Chapter 16
After she walked away, Ethan was on the verge of following her out when Jackson stopped him, grabbing him by the arm
“I think I should go clear the air with her” he said
“Why you? she’s my fiancee” Ethan clapped back, pulling his hands from Jackson’s grip, a deep frown etched on his fce
“That’s exactly why, I’ll bring her back” Jackson didn’t say anything else but quickly ran after Emily, going through the paths of polished marble meandered through meticulously manicured lawns that led to the large luxurious garden. He met Emily standing amongst the vibrant blooms of flowers, while she overlooked the cascading waterfalls that always mesmerized him still. She stood still, her hair and dress whipping along with the wind while she wrapped her frail hands around herself. Quickly, he took off his jacket wrapping it around her and she startled at his presence.
“Emily” he called softly while he stood beside her, willing her to look at him but she kept her eyes forward instantly avoiding his gaze.
“I just needed some air” she said “I didn’t need to be rude, and it’s such a lovely garden”
“Was it really nothing Emily?” Jackson asked, his gaze softening when she finally turned to look at him, a puzzled look on her face.
“What?” she asked.
“That kiss, was it really nothing to you?”
Emily stayed quiet, staring into the eyes of the stranger she had shared her first kiss with, so passionately it had rung bells at her heart. Only that he was no longer a stranger, he was her fiancee’s brother.
“Emily, I have spent every single day since thinking about you, thinking about that kiss with no idea who you were, so tell me Emily, was it really nothing to you”
“You didn’t know…..” she wanted to say but he moved closer to her in a heart beat
“Was it really nothing?” he asked again, this time more definitive and intentional as he drilled his eyes into her, the air suddenly thick with tension, so palpable but hard to penetrate.
“No” she said quietly “It wasn’t nothing okay, it was my first kiss ever, you were my first kiss ever but right now it doesn’t matter. I’m engaged to your brother” she held her dainty fingers up to show him the diamond ring she wore on her finger.
Jackson looked at the ring, his eyes rolling back in annoyance as he pushed her hands away and he said “I don’t care about none of that, that’s all I wanted to hear”
With that and in a swift motion, he pulled her the waist and crashing his lips into hers before she had the chance to protest. In that charged moment, Jackson yielded to that intoxicating pull that overwhelmed him at the masked party, closing the distance between them and capturing her lips in that same forbidden kiss. It was enthralling, the electricity that coursed through his veins this time and he wasn’t drunk, not even a sip of alcohol yet he could the waviness in his head when his lips touched hers, so soft and so exciting he wanted more of her and yet as close as she was, she felt so far away.
Emily’s shock was palpable, her eyes widening in disbelief as the reality of the situation crashed over her like a tidal wave.
“What…what are you doing?” she gasped, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and desire. It wasn’t just the fact that he had kissed her out of the blue, but she had enjoyed it, the same exhilarating feeling she felt at the party encompassed her now, drawing her deeper into that sea of forbidden desires she wasn’t allowed to reach
Jackson, too was consumed by a whirlwind of emotions, his mind a battleground between his conscience and the raw intensity of his attractions, but he didn’t really have a conscience and he wasn’t keen on playing loyal brother to Ethan either.
“I couldn’t help it” he confessed, his voice laced with longing and not a single drop of regret. “I needed to feel it again, what I felt that night and I know you felt it too”
“It doesn’t matter” Emily said, her heart raced, torn between the supposed loyalty she owed his brother and undeniable attraction she shared with the young man before her. Confusion etched deep lines on her face as she struggled to find the right words.
“This is too much for me” she whispered, her voice filled with exasperation. Barely a few days ago she was lonely and dealing with an eviction notice and now she found herself torn between two brothers. One she was engaged to through a contract she had to follow through and the other she felt a deep attraction she couldn’t explain.
“Leave him, it’s not so late, leave him” Jackson said, his hands slicking his ginger hair backwards as he tried to pierce into her soul with her eyes, willing her to feel what he felt.
“What?” she said in shock at Jackson’s demands “I can’t do that, are you crazy?”
“You don’t love him, so leave him”
“I do love him” she said, she wasn’t entirely sure she meant that but she was bound by contract, the engagement ring suddenly heavy on her fingerContent property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
and it weighed her down
“No you don’t, you’re lying” there was a pain to Jackson’s expression, he pleaded with his eyes.
“Stop it for the love of God!” Emily cried out “I don’t know what it is you want but I’m engaged to Ethan and I love him, please don’t make this any harder for me Jackson”
“You’re lying” Jackson repeated, unwilling to let go
“I’m sorry” she said and she turned around to leave but immediately she stopped in her tracks when she found Ethan looking at them from a distance, an angry expression on his face and his eyes shooting daggers at Jackson.
“You son of a bitch!”