LITMIR.BIZ

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“He arranged to put my stuff in storage for six months.” Without bothering to ask her. He’d just called her with the information and when she’d tried to argue that she wanted to take her stuff with her to his house, he’d simply steamrolled right over her.

      “Ah…”

      A cool wind kicked up, scattering twigs and lacy leaves across the lawn. Casey shivered a little. Was she making a huge mistake? Should she have stood up to Jackson? Gone to court rather than caving to his demands? She looked down at Mia and a small thread of fear wrapped itself around her heart.

      “I can do this, right?”

      “Of course you can.”

      “It’ll be good for Mia.”

      “Positively.”

      Oh, God. “Is it too late to run away?” Casey wondered aloud.

      “It is if that’s Prince Charming in your carriage,” Dani told her, pointing to a big black SUV pulling up in front of the house.

      Casey didn’t have to see the driver to know it was Jackson. She could tell because her body had started humming and her stomach was doing somersaults. Six months of living in his house? Being around him night and day? How was she going to manage this?

      Before she could come up with an answer to that question, Jackson opened the door and stepped out of the car. Beside her, Dani sighed heavily. Not hard to understand. Jackson was wearing black slacks, a long-sleeved white shirt with the sleeves rolled back on his tanned, muscled forearms and sunglasses that he slipped off as he walked toward them. Prince Charming? Maybe. Dangerous? Absolutely.

      “Remember,” her friend said, “you’re going to make this work.”

      Casey’s mouth was dry, just watching him walk across the lawn, so she nodded.

      “Casey,” he said, smiling. His gaze dropped briefly to Mia and even Casey saw his dark eyes warm.

      “Hello, Jackson,” she said when she found her voice again. “You didn’t have to come by, I was going to drive to your place later.”

      “Not necessary,” he said, turning a smile on Dani. Casey didn’t even have to see her friend’s face to know she was being sucked into Jackson’s orbit. The man was definitely high on the charisma chart when he wanted to be.

      “Jackson King,” he said, holding out one hand.

      “Dani Sullivan.” She shook his hand, turned to Casey and lifted both eyebrows.

      Casey ignored her and did her best to rise above the charm level Jackson was using. “I can’t go with you and leave my car here.”

      “Don’t worry about it. One of my guys will drive it over to the house later.”

      “Your guys?”

      “Employees,” Jackson corrected for her benefit. “Besides, your little compact’s not the safest car in the world to haul a baby around in.”

      Casey was stunned. “Of course it’s safe. I take it in for checkups regularly.”

      “Not what I mean,” he said, waving one hand at the pale-blue compact parked on one side of her driveway. “Look at it. In an accident, you might as well be riding a skateboard.”

      Dani winced and Casey stared at him. “I don’t get in accidents.”

      “Not purposely,” he conceded. “But then that’s why they’re called ‘accidents’.”

      “He’s got you there,” Dani muttered.

      Casey scowled at her friend, then shifted that same expression to Jackson. “My car is perfectly serviceable.”

      “Uh-huh, maybe it used to be.” He turned, pointed to the black monster parked at the curb, then looked back at Casey. “That’s your car, now.”

      “I—my—what?”

      “I bought you a car,” he said, in the same tone he might have used when saying, I made you a sandwich. “Had the dealer install a top-of-the-line car seat for Mia, so you’re all set there, too. Much safer for you and the baby.”

      Casey wasn’t an idiot. She could see that he was most likely right about that monstrous car/bus being safer to ride in. After all, it looked the size of a small tank. But she couldn’t keep allowing him to ride roughshod on her life anymore. A line had to be drawn. Might as well be done now.

      “Jackson, you can’t go around doing things like that,” she said, staring at the car now and trying to imagine herself behind the wheel. It was so huge it would be like driving an eighteen-wheeler. And the thought of how much it would cost simply to fill the gas tank gave her a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

      “Why not? You needed a safer car, I got it for you.”

      He really didn’t get it. Didn’t seem to understand that she wasn’t the kind of woman to be taken over by some big strong male who thought he knew what was best for her. For heaven’s sake, she was an adult. She’d been making her own way and her own decisions for most of her life.

      Now, all because she’d felt it was his right to know about Mia’s existence, her life was wildly spinning out of control. That old saying about good deeds never going unpunished, was certainly true enough.

      But that ship had sailed and there was no going back. Dani was right, she’d have been furious if Mia’s father hadn’t wanted to know her, too. So there really had been no win to this situation and the fact that Jackson was clearly determined to be a part of his daughter’s life said something about his character.

      And even if she didn’t like it, having a father would be good for Mia. That’s what she had to keep in mind, here. What was best for Mia.

      Still, she had to make him see that while he might be related to Mia, he had no control over Casey. So she tried again, speaking slowly and plainly. “I don’t need a new—”

      “It’s in your name. Temporary registration and insurance information are in the glove compartment. Why don’t you drive it on our trip back to my place, get used to the feel of it?” He smiled and started for the house. “I’ll just check with the movers, make sure they know where to take your stuff.”

      “I already told them—” Her voice trailed off as Jackson walked away, clearly not trusting her to have been able to instruct movers. “Did you see that?”

      “Deep breath,” Dani said, putting one hand on Casey’s forearm. “Okay, I see what you mean. He is a little—”

      “Overbearing? Bossy?”

      “Yeah.” Dani gave her a pat of reassurance. “He is. But it seems like he means well.”

      “He’s impossible.”

      “Honey, it’s only six months.”

      “Six months,” she repeated and thought that very shortly, she would be using those two words as a mantra.

      Casey turned to look at the little house that had been hers. Where she and Mia had built so many memories. She knew she was looking at her past, because no matter what happened over the next six months, she and her daughter wouldn’t return to this place. And nothing would be the same, ever again.

      Jackson stepped out of the house, walked to the edge of the porch and looked at her. Across the yard, despite the presence of the movers, Dani, and the kids, Casey felt the power of his steady gaze reach out to her. Even from this distance, even surrounded by people, she felt heat building inside her. Just a look from him gave her shivers. Her body didn’t seem to care that he was the human embodiment of a bulldozer. Didn’t care that he was taking over her life.

      All her body wanted, was his body.

      Конец ознакомительного

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