Dirty Sexy Sinner (13 page)

“Assault for what?” she asked, giving in to her curiosity.

“The charge was dropped, so the reason isn’t on record.” Levi pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, his gaze direct. “But the fact that he might have a temper concerns us.”

Tara stared at Levi in disbelief. This from the brother who was the most sensible and levelheaded of the three. “For God’s sake. Mason has a temper and nobody has shunned him! Have you forgotten that he was the one to beat the shit out of Sarah’s ex?”

“You know what we mean, Tara,” Clay said, trying to be rational.

No, she really
didn’t
understand. She pursed her lips at Levi. “Did you find anything else on his record that might concern you?”

He hesitated a few seconds before answering. “No.”

She arched a brow. “So it could be an isolated incident?”

“I suppose it could be.”

“But you’d rather think the worst of him?” She looked at each brother and was somewhat gratified to see different degrees of guilt and contrition on their faces.

“We were just being cautious,” Clay said gruffly.

“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Her voice grew softer as her anger ebbed away. “We all have a past, and we’ve all done things we’re not proud of. I’m certainly not squeaky clean, and I would hate to think that any of you would judge me for being addicted to prescription drugs six years ago, or because someone I cared about died of an overdose when I was high myself.”

She swallowed past the tight knot gathering in her throat as she brought up that dark time in her life and the shame that came with it, but she had Clay’s, Levi’s, and Mason’s attention, and that’s what mattered to her. “You don’t know the reasons surrounding the assault charge, so how about you give Jackson the benefit of the doubt until he gives you a reason to worry? If you knew what he’d been through in his life, you wouldn’t judge him so harshly.”

“You’re right,” Clay said quietly.

Levi nodded his agreement.

Mason begrudgingly gave her a look of acknowledgement.

“Just . . . be careful, okay?” Clay said, unable to completely let go of that protective trait he possessed when it came to the people in his life.

“I can take care of myself,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been doing it a long time.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t worry about you,” Levi said.

She’d said her piece and felt as though she could breathe easier now that she’d gotten everything off her chest. “Jackson is your brother. All he wants is to get to know you guys, so at least give him that chance without holding anything against him.”

Clay gave her a sincere look. “Fair enough.”

Tara was hopeful that she’d made headway with the brothers’ stubborn mindset when it came to Jackson, but their cooperation remained to be seen.

*     *     *

Jackson found himself
being entertained by three lively women while Tara was inside the house with Clay, Mason, and Levi—the women’s vibrant personalities an antithesis to his brothers’ more serious demeanors. Then again, he supposed that’s why these ladies meshed so well with Clay, Mason, and Levi. It was a great example of opposites attract, strengths balancing weaknesses, and the philosophy behind all that yin-yang crap. With a dark, turbulent past like his brothers had gone through, these women no doubt provided a much-needed light and playful aspect to the relationships . . . just as Jackson realized Tara had done for him.

He leaned back against the deck railing, and as he took a bite of the most amazing cookie he’d ever tasted—a chocolate ganache French macaroon, according to Samantha—he listened to Katrina regale him with tales of Mason as an unruly teenager that made him laugh. His brother had been a defiant hellion and not much different from the man he detected even now. Jackson loved having insight to his brothers’ past and hoped one day they’d be the ones to share these kinds of amusing stories with him. But for now, at least, he had three allies, and he’d take whatever he could get.

The topic of discussion shifted as Sara asked Jackson about being an architect, and at the same time, the sliding glass door leading onto the deck opened. Tara stepped out with a satisfied smile on her face, looking more relaxed and optimistic than when they’d first arrived. Clay, Mason, and Levi followed her, the wariness they’d initially greeted Jackson with now almost gone.

He had no idea what had transpired inside the house, but clearly Tara had worked some kind of magic. To the point that Jackson actually felt comfortable breaking the ice, so to speak, and initiating a casual conversation with Clay, who’d grabbed a bottle of beer from a vat of ice and came to stand next to his wife.

“You’re a lucky man.” Jackson’s gaze met Clay’s as he filched another macaroon from the tray on a nearby table. “Your wife is a phenomenal baker.”

“Yeah, definitely one of the many qualities that won me over.” Clay slid his arm around Samantha’s waist to pull her close to his side. “But don’t let this sweet, innocent face fool you. She’s been known to bribe me for certain things with her desserts. Isn’t that right, cupcake?” he asked affectionately.

“Bribe you?” Samantha refuted his claim with an amusing eye roll. “You’re such a pushover, Saint Clay, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Clay grinned at his wife, completely smitten, his adoration written all over his face.

“Oh, just wait until the baby is here,” Katrina interjected enthusiastically. “I’m betting Daddy
and
the three uncles are going to be like giant marshmallows.”

So easily, Katrina had included Jackson in that scenario, and he waited for one of his brothers to denounce his part in the baby’s life, but much to his surprise, and profound relief, it never came.

Levi took a drink of the orange soda he’d retrieved from the cooler. “It’ll be the first Kincaid baby, so of course we’re going to spoil the hell out of the kid.”

Mason smirked. “Even better that we can send that spoiled-rotten kid home for Clay to deal with.”

Clay arched a dark brow at his brother. “You know, Mason, karma is a bitch. Just keep in mind what a hellion you were growing up and that what goes around, comes around, which means you’re probably going to have a boy who breaks every fucking rule there is, and
I’ll
be the one laughing my ass off.”

Katrina gasped, her green eyes filled with feigned horror. “Oh, my God, if that’s the case, I’m
never
getting pregnant.”

Mason slung his arm around Katrina’s neck and leaned toward her to whisper something private in her ear. Something lewd, judging by Katrina’s appalled expression.

“I can’t escape your
super sperm
so don’t even try?” she repeated incredulously, then laughed at her husband’s cocky statement, as did everyone else. “Are you serious right now?”

“One hundred percent serious.” Mason waggled his brows at his wife, his gaze turning salacious as he nodded meaningfully toward the house. “Want to go test the theory?”

“Not in
my
goddamn bathroom,” Clay barked out adamantly.

Again, everyone laughed, and Jackson knew he was missing a key component in the conversation. A joke of some sort that everyone was privy to except him.

Tara must have seen the confusion on his face, because she linked her arm through his. The intimate gesture wasn’t lost on him or anyone else standing there.

“Clay caught this now reformed man-whore in the ladies’ bathroom at Kincaid’s, with different women, on more than one occasion,” she told Jackson.

“
Reformed
being the operative word.” Mason nuzzled Katrina’s neck and skimmed a hand possessively over her ass. “Now, my Kitty-Kat is the only woman I want, and all I can handle.”

Katrina gave him a playful shove. “And don’t you forget it.”

Once the lighthearted teasing died down, Clay cleared his throat and glanced at Tara, a fond smile on his lips. “So, I’d like to be the first to formally say congratulations, Tara, on getting your business degree. You worked hard. You were dedicated. You juggled a late-night job, school during the day, and a whole lot of cramming for exams. It’s a huge accomplishment we wanted to celebrate with you, and I couldn’t be prouder that you finally did it.”

She ducked her head in embarrassment, a warm, pink flush suffusing her cheeks. “Thank you. I seriously couldn’t have done it without your support, Clay.”

He shrugged off her gratitude. “You would have done it regardless, because that’s who you are, Tara. A woman who is determined and committed to whatever she sets her mind to.”

Everyone else echoed their agreement, telling Jackson just how much everyone cared about Tara and how much they meant to her in return. Tara had told him she didn’t see her family very often, but shouldn’t they have been at something as important as a party to celebrate their daughter’s college degree?

He realized, for as much as Tara knew about him, he wanted—no, he
needed
—to know everything about her. Her secrets. Her pain. Her heartache and what made her the happiest. All those things mattered to him.
She
mattered to him.

Mason clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Now that all the sappy sentiments are out of the way, let’s get this party started!”

The women cheered in response, and the festivities were on. Over the next few hours, they grilled hamburgers, enjoyed the cake and desserts that Samantha had made, and Clay, Mason, and Levi made an effort to converse with Jackson. They asked where he went to college, where he currently lived, and about his job as an architect and what it entailed. They seemed genuinely interested, and while the topics were mostly superficial and nobody broached the subject of his family and childhood, it felt as though it was a start in the right direction.

After a while, Tara opened the presents that the girls had clearly bought for her, which included bath products, a gift card to her favorite boutique, and a narrow silver cuff bracelet that came in the well-known light blue box that signaled the gift was from Tiffany’s. That last gift caused tears to fill Tara’s eyes as she thanked everyone for being so thoughtful.

The day passed quickly, and to his surprise, Jackson enjoyed it immensely. Not only had his brothers warmed up but they seemed to relax around him as well, and that meant more to Jackson than anything. And he had Tara to thank.

The rapport was developing, the tension no longer a black cloud hanging over them, overshadowing their ability to truly get to know one another. Things weren’t perfect, but their tentative acceptance felt like a solid start to something more.

And that was enough for Jackson. At least for now.

“D
id you have
a good time today?”

Jackson glanced at Tara, who was sitting in the passenger seat of his Porsche as he drove them back to her place. She looked good in his car, her stunning blue eyes bright with contentment and happiness and her long dark hair falling in soft, loose waves around her shoulders. The serene smile lifting the corners of her mouth made that sexy-as-hell diamond above her lip wink at him flirtatiously. He couldn’t wait to kiss her again.

“I did have a nice time,” he told her, which was true.

He’d enjoyed talking to the women and liked seeing the way they interacted with their significant others. Even his brothers, once they’d finally come out of the house with Tara, had been more open and seemed to relax with him as the afternoon and evening went on. Which made him curious to know what had transpired once Tara had ordered the three men into the kitchen while Jackson made his way outside with the girls.

“What did you say to the guys in the house that made them more amicable?” he asked.

Tara grinned at him. “In a nutshell, I told them to pull their heads out of their asses and be nice.”

He chuckled as he shifted his gaze back to the road. “Well, it definitely worked.”

“They’re men. No sense in sugarcoating the truth,” she said, a teasing lilt to her voice. “As we were leaving, I heard Clay ask you if you’d like to come by Kincaid’s sometime next week to have a drink with him, Mason, and Levi.”

Jackson hadn’t expected the overture so soon, and he’d readily agreed since it was another opportunity to connect with his brothers. “Shocking, right?”

“No, not really. I think deep down inside, they really do want to get to know you better.” She grew quiet and stared out the window, a pensive expression on her pretty face.

He reached across the console and squeezed her thigh. “Hey, where did you go?”

She turned her head and met his gaze, the soft blue lighting from the dashboard highlighting the hesitation he saw in the depths of her eyes. “I really want to ask you something, but I’ll understand if it’s something you don’t want to talk about.”

Okay, that was never a good sign, and while something pitched uneasily in his stomach, he had nothing to hide from her. “Sure. Go ahead and ask.”

She worried on her lush lower lip for a second. “Levi mentioned that you were arrested for assault a few years ago but the charges were dropped. What happened?”

He swore beneath his breath and returned the hand that was on her leg to the steering wheel. “Is that why they’ve kept their distance? Because they thought I might be unstable?” And Jesus, they’d actually run a background check on him?