She was starting to put every sordid, ugly detail from her past behind her and try to find a way forward in Harvest Ridge. She was even feeling brave enough to chance a few secret trips back home to Goose Creek to visit her granny. God, she wished she could call her grandmother, but Jagger made her promise that she wouldn’t. He didn’t offer to give her cell phone back, saying that if she contacted anyone from Harvest Ridge or her grandmother, it would put them both at risk. She knew he was right, but she still ached to hear her grandmother’s voice and tell all her friends that she was all right. She also knew that dragging any of her friends or Granny Norma into her problems would only put them all in danger and wouldn’t end well for heror Jagger’s sister. The knock at her door startled her from her thoughts, and she jumped.
“Come in,” she croaked. Jagger held his finger to his mouth, holding up his cell. Her father’s name was flashing on the screen, and she nodded, knowing exactly what Jagger wanted from her—silent support. Jagger swiped the screen and answered the call, putting her father on speaker.
“Well, how did you two fare last night. I take it my daughter didn’t give you too much trouble.” Her father’s voice sounded bright and chipper, and she wanted to scream. She balled her hands into fists, trying to control the anger that he naturally brought out in her.
“Your daughter is fine. What’s the news?” Jagger barked. Her father sighed as if upset that Jagger didn’t want to exchange witty banter.
“I’m just making sure you are keeping up your end of the bargain. I’d hate to see anything happen to pretty little Jules.” Her father was baiting Jagger, and Justice shook her head, hoping he’d listen to her and not take the bait.
“I’m waiting for your instructions and doing exactly what you’ve asked. So, keep your fucking hands off of my sister,” Jagger growled. Justice felt the hair on her arms stand on end at the sound of her father’s laugh. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he loved every minute of toying with Jagger.
“Just remember to do the same with my daughter. I’d hate to deliver used goods to Mr. Wolf. He’s expecting my little princess to be pure as the driven snow if you get my drift.” Justice felt her face heat as Jagger looked her up and down.
“She’s twenty-three years old, Hobbs. You honestly think that ship hasn’t sailed?” Justice didn’t know if she wanted to punch him or hide under her bed. They were not seriously having a conversation about the status of her virginity. Jagger winked at her, and she rolled her eyes. Yep, she wanted to hideunder her bed—after she punched him. What he didn’t know was that her father was spot on, but that was none of either of their business.
“I still have no word on when you will be able to bring her to me,” her father said, thankfully changing the topic. “I will be in touch. Just lay low and stay out of the public eye as much as possible. I’m assuming that you are close to Goose Creek?” Her father’s question was another trap. She knew he was fishing for information about where they were hiding. He probably had his men scouring the area, trying to find them, and when they had no luck, he decided to call Jagger to find out where he stashed her.
Jagger’s smile was mean. “We are close enough. You just tell me when and where, and we will be there. I want to know that my sister is still all right.” Jagger’s phone chimed with a text. He opened it to see his sister holding her cell phone with today’s date and time. Justice studied the picture of Jules. She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and green eyes that reminded her of Jag’s. She looked a lot like her older brother, right down to the worry and sadness in her eyes. Justice felt bad for Jules; she even felt somewhat responsible for what she was going through. Jules was just another pawn in her father’s game to get what he wanted from her. Hopelessness was a bitch to shake, and Justice worried that the game would never end—she would never break free from her father. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. James. Just sit tight and do your job.” Jagger ended the call and turned away from Justice. For a moment, she was sure he was going to leave the room, and her heart sank. She was hoping to ask if he and Dean were able to come up with a better plan, one that didn’t involve her agreeing to exchange vows with the sexy man who stood before her.
“I’m so sorry, Jag,” she whispered, reaching out her hand to gently touch his shoulder. His muscles bunched under her palm,and she took a step back from him, believing he needed time. Jagger quickly turned and pulled her into his arms. Justice liked the way he wasn’t gentle with her—it felt raw and right, in the moment. She knew Jagger had to be pissed off, and the way he held her against his body, she could feel every angry inch of him.
“This isn’t your fault, Justice. My sister decided to work for your father, and I decided to kidnap you. You were free from him, and I was the one to drag you back into this mess, and I’m so sorry, honey.” He pulled her up against his body and sealed his mouth over hers before she could get one word out. She would have protested, told him that she could end all of this if she just turned herself over to her father and gave Jordan Wolf what he wanted. But judging by the way Jagger was kissing her, it would have all been said in vain because there was no way he was going to let her go. Justice pushed at Jagger’s chest, not moving him. But he took the hint and stopped kissing her, leaving her panting for air and God help her, wanting more.
“Sorry,” he whispered. She couldn’t help her smile, knowing that he wasn’t.
“Liar,” she breathed. His return smile told her that she was dead on. Jagger was a bad idea, and the sooner she got that through her head—and his, for that matter, the better off they would both be. “Jag—we can’t, I can’t.” He shook his head at her, and she knew he was going to give her an argument. “Please just try to understand. I want to help you, but I don’t know if I can. How can I give my father what he wants? That would mean that he wins, and I spend the rest of my life with a man who wants to control my every move. I won’t live that way.”
“I’m pretty sure neither your father nor Wolf has any idea what they are getting into with you. You don’t strike me as a woman who would be easily controlled by anyone.” Jagger tucked a strand of her dark hair back from her face. She stopped his hand, taking it into hers, but not releasing it. “My fatherknows more about me than you’d think, Jag. He was right about a few things. For one, I was half crazy after my mother died. Don’t get me wrong—I wasn’t clinically insane as he tried to paint me, but still crazy enough to rebel.” Jagger’s body went rigid, and she worried she shared too much about herself.
“What else was he right about, Justice?” Jagger pulled her hand up to his lips, gently kissing each of her knuckles, and her damn knees felt weak. She felt every kiss down in her core, and she gasped, surprised at her response to him. When he kissed and touched her, she lost the ability to think straight, and she needed every ounce of sanity she still possessed.
“Wh—what?” she stuttered, realizing what he was asking her. Jagger wanted to know if she was as pure as Jordan Wolf hoped she was. The thought of having to tell Jagger she was a virgin made her inwardly cringe.
“Are you a virgin, Justice? Your father seems to think that you are.” Justice felt defiant to his question. She raised her chin and stared him down as if daring him to push her for an answer. “Well,” she spat, “I don’t think that is my father’s business.” Jagger smiled down at her, framing her face with his big hands, giving her no escape.
“Is it any of my business, Justice?” She wanted to tell him no, but the way he looked at her as if he was trying to see through to her very soul made her only want to give him the truth.
“No,” she lied. He stared her down, waiting her to for the truth, and she hated that after just spending the better part of twenty-four hours together, he seemed to already know when she was lying. “Fine—yes.” She pulled her hands away from him, which was easy to do given his stunned reaction. He covered his face with his hands, running his fingers back through his already unruly hair.
“Fuck,” he moaned. He sounded so tormented that she almost wanted to laugh.
“I don’t see why you are so upset by my lack of sexual activity, Jag. It doesn’t even concern you.” A flash of anger shot across his features, and he quickly tamped down his temper. She found it interesting that she affected him as much as he did her. Jag took a step closer to her and rested his hand on her waist, brushing over the bare skin there.
“How about if I want it to be my business, Justice? I want you to be my business. Fuck, I wish I could explain this better, and it would make things a whole fucking lot easier if I hadn’t just kidnapped you yesterday, but every time I touch you, I feel like I’ve just breathed for the first time. Every time I kiss you, I feel like you’ve brought me back to life. You make me feel things I haven’t felt for a very long time, Justice, and I’m just trying to figure this all out.” Justice took a step towards him, closing the gap between them, and placed her hands on his chest. She loved the feel of his hard muscles under her fingers, even letting them flex a little to get an extra feel. His breath hitched, and she took one more step towards him, effectively closing any remaining space between the two of them.
“So, what happens now?” She wasn’t sure if she was talking to her father or about what was happening between the two of them. Either way, they needed to find a way forward.
“Tell me you feel this too,” Jagger whispered. Justice hesitated, deciding whether she wanted to admit to every crazy spark that she felt between the two of them since the moment she saw him in the alley. How could she be so attracted to a man who was a stranger to her? A man who took her away from her home and the people she loved, and up until last night, she thought meant to do her harm? She didn’t care anymore. She was done trying to follow the rules, done playing everyone else’s game. She wanted Jagger, and it was time to grab life with both hands and enjoy the ride.
“I feel it too, Jag,” she whispered. That seemed to be the green light he was waiting for, and he pulled her up against his hard form so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Every cell in her body seemed to come roaring to life, and she didn’t know if she wanted to yell for him to stop or to keep going. “I’ve never done anything like this, Jagger. My father made sure I lived a sheltered life.” He nodded, wrapping his arms around her as he made his way across the room to lay her on her bed, covering her with his own body.
“We won’t do anything you don’t want to, honey. You tell me what you like and don’t like—can you do that?” Jagger watched her, and she could see he was straining to keep a tight leash on his control. She didn’t want him to hold any of himself back from her; she wanted everything from him—all of him.
“I can do that, Jag, but I need you—all of you. Don’t hold back from me. Show me how good this can be.” Jagger swallowed hard and smiled down at her.
“Okay, honey.” He kissed her mouth as if he wanted to consume her, and honestly, she felt the same way. Every touch, every kiss, scorched her soul, leaving her wanting so much more from him. “Be sure, Justice,” he moaned, kissing his way down her neck. “Because once we do this, there will be no going back. You’ll be mine.” Justice shivered with the anticipation of being his, completely his in every way.
“I’m sure, Jag. I want you, all of you. Make me yours.” He groaned and pulled her shirt up over her head, revealing her bare breasts. She almost wanted to cover herself, but Jagger held her hands to her sides, pinning them with his own.
