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I know he just came from work, but I didn’t expect the dirt and grass stains to be such a turn-on. He has on a fitted T-shirt with a slight rip in the shoulder, allowing me a peek at his defined delts. He tucks the shirt into the side of his jeans, but it hangs loose around the rest of his waist, and he appears to have gotten a workout from the tractor.
The intensity of his stare gives me hope that he’s still thinking of me. If he’s feeling even half of what I am, I don’t know how we can end here. He takes several steps forward and places both hands on the tailgate beside my legs, leaning forward so he’s level with my chest, and hangs his head.
The seconds slip by, and I wonder what thoughts are going through his mind. My pulse quickens and my heart pounds. I want him to tell me he wants me, that he won’t leave. I stay silent, desperately hoping he’ll make the first move.
“Solia, I’m sorry, but you look so fucking edible, I’m not sure how I’m going to get through this conversation. I hope you know you’re the most beautiful, sexiest woman I’ve ever met. If I’m being totally honest with you, it’s taking everything in my power not to lay you back into this pickup, toss your dress aside, and show you how hot I am for you.” He leans closer so his mouth touches my neck. He inhales the scent of my skin and moans deeply. A fire blazes between my thighs, my body responding to his frustration.
“Jackson, I—”
His lips hover over my neck. He then places one finger against my lips, and in a deep, sexy voice, he pleads, “I am trying hard to resist you. I don’t want to hurt you, Solia. I’m leaving, but …”
I grasp his finger from my lips, move it to my chin, lower it to my chest, to the front of my dress, and stop. It takes every ounce of willpower to stop guiding his finger up along the inside of my thigh and to the center of my panties. “Jackson, I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want you. You’ve told me you’re leaving, but I want you.” I reach for his other hand, searching his face for the slightest sign of weakness.
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. It’s awful, and no one should have to experience such loss. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I don’t want you to leave because I understand you need to. But I don’t want you to leave without you knowing the truth. And, while I may wish you’d throw me in the back of this pickup and have your way with me, I also need you to understand what we have is deeper. It’s as though I’ve known you forever—our paths crossed for a reason. This may sound ridiculous, but even when you leave, I won’t regret the short time we had together.”
“Hey, man!” comes a holler from the back of the store. I’m laser-focused on Jackson and honestly forgot we’re in broad daylight in the middle of a parking lot.
Jackson spins around as a store employee tosses trash into a dumpster.
“Didn’t see you there.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so. You must be Solia?”
I wave back. “Sure am.” The young man turns and walks back into the store.
“I kind of forgot we’re in public.” Jackson lets go of my hands and jumps on my tailgate to sit beside me. His jeans brush against my thigh and I look at his hand sitting on his leg, wishing it would make its way to mine.
“Solia, I don’t want to hurt you. You can do so much better. This place has been my whole life, and I’ve been moping around for almost a year. I’m tired of being the town sob story and everyone walking on eggshells around me. My father is up my ass, making sure I’m holding up my end of the bargain. He has my position lined up, an office ready. There’s no going back on this. I need to figure out this situation with the wind farm before I leave. I have to know your cabin and my family’s orchard are safe.”
The conversation takes a major shift, and my world tilts on its axis. He places his muscular hand on my leg, his effort to comfort me exciting me instead, sending tingles up my thighs. “Back to the wind farm, I have news to share with you.”
“Of course.” I keep my cool and try not to appear completely undone by his hand.
“After the town hall meeting, everyone understands this isn’t a joke. These guys are out for our land. Gerry is up in arms and ready to tackle this head-on. He has an old buddy from town who is a retired real estate lawyer, Mike Kelley. I hear he’s a real asshole in the best possible ways. He and Gerry spoke a few days back, and Mike wants to represent the property owners opposed to this deal. Most of us can’t navigate the legality of it or even determine what our rights are. Having Mike on our side will be invaluable.” Jackson searches my face. “Isn’t that great?”
“Yes, that’s amazing. In all seriousness, though, when I first found the letter, I underestimated the situation. It wasn’t until the town hall meeting that a bolt of lightning struck me. I haven’t even told my parents.”
“Oh, Solia, you need to tell them. Listen, we can fight this, but everyone has to be invested. There are laws and regulations and zoning issues. Past precedent plays a role, plus things that I never would’ve thought of. We need Mike, but there is strength in numbers. Gerry thinks it’s necessary to organize ourselves before the town council meeting.”
“That makes sense. Tell me when and where and I will help however I can. I certainly don’t want to lose the cabin. That’s why I’m here, but I’ll need to strap on my boots because it’ll be an uphill battle for sure. My parents are already interested in selling. With a hefty offer from this company, I’m afraid they may toss our deal out the window.” I have to tell my parents, and since my name isn’t on the deed, it’s ultimately up to them what happens to the cabin.
“Even though I’m leaving, I don’t want to see my family’s land destroyed. My grandparents are getting up there in age, and the other day Earl expressed to me he is considering selling. I never thought there’d be a day he and my grandmother would give such an idea any thought. I understand everyone’s time here is temporary, but I figured we would keep the land in the family. But here we are—I’m heading to New York, and Shannon is dedicated to her career, so we can’t expect her to run the farm. She and I are the only family left here. I’m trying to develop a plan that’ll allow the family to keep rights to the land, but somehow have the orchard run privately. I’m not sure. My thoughts are scrambled. First, I need to get the orchard and cabin out of their claws, and then I can figure out the rest.”
“I guess we have more in common than we realized. You and I are both working toward a fresh start with one foot stuck in the past. But this isn’t entirely your responsibility to fix. We can each do our part. Leave the cabin to me—you have enough to worry about.” I pause and reflect on the enormity of the situation and the countless puzzle pieces needing to line up for this town to remain unscathed. “So, when are we meeting?”
“This Saturday at ten a.m. at town hall. Can you be there? Gerry is working on the rest of the property owners. I was in charge of you.”
I tilt my chin and look at Jackson, liking the idea of him being in charge of me. “I’ll be there. I’m thankful you’re keeping me in the loop.”
“Me too, and we will.” Jackson takes my left hand and kisses the back of it, pausing for a moment.
“I guess I’ll see you on Saturday?” I ask.
He hops off the tailgate.
“Sure will. I’m not gone yet.” He uncrosses my legs, lifts me by my waist, and puts my feet on the ground. He holds me long enough for me to feel him harden behind the fabric of his jeans. I take full advantage of the moment, stand on my tiptoes, and wrap my arms around his neck.
Just as I’d hoped, he slides his arms around my lower back and embraces me, knowing full well my dress is short enough to allow my white lace panties to peek out. As he places his chin on my shoulder, he stiffens and deeply inhales, leaving me to hope he’ll be thinking of me later tonight.
