Man Up Stepbrother (4 page)

Jagger holds me possessively with his arm around my waist, I'm tucked in tight against his side, and nothing in my life has ever felt better. I rest one hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest, his strong solid chest, as he continues to stand his ground over me. I can't resist the urge to move my hand over the ridges and hard muscle beneath it.

I lean my head against Jagger, lost in the smell and feel of him. We fit together like puzzle pieces. Every curve and edge matches up together.

"See," Jagger says in a much calmer voice, looking down at me like I'm something special. Like I'm a treasure. "She's with me. Sorry for the confusion."

I don't bother to glance at the other man to make sure he's leaving. I don't want to pull any part of myself away from Jagger.  

"How are you feeling, sunshine?" he whispers in my ear as his free hand reaches under my hair.

"Mmm. Better now." I moan, wrapping my arms around him and adjusting my body against his so that we're chest to chest. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

"A promise is a promise."

The air's sucked from my lungs. That single word leaves me disappointed. Deflated. I pull back, meet his intense stare, and nod, trying not to release the tears pricking the back of my eyes. "Yeah. Right. You promised."

I look down. That sobered me up. Shit. I didn't tempt him, and he didn't scare the other guy off because he wants me for his own. I let my defenses down and he almost crushed me with that one stupid word. Promise. That's why he's doing this, why he's watching me like a hawk. Because he promised.

I almost let on to how good it feels to be close to him, to have his hands on me and his eyes watching my every move. Almost. But I didn't. Which is good, because
this
isn't good. Me and Jagger. There can't be a me and Jagger. Ever.

"Allie, is there something you want to tell me?"

I take a long moment to stare at him. Do I want to tell him? Could I say all I'm thinking about is how wonderful he feels and how good he smells, and how I want nothing more than to be closer to him? No. I don't want to tell him any of that. And I especially don't want to tell him that I'm contemplating standing on my tiptoes, wrapping my hands around his neck, and reaching my lips up to meet his.

I shake my head. "No. I'm good. How about you?"

He presses his lips into a thin line and looks off to the side. It feels like something's wrong.  Like I upset him. "I'm tired. What do you say we hit the road?"

I nod and allow him to lead me by the hand out of the bar. His thumb strokes the skin over my knuckles, making me tingle from the inside out. My hand feels right in his, comfortable, like a cashmere sweater.

I let him set the pace. He's moving slow, taking his time, and I want to believe it's so we can spend an extra few minutes together. An extra few minutes before we head home, and away from everything I want to pretend is happening.

Standing by the passenger side of his pick-up, Jagger doesn't unlock the door. He's frozen in place, holding my hand, staring into my eyes with only inches between us.

He closes his eyes tight for a moment, then smirks. My heart nosedives into my stomach. Something is up, and I don't know what it is. I'm half expecting him to tell me that after seeing what a tease I am, he understands why Bailey cheated on me with Slut Face. But I wasn't trying to tease the other man, I was trying to entice Jagger.

"Maybe it's wrong for me to say this," Jagger starts, breaking into my thoughts. "But you looked amazing in there. You were the sexiest little thing I've ever seen. I had to get you out of there fast because you had every guy in there salivating, wishing he was lucky enough to take you home."

"Every guy?" My stomach swirls with nervous anticipation. I can't fight the spark of hope he kicked up inside me. It's there, burning.

Fanning.

Flaming.

I look up at him through my lashes as I lean my back against his truck. The cool metal feels good on my overheated skin.

"Yes, Aleena," he says, using my full name as he brushes his knuckles down the side of my cheek, and I love the way it sounds. I never heard the beauty of my name before now, before Jagger Evans said it. "Every guy," he confirms.

"Really? Cause there's only one guy," I hold my pointer finger up and touch it to his chest. The alcohol is making me brave, or flirty. Or downright slutty. Whatever it's doing to me, I like the way it feels, the way my head is swirling and all I can concentrate on is Jagger.

The way he looks.

The way he smells.

The way his hard body feels against mine. And I'm really getting off on the way he can't pull his eyes away from me. "Just one guy out of everyone in there that I wanted to turn on. But I'm not sure I did."

"You did, baby," he says in a low, gravelly voice, closing the distance between us by pressing his forearms against the truck on either side of my head and leaning in.

His touch. His breath. His body heat. Every single thing about him is magnified. Each one adds fuel to the ten-alarm blaze Jagger set on fire inside of me. His fingers move against my hair, massaging the top of my head, and I'm almost convinced I'm going to have an orgasm just like this.

"But now that I know you did it on purpose, I'm a little pissed at you."

"Why?"

His fingers trail down to my neck and back up along my jaw line. "You have me all riled up with nowhere to go." His thumb brushes over my bottom lip as he leans closer. So close, I can taste the remnants of beer on his lips as he speaks. I think he's going to kiss me.

Why doesn't he just do it already!

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to take you right here and now against my truck." He bends down just enough to reach his hands around me and lift me by the back of my thighs.

I hold onto his neck as my legs wrap around his waist. Heart pounding. Need pulsating. I have no control over my body as he presses my back into the door of his truck. Everything around us is a blur.

Nothing exists but Jagger and I.

Right here. Right now.

This moment.

This breath.

I should say something. Something hot and sexy. I run my tongue over my lips while racking my brain for anything coherent. Words fail me. I can't think because my mind is numb from the combination of alcohol and Jagger, and even if I could think of something, I still wouldn't be able to speak because he just stole the air from my lungs.

Jagger's hips press against me. He's hard. He wants me. The thought that I turn him on, that he's holding me pressed up against his truck, has my panties soaked.

"I'd be lying if I said I can't wait to get in bed to go to sleep, because the first thing I'm going to do when I lie in bed tonight is close my eyes and imagine you giving me a private show, dancing for me. Only for me."

His mouth moves to my ear, his chest is pressed against mine, and I hope he can't feel how fast and furious my heart beats for him. I try moving. I want to take this to the next level and rub against him, but he's got me pinned too tight. All I can do is stare at his full lips and will him to kiss me.

"I'd be lying if I said I'll be able to go to sleep without thinking of you and stroking myself to your image because, girl, you've got me hurting bad right now."

I let out a long, deep sigh. A sigh of longing. I need him. Now. And I don't know why he's torturing me.

"Careful, sunshine. Sounds like that only make me want you more. And I'm teetering off a very dangerous edge." His thumb brushes over my bottom lip and presses down on it slightly. "I have to admit that even though we haven't kissed, right now I'm imagining the softness of those sweet lips of yours over every part of my body."

I stare at him, captivated, under a spell of lust and desire. I wait to see what he'll do next, to hear more of what he wants. A long moment passes before I speak, before I can find the courage to say the words out loud.

"So what are we still doing here?"

He releases my legs and steadies me on the ground. His hands run up my thighs, then he leans his forehead against mine.

"Testing the waters."

"And how are they?"

"The fact that you're even asking tells me it's not safe to swim."

"What?" I feel like a needle on a vinyl album that just hit a scratch and skipped. "Why not?"

"All this time I've been laying it on the line, and you haven't said one word. You haven't made any confessions of your own. And you never closed the distance between us. I came miles to you just now, and all you had to do was lean in, just a little bit."

I stand on my tiptoes and tilt my mouth up.

"Hey now, no cheating," he smirks, brushing his thumb along my cheek. These little touches, they're my undoing.

"I'm not cheating. I'm trying to kiss you."

He shakes his head. "There's no rush, Allie. I'm not going anywhere. I laid it out for you, told you what I want. Chew it over until you figure shit out."

"Like what?"

"Like what you really want."

"I already know. I want you."

He shakes his head. "Not tonight you don't. This," he points his fingers from him to me and back. "You hesitated. That's cool because I want you to be one hundred and ten percent sure, because this, us, it's going to be complicated. If we do this, we have to be absolutely certain it's something we both want, something we both can't live without, because it impacts our friends and families. You need to sleep on it and I need to hear it straight from your lips. When you're sober. Completely sober. If we act on this now, you might regret it, and I promised, no regrets."

"Right. I'm starting to hate that stupid promise."

"Tonight, pretty lady, you have a lot to sleep on. And I'll have to settle for my hand and a cold shower."

Chapter 5

Jagger 

Allie hasn't said a word to me in over five minutes. And I can't get a good look at her because her head is turned toward the side window. She's pissed. Or hurt. Or just wants away from me.

Why the fuck did I open my mouth? One moment of weakness watching that prick lay his hands on her may have ruined everything building between us. One fucking moment, where she made it clear that she wanted me, and still I gave up the whole can of worms. Fuck, I didn't just give them up, I served them drenched in special sauce on a silver platter. I only hope she's too drunk to remember the things I said.

"Allie," her name comes off my lips in little more than a whisper.

No response. I'm not sure if it's because she's hurting or because she doesn't hear me.
Shit shit shit.

I don't know what the fuck I'm doing anymore when I'm around her. I saw the pain in her eyes when we ran into her ex, and all I wanted to do was make it better. Make
her
better

Frustrated, I run my hand through my hair. She can do so much better than him. She's a million times hotter than the chick he knocked up. Dumb fuck. How can he even look at another girl with Allie waiting for him at home? I'd die a happy man knowing she was heating up my sheets.

That sad empty look he brought out, it left when we got here and she started dancing. She looked happy, content. Until I opened my mouth. Now that pained look is back, and it's back because of me. A few minutes ago when I used every ounce of self-control to restrain myself from taking her against my truck, there was no sadness. No uncertainty.

Until I brought it to an end.

The thought eats away at me. All I wanted was to bring the light back in her eyes for a little while. I did. It shone through from deep within her. Especially when I gave her a glimpse of what's going on inside me. Fuck, I'll tell her every secret I have stored away if it promises to reignite hope in her.

Reading her reactions and the swing of her emotions, I'm betting Bailey blamed his cheating on Allie and she bought into it. Even if she didn't, her silence has me worried she's trying to keep safe by hiding her heart away from the rest of the world. Away from me. We're not all scumbags like Bailey. And if he could hurt her like that, the loser doesn't deserve to be a thought in her head.

He needs to be neutralized so seeing him around doesn't unravel her like it did tonight. There's only one way I know of to truly do that, make sure he doesn't ever hurt her again, but he's not worth the jail time that comes with a bullet to the head. Instead I have to find a way to create the change in her heart.

"Allie," I say it louder this time.

"Yes?" I barely hear her because her head is still turned toward the window and it drowns out her voice. She won't even turn to speak to me.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," her voice cracks and I don't believe her.

"He's not worth it, Allie. Not worth one minute of your time."

"I know."

"You sure about that?"

"Um hmm."

She doesn't have me convinced. She's still looking out the window. How am I supposed to sneak my way into her heart when she won't even look at me? It's not like I can erase her memory of him. But I thought my confession would build her confidence, show her that there are other guys that want her.

That
I
want her.

Her clipped answers and refusal to look my way have me concerned I made it worse. The last thing I wanted when I got her mind focused on the possibility of me and her was to cause any insecurity. Yes, I stopped the situation before it could go anywhere because I didn't believe she was truly on board.

The hardest fucking thing I've done in a long time was to shut it down. Had she not hesitated, I would've said fuck it and thrown caution to the wind, but she did. That hesitation equates to uncertainty, so I slammed my foot down hard as I could on the brakes and put it on hold. Instead I gave her, gave us, something to think about and work toward. She's crazy if she doubts how much I want her, but I can't take things further. Not tonight.

I can't give in to the devil on my shoulder telling me to go for it, because if she's not emotionally ready for me, for something long term between us, we won't be able to stand being in the same room with each other. And the one thing I realized tonight, the way my pulse races when she's near and my body tenses when another man lays a finger on her, is that I want long term with her.

I don't know if she's my forever, but I can't risk not finding out.

I can't, I won't let Allie slip away.  

"Thank you," she says, reaching for my hand and entwining our fingers.

My heart rate kicks up a notch. The touch warms me. It surprises me. She doesn't seem one bit insecure or uncertain of herself. Every worry I have, everything I stressed over for the last five minutes, it’s all bullshit. Seems I'm the one that's the emotional train wreck.

"For what?" I ask with a smile, relieved that I seem to be worrying over nothing.

"For everything. Especially for that little speech. I know you said that stuff just to make me feel better. I guess it maybe worked a little."

"Maybe, huh? Well, sunshine, I've got news for you, I didn't say one word back there to make you feel better. I'm glad it did, but that wasn't my intent."

"Then why'd you say it?"

I feel her eyes on me. I glance over at her, and while still glassed up from the drinks she consumed, her eyes are vibrant, studying me with a fierce intensity.

"I said all that, because I meant it. Because it's true." I squeeze my fingers around hers. "Think you can live with that?"

She's smiling, and that light in her eyes turned back on.

"Are we crazy for letting things get this far? For even considering going further?" she asks.

"Crazy is relative. Being with you makes me crazy in ways I've never experienced. I'd put money on the fact that right now I'm downright certifiable if that answers your question. As far as where things are and where they're going," I shrug. "We haven't crossed any lines, haven't seen each other's bits and pieces." I wink at her. "Nothing's happened to make things awkward or uncomfortable. Nothing has to change between us."

She nods and turns back to the window.

"That's not to say that I don't want to cross lines or see you naked." I squeeze her hand. "The honest truth is after tonight, I want it all to change."

She doesn't respond to my last comment, and I wish she'd give me a glimpse of where she stands.

"Where are we going?" Allie asks as I turn onto a main road.

"I'm taking you home, pretty lady."

"I can't. My car."

"It'll be waiting for you in the morning. You're not driving tonight, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride."

"I'm not sure I locked my car when I got out, and the garage door opener is in it along with the registration. Anyone can find out where I live and let themselves in. I won't be able to sleep. At least let me check and make sure it's locked."

"Sure thing."

I turn my truck around and head back to the pizzeria. It's well after midnight. I expect it's closed by now. Her ex and anyone else we'd like to avoid are long gone. The silence between us is heavy, or at least that's how it feels to me. Heavy, like an aircraft carrier. I need something to distract me, something to keep me focused on the road and not how fucking good Allie smells.

I want so badly to touch her. I separate our fingers and place my hand on her thigh. She doesn't tell me to move it. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm struggling to keep my hand from running up and down her leg, up to her center... I shake the thought off. Too many urges to keep at bay in one night.

Turning into the parking lot, I'm focused on the things my body yearns to do to but I won't allow to happen with Allie. I miss it. I don't see what's in front of me.

"Oh my God!" Allie squeals, sounding like she's in pain.

"What?" I ask, shifting the truck into park and snapping my head to the side so I can look her over. Not understanding what's wrong, I follow her gaze out the front window.

"Son of a bitch!" I growl, jumping out. "Mother fucker!" I walk around to the other side of her car, confirming what I already know. Each and every tire is flat. Punctured. Slashed open.

Something resembling a whimper escapes Allie as her shoulders round in defeat and her hand covers her mouth. She looks small. Deflated. The resignation in the noise wrenches at my heart, squeezing it with a death grip.

I want to take her in my arms and stroke her, soothe her, but I don't. This isn't the time or the place. I'm not sure if the area is secure, and the most important task at hand is keeping Allie safe. My senses are heightened as I look and listen for any tell of danger. I step next to Allie, close enough that I'll be able to shield her with my body if necessary. I look around, scanning the area, careful not to lose focus, because if there is a sudden attack I'm not sure from which direction it will originate.

"Fuck. I didn't need this. Do you have any idea how much four new tires is going to cost me?"

"Come on," I order, grabbing her arm and leading her back toward my truck. "Let's go."

"I can't." She attempts to wrench free from my hold. "I need to call a tow truck." she says, using her other hand to pull her phone out of her purse.

"Not tonight." I answer, snatching the phone away from her. "Now get in my truck."

I see the defiance in her eyes. "Give me back my phone."

"I'll give it to you when you get in," I say through clenched teeth.

She narrows her eyes at me and presses her lips together. I get that she wants to stay and protect her car, or fix it, but there's no way in hell I'm allowing her to go anywhere near it. Not without knowing what else might have been done to it.

"This isn't up for discussion, Allie." I say. "We've been out in the open long enough." I give her one last chance, hoping she understands I'm not going to back down. "Get. Your. Ass. In. The. Truck."

"No."

"That wasn't a request."

Frustrated, I lift her over my shoulder. The action stuns her into submission. At least for the moment. Her slight frame is no challenge for me as I pull open the passenger door and place her down before she regains her senses and attempts to escape. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"Please, Jagger," she pleads. "I don't know what to do."

Her voice and resigned posture convince me I won the battle.

"We'll talk about it on our way home," I respond, my voice cold and clipped. There's no time to coddle her. Not out in the open like this. "Buckle up. Unless you want me to do it," I say, holding onto the metal latch plate, pulling it across her shoulder and down to her chest.

She realizes I'm serious. Instead of answering, Allie reaches for the seatbelt and clicks it into place. I waste no time making my way around to the driver's side.

"I never got to do what we came for," she says, pulling the key fob from her purse.

I snatch it out of her hands before she knows what's happening and shove it down in my pocket. Looking back over my shoulder, I back my truck up away from her car and speed onto the main drag.

"Why'd you do that? I just wanted to make sure it's locked. That was the whole point of this," she says, her voice unusually high.

"Your tires are slashed. Can you be sure the car's not rigged with an explosive?"

"A what? You're crazy. No one would do that."

"Crazy, huh? Bet you never expected to find your tires slashed either."

She turns from me and looks out the window.

"Tell me about your ex," I order while speeding away. "How long has he been stalking you?"

"Bailey? He's not stalking me. And he wouldn't do this. He has no reason to. He's the one that broke up with me."

Allie's too dismissive. She's not grasping the severity of the situation. "He broke up with you?"

"Yes."

"What exactly did he say?"

"I don't know. It was months ago, and I don't remember much after he told me he knocked her up."

"Think. Did he actually break up with you, or did he tell you she's pregnant and you broke up with him?"

"It's the same thing."

"No, it isn't. He said he's been calling you for months and you haven't returned a call. Tell me about his messages."

"There's nothing to tell. It's just him apologizing and asking me to call back."

"When was the last call?"

"I don't know. Weeks ago. I didn't even listen to the last few. I just deleted them."

"Then you have no read on how desperate he's become."

"He has nothing to be desperate about."

"Unless he wants you back or if he wants you on the sideline waiting for him."

"I didn't sit around waiting for him before we broke up. He did his thing and I did mine, which is how we ended up..." She stops suddenly, runs her hands through her hair, and sucks in a deep breath before continuing. "He knows he has zero chance of me hanging around or getting back with him. Not when she's carrying his baby." I don't miss how her voice cracks on the last few words. "Seriously, Bailey might be a jerk, but he's not violent. He wouldn't do this."