“Okay then, Dusty you want to help me get some boards out of the truck and bring them around back?” he asked his friend. Nodding, Dusty headed towards the door with Jackson right behind him.
Charity and Hope had a great visit. They got along really well, just as though they’d known each other for several years. Charity learned that Hope was a graphic designer, and she ran her own business from home. She explained how it made life much easier as a single mother, being able to make your own hours, or if Kelsey was sick, she didn’t have to stress about missing a day at the office. She had enrolled Kelsey in a great nursery school that she took her to four days a week, which allowed her a few days of uninterrupted work time. When Charity asked Hope if Kelsey was with her father today, Hope told her that Kelsey’s father wasn’t in the picture. He took off when he found out she was pregnant, and had never even seen Kelsey. Right now Kelsey was out with Hope’s best friend, and Kelsey’s Godmother, Trina. Apparently Trina liked to take Kelsey for the day now and again, which gave her and the little girl bonding time allowing Trina to spoil her, and also giving Hope a little free time now and then. It sounded like Trina was a great friend. Charity couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to be a single mother. She felt a lot of respect for Hope, taking on parenthood all alone, and she could see how much she loved her daughter, just by the way she talked about her.
Since they first arrived and Hope had made the comment about Jackson not being into any serious relationships, Charity couldn’t get it off of her mind. She really couldn’t understand why an intelligent, successful and handsome man like Jackson had never had any serious relationships. Despite theirs being a very new relationship, Charity didn’t feel like Jackson was taking their relationship lightly, and although she hadn’t really let herself think about it she already knew that she wanted it to be much more than a passing thing. So while Dusty and Jackson were still busy out back, Charity had to ask Hope about Jackson’s lack of serious relationships. “I don’t mean to pry Hope but I need to ask you something,” she said.
“Wait, I think I know what’s on your mind Charity,” Hope said. “You’re worried about my brother’s lack of past relationships,” she stated, rather than asked. “Listen Charity, I...um...I shouldn’t have told you about that. I hadn’t even talked with you yet and it was wrong of me to say something like that to you, before getting to know you better,” she said. She reached over and touched Charity’s hand. “It’s true that my baby brother hasn’t had a serious relationship in several years. That wasn’t a lie, but I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. It was cruel and unfair,” she told her.
“I have to tell you honestly Charity that Jackson has some issues that I know have kept him from putting himself out there before,” she told her. “It doesn’t take much for me to see that you are a really incredible woman, and I don’t want to see you get hurt, so I’m going to tell you a little of the history of our family. You see when Jackson was about two years old our mother took her own life,” she said. Charity visibly shuddered at hearing this. “Jackson blamed himself for that and I believe a part of him still does. I remember hearing him asking our father repeatedly why mommy would leave us. I used to hear him asking dad what he, meaning Jackson, had done to make mommy not want to stay with us,” she continued on. “For several years growing up he used to be afraid for us, especially him, doing anything that would make dad possibly upset at us because, he was afraid that daddy would leave us the way mommy had.”
As Hope continued her story, Charity could feel her heart breaking for Jackson a little more all the time. Hope told her how their mother had struggled with depression before her parents had met, but with her father’s support and treatment she managed to control it for several years. Then after their mom had given birth to Hope she suffered from post partum depression and underwent therapy. While Stephen, their father, had thought she was okay, he discovered her self-medicating with drugs. He got her some help, and things were once again good for a few years, until after Jackson came along, at which time Stephen had explained that their mother’s post partum depression came back only worse. Although she sought treatment once again, her condition only worsened and sadly she took her own life.
“I truly believe that Jackson still carries some of the trauma from our mother’s suicide with him, to this day. I believe it’s why he’s never been in a committed relationship before,” she explained to Charity. “I think that Jackson is afraid to be vulnerable and love someone for fear that they’ll leave, and he’ll have his heart broken, as he did when he was just a young boy. On some level, I think that he believes that he isn’t good enough to be loved. Even dad seemed to think that was true,” she told her.
“What a tragic story,” Charity told Hope, when she was finished talking. “I’m truly sorry that both you, and Jackson, lost your mother when you were so young. Do you really think that Jackson is carrying those scars with him still? And what about you?” she asked.
“I have long ago resolved with the fact that our mother took her own life Charity, and I don’t harbor any responsibility for what happened,” she said. “Oh sure, for a little while, after our mother was gone, I wondered if there was anything that I did that made mommy mad but, dad did such a terrific job of trying to reassure us, and loving us, that I managed to move past those feelings. Jackson, on the other hand, I still don’t think has completely resolved his issues with feeling he was in some way responsible for our mother’s leaving. Or, that he wasn’t good enough for her to stay and love,” she explained.
“You know the first night we went out he told me that he wasn’t the kind of man I deserved. I didn’t understand why he would say such a thing, however now it makes sense to me,” Charity told Hope.
“Listen Charity, we’ve only known each other for a few hours, but I know that you are a really special woman. You are beautiful and clearly very intelligent, and the light I saw in my brother’s eyes earlier, there’s no mistaking how important you are to him,” Hope told her. “And, when I think about the fact that my brother has never introduced me to any woman before, it tells me that you mean a whole lot to him. After talking with you today, I have to tell you, that I completely understand how my brother could be smitten with you. I think that you may just be the woman who can help my brother believe he’s worthy of being loved. I have a great feeling about the two of you Charity,” she said with a smile.
A few hours later, when Jackson and Dusty came back into the house, the deck was all repaired and Charity felt that she and Hope had forged a real bond. She really admired and genuinely liked Hope, and was amazed that Hope trusted her enough to confide in her about their mother’s tragic death years ago. When she and Jackson left Hope’s house a while later, Hope gave her a big hug and whispered into her ear, “I believe you are the one Charity.” Then she smiled as she pulled away. Charity didn’t know about that, however she did know she had very strong feelings for Jackson, and deep down she knew that she had already fallen in love with him. Even if Jackson never returned that love, she vowed to help him see what a good man he is, and to make him understand that he IS worthy of an amazing love in his life.
Chapter 25
Later that evening, after having dinner out Jackson asked Charity what she wanted to do that night, and she asked him if he minded if they just spent a quiet night at home. Jackson suggested they head to his house and watch a movie, which was exactly what Charity was hoping for. After changing into some comfy clothes, Jackson told Charity he would make some popcorn, while she picked out the movie on the satellite. They sat together on the couch watching a comedy and eating popcorn, until eventually ending up with Charity lying on the sofa in front of Jackson, with her back snuggled into Jackson’s front. Charity honestly thought that she had never spent a better evening in her life than tonight lying here and being held close by Jackson.
When the movie ended, and Charity reached for the remote, she turned her head and looked back at Jackson asking, “What are you up for now babe?”
Instead of answering her, Jackson extended his arm and captured the remote in his hand changing the channel to an all music station and then said, “All I want now is you babe.” He then reached around and capturing Charity’s chin with his fingers, and he kissed her. As Charity turned a little more onto her back and into him, Jackson then reached down and lifting the hem of her t-shirt he slowly slipped one of his hands underneath, and felt his way up her ribs to her breasts. “Thank Christ you took your bra off babe,” he mumbled in between their kisses. He molded his palm around one of them and rubbed and massaged it until her nipple was enlarged and hard beneath his fingers.
“Mmm hmmm,” was the only response from Charity other than to turn to lie fully on her back now giving Jackson easier access to her body.
As Jackson moved to pay homage to her other breast, Charity reached up with her arms and placed them around Jackson’s neck. She caressed the sides of his balding head, loving the feeling of the smoothness of his head as opposed to the mild abrasiveness of his short beard, that he had been sporting the last few days.
Slowly Jackson’s hand began to move back down her ribcage, towards the waistband of the yoga pants she had changed into earlier. When he began to slowly move his hand inside her pants, and found that she wore no panties underneath, he was the one this time to let out a long moan, for not only was she not wearing any panties, but she was already wet for him. It just made him even crazier for her if that were possible.
As he began to caress the soft wet folds of her pussy Charity began to dig her fingernails into the back of his neck. Just the thought of her leaving her mark on him made his cock ache more, and suddenly he just could no longer wait to be inside of her. Pulling his hand out of her half lowered pants, he sat up, and grabbed hold of Charity, standing her in front on him. It happened so fast that Charity could hardly believe it and she groaned out her frustration at the removal of Jackson’s fingers from her clit.
He soothed her by telling her that he needed her naked now and as he said the words he quickly pulled her t-shirt off over her head and throwing it on the floor he reached to remove her pants too. Within seconds, Charity stood before him naked, and while he wanted to take a moment to savour her knock out body, Charity was having no part in that. She immediately reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head with her hands heading for his waist, without hesitation. Jackson smiled and thought for a brief second what a lucky bastard he was that she apparently wanted him as much as he needed her at that moment. They truly were very sexually compatible.
Knowing he needed to stand to allow Charity to undress him, he slowly rose allowing her to lower his sweats letting them drop to the floor. As he stepped out of them his cock briefly brushed against Charity and he felt a flash of pure agony for a few seconds, but it was the best kind of agony. In all his life he couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman as much as he did Charity, and that need for her only got stronger every time they were with one another. She was like oxygen to him, and when he was with her, he just had to have her. He quickly sat back down on the sofa, and spun Charity around so she faced away from him. Then, without any preamble, he pulled her down onto his lap, impaling her from behind. As he did Charity let out a strangled cry, and he paused worrying that he might have hurt her, until she started to move up and down, riding and squeezing his cock with her pussy. “Oh fuck Babe, that feels so good,” he said as he leaned forward and bit down on her shoulder.
He hoped she wouldn’t think he was too rough with her, but she had told him that first night, to not give up control. As he held her hip with his left hand, guiding her body up and down, he reached around with his right, and began to once again rub her clit. Fuck she was perfect! She had told him after their first few times together that she wasn’t very experienced when it came to sex, but fuck, experienced or not she was fucking fabulous at it. She was always willing to try new things, and thank Christ, that sexy body was very flexible. Fuck, it was sexy with Charity riding him in a backwards cowgirl, and their build-up to orgasm came even faster this way. It wasn’t long until Charity was half crying his name, and half moaning, as he began to feel her body spasm. He knew he didn’t have long left either, and he wanted her to come with him, so he increased his assault on her clit. Charity began to shake and her moans became louder, while her pussy pulled and sucked on his cock, as she rode him. Just a couple more thrusts and she came, screaming out his name, followed closely on her heels by Jackson.
Charity felt like her body was boneless and weak now, as she fell back upon Jackson’s lap, his softening cock still inside of her. They were both sweaty and panting heavily, as they sat trying to regain their normal breathing. After a few minutes Jackson said, “I’m sorry Babe if I was a little rough just now but, I couldn’t wait to be buried inside of you any longer. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”