His mouth twitches. “I think you’ve made your point perfectly clear.” Suddenly, his head cocks, and he examines my face for a moment. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down before.” He grabs the end and tugs a little. “It’s nice.”
“Nice?” I step back, telling my damn puckering nipples to cool it already.
“Yes, nice.” He nods. “You always wear your hair in a ponytail, but I like it like this. It’s nice,” he repeats, as if I didn’t hear him the first time, and then he gestures me inside the car. “I really must insist we get going or we’re going to miss our flight.”
There is more to my irritation than whatever plan Jackson has here. He knows I want him and that I like his compliments. I can see it in the haughtiness on his face. That fucking half-smile. Why are the jerks always so damn sexy? “Fine,” I say, flicking my hair over my shoulder. “But don’t think I won’t resort to violence if you deserve it.”
He barks a loud laugh now. It’s irritating how much warmth fills his eyes, and how my body temperature rises. “Good to know,” he states.
I move by him and scowl, both at him and at the throbbing between my thighs. While I slide into my seat, I get a good whiff of his spicy cologne before he shuts the door behind me. Really? Does he even have to smell so good, too?
Through the windshield, I watch all that power and masculinity pass by the hood of the car, devising my own plan. Jackson believes this is going to upset Liam. To ensure it doesn’t, I grab my phone from my purse and begin texting Aria.
Jackson is my date. Yeah, you read that right. P.S. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this, girl!
No matter what, I can’t let anything come between Liam and Aria, including whatever Jackson thinks this date is going to accomplish. I love Aria, and I care deeply for Liam, and they are meant to be together. I refuse to let Jackson ruin this for them. He might be determined to play some fucked-up game to get back at Liam. But I won’t let him. And it just so happens that with the heart of my best friend on the line, I’m playing to win.
When the driver’s-side door opens, I turn off my phone, not wanting interruptions which I anticipate will be worried calls from Liam and Aria. Jackson asks with a panty-melting smile, “All s
et?”
I want to be giddy that I’m with the guy I’ve wanted naked, sweaty, and riding me hard for two years, of course I do. But I know why I’m here. It’s so Liam can’t find me. It’s so Jackson can torture him. And that’s the game here. It’s not about using me or mistreating me, it’s all to get inside Liam’s head. I can’t ever forget that, no matter how much that smile charms me. I give him my most pleasant smile and finally answer him, “Ready.”
Game on.
Chapter 2
Jackson
It’s close to three in the afternoon by the time waves crash up on the sides of the small speed boat gliding through the crystal-clear waters of Lake Joseph. I slow the engine until I’m sliding up to the dock of the quaint log cabin. Deep in the forests of Muskoka, the cabin sits on the four and a half acre Rabbit Island, where large cedar trees stretch as far as the eye can see and jagged rocks edge the shoreline.
Once I cut the engine, I make quick work to tie the boat to the dock. As I pull the knot tight, I glance over my shoulder, catching Mallory’s smile as she takes in the beauty around her. That I’m in full agreement with. Muskoka is the quiet I need, the solitude I want, far away from the highlife in Los Angeles. Luckily—thankfully—she’s lost her anger throughout the long plane ride and the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto to the marina.
When she finally notices me looking at her, she rises from her seat and approaches. “Where on earth did you find this place to rent it?”
“I didn’t rent it,” I explain. “It’s mine.”
“Yours?” She scans the view again, obviously reassessing. “Whatever made you buy a Canadian property?”
I wave out in front of us at the lake, arching a single eyebrow. “I would think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
She laughs softly, tilting her head in a way that drapes her long hair across her pinkish cheek. “I suppose it is.”
Of course, there’s more to it. My mother was born in Canada and held dual citizenship, as do I, and she loved the beauty Muskoka had to offer. A few months after she passed away, I bought this cabin with the money she’d left me in her estate.
I reach for our suitcases resting on the floor of the boat and place them onto the dock before offering my hand. She slides her slender fingers into mine without hesitation, slowly climbing out of the boat. It’s in that second, I’m suddenly aware of how her pupils dilate, cheeks flush pink. Which, again, makes me take a closer look at her. I’ve never before noticed that I affect Mallory, but I do. Intensely. And I can’t say I don’t like it. She’s beautiful. I like how there are freckles spattering her nose. Her long honey-colored hair frames her thin face, and her lips part quite often when I look at her.
She moves past me then, giving me a good look at her heart-shaped ass clad in jean shorts that I shouldn’t even be noticing. It’s hard to ignore her. Especially because she’s been fucking me with her eyes since we got on the flight. With my cock growing heavy, I jump out of the boat and set into motion the plan I’ve been forming for a week.
I reach into my pocket and grab my cell. “How about a selfie to kick off our time together?” I ask, holding up the phone.
She watches me a moment with obvious caution before shaking it off with a soft laugh. “Sure. Why not?”
I gesture at the end of the dock. “It’s one hell of a shot from over here.” I lead the way, and she follows.
My only objective for this date is pissing off Liam. Of course, I’d never mistreat Mallory. I’ll see that she enjoys a nice relaxing few days away. Though the very thought that I’m with her, somewhere he can’t find her, will torture Liam. Because he thinks I’m going to take the sweet and quiet Mallory and corrupt her.
I won’t. I do have morals.