I swallow.
He makes a valid point.
My father was the one who lied to me.
What reason do I have to trust him?
None.
“Things are complicated,” Jagger goes on, “I get that, but I’m not here because anyone forced me to be. I’m here because I want to be.”
I don’t know why...I just believe him.
I trust that he’s telling the truth.
“Yeah,” I say, leaning in to press my forehead against his. “I know. Sorry, my mom gets me all crazy.”
“You’re not her, you know?”
I pull back and look at him. “I know.”
“I see you, Willow. I see the things you don’t want me to see, and I know you’re not her.”
I lean in and he wraps an arm around me.
“I got you,” he murmurs.
His words hit me where they need to, and I can’t find it in my heart to do anything else but trust him. He might be dangerous, he might be hard and beautiful all at the same time, but he’s mine and that alone is enough to make me hang on. I don’t know if the next month will hold agony, or if I’ll wake up one day and realize this was all fake, but I can sure as hell give it the best I have while it’s good. I take his hand and bring his fingertips to my lips.
He's got me.
“DUDE, YOU’RE CHEATING!” I yell, tossing a poker chip at Angel.
He snorts a laugh. “Take it off, Willow. Rules are rules.”
We’re playing strip poker. We drank a little too much, and somehow ended up here. I guess we were all restless, sick of being stuck inside and so we decided to make the most of it. Even Jenny and Ava joined in without fuss. So far, I’m down to my shirt and panties, and Ava is down to her bra and panties. Jenny is fully clothed, I don’t know how, but man she’s good at this.
Jagger is shirtless, and oh my, what a sight. Angel is down to his boxers and that too, is a sight to see. Ace is fully clothed. The girls are losing this battle. Well, Ava and I are, anyway. Jenny is a sly dog, and her and Ace are going head-to-head to be the last to have to remove their clothes. I stand up with a huff, and my head swims just a touch. Damn Jagger and his whiskey.
I wink at Angel and give Jagger my best grin. Then I start wiggling my hips and removing my shirt, button by button, in slow motion. The men whistle and Jagger gives me a look that promises sweet revenge later. I slowly remove the shirt from my body and toss it at Angel, who whoops with delight. Jagger grips my hips and pulls me towards him, sliding his tongue around my belly button ring as my stomach presses against his mouth.
“If you get naked, and my boys get to see this beautiful body, it won’t end well...”
“Oh?” I grin, gripping his chin and leaning down to kiss him.
“Ugh, you two get a room!” Jenny yells, laughing.
“Not until you’re naked sister,” I say, pulling away from Jagger.
She throws her head back and gives her best evil laugh. “Ace will be naked first.”
“Like fuck,” Ace grins, throwing down his cards. “Royal flush. Get them off, beautiful!”
Jenny groans and tosses her cards at him. He roars with laughter, and I watch as my sister stands and removes her top, stopping Ace in his tracks. His eyes widen, and he looks at Jenny in a way that makes even my legs tremble. God, he wants her. He wants her so damned bad. I laugh and plonk down onto my seat, shooting another whiskey shot.
That’s when everything changes.
It happens quickly, so quickly it takes me a moment to realize something is wrong. I hear glass breaking, and then I see Jagger leap to his feet and start yelling. I don’t click as to what he’s saying until he has me in his arms, his hand is planted firmly over my mouth. I struggle, unsure what’s happening. My eyes dart to the left and I see Ace and Angel are covering Ava and Jenny’s mouths, too.
Jagger drags me down the hall and into the bathroom, and the other men follow. They shove us in and let us go, all of them looking so wound up it’s terrifying. Jagger pulls all the towels from the racks and shoves them onto the floor, jamming the gap under the door as much as he can. I gasp and grip the sink, steadying myself. “What’s happening? Jagger? What’s going on?”
“Chemical bomb,” he growls, stuffing the towels so far under the door cracks, “someone just threw one through the kitchen window. We gotta get out. If it gets into your lungs, you’ll pass out.”
“What?” I cry, confused. “Who threw it?”