“Why? She sold it. She shouldn’t really have any say, should she?”
“Well, no, but I find in this ever-changing business, it’s better to be respectful than it is to crush them. For as much as you can crush someone and watch them fall, when they get back up, they tend to do so with revenge.”
She took a piece of carrot and began to chew. “Is that what happened to you?”
“In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes. I stumbled just like everyone else. Business is cutthroat. It’s dangerous, and it can bite you in the ass at every turn. You do not want to be making enemies in a market that thrives seeing people fall.”
“You’re a good man, Jackson.”
“Is that what you always had a crush on?”
She chuckled. “No. You were just a hot older guy that I liked. Still do.”
“I like you, too, Rebecca. You have proven to me time and time again that I can be wrong about people.”
“You thought I was a no-good troublemaker.”
“You are a troublemaker. What I was wrong about, and I learned my mistake years ago, was I thought you were the kind of person who didn’t own up to their mistakes. You do, and that I respect. If Bella got in trouble, you were right there.”
“Maybe I just wanted a spank.” She winked at him.
“That’s not it at all. You were a nice person, Rebecca. Still are.” It was a shame that her parents didn’t see what a good person she was inside and out.
Just then the sky went dark, and Jackson groaned.
“It looks like that rain they forecast is about to come true,” Rebecca said.
“I didn’t check the weather.”
“You didn’t check the weather?”
“Didn’t think it was necessary,” he said with a chuckle.
They packed up the picnic basket, and then hand in hand, rushed out of the picnic area just as it was starting to rain.
He held Rebecca’s hand tighter as they ran toward his car. Opening the car, he threw the basket into the back, and climbed in beside her. The front windows steamed up, and she was laughing, wringing out her hair.
“Wow,” she said. “They did warn it could be a quick downpour.”
“Let’s head over to my place.”
He worked his way out of the zoo parking lot, and was on the road toward his country home. The heaters were on, and by the time he made it home, the rain had subsided.
Climbing out of the car, he grabbed her hand, and together they went inside his home.
Once inside, he took her straight upstairs to his en suite bathroom.
“Let’s get out of these wet clothes,” he said.
They were both shivering. Removing their clothes, he climbed into the shower, taking her with him. The water was warm, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.
“I love it when your arms are around me,” she said.
“It’s funny, I like having you in my arms.” He leaned down, and pressed a kiss to her lips.
She moaned and tilted her head back. He couldn’t resist, and he pressed another kiss to her lips.
Running his hands down her back, he gripped her ass and pulled her closer. His cock was rock hard, but he didn’t want to just fuck her. He wanted to kiss her mouth, and memorize every little response that she gave him. Releasing one of her ass cheeks, he cupped her face, tilting her head back so that he could deepen the kiss.