Instinctively, he knew they had left out the most harrowing aspects of what they had gone through. His mind however seemed to be on a mission to fill in the gaps. From the moment Jake had started his story, Jason’s anger toward Diana had been on the rise. He had tried to hide his anger, but he knew Aviva had picked up on it.
“Baby, what Diana did to you and your brothers was unconscionable, but because I love you, I refuse to allow her actions to define you. You and your brothers are loved. I love you so much, please tell me that my love is enough for you.”
It occurred to him for the umpteenth time that he was a very lucky man because he had found this remarkable woman. Whatever she needed to hear, he was prepared to tell her. “Thank you for loving me. I promise you here and now; I will do nothing to Diana that will cause you a moment of distress.” Aviva was quiet for so long, Jason began to doubt the construction of his promise.
“You are the trickiest man I have ever met, Jason Kingdom. I just needed a moment to analyze what you just said.”
Jason couldn’t help but smile. His angel had an angle on him. He didn’t intend to cause Aviva any distress, but Diana was a whole other matter. She was going to rue each and every one of the wrongs she had perpetrated against him and his brothers if it was the last thing he did.
“What are you thinking?” Aviva asked.
“I think that I want to make love to my wife. I also think my wife is the most beautiful woman I have ever met and that she needs to put me inside her so I can show her how much she turns me on. I want my wife to know how much I want to be inside her so that she knows how it feels when her man can’t get enough of her.”
Just like that, Diana was relegated to the back of his mind. For now, there was only the two of them. The feel of her talented hand surrounding him in a firm grip was what Jason needed. Inch by inch she inserted him into her body. Jason threw back his head at the feeling. This was where he wanted to be, ensconced with his angel. Everything else could wait.
Chapter 28
At exactly 1:00 pm, Jackson stood facing the mother of his children. How she still managed to look almost exactly the same as when he had first met her, he didn’t want to contemplate. Maybe she had sold her soul to the devil. Following quickly behind that thought was another that Diana didn’t have a soul. Unable to deflect the fanciful thought, he imagined that Diana probably had a portrait, al la, Oscar Wilde’s, Dorian Gray, hidden away that absorbed her every crime.
“Jackson, thank you so much for agreeing to come and see me. Please, sit down,” Diana indicated a seat. “May I offer you something to drink?”
Her greeting and offer of refreshment staggered Jackson. When he looked into her eyes, he was shocked to see a glassed look staring back at him. While the Diana he had always known was standing before him, beneath the facade of sophistication, there was nothing but a bottomless well of emptiness.
“Thank you, no, I require nothing,” Jackson declined her offer.
“But I insist. A whisky, I have your favorite.”
“Diana, it’s 1:00 pm in the afternoon, for heaven’s sake!” Jackson hadn’t intended his tone to be so harsh, but her insistence irritated him.
“Very well. I’m sure you won’t refuse to take a seat. After all, you can’t expect us to talk standing up as though we just met at the market.” Although Diana smiled, her eyes remained unchanged.
Jackson realized he was on unsteady ground, and inclined his head, an invitation for her to precede him and sit.
Everything about the woman disgusted him. Jackson could only hope that his feelings for her remained hidden. There was no doubt in his mind, Diana was unhinged. Her actions of the last few days were a graphic example of the ends she was prepared to go to get her way.
“I’m here as you requested. Now, what do you want?” Jackson demanded.
“Do you remember when we met, Jackson?”
The question hung in the air as he tried to block it from his mind. Whatever direction she was attempting to pull him, he refused to take the first step. “No,” came the short response.
Visibly, angered, Diana reached for a cigarette and her ridiculous holder. By the time smoke billowed around her, the impression of a bad 1940’s vamp refused to leave his mind.
“I want you to reconsider the status of our relationship,” Diana informed him through a haze of curling smoke.
The ridiculousness of the statement caught Jackson by surprise, and he finally laughed out loud. “Ahh, Diana, you are without doubt the most audacious female I have ever met. If that statement had come from anyone other than you, I would be impressed.” By the time he finished speaking, all signs of laughter were gone.
“Really, darling the least you could do is give my request some thought.”