Page 8 of Jagger
It wasn’t often any of the brothers or ol’ ladies called me Lincoln, and when Jackie heard the name, she looked up at me and said, “I didn’t know Lincoln was your first name.”
“Yep. Lincoln Michael Philips.”
“Hmm,” she said without expounding.
“Do you want to join the guys at the bunkhouse? Since the herd is already moved, they have the morning off, so I bought a bunch of meat and alcohol to celebrate,” Roughstock explained.
I looked down at Jackie, but she didn’t seem eager to join the gathering as she reasoned, “I think I’m going to take a shower and settle in with my book.”
“Jagger, are you still staying here, or have you changed your mind?” Cheyenne asked, barely able to contain her smile.
Again, I looked at the beautiful woman whose hand was firmly in mine and raised my eyebrows. I wasn’t aware she was staying at the ranch when Roughstock had invited me to stay. It was just supposed to be a place to crash and shower betweenauctions and the rodeo. The last thing I wanted to do was make her think I was expecting anything from her.
When she smiled up at me and gave my hand a squeeze, I looked back at Cheyenne. “I’ll stay here since we have an early start tomorrow, if that’s still okay with you.”
“You’re always welcome here. I’ve got you set up in the bedroom at the top of the stairs, and Jackie has the room next to it. You two will have to share the connecting bathroom, which I hope won’t be a problem.”
“We’ll be out with the ranch hands for a little while if you two change your mind about joining us. There’s plenty of food and drinks for everyone,” Roughstock replied as he guided a smiling Cheyenne back to the bunkhouse.
Jackie yawned but tried to cover it with her hand. I lifted our connected hands up to my mouth and placed a kiss onto the back. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed so you can curl up with that book.”
“Okay,” she simply said, and I turned and guided us up the stairs and into the house.
For the first time in months, I wasn’t worried about looking at the information the Callahan brothers sent me in my search for Blur. I wasn’t worried about the ranch hands or the club brothers. I was only worried about getting Jackie inside and settled in for the night.
As we walked inside, I could see exhaustion on Jackie’s face, and when she started to climb the stairs, I made yet another impulsive decision. Placing one hand under her knees and one on her back, I hoisted her light frame into my arms, and she was wide-eyed as I carried her up the stairs like a bride.
When we got to the top, I placed her on her feet and took her hand back in mine as I walked her down the small hallway to the room she was staying in. She looked up at me and tuckeda chunk of her thick hair behind her ear, only for it to fall back across her cheek.
“Thank you again for tonight. I . . . I don’t know how things would’ve turned out if you hadn’t been there. And don’t worry, I won’t hold you to your claim,” she said as she cast her eyes down slightly.
“Please look at me, beautiful.” She slowly lifted her eyes, and I could see uncertainty looking back at me. “Why would you say I don’t have to honor what I said?”
“I know you only said that so those guys would leave me alone.” Her eyes darted to the side as she mumbled, “I understand why you did it.”
Not wanting her to think I was the kind of man who said things I didn’t mean, the painful tone of her voice was causing a pain in my chest. Pushing closer, I backed her up until she was against the wall between our rooms, and when she opened her mouth, I leaned over and kissed her again.
It was brief but powerful, and when I pulled back, I looked at her and said, “I meant what I said, so if you’re having doubts, now’s the time to speak up, because once I kiss you again, I won’t be able to walk away.” Tucking some hair behind her ear, I declared, “You’re mine now.”
“Yours?”
I nodded silently and watched the brilliant smile push up on her cheeks. She pushed up onto her toes, wrapped her arms around me, and pressed her lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, allowing us to get a little heated.
But tonight wasn’t the night to share ourselves, and certainly not in my President’s house. So, with slow pecks on her lips, I released my hold on her and whispered, “You need to get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she whispered. With great reluctance, I stepped back and watched as she opened the door to the room she was using. Just before she stepped inside, she turned and looked back at me before saying, “Good night, Jagger.”
“Good night, my beautiful warrior.”
I watched the closed door for longer than I should have, and when I heard her begin to move around the shared bathroom, I turned and walked into the room I used whenever I crashed here. Flopping onto the bed, I smiled up at the ceiling as I heard the shower turn on behind the closed bathroom door.
Whatever fate’s plan was for me, I hoped Jackie was a part of it. And deep down, I hoped she understood when I made stupid mistakes and fucked things up, because it was going to happen . . . probably sooner than later.
Chapter 5
Jackie
Ifell asleep with my lips still tingling from the toe-curling kiss Jagger laid on me, and every time I thought about his claim on me, my heart leapt from my chest. Cheyenne warned me about him, but I knew a brother claiming a woman was serious. That’s why I tried to give him an out. I never expected him to say he meant what he said, and I certainly didn’t expect him to say I was his.
