19. Winning You Back
CHAPTER 19
WINNING YOU BACK
JAGGER
I haven’t been in such high spirits for weeks.
As I knock on Bay’s door, I say a silent prayer that this goes the way I hope.
Since my track record with Bay lately has been less than stellar, I ran my idea by Cole and Ryker before I did anything. Their approval goes a long way to settle my nerves.
“Hey,” she says softly, opening the door just enough that I can admire her simple outfit.
Bay looks perfect no matter what she wears, but I prefer her just like this. Comfortable in a short denim skirt and an oversized Zeta Theta Beta sweater that falls off one smooth, white shoulder.
Her hair is loose in natural waves that tumble down her back like a golden curtain, rather than in her signature ponytail.
“Jagger? Is there anything I can help you with, or were you just saying hi?”
Oh, right. Fuck. I was so busy admiring her that I just stood there like a speechless idiot. “Hmm, yes. I mean, no. No, I wanted to talk to you about something, and I was hoping I could come in for a second.”
Jeez. I’ve never been so tongue tied in front of a woman. The way my heart picks up its pace and this unusual lightheadedness takes me totally by surprise.
She hesitates. Not long enough to become embarrassing, but definitely enough that I notice.
The tension in her shoulders eases just a fraction when she makes up her mind. “I was studying for a midterm, but you can come in for a minute.”
I’ll take it.
It has been just a couple of weeks since I last was in this room, but I take in the subtle changes that Bay made to it since moving in.
She replaced the dark curtains and bedding Topher used to favor with pastel colors paired with gray and white. An area rug and a myriad of colorful cushions lend a pop of color to the otherwise austere room.
“How have you been?” I ask as my nerves kick up a few notches.
Bay’s eyes land on the laptop open on her desk. A blonde brow arched at my attempt at small talk. “I was practicing for the theory part of my Advanced Organic Chem class.”
The message is clear. She’s being nice by not turning me away, but she’s busy.
I inhale a fortifying breath, steadying myself to tell her what I came here to say. “Remember you told me how the insurance refused to pay the premium for the Zeta house and you had no luck looking for sponsors?”
Maybe this wasn’t the right way to start this conversation.
The tension in her shoulders is back, her jaw grinding at my words.
“How could I forget? I haven’t broken the news to my sisters yet, but I don’t know how long I can put it off. We’re totally out of options. I’d understand if they wanted to oust me as president once I tell them how completely I failed them.”
“I’m glad you didn’t talk to them yet,” I open the case of my tablet, bringing up the email I came here to show her. “I hope you don’t mind, Bay, but I took the liberty to talk to my dad about your predicament.”
Her shrug is cautious. “I can’t control what you say to whom. Soon enough, everyone on campus will know that the Star Cove Zeta Theta Beta chapter is going to close at the end of this academic year. Maybe sooner, the Dean has the power to shut us down any time if we don’t have a house on campus and there are no plans to rebuild.”
I nod, my eyes going to the king sized bed in the middle of the room. “Can we sit down? So I can show you this?”
Another bout of hesitation. “Sure.”
It’s impossible to miss the fact that she sits two feet away from me. Small steps, I guess. I should be happy she didn’t slam the door in my face.
“How much do you know about Connelly Tech?” I ask.
Bay relays information that’s easily available on the internet. “Your great grandfather started the company almost sixty years ago. They built computers when they were these huge things that took an entire room. The company grew steadily thanks to several government contracts until it branched out to personal computers at the end of the seventies and eighties. They still build computers, tablets and phones. They also have a robotic division that has produced cutting-edge technology for the medical and engineering fields. It looks like the software division is the driving force behind your family's company success.”
Hearing that from Bay’s lips should make me appreciate how fortunate I am to be born with this huge, exciting legacy. Why is it then that I’m not excited about hanging up my skates after graduation to fully embrace that legacy?
I push those thoughts out of my mind. I’m not here to discuss my career options and the family’s expectations that have been weighing on my shoulders since the day I was born.
“That’s correct,” I smile. “A very little known fact though is that Connelly Tech has an exciting new branch. It was born as a part of the robotic division, but it’s growing faster than ever in the last two years. The new branch will bring robotic intelligence and integrations into every aspect of our everyday lives. Think about the vacuum robots, lawn mowing robots, thermo-chef cookers and expand it to anything you can think about. Our new houses will be entirely automated, controlled by an app on your phone. A lot of appliances already offer these options, but this goes further.”
I show her the photo gallery Dad sent me last night. “Connelly Tech Houses will be built with that technology encompassing every aspect of them. We’ll go from the energy efficiency of modern homes to complete energetic autonomy. Every house will produce all the energy needed to keep it warm or cold, to provide power to every socket in the house. But it goes even farther. You’ll be able to tell your house to clean itself, to draw a bath for you at your desired temperature, ready to welcome you home from work. To cook nutritionally balanced meals for your entire family, to order your groceries and know when everything expires to minimize food waste.”
Despite my reluctance to work in the family business, there’s genuine excitement in my voice. My family will build homes that will surpass anything we’ve ever seen in science fiction.
Bay looks interested. “That’s amazing. But what does that have to do with me?”
Excitement made me forget the boundary she established when she sat down, putting distance between us. By the time I’m done showing her the slideshow on my tablet, our thighs are touching, and our arms are brushing against each other.
“Don’t you see?” I’m so excited, I can’t take it. “When I told my dad about what happened to the Zeta house, he offered to build one for you. One of our new, pioneering houses.”
If I was expecting to see Bay jump with joy, I’m sorely disappointed.
A frown appears on her pretty face. “That’s very kind of him, but there are dozens of laws any new house on campus has to abide by. Besides, I can only imagine the price tag on these cutting-edge houses. Like I told you, the insurance refused to pay a cent when the fire was deemed arson. The police have already been in touch with me. They want to interview every Zeta.”
I throw caution to the wind and take Bay’s small, soft hand into mine. “You don’t understand. It won’t cost you a cent. As long as you agree to let the company use the house as a pilot project to show the world what they didn’t know they wanted and needed until now. It won’t be anything too invasive, I promise. And of course, my father would love to see the house featured on the Zeta website and social media.”
The look on Bay’s face is everything.
“He’s going to build us a futuristic house for free? As long as we help him advertise it?”
The incredulity in her voice is cute.
“Yeah. Of course, the company has been looking for several pilot projects, some more high profile than others. But as every university in the country becomes conscious about the environment, building a house on campus will be tremendous publicity.”
Bay doesn’t look completely sold. “That would be amazing. But you should have seen the amount of new environmental laws at federal and state level, without counting the city of Star Cove and the college itself. The Dean went above and beyond in an attempt to get all kinds of government funding to expand our campus. The result is that the rules are extremely strict.”
“Bay,” I reassure her. “Our engineers and architects have been working to comply with every environmental rule under the sun. And there are many specs to choose from. We can build the house in line with what’s already on campus when it comes to its exterior looks. There are hyper futuristic designs, but that’s one of the countless options. We understand that going with that kind of design isn’t always possible. Sometimes you need to be able to blend in with your surroundings. But this is all stuff you can discuss face to face with my dad.”
She squeezes my hand, causing my pulse to quicken its pace. “That would be awesome. Is it going to be a virtual meeting?”
“No,” I shake my head. “Dad will be in town for the alumni gala in a couple of days. He’s at our San Francisco offices right now. He would like to set up a meeting shortly before the gala. He also invited you to sit at his table at the alumni dinner. He promised me he’ll talk to the Dean. Dean Williams is hoping to get a large donation from him, so if he knows he’s building the new Zeta house, he’ll get rid of all the red tape he’s been hitting you with. At least in theory.”
BAY
I can’t believe it.
This is the answer to all my prayers, and I don’t know what to say.
When Jagger knocked on my door, I reminded myself that I’m still mad at him. I avoided looking at him and kept my distance because he’s so handsome. Every time I look at him, I can’t help but remember how it feels to kiss him, to be in his arms.
I told myself that no matter what he wanted to tell me, I wouldn’t forget how it felt to be dismissed with a text message. How it felt to see him with Candace and Bianca. It doesn’t matter that nothing happened between them; he let me believe it and to me it was real. I hurt for real.
What he just told me is so surprising, it takes me a second to wrap my head around it.
“That’s amazing, Jagger. There’s one thing I don’t get, though. That house will be expensive to build and it’s going to be worth millions. Why would you do something like this for me?”
The green flecks in his golden eyes expand. The contrast between the two colors is like a firework display on the Fourth of July. “Why do you think?” He squeezes my hand, his voice low and softer than I’ve ever heard it. “I love you, Bay.”
Honesty shines in his eyes and I know he isn’t playing any games.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Jagger says before I can find the words I want to say within the storm of emotions that are warring in my heart. “I just want you to know that I love you and I would do anything for you. You were so worried about losing the Zeta house and I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”
“Because you love me.” It’s not a question.
“Because I can’t be happy if you aren’t happy. I know you’re still mad at me.”
I struggle to keep from smiling. “I am still mad.”
He nods. “Good. I’m still mad at myself for how stupid I was.”
The corners of my lips lift, but I still manage to keep that smile from making its appearance. “Ok. I believe you.”
I’m a stubborn kind of person and Jagger has that in common with me.
“No, you don’t have to believe me when I tell you that I love you. Believe me when I show it to you. The house is just the beginning. I need you to let me un-fuck all the shit I fucked up in these past few weeks. Just give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me, Nova.”
I love that he uses the nickname he gave me when we were in bed together. “Jagger, you need to shut up.”
He rubs the back of his neck, like he always does when he’s contrite. “Ok, sorry.”
“Good, now you need to put those lips to a better use and kiss me.”
He doesn’t let me say it twice. His lips crush mine, softer than I remember them.
Kissing Jagger is always something that makes the rest of the world fall away. His taste, the playful and daring way he explores my mouth, the way he holds my face as if I was this fragile thing.
“I’m still mad at you,” I warn him between kisses. “But I’m also mad at myself. When I saw that text, I knew something wasn’t right. I should have pressed for answers.”
The pad of his thumb strokes the sensitive spot behind my ear. My heart is thrumming so hard that I’m sure he must be able to hear it. “We both made mistakes, but I’m the one who fucked up the most, Bay. I hope you know how sorry I am.”
This time, there’s no way to stifle my smile. “I know. I’m going to do my best to stop being mad at you. It might take a little longer.”
He sighs. “That’s fair.”
“I didn’t say you could stop kissing me, though. Kissing you helps a great deal in the way of getting over being mad at you.”
Jagger must be on a real mission to earn my full forgiveness. He doesn’t kiss me, he consumes me. He takes my mouth like his life depends on it.
His tongue brushes mine with confident, expert strokes; his lips are gentle, his teeth are daring, grazing and nipping at me when our passion flares hotter and brighter.
Before I know it, I’m sitting on his lap and one of his hands finds the globe of my breast over my sweater.
Sensation travels from the place he’s touching all the way down between my thighs and I gasp.
“Sorry, sorry Nova,” Jagger pants, pulling on my lips with his teeth. “You’re so beautiful. It’s easy to get carried away.”
He tries to remove his hand, but I stop him, covering it with mine.
“I love it when you touch me there.” I admit.
“I love your tits,” he murmurs. “They’re perfect.”
His golden eyes are as hot as molten honey, with those bright green flecks sparkling like shooting stars.
“I’ve been thinking about something,” I say, a little lost in those golden depths. “Since you told me about your initiation, I’ve been imagining being in Rosie’s place.”
He closes his eyes. “That’s what I was worried about. I know that was?—”
“Hot. I already told you.”
The hesitation on his face fades away. “Yeah? You really aren’t repulsed?”
I kiss his eyelashes until he looks at me again. “I would like to try it once.”
God, the look of surprise on his face is priceless. “You—you want me to fuck your tits?”
I nod. “I think it would be hot. Especially if I got to watch when you come all over them.”
His next words come out more like a wail. “Fuck, Nova.” he squeezes my breast, massaging it a little less gently than before. “That’s hot. We can do it whenever you want. We could even do it right now.” He accompanies his words by abandoning my breast to lift the hem of my sweater.
“We can’t,” I say, grabbing his wrist to stop him.
“Because you’re still mad at me?”
This time I giggle. “Yeah, that and because you need to go.”
Jagger looks confused. “Huh? No, I don’t have anywhere to be. I’m done with my classes for the day and practice ended before I came to see you.”
I stand up, guiding Jagger toward my bedroom door. “You need to go because I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the meeting with your dad.”
“Do you?” he asks.
I roll my eyes. “Of course. Your dad’s offer is the opportunity of a lifetime. I can’t show up unprepared. I’ll put together a presentation about Zeta Theta Beta and our social media presence. What kind of traffic he can expect if he sponsors our new house. The main regulations that will cause an increase in costs. I’ll prepare all the applications we need to start the project. I hadn’t done it so far because we weren’t even close to having the money for it.”
I literally push Jagger out of my room.
“Bay, I’ll text you later tonight with a place and time for the meeting, ok?”
“Thank you,” I smile, moving to close the door.
“Wait,” Jagger’s foot is wedged in the door jamb. “There’s one more thing. I was wondering if you’d be willing to be my date at the gala.”
My heart clenches at his hopeful expression. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Ryker and Cole yet and?—”
“We’ve talked about it,” he offers. “They’re happy to let me be your official date. As long as you save one dance for each of them.”
“It’s a date.” I agree. “But, wait. What about Topher? We haven’t had any luck finding that video.”
Jagger’s tone is determined. “Fuck Topher. I talked to my dad. He told me he’ll speak to Topher’s father and get that handled. I’m not scared of him.”
I kiss Jagger goodbye. Hope blooms in my chest, warm and bright for the first time in weeks. My biggest problem is on the way to be solved and maybe Lakyn wasn’t wrong that my guys can coexist just like Cash, Blaze and Luca. The only thorn in my side is my ex. I really hope Jagger is right that Topher can be controlled by talking to his father.