AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She smiled hesitantly up at him. “I love yours.”
He smiled hesitantly back. Was she letting down her guard?
Closing her eyes, she gave a soft moan that had him afraid he’d stumble and fall down the trail.
“At the risk of inflating your already huge ego, I have to admit that your chest is dreamy,” she said, laying her head on it.
Jagger was stirred up and drawn to her and sort of annoyed. She used to love to tease him about his ego and now she was telling him his chest was ‘dreamy.’ How could she say things like that when she didn’t trust him or love him and had berated him last night?
“Glad you like it,” he managed.
“Your entire body is insanely impressive,” she said, sounding out of breath.
Jagger’s stomach gave a happy lurch at those words. He had to navigate a few slick steps before he could glance down at her. Her blue eyes were full of him. Her compliment was genuine. He had a moment where he thought if he stopped and bent down, she’d kiss him.
“Remember how skinny you were?” she asked.
Jagger was surprised she could tease with how upset she was with him. Was she breaking down her walls?
No. Just a moment ago, she’d reminded him that she couldn’t trust or believe him. He couldn’t forget that.
They were getting closer to the parking lot now. He’d have to set her down soon. His arms tightened reflexively around her at the thought.
“I wasn’t skinny,” he managed to reply. “I just hadn’t filled out yet.”
“Scrawny,” she teased, giggling.
“Well, you’re still scrawny,” he teased back, even though he’d just admitted he loved her size.
“I thought I’d gained some curves.” She blinked up at him, so appealing, so Bee, so his …
No. Not his. Not anymore.
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“I’ve seen you checking me out. Don’t deny it.”
Jagger couldn’t deny it, especially as he had her in his arms and she felt not only desirable but perfect to him. “Okay. You got me.”
She ran one hand over his shoulder. “Your build is incredible.” His muscles tightened in response to her touch. “Thank you for using your muscles to protect and carry me.”
Jagger could barely nod. What was she doing to him?
“Jag … do you still think I’m pretty?”
Jagger stopped walking then. They only had about twenty feet to go. Some hikers walked around him. He stared into Belinda’s blue eyes. Was she letting down her walls and ready to give him sweet honey, or was she tricking him? She had to be exhausted and overwrought, but this felt like a genuine question, as if she hadn’t been complimented in the past fourteen years, or maybe she doubted she was still attractive to him. He had to tell her the truth.
“Bee, you are the most beautiful and mesmerizing woman in the world to me.”
She smiled up at him. He had to kiss her. Right now. He should be suspicious of why she was letting her guard down, but he only cared that she was.
He bent down and tenderly claimed her lips. The kiss started out sweet and aching, but then Belinda arched up into him, wrapped her arms more firmly around his neck, and kissed him with all the passion and fire that typified his Bee. Sweet, sweet honey. The world and every pain of the past fourteen years fell away. Bee’s lips eradicated everything but his need for her. He could never get enough of her.
Jagger cradled her closer, heat building in his chest, savoring these moments, returning kiss for intense kiss and not caring who was watching or how soon she might slug or slap him. Her sting was nothing compared to moments like this. They were in their own world.
“Come on,” an irritated voice said. “Keep moving. Joe. Mary. Isaac. Stop staring. Let’s go. Dude, I’ve got little kids here.”
Jagger pulled back, surprised he and Belinda hadn’t lifted off to another planet. He glanced around at a dad with a backpack full of a squirming and laughing toddler, a pregnant wife carrying a smaller backpack, and three little children the parents were trying to tug up the trail. The little ones all had their heads tilted up and stared at him and Belinda like they were a PG-13 rated movie.
