Just as she wanted, he pounded against her pussy, his balls slapping with every thrust, her ass pleasurably burning as he continued to spank. Her low groans filled the room as she pushed backward, reeling him deeper into her hot, wet core.
Suddenly she felt his thumb tracing the “o” of her parted lips before he dipped it in her mouth. She willingly sucked on it, her tongue swirling around and coating it with moisture. A second later he pulled away and his wet thumb between her ass cheeks, probing her anus. She quivered in welcome response, pushing her bottom against the invasion. Never before had she felt so naughty, thrown across a desk as she happily fucked a gorgeous guy in a library.
She gasped as Jackson slipped the tip of his thumb in her ass, the tight stretch a fusion of pleasure and pain. He stilled, allowing her to adjust, and then slowly began plunging in and out. With his other hand he continued to work her clit, his quick expert strokes gliding over the swollen bud as she moaned low in her throat. She was exquisitely filled, the pure carnal sensation nearly overwhelming.
Her eyes squeezed shut, blood roaring in her ears. She thrust backward and seconds later screamed, shuddering with release. As if in the distance, Jackson groaned, his shaft swelling inside of her, pulsing as he came. Then he collapsed against her.
He covered her body like a shield, his chest hard and heaving against her back, his cheek resting against her neck. She felt the warm panting of his breath against her skin and wished they were in bed. He could hold her, and they could rest, and then they could do it all over again.
When he found the strength to stand up straight, he pulled wads of tissue from a nearby box on the desk and buried the condom inside a handful before chucking it in the trash. Then he pulled on his jeans and stepped back, giving Carla room to do the same. They faced each other, reassembled.
“Mon Dieu,” he said, running hands through his hair. “That was outrageous.” He stepped forward, circling his arms behind her neck. “More than outrageous,” he amended, leaning in to dot her face with soft kisses. “More like incroyable.”
The very tip of his tongue touched her lips as he spoke. Just like that, she wanted him again.
“I’ll settle for incroyable,” she purred in response. “Until tonight, that is, when I’ll be sure to be fantastique.”
He chuckled. “Fantastique? Are you trying to kill me?”
She glanced down at his cock. “And cut off my access to that? Do you think I’m crazy?”
His eyes warmed as he looked at her, and he nodded. “Yes, I do. But I like it.”
They left the office with Jackson leading the way, letting Carla know they still had the building to themselves. “I would have known if someone came in because I’d have seen the lights beneath the door,” he said.
Once they were outside, he released her hand. “I’ll leave you here for now,” he said. “You’re due back at the lab, and I’ve got work in my office. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Hope so.” She knew he had a tendency to work late, and didn’t want to make assumptions about where she factored into his day.
“You will. How about dinner in the cafeteria? Eight?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” He gave her a quick kiss and was off, just as if they were a couple leaving for the day’s work. Carla sighed, as relaxed as if she’d just had a massage. Sex with Jackson melted away all the stress she’d felt after Bryce’s call.
Except remembering Bryce’s call also reminded her she hadn’t asked Jackson anything about what Bryce had told her, about the prizes, and the medal. No doubt he had them shoved somewhere in a drawer. Flaunting that stuff wasn’t his style. But she wanted to at least know what it felt like to get those prestigious awards and what kind of meaning, if any, they held for him.
She was just about to call out and ask him to come back when something inside of her halted it, and she fell silent. An inner voice reminded her that the good feelings between her and Jackson would turn to ice if she asked him about those awards and forced him to talk about himself.
It was more than time to get back, but her body still hummed from Jackson’s touch and her flushed skin would give her away. A walk over to the shore of the bayou for a few minutes would be just what she needed to get back under control.
She headed through a grove of live oaks, their dense branches cooling the air around her and muffling the outside noises as if entering a cave. The worn path stretched long before the canopy of oaks thinned and gave way to the bayou. The air filled with sounds of birds and insects.
Ahead of her, stately cypress trees stood proud in the water, their branches heavy with Spanish moss. Abundant plant life filled the stream, so lush and dense that the water looked pea green. An ibis picked its way through swirling water hyacinths and thick rushes, fishing for lunch. On a downed tree, whose large trunk was still partly above water, turtles basked in the sun. Carla took a step forward to get a better look.
“I wouldn’t go any closer. There are gators in these waters,” a voice warned quietly.
Carla turned, startled. Jackson’s sister, Amy, wearing a light summer dress with her hair up in a loose bun, stood a short distance away. Carla held a hand to her heart, laughing. “You surprised me,” she confessed. “I didn’t see you standing there.”
Amy headed toward Carla, her steps slow and careful. “I’m not shocked,” she said. “You looked pretty caught up in your own thoughts.”
“Oh well, I…” Carla’s voice trailed away, embarrassment creeping in. Jackson’s sister obviously couldn’t read her mind, but there was a certain perceptiveness about Amy that made her wonder.
She waited while Amy approached, and then realized Jackson’s sister walked unaided, wheelchair nowhere in sight. Carla wondered if maybe the last time she’d seen her, Amy had been healing from a leg injury. She stepped toward her to see if she needed help.
“I’m Carla,” she reminded her. “We met once before, at your house.”
“Sure, of course I remember.” Amy accepted Carla’s outstretched arm. “Thank you. I think I may have overestimated my energy level today. Let’s head over to that fallen tree. It’ll make a good resting spot for a minute.”
They reached the tree Amy mentioned and took a seat next to each other. Once Amy had settled, Carla’s curiosity got the better of her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but I have to ask. The time before when I saw you, you were in a wheelchair. But now you’re walking.”
Amy chuckled softly at Carla’s confusion. “I’m not always wheelchair-bound,” she explained. “Just occasionally when I’m having a particularly bad flare up.”
“A flare up?”
Amy glanced over at her. “Jackson didn’t tell you?”
“Your brother hasn’t told me much of anything where he or his family is concerned. He didn’t even tell me right away you two are related.”
Amy let out a soft sigh. “That sounds like my brother.” She shifted on the log so she could face Carla more directly. “What he also failed to tell you about me, in addition to many other things I’m sure, is I have MS.”
Carla sucked in a breath as pieces of the Jackson puzzle clicked into place. His frenetic drive, the relentless focus on finding a cure for MS now all made perfect sense. His source of inspiration sat right next to her.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, but there’s no need. I cope just fine. Oh, there are days where I’m fatigued, or my legs are numb. But then I’ll have stretches where I’m not feeling any of the symptoms at all.” She shrugged. “It’s an unpredictable disease.”
“So I guess when I first saw you, it wasn’t a good day?”
“No. I’d had a flare up and felt dizzy. I don’t take chances when that happens, so I use the chair.”
“How long have you had it?”
“I was diagnosed when I was fifteen, and I’m twenty-four now, so MS and I have known each other awhile.” She spoke matter-of-factly, without a trace of self-pity or remorse. Carla couldn’t help but admire Amy’s courage.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about my brother,” Amy continued. “Which is understandable. You haven’t been here long, and he’s a tough nut to crack. But since you and he have a relationship, there are things I should probably let you know about.”
Carla unexpectedly felt her face grow warm. How did Amy know?
As if reading her thoughts, Amy continued. “Jackson’s said nothing to me, of course. Relationships are one thing he and I don’t generally discuss. But I can tell.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Not from you.” Amy gave her a reassuring smile. “As you pointed out yourself, we’ve only just met. But Jackson and I are close, and I know when there’s something going on with him, especially when that something is a relationship. He doesn’t have many of them but when he does, he’s different. He tends to tense up, be more on edge.”
Carla frowned. “That doesn’t make it sound like they bring out the best in him.”
“Well…” She looked out at the water, her fingers working loose bits of bark on the log. “I should probably talk to you about that.”
Carla’s heartbeat kicked into high gear and a knot of tension settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach. Whatever Amy was about to say wasn’t good.
“Has Jackson told you anything about our parents? Anything at all?”
“He told me they were killed in a car accident two years ago.”
“Wow.” Amy’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I’m astounded he even told you that much. He must really have it bad for you.”
What? “No, I’m sure that’s not it. Jackson and I…we’re just…” Just what, exactly? “We’ve been spending some time together.”
Amy chuckled. “That’s a polite way to put it. And I’m glad, I really am. Jackson needs to have someone in his life.”
“So why doesn’t he?”
“Well…” Amy took a breath and stretched her legs in front of her, easing out the kinks. “The thing is, he’s shouldered the burden of our parents’ deaths for two years and can’t shake it loose, despite everyone’s efforts.”
“But why?” Carla frowned. “I didn’t think he was in the car, was he?”
“He wasn’t even in the country. Our parents were on holiday in England. They’d always wanted to go, and two years ago Jackson made it happen. He paid for the entire trip.”
Understanding began to dawn in Carla’s mind. “So because he sent them there he takes responsibility for their car accident?”
“Yes,” Amy confirmed. “But it’s more complicated than that. At the time, Jackson was having a relationship with a woman named Katherine Carlisle, a fellow researcher. The affair was intense, particularly for Jackson. He was very much in love with her.”
A cold, hard fist, as bitter and toxic as venom, grabbed hold of Carla’s heart and squeezed. The air whooshed from her lungs. “I see,” she managed to croak out.
“Katherine was brilliant and beginning to earn praise on some of her papers. But it wasn’t fast enough for her. Above everything else, Katherine was outrageously ambitious. She wanted honor and distinction, she wanted recognition. She wanted the scientific community to know her name, and she wanted everything right now. Today. She wasn’t content to earn her stripes in time; her ambition didn’t have the patience. So what better way to advance her career than by teaming up with one of the leading MS researchers in the country, if not the world?”
“Jackson.”
“Of course. In the world of MS research, Jackson’s a rock star. He’s made breakthroughs with cobra venom the scientific community thought they wouldn’t see for years. He’s relentless in his pursuit of a cure for MS and his venom studies are world-renowned.”
“It’s incredible,” Carla said, impressed. “Everything Jackson’s done would take some scientists a lifetime, yet he’s still only in his thirties. You must be proud.”
“I am.” Amy nodded. “My brother’s an amazing man. But getting where he has takes work, and because he worked so intensely, he didn’t have enough time for Katherine. At least not according to her.”
Carla frowned. This Katherine girl was sounding pretty self-centered. She wondered, with more than a little jealousy, what the attraction was. “Wasn’t she here with him?”
“Not on site, no. She lived in Baton Rouge and would spend weekends here, or he’d go there. But it wasn’t enough for her. Problem was, Jackson and my father were research partners. They did all their work together and Jackson didn’t want to take time off if my father wasn’t. They felt like they were so close to a breakthrough. But Katherine insisted. She nagged and nagged until finally Jackson caved. He convinced my father and mother to take their dream vacation in England, even paid for the whole trip. With them gone, Jackson felt like he could take time off and be with Katherine.”
“And on that trip they died.”