Levels Of Exposure (Distortion Series Book 2) Page 19

  “Please don’t be scared of me,” Jackson whispered, searching her deep blue eyes.

  “How can I not be? I don’t even know who you really are.”

  “I’m trying to fix that.” Jackson stepped forward, searching her expression. He thought this part of her would never be his again. He wanted to show her what it meant to him that she allowed him close. He ran his fingers along her neck and she shivered in response. Jackson leaned down and claimed her mouth with a gentle kiss, slowly savoring her taste as he tried to memorize every detail. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her in closer, deepening it. She seemed tentative at first, but any hesitations quickly slipped away as her hands soon grabbed hold of his shirt and frantically searched for the buttons. Jackson pulled back enough to tear his shirt open. The buttons gave way as Lexie pulled the sleeves off his arms and ran her hands over every inch of his chest. A low growl of pleasure erupted from deep within him as he swam in the bliss of her desire.

  Jackson placed his hands on her waist and lifted her body against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her fingers through his hair, devouring his mouth. The feel of her soft skin on his made his groin clench with pooling desire. If there was a heaven, this was it, this was where he wanted to spend his eternity…with the arms of this woman wrapped around him and her need for him desperate in her touch.

  Jackson laid her on the bed and looked down at her flushed skin. He placed a kiss on her lips and trailed down her neck. Lexie closed her eyes and Jackson noticed a tear run down the side of her face.

  “Hey?” Jackson whispered. “What’s wrong?”

  Lexie wiped her tear away and looked up at Jackson. “Tell me something real,” she whispered.

  Jackson lay down beside her and propped himself on his elbow. He grazed the side of her cheek thoughtfully with the back of his fingers and then proceeded to run his fingers over her skin, watching the goosebumps form under his fingertips.

  “You are the first person I think of when I wake up in the morning,” Jackson admitted as he drew lazy patterns on her stomach. “And the last person I think about before I fall asleep.” Jackson looked up into Lexie’s eyes. She was quietly staring at him.

  Lexie raised her hand and placed it on the side of his face and rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip. Jackson leaned into her touch, desperate for it.

  “Will you make me feel good?” Lexie asked.

  “I will do whatever you want me to.” Jackson leaned down and placed his mouth over her nipple and sucked the taut flesh into his mouth and gently pulled with his teeth until a moan of pleasure escaped her. He ran his hand down her stomach.

  Jackson pushed off the bed and slid the material of her underwear down her legs and tossed them aside. Leaning over her, he kissed her belly button and ran his lips over her flat stomach.

  “That tickles.” Lexie giggled and squirmed under his lips.

  Jackson looked up and gave her a sly smile before he moved lower, savouring her soft flesh as he tasted every inch of her. Her hips began to rock under him as he moved closer to her warm center that glistened with her need as he teased and fondled her skin.

  When he finally closed his lips around her swollen sex, she moaned and jerked from the pleasure. Jackson’s erection throbbed against his pants, raring to feel her, to sink deep inside her, and pull pleasures that could rob a man of everything.

  He sunk his fingers deep inside her as he sucked and licked her engorged flesh. He could feel her walls tightening on his fingers as he thrust them deep as she writhed on the bed. Jackson could not think of anything more beautiful than her right now. Her legs clamped around him and her fingers wound tight in his hair as she screamed out in release. A rush of her pleasure ran over his hand as her sweet sex spilled its release on him. He knew he would be forever marked to be hers deep in his soul.

  Jackson sat up on his knees and unbuttoned his jeans, pushing them down his thighs. His erection sprung free and hung heavy and swollen with need for her. Jackson kicked his pants off and wrapped his arms around her sated body and pulled her close. He wanted to feel her against him.

  She was quiet and he worried what was going through her mind as he held her close. he was terrified she would push him away, so he didn’t move. “Tell me something real?” he whispered against her cheek.

  “I want you to be gentle,” she said quietly against his chest before placing a sweet kiss on his skin.

  There were no words that sounded more wonderful. Jackson placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her soft and deep, telling her what he couldn’t find the words for.

  Shifting his weight, he guided himself to her warm entrance and slowly pushed inside her body, where his paradise existed. Lexie wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to push further until he completely filled her. Jackson kissed her lips as he pressed his thumb against her sex, drawing her pleasure as he pushed and pulled at her core.

  Lexie arched her back off the mattress and he closed his mouth over her straining nipples. He could feel her shake beneath him as she succumbed to the sensations. Her unbound desire as she writhed beneath him was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He held onto it as long as he could until she screamed out again and he had nothing left to stop the wave of euphoria that hit him.

  He was physically spent as if he had run a marathon as he collapsed on his side, rolling Lexie on top of him so he didn’t have to break the contact. Once she settled in against his side she sighed in content. He had so many words fumbling around his head wanting to be heard but the call of sleep was too great and he felt himself drift away. He embraced the feeling of happiness that warmed his stomach. This was new for him and he never wanted to let it go.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Lexie

  The sound of someone closing a door in the distance pulled Lexie from sleep. For a moment she couldn’t remember where she was. Sleep had pulled her under so far that she had no idea where she surfaced. She tried forcing her tired eyes awake but they immediately closed and her body complained. She wanted, more than anything, to pull the covers over her head and shut out the world again.

  Then reality reminded her why sleep should be the furthest thing from her mind. Lexie opened her eyes and looked at the empty space beside her. A folded piece of paper sat atop the pillow. Lexie picked it up to read the note.

  Come to room 209 when you wake, Sleeping Beauty.

  She rubbed her hands down her face and kicked the covers off. The cool air rushed across her skin, reminding her she was naked, and with it thoughts of Jackson heated her skin. She didn’t have words for what happened between them. Despite the chaos in the world around them they had found a moment of bliss but now she needed to focus on the world that was still crumbling beneath her feet. Despite her growing feelings for him, Jackson was still very much a wild card in her life. She still needed to be cautious.

  Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was 5:46 p.m. She had slept the entire day away. She was anxious to get back to the hospital and also wanted to know if any progress had been made in finding Stephanie. Lexie was determined not to let her imagination wander. She would remain positive and hopeful because anything else would threaten to break her.

  Lexie slipped from the bed and noticed her purse on the floor. She picked it up and one of the bottles of deep blue nail polish fell out and rolled across the floor. Lexie stared at them for a moment before tears pooled in her eyes. “Alex,” she whispered sadly.

  With everything happening she hadn’t thought of him until now and the guilt of it began to carve away at her initial flash of relief that she had forgotten about the gaping hole in her heart. She picked up a bottle and sat down on the bed. She unscrewed the cap, letting that familiar scent fill her nose before she lifted her foot to rest on the edge of the bed. She held the brush over her toes with the intention of painting them, but something stopped her. The feel of Jackson against her skin still lingered in her thoughts and it
felt realer than anything else. She didn’t want to go back to the version of herself that was scared to look in the mirror because she felt guilty she survived and Alex didn’t.

  Lexie took a deep breath and replaced the cover on the polish. She ran her finger over the label, “Knockout,” before setting it on the nightstand. The envelope from John sat propped up against the lamp. Jackson must have set it there. Refusing to touch it, she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and grabbed for her clothes to get dressed.

  Lexie knocked on the room door and took a deep, nervous breath. She didn’t have much time to prepare herself before the door swung open and Jackson’s dark eyes swallowed her whole. “Hey.” He smiled as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. He placed his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips against hers. He tasted like mint and whatever insanely addictive smell that always lingered on his skin.

  “Hey,” she mumbled between kisses. The fire that burned in her stomach was new and intoxicating.

  “We have good news,” Jackson said, pulling back and grabbing for the handle to lead them inside.

  “Do you know where Stephanie is?” Lexie asked in a rush.

  “We think so,” Teddy answered as he twisted around in his seat to see her enter the room.

  Dane was sprawled out on the bed with a pizza box beside him. He gave her a wave as he devoured his slice of pizza.

  “Are you hungry?” Dane asked after he swallowed.

  “Maybe later,” Lexie declined politely. “What did you find out?” Lexie turned back toward Teddy and Jackson, anxious to know what they have uncovered.

  “You know how John mentioned that Stephanie will meet the same fate as the girl with the rose tattoo?” Jackson asked and Lexie nodded in return. “In your mother’s diary, she mentions a lake house. We managed to track down a property that Masten purchased about thirty years ago. He made an attempt to cover his tracks with transferring it to a bogus name a few years later. He took steps to make sure the property could not be traced back to him but there is always a trail and Teddy found it.” Jackson pointed to the aerial view that Teddy had pulled up on the screen. “We think this is the lake house your mother was referring to.”

  “You read my mother’s diary?” Lexie asked, surprised. It wasn’t until then that she realized she had forgotten that she had shoved it in her purse before John had taken her. She quickly filed through all the words that still lingered in her mind that her mother had written.

  “Yeah, I needed to find the truth,” Jackson admitted guiltily.

  Lexie wasn’t sure what to think of it but the only thing that mattered to her right now was the fact they might have a lead on Stephanie’s location.

  “I get it,” Lexie managed, trying to be understanding. She knew she would have to in his situation. Jackson’s reservations seemed to fall away when she offered him a small smile.

  “This shot was taken a week ago.” Teddy pointed to the screen showing a car parked in the driveway, barely visible through the canopy of trees. “There is definitely activity there.”

  “We’re heading there now,” Jackson informed her.

  “I want to come too,” Lexie added.

  Jackson shook his head. “That’s not a good idea. You should stay with your mother. She needs you right now.

  “But what if she’s there and she needs me?” Lexie tried to keep her voice calm but the desperation to find Stephanie betrayed her.

  Jackson placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. “Listen, Lex, it might not be anything at this point. We’re going to check it out and see what we find. I promised you I’d find her. You need to let me do this.”

  Lexie looked into his eyes and nodded. Jackson pulled her close and rested his chin on top of her head. “We’ll drop you off at the hospital. We’re heading out now.”

  “Okay.” Lexie took comfort in his hold. She believed every word he said. She needed to if she was going to see Stephanie again.

  ***

  Lexie passed by the gift shop in the main entrance of the hospital. Beautiful flowers were displayed in the front window as well as balloons and countless other items that were intended to put a smile on patients’ faces. Lexie decided to stop and buy her mother some flowers. She knew her mother would appreciate it.

  There was never a time when her mother didn’t have fresh cut flowers in her house, whether she picked them up at the local flower shop or cut them from her garden. Her mother loved flowers because she said they reminded her of everything good in life. Lexie decided on a colorful arrangement of flowers that looked like they came from her mother’s garden, a complete eclectic assortment. They were bright and cheerful and were sure to put a smile on her face.

  Lexie anxiously pushed the button of the elevator and watched the doors close. Her thoughts were with Jackson and the hope that they were right about the location. Lexie was so lost in thought that she didn’t even realize she was staring out at her mother’s floor. She stepped off just as the doors began to close. This part of the hospital was always so eerily quiet with all the patients recovering from surgery.

  When Lexie rounded the corner she was caught off guard when someone ran into her. “Hey,” Lexie complained as a man continued to barrel past and caused her to stumble backwards. Lexie caught herself before she fell and looked up to see the man heading quickly toward the stairwell. “What the…” Lexie trailed off, not wanting to yell in the quiet hospital. “A real gentleman,” she said sarcastically as she looked down at the floor where broken pieces of flowers were scattered around her feet. Lexie dropped to her knees and tried to pick up the mangled pieces of flowers and tossed them into the nearest garbage can. She looked at her bouquet that showed signs of distress but she managed to straighten them up enough.

  Beeping sounds started ringing from down the hall and soon the sound of monitors filled the silence. Lexie glanced down the hall toward her mother’s room and her eyes widened in panic as she looked back at the door the man had disappeared behind. “Mom?” Lexie gasped. She started running down the hall when she noticed a nurse hurrying into the room. The flowers slipped from her fingers as she ran as fast as she could toward her mother.

  Lexie slid to a stop as she approached the room. The nurse was doing compressions on her mother’s chest as she hollered for the other nurses who were rushing past Lexie. Every monitor attached to her mother was screaming and drowning out all the other sounds as Lexie watched in horror.

  Her feet felt frozen in place as she watched them try and resuscitate her mother. She looked so small and lifeless on the bed as people swarmed her. She couldn’t even understand a word they were saying, it was if they were all talking underwater.

  Lexie felt someone touch here arm and Nate’s face came into view. His shirt was torn and his lip bloodied. “Lexie?” His face full of concern.

  “There was a man…” Lexie whispered. “When I got off the elevator,” she continued numbly.

  “Where?” Nate grabbed both her arms and spun her around. “Where did you see a man?”

  “He ran into me,” Lexie pointed down the hall. “He did something. I know it,” she choked on a sob that bubbled in her throat. “He ran toward the stairs.”

  “Stay here,” Nate let go of her and started running in the direction she pointed and disappeared from view. Lexie was left watching the scene unfold before her. Every muscle in her body coiled so tightly she thought she would snap. She didn’t understand why her mother wasn’t waking up as they worked on her, but the monitors continued screaming. Her mother’s doctor came rushing in next but it didn’t matter. Nothing any of them did mattered as that continuous flat line rang in Lexie’s ears.

  ***

  Lexie didn’t remember how she ended up in a room staring up at the white tiled ceiling. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and her memories all felt like dreams as she lazily pushed through them, searching for what was real. She pushed herself into a sitting position and it made h
er head spin. The lights were off but the illumination from the hall filtered in the room to show she was in a hospital room. She felt like she had just woken from a bad dream as she tried to recollect the details.

  The sound of footsteps called her attention. She heard Jackson’s voice as he stood just out of view. “Did you see him?”

  “No, Lexie did. There was another man that walked in Beth’s room before it all happened. When I confronted him, he took off running. When I caught up to him and cornered him, he finally revealed that someone paid him to distract me,” Nate’s voice trailed off. “I’m so sorry, Jackson. By the time I got back here, whoever was here was already gone. I looked everywhere.”

  “Fuck,” Jackson breathed out in frustration. “How is she?”

  “The doctor gave her something that knocked her out because she completely lost it.”

  Jackson appeared in the doorway and the look on his face said it all. It made all those bubbles burst and she remembered why she was here. “Lexie,” her name was a sad whisper on his lips. “You’re awake.”

  Her eyes stung as he became blurry. Lexie dropped her head in her hands just as she felt his arms wrap around her. “I’m here,” he said as he scooped her up and held her close. “I’m here.”

  “Why?” she whispered against his shirt. “Why?”

  Jackson pulled her tighter. “I’m so sorry.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Jackson

  “Don’t leave her side.” Jackson looked Teddy in the eyes as he made it very clear how important it was to keep her safe.

  “I won’t, Jackson. I won’t.” Teddy reassured him. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Jackson set a glass of water on the nightstand beside the bed before he took one last look at her. Lexie was curled up in the middle of the bed in the hotel room. She hadn’t moved since he had brought her here. The doctor had given her pills to take when the other drugs she was administered at the hospital began to wear off. He pulled them out of his pocket and tossed them toward Teddy.