Page 7 of Jagger
“You reek of her cheap perfume, and she left an obnoxiously red lipstick mark on your cheek,” Angel informed me icily, reaching again for the doorknob. “Goodbye, Jagger. It’s been fun, but this kind of thing isn’t for me.”
Goddamned Christy and her last-second theatrics. This is exactly the kind of shit I was trying to avoid. I dropped my head back on my shoulders and glared at the ceiling, as if the answer to avoiding this damned minefield was written up there for me.
I heaved a sigh and reached for Angel just as she opened the door and took a step through the doorway. The sound of Metallica blasted down the hallway as I caught hold of her hand and drew her back into the office. She didn’t fight me, although she clearly wanted to leave. Her reluctance was written all over her face, and in the stiffness of her body.
“It’s not what you think,” I began, before groaning as she rolled her eyes at my lame opening. “No, really, it’s not.” I stopped and huffed out a disgruntled breath, hating that this conversation was even necessary.
“My mother was here and needed to talk to me. She was wearing this god-awful red lipstick,” I explained, gesturing to the cheek Christy had kissed where presumably a lipstick mark remained.
Angel’s eyes widened in disbelief, before a flush crept over her face. God, her skin was so fucking gorgeous. Creamy white and smooth, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was that smooth all over, or if the skin hidden from view was even softer.
“Your….mother?” she asked hesitantly. I could tell she was thinking back over what she’d said about the perfume and lipstick, as a look of horror crossed her face. “Yourmother?” she said again, her voice rising to a high-pitched wail.
I nodded, resisting the urge to smile. “Yeah, Angel, my mother. She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek when she left.”
Her flush receded, leaving her face pale. “I’m so sorry, Jagger. I shouldn’t have said that. That was so rude of me.”
I reached for her, sliding her purse off her shoulder, and tossing it back on the desk before leading her back over to the sofa. I didn’t push my luck by pulling her onto my lap again, but I sat down next to her and kept hold of her hand as I shifted to face her.
“It’s OK, Angel. I would have lost my shit if I’d thought you were loving all over some other guy. Besides, your jealousy gives me hope that you’re as interested in me as I am in you.”
Her eyes widened again, then narrowed suspiciously. Oops, maybe I was being a little too damned cocky. This woman wasn’t gonna let me get away with a fucking thing, and for some damned reason, that turned me on a little bit.
“I wasn’t jealous,” she informed me with a sharpness that I found adorable rather than intimidating, as I was sure she’d meant it to be. I wouldn’t dare tell her that, though. “I’m just not used to…this,” she trailed off softly, her shoulders slumping a little as she dropped her gaze to the floor.
Fuck! I could feel her mentally withdrawing again and knew I couldn’t let that happen. I’d have to examine those thoughts more closely later. I placed my finger under her chin and raised her head so she would look at me again.
“Tell me what you mean, Angel. What aren’t you used to?” I asked softly, trying like hell not to push her too much, but needing to know what she was thinking.
“I’ve just…never done this kind of thing before, and it’s kind of freaking me out a little, I think. I’m not acting rationally, and that’s just not me. I’m not that kind of woman. I’m not impulsive. I don’t make out with men I’ve just met. I don’t – “
I placed a finger over her lips, halting the words spewing out of her luscious mouth. “Hey, calm down. Take a deep breath and just listen to me for a second, OK?”
She nodded, wide eyes focused on my face, and I resisted the urge to trace her lips with my finger. Actually, what I really wanted to do was trace her lips with my cock, but I was smart enough to know that wasn’t a fucking option tonight.
I removed my finger and took hold of her hand again. “First of all, you’re not the only one who hasn’t done this kind of thing before.”
She snorted in disbelief at my statement, and I chuckled as I realized how it had sounded. “I don’t mean the making out part, of course I’ve…uh, shit,” I stopped as her eyes narrowed again, and I knew I was making it worse.
“Let me try that again,” I said with what I hoped was a charming smile. “You’re saying you don’t jump into a physical relationship, right?” At her nod, I continued, “Well, it’s the opposite for me. All I’ve had is the physical part. There’s never been a relationship. I took girls out on dates in high school sometimes, but it was never a relationship, it was just hooking up. I never had anyone that I called a girlfriend or some shit like that. Since then, I haven’t even bothered with the date part, I’ve just gone straight to the hooking up part.”
Her face fell and she glanced down at our clasped hands for a second before gently pulling hers free from mine.
“Fuck, Angel, I’m making a goddamned mess of this,” I muttered, reaching for her as she started to stand up. I pulled her close and wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, clasping it gently so that she had to look at me.
“Please just listen. I’ve never wanted anything more than the physical side of things before, but with you, it’s different, and to be honest, I’m freaking the fuck out over it a little bit. With any other woman, I wouldn’t make small talk, or eat lunch with her, or care if that asshole Trick tried to put his hands on her. But you, Angel? I’ve done all of that with you. So, you’re not the only one in uncharted territory, here, OK?”
She smiled then, so sweetly that my breath caught in my lungs. Her blue eyes sparkled, and I was blown away by how beautiful they were. They were a darker blue than most and reminded me of the deep blue color of the ocean. Fuck, my brothers would never let me hear the end of it if they knew what I was thinking. They’d changed my road name to Pussy or some such shit, and I couldn’t blame them. I needed to hang on to my goddamned balls before I handed them over to Angel to carry around in her purse.
“OK, Jagger,” she said softly, then reached up and kissed my cheek. I turned my head and captured her lips in the sweetest, softest kiss I could ever remember having, and willed my cock to behave himself for just five more damned minutes.
I ended the kiss, pulling her close for a minute before letting her go and rising to my feet. I held out my hand, and she took it, standing up next to me. I stared at her for a minute, taking in every inch of her beautiful face. The hell of it was, this woman clearly had no idea how fucking gorgeous she was, and her body was the stuff dreams were made of. My hands itched to get hold of her curves again, but I forced myself to slow down. My instincts were screaming at me that I did not want to scare her off, and I always listened to my instincts.
“Now, as much as I’d like to keep you locked up here in my office with me for the rest of the evening, I don’t want you to have any regrets. So, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to walk you to your car, and you’re going to drive home safely. You’ll call me when you get there, and we’ll talk a little more. I’d like to take you out tomorrow, but the club has a ride planned, so I won’t be back until around seven-thirty or eight o’clock. Can we grab a late dinner?”
She slowly shook her head. “I’m having dinner with my parents tomorrow night. It’s a regular Sunday night thing.”
I smiled. “Sounds nice, Angel. How about Monday night, then?”
