Dark Legacy by Jen Talty (reading books for 4 year olds .txt) 📗

sorry, Ned, but it wasn’t necessary, and we have nothing left to say to one another.” She shook out her hands. “Actually, if you had any real decency left, you would have told me the second you knew that Alex was back.”

“You’ve said your piece, now leave.” Jackson pointed. “Before I make you.”

Ned held up his hands. “Alex is dangerous. He was involved in some dark shit in the city. Worse than anything your father was ever involved in.”

“Oh. Because raping and selling teenagers isn’t that horrible,” Shannon said.

Ned cocked his head. “Be careful. He blames you for how his life turned out.”

Shannon closed her eyes and waited for the sound of an engine driving away. She shivered.

“Hey, Katie,” Jackson said.

Shannon blinked, glancing toward Jackson, who stood in the middle of the driveway where Ned had been parked.

“Are you following him?”

“What?” Shannon asked.

Jackson held up his finger.

“Don’t shush me. Put her on speaker.” The last thing Shannon needed was more secrets.

Jackson nodded.

“I’ll stay with Ned until you tell me not to follow him,” Katie said.

“Perfect. And what about Alex?” Jackson stared into Shannon’s eyes.

“We haven’t found him yet,” Katie said.

“Try Alice Carson. She lives in Saratoga. According to one of my patients who recently died, her mother was screwing her boyfriend, who I suspect was Alex,” Shannon said. “I learned that my patient had a visitor right before she killed herself, and that visitor’s name was also Alex. According to the security guard who just called me, Alex was at the hospital asking questions about me. I can’t imagine that those are three different men.”

“I’ll get my guy on it,” Katie said.

“Thanks. I’m not going to leave Shannon’s side until this is over.” Jackson took her into his arms.

“I’d fire you as my partner if you did.” The phone went dead.

“He’s coming for me,” Shannon whispered.

“Well, he’s going to have one hell of a surprise when he does.”

Chapter Ten

Shannon sprawled on Jackson’s sofa, resting her head on his lap as she stared at the television while some movie played. She’d picked it out, but she really hadn’t been paying attention. All she could think about was the man who currently ran his fingers through her hair with a tender touch.

She glanced up, catching his gaze. “Thank you.”

He ran a thumb over her cheek. “For what?”

“For being so kind to me.”

“That’s easy to do.”

She moved to a sitting position. It had been a long time since she’d had the desire to be with a man.

And not just sexually, but really invested in any kind of a relationship.

“Tell me about your ex-wife.”

“Not much to tell. She’s a bitch.”

“You married her, so she has to have some redeeming qualities.” Shannon made a bold move and sat on Jackson’s lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, massaging gently. “One thing I know about you is that you don’t jump into things without careful consideration.”

He arched a brow. “That’s true. And you’re right about Jasmine. At first, things were good.”

“So, what happened.”

“She cheated on me when I was in the hospital after nearly dying.”

“That sucks.”

“It does. I’m not sure what was worse—the cheating or the fact that it was with my partner.”

“Okay. She’s a bitch, and I’m glad she’s not in your life anymore.”

“You and me both.” He kissed her nose.

“I’ve really struggled most of my adult life with relationships with men. I have trust issues and—”

He pressed his finger over her lips. “I’m not surprised. What happened to you isn’t easy to bounce back from. I hope you’re proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Her lips tugged into a bright smile. “I am.”

“Good,” he said. “As far as your issues, we all have them.”

“I imagine you have some trust issues with women.”

“You can say that again,” he said with a hardy laugh. “I’ve always prided myself on being able to read people well, and Jasmine threw me for a loop. I thought we were happy, so when I found out about the affair, I lost it. The worst part was that it started while I was in surgery. She tried to make it out to be that she thought I was dying and was looking for comfort—”

“That’s a pretty lame excuse.”

“I agree,” she said. “How long have you been divorced?”

“My divorce only became final about six months ago. I dug my heels in and tried to take a lot of her money. Katie finally talked me into settling for a lump sum.”

“And you bought Sweet Freedom.”

“Exactly.”

“That is pretty sweet.”

“No. You’re sweet,” he whispered. “I’m struggling to remain a total gentleman when all I want to do is carry you up to my bed.”

“I can walk.” She stood, tugging at the hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head and tossing it across the room. It landed on the lamp.

He groaned. “Are you sure? Because I don’t think I have the ability to say no when it comes to you.”

She took him by the hands and helped him to his feet. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” She reached behind and unclasped her bra, letting it drop to her feet.

His eyes widened as his gaze lowered. “We might not make it upstairs.”

“I’m not complaining.”

He reached out and traced a path down the center of her chest. “I’m not saying this because you’re standing here half-naked, but you are gorgeous.” His fingers toyed with the button on the top of her jeans. He pressed his lips to the top of her breast as he lowered her zipper and removed her pants.

Normally, with any other man she’d been with, sex happened in the dark, under the sheets. The few times she’d branched out of her comfort zone, it just wasn’t very good. It might have been for the men, but she was too tense to truly enjoy herself.

With Jackson, she found herself in uncharted waters.

She threaded her fingers through his thick, soft hair, guiding his mouth toward her excited nipple.

He didn’t disappoint.

She arched her back, closing her eyes, letting the sensations overtake