Page 64 of Jagged

"Buffalo?" She choked. "There was no buffalo."

"There were a ton at the farm…" My brow furrowed.

Clem's attempt to stifle her laugh brought a charm to her normally muted features. "Those…were cows. Black Angus cows."

I burst out laughing, covering my mouth to avoid spewing out oats.

Clem's eyes widened. "It's not that funny." Despite her statement, she giggled hard.

"My bad." I could hardly contain myself as hysterics stole away my self-control.

She continued to laugh at me, wide-eyed and chuckling like she'd never seen anything quite like me before. She giggled on and off, and rolled her eyes, but not in a mean way. "Goodness, Jagger!"

Her words made me laugh more and I melted off the chair, allowing myself to crumble to the floor while holding my stomach. My face burned with heat, and I lifted my knees as I continued to crack up.

Surprise painted her face as she watched me, laughing just as hard now and shaking her head. I held my hand to her, wiggling my fingers as I tried to catch my breath.

"Save me from myself," I declared with a feigned groan.

"I fear that's impossible." She giggled when she took my hand and, as completely expected at least by me, I tugged her right off her chair. She gasped when she fell, but I caught her effortlessly, supporting her weight with both my hands and my knees. "Jagger!"

"I got you, girl. You're fine." I grinned up at her as she swatted my arm.

"I better be fine after being woman-handled." She huffed and puffed as her baseline stern expression warred with her amusement.

"I thought you liked that." I cocked a brow at her and wiggled my knee between her thighs, urging her upward so that we were nose to nose.

"I do…" She calmed then, her eyes darkening when she bit her lip. "Didn't you notice?"

"Oh, I noticed."

"You also noticed the buffalo. So, I should probably be worried." She said it with a completely straight face, and I died right there, falling to my demise in a second fit of hysterics.

Clem grinned proudly, gripping both of my hands in hers then pinning them to the floor. "I win."

"You wish." I dug my heel in and flipped her over in an instant, though made sure she tumbled into a soft landing with my hand behind her head.

The way she looked up at me, her gaze dreamy and hazy all of a sudden, said more than her words could. I returned the gesture, pinning her hands to the floor as I held myself above her. Her gaze flickered to my tattooed arms, in a survey meant for something much more impressive. With her feet on the floor beside my knees, I felt them squirm when I released her, holding myself in a pushup above her.

"Show off," she said as her eyes returned to mine, but the gnawing at her bottom lip accompanied it.

"Do you hate it?"

"Hardly."

"You like this?"

She nodded, and the air around her seemed to warm as her body melted under me. Her knees squeezed my hips, and I lowered myself down to nip her chin.

"Sure?"

Again, she nodded. "I'm sure."

"What else do you like?" I asked, my tone a bit more of a croon than I'd have liked.

"You," she whispered, her voice softening with her demeanor.

"Do you? I might've missed that social cue."

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