CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE #3
He leaned down toward me, but glanced upstairs to make sure Marco wasn’t on his way back down. “My room has a great ocean view.”
Heat filled my cheeks, and I’m sure I singed his lips when he planted a chaste kiss on me right before Marco came thundering back downstairs. He grabbed a bunch of bedding, his school backpack, and a few other things, then ran back upstairs.
“I figured we just do pizza from the pub for dinner tonight,” Jagger said, gathering up all my stuff and ascending the stairs. “Is that cool with you?”
“Do you just get free food all the time?” I asked, following him to the bedrooms.
“I mean, I don’t eat from the pub very often, and we do pay for the ingredients.
So it’s not exactly free.” He turned right into a nice, but sparse guest room with a queen-sized bed, a dark wood bed frame with a matching dresser and single nightstand.
The window did indeed look down onto his backyard, and beyond to a steep green hillside that I’m sure was freckled with wildflowers during the spring and summer.
He plunked all my stuff on the bed and I did the same.
Then he turned to me and grabbed me by the shoulders like I often did with Marco.
“You’re safe here, Raina. I promise. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.
We’re not going to let anything happen to you or Marco. ”
A rush of emotions came barreling forward and my breath stuttered out of my lungs as salty tears stung the backs of my eyes. All I could do was nod. My throat was too tight to say anything.
He didn’t need me to either. Jagger just hauled me against his big, hard chest, my ear over his heart, and he rubbed my back and absorbed my fear until my lungs stopped with the shallow breath bullshit.
I pulled my head away and glanced up at him, my eyes blurry from the tears. “Thank you.” Lifting up onto my tiptoes, I pressed a tear-soaked kiss to his mouth. He tightened his hold on me a little and took the kiss deeper. I melted into him, relishing his closeness, his kisses, his protection.
“Mom?”
As if the man in my arms just caught fire, I jumped away from him, wiped my eyes and mouth, and spun to face my son. But it was too late.
“Yes, honey?”
“Am I using Jagger’s sheets or the sheets you brought?”
“Whatever you prefer,” I said, following him across the hall. “I just brought your bedding for you to make you more comfortable. But whatever is easier.”
Marco’s coppery brows pinched for a moment. “I’m in a single at home. This bed is bigger. I don’t think the sheets will work.”
“You’re right.” I forced a smile as I gauged my child’s mannerisms to figure out how much he saw and if he was okay with it. “I must have forgotten to ask Jagger what size beds he had. That’s okay.” I reached for the folded sheets I brought from home and planned to take them to my room.
“Mom?” Marco said, as I turned.
I spun back around. “Mm-hmm?”
“It’s okay that you were kissing Jagger. I kind of figured you guys were kissing. You are dating him, right? He’s your boyfriend?”
“If he was, how would you feel about that?”
He shrugged. “Fine. I think. He’s cool. I like him. As long as you’re happy.”
“I don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
He shrugged just one shoulder this time. “I’m not. It’s okay for you guys to kiss.” Then he made a typical pre-teen boy face. “Just not a lot, okay? At least not in front of me. It’s still gross, but I get that grown-ups do it for some reason.”
That made me smile, and I set the sheets down on the bed and wrapped my arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Grown-ups are weird, kiddo. I totally agree.”
“Marco?” Jagger called from downstairs. “I have some kids here who want to know if you want to come out and play.”
“You know the McEvoy kids from school, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Emme and I are in the same grade. Talia and Jake are a year younger.”
“And you’re okay going out to play with them?”
“Are you okay with me going out to play with them?” he asked.
“As long as you stay on the property and behind the security gate. Your uncles don’t know you’re here. I think this is as safe as you’re going to get on the island right now. And I don’t want to keep you locked up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
I followed him downstairs where six pairs of eyes blinked wide and friendly, waiting for us.
“Hey, Marco,” one of the younger boys said.
“Hey, Griffon,” Marco replied, yanking on his boots.
“Dad’s going to take us down to the pub to get smoothies. You want to come?” the oldest girl, who I assume was Emme, said.
Marco glanced at me.
“You’re going with a grown-up. It’s fine.”
Marco turned back to the kids. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
Bennett appeared in the open doorway a moment later. “Just going to get smoothies, then we’ll come back up here behind the gate.”
“Ohhh, I thought we could go explore the tidepools,” one of the littler girls said with a whine to her voice.
“Aya, I told you we’re just going to get smoothies.” Bennett smoothed his hand over his daughter’s curly blonde hair.
Aya pouted.
“As long as you’re with them, I’m sure it’s fine,” I said. “I don’t want to scare Marco, or keep him hostage up here. He’s done nothing wrong.”
All the kids glanced at the grown-ups with curious concern.
“What’s she talking about?” Griffin asked. “Who’s a hostage?”
“Never mind, Griff,” Jagger said with an amused headshake.
“Well then, maybe we’ll go explore the tidepools for a bit,” Bennett said, clearly defeated by all the children, but not exactly upset about it.
I stood at the door and watched my son run off with the other kids, a big smile on his face, before they turned the corner to go through the man door at the security gate.
Jagger’s hands landed on my shoulders, and I spun to face him. “The terrified part of me just wants to handcuff us together and lock us away in the house until I know he’s safe. But he’s done nothing wrong. I need to let him have fun and be free. Be a kid. That’s why we moved here.”
“Bennett’s a former marine. All my brothers are. Even if by some fluke your brothers find out he’s here and try to get him, they won’t get anywhere near Marco—or any of the children.” I stepped inside and he closed the door behind me, his face soft, eyes slightly hooded. “What can I do?”
“You’ve already done so much.”
“I can do more, you know. I don’t mind.” A small, playful smile tugged at his mouth. “Do you want me to go pick up some of your plants?”
That made me laugh a little. “You could use a little greenery in here,” I said, glancing around his plantless living room. “The air in here must be filthy.”
“I’ll show you filthy,” he said, a growl to his voice as he ducked low and scooped me up once again, caveman style, and ran up the stairs, tossing me onto his bed.
“You want to forget all the shit that’s going on outside this bedroom right now?
” he asked, ripping his shirt off over his head and causing my core to clench in the process.
He went over to his bedroom door, closed it, and locked it.
“Yes, please,” I whispered, taking in just how beautiful he was, and not just on the outside.
Flames of desire flickered in his eyes as he sauntered back to the bed. “Ditch the pants then, woman. ’Cause this man’s hungry.”