Rumor Has It (11 page)

“Welcome,” he said.

“Thanks.” She walked inside as he stepped aside and allowed her to enter. “I'm sure I didn't tell you this morning, but you have great taste.”

“You're talking about my place, right?” He winked at her.

“Yes. Very tasteful and will photograph well when you're senator.”

Jackson wagged his finger. “We're not doing that. We're having dinner.”

“All right.” She shrugged. “Just dinner.”

“Give me your cell phone.”

“Excuse me?” She furrowed her brows in confusion.

Jackson held his hand out. “Your phone. I already know you never power down, so I'm enacting a no-phone policy at dinner.”

She shook her head. “Can't do it. I have clients and . . .”

“The world will work just fine without you for the next two hours.”

“And where is your phone going to be?”

Jackson pointed to his breakfast nook. “Right there, on a date with yours. I'm not a twenty-four-hour candidate. I do take a break.”

“What do cell phones do on a date?” she asked with a wily grin on her face.

“I guess we'll find out after dinner,” he said when he took her phone from her. After setting it on the counter alongside his own, Jackson turned to Liza and led her to the balcony. A warm breeze blew across them as Jackson pulled out a chair for her and set the food on the table.

“So, what are we having for dinner?” he asked as he opened the bags.

“Chicken, rice, mixed veggies, and I brought a nice bottle of . . .”

“Bordeaux? Chardonnay? Sauvignon blanc? I keep those on deck.”

“You know your wine, huh? Actually, I have sparkling cider.”

“You have to know a little bit of everything these days,” he said. “And you can save the apple juice for yourself.”

“Apple juice? Really?”

“So, cider is what whets your appetite?”

She licked her lips and smiled. Jackson hoped she didn't see the effect she was having on him. “I'd love a glass of sauvignon blanc,” she replied, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.

“I'll grab a bucket of ice, two glasses, and then we can eat.”

“Sounds good,” Liza said, then crossed her legs. Jackson gave her one fleeting look as he headed inside to grab the wine and ice.

Liza closed her eyes, caught her breath, and wished that she could get her mind right. She was there to give him those pictures of Robert and that woman, then convince him to use them so that he could win. Yes, he wanted to be Mr. Positivity, but Liza knew what he was up against and the kind of tricks that Robert and Nic would use to win. She was putting her pitch together in her mind when Jackson returned to the balcony. He looked so smooth. He looked so satisfying. What was she doing? She didn't come here to be seduced by this man. She came to hand him the election. She came to get the ultimate revenge on her former friend, on the person who was supposed to have her back and her support. But he ruined that when he decided to lie on her and to her best friend. Too bad Chante fell for the lies. Was she that desperate to be with Robert that she'd lost her mind?

“Get it together,” she mumbled.

“What?” Jackson raised his eyebrow at her.

“Bad habit of mine; I talk to myself.”

“You know, there's a word for that.”

Liza sucked her teeth as Jackson set a wineglass in front of her and poured. “Anyway,” she said, “you have a great view up here.”

“That's one of the reasons why I bought this place. The view and the silence.”

“And I had you pegged as a guy living in the suburbs with a huge yard and a tractor.”

Jackson looked out at the twinkling lights of the city. He'd wanted to be that guy once, when he thought he was coming home to the woman he'd planned to spend the rest of his life with.

He'd planned to have a lush green yard where the kids would play and their dogs would roam. Jackson sighed. Did he want to tell her any of that?

“In a different life, that would've been me. But the suburbs are for families and whatnot. I'm good in my little corner of uptown.”

“And I guess you're enjoying the bachelor life too much to think about settling down or getting a family home in Huntersville?” She took a sip of her wine.

“I thought I would've given up this bachelor life a long time ago, but here I am.”

She set her glass aside. “You broke her heart and you're punishing yourself for it?” Liza probed. “That's noble and tragic.”

“You ever think that I got my heart broken?” Jackson asked as he reached for the bottle of wine.

“Nope. I believe you're the heartbreaker.”

“That's where you're wrong. I went to war, came back to find that I'd been replaced. Didn't even get a stereotypical ‘Dear John' letter.”

“Ouch. That's just wrong.”

“Wrong was coming home from the airport alone and catching her in bed with her lover.” Jackson didn't even try to keep the bitterness from his voice. “But, I hope she's happy with her decision.”

“No, you don't,” Liza said. “That would make you perfect, and no one is that much of a saint.”

“I wouldn't say I'm a saint, because I did spend a few months very angry. Still, you can't turn feelings from love to hate without losing a part of your soul.”

“Wow. That's deep. I wish I had that clarity when my ex and I called it quits.”

“What did you do?”

Liza shrugged and took a slow sip of her wine, then said, “Had him run out of town on a rail.”

“Are you serious?”

She nodded. “I gave that louse everything and he cheated on me.”

“Still bitter?”

“No.”

Jackson raised his wineglass to his lips. “I beg to differ. You have to just look at it this way: he got out of the way for the right man to come along.”

“And you know this because . . . ?”

“You're sitting here with me, aren't you?”

“Well, I guess you have a point.”

Jackson sipped his wine and smiled. “And I'm sure my ex is sitting in a corner suffering.”

“She has to be because she messed up when she let you walk out of her life.”

Jackson lifted his glass to Liza's and they toasted. Smiling, Liza leaned in to him and kissed him on the lips.

Oh, my, God. What am I doing?
she thought as she felt his tongue slip between her lips. He tasted good. He was a hell of a kisser and Liza was out of her mind. This hadn't been why she wanted to have dinner with him. This was the last thing she wanted to do—well, maybe not. Kissing this man made her body tingle, made her wet, made her want to climb up on the table and allow him to feast on her.

Jackson pulled back. “I think we'd better eat before the food gets colder,” he said.

“Yeah, that's a good idea,” she replied breathlessly. “Jackson, I really don't know what came over me and why . . .”

“I like kissing you, Liza. You have a wonderful set of lips that make me forget that I swore I'd never fall for another woman again.”

“And you make me forget a lot of things too. I actually didn't come here to kiss you and drink your delicious wine. I came here tonight to hand you the keys to winning this election.”

Jackson groaned. He knew this was going to come up, but he didn't expect the kiss first. “Liza, I'm not talking politics or elections with you.”

“I want you to win, Jackson. I know how—”

“What did he do? Everyone knows that he was your best friend, and for you to just be here ready to
give me the keys
to win this election doesn't seem right.”

Chapter 14

“Robert isn't the man I thought he was and I don't think the voters deserve to be lied to,” Liza railed. She folded her arms underneath her breasts and rolled her eyes. She told herself that she was going to present facts to him and force him to understand why he needed to strike first to win this election.

Jackson raised his eyebrow. “I know you said there's never been anything between you and Robert, but you're acting like a very jealous ex.”

“I'm a little tired of hearing that bullshit. Robert's engaged to my sorority sister who used to be my best friend. She's sipped the Kool-Aid and believes everything he says, including that I'm jealous of their relationship. I introduced them. What sense does that make?”

Jackson shrugged. “Sorry I said that. But I'm not looking to run a dirty campaign.”

“But Robert will. I know for a fact that they have been looking for dirt on you for weeks.”

Jackson folded his arms across his chest. “Can't find what's not there.”

“Nic and Robert aren't above making stuff up, and I have something real for you.”

“I'm not going to use it,” he said with finality. “This is about winning fair and square, not with dirty tricks and whatever you have on your former friend.”

“What if he wins? How would you feel then? You would've allowed a liar to head to the General Assembly and all of the things you wanted to accomplish would go on being ignored.”

“Liza, if I don't win, then it will be because the voters didn't want me to represent them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Or because you were outplayed by Robert and Nic. I don't want them to win when I know you're in this for all the right reasons.”

“Forgive me if I don't believe you. Because if I'm not mistaken, it wasn't that long ago that you were telling me to drop out because Robert was the best man for the job.”

“That's when I was drinking the Kool-Aid. I've learned the hard way how wrong I was.”

“I've broken the main rule of this dinner,” he said. “There was supposed to be no talk of politics, and we've spent the last few minutes doing just that.”

Liza drank the last of her wine and stared at Jackson. “Just what did you think was going to happen here tonight?”

“Two people having dinner, sharing good wine and maybe a bit more of this.” He lifted her chin and kissed her again. Slow. Deliberate. Passionate. The empty bottle of wine fell off the table as he leaned in and reached for Liza. A wineglass crashed as their kiss deepened and she moaned. Her mind flooded with lust-filled images of Jackson's head between her thighs, his hands palming her breasts as she came all over his face. Shivering, she pulled back from him.
Breathe,
she told herself.
Just breathe.

“Whoa,” she said once her heart rate returned to its normal pace. “So, you just planned to kiss me senseless all night?”

“You started it this morning when you burst through my door and showed me how to kiss you. Do you know how hard it was for me to focus after that?”

“I-I umm,” she stammered. “Well.”

“It was harder than that. Much harder, until I had to focus on something else.”

“Saving that soldier?”

He nodded. “Men like Carlton are the reason why I'm in this race. The day I decided to run was when funding was cut at the center where I work.”

“Let me put a fund-raiser together for you guys. I know . . .”

Jackson held up his hand. “No need. We got quite a few donations today. People see how important the center is, and they have given us enough money to keep our doors open for now.”

“That's awesome,” Liza said with a bright smile. “But, how long will that last?”

“I don't know.”

“You really should think about letting me host a fund-raiser,” she said again. “People get really hot about something, but then cool off really quickly.”

“We'll have to see about that,” he replied. He knew she was telling the truth. He just hadn't allowed himself to think that far ahead. Liza caught the pensive look on Jackson's face and shook her head.

“You don't trust me, but you want to kiss me every chance you get. You know that doesn't make a lot of sense.”

“I simply want to keep business and personal separate. Liza, I bet you're great at your job, but you did it for Robert for a long time. Imagine how that will play out in the media.”

She snorted. “So, now you care about what the media thinks. At least you're starting to think like a politician.”

“I want to win, but not in a sleazy way.”

“Exposing Robert for the liar he is isn't sleazy.”

“If he had been stealing money, taking bribes, or anything like that, I'd be all over it. But this . . . I can't do anything with his personal life.”

“When you throw your hat in the public arena, you don't have a personal life anymore. Look at what just happened with you.”

“That isn't the same as someone snapping pictures of a private moment in my office. Suppose someone has pictures of you and I kissing?”

“Well, being that neither of us made a big production about getting engaged, it really wouldn't matter, now would it?” Liza rolled her eyes as she rose to her feet. With all of the wine and kisses, she was a bit wobbly as she strode toward the balcony's railing. Jackson quickly caught up with her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Don't worry,” she said as she turned around to face him. “I wasn't going to jump.”

“I know. I just wanted to hold you.”

“You want to do more than hold me, and I'm willing to let you.”

Jackson was taken aback by her boldness, but at the same time, it turned him on. “And just what are you willing to let me do?”

She took his hand and placed it between her thighs. “I want you to start by touching me here.” Her voice was like a sensual note from a saxophone, telling him of pleasure to come. He knew this was the last thing he should be doing right now. But he stroked her womanly core with his thumb.

“You want me to touch you like this?” he asked, rubbing her back and forth. Liza moaned. Shivered with delight and was keenly aware of how love starved her body was. Could he bring her to climax with his thumb? Had it been so long since she'd been touched this way by a man that all it would take would be a thumb?

“Umm,” she moaned as he continued to rub her hardened nub. With his free hand, he untied the halter of her jumpsuit. Discovering that she didn't have a bra on and had the most perfect breasts that he'd seen in real life made him harder than the bricks on the balcony.

“We should take this inside,” he moaned.

She nodded in agreement. Liza needed this man inside her. She needed to feel the touch of his hands all over her naked body. In a swift movement, Jackson scooped her into his arms and carried her into his home. He had every intention of heading to his bedroom and properly laying her on the bed and tasting every inch of her. But the softness of her skin made him so anxious that he couldn't make it past the sofa. He lowered her onto the leather sofa, then peeled her clothes away and parted her thighs. He had to know if she was as sweet as he dreamed that she was. Running his fingers against her thighs, he thought silk had nothing on the softness of her skin. He lifted her legs and placed them on his shoulders as he dove into her wet valley. And yes, she was sweet. And wet. Her sticky wetness covered his face as he lapped and sucked her precious bud. Liza cried out with zeal as she experienced the most earth-shattering orgasm. Her thighs shook as she clenched the back of Jackson's neck. “Yes! Oh. My. God. Yes!”

He was far from finished tasting her as he pressed his finger inside her hot pot while he suckled her hardened nipples. Liza came again, harder. With more intensity than before. There was something about Jackson's tongue that seemed to hit every hungry spot of her body. And she wanted—needed—more. Urging him silently, she pressed her hips into his hand and his finger went deeper. Her thighs began to shake as he touched her G-spot. “Umm, Jackson!” she cried as he flicked his tongue across her nipple while twirling his finger inside her G-spot. Her pleasure poured down her thighs. Jackson pulled his mouth from her succulent breasts and planted his face between her legs, lapping up her sweet release. Liza's voice went hoarse as she cried out while Jackson licked and sucked her juices and her throbbing bud. Jackson could've feasted on her all night, but his erection had other plans. He needed to be inside her, needed her walls holding him as they ground against each other. Jackson wanted her so bad that it hurt. But he had to at least make it to the bedroom, where he had a condom and of course the bed. Easing back from her, Jackson smiled at the sated look on her face.

“Let me take you upstairs,” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “I need you, Liza.”

She blinked and nodded as if she couldn't speak at all. He extended his hand to her, and as she rose from the sofa, he got a full glimpse of her naked body. One word stuck in his mind: magnificent. From the curve of her hips to the tips of her toes, she was a beauty, a living goddess. And for the night, she was his. Lifting her into his arms, Jackson rushed up the stairs to his bedroom, wishing he'd had candles burning so that he could watch the light of the flames flickering against her skin as he made love to her.

Next time,
he thought as they entered the bedroom. Jackson lay her across his king-sized bed, and for a moment, he simply stared at her naked body.

“What?” she asked when their eyes met.

“You're beautiful.”

She eased toward him on her knees and reached up to unbutton his slacks. “It's really not fair that you're standing here fully dressed and I'm just laid bare,” she said with a seductive smile.

“Then by all means,” he said as he assisted her with removing his clothes. After he was stripped out of his clothes, it was Liza's turn to marvel at his physique. Lean, six-pack of abs, strong thighs, and that erection. It made her mouth water with anticipation. She reached out and stroked him, causing Jackson to cry out in delight. When her lips captured his penis, Jackson's knees went weak. She licked, sucked, and kissed him with such passion and enthusiasm that he had to temper his building climax. “Stop, stop, stop,” he moaned. “I feel like I'm about to explode. I need to be inside you.”

She pulled back with a wily smile on her lips. “Great, because I need to feel you. Deep inside.”

He reached into his nightstand drawer, pulled out a condom, and Liza took it from his hand. “Allow me,” she said as she tore the package open and rolled the sheath in place. Jackson eased into the bed and Liza climbed on top of him.

“Always have to be in control, huh?” he asked as she guided him into her wetness.

“You'll enjoy it,” she said as she ground against him. They moved in a slow motion, Liza reveling in his thickness filling her wetness. He felt so good. And he knew how to thrust his hips into her and touch her most sensitive spots. Tossing her head back, Liza couldn't believe how hard and fast she reached her climax. Her love-starved body could barely handle the sensations running through her. But Jackson wasn't about to stop. Gripping her hips, he flipped her on her back.

Bringing his lips to her ears, he flicked his tongue against her lobe. “Now, let me show you how good it feels to let go.” Jackson thrust into her, making Liza's pleasure increase tenfold. He gripped her hips as he slowly ground against her, touching all of her sensitive spots. Liza wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, pulling him in deeper. He had been right—she loved the way she felt as she let go and allowed him to control her body. She lost count of the number of orgasms that she'd been treated to after Jackson reached his own climax and drew her into his arms. “Amazing,” he breathed.

“Yes,” she said as she followed a bead of sweat down his bicep with her index finger.

He stroked her forehead and smiled at her. “I think this is the first time I've ever seen you powered down.”

“Oh, stop,” she whispered. Liza inhaled his sexy scent. She didn't want to move or power up. If this were a perfect world, she would stay in Jackson's arms for the rest of the year. It felt so good to be held. Closing her eyes, she sighed.

“What's wrong?” Jackson asked.

“This was so impulsive,” she quietly said, but didn't move from his embrace. “I just want you to know I don't normally do things like this.”

“Neither do I,” he said. “But you were so damned irresistible. I'd like to think that this wasn't a one-night stand.”

“It wasn't. But this isn't why I agreed to have dinner with you.”

“Yeah, you wanted me to slip into sleazy politics and get back at your friend—”

“Former friend,” she interjected.

“Friend, former friend, whatever. Liza, I don't want you to be my political rival or my deep throat . . . you know what I mean.”

“I know that if you want to win, you're going to have to put your Clark Kent ideals to the side and realize this is a nasty business.”

“Clark Kent ideals?”

“Truth, justice, and the American way. That only works in superhero movies and not even there, because even Superman has a dark side. Did you see
Man of Steel
? Even when Superman got pushed too—”

“Liza, hold up,” he said. “After what we just shared,
this
is the conversation you want to have? Do I need to remind you that we have a lot of other things to talk about?” He reached for her hand and placed it on his growing erection. “This is a space where we don't talk politics, revenge, or fictional supermen.”