Sure enough he has that intense look on his face when he sees Ainslee’s fair skin splotchy from her emotions. I leave them to their moment in search for my other half. I find him getting dressed and he looks almost delicious. Leave it to Jagger to wear all black on a beach outing.
“Is this for me or are you going somewhere?”
He turns to me and smiles. I breathe slowly, trying to reconcile the feeling of having my breath taken away. I should be used to seeing him but maybe it’s the unfiltered love in his eyes.
“Dance with me,” he requests and puts his hand out for me.
I take his hand and allow him to pull me close although there’s no music playing. We sway for a bit until I giggle and point it out.
“Where’s the music?”
He spins me as he hums then starts to sing once I wrap my arms around his neck. I’m struck in awe at the fact that he can sing. I know Bowie the rockstar is his cousin, but I just didn’t take him seriously when he said his family is musical.
Jagger is singing the chorus by the time my brain catches the song.Stayby Rihanna. I smile like an idiot as he sings Mikky Ekko’s part. I didn’t expect the emotions that being serenaded pulls forward, but I have tears in my eyes by the time he gets to the part they sing together. It’s something raw in the way he sings it that goes beyond him providing music for our dance and I am just wrapped in so much love it hurts.
It’s not painful loving Jagger, but the harder I love the more overwhelming the fear of losing him becomes. I was so scared when he almost got killed yet now it would be devastating. It’s terrifying.
Jagger continues signing but uses his thumbs to wipe my tears. He smiles at me like he knows. I kiss him when he’s done and while we’ve kissed a thousand times, this one feels new. I’m treated to the tenderness he reserves for special moments.
“I’m not going anywhere, Karebear, except for drinks,” he jokes.
I scoff at his joke but pull him into a deeper kiss. Jagger takes over, providing the roughness necessary to take my mind off my bleeding heart. He pushes me to the wall, intent on devouring me but Oran calls out to him.
He drops his forehead against mine and sighs. “I’ll hold you to that thought, Sweet Baby. Probably all night.”
He’s off without looking back and I swear I swoon like a damn fangirl.
I follow out a few minutes later to find he and Oran gone with only the scent of their cologne lingering in the air. Who told them to go get friends? I stare at the puzzle Oran is finishing but decide to leave it alone since I’m not sure if he’d try to kill me for touching it.
Opting to watch television until Ainslee surfaces, I flip through some channels for something light and cheesy. I don’t get far by the time the little ball of energy shows up talking about throwing knives and drinking. If anyone else would have suggested getting drunk while throwing knives, I would have run the opposite direction but I trust Ainslee.
Besides, I think it’d be really cool to learn. I mean I don’t have a lot of badass traits but it doesn’t mean I can’t pick one up along the way. After making margaritas and mojitos we head outside for the lesson despite me not seeing a target or knives.
She says Mikonos' name and he appears out of nowhere a couple of minutes later. If anyone ever found danger sexy he would be the package. He’s a giant yet stealth and sexy. He’s wearing a linen outfit and his hair is pulled out of his face into a bun.
“How did he hear you when he’s not in the house?” I ask Ainslee, surprised.
Mikonos smirks as he moves closer and winks at Ainslee which causes her to roll her eyes. I’m stuck in his gaze because I don’t think he’s ever forced his attention on me yet his words slay me.
“I hear everything, Sweet Baby.”
I choke a little then chug my drink. With everything the four of us have been through, I thought I was beyond being caught by surprise. For him to know my nickname, it means he’s heard or seen Jagger and I go at it at least once.
The embarrassment falls away when he begins taking knives off his person that I would’ve never seen otherwise. The Bishops are full of tricks for sure.
After the first round of throwing knives with precision, I ran into the house to get my phone. It’s cool as hell and I need to record it. My sisters are not going to believe me otherwise. I record Ainslee’s target practice with an orange that Mikonos is holding while texting. Their trust in each other’s abilities is amazing.
She promised to teach me later so we moved on to a makeup tutorial she needs to finish. She has to straighten her hair first so I accompanied her to the room and am snooping through her stash.
“How do you keep up with all this stuff? I get the posting schedule; I’m talking about the products. Damn there are a lot of types of makeup.”
I look up to find Ainslee watching me possibly waiting for a moment to speak.
“Sorry,” I laugh. “I sometimes ramble when I’ve had a lot to drink.”
“Good to know,” she tells me. “It’s nice though. You’re usually so poised and in control. That’s something that comes natural for you. It’s fun getting a little wild.”
“I’m finding that out. Jagger lives for the wild. There are things that would have mortified me a year ago that just are like everyday life now.”
