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  Jackson’s Rise

  Tielle St. Clare

  Sequel to Maxwell’s Fall.

  Jackson has always been the brother in the background, but when his mate is threatened, he rises to the occasion.

  When a phone call sends Jackson to Las Vegas to check on his brother, he’s not overly surprised to find Max gone. Jackson’s big surprise is waking up with a gorgeous naked Vegas showgirl on top of him.

  Dani can’t believe the hot, hung stud in bed with her isn’t her soon-to-be-ex fiancé, Max. But soon the truth appears. They might look alike but Jackson’s quiet strength is polar opposite to his playboy brother. It appears she’s been sleeping with the wrong brother all this time…

  When Reign, a Cat Shapeshifter, shows up needing Dani’s help to trap a killer, Jackson’s protective instincts kick in. The Cat community is dangerous to outsiders. To guard Dani, Jackson must become Reign’s lover. Though he’s never been with another man, Jackson will do whatever it takes to protect his mate.

  Note: Though it’s not necessary to read Maxwell’s Fall first, you’ll love both books more if you read them together. And do you really want to miss out on Max’s story?

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Jackson’s Rise

  ISBN 9781419922985

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Jackson’s Rise Copyright © 2009 Tielle St. Clare

  Edited by Briana St. James

  Photography and cover art by Les Byerley

  Electronic book publication October 2009

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Jackson’s Rise

  Tielle St. Clare

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Scooby-Doo: Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc

  Tanqueray: Diageo Brands B.V. Private Limited Company

  Prologue

  “Ballroom full of people—designers, models, me and a few other photographers and of course, the press.”

  Jackson kicked his feet onto the end of his couch and relaxed. Holding the phone to his ear, he listened to his brother Max set the stage for his latest adventure.

  “I’d been dodging her all night. Did not want to deal with her. She finally catches me.”

  Jackson made a noise, just to let Max know he was listening.

  “You know me. I don’t want to cause a scene.”

  The sentiment clogged Jackson’s throat and he coughed. If Max heard it, he ignored the sound.

  “I’m trying to be polite, trying to get her to just move on but damn, whatever I said, it was the wrong thing. She just snapped.”

  Jackson laughed, the sound almost a sob, anticipating the punch line but knowing this wasn’t going to be good. “What happened?”

  “She grabs the front of her very expensive designer dress and yanks. Rips the thing in half. Glitter’s flying everywhere. She pulls back the edges and screams ‘Are my tits too small? Is that why you won’t fuck me’?”

  “You’re kidding.” How did Max manage to get into these situations?

  “No lie.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I looked at her tits. What else was I going to do?”

  “And…” he prompted—because there was more to the story. There always was with Max.

  “She’s right. They’re a bit on the small side.”

  Jackson covered his eyes with his forearm. “Tell me you didn’t say that.”

  “No. I said, ‘Lady, it’s not your tits that are too small, it’s your IQ.’”

  He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For all that Max was the charming twin, his mouth got him in trouble.

  “Max, you didn’t.”

  “Yeah, it just kind of slipped out. But she only got in one good punch before I escaped.”

  “She hit you?” Jackson sat up. Every defensive instinct he had tore through his muscles. Logically he knew Max was more than capable of protecting himself against one practically anorexic model. But that didn’t silence the wolf. The creature snarled inside his head, ready to face any threat to its pack mate.

  “Don’t worry.” Max paused. Made him wait for it. “She hits like a girl.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t let our sisters hear you say that.” Bridget and Kiki were small but damn, they were fierce.

  “God no,” Max said.

  The image of Max standing in a crowded room with a naked woman taking a swing at him wouldn’t leave Jackson’s head.

  “So uh, what happened to her, standing there, you know, topless?”

  “Ah, it’s Vegas, baby. Topless women aren’t that unusual.”

  And how his brother had ended up in Vegas while Jackson exiled himself to Alaska was still a mystery to the family. Everyone assumed—including Jackson—that he and Max would end up at least in the same state if not living next door to each other. He missed his family—Max in particular—like hell.

  “Only you, Max. This kind of shit only happens to you,” he said, taking a sip of his gin and tonic, the bite of alcohol a comforting burn in his throat.

  “I don’t know why. It wasn’t like I egged this girl on.”

  In his mind, Jackson could see the confusion on his twin’s face, lines crinkled around his blue eyes, the little grimace, shoulders shrugged.

  “Mom always said you just fall into trouble.”

  “And you rise above it.”

  Their matching laughs combined in the phone lines and Jackson resettled on the couch.

  “So what’s going on with you?” Max asked. The tone of Max’s question came across too casual, alerting Jackson he hadn’t done as good a job as he’d hoped in hiding his stress.

  He sighed. If anyone was going to notice, it would be Max.

  “Nothing much.”

  “Jax.” With one word his brother managed to communicate the perfect warning—he wasn’t going to let this go.

  But Jackson couldn’t reveal what he didn’t know. Yes, he was vaguely discontented, some kind of lingering ache that wouldn’t leave but he couldn’t pinpoint the source. Whining about it wasn’t going to help.

  “Max, I’m fine. Just helping out a friend on a project.” It was a little more than that but he wasn’t quite ready to share with the family. “It’s nothing big.” Just a game of cops and robbers—with real bad guys.

  He hoped that would put his brother off but knew better. Once Max had his teeth into something, he didn’t let go. He was more pit bull than wolf. Unless Jackson could redirect him.

&n
bsp; “How’s Dani?” Jackson asked, hoping the topic of Max’s gorgeous, showgirl fiancée would be a distraction. At least Jackson assumed she was gorgeous. He’d never seen her but Max didn’t date plain women.

  He waited, expecting his brother to launch into their latest plans, like maybe picking a date. They’d only been engaged a few weeks but already their mother was asking if he knew when the wedding would be.

  “Uh, fine.”

  The response echoed hollow across the phone.

  “Doesn’t sound fine.”

  “No, she’s good. Really.” False energy infused his words making Jackson’s teeth ache. Something was going on. That was the problem with the phone. He couldn’t look at his brother. Couldn’t read his eyes. He needed to see Max. The wolf inside him rumbled its agreement.

  He thought about the next time he would see Max face-to-face. Their brother’s wedding a month away.

  “When are you heading to Mik’s wedding?” Max asked as if he’d heard Jackson’s thoughts. “Dad called tonight and asked when we were arriving.”

  Jackson groaned. He loved his family—he really did—but spending concentrated time with them and at a wedding no less—he wasn’t looking forward to it. His father would start in on him about moving back. Mom would turn her attention to him now that Mikhel was getting married and Max was engaged. “The Thursday before,” Jax said. The wedding was on Saturday. He could leave on Sunday and be back at the office on Monday.

  “Cool, that’s when I’ll arrive as well. You bringing a date?”

  “Right.” Jackson laughed. The only woman he could even think to bring was Mandy and that had disaster written all over it. “None of the women I know would exactly blend with our family. You bringing Dani?”

  He wanted to meet this woman. Wanted to see if she was good enough for his brother. “Probably not. She’s got a new show starting. Bad time for her to be gone. Listen, I’d better go.”

  Hmm, Max really didn’t want to talk about Dani.

  “Yeah. Have a good night,” he said, letting his brother escape.

  “You too, Brother.”

  He hung up the phone and sighed. Max didn’t sound right. Didn’t sound happy. But there was no way to pry it out of him on the phone.

  He looked around his living room, his eyes not really seeing tidy bookshelves or light brown carpet. He mentally flipped through his calendar. Nothing much coming up. He could take a few days. Not letting his natural common sense interfere, he walked upstairs to the room he used for his office and flipped on his computer. A few key strokes and he had a flight to Vegas.

  Chapter One

  Jackson slung his carryon over his left shoulder and reached for his phone as he walked through the Vegas airport. Busy didn’t even begin to describe the overwhelming press of people and bodies and things. His wolf snarled its discontent. After three years in Alaska, these infrequent visits to the Lower 48 stressed his wolf. And him. He’d grown used to a little distance between him and his neighbor.

  He dug into one pocket, came up empty and reached into the other. Nothing. Lugging his carryon forward, he patted the outside pouches. None revealed the hard case of his phone. Damn, he’d left it at home. He sighed, almost able to picture it sitting on his kitchen counter. Only a few people called that number anyway. His clients called the office and he’d be able to retrieve messages. Thankfully it wasn’t tax season so he had few clients in crisis.

  A woman bumped into him and he stepped out of the way, into the path of an oncoming gaggle of young women, all talking and laughing. A few eyed him with interest as they split and moved in a wave around him. One even winked. He ignored it and focused on the tense wolf pacing inside his brain.

  The animal’s flight instincts sent ripples of panic through his muscles. He clamped down on the impulses. Letting the wolf lead now would be a bad idea. His gum line ached, his teeth strained to plunge down. He took a deep breath and blocked out the turmoil. He mentally petted his wolf, silently assuring the animal it was safe.

  Everyone in his family had their method of containing or calming their wolf. Max locked his in a mental cage. He’d found a different method. He tended to pet and soothe, almost bargain with his wolf. If he tried to lock the animal away, it just became more determined to gain its freedom. He’d lived through that once before. Never again. Control was his only option.

  He avoided the crowd and moved straight to the taxi stand, knowing the fresh air would soothe his wolf and avoiding the crowd converging on baggage claim. Fumes and whistles clogged the “fresh” air he’d been seeking, noises and smells foreign to his wolf. The animal voiced its protest but the panic was gone.

  Jackson sped through the taxi line. He considered renting a car, but decided against it. Max didn’t mind driving him around. And he was here to see his twin.

  Plus—he grimaced as he climbed into the taxi and gave the address for Max’s apartment—he was directionally challenged. He routinely got lost in a city a quarter of the size of Las Vegas.

  The taxi driver turned out of the airport and headed away from the Strip. Jackson stared out the window. Even without the gaudiness of Las Vegas Boulevard, much of the town was lit up with neon and way too much light. The driver turned into a quieter neighborhood, dropped him off in front of Max’s building and left.

  He took a deep breath, letting the scent of warmed flowers sink into his lungs, clearing out the fumes and rank human smells left behind in the taxi.

  He glanced at the parking lot. Max’s car sat two spaces down, front row. That didn’t mean much. Finding Max home at eight o’clock on any night was unlikely. He was probably off with the lovely Dani.

  Despite his brother’s assurances that she was the perfect woman, Jackson wanted to meet her, see if she was the right woman for his brother. Not that he doubted Max’s judgment but sometimes he was swayed by large breasts and a tight ass and wasn’t overly concerned with the woman’s ability to hold a conversation. That was fine for a few nights or even a few months but not the rest of his life. And if Max brought a bimbo home, Mikhel and their sisters would brutalize him. They’d be nice to Dani but they’d hassle Max endlessly.

  Better that Jackson check her out now.

  He hefted his bag over his shoulder and went inside the main building, following the short hall to Max’s apartment. He knocked on the door and waited. No answer. He wished again for his phone. Max obsessed about having his cell on him. The only time he didn’t answer his phone was when he was in bed with a woman.

  Jackson tapped on the door again but didn’t hear anything coming from the other side. Okay, so the likelihood you’ll interrupt your brother while he’s actually having sex is slim. It’s too early for Max to be home.

  With that logic, Jackson pulled out the key ring Max had sent him. It didn’t matter that they lived more than a thousand air miles apart, they still swapped keys. Max said if anything ever happened to him, he wanted Jackson to be the one to clean out his place. Hide any embarrassing photos or videos before Mom saw them.

  The memory made him smile. He doubted his brother had made any sex videos but with Max, it was hard to say.

  Jackson stuck the key into the lock and turned it, knocking as he opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Max? You around?” Again no answer. He walked into the living room and listened upstairs. Nothing.

  He scanned the living room. Max hadn’t inherited their mother’s need to tidy like Jackson had. It wasn’t dirty or cluttered. There were just bits and pieces he felt compelled to put away. An orderly world helped manage the wolf inside him.

  Today’s newspaper was tossed unread on the recliner. He walked into the kitchen. Small. But then Max didn’t like to cook. They’d eaten out whenever he visited. Not that he was much better but he at least tried to eat a meal in his house a few times a week.

  He grabbed the wireless phone and dialed his brother’s cell. It went straight to voice mail. Max’s message finished and the beep pierced Jackson’s ear.


  “Max, where are you at? Listen, I left my cell at home and I’m, uh, out of town so I’ll have to call you. Step away from the woman and pick up the phone next time. Talk to you later, Brother.” Jackson winced as he hung up the phone. Max wasn’t with “a woman”. He was with Dani. The distinction was clear. Dani was his fiancée and not just a random hookup. He had to get used to the idea that Max was part of a couple.

  While I’m still alone.

  Oh, good. Self-pity. Just what I need. He sighed. He’d assumed he’d be the first to get married. It seemed unlikely that Max would ever settle down. Jackson, however, was the settling down type of guy. Just ask any of his friends or past girlfriends. They’d called it being stable or solid. Boring was another word many of them used. He pushed the thoughts aside. Didn’t do him any good to dwell on it.

  “Might as well make myself at home,” he announced to the empty room.

  He carried his bag upstairs and dropped it into the second bedroom. Nice apartment. Lots of room.

  Jackson glanced into his brother’s bedroom just to make sure Max wasn’t passed out on the bed. Empty. He headed back downstairs, hopeful there was something edible in his brother’s kitchen.

  * * * * *

  Dinner turned out to be a frozen pizza and the gin Max stashed in his cupboard for when Jackson visited. At about eleven, he trudged upstairs, made up the couch in Max’s spare room, stripped off his clothes and stretched out on the cool sheets. He hadn’t heard from his brother but he wasn’t worried. Max was likely out with his woman, spending the night at her place. They’d meet up in the morning. If Max didn’t show up by then, he’d call him again.

  Jackson stared up at the ceiling, his mind surprisingly quiet. Maybe he’d just needed to get away. A few days of playing in Vegas with his twin would probably set him right, get rid of the weird, low level hum in his head. The vague sense that something was missing. If he were female, he’d think it was his biological clock ticking but that was unlikely. Werewolves came into their maturity a little late. He still had plenty of time to find a mate and have puppies, if he wanted them. Wasn’t sure about that.