CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jagger felt on edge as Justice picked up the groceries from her list. He wanted to tell her not to pick up too much in case they could go home soon, but that might give her false hope, and he didn’t want to do that to her. She seemed just as nervous as they made their way around the store. He chalked it up to her worrying about Wolf finding them again, but he also knew that something about her was just off.
“Um, I need to use the restroom,” Justice squeaked. She was eyeing him suspiciously, waiting for him to agree to let her go, and a part of him wanted to tell her no, or at least go with her, but he knew he was being ridiculous.
“Girl problems,” she dramatically whispered when he didn’t answer. “I need to pick up something on my way back. Can I have a few dollars?” Jagger cringed at her mention of having girl issues and handed her a twenty from his wallet.
“Get what you need and meet me in the dairy aisle when you’re done. I’ll finish our list and Justice—don’t be long.” She nodded and made her way over to the pharmacy, and alarm bells were ringing in his head. He shook it off, remembering that he trusted Justice. She had never really given him a reasonnot to. He wasn’t going to look for trouble where there wasn’t any; they already had enough going on without him borrowing more problems. Jagger finished shopping and hung out in the dairy section, waiting for Justice to finish up in the bathroom. He didn’t want to storm in there and demand to know if she was all right, but he was starting to get to that point. She was gone for fifteen minutes, and the panic that was settling into his gut was going to make him do something crazy like storm the ladies' room. He headed in the direction of the restrooms and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her round the corner, until he saw her face and realized she had been crying. He picked up his pace, leaving the cart behind. She reached for him, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Justice, honey, tell me what’s wrong.” A sob escaped her chest, and he snuggled her closer.
“I’m fine,” she cried. “I just get emotional when I get my monthly.” Jagger wasn’t sure if he believed her, but she wasn’t going to give him more. Judging from the look in her eyes, she had put her walls back up and was holding back from him. He wanted to demand that she tell him what the fuck was going on, but he knew that if he pushed Justice, she would retreat further into her shell. He sighed, “Let’s finish up and get out of here.” He pulled her along with him back to the cart. He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight again. One way or another, he’d find a way to get the truth out of her. They were going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting, and Justice was about to tell him what was going on. He was done trying to guess what was bothering his new wife.
Justice watched as the sparse landscape vanished into the horizon. It was late afternoon, and she felt like it was bedtime. Maybe that was a side effect of the pregnancy, but she had no clue. She was trying to remember everything Sunny went through, but right now her thoughts were so scattered she could barely remember her name. She took the test—twice. The pharmacy tech explained that they only sold tests in two packs, and she didn’t argue. She paid for the tests and ran to the restroom. When the first test came back positive, she knew she was pressing her luck taking time to take the second test, but she wanted to be sure. Two positives made her pretty sure she was fucked. She threw away the evidence and ran out of that bathroom and right into Jagger. She couldn’t help her tears, although she wondered if they were sad or happy. Justice already felt her instincts kicking in to protect her baby at all costs. But she was being silly. She knew she didn’t have to protect the baby from Jagger. Sure, he might not be thrilled about a kid being on the way, but eventually, he would come around. Or at least she hoped he would.
When they were about halfway home, Jag’s cell phone rang. He pushed the button to connect the call to the car and barked his hello. She could tell that he knew something was up, but she wasn’t ready to say the words out loud yet.
“Jag—we’ve got him.” Dean sounded like he was out of breath, and for a moment, Justice felt as though she was holding her own.
“Who?” Jagger barked back.
“Hobbs. We have Justice’s father, and he wants to talk.” Justice couldn’t help her gasp. She knew that sooner or later, they would catch her father. She just didn’t know how happy that would make her. The dam of emotions that she could usually hold at bay broke, and she was once again crying. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Justice. I didn’t know Jag had me on speaker,” Deangrowled. Justice knew that Dean would never do or say anything to hurt her, and honestly, his news shouldn’t have had that effect on her—but it did.
“That’s okay, Dean,” she sniffled. “I’m just a little shocked, is all. Is he really behind bars? He can’t hurt me anymore?” Her voice caught with her last words, and she wished she could get herself together. Jagger reached across the console and took her hand into his, pulling it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. The whole scene nearly broke her.
“You’re free, baby,” Jagger whispered. She could see the emotion in his eyes and knew that he was just as relieved as she was, maybe even more. He was under her father’s thumb, too, and she forgot that he and Jules had suffered as much as she had the past few months.
“We’re free,” she corrected. The thought of telling Jagger he was going to be a father played through her mind, but she quickly sobered at Dean’s voice coming through the sound system. For a moment, she forgot that they weren’t alone.
“I’m going down to the station to take your father’s statement myself, Justice. When he spills the details about Wolf, I will get my team ready to bring him in, too. I’d say you two are good to head back here whenever you are ready.” Jagger smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. They could find a new kind of normal together and build their lives without having to look back over their shoulders.
“Thanks for letting us know, Dean. We will leave the next day or so. I will find us a plane and plan our trip back. Keep me in the loop.” Jagger ended the call, and for the first time in weeks, Justice felt as if she could breathe. Being trapped with no end in sight and no way out made her panic. She questioned whether or not she made the right choice in marrying Jagger. But every time he looked at her, she knew that she had. He was who she wanted to be with, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her lifewith. She just hoped he would feel the same way when she told him about the baby.
It was now or never. Justice screwed up her courage and was about to just blurt it out when Jagger pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car. She worried they were being followed or worse, had been found by Wolf. Justice looked around as if trying to find the danger that made Jagger stop the SUV, but she found no one. There wasn’t another car in sight. He undid her seatbelt and pulled her across the center console to his lap, and she willingly let him, intrigued as to what he was about to tell her. He looked at her so intensely, as if he wanted to eat her up, causing her to shiver with anticipation.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asked. She felt confused and must have looked it. He chuckled and smoothed his thumb over her forehead and down her nose. “You always wrinkle the bridge of your nose when you are worried or confused, baby. It’s pretty fucking adorable,” he breathed and pulled her down for a kiss. “So, how about it, Justice? You want to let me take you out to a fancy dinner to celebrate the last night of our honeymoon?” Justice wasn’t sure how to answer him. Of course, she wanted to say yes, but the way he was touching and kissing her left her hormonal body hot and bothered. She didn’t want dinner—she wanted him.
“Yes,” she breathed, pulling her jacket off and her sweater over her head. She didn’t bother with a bra, and from the flare of his intense eyes, he liked that she didn’t.
“Want to tell me what you are thinking, honey?” Judging from the smirk on his face, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Well,” She straddled his lap, her full, bare breasts at just the right level for his warm mouth to suck her in. He let his teeth lightly graze her nipple, and she felt as if she was going to lose her mind. “I was thinking that since you are already stopped,we could have a little fun.” Jagger seemed to hesitate, and for a minute, she thought that he might turn her down.
“All right, baby. We can have some fun now. But you need to make me a promise that whatever it is you’re hiding from me, you will tell me at dinner tonight.” Justice didn’t want to think about the baby that was growing inside of her right now, but he deserved to know the truth. At least dinner was a few hours off, and she would have some time to get herself under control before having to blurt out the truth and risk possibly losing Jagger for good.
Justice stilled in his lap, and he could tell she was weighing whether or not she wanted to take his deal. He could tell by the heat of her core that she wanted him, but he needed to break down a few of her defenses. If he had to use sex to do that, he would. He waited for her out, careful to keep his hands off her until she agreed to his terms. Justice gave a curt nod.
“I’ll tell you everything at dinner. Please just love me now, Jagger.” He never wanted her to beg for that— it wasn’t something he could turn on and off. He loved her, and it was as simple as breathing air in and out. He allowed her to tug his shirt up over his head and loved the way her small hands roamed his body. Every time Justice touched him, he felt it down in his soul. It was as if she were made just for him, and he was so grateful that he found her.
“I need you so fucking much, baby,” he growled. He didn’t care that he sounded needy—she made him that way. The way they responded to each other was honest and beautiful.
“I feel the same way, Jag,” she whispered, unzipping his jeans and dipping her hands into his boxers. He sucked in his breathas she wrapped her slight hands around his erection and stroked it up and down. He groaned and thrust shamelessly into her palms.
“Yes, baby, just like that,” he said. He couldn’t wait to be inside her—his primal urge to take her consumed him. He pulled her leggings down her body, helping her to balance as he shimmied them off her, leaving her bare.
“Now you,” she breathlessly offered. She straddled his body, pulled his jeans and boxers down his thighs, and seated herself onto his throbbing cock, letting him sink into her body. Fuck, she felt so good. This was the way they communicated. He knew that sooner or later, they would have to talk about what was bothering her, but for now, he knew her body, mind, and soul.
“Move for me, baby,” he whispered. Justice started to ride him as he ran his hands over her body. He grabbed her luscious ass, spreading her further over his dick, and helped her slide up and down his cock. She let him take over, and the thought of Justice giving him any of her control nearly did him in. Jagger watched as she rode out her climax, shouting his name and collapsing on top of him. He wasn’t done with her, though, and with just a few more pumps into her body, he found his release. Jagger pulled her tighter against his chest and wrapped her in his arms.
