Hidden (New Orleans Temptation Series Book 2) Read online

  “Thank you,” I tell him while trying not to let the tears of joy and appreciation run down my face. No one has ever cared enough about me to do this. I really shouldn't say that because my grandmother cared. She just didn’t have the know-how to help me. I had decent grades in high school but nothing spectacular enough for the counselors to assume I wanted to go to college. I spent so much time taking care of the house, my grandmother, and trying to make extra money, I didn't have a ton of time to study like I should have.

  I push away the negative thoughts of the past and toast to a new future with a large frozen margarita, and I allow myself to let my guard down. I want to let him into my world, drop the barriers, and let him know the real me.

  Jackson is so handsome as he tells me about all the types of fish we can catch when we go fishing next weekend on his boat. I interrupt him when I just blurt out, “Rex was tracking me before I ran. He had a tracker the size of a pea sewed into every piece of clothing I owned.” I keep my eyes focused on his. I don't know what came over me. I just felt the urge to give him the information he wanted from me. “I tried to run before I knew I was being tracked, and he and the entire damn Flaming Dragons came after me and took me from a gas station near Chicago. I went back with him because I only had two choices. Go back or die.”

  The anger that is stirred in Jackson’s face is unmistakable. He gets up from his side of the booth and slides in next to me putting his strong arm around me and his other hand over mine.

  “So how did you finally get away?” he asks softly.

  I give him all the details about Joe and my escape. When I’m done telling him my story, I feel freed. I look up into his eyes to see if they are looking at me in a different light, but they’re unreadable. He raises his hand to the waitress and asks for the bill, not saying another word to me. He pays the bill, grabs my hand, and leads me to the Jeep. I’m starting to feel a bit stupid for telling him the story. I should have known it would be a turn-off. Who wants someone as used as I am? I’m still deep in my self-pity when Jackson gets into the other side. I don't even realize he’s there until his hand wraps around my neck pulling me to his lips. His kiss is hard, rushed, and out of control. I open my lips to let him in. His grasp gets tighter at the nape of my neck, and it feels as if he is trying to rein himself in. I raise my hand and put it through the back of his hair matching the force he’s gripping mine with. In an instant, his lips are gone, and I release my grasp of his hair, but he has not released me. He gently but firmly pulls my head back to gain access to my neck, kissing and sucking down to my collarbone.

  “You are so beautiful, Sunny. I will never allow anyone to hurt you like that again. Do you hear me? I promise you that.”

  I do my best to say yes with my eyes. My mind is so wrapped up in the feeling of his tongue on my neck, I can’t speak. I reach over the seat, place my hand on his thigh, and brush against his cock causing him to moan into my mouth. He is fully erect and oh-so large. Deviating from my original plan, I start to rub my hand lightly up and down his long wide bulge and it pulses under my fingers. Jackson takes possession of my mouth again matching the rhythm of his tongue with that of my strokes on his hardness.

  The kiss is intense and open to his soul. I have never felt the need for someone like I feel the need for Jackson right now. Almost as if he can read my mind, he stops kissing me. “Babe, if you don't stop rubbing me like that, I’m going to come in my pants. And I have not done that since I was twelve.”

  I smile up at him. “Then take me to your place, Jackson, I need you.”

  He groans against my lips and closes his eyes tight. “As much as I need to make love to you right this second, right here, you deserve better than that. When I enter you for the first time, I want you to know I’m with you because I can’t stand to be without you. I want you to know you’re with me because you can’t be without me and not because you’re running scared.” He raises his eyebrows looking for confirmation from me that I understand him.

  But I don’t answer. I remove my hand from his lap and place both hands on his cheeks. “Could you be any more perfect?”

  “You may want to get to know me before you say that, babe, I’m full of flaws.”

  “I haven’t seen one yet.”

  “Let me take you home before you see one,” he jokes with a drop-dead sexy grin and starts the Jeep.

  I lie in my bed that night in sheer joy. Silently I thank Joe for bringing me here, and I thank God for putting Joe in my life. This is where I take control and live the life that was meant for me.

  The next few weeks are filled with dancing at the club and hanging out with Jackson. I learn about his time in the Army. He was an Army Ranger and did undercover missions in Iraq. Day in and day out, it was his job to stealthily follow subjects around to see where they were hiding weapons, who they were associating with, and who was the next suicide bomber. No wonder I had no clue he was following us that night in the French Quarter. I would like to say I knew he was there, but honestly I didn’t. My instincts told me I was being watched, but I dismissed it.

  Today is our official second date on his boat. I’m not a tomboy and don't like to get my hands dirty which I assume is a bit difficult to not do when you’re fishing with a man like Jackson.

  Leaving the dock from Jackson’s house, we only take a few minutes to get to his fishing spot. He took it slow unsure if I would get seasick, but I seemed to be fine so far.

  “Woman, you are going to learn to bait your hook on your own or you don't fish,” he fusses while I try to take in the scenery.

  I cross my arms giving him a smirk. “This fishing thing was not my idea, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember. Now pick up the shrimp and put it on the hook.”

  “Nope.”

  “What do you mean, no?”

  “What I mean is, I don't touch raw slimy things with my fingers.” With my arms crossed, I’m determined not to touch that nasty thing. This was his ideal date not mine.

  “Geez, woman, really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  He bends down shuffling around his toolbox. “Here, put these on and bait your damn hook.”

  I look up to see a pair of gloves flying my way. “Jackson, why do you want me to do this so bad? I’m just fine watching you fish.”

  He gets up from his seat coming over to me and lowering down onto his knee so we’re eye to eye.

  “Because any woman of mine will not be afraid to shoot a gun or bait a hook. That’s why.”

  I just smile. Jackson Devereaux just called me his woman. I pull him into a kiss before he can get away. It’s soft and unhurried. I want to take in this moment and etch it in my memory. Jackson just called me his woman. I pull away and rest my forehead onto his.

  “Okay, if I have to bait the hook with gloves for you, then I will.” He smiles back up at me.

  “About Goddamn time,” he says with a chuckle. “Now catch some fish so I can cook you a romantic dinner for the rest of our date tonight.”

  “The rest of our date? You didn't tell me we had more to this date. I don't have any clothes for a date.”

  “Don't stress. It’s just us at my place.”

  I look at him with large eyes. Does he think he is going to cook me a romantic dinner while I will be in sweats? “If you’re cooking me a romantic dinner, I need a romantic outfit.”

  He puts his head in his hands sighing out loud, “Okay, you can use my Jeep to go home and change while I cook. But fish right now or we won’t have anything to eat.”

  I smile with a look of victory. Taking in the beautiful scenery around us, I bait the hook like a pro and throw my line in the water. There are beautiful large cypress trees with their knees poking out of the water. Turtles go by the boat as we sit in happy silence fishing. I watch Jackson fish, and I pretty much just sit and hold the pole. It’s now late January and we are in the middle of a warm spell. Jackson has on a long-sleeved shirt but it is so snug I can see his muscles flex as he re
els in his fish. He’s so handsome I have to pinch myself to see if I’m really sitting here with him, as his “woman.” Oh, how I need to be with him tonight. I have the perfect dress picked out for seduction tonight.

  The fishing trip ends after Jackson has caught five large red fish, and it’s time for us to head back. When he helps me out of the boat, my hand courses with the continued electricity I feel every time he touches me; it’s unbearable and I need him. I know he is trying to be romantic, but I want to throw him down on the lawn and demand he takes me now. My nightmares of Rex have been replaced with fantasies of Jackson. Since the shooting range, I wake most mornings soaking wet and sexually frustrated. Sometimes I’m so cranky in the mornings I have to touch myself to release the pressure. So there I lie morning after morning wet for Jackson and extending my dreams by feeling my own wetness. I imagine my finger circling my clit is his tongue, and when I plunge two fingers deep within myself, I wish it was his hard cock. When I pump my fingers in and out with my wetness dripping, visions of Jackson dance in my head. I come but am never fully relieved of the sexual tension I hold for him. I don't want to do that anymore, I can’t. It’s getting harder and harder to get myself off without being able to touch him.

  “Sunny,” I hear as I shake my head trying to bring myself out of my daydream.

  “Earth to Sunny. Are you there?”

  “I’m sorry. I was daydreaming.”

  He pulls me into a hug standing out on the dock. “What are you daydreaming about with that big smile of yours?”

  I reach up on my toes giving him a quick peck on the lips. “You’ll find out later. Now where are your keys? I have to go get all dolled up for our romantic date.”

  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys. “Be back at 7:00 p.m. on the dot. I have my own surprise and I don't want wait.”

  “I can’t wait to see what you have planned. I will be here at 7:00 p.m. on the dot.” He kisses my forehead and I’m off to get ready.

  Chapter 14

  Sunny

  Entering the apartment, I see Carmella walking around only wrapped in a towel and moping.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask, shutting the door behind me.

  She looks up at me in surprise. “Oh shit, you scared me, girl. I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  “Yeah, well, Jackson has a date planned for us at his house, and I wanted to wear something nice. Crazy man thought we could go fishing then have a romantic dinner in this.” I wave my hands up and down my body.

  She looks up at me in shock. “He planned a romantic dinner for you?”

  “Yes, surprising, huh?”

  “You can say that again. Can he cook?”

  “I know he can make a mean breakfast. I will let you know tomorrow if he can cook dinner. So where are you getting ready to go?”

  “Dinner with Kevin.”

  “Then what’s up with the sorry for myself look you have going on?”

  “I’m just not sure he’s the guy for me. He’s too boring for me.”

  “Boring? I thought you said he had his penis pierced.”

  “Yeah, that’s how he lured me in, but that is the height of his excitement. He’s a fuck buddy, not someone I want to have conversation with and pretend I like.”

  “I’m sorry, Carmella. So why are you going out with him if you don't like him?”

  “Duh, the penis piercing. I can’t say goodbye to it yet. So I’ll try to make it through the dull dinner and fuck him as soon as I can,” she laughs.

  “You are bad, do you know that?”

  “Yes, I do and I love it. So what are you gonna wear for your big sexy night tonight? And please tell me you are going to make that man take care of you. I’m sick of hearing you make yourself happy every morning.”

  My face turns beet red as I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand. “Carmella!”

  “What? This is a small apartment. I hear everything. Don't be embarrassed. We are both adults, remember? That is the exact reason I’m still with Mr. Dick Piercing so I don't have to do myself every morning like you do. Now enough about me. Let’s pick out something for you to wear. Something he can’t resist.”

  We walk to her closet, and I can’t do anything but shake my head at her bluntness. She is right though. When we reach her closet, she starts to clap. “I have the perfect dress for you.” She pulls out a ruby red dress. “This will look great on you.”

  This dress is a little satin thing that could be confused as lingerie. The top is a halter-top with a deep plunging neckline that is almost to my waist. The back plunges all the way down to the crack of my rear with a satin belt that ties the dress on. It’s plain yet dressy due to its shimmer and shine. While it’s a full-length dress that hits the floor, I would’ve never thought to wear it in public. Since our dinner is in the privacy of Jackson’s home, it’s perfect. I look up at Carmella as she is waiting for a response.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it, but do you have a full-length coat I can wear over it to get to the car? I don't think I should walk to my car in the middle of the French Quarter dressed like this.”

  She is so easily excited, she bounces up and down clapping her hands. “I have the perfect stripper jacket, no pun intended.”

  I just shake my head at her and smile. “None taken, my friend. Now let me get into the shower so I have time for painting my nails.”

  She smacks my ass on the way out of the room, and I’m not the least bit surprised by her show of affection. It’s so Carmella.

  I spend the next two hours showering, exfoliating, shaving, painting my fingernails and toe nails, putting on my going out face, and pulling my hair into a very sleek up-do. Finally, it’s time to put the dress on. I pull the dress over my head letting the soft fabric skim my naked body. Oh, the silk feels amazing, and with my heightened senses, my nipples pucker through the fabric. This dress leaves no room for a bra; however, I pull on a thong in an attempt not to have a wet spot on the back of the dress. I’m so turned on right now at the thought of being with Jackson that the slightest touch will send me into an orgasm.

  I look into the mirror at my reflection, and I have to admit, this dress is hot. I put on my grandmother’s heart locket thinking of how far I have come. She would be proud to see me break away from the devil. I let the cold metal fall to my neck while slipping on my sky-high red heels before walking out to find Carmella waiting on the sofa.

  Her jaw drops and she just stares. “I knew you were hot, girl, but this is off the charts. If I went both ways, I would so do you.”

  Again, I shake my head at her as she stands and gives me a hug. “You are smoking hot. Give him hell, girl, and don't come home tonight.”

  “I ‘ll do my best to.”

  “Oh, trust me, I doubt you will even get to the first course dressed like that.” She kisses my cheek and hands me her long black jacket. I pull it on and head out to Jackson’s with twenty-five minutes to spare.

  On the way over to Jackson’s, I start to get a nervous feeling. With the feeling of being watched, I keep looking into the rear view mirror to make sure there’s no one in the back seat or following me. What the hell is wrong with you? No one is there and no one is following you. Don't ruin this night.

  Once I press my fears down, I start to hear the Voodoo Queen’s voice in my head. “Trust your instincts. Don't let your guard down.”

  “Crazy freaking woman, what the hell does she know?” I say out loud. I turn the radio up to drown out the sounds of my mind. Within no time, I pull up at Jackson’s. It’s dark out when I pull up. My heart skips with panic and lust. I jump out and hustle to the door not wanting to be outside alone too long. Reaching for the doorknob, I don't bother to knock and just walk in.

  “I hope you don't mind, I let myself in,” I say, looking around for Jackson. The house smells amazing, and it looks beautiful with the dancing light of all the candles he has placed all over the room. I hear low music playing in the background while I
walk closer to the beautifully lit table. My mind starts to work over time again, and I hear the Voodoo Queen’s voice again. “Lock the door, my child.”

  I huff and turn to lock the door, not sure why I’m listening to the crazy voices in my head. Before I can turn around, I feel a hand pull me back until my back is flush with a rock hard chest. A brief moment of fear took over, but it is quickly washed away when I smell Jackson’s scent.

  “You’re five minutes early. In a hurry for something, babe?”

  I turn into his arms and look up at his beautiful face. For a handsome man, his face is just so beautiful. His eyes slowly move to my lips. “Those lips, woman, are gonna kill me, they look so wet and hot.”

  I swipe my tongue out slowly over my lips to draw him in.

  “Fuck, I want to kiss them, but I don't want to mess them up,” he says, lifting his hand to my face.

  “They’re kissable so please kiss them.” He does as he is told pulling my face to his and kissing me senseless at the door.

  He pulls away slowly. “Let me take your coat. Did it get cold outside?” He gives me a curious look wondering why I have this heavy coat on. Pulling the coat down my arms slowly, he answers his own question. He stands in awe staring at me with fire in his eyes. They start at my barely covered breasts, which are only covered by the thin satin fabric coming down from my halter-top. I feel my nipples harden under his hot gaze.

  “Are you going to stand there and stare all night or you going to feed me?” I ask, wanting to have our romantic dinner.

  He throws my coat over the sofa. “You may have to put the coat back on in order to get through dinner. Turn around. Let me see all of you.”

  I obey without question turning around and keeping my eyes on his. The back of the dress is low enough to show the horrible tattoo, but I had Carmella touch it up quickly. It’s almost gone so not much was needed; I only have two treatments left.

  “Let’s eat,” he demands. “If I touch you now, we will never make it to the table, and I have slaved over the stove for two hours making the perfect meal for the perfect woman.”