Crushing Beauty (Harbingers of Sorrow MC): Vegas Titans Series by Celia Loren

FOURTEEN

     
    Britton needed a moment to herself. She needed to process
everything he had just confessed. What was he actually capable of? She found
the possibility of danger oddly thrilling. She tried to understand her fear,
questioning if she should continue with the operation, but everything within
her told her to not give up just yet. She wanted to stay with him. She wanted
to figure him out. Britton climbed off the bed, wrapped herself in the satin
sheet, and stepped out into the living area.
     
    Jagger was standing there in the kitchen. He had donned a
pair of speckled gray sweatpants that were now hanging casually on his hips. She
leaned up against the wall, admiring him.
     
    “I think I’m scared of you.” She admitted.
     
    He turned around quickly, not realizing that she had snuck
up behind him. He adored the way she was holding the sheet against her body. Why
was she being modest with him now?
     
    “What does that mean?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Do you want to leave?” He hated to say those words, but he
needed to find out what was going through her head.
    “No. I don’t.”
     
    He smiled, dropped the spatula, and briskly marched to her
side.
     
    “You don't need to be scared of me. You have my word, this—”
He lifted her scraped wrists into view. “—hurt me more than it hurt you.”
     
    She took a breath and turned her back to him. The skin on
her spine was turning purple from being pushed up against the bathroom wall the
night before. She slowly lifted her arms, displaying the bruises forming in the
shape of his fingertips. She didn’t want to upset him, but if she was going to
continue with him, she needed to make sure that she lived to see it through. The
only way to do that was to make him aware of what his anger had already caused
him to do.
     
    “And this was just because David called me.”
    “No it wasn’t. It…”
    “Jagger. Things about me are going to upset you. I need to
know that I’m safe even if you don’t like something I have to say.”
     
    He nodded, taking her bruises in. He couldn’t believe that
he had done that to her. Had he been that oblivious to his own strength?
     
    “It will never happen again. You have my word.”
    “Thank you.” She paused, needing to get out of the dismal
energy that was surrounding them now. “Unless I want it to.” She winked at him.
     
    He chuckled, unable to hide the smile that took over his
face. He snatched the sheet out of her hands and threw it to the side. Jagger
effortlessly threw her naked body over his shoulder, strode back into the
bedroom, and dropped her onto the bed. He crawled on top of her, crushing her
beneath his weight.
     
    “You just make sure to tell me when that is.” He whispered.
     
    She wanted to cry out now but refrained, begging her
emotions to have some self-control. Instead, she swung her arms to his back and
dug her nails into his skin. He groaned, pushing his weight into her hips. She
arched into him, meeting his demands. His mouth yearned for hers, and he bent
down to claim his prize. He stopped, inches from their connection.
     
    “I thought I was making you breakfast.”
    “But now I’m hungry for something else.” Her words teased
him, pushing him to satisfy this new hunger.
    “You really are something else, Britton Ramirez. Something
else.”
     
    He lifted himself up and clutched her in his arms. He
carried her into the kitchen, stole the sheet off the floor, and sat her on top
of the island, laying the sheet down first. She quickly pulled the ends up and
around her naked body, finding comfort in the brief coverage.
     
    Jagger sliced off a small piece of omelet and stabbed it
with a fork. He twisted to her, hinting for her to open her mouth. She
responded accordingly, taking a bite of the nourishment. It was delicious. From
that bite, she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything substantial in so long. She
opened her mouth again, pleading for more. He happily answered, feeding