AN ESCAPE. THAT’S what Jackson needed right now. A sweet, sexy body with bedroom eyes and the ability to make him come until he couldn’t think straight. A solid dose of the reasons why he couldn’t tell Laney how he really felt. She hadn’t spoken to him the whole drive back from the mountains, and he didn’t blame her. He hadn’t exactly been Mr. Cordial when she’d poured her heart out, acting as if she hadn’t said a damn word. Goddamn it. He hated seeing the destroyed look in her eyes. He’d protected her for all these years, and now he was the one causing her pain. It sucked. It more than sucked. It bowled him over like a tidal wave, drowning him in self-loathing.
He was doing the right thing. He loved Laney too much to be the guy who fucked up the rest of her life. At least that’s what he told himself.
Fuck. Life should not be this complicated.
After dumping his camping gear at home and forcing himself to ignore the scent of her perfume, which lingered everywhere, he took a long, hot shower and headed over to NightCaps to drown his thoughts—and maybe pick up a willing woman to fuck the self-loathing out of him.
NightCaps was crowded—thank God. He needed distractions tonight.
“Isn’t this your camping week with Erica?” Dylan Bad, the owner of NightCaps and a childhood friend of Jackson’s, slid a glass of whiskey across the bar.
“Yup,” Jackson grumbled as he brought the glass to his lips, tipped his head back, and emptied the glass in one gulp. He lifted his brows as he slid the glass back to Dylan for a refill.
Dylan refilled the glass, his dark eyes narrowed, skeptical. “Anything you want to talk about?”
Jackson slid his gaze down the bar, checking out a buxom brunette and her blond friend. The brunette’s crimson lips curved up in a seductive smile. He lifted his glass as he answered Dylan, eyes still on the brunette. “Nope.” He downed the drink and pushed the empty glass across the bar again.
“She’s a sure thing,” Dylan said in a hushed tone as he refilled Jackson’s drink. “I hear her friend’s into kink, too.”
Perfect.
“The blonde reminds me of Erica.” Dylan wiped down the counter, then tossed the towel over his shoulder.
Fuck. So much for that idea.
“Forget the blonde,” Jackson mumbled.
Dylan moved down the bar to help another customer, and Jackson sipped his drink, trying his best to forget about Laney.
His phone vibrated with a text, and despite his wanting to forget Laney for a few hours, his pulse kicked up with the hopes of it being from her. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and felt a spear of disappointment as he read the text from Cooper.
Remington’s PR rep wants to meet with us before the opening. When are you coming back?
Jackson hadn’t told anyone they’d come home early. He knew Sage Remington’s public relations representative, Luce Palmer. She was a spunky little brunette with a killer body and a well-honed ability to turn down Jackson’s advances. Usually the thought of taking on Luce gave him an adrenaline rush. He loved the way her eyes sparked with annoyance and heat at the same time, and he loved the challenge of trying to bed her—even though he had yet to succeed.
He waited for the familiar zing of excitement to hit him, and when it didn’t, it pissed him off. He rubbed the aching muscles at the back of his neck and responded to Cooper’s text.
I’m back.
His phone rang seconds later.
“You’re back?” Cooper sounded accusatory. “What happened?”
I fucked up. “Nothing. I had things to take care of.”
“Bullshit. You didn’t have shit to take care of. You realize it’s Sunday night, right?”
Jackson winced. How could he have lost track of days like that? He never screwed up when it came to family. Then again, he never screwed up when it came to Laney, either, and he’d fucking mastered that this weekend.
He checked the time. It was still early enough to make it to his mother’s house and see everyone. He slapped a handful of cash on the bar and nodded to Dylan as he headed for the door.
“I’m on my way.”
“You okay to drive?” Coop asked.
“I’ll catch a cab. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He ended the call and flagged down a cab. On the drive over he realized that Logan and Heath would have their fiancées with them, and he wondered if he’d have been better off nailing the brunette than going to see his family.
Half an hour later he was cornered by Cooper in his mother’s kitchen, wishing he’d done just that.