relatives even took out their phones and snapped a picture.
“Glad I can be a sideshow attraction,” I muttered under my breath so only Jackson could hear me. “They’re all thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s Loren, who’s never had a boyfriend. So shocking we have to document it!’”
Jackson turned his head and talked out of the corner of his mouth. “This was your idea, not mine.”
Once my family’s interest in us had faded, I sat up and faced him. “Oh I know. And it’s going perfectly. It’s just annoying how absolutely predictable they are.” I kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you again. This is the most fun I’ve ever had at a family dinner, mainly because I don’t have to dodge the ‘oh you poor thing, you're still single kind of conversations.’” I put my face close to his again. “Now I’m ready to get out of here and make good on my promise from earlier.”
The heated look he sent me, right there in the middle of a family dinner under the Alaskan sky, sent a rush of arousal straight to my core.
I could not wait to get him upstairs.
Jackson draped his tie over the armchair. “That was the longest four hours of my life,” he said.
I reached my arm behind my neck to try and unzip my dress. “Regretting this already?”
He grabbed my hand. “Let me do that.” He gathered my hair into a knot and kissed the back of my neck. “No, I do not regret this at all. When I found that perp in the woods, I was really fucking glad I came here, even if it’s awkward as hell being around your family.”
I was glad too. I was reluctant to admit it to anyone, even Jackson, but ever since the parking garage attack, I’d been a little more skittish than usual, and it was nice to take my photos without having to be so aware of my surroundings.
Jackson wouldn’t be pleased with that line of thinking; he’d want me to learn to take photos while I was exercising caution about my surroundings as well. But that was easier said than done. And Jackson was clearly aware enough for the both of us. He’d managed to catch that creeper out in the woods today all by himself.
I bet my neck farther forward, hoping that he’d keep going. He did keep going, kissing the side of my neck and down my jaw. He stepped closer, and I felt his insistent erection against my backside. “My family excels at awkward. If there’s a way to put someone on the spot, they’ll do it.” I turned my head. “Even I wasn’t expecting my grandmother to announce your presence at dinner.”
He pulled my zipper down, inch by inch, kissing my shoulder blades as the dress material fell away.
I shivered under his touch, while he chuckled and nuzzled my neck. “Now that part wasn’t so bad. It’s kind of nice to get a little appreciation,” he said.
I spun around and put my hands on his hips. “I’ll show you some appreciation.”
“Now that does sound good,” he said.
“We’re lucky you didn’t have your Army dress uniform with you. I think my aunt might have ripped it right off your body.”
“There is no one else down there that I have any interest in. Not even looking.”
I stepped out of my party dress, and flung it to land on the chair where Jackson’s tie lay.
His big hands came up to cup my shoulders, then he ran one finger over the cup of my bra. “Hey, these are different. I didn’t get enough time with the teal blue set you put on this morning.”
“I’ll wear them again.”
“I do like these though.” He pushed his finger under the strap of my lacy black bra. “They’re sexy.”
“They’re new,” I said.
I stepped back and turned around for him, letting him admire my bra and panties. This racy set was not something I owned prior to meeting Jackson. As soon as I’d had a break in the scouting out the best photography spots yesterday, I’d snuck away and called the wedding planner. She’d been happy to get a suit for Jackson, so I asked her to point me in the direction of a personal shopper in Anchorage. She’d known a few, and the first one I called had been willing to buy me several sets of lingerie.
Our conversation had been beyond embarrassing, but worth it. I’d never spent one second of my life thinking about my bra and panties, beyond