of knuckles a kiss.
“All right. Fifty percent.” My breath catches as he smooths his hands down my ribs, grabs my hips, and pulls me against him. The heat from his body burns through our clothing. I can feel the rise and fall of his ribs with each breath, smell his cologne, and still taste his peppermint candy on my tongue.
“I would’ve given you seventy percent.” Silent laughter shakes his body.
“I would’ve taken forty,” I reply right before he kisses me, and the world fades into a blur of diamonds and fireworks.
Six
Jagger
A hard fist pounds on my bedroom door. I groan and try to sit up, but an arm curls around my waist—a man’s arm—and draws me back against a warm chest. Memories of last night—and this morning—rush into my sleepy brain. Cash’s lips nibble on my earlobe. He’s here. In my bed. This isn’t a dream. It’s real, and I’m in heaven.
“Jagger!” By the volume of Emeline’s voice, she’s not happy about something. “Why is that car in the driveway? You said you were going to—” The pounding stops, and the door swings open.
“What time is it?” I wriggle out of Cash’s embrace and sit, clutching the sheet around my naked breasts.
“Good morning.” Cash props himself up against the headboard. The white bedding contrasts with his tanned skin. Beneath the sheet, his hand finds my thigh and squeezes, sending a pulse of need to my sex.
Em’s gaze bounces between Cash’s naked chest and my guilty face. “Jagger, could I speak to you in the hallway, please?”
“Sure. Give me a sec.” As soon as the door closes, I try to get out of the bed, but Cash draws me into his arms for a long, leisurely kiss. I drown in the softness of his lips and the dance of our tongues. Then I remember Em and swim back to the surface of reality. “I can’t. Em’s waiting.”
“Let her wait.” His fingers slide between my legs.
An uncharacteristic giggle bursts from my throat as we engage in a playful game where I try to climb out of bed and he drags me back. Finally, breathless, I roll onto the floor and hold out a hand to prevent him from following me. “No. Seriously. She’s pissed.”
He huffs a suffering sigh. “Fine.” The top of the sheet tents above his prominent erection. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Two minutes. I promise.” I throw on a bathrobe then bend down for a quick kiss before heading out to meet Em.
Outside my room, she’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, and a scowl on her face. “What the ever-loving fuck, Jagger? You said you were done with him.”
“Well, I thought so, but it seems I was wrong.” I have no idea how to explain the events of last night or my change of heart when I don’t understand it myself. The money—the diamonds—the sex. They’ve chiseled a crack into my dislike for him. And after last night? I’m blown away by our steamy chemistry. I’m not done with him. Not by a long shot.
“There is no scenario in the world where this—” She draws a circle between me and the bedroom door. “Ends well. One or all of us is going to end up in jail or dead.”
“I don’t think so.” I cross my arms, mimicking her stance. Her statement stirs my pigheaded nature. With the burn of Cash’s touch so fresh on my skin, I’m beyond coherent reason. I want him, and I’ll do anything to keep him. “He has a plan in place.”
“He’s a criminal, Jag. The bad guy.” She flails her hands in the air. “Wake up!”
“I know what I’m doing.” I trace a fingertip along my collarbone, remembering the silky glide of the diamond necklace over my flesh and the kisses that followed. “I’m going to run one of his stores for him. A secret, very exclusive place for high-profile customers. You should see it, Em. It’s off the hook. He’s giving me fifty percent of the business. Fifty percent!”
Her pretty face scrunches into an impatient scowl. “Open your eyes. Did you forget about the FBI dudes? What are you going to tell them when they come back? Because they will be back.”
“No, I haven’t forgotten. Cash is going to take care of them.”
“You trust him to do that? Really?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“He’s the reason we’re in this mess.”
The euphoria of last night starts to fade. “I want to give him a chance.”
“And what about Tony? You can’t expect me to keep