Chapter 13
For now, no underwear was needed. No clothes, in fact.
Only condoms. Lucky for him, condom carrying wasn’t a habit he’d gotten out of during his long celibacy.
So long, that it had taken every ounce of control he could muster not to rip his pants off and plunge into her in the limo.
Fortunately, with the way she moved against him, her gasps, and how fast her orgasm was building, his own needs took a backseat to the desire to watch her come.
And Jesus, was it worth it. Everything about her was stunning.
Her breasts were perfect and, even better, real.
Her hair was tussled just enough to have that sexy, mussed look.
As she rode the storm, he was sure he’d never seen anything so raw and beautiful in his life.
When she collapsed on him, his edgy need worked its way to the surface again.
He knew then: a single encounter in a limo wouldn’t be enough.
Now that she’d opened the door to a physical relationship, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.
Starting with a night in the penthouse suite of his family hotel.
He really had planned to get her in bed and take his time.
But the minute he’d tasted her sweet champagne lips, the hold on his control broke again.
There was no putting off his need to sink into her any longer.
He probably shocked her, the way he’d pushed her on the table and drove into her.
She’d been so damn tight, for a minute he’d thought his head would explode.
He had a nanosecond to consider whether he was hurting her, but then she wrapped around him and pulled him deeper, and all thought evaporated. There was just him and her.
When it was done, he wondered if he should apologize. He was relieved when he didn’t see fear or regret or anything to suggest she was upset in her eyes. Maybe she looked a little dazed, but in a sated way.
He smiled and shook his head, both pleased and surprised by the turn of events.
He opened the door to the smell of the hot pizza he’d asked George to order for him at the last minute when they exited the car.
Knowing George would have already arranged to pay for it, Jagger simply handed the delivery boy a tip.
“Thank you, sir.”
Jagger shut the door and made his way to the table.
Chelsea stood in the room, buried in a large fluffy robe.
Knowing she had nothing on underneath it heated his blood again.
He imagined peeling her out of the thick, plush clothing, finding her soft, lush, honeysuckle-scented skin.
But when he made eye contact, he saw wariness.
God, she wasn’t regretting what they’d done, was she?
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Are we eating at the table?”
Jagger couldn’t imagine why that was a bad thing, but her tone suggested she didn’t like that idea. “Is there a reason we shouldn’t?”
She shrugged. “It’s just that we...you know…on it.”
Jagger would have laughed if he didn’t think it would embarrass or upset her. “We could eat in bed, instead.”
She blushed, and it was incredibly sweet.
“Or how about here?” He motioned with the pizza box toward the sitting area. There were two couches and a coffee table.
She nodded.
“Grab the champagne while you’re at it. I’ll get us some water from the bar. Unless you want something else? I’ve got the hard stuff or soda.”
“Water is fine.” She pulled the champagne from the bucket, along with their flutes.
Jagger set the pizza on the coffee table and went to the bar where a mini-fridge held cold drinks. He grabbed two bottles of water. Returning to the couch, he sat next to her. He handed her a water.
“Thank you.”
He set his hand on her knee, wanting desperately to push the robe aside. “You sure you’re okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” All of a sudden, he wondered if maybe he’d been too rough.
She shook her head and gave a quiet laugh. “Hurt was the last thing I felt.”
Relief washed through him. “But?”
“I’m...I’m a little overwhelmed, I guess.”
Jagger frowned, not understanding what she meant, but knowing he didn’t like it. “Overwhelmed. Did I do something?”
She shook her head and then nodded slightly with a small smile. “Not something bad, but you don’t have to do anything, Jagger. Just being around you overwhelms me sometimes.”
Was that a compliment? “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not upset and I don’t have any regrets, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
This time he took her hand and squeezed it. “You’re sure?”
She looked at their entwined hands and nodded. “Yes.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Then how about some pizza?”
Her smile could have lit the city with its brilliance. “I love pizza.”
He laughed. “I know. Eat as much as you want. We’ll need the fuel.”
She blushed again, making him relieved she was still open to more sex.
When the first bite hit Jagger’s stomach, he realized just how hungry he was. He never ate well when a family visit was involved. He devoured the first piece and took a second piece before Chelsea had eaten even a third of her first piece.
She broke the silence. “I hope I wasn’t a disappointment.”
He stopped mid-bite. He set the pizza down, chewing and picking up a napkin to wipe his mouth. Once he swallowed, he turned to her. “Disappointment?” He shook his head. “Don’t let the things my dad or any of them say get to you.”
“They get to you.”
“I know, and as you said in the car, I need to let it go. It’s hard, because I’ve had it my whole life. God, Chelsea, don’t let them hurt you. You’re beautiful and kind and I don’t know what I’d do if something they said stuck with you.”
She smiled. “As long as I didn’t embarrass or disappoint you, I’m okay.”
He studied her dark brown eyes, wondering what he’d said or done that had given her the impression he was disappointed. “No, you didn’t. You were gracious and put up with much more than you should have. I’m so sorry you had to endure that. I wish I’d warned you—”
“You did.”
“Not well enough, I don’t think.”
She smiled reassuringly. “I’m not sure you could have. It was hard to imagine the way you described your dad as someone being real. A book or movie maybe, but not in life.”
Jagger bit his lower lip, not wanting to ask the next question, but needing the answer. “Why did you change your mind? About the sex. Pity?”
She flinched. “No. I didn’t feel pity. I felt angry at your dad and sad that he can’t see the wonderful man you are.
Even worse, he makes you forget how wonderful you are.
” She set her pizza down and gripped both his hands with hers.
“That’s why I changed my mind. Because you’re wonderful.
You’re generous and loving. What you’re doing for Kaden.
..that’s what you’re shielding him from, isn’t it?
I know you’re safeguarding his trust, but what’s really important to you is that your father doesn’t hurt him emotionally or psychologically.
I think that is so amazing. What you’ve done to protect Kaden’s self-esteem and let him be a little boy. ”
Jagger let her words wash through him, cleaning away the hurt and bitterness from his father.
He lifted her hands, brushing his lips along her knuckles.
For the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel alone in the world in his quest to keep Kaden and defend him from his greedy father.
Sure, Grayson, Miss Z, and Mrs. Stanton supported him, but he was their boss.
He supposed, in some ways, his relationship with Chelsea could be seen as a business deal, as he had paid all her debts.
But Chelsea didn’t say those words because she was playing the role of wife or earning her keep.
They were real. And they touched him deep in his chest, in a place he’d never been touched before.
“That and, let’s face it, Jagger, you’re too sexy to resist.”
He laughed. “You did a pretty good job of it.”
“It was hard.”
“It was hard for me too.”
Her expression was dubious, which surprised him. Didn’t she know how attractive she was? How hard it had been to agree to her terms?
She withdrew her hands and reached for her pizza. “I hope you weren’t disappointed in that either.”
Her words came out in a murmur, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted him to hear. “Did I act disappointed?
“Do you know how many cold showers I’ve taken to keep my word not to touch you?”
“Or maybe…”
“Dammit, Chelsea. I haven’t wanted to touch another woman, not because I agreed not to, but because you’re the only one I wanted to touch.”
Her eyes were round. The surprise in them baffled him.
“Why are you looking at me like you don’t believe me?”
“Because…I’m not like the other women.”
“So?” Was she throwing his past at him again?
She bit her lower lip, as if she was uncertain about continuing the conversation.
Knowing he wasn’t doing a very good job of reining in his annoyance, he took a deep breath. “I like that you’re different.”
The tension in her features relaxed slightly. “I don’t think I’m ugly, but I’m not a glamorous beauty, either. I don’t have the experience—”
His irritation flared again, although Jagger wasn’t sure if it was because she was selling her beauty short or once again highlighting his promiscuous past. He bolted upright, wanting to pace away his annoyance. “I can’t change my past, Chelsea. But I’m not that man anymore.”
“I know.”
He whirled on her. “Then why do you keep throwing it in my face?”
Her brows furrowed together. “I’m not. I’m just saying I don’t have the…skills…”
“You don’t need skills.” He stared at her, hands on his hips.
She looked at him like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.
“Do you want me to compare you to other women?”
“No.” She looked down.
He studied her for a long moment and then decided he’d end her self-doubt about herself once and for all.
“Come here.” He reached out his hand to her.