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"We'll do it another night."

"Yeah?"

"Promise," he says, and slides his arm around my waist. He grabs the bottled leftover wine, and leads me through the restaurant, into the chilly night air, and to the truck. He opens my door, and I climb inside. Within seconds, he's sitting next to me and starting the engine.

The drive back is quiet in a good way. My head rests against the window. His hand stays wrapped around mine on the console. The radio plays low enough to be background noise rather than a distraction. Every mile that passes, my eyelids grow heavier, the day's exhaustion finally catching up with me now that the adrenaline of the date has nothing left to burn through.

"You can sleep," Jagger says, glancing over. "I'll wake you when we're close."

"I'm fine."

"You're swaying."

"I'm resting my eyes." I crack one open to glare at him, and he laughs, low and warm, squeezing my hand before returning his attention to the road. I don't actually fall asleep, though I get closer than I'd like to admit, lulled by the hum of the engine and the steady weight of his hand around mine. By the time the Butterfly House comes into view, I've nearly dozed off twice.

Jagger cuts the engine but doesn't reach for his door right away, glancing toward the front window.

Mama's shape moves behind the curtain, unmistakably her pretending she wasn't watching for headlights.

"Your mama's waiting up for you," he says, mouth curving.

"Some things never change."

"Or maybe she's grabbing the frying pan to swat me over the head," he teases.

I sleepily laugh.

He glances at the window, then me. He gets out of the truck, comes around, and opens the door.

The minute my feet hit the ground, he cages his body around mine. My back hits the truck, and my insides light up.

He tucks a loose curl behind my ear and slowly kisses me, exploring my mouth and pressing closer.

Heat floods me. His erection hits my stomach. His tongue moves faster, and I grasp his shirt, whimpering. My knees buckle, and his other hand grips my ass cheek.

He slightly pulls back and murmurs, "I want you in my bed, Lainey. The one in my home."

I swallow hard and open my mouth.

He kisses me before I can answer. We kiss for a few minutes, then he abruptly pulls away.

I've forgotten entirely about being tired.

"That's in case I don't get another chance tonight."

My lips twitch. "Smart man."

He grabs the wine and leads me to the porch. "Can I come say good night to Charlie before I head out?"

My heart warms further. "Of course."

We step inside. Mama's got Charlie propped against her shoulder in the rocking chair, humming a lullaby low and off-key. She glances up at us with an expression that's trying hard to be neutral and mostly failing. She raises her eyebrows and asks, "Well?"

"Jagger took me on a wonderful date, Mama."

He crosses the room before either of us can say more, crouching down beside the rocking chair. Charlie blinks up at him with the same drowsy, unfocused look she gets right before she drops off completely.

"Hey, peanut." His voice drops softly. He brushes a knuckle gently against her cheek. "Did you give your grandma a hard time tonight?"