Letting Go (Thatch #1)(36)

“You sure? We can leave so you can talk to her.”

“No, it’s not that serious.” Jagger’s lopsided smile quickly replaced the frown that had deepened as he’d talked to Charlie, but the smile looked forced. “Another subject we can leave alone for tonight, sound good?”

“Yeah, of course.”

He quickly changed the direction of the conversation by talking about the guy in Seattle who owned the gallery, and how long he’d been giving him his work to show and sell. And as that subject turned into Jagger’s drawings, and what he was working on now, his smiles came a little bit easier, but it was impossible to miss the vacant look in his eyes that stayed there for the rest of the night. Even when he dropped me off at my parents’ house hours later, I couldn’t help but wonder where Jagger’s mind was—because it was obvious it wasn’t with me.





Chapter 8

Jagger

July 24, 2014



STEPPING UP BEHIND Grey as she was putting plates in the dishwasher, I wrapped my arms around her waist and brushed my lips across her neck. A soft sigh blew past her lips, and as she leaned back against my chest, she tilted her head away so I had more access to her neck.

“Thanks for making lunch,” I mumbled against her skin before placing another kiss there.

“I really don’t know how you survived for two years on your own, Jag. I know I wasn’t feeding you since I wasn’t even feeding myself.” Her hand went up to the chain on her neck, and I tightened my arms around her.

“Microwavable food and takeout. My best friends.”

Grey laughed and dropped the ring she’d been grasping, then turned around in my arms to face me. “Obviously.” Her face fell and the tips of her fingers traced under my eyes for a few seconds before she repeated the words she’d been saying all morning. “You look so tired.”

“I know. I never went to sleep last night.”

Her head jerked back and she pressed her hands flat on my chest to push me back. “What? Why?”

“I had an idea for a drawing right before I got in bed, and the next thing I knew it was after nine this morning and I was just getting in the shower.”

“Jagger, why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been saying something all morning and you’ve just been blowing it off.”

“Because you would’ve left if I’d told you.”

“Of course I would have! You need to—”

I cut off her words by pressing my mouth gently to hers, and smiled against the kiss when she tried to push me away. “I didn’t want you to leave, I wanted to spend the morning with you and force you to make lunch.”

Her anger quickly vanished and she kissed me again, this time deeper. “So that’s what I’m good for? Making you lunch?”

“Yeah,” I responded automatically, and exhaled roughly when she punched my stomach.

“You need to sleep.”

“I know.” Moving so only one of my arms was around her, I bent down and swiped her legs out from under her with my other arm at the same second as I started walking.

“Jagger!” she screamed, and quickly wrapped her arms around my neck. “Warning next time!”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

She kicked her legs in the air as I approached the staircase. “No. Put me down! You’re tired, and you are not carrying me up the stairs. And you need to go to sleep!”

“Why do you think we’re going up there?”

“Jagger,” she whined, but stopped wiggling around.

“Grey . . .” I mocked her tone, and smiled when she glared at me. “When in the last thirteen years have you ever left because I was about to take a nap, and vice versa.”

“I’m sure there was at least once. Now put me down and go to sleep.”

I stopped walking halfway up the stairs and let my arms shake. “You’re right, this looks like a good spot.” Bending down, I made my arms shake harder and let my eyes close. “ ’Night, Grey.”

Her legs kicked at the air again, and a hard laugh left her chest when I laid her down on the stairs, and lowered myself onto her so I was pinning her down. “Okay! Okay! Not here!”

“Too late.”

“This is so uncomfortable, Jag,” she complained.

I cracked one eye open and looked into her gold eyes. “You told me—”

“I take it back. Go to sleep in your bed.” She grunted as she tried to push me off. “You’re so heavy!”

“I don’t know if I should be offended by that or not.” Dropping my head to kiss her quickly, I jumped off her and left her there as I continued to climb the stairs.

“Good night,” she called after me from her spot on the stairs.

“Get your ass in the bed, Grey. You’re not leaving.”

I didn’t turn around to see if she would follow me. I already knew she would. I knew there were parts of our friendship that meant more now that things had changed between us, but I didn’t want that to change the way things had always been. I didn’t want her to feel awkward around me, and I didn’t want us to go through a phase of trying to figure out what we should or shouldn’t do now that we were together.

I had only been on the bed for a few seconds when she dropped down next to me. A smile tugged at my lips, but I didn’t say anything. This was right. This was us.