This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) (10 page)

Jake could feel
the frantic pound of her heart as she pressed her breasts against his chest.
With each beat of their perfectly synchronized hearts, MacKenzie demanded more
from him. Jake matched her kiss for kiss as their tongues moved against each
other, rediscovering the pleasure they had found in being in each other’s arms.

“I love the way
you kiss me,” Jake said against her mouth.

Pulling back he
stared into her eyes and it was his undoing. She needed him, he could see it in
the intensity of her stare, in the way she clung to him.

“Tell me what you
need from me MacKenzie. Tell me and it’s yours.”

“I need you to
tell me everything is going to be okay, can you do that, Jake.”

“I want you to
believe me when I say everything is going to be fine. I promise you, I will
make this right.” MacKenzie stared at him for such a long time, Jake wondered
if she believed his words of assurance.

“Thank you, I
needed to hear that,” she finally said.

“What else do you
need?”

“I need you to
hold me. Please hold me tight, Jake.” MacKenzie pleaded.

“I’ll hold you for
as long as you need me to, always remember that,” Jake assured her with a
gentle kiss against her brow.

The looks she gave
him was his undoing. She need him and he wanted to give her something that
would give her a few moments of respite during her separation from her child.

Placing his hands
against her face, Jake stroked her skin. Holding eye contact, he moved closer
until his forehead rested against hers. Then he kissed her, and she kissed him
back with a demand that Jake hadn’t been expecting. He hadn’t expected it, but
he was more than a willing participant. If a kiss could be called carnal, this
was it. Their tongues dueled for supremacy, they were never still as they found
and explored each other.

Jake knew if he
didn’t take control matters could get out of hand. If that happened, and given
the circumstances, it could set back their fledgling relationship.

Moving his head to
the side in an attempt to break their kiss, Jake nearly relented when she
followed. Holding her head firmly between his hands, he finally managed to put
some distance between them.

“MacKenzie, we
have to stop.” At any other time, the dazed look in her eyes would have
culminated in the sweetest lovemaking he had to offer. Only this was not the
time.

“MacKenzie?”

Three rapid blinks
later and a side to side glance and Jake could tell her mind was working on
overdrive. He also witnessed a phenomenon the like of which he had never seen
before. As he watched, Jake noticed a band of color that started at her chest
and rose so quickly until it engulfed her whole face in a matter of moments.

“Are you okay,
lovely?”

“I’m such a bad
mother, how could I have forgotten about my baby?!”

Jake took control
before MacKenzie had a chance to say anything else. He had no regrets about
what had just happened between them, and he would make sure she didn’t either.

“You didn’t forget
about Noelle, and I assure you neither did I. We didn’t do anything wrong. All
we did was share a few moments of closeness. It’s an essential human need, MacKenzie.”
Her look was so tortured Jake thought if it wouldn’t have made matters worse,
he would kiss her. Instead, he decided to rile her, from past experiences he
knew he was good at it.

Pulling her
resisting head close, Jake whispered into her ear, “Don’t worry, lovely
MacKenzie, it’s widely acknowledged that I’m almost irresistible, and you just
experienced the force.”

As he spoke, Jake
could feel her body stiffen by increments. When her eyes practically popped out
of her head, he moved with the rapid speed the men in his family were known
for. In a flash, he was on his feet, and she was deposited back in her seat,
and he had backed away.

“MacKenzie, no!”
Jake teased. “You have to wait. I know I’m difficult to resist, but you’re just
going to have to try. This is how it’s going to be, coffee now, that’s what you
said you wanted, Noelle next that’s what we both want and me later that’s what
I want.”

If Jake could have
captured the picture she presented with her mouth hanging open, and spluttering
for the right words, he would have saved it for posterity.

Chapter 15

Still having heard
nothing from Carlos; by 7:00 am Jake was on the phone to the family’s attorney
discussing legal options. There were a few questions he needed to ask MacKenzie
that would expedite the situation, but she was still upstairs resting, so now
his questions would have to wait.

Their family
lawyer, Delphine Hudson’s first piece of advice was for MacKenzie and Carlos to
make an attempt to work out their differences in an amicable fashion. In the
meantime, she would take steps to contact Carlos’ attorney. If both their
attempts failed, she would be at the house by 9:00 am at the latest.

Just as Jake was
getting ready to go upstairs and wake her, MacKenzie and Aviva put in an
appearance.

Following
Delphine’s suggestions, MacKenzie attempted to make contact with Carlos at
ten-minute intervals, but it was to no avail, Carlos still remained
conspicuously silent.

At exactly 8:55
am, Delphine entered the breakfast room where they were all gathered.

Rising to their
feet, the men looked at Delphine as though they hoped she brought with her a
solution to the problem they faced. When Delphine was seated, Jackson offered her
breakfast.

Declining anything
to eat, she accepted a cup of coffee. With the steaming brew in her hand, Delphine
took a sip while she studied the younger women without comment.

**********

MacKenzie used the
moments of silence to do her own perusal of the lawyer. Delphine Hudson was not
what she had expected. The woman looked more than a little unkempt; giving the
appearance that she had run out of the house without bothering to take the time
to comb her hair. True, she wore a suit that MacKenzie could see was probably
high end, but it looked terrible on her because she was so thin. So much so in
fact, MacKenzie thought she looked emaciated. It took a concerted effort on her
part not to fill a plate and insist the older woman eat every last mouthful.

“Which one of you
is MacKenzie, afro chick or freckles?”

Pissed at being
referred to as
freckles
, MacKenzie bit back a retort, acknowledged her
identity, and waited to hear what the woman had to say.

“Now that
surprises me. From what I can gather, you are at best Jezebel incarnate.”

“Did you just
insult my wife?”

“Ah, you must be
Jason,” without waiting for a response, Delphine turned her startling blue eyes
to Jackson and spoke in an audible whisper. “Don’t even think about asking me
to be this one’s godmother, two of them are quite enough!”

“Love you too,
Delphine,” Josh quipped.

“Of course you do
Joshua. The amount of times I’ve had to save your ass will live on in infamy.
You can both show your adoration for me at a later date when you buy me lunch.
You Jason,” Delphine said pointing across the table. “May also accompany them.
Ladies, our luncheon will be taken separately. Now back to business.” Capturing
MacKenzie’s gaze, Delphine threw out a question that caught her unawares. “What
the hell did you do to piss that man off?”

Startled by the
directness of the question, it took a few seconds for the words to register. “I
didn’t do anything,” MacKenzie defended herself.

The sound that
left Delphine’s mouth could at a stretch be categorized as mirth, but it grated
on MacKenzie’s nerves. “I said I didn’t do anything to him!”

“Ah, so you’ve got
some backbone have you, good, very good! You’re going to need it.” Still
holding MacKenzie’s gaze Delphine continued. “I’ve spoken to Carlos’ attorney,
and if there is anyone you don’t want to know what he had to say, I suggest you
ask them to leave right now.”

“I’ve already told
you; I haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t care who hears what Carlos has
to say!”

“Last chance,
MacKenzie, I don’t have all day.”

Delphine’s
insistence caused MacKenzie a moment of doubt as she considered what Carlos
could have possibly said about her.

Obviously picking
up on the older woman’s solemnity, all the Kingdom men apart from Jake rose to
their feet.

“Stay... all of
you stay! I said I had nothing to hide, and I meant it.” Looking over at the
three men, MacKenzie gave them a brief look before turning back to Delphine.

“Are you sure, my
dear?” Jackson asked, still on his feet.

“I’m sure,
Jackson. I haven’t done anything that would cause Carlos to take my baby away
from me.”

With a nod of
acquiescence, the men retook their seats. Only then did MacKenzie again turn
her attention to Delphine. In the moments it had taken for her brief exchange
with Jackson, she saw that Delphine’s expression had changed, it was at that
moment that MacKenzie realized the older woman had been testing her.

“Okay, this is
what I have. Allegedly, the artist known as Carlos Ernesto has announced that
it has come to light that the mother of his child is little more than a whore.
Therefore, he has taken the step of removing the child from the household of
such a woman. To give weight to this argument, both he and his mother have
given sworn statements that even while, how shall I put this, ah, yes,
with
child
, and in a relationship with him, you were conducting an illicit
affair with one Jacob Kingdom.”

“That’s a lie!”
MacKenzie shouted on the conclusion of Delphine’s statement.

At the same
moment, Aviva could be heard defending her friend, “That’s a bloody lie!”

“Hold on young
lady, I haven’t finished. Not only were you allegedly conducting an affair with
Jacob, but also two other men. Again allegedly, you deliberately got pregnant
in an attempt to force an offer of marriage from said, Carlos Ernesto.

He also spoke
about your affair with him, and went on to say that he has sworn statements as
evidence of your attempts to deceive other well-known men in this way.

Further, he
alleges that if he had known of your reputation, he wouldn’t have entertained
an affair with you. He says that there is no doubt that the child is his, and
there is no way he and his family could allow someone such as you, to be in
charge of an innocent child.

He goes on to say
that he is well aware of the laws that govern his non-return of the child.
However, his gravity of action is on a par with the level of his concern for
the wellbeing of his child.”

By the time
Delphine finished speaking; MacKenzie could see the varying looks of shock and
disbelief on the faces of all those gathered in the room. Another woman who had
just had her name sullied might have been humiliated by what the lawyer had
imparted, not her, MacKenzie was fighting mad.

“That S.O.B. is a
damn liar. I want my baby back, and I want her back now!” Pushing her chair
back from the table, MacKenzie sprang to her feet. “I’m done with his mess. I’m
going over there, and if I have to climb that damn wall that’s what I’m gonna
do. If he and his damn mother think I’m playing with them, they better watch
out!”

The sound of
laughter exploding around the room stopped MacKenzie’s forward momentum.
Spinning around she fixed Delphine with a death glare. “You think this is
funny? Lady, I don’t know you from a hole in the ground, but you can take your
laughter and stick it up–”

“MacKenzie, that’s
enough!”

“Enough for who,
Jake, you? Well, just so you know, I don’t give a shit what you think either!”

Catching her
friend just as she was about to open the door, Aviva caught her by the arm.
“MacKenzie, nobody, well I don’t know about her,” Aviva tossed her head in
Delphine’s direction, “believes a word of that rubbish. Rushing over there
isn’t going to help. Plus, if you go, I’m going to have to go with you, and
that’s going to cause all kinds of ruckus in this house.”

Knowing she was
being ridiculous, MacKenzie was still reluctant to take her seat. The deciding
factor was probably Jason’s rapt gaze on his wife. She knew Aviva was serious;
if she tried to leave the house, she would be right behind her. Jason, and
probably Jake wouldn’t let either of them get very far before all hell broke
loose. MacKenzie retook her seat. Only then did she remember that she had an
avid audience. Not wanting to, but knowing she must, she looked over at Jackson
and apologized for her language and behavior.

“Think nothing of
it, my dear. Given the same set of circumstances I’m sure any of us would react
in much the same way.”

The smile that
accompanied Jackson’s words went a long way to alleviating MacKenzie’s
embarrassment. Refusing to look in Jake’s direction, she instead fixed her eyes
on Delphine.

“So what happens
now?”

Taking her time to
respond, Delphine gave MacKenzie an almost motherly smile as she finished the
last remnants of her coffee. “Now you need to brace yourself for the fallout.”

Making her way to
the door, Delphine only stopped long enough to look over her shoulder and speak
to the room’s occupants who were watching her every move. “Oh, there’s more,
much more. Follow me.”

It was obvious to
MacKenzie that Delphine knew her way around the Kingdom’s house as she headed
directly for the family room. Once there, she switched on the TV, found the channel
she was looking for, and stepped back to allow everyone to see what was on the
screen.

Sitting on a sofa
in their living room, Carlos and his mother were giving an interview on a
popular music channel. As she listened, it seemed to MacKenzie that Carlos was
having difficulty maintaining his story. The more probing the question, the more
agitated he became. That was when his mother stepped in. Lorna Ernesto had no
such problem, as she filled in details at each and every lull in the interview.

To accompany the
interview, there were images of four different men leaving her apartment, one
of which was her brother. One of the men even gave an interview stating that
she had slept with him on the night of their first date. Whilst it was true,
she had dated him. They had only been in each other’s company twice. He had
turned out to be a bum who had asked her to lend him money on their second
date. She had never spoken to him again after that.

The other was an
old friend. They liked each other, and in the past, if he was in town and they
were both single, they would spend the night together. The last time he had
visited, she had been pregnant and he had spent the night at her home because
they had ended up chatting way into the night.

There was also an
image of Jake leaving her place in the early hours of the morning, jacket in
hand and looking more than a little pleased with himself.

When the interview
came to an end, everyone’s stillness was palpable.

Delphine switched
off the TV, and with raised eyebrows that all but disappeared under her bush of
hair, directed her question to MacKenzie. “So, freckles, what the hell did you
do to piss off that woman?”

Without a pause,
MacKenzie flung back a fighting statement. “Nothing yet, but I’m about to show
them pissed!”