Chapter 14
Chelsea’s muscles felt like noodles. Her thighs burned from riding him so hard, so fast. Her lungs burned with the effort to pull in oxygen. But, great day, did she feel good. She’d always known Jagger would satisfy her, but she hadn’t imagined how intense it would be.
She started to roll off him.
“Where you going?” His eyes were closed as his breath continued to come in sharp gasps.
“I’m lying on your lungs. It makes it harder to breathe.”
“I don’t need to breathe.” His arm wrapped around her back, holding her in place. One blue eye peeked open. “I feel like I ran a marathon.”
“Me too.” She wanted to ask him if he’d ever felt like that with any other women, but held her tongue. She didn’t want to reveal her insecurity. Plus, he was sensitive about his past.
She shifted just enough that she could look down and see the colorful phoenix emblazed on his side. She ran her fingers over the wings. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“How long have you had it?”
He took in a deep breath, but she couldn’t be sure whether it was part of the aftermath of sex or he didn’t want to talk about his tattoo. “About eighteen months.”
She thought back to where he might have been at that time.
He’d only been in Charlotte Tavern for a year, but she knew he’d moved there after his had grandfather died and he’d become Kaden’s guardian.
He’d changed his life completely. Earlier in the night, he’d gotten angry at her for continuing to think of him as playboy Jagger.
His words came back to her. “I’m not that man anymore. ”
She lifted her gaze from where she traced the fire from which the phoenix was rising. “You’re a new man. The phoenix is a symbol of rebirth.”
He shrugged and again she was left wondering why he seemed hesitant to talk about it.
He sighed. “You’re going to find this hard to believe since my past was about partying, but I’ve always towed the Talbot line.
I did what I was told, and lived the wild lifestyle of the other men in my family.
Then I walked away from that. It makes my father nuts. ”
“You’re such a rebel.”
His lips twitched upward. “Yes, moving to a sleepy Southern town to play father to a five year old is rebellious.”
“In your case it is.”
“The tattoo I did on a whim. A symbol of leaving that life for a new one. Or maybe it was my last hurrah. I drank a little too much that night. What about you? What have you done that was rebellious?”
She was going to say marrying him was her big rebellion, but was afraid he might misinterpret her. “I just had sex on a dining table.”
He grinned. “Did you like it?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
He growled. “Wasn’t bad?” He grabbed her and rolled until she was underneath him. “I have some work to do then.” He ran his stubbled cheek along her collarbone. “I think you said you like my stubble on your skin.”
Chelsea’s heart rate shot up at his devilish tone.
“I wonder if you’d like it along here.” He dragged his cheek lower and lower.
“Great day,” she gasped.
“It’s gonna be.” He moved down her abdomen. “Open for me, Chelsea.”
She did. And it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was deliciously, mind-blowingly perfect.
Chelsea studied herself in the bathroom mirror.
As morning afters went, this one was a doozy.
Her hips were sore and she had love marks on her collarbone and inner thighs.
Little red splotches marked her skin where he used his stubble to arouse her.
She lifted her gaze to her face and couldn’t stop a nervous laugh from escaping.
She was shamelessly naughty herself, wondering if Jagger had love bites from her.
“Chels? You okay in there?”
“Yes.” She re-tied her robe then reached over to open the door. As he came in, she picked up her brush to wrangle her mess of waves into order.
“You’re not going to give me the cold shoulder again are you?” Jagger stepped behind her, watching her through the mirror.
“Does it feel cold?” She let the robe drop from her shoulder.
Jagger’s hand caressed the smooth exposed skin, following with his lips in gentle seductive kisses. “Your shoulders are so soft.”
Her hand reached behind her and cupped him. “You’re not.”
He ground his hips against her hand. “I never am around you.” He turned her in his arms, his hips pushing her back against the vanity.
Her eyes widened in surprise and anticipation.
She gasped when he lifted her to sit on the table and insinuated himself between her legs.
His hands slid up her legs, pushing the robe open as they did.
“Here?” All her girly parts fluttered to life.
He grinned as he reached into his robe pocket, pulling out the condom he’d stored there.
“Were you a boy scout?”
“No. But I believe in being prepared.”
She plucked the condom from his fingers. One dark brow rose at her action. “Strip.”
“Yes ma’am.” His robe pooled at his feet. “When we’re done here, we can try the shower.”
Her fingers traced the phoenix, sliding lower and lower until they brushed over the silky, hard length of him.
“Chelsea.” He groaned, grabbing the condom back, and with quick hands, sheathed himself.
She wrapped her hands around his shoulders. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the rational Chelsea was trying to warn her that letting down her guard with Jagger was a mistake. But as Jagger stepped between her thighs and slid into her in one long, delicious glide, rationality was silenced.
Jagger followed Kaden and Chelsea through the front door.
After his and Chelsea’s honeymoon night, they’d spent the next morning naked until lunchtime.
Then they returned to the penthouse and spent the day at the zoo and park with Kaden.
Jagger worried Chelsea’s willingness to let him touch her would end once they left the hotel, but the next night, back at the penthouse, once everyone was asleep, she gave in to him again.
Now, a day later, they were back at the estate in Virginia.
He stopped in the middle of the foyer as realization hit: they were a family.
Or at least a semblance of one. Kaden wasn’t his son, but the biology didn’t change Jagger’s love or desire to be Kaden’s father.
Chelsea was his wife in every way, except for one: They weren’t in love.
They liked each other, were working as a team to achieve their goals, and, even better, they were compatible in bed.
More than compatible. Jagger had slept with many women, but none had ever so completely possessed him. Could this relationship grow into more?
“Forget something?” Chelsea waited for him at the bottom of the stairs.
“No. Just glad to be home.”
“Can we go swimming?” Kaden called from the top of the stairs.
“I have to check on the horses, but after that we can.” Jagger started up the stairs behind Chelsea.
“I can take him.”
Jagger couldn’t stop himself from grinning as an image of Chelsea in a bathing suit seared his brain.
“Yay!” Kaden ran off toward his room.
Jagger and Chelsea continued up the stairs and toward their room. Once inside, Jagger took her arm and pulled her to him. “I’d like to see you in a swimsuit.”
“I’m swimming with Kaden, so you’ll need to keep your hands and ogling to yourself.”
He grinned, not remembering ever bantering like this with a woman. “Maybe we can go for a midnight swim when everyone is in bed.”
Her brows drew together and she looked to the side as if thinking about it. “We could, but then I wouldn’t have a suit on.”
“No?”
“In the South, midnight swims are for skinny dipping.”
Jagger’s libido cranked up to a hundred RPMs. “It’s a date. Tonight.”
She smiled. “Right now, I have a date with another Mr. Talbot.” She patted his cheek.
“Give me something to tide me over.” He leaned toward her, their lips a whisper away. He saw a flash of heat and desire in her eyes.
“Sure.” But she stepped away, walking around him to the middle of the room.
Jagger turned to watch, a little bit disappointed and a whole lot intrigued.
Chelsea grabbed the ends of her shirt, pulling it over her head.
Jagger put his hands on his hips to watch the show as she shrugged out of her cropped pants and kicked off her flats.
With a gleam in her eyes, she reached behind her back to unhook her bra, tossing it at him.
He caught it and groaned. Then she slid her panties down her strong legs.
“Here ya go, skinning dipping preview.”
He couldn’t hold back any longer. He stalked over to her.
“Ah, ah, ah.” She held a hand up to stop him. “This is just to tide you over.”
He groaned. “One touch.”
She shook her head. “You’ve got work to do and in any minute, Kaden will knock on our door.”
Undaunted, he moved closer. “One kiss, then. A kiss good-bye to send me off to work.” Wasn’t that what they did in real families?
Her smirk suggested she didn’t trust him. She probably shouldn’t. But with good intentions, he clasped his hands behind his back and gave her his most pitiful, needy expression.
She laughed. “You’re as bad as Kaden.” She put her hand around his neck, pulling him to her.
Once their lips touched, Jagger couldn’t help himself and his arms went around her. He prepared to be reprimanded, but she sighed and sank into the kiss.
“Miss Chelsea? I’m ready.” Kaden knocked on the door.
“That’s my cue.” She patted Jagger on the cheek. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“’Kay.”
Chelsea disentangled herself from Jagger. “Have a good day at the office.”
Jagger climbed in his truck to drive the short distance from the house to the stables.
He never thought of himself as a truck guy.
Even now, he didn’t think he pulled off rugged truck driving man.
The truck was the most versatile and handy vehicle on the farm, so he put the truck in gear and headed out.
The faster he finished his work, the sooner he’d be back with Chelsea.
He couldn’t get the image of her strong, luscious body out of his mind.
He had a great imagination, so he was able to conjure an image of that body gliding through the pool.
How warm she’d feel in the cool water when he took her in his arms. Yep, he was eager to get on with the day.
Jagger pulled in next to his foreman, Denny’s truck. He slid out and made his way to the office. Jagger conducted most of his business from his office at the house so he could be close to Kaden. The stable office was used mostly by Denny.
Jagger walked through the stables. A few of the horsed peeked out of their stalls, hoping for a carrot or apple. “Sorry, guys.”
Denny looked up from paperwork when Jagger pushed open the door.
“Mr. Talbot.” Like Grayson, Jagger couldn’t get Denny to call him by his first name, but he knew that was a Southern custom.
“Denny. How are you?”
“Can’t complain. That new mare has settled in real nice. She’s as sweet as can be.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Ol’ Rosco, he’s taken to biting again.”
“We’ll need to make sure Kaden avoids him.”
“Yes, sir. Oh, before I forget, the sheriff delivered this yesterday.” Denny handed Jagger an envelope.
Even before he saw the Charlotte Tavern court on the return address, Jagger knew what it was. It was as if his gut had a sixth sense. It clenched tight as he took the envelope.
“You all right?”
“Yeah.” Jagger held the envelope as he felt his nearly perfect little family melt away. Like waking up from a wonderful dream to discover none of it was real. “I need to take care of this in my office. Is there anything pressing here?”
Denny shook his head. “We’re right as rain here, sir.”
“Good. Thanks.” Jagger left the office, tossing the envelope onto the seat of the truck.
He swore as he started the engine and headed back to the house.
He wanted to call Tanya and promise to ruin her, except he didn’t know her number or where she was living.
Why hadn’t he hired someone to find out sooner?
He skidded the truck to a stop at the rear of the garage. He snuck in the house, not wanting to see anyone until he could look at the letter and know what he was up against. Fortunately, Grayson wasn’t lurking.
Jagger closed his office door. Sitting at his desk, he held the envelope, too cowardly to open it.
He let out an expletive and ripped the envelope open.
He knew what he was going to find, but seeing Tanya’s name as the petitioner in the custody of Kaden still took him by surprise.
Fear, anger, and a profound sense of grief mixed in Jagger’s gut. His worst fear had come true.
He dropped the paper and sat back, wallowing in the torment of his emotions. But only for a moment. Jagger was a take-action kind of guy. He grabbed his phone and dialed Mrs. Monroe’s number. Fortunately, she was in her office and agreed to stop by his home later that afternoon.
“Do you know any good PIs in the area?” If she didn’t, Jagger knew a few he could hire from New York. But he thought local PIs would understand the area and fit in better than New York PIs would.
“Yes. She’s out of Richmond.”
“I want to know where Tanya is and what she’s doing. How is she paying for this? Dig up anything and everything. She can’t take Kaden.”
“I’ll call her now. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Jagger hung up and hoped to hell Mrs. Monroe and her PI could do the impossible and help him keep Kaden.