tightened on the steering wheel, and my heart rate only jacked up more. “Just be a little patient with me, Dimples. Please?”
“O-okay,” I whispered and turned my head to look out the side window.
I felt his hand cover mine, and I let him entwine our fingers. I glanced down at our joined hands, at the way he held on to me like he couldn’t bear to let go, and relaxed a little.
We stayed quiet as he drove us into the city and then into an apartment building’s garage. Frowning because I recognized the place, I glanced around, expecting to see people we knew. This used to be where Lucy and Harris lived before they moved to a house in Malibu. Jenna Stevenson and her wife Angie had lived there too before buying a house there as well.
“Why are we here?” I asked when I didn’t see anyone familiar in the garage.
“Harris still owned his apartment here,” he said as he turned to face me. “Or he did until a few days ago. I bought it from him.”
“You’re moving?” He nodded, and I didn’t know how to react. He was only eighteen, but just for a few more weeks. “Does that mean you’re not going to come visit me as much?”
He brought our still-joined hands to his lips and kissed my fingertips. “I’ll come see you whenever you want. But I was kind of hoping you would come visit me. Here.”
“O-oh,” I whispered unsteadily. “I-is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”
His brows pulled together in a deep frown. “What did you think I wanted to talk about, Dimples?”
I lifted one shoulder in an attempt to seem casual. “I don’t know.” My eyes fell to our hands, and I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Maybe… Maybe you wanted to tell me we couldn’t hang out anymore now that Cannon is back.”
“Fuck Cannon!” he exploded, dropping my hands. But even as my heart dropped that he wasn’t touching me, Jagger cupped my face and pulled me closer so he could kiss my forehead. The soft brush of his lips over my skin made me shiver as goose bumps popped up along my entire body. Why did something as innocent as that small contact feel so good and so damn powerful? “Nothing is going to change now that your brother is home, Shaw. You’re still going to be my number one priority. You are the one who comes first, no matter what. I want us, and I don’t care who doesn’t like it. I’m not giving you up for anyone or anything.”
My exhale was shuddery, and I leaned into his caress. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t let the fear of getting hurt get in my way, and I kissed him.
But all too soon, he was pulling back, his breathing labored as he adjusted himself in his jeans. “Let me show you my new place,” he said.
Upstairs in his apartment, he showed me around. There were two bedrooms, and other than the absence of a bed in the master, the place was fully furnished. “Lu and Harris left everything since they got all new stuff when they moved to their house. I’m just waiting on a new bed before I officially move in next week.” Reaching into his pocket, Jagger pulled out two keys on separate rings and placed one in my hand.
I frowned down at the key then up at him. “What’s this?”
“I want you to come and go as you please,” he told me as he pulled me down with him onto the couch in the living room. “I want you to think of this place as yours. Show up whenever you want. Leave whenever you want…although I’m hoping you won’t want to leave too often.”
I stuffed the key into my front pocket before scooting a little closer. “What if I show up here at midnight on a Friday night?” I asked in a husky voice and felt him shiver.
He lowered his head until his lips were almost brushing my own. “Fuck, baby. I would love that.”
“Yeah?” Jagger nodded, his nose skimming over mine. “What if I want to sleep in your bed?”
He grasped my hip and pulled me across his lap so I was straddling him. “I’m not going to complain if you want to sleep beside me.”
I cocked my head, watching him through my lashes. “What if sleeping isn’t what I have in mind?”
His jaw clenched. “Once you’re eighteen, I’ll give you