After the bath, I had to admit; I felt twenty times better. I took a soapy shower to wash off the milky smell and then dug into the fish and chips that Jackson brought us. It was greasy and doused with vinegar just the way a battered fish with chips should taste.

The rest of the evening, I spent it on the bed with Jackson next to me. I tried not to look at him too much, as the lust was in the red zone.

I kept reminding myself that Jackson was only 24. It was hard to live by the saying "Age was just a number." I tried everything to keep some distance from him. To protect my heart was my number one priority in the next five weeks. Even if I'd promised to enjoy every minute of this.

We watched reruns of I love Lucy and I laughed the way Jackson cracked himself. He was so chilled and so dangerous for a girl like me.

After I Love Lucy, I turned around to face him. "So, do I need to ask for leave for this wedding next weekend?"

"Nope," he croaked. "We're going to catch a flight to California. My dad will pick us up at the airport."

"Okay. I can't wait to meet them."

"You can't get more personal than that."

I laughed. "I didn't think you would fall for that one."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "You do not know how tempting a bet is to me, woman."

"Em told me. She also mentioned that you have a superhuman ability to showcase restraint with bets. Wished I knew that one before I made this stupid bet with you."

"Take that back. It's not a stupid bet. It was the best one anyone has ever offered me."

"What was Harold's bet?"

"To stop drinking for an entire year."

"What?"

"Yeah, I was a bit of a loose ball."

"You don't say." The sarcasm dripped from my tone. He got my humor and laughed with all my sarcastic attempts, which were a little twisted. It's just a bet, Cass, don't read into it too much.

"So when is this week's date going to be?"

"Tomorrow, I checked the weather and they say it's going to be pretty warm, so that black bikini you hid that night underneath your clothes will do just fine."

"As long as you will not try to sacrifice another fake virgin into a pool of hot sauce, I'm game."

He laughed. "How do you feel after the milk bath?"

"Very soothing, no pulsing or flaring sensation. I think the milk helped a lot. Thanks for that."

"Well, my uncle told me that or a bath of vinegar."

My eyes grew wide. "You told your uncle?"

"It was an emergency." A tiny smile lingered on Jackson's lips.

I grabbed my hair. "Oh, man. Please tell me it wasn't the one that looked up my fanny?"

Jackson shook with silent laughter. "No, it wasn't. He is into cancer, not fanny's."

"With my luck, you never know." The knot that twisted my stomach, imagining that his uncle saw my fanny before he had eased.

More laughter followed, and we ended up kissing each other. I made sure the covers were between Jackson and me as I didn't wear any underwear underneath the gigantic piece of material he called shirts. I couldn't deal with any of his body parts riling me up more than his tongue already did.

The kiss was long, hard, and very steamy. My hormones played in the flaring zone. It was hard breaking my own rules right now.

Our lips parted and tiredness pulled at both our eyelids.

"Anyone ever told you, you kiss like a goddess."

My lips fanned out into a smile. "I think a couple of guys mentioned that before. If you think my kisses are great, you are in for a surprise."

Jackson froze. "Why?" he roared. "Why would you say that, Cass?"

I giggled into my pillow. "Sorry, it's late. After twelve, Roxy takes over and Cass goes to bed. She is a slut."

He looked at me. "Who the fuck is Roxy?"

I chuckled.

"Stop it," he said, with no humor on his face. "I don't think your brother is the only one that struggles in your family."

"Oh, shush. I'll tell him about the hot sauce next time when he wants to be a volcano again."

Jackson laughed. "I don't need to make you remember this evening. You are doing great all by yourself."

"Rather me than someone else."

"I think we need to sleep. Otherwise we might not even get to date one."

"I'm not that cheap, Jackson."

"No, but Roxy is."

"Okay, goodnight." I kissed him once on his lips, then turned around and closed my eyes.

My heart beat fast inside my chest as Jackson laughed next to me. I was already crazy about him. In what condition was I going to be in five weeks?

***

The next morning, we rushed to check out. Jackson took me home at 8am. He'd be back around ten. I grabbed the five cartons of milk in his trunk and could hear the laughter coming from the front seat.

"I get why Cleopatra bathed in milk."

"She bathed in goat's milk, not cow."

"I don't care, milk is milk." I rushed to the front door and opened it.

Em was already awake. "Where the hell were you?"

"Long story, I have to get ready."

"What's with the milk?"

"Long story."

I rushed up the stairs and poured in another bath. There was still a slight burn, but I didn't want the flaring sensation again. The faster it would stop burning, the faster I could work to put that horrible experience behind me.

Soaking for half an hour in the milk bath was great. The shower that followed made me feel like a new woman.

I got dressed in my black bikini and a summer top with a pair of shorts, chucking a towel inside my backpack. What Jackson planned was a mystery, and I couldn't deny the warm fuzzy feeling and fluttering stomach every time I looked at the clock.

I rushed back downstairs and made myself a cup of tea. Em was still in her robe, wearing slippers as she leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. Neil must be with Harold. 

"So are you going to tell me where you were last night?"

"They sacrificed me as a virgin into a pool of hot sauce."

She frowned. "That makes little sense, Cass. Did they know you weren't a virgin?"

I laughed. "Jackson took me to a frat party, some sort of initiation." I launched into my story and Em doubled over when I got to the stage where everything burned and Jackson jumped around to get me into a shower.

"If Harold ever works with chillies, make him wash his hands for at least twenty seconds before going near your fanny. That shit burns."

"Milk?"

"It worked."

She brushed away a tear. "I wish I was there to see it, Cass."

I laughed through tight lips. "At least the belly dancing paid off. Jackson loved that."

"I'm sure he did. So what are you guys doing today?"

"I don't know, all I know it's date one to woo Cass and I'm nervous."

"I bet you are. He can be charming."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"You might not be the only one that can lose themself here. Show him who you are and these five dates might stay more than just five dates."

"He is 24, Em. His goals are so different from mine."

"You already spoke about life goals?"

"No, I assume. Guys like Jackson only settle down after thirty. I want my babies and a family."

"Yeah, I thought that about Harold, too. Then BAM, I got pregnant after three months of dating the ass. He proposed, even if I told him it's way too early, but he was adamant."

"You were pregnant on your wedding day?" The time didn't add up.

"Yeah, I lost the baby around two weeks after our wedding."

I gasped. "Em? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You know me. Sulk in silence and want to be alone."

I wrapped my arm around her. "I'm so sorry."

"It happens, Cass. Harold was adamant that we should try again. It took some time but now we have Neil, so I'm happy."

"Still, I can't imagine how hard that was." Tears pricked at my eyes as my heart bled for her.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy and I do not wish it on my worst enemy."

A knock came at the door as I wiped a stray tear. I was a shitty friend that I didn't even know.

"What is going on here? I brought her back in high spirits and now you make her cry."

I looked at Jackson. A tank top showcased his muscular biceps and blue Billabong shorts reached above his knee, with a pair of flops. He put his shades on top of his head.

"Haha," Em mocked. "You want some coffee."

"No, we have to go."

Em giggled. "Just promise me, no hot sauce, Jackson."

He grinned. "She told you, it was hilarious."

"It was a date out of Tartarus. Let's go. See you later."

"Enjoy," Em said as we rushed out the kitchen's back door and through the gate that led to the front yard where Jackson parked his Audi.

We climbed in and he started the car and drove down the driveway.

"So why the tears?"

"You know about the baby that Em had lost."

The smile on his face faltered and he nodded. "Yeah, Harold didn't know how to make her feel better. He thought if they tried right away, it might cheer her up."

"Why? She lost a baby. Another one will not replace it."

"I don't know. I didn't give him that advice, go crap him out."

A grin replaced my lips. "I didn't know. I knew she was going through something, but I didn't know what. She'a such a silent brooder."

"Harold told me. He was under a lot of stress, and thought that he would lose her."

"He was worried about that?"

"Yeah, he is crazy about her." Jackson smiled.

My heart melted. Em was so lucky. "So, where are we going?"

"You will know when we get there. Just try to forget about the baby that Em had lost and enjoy it, please. I worked hard on this date."

Now my heart melted at how hard he worked at this one. Fuck, I was over my head with this boy.

Chapter Eight. Let me know your thoughts. I really enjoyed the past couple of days trying to fix this one to reflect what is sort of inside my head. If it's not clear, please let me know. I'm dying to know your thoughts.