Love Left Behind (20 page)

"Poor Emma,"
Nathan said, shaking his head. "You'll be wiling away, hard at work, while
I'm frolicking on the beach."

Mia rolled her eyes.
"The last thing anyone wants to see is you frolicking, Nathan."

"That's too
bad," Claire said sympathetically. "It must be pretty important if
you have to work over a holiday weekend."

"It is. We're
trying to make sure our biggest client doesn't go to another agency, and
hopefully our presentation will ensure that. Our creative department just made
some changes last minute so that's why I have to do some work over the weekend."

I squeezed Jackson's
hand, hoping he wasn't disappointed that I had to spend part of the weekend
working. "Sorry. Hopefully it won't take too long."

"It's okay,"
Jackson said with a smile. "It'll be worth it when you're a hotshot
executive and I can spend my days popping bonbons while watching
The Price is Right.
"

I laughed, appreciative
of the fact that Jackson was so understanding.

The traffic to the
Hamptons was worse than expected and the drive ended up taking a little under
three hours. When we finally pulled up to the house, I was relieved to be able
to get out and stretch my legs.

"It's
beautiful," I said, gazing up at the house. There were plenty of lights on
the exterior of the house so I could appreciate it even though it was dark. It
was a large house with white shingles and black shutters, complete with a
wrap-around porch. The house was right on the beach, and with the ocean as a
backdrop, it looked picturesque and charming.

"I'm glad you like
it," Jackson said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the circle of his
arms, my back against his chest. He gave me a soft kiss on my neck and then
brushed my ear with his lips. "This is going to be an amazing weekend.
Plus I have great news."

"What is it?"
I asked, turning around to look at him. He just winked at me and nodded in the
direction of the others who were busy pulling their luggage from the SUV.

"I'll tell you
later. I want it to be private."

I was curious about
Jackson's news, but I let him lead me into the house after he had grabbed our
bags. The inside was as lovely as the outside, decorated comfortably in a
shabby chic style.

"How are we going
to decide who takes which rooms?" I asked the group.

"You and Jackson
can take the biggest room since you'll be sharing one," Mia volunteered generously.
"All the bedrooms are actually pretty big, so it's no big deal."

"Are you
sure?" I asked uncertainly, not wanting to hog the biggest room just
because we were a couple.

"We won't be
spending much time in the bedrooms anyway," Nathan said. "It's no
problem."

Jackson grinned at me
wickedly, clearly trying to communicate that he was planning on spending plenty
of time in the bedroom. I just shook my head, hoping that the others hadn't
noticed his look.

Jackson carried our
suitcases up the stairs and I followed behind him as the others shuffled to
their rooms as well. I immediately fell in love with our bedroom the moment
Jackson opened the door. It was spacious with large windows that looked right
out onto the beach and a four-poster bed that looked inviting with a soft white
comforter and gigantic pillows. We had our own bathroom connected to the
bedroom with a large claw-foot tub that was big enough for two people.

"I'm not going to
want to leave here," I said, plopping down on the bed and leaning against
the pillows. "Let's just move here and spend our days lazing about on the
beach."

Jackson sat down next
to me, pulling me close and smiling at me tenderly. "Sounds like a plan to
me. I'd be happy anywhere as long as we're together."

"You sure know how
to woo a girl," I said half-jokingly. "Those sweet nothings just roll
off your tongue."

"Only for you,
Emma," he said, his face serious. "I love you so much that it's
sometimes hard to breathe when you're not around."

Instead of Jackson's
words scaring me, they reassured me. It was sometimes difficult to come to
terms with how strongly and intensely I loved Jackson. It didn't seem right to
fixate so much on one person, to feel as though life was shades of grey until
he entered the room, making everything Technicolor. Although it unsettled me on
some level, I was relieved that Jackson felt the same way.

"You're not the
only one," I confessed, running my hand against the stubble of his cheek.
I smiled, shaking off the serious mood. "What's this good news you
have?"

"Remember the
audition I went on for that role in the John Warner movie?" I nodded,
remembering how excited Jackson had been to audition for the part. A casting
director had seen Jackson in
Choosing
Matthew
and had recommended that he audition for a role in the new John
Warner film, an action movie that centered on government corruption. It would
be a huge breakthrough for Jackson to get a role in such a high profile movie.
He was especially excited about the prospect of working with John Warner, who
had the reputation of making intelligent action movies that went beyond car
chases and fight scenes.

Jackson had gone to an
audition held in New York about a month ago and had been disappointed when he
hadn't heard anything back. He had assumed they had lost interest.

"Mark called me
today. They're flying me out to L.A. on Tuesday to meet with John Warner and
audition for him. They're considering me for a supporting role. Apparently,
they want some new faces."

"That's
amazing!" I squealed, hugging him tightly. Mark Steelburg was Jackson's
agent and I was happy that Jackson was finally getting a chance at a big break.
At the same time, I felt a hard ball of anxiety form in the pit of my stomach.
If Jackson got this part, that meant he would be in California for months since
the movie would be filming there. I had my job here in New York, so I didn't
know how often we would get to see each other. I wondered how this would affect
our relationship, but there was no way I was going to bring that up. This was Jackson's
chance and I wasn't going to complain about what it would do to us. Besides, I
was jumping the gun. Jackson hadn't even gotten the part yet.

Jackson looked excited
and happy. "It's not a done deal yet. It's just way more progress than
I've ever had. Even if I don't get the part, it's nice to be on the
radar."

"If they're smart,
you'll definitely get the part. Do you know who else is going to be in
it?"

Jackson shook his head.
"Mark said they're considering a few actors for the lead role, but it hasn't
been confirmed yet."

We were both leaning
against the headboard of the bed, facing each other, and he pulled me closer,
wrapping one leg around mine. "Can you come with me to California?"

I felt a flush of
pleasure that Jackson wanted me with him, but I knew that was impossible.
"Jackson, I can't. As much as I would love to, work is crazy. I told you
about that big meeting my boss has on Tuesday. There's no way I could miss
work."

"What about after
Tuesday? I'll probably be in L.A. all of next week. That's a long time."
The corners of Jackson's mouth turned down, as if the prospect of being apart
for a whole week was unthinkable. I smoothed away the frown with my thumb,
smiling gently.

"Jackson, you know
I would love to go with you if I could. I just can't right now. Besides, you'll
be way too busy to have me trailing behind you."

Jackson turned and
leaned his back against the headboard with a sigh, pulling me with him so that
I was nestled against his side. "I was pretty sure that you would say no
because of work. I just thought I'd try asking." He paused for a few
seconds and then continued.

"What if I get the
part?" Jackson asked, sounding uncertain. "Mark said if I get the
role they're considering me for, I could be gone for as long as five
months."

My stomach dropped at
Jackson's words, but I tried not to show it, covering my reaction with a smile.
"That's a long time, but we'll get through it somehow. We'll probably rack
up a lot of frequent flier miles."

Jackson was silent for
a few beats and I was hoping that he wouldn't push the issue. The last thing I
wanted was to have this conversation at the start of a holiday weekend, but
Jackson had a determined look on his face.

"Emma," he
started, looking serious. "I know work is important to you. I understand
and appreciate that, but we can't have a relationship while we're on different
coasts. Especially since this role could lead to other parts."

I pulled back, feeling
a spark of irritation start to flame. I knew this was Jackson's dream, but it
felt unfair to have him put this kind of pressure on me.

"What are you
saying, Jackson? Are you saying that if you get this part and I don't go with
you, we're over?" My voice trembled over the last words, anger and fear
making my voice unsteady.

Jackson grabbed my
hands, his eyes flashing. "Christ, Emma. No. That's not what I'm saying.
How could you even think that? I'm just saying that I can't imagine being on
the opposite side of the country from you for so long."

He pulled me close,
nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck and breathing deeply. "You're
my life, Emma. Don't ever think that I would want to break up. I'd do anything
to make sure we stayed together."

I threaded my hands in
Jackson's hair and pulled his face gently back so that he was looking at me.

"I think we're
getting a little ahead of ourselves. Why don't we figure out what we're going
to do once you get the part?"

"
If
I get the part," Jackson
countered with a small smile.

I grinned at him and
gave him a quick kiss. "Like I said, if they're intelligent, you'll get
the part."

Jackson's smile faded
as he gazed at me, looking somber. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong,
but before I could utter a word, his lips were on mine and I forgot about any
words I had been about to say.

His hand slipped under
my skirt while he continued kissing me, his tongue stroking mine. I whimpered
when I felt his fingers slip under the band of my panties and slowly stroke my
wetness, dipping his fingers into me. My hips bucked against his hand of their
own accord as I deepened the kiss, wanting every part of me to be marked by
him.

"Always like
this," Jackson muttered against my mouth. He flicked my sensitive bud with
his finger, stroking it rhythmically as I lifted my hips, circling against his
hand and feeling the desperate need for release. "We'll always be like
this. Promise me."

"I promise,"
I choked out. Jackson continued stroking my swollen bud, knowing just the right
pressure to send me over the edge. I felt the tide of sensation about to crest
and Jackson kissed me fiercely, swallowing my cries of pleasure and continuing
to stroke me until I fell back limply in his arms.

I looked up at him
after I caught my breath, stroking his cheek and wanting to reassure him. I
could feel his worry about the future, but I had spent enough of my life
planning a future to know that it didn't take much to make those plans come
crashing down.

"I love you,
Jackson. That's all that matters. We'll figure out the rest."

Jackson smiled and I
saw his troubled eyes clear of uncertainty. "I love you too, Emma. You're
right, we'll figure it out."

I raised my head to
kiss him when there was a knock on the door. I jumped, startled by it, and
frantically pushed Jackson's hand from under my skirt. He just grinned
wickedly, not seeming to care that we were about to be interrupted in a
compromising position.

I glared at him,
telling him with my eyes to behave. I got up from the bed, but Jackson just
laid back against the pillows, his arms crossed behind his head with a
satisfied smirk on his face.

"Come in," I
called out, hoping that I didn't look too flushed.

The door opened and
Claire stuck her head in. "Hey, sorry to bother you, but we thought we
would just stay in tonight since it's late and grill outside. Are you guys
in?"

Claire opened the door
wider and walked into the bedroom, her eyes moving from Jackson to me. I
unconsciously smoothed my skirt down but stilled when I saw Claire's gaze stop
on my hand.

"Sure, that sounds
great!" I replied brightly, trying to hide my mortification, feeling like
it was glaringly obvious that we had been in the middle of something hot and
heavy.

Claire nodded, her eyes
unreadable. "Just come out whenever you're ready. We'll get started."

When the door closed
behind her, I grimaced at Jackson who was still lying on the bed looking
unperturbed. "That was so embarrassing. I bet she could tell we had been
doing something."

Jackson got up from the
bed, grinning as he leaned down and kissed me. "Who cares? We're all
adults here. I doubt they think we're going to be playing Monopoly in
here."

"We're not going
to talk about this anymore," I said firmly. Intellectually, I knew that it
was no big deal but a little part of me was still a prude and didn't want the
others thinking we were having wild crazy sex in here. Not that it would
prevent me from having wild crazy sex with Jackson. Nothing could prevent that.

"Let's go outside
then. I'm starving." Jackson paused before opening the door. "Don't
mention my audition to the others. I don't want to say anything unless I actually
get the part."

I nodded, understanding
that Jackson didn't want to get everyone excited for something that might not
happen. We joined the others out on the back porch and all thoughts of
embarrassment dissipated as I sat back in a chair, breathing in the sea air and
feeling content. We had asked the caretaker to fill the kitchen with groceries
before we arrived, so Jackson and Nathan were busy manning the grill, assuring
us that the men would take care of dinner tonight.