Page 6 of Hidden Desires

“Stop smirking.” Jackson plopped down in the nearest chair. “Brief me.”

“Dad’s just being protective. We all can’t be here to protect her, and Dad called you, assuming you could.” Davis sighed. “She’s possibly the most stubborn woman I know, but you’re partially to blame for that.”

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t help it.”

Davis stiffened. “Maybe not, but you could have handled it differently. She was just a child. You were her first love. Seeing you fucking another woman after you told her you wanted nothing but her body isn’t the best way to get rid of someone.”

Jackson glanced over to the side, focusing his attention on the kids playing basketball across the street. “I know that. But we were both young and stupid.”

“Really? From what I hear, your ways haven’t changed that much. What are you now, old and stupid?”

Jackson stood. “The last thing I expected was to get a lecture from you. Give me the information to do my job.”

“Two weeks ago, Autumn received a bomb attached to a clock. Though it was an amateur design, according to Nick, she was scared out of her mind. Dad wanted her to come to the ranch, but she refused. She said she had work to do, and the stubborn girl went to work the same day she got out of the hospital. She won’t quit doing what she loves most, and that’s treating sick animals. You’ll find that out soon enough so be prepared to spend your time at her clinic.”

“So the guy sends a bomb, something he obviously knows nothing about, with the intention of what? Killing her? Or was he just trying to scare her?” The stuff wasn’t adding up in Jackson’s mind.

“Autumn doesn’t have many enemies,” Davis said. “But in all honesty, she doesn’t have that many friends either. I don’t think it was a threat on her life, but someone definitely wants her to live in fear. She only tells us parts of her life, and most of that we have to drag out of her. She’s closed off and likes to keep her business to herself.”

Jackson could understand that. He was the king of keeping his shit private and had mastered his inability to care about others personal lives. Although, he couldn’t imagine the Major’s sweet little Autumn keeping secrets from her daddy.

“That’s it. If you need me, I’ll be at the ranch. I have a couple days off before I go back to the base.” Davis made his way to the door, stopping when he reached it. “One thing though, Jack, you hurt her again, and we’ll come after you personally. I should have done it years ago when she told me what happened at your house, but I overlooked it, knowing it was what it was. It’s not a threat, but a promise.”

Jackson stared at the closed door long after Davis left. What the hell was he doing here? The case was too personal, no matter how much compensation came from it. He glanced back at Autumn’s bedroom door and sighed. Too much was left unsaid between them. He knew he hurt her feelings, but he stood by his reasons. She was his job now. He crossed his t’s and dotted his i’s. No turning back.

He rolled his eyes and stood. He never went back on a commitment, and whether he liked it or not, he made the commitment to see this job through. If only he could remember Autumn Callahan was the job and not just a hot woman who hated his guts.

He twisted the doorknob and pushed her bedroom door wide. “Davis just left so it looks like I’m bunking with you tonight.”

He glanced toward the bed where Autumn should be and saw a pile of rumpled sheets. Shifting his eyes upward he saw the wooden post in the headboard missing.

“Fuck.”

He entered the room and turned to face a very pissed-off Autumn. Before he could react, she swung the wooden post at him, nailing his solar plexus with the blunt attack.

“I’m sick and tired of men like you trying to dominate my life.” She pulled back and swung again, hitting him with a blow for each of her statements. “My father. My brothers. And you.”

She tried to swing again, but Jackson grabbed the piece of wood from her and pinned her body against the door. Her breath whooshed from her lungs as he manhandled her. He twisted caught her arms and pressed them on each side of her body, forcing her to face him without reprieve.

“You hit me again, and I’ll reciprocate,” he murmured .

“Let me go.” She struggled but he pressed his hips harder against her, effectively pinning her against the solid wood.

“Let’s get one thing straight. I wouldn’t be here if your father hadn’t called. You wouldn’t be here if someone hadn’t sent you a bomb. So for us to part ways again and go back to our normal routines, I need to figure out who or what the threat is and dispose of it immediately. The more you cooperate, the faster I’ll leave.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and Jackson nearly groaned out loud. He hated it when a woman cried and hated it even more Autumn Callahan was the one crying. The same look on her face fourteen years ago reappeared. He may not know about feelings and emotions, but he did learn over the years that women usually only cried when their feelings were hurt or they wanted their way. In this instance, the possibility of both reasons rang true.

“Why’d he have to pick you?” She sniffled. “Of all the possible men out there, why did it have to be you?”

Jackson couldn’t answer that question honestly. No one ever question the Major’s intentions or reasons, and he wasn’t about to be the first. Jackson would like to think it was because he was the best at his job, having served in several hostile environments and come away with a victory, but he knew the Major only trusted certain people with certain things. Autumn Callahan was his most prized asset. Even though he had three boys, Autumn, Jackson knew, reminded the Major of her deceased mother. The fact that he trusted Jackson with his daughter’s life spoke volumes.

He stepped away from her and turned toward the bed. “I don’t know. I’ve done shit for him in the past and succeeded in everything I’ve done. I don’t know why he picked me other than the fact I do my job well and I always see it through until the end. I never back down no matter how tough shit gets.”

“He doesn’t know about our past,” she said.

Jackson turned to see her beautiful brown eyes shimmering with moisture.

“My brothers are the only ones who know, and it was impossible to keep it from them, otherwise I would have. He sent them to find me when I ran away, and Jeffery all but tortured me to tell him everything.”

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