A Wedding in Red Creek: Rori and Jackson (The Sons of Dusty Walker Book 9) (3 page)

She bit at the muscles of his shoulder. “How much time do we
have until you can’t wait a second longer to go racing out to the new house to
see what’s in those trucks?”

Turning, he laughed. “You know me too well.” He picked her
straight up, her body pressed along his, and walked to the bed. “Let’s make
this quick and hot.”

Rori wiggled against him, her cheeks flushing bright red.
“Oh Jackson, you know I love it that way.” She licked her lips.

He tossed her on the bed, yanked off his briefs, and leapt
onto the bed, landing on his hands and knees over her, looking down into her
half-closed eyes. “And you always get what you love, don’t you, darlin’.” He
kissed her, parting her robe with one hand, and feeling heat rolling off her in
waves.

Jackson paused, naked, on hands and knees over his equally
unclothed woman as the bed under them settled.

“I do always get what I want.” Lifting her legs, Rori wrapped
them around his back. “Because I’ve fallen in love with an amazing man.”

He felt his own cheeks heat at her compliment. His heart
thudded as he slid his shaft into her warm channel. “And you have his heart for
your own.” The feel of her, no condom between them since she’d gone on birth
control, felt decadent, seemed important, almost a spiritual experience.
Pressure, hot like steam, built in his groin and swirled up his spine, making
his brain fuzzy, needing release.

He let her words fill his thoughts as her sweet, writhing
body taunted his with the perfection of their lovemaking. Around his cock, her
tight opening pulsed and grew slick with her hunger, and he added to her
desperation by sucking her nipple into his mouth.

Damned if he didn’t want a condom between them, just once in
a while so he could hang on longer. The feel of their skin sliding together was
so much more intense now that they didn’t need the prophylactic. He seemed to
reach completion a bit faster than he’d like. He made up for it, though, in
quantity. He let her hard nipple slide from his mouth. “Come with me.”

Reaching between their bodies, he found her hard nub nestled
in her sweet pussy lips.

“You’re not fooling me.” Her voice rolled low and raspy.
“You just want to…” Rori gasped as he softly pinched her clit. “Just want to
get out to the house quick.” She rolled her head from side to side, her sign
for a looming climax.

“No, darlin’.” He pressed the flat of his thumb on her bud
and circled, making her squeal with pleasure. His hips kept their own tempo as
he pumped into her, pulled out, and went right back for more of her perfection.
“I can’t hold back when you give me your lovely body, and you accept this big
cowboy cock into your sexy, hot channel.”

She stiffened and shuddered. “Naughty, dirty, sweet talkin’
cowboy.” Her hands gripped the bedspread and her body shook.

He took her nipple between his teeth and teased it, letting
the pressure build in his hips, in his brain, encompassing his entire body as
the two of them exploded together. Like a pressure cooker blowing, he shot his
cum into her perfect channel, feeling her muscles contract, release, then pull
him in deeper, accepting all of him.

His mind blanked and whirled, sending spirals of heat
through his bloodstream to every nerve. His hips moved all on their own and
slowed only when he felt himself returning, settling back down to Earth,
landing next to his fiancée and pulling her close.

“Wow.” She gasped for breath, her body shaking, her face a
wildly sexy red blush. “That was the best yet.” She kissed him and snuggled
close. “I think fast and hot is my new favorite.”

“Uh huh.” His voice came low and his lips curled, satisfied
and glad he’d pleased her. “Until I give you my ‘slow and thorough.’ Then
you’ll be praising that technique.”

“Cowboy, I’ll be praising all your techniques. From now
until the end of—”

His phone rang.

Jackson lifted his head, looking at Rori with his brows
raised, silently pleading with her.

“Go ahead.” She sat up and pulled her hair on top of her
head. “It’s the contractor, he wants you out there to check everything.”

He jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone. The contractor’s
name and number flashed. “You’re tele-psychic, darlin’.”

She laughed and rolled out of bed. “I’ll start the shower.
Let’s hurry.” She smiled and rubbed her hands together. “I’m just as anxious to
see what’s in those trucks.”

He smacked her round, ripe bottom as she passed him on her
way to the bathroom. “That’s my girl.”

****

Rori and Jackson braved the cold that had moved in
overnight, spending hours watching everything that came off the four semis,
while their contractor inspected each piece and marked it received on a thick
stack of papers on his clipboard. As the shipment dwindled to just long,
beautiful, but boring pieces of trim, Rori wandered around the outside of the
house, checking the exterior. Big glass windows opened all three stories to
look out over the lake and the huge infinity pool that now sat empty, but would
be filled and heated as soon as temperatures permitted.

She turned to look out across the huge chunk of land Jackson
had inherited from his father. Jackson’s three brothers, Dylan, Killian, and
Rogue had their own plots around the lake, with houses in different stages of
development. Close to each other, but far enough away to permit a lot of
privacy.

She walked up to the front entry where large gray bricks
surrounded the windows. The brick seemed to make their modern home a little
cozier, and she couldn’t wait until they could choose their landscaping and
outdoor decorations.

“Will it pass inspection?” Jackson walked up beside her,
laying his arm across her back and pulling her close to him.

“Absolutely.” She’d enjoyed the entire process, from
drawings, to choosing materials, to working with the contractor and interior
designer on each piece of the home.

Home. With Jackson. What an amazing concept. Some days, she
still didn’t believe it. She couldn’t reconcile the wild-ass rodeo cowboy she’d
met just six months ago with the traditional homebody he’d become lately.

A loud bang sounded from inside the house, followed by
shouts, and Jackson released her. “Wait here.” He set off at a run.

Rori unbuttoned her winter coat as she followed him into the
entryway. Laughter came from the back rooms. Crisis averted. She glanced up at
the three-story ceiling of the entryway, and the huge, modern chandelier they’d
chosen for the spot.

Mossy green paint had been applied to the walls, and the
marble floor, white with green veins running through it, gave her that crazy
nesting feeling again. Why did she want to be in this house so badly? What made
her want to have their big wedding over and done with so she could claim her
man and settle in for life? Claim? That was a strange choice of words.

She reached for the tall front door that stood open and had
been pushed aside to keep it safe from workers going in and out. Running her
hand over the thick, solid piece of Oregon redwood, Rori felt the full sense of
home. Jackson’s mother, Sapphire, had given them the door as a Christmas gift,
purchased from a sustainable tree farm, of course. They’d immediately worked it
into the plans, loving the idea of having a piece of Jackson’s native Oregon in
their home.

Sapphire had commissioned a friend who was a stained glass
artist to create the lovely window in the door. It held a fancy letter W for
Walker. When the workers had installed the door three weeks ago, Rori had still
been contemplating keeping her maiden name.

She smiled, remembering what Jackson’s reaction had been to
that announcement. His jaw had tensed, his eyes slitted, and his breathing
quickened. Why had his response surprised her? She knew how traditional he was,
how he wanted everything with their relationship to be done correctly—or at
least, what he considered correctly.

It had taken an hour of intense negotiation, accompanied by
Jackson’s constant pacing, for the two of them to come to an agreement. She’d
take her surname as her middle name, Walker as her last name, but still use her
maiden name for business purposes.

She traced the W in the window, liking how she and Jackson
had been able to work it out without raised voices or hurt feelings. Things
were getting better for them every day. And she would get to be an official
Walker. That pleased her more than anything.

“Damn.” One of the workers stood mumbling as he glared at a
laptop sitting on a board across two sawhorses. He glanced at her and nodded.
“Sorry, ma’am. Cursed piece of electronics won’t do what I want it to.”

She laughed and walked over to him. “Let me help.”

He stepped back, throwing up his hands. “Have at it. It’s
gonna end up in the lake in a few minutes if I keep at it.”

Rori pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to
him. “I do computers. Cyber Wise. I have a store here in town. Stop in any time
you need help, no charge. I also have a shop in Kansas City. Just tell them I
gave you the okay, and they’ll fix anything you need fixed. No charge.”

He stared at the card for a few seconds. “That’s generous of
you. What I need is someone to show me how to do things and explain them using
small words.”

Rori laughed. Jackson had been the same way when they’d
first met, even asking her to teach him how to turn on his dad’s computer.
“Here’s something odd.” Rori fished out the jump drive she kept handy in her
pocket. “Let’s fix the bug first, then I can see if I can help with the
software.”

An hour later, she’d answered all the man’s questions, plus
a few from the group of laborers, plumbers, and painters who’d gathered around
to watch. During that time, she’d noticed Jackson walking past in one direction
or another, smiling at her. Now, her fiancé walked right up to the other side
of the laptop. “If I can steal Rori away for a few minutes, we have a few
decisions that need to be made before the plumber can finish up.”

The workers mumbled their thanks, and a woman from the
painting crew smiled at her. “You’re a good teacher. You should hold classes.”

Rori felt that slight twinge of guilt again, knowing her
mother was doing some checking on the summer teaching opportunity for her. Rori
should remember to tell her mother not to mention anything about the
university’s program until after the wedding, until after Rori had a chance to
talk to Jackson.

“You are a good teacher.” Jackson took her hand and led her
across the giant entry foyer, through the formal living room, and into the
empty dining room, each room providing a perfect, floor-to-ceiling windowed
view of the lake. “You should teach. You’re patient and thorough, you’re always
positive and you make a great pot of coffee.”

She stopped. “Coffee?” His first thoughts had calmed some of
her anxiety, but the coffee reference just confused her.

He pulled her close. “Kept me awake on more than one long
computering
night.”

He’d be okay with it? Smiling, she lay her head on his shoulder.
“I’ve thought about it.” She’d always imagined herself teaching one day. Giving
up the long hours of designing computer systems and racing to corporate job
sites to fix whatever problem needed attention in the middle of the night. This
wasn’t the time to discuss it, though. With her hands on his ribs, she tickled
him softly. “I have enough work just keeping you up to speed on the newest
technology.”

He laughed. “Apps and chats and messaging. It’s all too much
for this simple cowboy.”

With a kiss, she got them moving again. He was extremely
intelligent, picked things up quickly, but preferred to use more traditional
means of communication, like driving to somebody’s house and sitting and
talking to them. She’d learned to be more social through him, and spent more
time out with people than she ever had before in her life.

They stepped into the kitchen, which was twice as big as the
entire apartment she and Jackson lived in now. Facing the general contractor,
Marliss stood with her hands on her hips, the older woman’s cheeks red, her
black, curly hair sporting some sawdust. She and her husband, Lou, had worked
for decades as domestic help for Jackson’s dad, Dusty, and his wife.

“You have to change it, Peterson. The Walkers are not going
to like this setup. The refrigerator is in the wrong place, and the island is
too round.”

The contractor looked their way, a pleading expression on
his face.

“Uh oh.” Rori glanced up at Jackson, who smiled down at her.

“Kitchen is your domain.” Jackson covertly patted her
bottom. “Anything you want, Rori. Make it happen.” He winked and turned on his
boot heel and walked out of the room, leaving her to referee. Even though he
was the better cook, she loved that he’d left her with all the power to make
the decisions.

“Let’s start from the top.” She wandered over to the wall
where the room’s blueprints hung. “Marliss, tell me what your expert eye
caught.”

Behind them, the contractor let out a groan. “And add
another day onto the completion time.”

The women laughed, and set to making the room perfect.

Valentine’s Day, Jackson woke early and used a whole box of
mix trying to get the hang of making heart-shaped pancakes. He brought the tray
into the bedroom with a plate stacked high with semi-perfectly formed hearts smothered
in butter and real maple syrup.

Rori was still asleep. It wasn’t a work day, but he had a
busy day ahead of him, so waiting for her to wake wasn’t an option. He stood
looking at her, going through choices of what he could do. He decided to do
something he rarely did. He took a breath, and started singing. “I just called
to say I love you.” It was an off-key version of the Stevie Wonder song, but it
came from the heart.

She opened one eye. “What?” She stretched and smiled.
“You’re serenading me?”

He hit a couple more lines of the song as he set the tray on
the bed.

“Oh, Jackson.” She grabbed his hand. “This is so sweet.”
When she glanced up at him, there was moisture in her eyes.

“Hold on, darlin’. I’ve got coffee and sausages, too.” He
strode to the kitchen, and when he returned holding a plate and two cups, she’d
propped herself up on pillows and was digging in to the cakes.

“Cowboy, you make the best breakfasts.”

He climbed in next to her and she gave him a big bite of
pancakes. Chewing, he nodded. “Not too bad.” Over the years, he’d learned to
cook breakfast in the hotel rooms or trailers he stayed in on the rodeo
circuit. It impressed the ladies who’d spent the night with him, and made it
easier for him to say goodbye to them.

“What are we doing today?” She sipped her coffee while
cutting the pancakes.

“Um, today?” Was he supposed to have planned something? This
was his first real Valentine’s Day, so he’d assumed the breakfast, along with
the flowers and chocolates he’d set on the living room table just now and the
surprise he had for her later, would be enough. Was he expected to spend the
day with her?

Her brows shot up. “It’s the weekend.” She shrugged and fed
him a piece of the spicy sausage he’d cooked. “Do you have somewhere else to
be?”

Hell, he’d committed himself to things he couldn’t get out
of. “Darlin’, I have some meetings scheduled. Rodeo arena stuff.” Since he
didn’t want to short his working hours for D. Walker Mineral, he’d been making
conference call appointments on Saturdays and Sundays. “I’m sorry, Rori. I
guess I should have talked to you about today before I went and committed
myself.”

She shrugged and went back to cutting pancakes. “Not a big
deal.” She didn’t meet his gaze.

He’d blown this one, and wanted to punch the mattress with
his frustration. He’d make a note to always set aside Valentine’s Day for just
the two of them, even if it was close to their wedding date, which would now
and forever also be a set-aside day. Lesson learned.

Jumping up, he figured this would be a good time to impress
her with the loot. He grabbed the vase of twelve red roses and the big box of
candy from the living room and walked back into the bedroom. “Forgive me?” He
made the face that she could never resist.

She smiled. “Nothing to forgive.” She sighed, her eyes
growing a little shiny. “Red roses. They’re beautiful.” Rori patted the bed
beside her.

He set the flowers on her nightstand and handed her the box
of chocolates that Lexi, Killian’s wife, had ordered for him through her shop.

Rori’s mouth went into a tiny little O. “My favorites.” She
grinned up at him. “How did you know?”

Leaning over, he kissed her. “I know many things about you,
future Mrs. Walker.”

She set her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him
closer. “Things?” With a kiss, she expressed her desire.

He would love to use some of that syrup on her body, lick
and suck it off…but he didn’t have time. He was already a few minutes late
calling the architect he wanted to interview for the rodeo arena project.
Jackson pulled back. “Hold that thought.” He stood. “Sorry, I’ve got to make
some calls.” He gestured over his shoulder toward Main Street. “I’m going to be
at the office all day on the phone, so I’m out of your way here.” In his
pocket, he felt his phone vibrate. Probably the architect calling him. He
backed toward the door. “But you stay here, enjoy your breakfast in bed, and…”
He stopped walking. This would make up for him being gone all day. “Meet me at
the new house at five.”

Her face, which had slowly been sinking into a frown,
brightened with a smile. “Really? What’s happening at five?”

This next little lie was all part of the surprise. “We’re
meeting with the contractor to come up with the punch list for the house.” It
was the list of things the contractor needed to do, fix, or finalize before the
house was considered move-in ready.

She almost managed not to show her disappointment, but he
saw it in her eyes. “Okay.”

“And come hungry. I’ll pick up a couple pizzas.” Another
fib, but all for a good cause.

“Sounds like a party.” Her gaze dropped to the pancakes, and
she set her fork down but picked up her coffee. She lifted her mug in a salute.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

He winked and left her, sorrow at the feeling of deserting
her nearly making him cancel his meetings and turn around, but he’d asked these
businesses to work with him on a weekend. He couldn’t just ignore their
generous sacrifice. Returning the call to the architect, he trotted down the
steps to the back door of their apartment, chose a lined denim jacket from a hook,
and headed out along Main Street to the D. Walker Mineral building.

He’d make this up to her. Tonight would be the best surprise
he’d ever pulled off in his life. He just hoped he hadn’t ruined her whole day
in the process.

****

“Stupid girl. You chose a rodeo cowboy, even though you’d
sworn off that particular brand of studly male, and for good reason.” Her
cousin was married to a rodeo bull rider, and he was a loser. She’d convinced
herself that Jackson was not in that category, and for the most part, he
wasn’t.

Setting aside the tray with her pancakes and sausages, which
he’d so sweetly made for her, she opened the three-pound box of her favorite
chocolates and popped one in her mouth. Between the pancake syrup and the
candy, she’d be on sugar overload, and with the coffee thrown into the mix,
she’d be a dynamo today.

Blessedly, she had nothing left to do for the wedding. Once
she and Jackson had decided on the wedding plans, her mother had stepped up and
offered to handle all the details as her wedding gift to them. Mina was a
chronic organizer, and thrived on the coordinated chaos that drove most people,
including Rori, totally mad.

Rori’s wedding dress hung securely at her mother’s house,
Jackson’s western-cut tux right next to it. Sapphire’s flight from Bandon in
one of the company jets, and her transportation from the airport to the huge
house on Osprey Lake that had been Jackson’s father, Dusty’s home, were all
arranged. Mom had coordinated with Lou and Marliss on the decorations Rori and
Jackson had liked, the meal they’d chosen, and even the cake that Lou would
bake fresh the day of the wedding.

For a month, every tiny little detail had been approved by
the bride and groom in reply text messages from Mina, and Jackson had been
close to turning off his phone a week ago. Things were quieter now, and
everything was set and waiting for the big day. A Mina Hughes production always
went as smooth as grandma’s gravy.

The only things Rori and Jackson had to do themselves was to
choose wedding rings, and with a trip to Kansas City in a company jet in
January, she and the three Walker wives, Zoe, Kit, and Lexie, had made a day of
checking out every jeweler in town. Finding nothing that fit her idea of what
Jackson would wear, Rori had commissioned a ring perfect for her cowboy. It now
resided inside her company’s fireproof safe in the basement of Cyber Wise, two
floors below where she lay now.

Had Jackson chosen her wedding band yet? She looked at the
perfect engagement ring he’d given her at Christmas. The beautiful, shining
ring he’d had made for her with gold he’d mined himself when he’d accompanied
his father to a California mine as a young man, and a diamond he’d gotten
in-the-rough from a mine he and Dusty had visited in Canada.”

She could hardly wait for the moment at their wedding when
he’d slide it on her finger. Hell, she couldn’t wait to get him alone in their
new house for a week. They’d chosen to spend time together in their home and
would take a honeymoon sometime later. That week, and the days before the
wedding, she was closing the Red Creek branch of Cyber Wise, which meant she
had to get a whole pile of work done in the next week and a half. “Alright,
girl. Get yourself going.”

Grudgingly thanking Jackson for giving her a whole day to
catch up on the projects awaiting her downstairs, she slung her legs over the
side of the bed and smelled the big, gorgeous roses. Had she even thanked him
for making a romantic breakfast? For going way out of his way to pick up
flowers and finding her favorite candy? Probably not.

She’d been so disappointed that they weren’t spending the
entire day together that she’d ignored the truly amazing things he
had
done. Well, she had a little surprise for him, too. Not the greeting card she’d
chosen at the drugstore, and not the red silk boxers she’d ordered for him
online because she’d been too embarrassed to go into the clothing store and buy
them.

Pulling a pink striped box out from under the bed, she
giggled. This online purchase was slinky and red too, but it was for her body,
not his. She’d make him forget how ungrateful she’d been this morning. Tonight,
after the contractor left their new house out on the lake, she’d show Jackson
just how completely thankful she was. “Hang on to your saddle, cowboy.” Rori
opened the box and pushed back the pink tissue paper. “Wild ride ahead.”

****

That evening at just a little past five, Rori pulled up to
their new house. Jackson’s work truck sat on the brick driveway, but not the
contractor’s truck. She was only a few minutes late, wasn’t she? They couldn’t
have finished the punch list already. Rori scrambled out of her work van and
walked through the open overhead garage door and into the big mud room/pantry
they’d added to the design.

She set her bag, the one she’d filled with her gifts for
Jackson, on the granite counter then headed across the room. Her high-top
tennies, jeans, and a hooded U of KC sweatshirt covered her Cyber Wise T-shirt,
which all covered her slinky new underthings. Wouldn’t her cowboy be surprised?

Grinning, she stepped into the kitchen. The lights were
dimmed, and soft country music played from the built-in speakers. “Jackson?”
She smelled it then, something so delicious, her empty stomach growled loudly.
That wasn’t the scent of pizza.

From the dining room, Jackson walked into the kitchen. His
white and red flannel shirt was buttoned to his neck, and he’d somehow tied on
a white bowtie with red hearts. “Happy Valentine’s Day, darlin’.” His hair
looked shaggy, like he’d just run his hands through it instead of combing it.
His dark blue eyes stared at her like he couldn’t get enough.

Light danced on the wall of the dining room as if candles
were the only source of illumination.

“What did you do?” She tried to look past him, but he shook
his finger at her.

“Uh uh. Appetizers first.” He gestured deeper into the
kitchen, and she moved that direction. At the big island—which was no longer
‘too round’—a bottle of white wine rested in a silver ice bucket, and a platter
of fascinating-looking appetizers sat on a hotplate.

He wrapped his arm around her and together they wandered
toward the island.

“No contractor?” She couldn’t hide the excitement in her
voice.

“Nope.” He pulled out a tall chair, one she recognized as
being from Dusty’s house.

“No punch list?” She slid onto the chair and tugged off her
sweatshirt, hanging it on the back of the chair.

He unscrewed the cap from the wine and poured a couple
glasses. “Nope. I did that this afternoon, but I would appreciate your walking
the house with me…tomorrow in the daylight…just to make sure I didn’t miss
anything.”

“And tonight? Since we’re here alone?” She accepted the
glass he handed her.

“It’s Valentine’s Day, Rori.” He shook his head. “Did you
forget?”

He made her laugh. Always and forever. “I’ll never forget
this day.” Glancing out the wall of doors that opened onto the front patio,
with its outdoor kitchen and pool house, she spotted the dozen red and white
candles. “Oh, Jackson. You’re so amazing.” A blossom of heat, the choke of
emotion, set her eyes watering and her heart skittering.

He cleared his throat. “You’re the amazing one, Rori.” He
took her hand in his and pressed the back of hers to his chest over his heart.
“I was hollowed out for so long, I didn’t think anything could fill me. Then I
met you.” He kissed her fingers and drew an unsteady breath. “You’ve given me
everything I’ll ever need, and more than I deserve. Your love and faith and
trust are my salvation, and the answer to every prayer I’ve ever sent up.”

“Jackson.” It came out a whisper as a tear ran down her
cheek. “How can you be so wonderful?” This man, frustrating, complicated, and
wild, was her whole life. She didn’t need anything else as long as she had him.
If she could, she’d take two years off from her business just to make their
‘getting to know each other’ period more intense, and the focus of every minute
of her life.

“You went quiet there, Rori.” He stared into her eyes. “You
know how nervous that makes me.”

She laughed, imagining herself following him around
twenty-four hours a day for two years, and making the poor cowboy crazy. “Just
thinking of the days ahead, and how much fun we’re going to have.” Her stomach
rumbled loudly again.