“To second chances,” the rest of us said together.
I tasted the wine and, to my surprise, it was pretty good. No, it was better than good, it was excellent. “This is good wine,” I said and picked up the bottle.
“It’s from my father’s vineyard,” Jackson said.
“I remember Grant saying he was working on your father’s vines.”
“Did he ever take you down there?” Jackson said, his eyes widening.
“No, never.”
“Good,” Jackson said, relieved. “That’s going to be a surprise.”
“Jackson knows all about our wine business,” Lacey said.
I smiled. “How come we never tasted this before, Grant?”
“It wasn’t ready,” he said. “Believe it or not, the first vintage wasn’t ready until the very night Jackson returned from his wanderings.”
“Is that so?” I said.
Jackson and Grant nodded.
“What a coincidence,” I said.
Jackson looked into my eyes. “Nothing in life is a coincidence,” he said.
I blushed under his gaze. The way he looked at me made my cheeks flush. He leaned back in his seat and made no attempt to hide where he was looking. His gaze started at my feet, climbed my legs, passed over my dress and paused at my breasts, before coming up to meet my eyes.
“I missed you,” he said.
My heart fluttered. He stared at my breasts and ass without even trying to conceal the fact. It was the first time in twelve years I’d been examined so closely by a man with sexual intentions. It was thrilling.
I looked at Lacey. She was loving every second of it. She’d waited so long for me to find happiness with Jackson. Even when I was ready to give up, she never let me.
I thought again of the pain she must have been going through with Matt and something inside me wanted to scream. How dare that asshole hurt my best friend. I’d take a bullet for Lacey. I’d have to do something about Matt soon. If Lacey didn’t, I would. After all, she’d intervened to help me and Jackson.
I glanced again at Jackson. I’d been trying not to look at him. I was still getting used to the fact that he was there, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself. Despite my best attempts however, I felt myself trembling with excitement. The way Jackson was looking at me, I felt like a deer on the African plains. Jackson was the lion. I was his prey and he was about to kill me. It would happen very soon. I could feel it.
He’d waited twelve years. He wouldn’t wait another night.
“Lacey,” Jackson said, “would you do me a favor?”
“Sure thing,” she said, looking at him with a naughty twinkle in her eye.
“Would you tell Faith that I find her completely enchanting.”
“Of course,” she said, playing along. Then she turned to me. “This gentleman finds you enchanting, Faith.”
I blushed. “Will you tell him that I know for a fact he’s no gentleman,” I said.
Jackson reached under the table and put his hand on my thigh. I felt as if electricity was rushing from his skin into mine. Desire poured through me.
Lacey giggled. She looked at me.
“Faith,” she said, “you look like you’re going to fall off your seat.”
I can’t describe how I felt. My heart was pounding. I felt nervous and excited and full of lust.
After twelve years of absolutely zero male attention, Jackson coming on to me in front of Grant and Lacey was too much to bear. He was shamelessly flattering me. It had been so long since I’d allowed any man to show me attention.
I liked it. I realized I’d been yearning for it.
I’d done a lot of things during the past twelve years that I was proud of. I’d built a life for Sam and myself. That meant building up the wine business from scratch with Lacey, becoming financially self-sufficient, being a good mother with a stable, sheltered, secure life for Sam.
But I’d done nothing with a man. Nothing at all. I was practically a virgin all over again.
So when Jackson said what he was about to say next, I didn’t know how to react.
“Faith,” he said, “come outside with me.”
“Where?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care where. I just have to be alone with you.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, laughing but also meaning every word I said. “You think you can just show up after God knows how many years, flatter me, and I’ll fall right back into your lap like nothing happened?”
Jackson looked right at me, into my eyes, and I found myself desperate to believe whatever he was about to say.
“I know what happened, Faith. I know I can’t erase that. But if you don’t get back into my lap soon, I swear I’m going to burst.”
Chapter 31
Jackson
WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING? I mean, this wasn’t the way I operated. I know how to deal with women. At least, I used to know. It had been so long since I’d gotten my dick wet it was like I’d lost my touch.
I’d been back in the Socorro Valley a week.
A week!