Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN
Jagger was comforted by her reaction as she first took in the sight of him. She couldn’t fake her relief, her happiness. In that moment, it was all he needed from her. His demeanor remained uncertain; Britton didn’t know how to read him. Why was he there? Did he want to see her as much as she wanted to see him?
“A dream?” She asked.
“Actually more of a memory. You were curled up in the fireplace. You were covered in casts from the accident.”
“How...” She thought she was alone in those woods.
“I was hoping you’d be there. I came to ask you to run away with me.”
“But you didn’t.”
“After seeing what I had already done to you, already put you through, I knew you wouldn’t be safe with me.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make. I thought you had run out on me.”
“And look where it got you. You’re a successful, beautiful woman and you did it all because I wasn’t holding you back.”
“I failed at my first undercover assignment.”
It hurt him to hear that. He was her assignment. Fate hadn’t brought them back together, the United States Government and the FBI had. He wanted to lighten the conversation, for both of their sakes.
“I don’t think you failed. You totally could've had me.” He winked at her.
Britton began to laugh. It was the first time she laughed since she left him at the warehouse.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She repeated herself over and over again.
Jagger was hoping to play it cool, but as soon as he saw her face, his body warmed and he wanted nothing more than to hold her as close as he could.
“I needed to see you.” He said, stepping toward her.
“I did too.”
They stared at each other, neither knowing which should make the first move, or even what the first move should be. They knew they needed to talk. She needed to explain herself, and he was willing to listen. He needed to know that she truly loved him and it wasn’t all a lie. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life thinking it was a lie. It was eating him up inside.
Their faces were close and the heat between them was intoxicating. Jagger’s eyes rolled back as he was reminded of her scent. He wanted to breath her in. She was too much for him to handle. How had he been able to last an entire month without seeking her out? No matter how hurt he was, his body craved hers.
“I have so much to tell you.” Britton started.
“Are you still going to arrest me?” He leaned in closer to her.
“No.”
“Good.”
He hurled his arms around her and crushed her against his body, devouring her lips. He had missed her mouth, her lips, her scent. He grabbed her lip gently between his teeth, yearning to be closer to her. He lifted her off the ground, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him, pushing her pelvis into his. He was ready for her, and she was unable to ignore his throbbing member practically bursting through his jeans. She shot her hand down his stomach, caressing the rock-hard waves of his abs.
She teased the top of his jeans, tickling his skin just under the rim of denim. Her thumb grazed his button and he moaned. Britton dove south over top of his jeans, grabbing him fully in her hand. She squeezed, ever so gently, triggering him to beg for more. She wanted to give him more. She wanted to give him everything.
Jagger pulled away, knowing that if he let it go any further, he could be caught in another trap. He lowered her to the couch and sat next to her, it took everything he had to restrain his desire to take her in that moment.
“How am I supposed to trust you?” He looked her directly in her eyes.
“I never told them anything about you.”
He believed her. Otherwise, he would have been in jail. He inched closer to her. “Then why do it to begin with?”
“I wanted to…” she had to catch her breath. She couldn’t focus while listening to her own blood pumping in her ears. “I told you I spent ten years hating you.”
Jagger sat back, mulling over this idea. “So you wanted to take me down?”
Britton could see that this conversation was not leading down a path that would satisfy the craving that she had been suppressing for too long.
“Jagger, I have no right to ask you this, but I need you to trust me. I was not planning on turning you in. I was also not planning on falling in love with you. I couldn’t control the latter.”
His smile softened his face. For some reason, hearing her say that she loved him made his heart soar. He felt again as though he was invincible.
Their eyes met and she couldn’t help herself. Her lips were drawn to his and she grasped at his shirt. He put little effort into pulling away, but managed to break away.
“We still need to talk. ” He said.
“I know, but shut up and kiss me.”
He was amused by her aggression. He liked this side of her. She pushed him down onto the couch and crawled on top of him. She took her shirt and bra in her hands and pulled them both over her head. Jagger marveled at the sight of her beautiful breasts as they bounced out of her bra. His desire didn't go unnoticed and only drove Britton more crazy; her body needed to be connected to him again.
She crushed her lips to his and ran her fingers through his hair, sending chills down his spine. While letting her take control was exhilarating, he needed to take it back. He needed to take her in his own way. He slid his hands up her skirt and grabbed her bare hips, lifting her up, and pushing her to the floor. He fell on top of her, almost knocking the wind from her chest. Britton caught her breath in enough time to be scooped up again and thrown against the wall. The force caused a painting to fall off the wall, breaking its frame.
“Don't worry...it’s an ugly frame anyway.” She panted through shallow breaths.
“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t.
He continued to move her down the hallway, crashing into the wall again on the way to the bedroom. They both couldn't get enough of each other, each making up for their previous month of pure agony. He grabbed her hair and pulled back, exposing the soft skin of her neck. He lowered his mouth to its calling, playfully digging his teeth into her flesh. She smiled and screamed with pleasure.
Reaching the bedroom, Jagger threw her onto the edge of the bed and swiftly tore her skirt from her body. Britton sat up, reaching for his pants. He pushed her back down and climbed over her. His tongue traced her lips and made its entry. He caressed the inside of her mouth, reminding her of what she had almost given up again.
Jagger wanted more. He didn’t want to give. Today he wanted to take. He inched his body up, positioning his hips over her chest. He guided her hands to his zipper, cuing her to pleasure him. She did as she was told, slowly freeing him from his confines. She opened her mouth, begging to taste him. With her soft hands she guided him into her warm mouth, her tongue exploring his cock. She closed her lips around him as he pushed deeper into her. She glided her tongue around him, taking her own pleasure in his moans. His hips moved faster, begging for more. She dug her nails into his back and he fell forward, taking the lead.
Jagger marveled at her body. It was not only the body of a woman who was pleasuring him, it was the body of a woman who had betrayed him. Even still, it was the body of a woman who he loved. He needed to remind her of that love. He pulled out from her mouth and looked into her yearning eyes. He remained focused on her while he kicked off his pants. He lowered his mouth to hers, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He didn’t want to look away. He didn’t want to forget this moment, no matter what was to come.
“Britton, I still love you, no matter what you have planned for me.” His words were honest.
She wanted to promise that she had no plan other than to find a way to be with him, but her words escaped her, as in that moment he pushed himself inside her. They were one. They moved as one, and they never broke their eye contact. If they never finished their conversation, it wouldn’t have mattered, because the end result would have been the same. They knew they loved each other. Nothing else could possibly matter in this moment. Their heightened cries filled the room in unison as Britton met every thrust of Jagger’s hips; neither wanting this to end, neither wanting to come.
Britton grabbed his hips, pulling him in deeper, harder. She wanted to stay connected to him. She didn’t want him to leave her. She moved him faster, keeping her pace with his. As he pushed deeper, she lost control of her body. Her eyes rolled back and her mind screamed. And as their eye contact broke, they both released together. Jagger collapsed on top of her as he emptied himself into her, unwilling to separate. She tilted, begging him to stay within.
Their moans silenced, and Jagger lifted himself off of Britton, rolling to her side. They stared at the ceiling, willing the other to speak first. Jagger found Britton’s hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. He gave a light squeeze before he spoke.
“Did you expect me never to find out?”
Britton had no answer to the question. It was one she had asked herself every day during her time undercover, and every day since it had ended. She kept looking to the ceiling, hoping that an answer would come to her.
“Deep down, I knew one day you would find out. I just refused to believe the day would ever come.”
“So now what? Do we just live under the radar of your boss, praying that one day you don’t have a sudden change of heart and confess everything I’ve ever told you? I don’t know if I can live like that.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“You say that now, Britton, but it was so easy for you to lie to me then. What would be so different in the future?”
She turned to him, angered by his assumption. “It was never easy to lie to you.”
He believed her but said nothing.
“Maybe this is it.” She put the words out into the universe, only hoping that he would kill them instantly.
“Is that really what you want?” Jagger rolled to his side, stunned by her comment.
“I’m being transferred to Washington.” She refused to take her eyes off the ceiling.
“For how long?” Unable to hide the worry in his voice.
“Forever, Jagger. They don’t want me here anymore.”
“Why not?”
She fought her words. It was still difficult to reveal her weaknesses. “Because I’ve been miserable.” The edges of her lips dropped and she turned to him. “I’ve been so miserable without you.” She fought back the tears, but her body wanted to break.
Jagger wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. No matter how much it hurt him to see her like this, it was nice to know he wasn’t alone in his misery. He didn’t need to convince himself that she still loved him. There was no doubt in his mind that she wanted no one but him. He wouldn’t let her be taken out of his life again.
“Run away with me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Let’s get out of here. We’ll finally rid ourselves of this shit town and start our own life. Just you and me.”
Her instincts screamed ‘yes’, but it was a childish dream. “Jagger, we can’t do that.”
“We can.”
“People will look for me. You remember whom I work for, right? And the first person they’ll go after is you and then your club. They will find us.”
Jagger settled back into his pillow, disappointed that his dream wouldn’t become a reality. “Then I’ll come to Washington.”
“Jagger…”
“No. Britton, I am not letting you go again. What do I have to do to prove that to you? I'm coming to Washington.”
Her heart raced with anticipation. “But what about your family, your club?”
“They don’t need me. They have each other.”
“But you love them. I can’t ask you to leave.”
“Not as much as I love you. You, Britton Ramirez, you are my family.”
She smiled; loving how those words sounded leaving his lips. “Okay.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
He hugged her close and lay still, reveling in her touch.
“So how did this all happen?” Jagger knew the only way this would work was if everything was on the table. He needed to know that she was on his side.
Britton hugged him tighter, conscious that the following conversation might hurt both of them. “I had to pick a topic for my thesis at Quantico…”
She started at the beginning and told him the entire story. She didn’t leave out any details, afraid that something would eventually come back to haunt her, and her simple act of omission would cost her the love she would never know again.
“And then he kissed me. I pushed him away, and ran to the door. I just wanted to see you. But then Hank was there.”
“Hold on, he actually kissed you?”
“Yes.”
Jagger suddenly wanted to hunt David down and punch him in the face. How dare he steal a taste of the lips that only he could sample? He had no right to kiss her. He wanted to find him. He wanted to destroy him. Anger filled his chest and he turned, staring Britton in the face. His hot temper chilled, and he was calm. He didn’t need revenge. He had won. Britton chose him. Britton would always choose him.
“That’s all that happened?” He asked.
“That is it.”
“Good.” He tightened his hold on her.
There were no secrets between them any longer.