admit it or not, you want them around.”

“I do, do I?” She wrapped her hands around his cock. “I’m not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself.”

“Maybe.” Jackson watched her work, liking how he fit in her small hands. “But it’s easier to deal with when people who care about you are around.” She stroked him until he was hard. “You’re getting pretty good at that.”

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