A meeting had been called. I felt like an old-school mafia family. Even the cousin was here. It was just Kenneth, but it felt more authentic to say it that way. Dad had pulled the table apart and added the extra leaf so we all had room to sit together. He was at the head, with Jagger at the other end. Then, Kenneth, Jamie, and Bradley were between them. I was leaning against the counter, farthest away, mainly because I still felt like lashing out at someone.
No one had seen anyone around the property that didn’t belong and no one had any clue who could be messing with us, except for Dad’s idea that it was the cartel again.
“Can your company provide more men?”
I’d been staring out the kitchen window at the ruined grass. The question was the first thing I’d heard in a little while. I looked back at the table and frowned when Jagger folded his hands together and looked at me.
“We’re shorthanded. I can probably get one other guy here. With the security system, it should be okay.”
Dad shook his head. “We need more men than that.”
Kenneth unfolded his arms from across his chest and picked up Mom’s hound-dog-shaped salt shaker. “Me and Jamie can help with the security. We never trained anywhere, but we both have experience with guns and keeping shit from hitting the fan.”
I turned back to the window and silently tugged my hair into a ponytail. It was still wet from a shower, so the strands tugged and pulled, but I welcomed the stinging sensation. It was grounding on a day where I felt like I could float away.
“No offense, boys, but we need trained men. Are you sure your brother can’t provide more men?”
Jagger’s chair scraped away from the table and he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. His hand lightly brushed over mine as he passed me on the way back to the table. “Cash isn’t even in the office. He’s…out of it right now. Hendrix is up to his eyes with a case his new girlfriend got him sucked into. There are others, but they’re on real, paying assignments. You only got me as fast as you did because I wasn’t supposed to be working yet.”
My head snapped to Dad. “You’re not paying him?”
“Cash would’ve wanted us to help out, Lace.”
I waved my hand at Jagger to shut him up. “You’re making all these huge demands on him and you’re not paying? Were you going to volunteer some money while arranging to have even more of their men brought in? Jesus, Dad.”
“Lacey!” Dad slapped his hand on the table and glared at me. “That’s not what this is about.”
“We don’t need more men that you aren’t paying for. We need to find out who the hell thinks that pranking us is funny. It’s gone past annoying and I’m ready to handle it. We need to find the assholes who are doing this, not bring in an army to guard us while we work.”
“You can’t seriously think that this is still a prank, Lacey?”
I glared at Bradley. “Yes, I can and I do. There’s no way in hell that the cartel is going to come in here and play pranks on us. What would be the point?”
Jagger took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m inclined to agree with Lacey. It doesn’t seem like something the cartel would do. They didn’t even pull this shit twenty years ago, before all the advances they’ve made with their weapons and art of war.”
Dad stood up so fast that his chair toppled over. “It’s them. I know it. Maybe they’re doing things differently this time to punish us. They lost a leader because of us. We need to amp up security and make sure we’re watching at all times. One slip up and someone could end up hurt. Or worse.”
He stormed out of the house and I watched through the window as he got in his truck and headed towards the pasture. I turned back to find all the men looking at me. Annoyance and exhaustion warred in me. I wanted to fall apart and sleep for a week. It was my time to prove that I was in charge, though.
“We use the security system you put in, Jagger. We each have the code and we arm it at all times. Stay alert and keep an eye out for anything weird going on. I’m going to go into town and talk to Andy and see if anyone has seen anything unusual. I want to find out who’s doing this shit and I want to find out now. Stay on duty with what needs done around the ranch. We can’t afford to fall behind on chores and yesterday was rough enough.
“Jagger, if you could help us monitor the systems once you’re back home, that’d be great. If not, maybe I can get a guy I know in town to help out.”
Jagger’s mouth lifted in a slow grin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
My stomach fluttered and I pressed my fist against it. “What do you mean? I’m not going to have you stay on when we’re not paying you. That’s not how we do business.”
“I told you. I’m on vacation and I’d like to vacation here. If I happen to do a little work, we can just chalk it up to me getting a real ranch experience.”
Kenneth stood up and nudged Jamie’s shoulder. “We’d better get back to work.”
Bradley stood up and quickly followed them after giving me a hug, leaving Jagger alone with me.
“Jagger… You can’t stay here. You installed the security system. That’s more than you should’ve done for what Dad was going to pay you.”
He stood up and pushed his chair under the table. “So, we’re going to head into town? Ask some questions?”
My pulse quickened and I allowed myself a few moments to just stare at him. He was different than I expected him to be. The guy in the lawn chair wasn’t someone I’d expected to hold me while I tried to not fall apart. The guy who agreed to a one-night stand with me wasn’t someone I counted on demanding the right to stick around when things got tough. I didn’t like it. He was supposed to be one dimensional and then leave.
I couldn’t help the way my body reacted to his, however. It knew there was unfinished business. That was just too bad, though.
“I’m going to head into town. You can go back to your lawn chair, if you’d like.”
His grin faded and that darker thing I kept seeing in him appeared. “If you think I’m staying behind while you head into town by yourself while this shit is happening, you’re sadly mistaken. While I don’t think this is the work of any kind of cartel, I do think someone is escalating shit. So, here I am. Guarding your family. And since your family is staying here, behind a wall of security systems, I am guarding you. So, again, we’re heading into town to ask some questions?”
I bit my tongue and nodded. He could tag along. That would have to be fine. I was too tired to really delve into the embarrassment I felt, anyway. So I was expecting to never have to see him again after stripping down and rubbing my body all over his? Things happen. Worse things than that happen. I could tough it out.
I led the way out to the porch and swore. I still didn’t have a new truck. The insurance adjuster had been fine with turning in the claim and sending me a check for a new one, but it would be a few more days.
Jagger tucked his hand into the crook of my elbow and pulled me down the stairs. “Looks like you’re riding with me, cowgirl.”
“I don’t think” I cut myself off as Jagger handed me a helmet and then climbed onto his motorcycle. I heaved a mighty sigh and pulled on the helmet. There wasn’t much choice. I was riding with him.
I threw my leg over and settled on the seat with my hands lightly resting on his sides. While I would always claim that it was the last thing I wanted, my body soared.
Jagger reached back and grabbed the outsides of my thighs to yank me into his body more. Then he grabbed my hands and wrapped them around his stomach. “Hold on tight.”
With my front plastered against his back, I could hardly breathe. There was a catch in my lungs that felt a whole lot like overwhelming desire. Unable to argue about our position, I did as he said. I held on tight.
He backed the bike out of the driveway and then eased off the brake, towards town. “Tighter, Lace.”
I’d never ridden on a motorcycle before. Before Jason was killed, our family had lived freer. After his death, there was nothing done that was considered more dangerous than what we absolutely had to do. Mom was terrified of losing another one of us, so besides working on the ranch, we lived pretty cautiously.
Being behind Jagger on his bike felt scary, but deeper down, it felt exhilarating. Especially when I held on to him tighter and he sped up. The wind whipped the end of my ponytail all around and made my eyes water, but it was amazing. I tucked my face into his back and pressed my palms flat on his lower stomach. I found myself insanely tempted to stroke his body, to continue what we’d started.
The heaviness that I’d felt for the past couple of days was suddenly gone. With its departure came a realization that nothing had been broken beyond repair. Someone was messing with us and it pissed me off, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle and put a stop to. With that weight off my shoulders, I lifted my head and let the wind hit my face. A laugh bubbled up and I let it go.
Jagger took one of his big hands from the handlebars and rested it on my thigh. He squeezed and then let it slide down to my calf. His warm fingers were like points of fire on my leg, through my jeans. My core pulsed and I had to fight the urge to squirm. The man could turn me to jelly with the smallest touch.
The ride ended too soon with me pointing to Andy’s office so Jagger knew where to go. He parked and turned the bike off, but didn’t move. I found myself hesitating, too. Once I got off I was going to be hands off of Jagger again, but while I was forced to touch him…I was going to touch.
I eased the helmet off and passed it to him before letting my hands go back around his waist. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”
He glanced at me over his shoulder, his gaze heated and hungry. “You’re good at riding. Strong thighs and core muscles. Keeps you balanced and ready to move when I move.”
My mouth watered. “I never knew riding took skill.”
“I don’t want just anyone’s thighs around me while I’m driving. I like a woman who can work with me, hold on tight and go for a while.”
Heat touched my cheeks and I realized I was squeezing him with my thighs. I swallowed embarrassingly loud and broke eye contact. Without the grace I’d been born with, I basically threw myself from the bike and headed towards Andy’s office. “I’ll be back in a second.”
From right behind me, Jagger chuckled. “It’s cute that you think I’m not following you inside.”