Sapphire FallsGoing for Wilder Read online

  Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Erin Nicholas. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Sapphire Falls remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Erin Nicholas, or their affiliates or licensors.

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  Going for Wilder

  A Sapphire Falls Kindle World Novella

  By

  Trish Edmisten

  This book is lovingly dedicated to my Gramps, Pat Dunn, who drove the coolest car ever, who always made me laugh, who taught me that it was perfectly acceptable for ladies to drink beer, who never held a grudge and who always showed me unconditional love. I miss you every day, Gramps.

  Acknowledgements

  I, of course, have to thank the amazing Erin Nicholas, both for being willing to share her characters with other authors and for letting me be one of those authors. No matter how much time passes, I’m still humbled and honored by her faith in me.

  Thanks to my husband Wes. Not only has he put up with my countless hours of work, my endless doubt in my ability and my constant demands for his help when my computer wasn’t cooperating, but he is an amazing artist. Whatever I ask for my covers, he makes it a reality and this story was no different.

  Finally, to all the authors of this wonderful world, I appreciate your support. We’ve spent months asking each other questions and bouncing ideas off of one another. It’s been a fun ride, and I’d happily do it again.

  Chapter One

  Considering it had been almost twenty years since she’d last seen Jackson’s penis, Jillian thought it would have been bigger.

  Lord knows the rest of him was bigger than he’d been when they’d played their first game of doctor at the age of five. Those once skinny shoulders had filled out and broadened up as had his biceps and forearms. No doubt thanks to all that hard, manual labor that came with being a plumber. Jillian frowned. Was there hard, manual labor involved with being a plumber?

  If there wasn’t, he was doing something right. Along with the wide shoulders and ropy arms, he had a sculpted chest covered in a fine blanket of dark hair that matched what was on his head and led to a flat but nicely defined stomach. And those hip flexors, forming that perfect V, looked like they should be on the cover of some kind of fitness magazine.

  With all of that masculinity, it was a wonder…

  “Jesus Christ, Jillian!”

  Jackson’s indignant shout startled her from her musings. The towel he’d been using to dry his hair when he emerged from the shower was now around his waist. Pointless really since she’d already seen everything he had to offer.

  Abandoning her assessment of his body, Jillian raised her eyes to his face and was met with a glare. Instinct made her want to reach for the charm dangling from the necklace she wore, which was thankfully hidden beneath her shirt, but she caught herself in time.

  “What?” Jillian asked.

  “What?” Jackson echoed, incredulous. “What the hell are you doing in the guys’ locker room? What the hell are you doing standing there staring at me? Take your pick.”

  Jillian huffed out a laugh as she folded her arms across her chest. “You are so full of yourself. I was not staring.”

  One of his eyebrows went up. “No?”

  “No.”

  “Then what were you doing?”

  “I came to see Coach Cooper,” she answered. “I ran in to him at the diner the other day, and we got to talking about the festival, and I was telling him about how I volunteered to handle the kissing booth this year and ”

  “You what?”

  Jillian bristled at both his question and his tone. That look in his eyes wasn’t helping either. That look like he was genuinely pissed off, which he wasn’t. He couldn’t be since they weren’t even friends, let alone anything close to romantic. That ship had never even left the dock let alone sailed.

  “I volunteered to be in charge of the kissing booth.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean why? Someone has to be in charge of it.”

  “The kissing booth is only for the summer festival.”

  “The Blue Brigade has been thinking about having it for the fall festival too because it’s such a huge money maker.”

  That was a lie. The Blue Brigade, a group of citizens whose primary objective was to spread Sapphire Falls cheer, hadn’t mentioned any such thing. Jillian just liked watching Jackson grind his teeth.

  “Anyway, Coach Cooper said the kids in his woodshop classes could give the booth a facelift for me. I don’t know if you’ve seen it lately, but it could use it.”

  Jackson grunted. “And you’re lurking in the guys’ locker room because?”

  Jillian rolled her eyes. “I’m not lurking in the boys’ locker room. Coach Cooper asked me to meet him here.”

  “Here? In the guys’ locker room?”

  “Yes, which also happens to be where he has his office as the coach of the special teams for the best high school football team in all of the Midwest.”

  That earned a genuine, albeit small, smile from Jackson.

  “He said no one would be using the locker room.” Jillian glanced at her watch. “We’re supposed to meet at six so I’m a bit early. I guess that’s why he’s not here. He’s not here, is he?”

  “No clue, I’ve been in the shower.”

  “Right, well, don’t let me keep you from whatever you were doing.”

  “What?”

  “You were obviously in the middle of something, getting dressed I assume, so go ahead.”

  Jackson didn’t move. “I’ll wait.”

  “No need to do that on my account. It’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen plenty of times before.”

  A scowl flickered across his handsome face.

  “I don’t know why you’re so worried anyway.” Jillian gave his covered crotch a pointed gaze before returning her eyes to his face. “You’re not really all that…”

  Jackson tensed. “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s not important.”

  “I’m not really all that what?”

  “I just meant you don’t have much to worry about hiding,” Jillian said and then, pretending as if she wasn’t aware of the insult, she added, “No offense or anything.”

  A hearty laugh broke out behind her. Ignoring Jackson’s hostility, Jillian smiled as she turned toward the man she’d come to meet.

  Coach Neil Cooper was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. “Sorry I’m late. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  “Oh, you’re not late,” Jillian assured him. “I was early, and I ran in to Jackson.”

  The coach looked over at Jackson. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone would be here by this time.”

  “Its fine,” Jackson ground out.

  “Nothing to worry about,” Jillian said. “Jackson kept me entertained while I waited.”

  Neil chuckled. “I’m sure he did, but what do you say we give Jackson his privacy and continue this discussion in my office?”

  “Sounds good,” Jillian agreed, sending a sweet smile in Jackson’s direction. “Thanks for the small talk.”

  Jackson’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond. Yes, that was another insult about his size, and yes it was petty, but if anyone deserved to be taken down a peg or two, it was Jackson. When Jillian turned to follow Neil to his office, she would have sworn she heard a gruffly muttered ‘it gets bigger’.

  Unable to resist goading him, she looked back at Jackson. “D
id you say something?”

  “No.”

  Jillian shrugged as if she didn’t care, but she was secretly enjoying his discomfort. Leaving Jackson fuming behind her, she caught up to Neil who stood a few steps ahead of her, not bothering to hide his amused smile.

  “Just couldn’t resist could you?” Neil asked, grinning.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jillian said.

  She did not want to go in to all the ways Jackson Wilder pissed her off.

  It wasn’t always like that. When they were kids, they’d been close. They’d even shared a kiss once. Granted, that kiss was ten years ago, but she still remembered it. Not because it had been earth shattering or soul moving or anything like that. It was a combination of things that made her remember it, the two most important being that it was on her birthday and it was their first kiss.

  They’d been standing under the oak tree in her backyard, the one they used to climb when they were kids, each determined to prove they could climb higher than the other. By then, tree climbing was long behind them, but they still liked to hang out under that tree.

  Before he kissed her, Jackson had given Jillian her birthday present, a silver necklace with a musical note charm and she’d smiled so wide that her face hurt. It was the most thoughtful and personal thing he’d given her and she loved it.

  Then, after fastening the clasp of the necklace behind her neck, he’d leaned over and kissed her. Just a gentle touch of his lips to hers, but it started a small fire inside her. A fire he’d snuffed out just one week later when he’d stopped talking to her and cut her out of his life.

  Jillian grimaced. She was there to talk about the booth for the festival, not take another painful trip down memory lane. Jackson Wilder was not going to get one more minute of her thoughts.

  Jackson waited until they were out of sight, and he was sure they weren’t coming back, before he sank down on the bench, still clutching the towel around his waist. He should have just gone home to shower, but it wasn’t as if he expected to run in to Jillian Somers in the guys’ locker room.

  One withering look and a few snide comments and she had managed to obliterate the Zen-like feeling he’d reached with a few laps around the track.

  It gets bigger! Is that really the best you can do, Wilder?

  No, it was not the best he could do. If they hadn’t been interrupted, he would have been all too happy to drop the towel and push her into the locker bank and give her what they both wanted.

  Jackson smirked, imagining the look of surprise that would fill her pretty, dark eyes. Maybe she would even be trembling. Not because she was afraid of him but because she wanted him with the same desperation he wanted her. Jackson would lean toward her, but he wouldn’t kiss her yet. He would let his lips hover over hers, a promise of things to come, as the length of her hair created a cloak around their faces.

  Finally, when neither of them could take waiting another second, he would press his lips to hers. Letting the weight of his body push her further into the bank of lockers at her back, he would make sure she felt his desire as he kissed her breathless.

  When the kiss ended, she would be smiling at him, a smile as sultry as those eyes he loved so much. Still struggling to catch her breath, she would murmur, ‘You were right. It does get bigger’.

  What the hell? Jackson shook his head to dislodge the image.

  Jillian may have looked like every man’s fantasy of the naughty piano teacher, and hell maybe she was, but she was never going to look at him with anything more than disgust, let alone kiss him.

  Jackson would be the first to admit that he deserved every bit of her contempt. Most of the time he didn’t mind it, but every once in a while, when he wasn’t ready for it, thoughts like that one would sneak up and sucker punch him.

  The sound of Jillian’s laughter reached his ears, prompting him to get his ass in gear. There was no way he wanted to be there when she came back.

  “Hey.”

  Jillian barely heard her sister’s greeting when she entered the house they shared. The excited yips and whines of Mufasa, her honey colored Chihuahua, made it impossible for her and Shelby to have a conversation before he was given enough affection to satisfy him to silence.

  Living with Shelby was a new thing. With both of them working out of the house, Jillian as a piano teacher and Shelby as a marketing analyst, Jillian had been afraid it would be too much togetherness. So far, they’d been lucky enough to live together without having problems.

  “Hey, baby,” Jillian cooed as the little dog stood and rested his paws on her shins. “How’s my baby? Did you have a good day?”

  Mufasa’s head lolled to the side, his tongue hanging out as he soaked up the attention.

  Shelby laughed. “I see how it is. Talk to the dog first.”

  “What can I say? I like him better.”

  “You say that like it’s a joke, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.”

  “I’ll never tell.” Jillian gave her a sweet smile. “Did you already eat?”

  “Yeah, and I was going to say there are leftovers in the fridge, but since you basically admitted you like your dog better, I don’t think I’ll share.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not really hungry anyway.”

  Setting her purse on the shelf by the entryway, Jillian crossed the room to drop down on the couch. No sooner did her butt hit the cushions than Mufasa was on her lap. Jillian laughed as he turned in two circles before making himself comfy.

  “How did it go with Coach Cooper?” Shelby asked.

  Jillian grimaced. “Fine, he’s going to have the shop kids fix up the booth, and he even said he might talk to Miss Collins about having the kids in the art class paint it.”

  “That sounds good.”

  “It is good.”

  “Then why do you look so pissed?”

  “I ran in to Jackson Wilder in the locker room.”

  “And by ran in to him you mean?”

  “I happened to walk in at the same time he was stepping out of the shower, and I got an eyeful.” Jillian huffed out a laugh. “Or should I say I would have gotten an eyeful if there was anything to get an eyeful of.”

  Shelby’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “You’re kidding?”

  “No, and the bastard had the nerve to accuse me of lurking in the locker room as if I set out to spy on him and his tiny dick.”

  “Jackson has a tiny dick?”

  Jillian could understand Shelby’s doubt. “That was pretty much my reaction. I mean, with as tall as he is, I figured he’d be hung like a horse, but nope.” Smirking, Jillian wriggled her pinky finger.

  “I guess it makes sense. Everyone has to have at least one flaw.”

  Jillian suppressed the snort that always came whenever someone sang Jackson’s praises. He had a flaw all right. In fact, he had more than one and neither of them had anything to do with his body. No, Jackson’s flaws were that self-centered personality and giant ego.

  Breaking her heart ten years ago was the biggest favor he ever did her.

  The smell of homemade chili wafting through the air had Jackson’s stomach rumbling as soon as he was in the house. Tossing his keys into the bowl perched atop a table near the entryway he headed for the kitchen and smiled at the sight that greeted him.

  His grandfather, Walt Wilder, stood at the stove staring intently into the pot of chili that he stirred.

  Most people probably would have thought he was nuts still sharing a house with his father and grandfather at the age of twenty-five, but Jackson loved it. His grandfather, whom he sometimes affectionately referred to as old man, was his rock.

  “Hey, Gramps,” Jackson said. “Smells good.”

  “Tastes pretty good too, I’ll bet,” Walt said, and Jackson laughed.

  “Do you need any help?”

  “Nope, it’s just about ready.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Go on and wash up, and while yo
u’re up there, let your dad know dinner’s ready.”

  “Sure thing, Gramps.”

  Leaving his grandpa to finish up, Jackson trotted up the stairs. After stopping outside his dad’s bedroom door to shout that dinner was ready, he washed his hands in the bathroom.

  By the time he returned to the kitchen, his father and grandfather were already seated at the table. Steaming bowls of chili sat on each of the three placemats and a bowl of garlic bread was in the middle of the table.

  Jackson’s mouth watered as he took his seat. “Man, I’m starving.”

  His father, Vince, offered him a smile. “What else is new?”

  Shrugging, Jackson shoveled a spoonful of chili into his mouth and then chased it with a long swig of Coke. Though he would have preferred to have a beer, they didn’t keep alcohol in the house.

  “Did you get Mrs. Harrison’s sink fixed?” Vince asked.

  Walt’s eyes lit up. “You saw Ethel today?”

  Jackson and his dad traded grins. For the last year, his grandpa had taken an interest in Ethel Harrison. If they called him on it, the old man would deny it was anything more than friendly.

  “Yeah, and she said to be sure to tell you hello and she hopes to see you at the festival,” Jackson answered.

  Walt smiled. “Well, isn’t that sweet of her?”

  “Did you get her sink fixed?” Vince asked.

  Jackson grimaced. “Yeah, but I wish she would get over the idea that her garbage disposal can handle anything.”

  “If she does that, we’ll lose one of our best customers,” Vince joked.

  “Did anything else interesting happen today?” Walt asked.

  “No, just the usual calls, clogged sinks, backed up toilets, stuff like that,” Jackson replied.

  “Well, I heard something interesting from Joe today,” Walt said.

  Jackson shook his head. Every morning, his grandpa and the rest of his buddies met up at Dottie’s Diner where they spent more time gossiping than anything else.

  “Joe says the Blue Brigade wants to have the kissing booth at the fall festival,” Walt continued.