ground when she reached her car, so she didn’t see me standing there waiting for her until the last second. I used her distraction and caged her in against the driver’s door.
Holding her by the hips, I lowered my head and buried my face in her neck.
“Jags!” she cried, trying to push me away. “What the hell are you doing?”
My fingers bit into her, afraid she would try to get away if I eased my hold at all. “Just give me a minute,” I murmured roughly against her flesh. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, and one by one, my muscles began to relax ever so slightly. “I need this so fucking bad, baby. I’ve felt like I couldn’t breathe the last few days. Now that I have you in my arms, I’m actually able to take in a complete lungful for the first time since Saturday night.”
“I’m sure Carmen would have been all too happy to give you CPR if you really needed oxygen so badly,” she snarled, still trying to push me away.
Even though her jealousy gave me hope, I hated that it was causing her pain. Skimming my lips over her shoulder, I lifted my head. “Give me your keys,” I instructed.
Her baby blues blazed angrily up at me. “No.”
“Dimples,” I growled warningly. “I need to show you something, and it will be easier if I drive since I know where we’re going. Give me your keys.”
“Maybe you’ve gone deaf. Let me clarify. Fuck. No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” She pushed me, and this time, I willingly took a few steps back. Turning, she opened the door and tossed her bag into the passenger seat.
Deciding I didn’t need her keys after all, I picked her up and opened the back door. She screamed and kicked while I struggled to get her wiggly ass in. By the time I had the seat belt fastened around her, I was out of breath and so fucking turned on, my cock physically ached.
I slammed the door, quickly adjusting myself as I glanced around. The parking lot had steadily emptied while I’d been waiting for Shaw, but there were still several vehicles spread out. I saw a few girls standing by some girlie convertible with their phones pointed in my direction, their mouths hanging open in shock, but they hadn’t even tried to help my girl. I was glad they hadn’t interfered, but it pissed me off that they hadn’t bothered to assist her.
What if I’d been some rapist or kidnapper? Didn’t they care that I could have hurt her? Was videoing me more important than saving someone?
Figuring they would get a good payday from their video if they sold it, I sighed and got behind the wheel. Starting the vehicle, I reversed from the parking spot. Once we were on the road, I hit the Bluetooth on the steering wheel. “Call Mieke Carmichael.”
“What the fuck are you calling Mieke for?” Shaw complained from the back seat. I knew better than to let my guard down. Just because she wasn’t fighting me now didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to attack me as soon as we got to where we were going.
“Hey, Shaw.” Mieke’s voice filled the car. “What’s up, sugar butt? Are you doing okay? I know—”
“Mieke, it’s Jagger,” I interrupted as I made a right turn. “I have a huge favor to ask. Shaw and I were just videoed, and it’s probably about to hit social media—if it hasn’t already. Can you make it disappear?”
I heard her sigh heavily. “You owe me so big for this,” she muttered. “Consider it done, but only because I figure Shaw can’t take much more at this point. Just don’t bitch at me when I call in the favor.”
“Thanks, Mieke.”
“No problem. Tell Shaw I said hey, and if she needs to talk, I’m here. I know she must be losing her mind right now.”
Before I could ask what she meant, she hung up. I lifted my gaze to the rearview mirror. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked out the side window, but I saw her chin tremble, and my gut clenched with trepidation.
“Did something happen?”
“How long is it going to take to get wherever we need to be?” she tossed at me instead of answering my question. “I need to get home.”
“It may take a little bit,” I told her and focused on the road once again.
She was quiet the rest of the drive, and I kept glancing in