Eyes Turned Skyward

He was everywhere, overwhelming every sense, inside my mouth, holding me up by my rear and yet still cradling my head like I was something precious. I rocked my hips into him, and he sucked his breath in through clenched teeth. He gave one slow thrust against me, rubbing my inseam along my pelvic bone, and I just about yelped. If he could cause that kind of reaction with our clothes on, what would it be like once they weren’t? Wait. Was I even ready for that? I’d only ever slept with Will.

He pulled away, stroked his thumb over my cheekbone, and smiled. Charged seconds passed while we stared at each other, grinning like fools.

“You say it,” I ordered, needing a bigger declaration than his tongue in my mouth.

“I’ve been yours from the second your eyes opened on the beach.”

My gaze dropped to his lips. I wanted his mouth back, so I took it. He quickly sank into me, his tongue stroking the sensitive place right behind my teeth, and I fell into his rhythm. I gathered the fabric of his shirt in my hands and pulled it upward, needing the heat of his bare skin caressing mine. It caught between us, but came free to his chest with a few motions. Yes.

“Whoa. I guess they aren’t interested in Chinese?” A male voice broke through the haze.

“I’d say not. But how do we get past them into the house?” a female answered. Josh and Ember.

Jagger walked backward, his biceps flexing as he easily carried my weight, until he was across the hallway, my knees pressing into the neighbor’s wall. Then he kissed me again, uncaring that we’d just been caught like a pair of hormonal high school students. I heard the faint sound of the door opening and closing.

“Jagger—” I muttered into his mouth, but he all but ignored me until I pushed his chest.

“What?” he asked, kissing down my neck to that magic spot that was pretty much a button to pop open my thighs. Wait, they were already open. Even better.

“We’re in the hallway.”

“So?”

I lifted my head and arched an eyebrow. “The hallway, Jagger.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “I wait forever to kiss you, and now you dictate where I can do it?”

He lowered me until both my feet hit the ground. I’d never been more aware of our height difference. “How about anywhere but the hallway?”

He grinned, catching the tip of his tongue between his teeth, and lord help me, it was sexy. Sinfully so. “Deal.” He kissed me once more, softly. “That doesn’t count.”

I tried to compose myself, but I was flushed, my hair mussed, and now I had to face the people who’d caught us making out.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he muttered into my neck, brushing my hair aside as we stood before Ember’s door. He ran his tongue along my skin, and chills erupted on my arms.

“Hallway, Jagger.”

He laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

We walked into the condo to the applause of Sam, Ember, and Josh. “I’d give that a nine-point-two. I have to deduct points for clothing still being on,” Josh called out.

My cheeks heated to the point I thought flames might erupt at any second. Jagger took my hand, kissed my knuckles, and bowed.

He winked at me as he came to full height, and I melted. He was incredibly sexy, magnetic, reckless, a touch devious, and a whole lot mine.

Merry Christmas to me.

Chapter Nineteen

Jagger

She had her days, you know? Where everything was great. Fine. I wanted to spend eternity in those days. But then she would spiral and take the rest of us down with her.

Dinner long since done, we all lounged in the living room, haphazardly fitting onto Ember’s sectional. I had Paisley curled around me, her head tucked into my chest. I pressed a kiss to her hair simply because I could. She was mine. She’d driven from Fort Rucker and tied a damned red bow around herself. Best. Christmas. Ever.

“You hear from your mom, Sam?” Ember asked.

She nodded, mouth full of popcorn.

“How much longer?” I asked.

“Six months. Honestly, I should have stayed behind in Colorado. But she wasn’t paying for it, so it was come with her to Campbell or fend for myself.”

Paisley’s eyes darted over, but she didn’t say anything. Her manners would never let her pry. But Sam saw, and she gave her a half smile. “I failed out of school, so my mom pulled all of her financial support unless I came with her. She deployed, and now I’m stuck here.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you,” Paisley offered, and the crazy thing was I knew she meant it.

Deployed. That word meant something different with Paisley in my arms. I still had roughly eighteen months in flight school, but it would inevitably come, and I’d leave…and pray I’d come home to her. Don’t think about that.

“Sam, you’re always welcome in Alabama. I have an extra room and all, just say the word,” I offered.

She raised her beer in salute and a nod of thanks.

Paisley cracked a yawn that triggered my own. “You ready for bed?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Good, me, too.” I grinned down at her. She smiled, but there was something off about it. “You okay?”

“Perfect!” Her voice wavered.

“You guys take the guest room. There’s a queen bed in there,” Sam offered. Paisley tensed and gave me the public, closed-lip smile. “I’ll camp out on the couch.”