Page 69 of Done Waiting

“What the hell are you doing, going off half-cocked on your own? You could have gotten killed.” Abby’s stern voice draws my attention as she glares at Jagger, pointing a finger in his face.

As she continues lecturing him, my gaze drifts to the bandages around his arm and leg, frowning as I look at them.He could have gotten himself killed tonight.The thought bothers me a hell of a lot more than I like. Biting my lip, my gaze moves from his wounds to Jagger’s face as he explains he saw an opportunity and took it. She looks unconvinced as she grabs her stuff, setting to work on him.

“Ignore them. There’s all bark…” Bryce’s voice is low, drawing my gaze to him. Cocking his head, he gives me a warm smile, like he knows my thoughts are in a dark place.

Why am I so bothered at the thought of Jagger getting killed?I’d be free to return to the life I said I wanted.

Do I want that life?One without him?My heart squeezes inside my chest, sucking the air from my lungs. My gaze moves to Jagger, his onyx eyes already on me, intent on my face. His eyes are soft, as though he knows what I’m thinking. Memories of the way he’s infiltrated my life slam through my head. As the furious whirlwind of my thoughts stop spinning, one thing is glaringly obvious to me. Every calm moment, every time I felt safe and cared for, it was because of the man lying on a cot beside me.

Swallowing hard, my fingers twist his sweatpants, my brow furrowed. I shouldn’t feel this way about Jagger, but I do. While I’m grateful he’s saved me, not just from the handsy guy at the coffee shop, but especially from a serial killer, it’s more than that. He grounds me, bringing me peace. Though he has a rough, demanding demeanor at times, he can be surprisingly gentle and amazingly intuitive when it comes to me.

Fuck. Am I falling for my stalker?

I can’t be—right?

“So, Maddie. Do you have any single friends?” Jason’s voice pulls me away from the tortuous thoughts churning in my head about Jagger.

“Sorry, Jason. Married, dating someone, or a skank.”Oops. That last one slipped out of me.

“Skank? Do tell.” Jason sits across from me, leaning forward with anticipation.

“Don’t get excited. I was referring to my former roommate and best friend, who I’m fairly certain was fucking my boyfriend.” I close my eyes as soon as I say the word “boyfriend,” hearing Jagger’s growl. Instinctively, I reach my hand out, my touch reassuring.

What are you doing, Maddie?He’s jealous because you mentioned your boyfriend and you’re reassuring him with your touch?Then I think about how he reassured me in the bathroom, and all the tension drains from my body. This whole… thing… between Jagger and me is unconventional.

“Oh, damn. She does sound like a shank. Never mind.” Jason waves his hand dismissively, looking disgusted, and I can’t help but like him.

“Yeah, she’s not in your league. It’s too bad Ashlynn is seeing someone…” my voice trails off. What am I doing? Talking like I’m going to set Jagger’s brother up with one of my friends so what—so Jagger and I can go on a double date with them?

What the hell did that ketamine do to me?It’s because I was drugged. It has to be. Because if not… I’m in trouble.

Jagger’s family is amazing and I’m envious of the close-knit relationship they share. My gaze slides to Jagger, who is watching me intently, his brows furrowed like he’s watching a movie, putting the pieces together before the ending is revealed.

Slow down, Maddie. You don’t know him well. How do you know Jagger is sincere in his feelings for you?

Abby finishes stitching up Jagger, her gaze moving to mine. “I want to check you over, just as a precaution. I don’t anticipate you feeling anything less than fine.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “I have some medication to help with any side effects.”

“Will my memory come back?”

Abby shakes her head. “Not from the medication. It will come back though, Maddie. Jagger told us you experienced a traumatic event before he injected you.”

I nod, trying to keep myself from flashing back to that awful moment.

“It will come back, Maddie. Just give yourself time. Don’t try and force yourself to remember.”

“Okay.” Giving her a weak smile, my gaze locks on Jagger, now stitched and bandaged. Throwing his legs over the side of the cot, he reaches out a hand toward the sweatpants that are in my lap. Wordlessly, I hand them to him.

“Thanks, baby girl.” He puts one foot in, then the other, before standing. He slides them over his muscular body, my gaze drinking in his flexed muscles. The man has the physique of a professional athlete, not an ounce of fat anywhere that I can see.He must spend hours working out to look like that.

Jagger comes over beside me, the couch cushions sinking from his large mass. Grabbing me, he pulls me against him, his arm resting over my shoulders.

“Jagger. Watch your arm.” I gently grab his hand, throwing a worried look at his bandaged arm that he slung over my shoulder.

“I’m fine, baby girl.” His low voice draws my attention, and I can’t help the smile that blooms across my face as I meet his dark eyes. Everything has me tense and uneasy—yet once he touches me, it all fades away and I relax.

“Are you sure?”Damn it, Maddie. Why do you care?

His knuckles come up, grazing my cheek in that way that makes me practically purr like a kitten. “I’m sure. Everything’s better when I’m with you.”

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