He nodded without a word, moving over into the darkness and giving us a semblance of peace for the moment. I sat back down, placing my feet on the chair in front of me trying to even out my breathing from the confrontation.

“Have a seat.” I waved to the three empty chairs around the glass patio table, but he didn’t pick any of those. Nope. He chose the one my feet were resting so comfortably on. He picked my aching limbs up and laid them on his lap, massaging and rubbing every sore inch. God, it felt good. I closed my eyes, enjoying his touch and the unbelievable way he knew exactly where to rub to make my body relax.

“You have magic hands,” I moaned, enjoying the strength in his touch as he focused on my arch.

The scent of his cologne wafted in the air directly to my nose, and I breathed him in deeply. My body instantly became aroused, the combination of his smell and his magic hands making my belly clench and quiver.

“A lot of things I have are magic.”

I smiled as I watched his muscles flex while he worked my feet over, each movement sending flashes of heat throughout my body.

“I’m sure they are,” I teased back as he switched to the other foot, causing me to moan in delight again. I closed my eyes and focused on the enjoyment of each knead and rub his fingers provided me. With every touch of his rough yet soothing hands, my body was floating and fluttering. He was strong yet tender, and it felt amazing.

His hands moved up my leg, slowly massaging as they went, igniting fire at every sweep. My entire body shuddered, my core becoming tight and needy with each small touch his fingers made up and down my legs. It was like his fingers had electrodes attached to them, his touch burning me. The more he worked my legs, the more I wanted him to go higher.

His fingers drifted up my thigh, and I desperately wanted them to move to where I needed them the most. My core fluttered and pulsed, but he didn’t go that far.

I opened my eyes to see his staring back at me, happiness shining inside of them. “You need something, beautiful?” he toyed with me, amusement lighting his eyes.

“Desperately.” I ground my hips into the chair, needing more of his touch. Feeling the roughness of the fabric under my ass only added to my want. My breaths became pants, and a slight sheen formed over my exposed skin. As the night air rolled over my skin, goose bumps rose on my arms.

He stood, placing my feet on the rough, stone-covered ground. Then he moved closer, kneeling between my spread legs. My eyes never wavered from his, the burning intensity of them something I had never felt. I leaned in closer, the anticipation of his touch eating at me.

He dipped his head, his nose and mouth grazing my neck as he moved over my body. A flood washed heat through my body as I throbbed uncontrollably. A throb worse than I’d ever felt in my life, needing release.

I leaned more into his touch as his lips moved up to my earlobe and began a slow, torturous assault on it, even kissing the sensitive skin below it. My hands wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to my body. Fire burned brightly in his eyes, fueling him.

Instantly, his lips were on mine, slow and tender as he took his time exploring every inch of my mouth. With each tilt of my head meeting his, the kisses became more urgent.

I threaded my fingers through his hair, the hunger and lust burning deep inside me. His tongue licked my bottom lip, demanding entry, and I didn’t hesitate to open for him. I pulled him as close as possible as his arms reached around and pulled me securely to him.

The heat between us was so electrified we could have fried together, and I couldn’t have cared less. We each gave completely to the kiss, melting together. It was bliss.

“Catarina!” Val yelled, causing me to jump away from Jag.

I sighed, not wanting this moment to be over with this hot hunk of a man. Our foreheads pressed together, our breathing ragged, and his eyes continued to burn into mine as we caught our breath, neither of us acknowledging Val.

“Catarina! I’m talking to you.”

I reluctantly turned my head at my brother’s deep growl. He stood next to Scraper, his fists balled up and anger radiating from his body. Why in the hell was he so pissed? We had just gone through this.

I found my voice, even if it was a bit breathless. “What do you need, Val?”

“Do you ever listen to anything I say?”

I turned back to Jag whose eyes were still focused on me. He smiled and stood, turning to face my brother, and I rose abruptly, thinking interception was in order.

“Val, what the fuck is your problem?” Jag took me a bit off guard with his tone. I had yet to experience this rough, domineering side of him. Hell, I had yet to experience really any side except his lips and hands, which were exceptional.

“What the fuck happens when you leave? What then?” My brother’s voice became glacial, and I knew he was just trying to protect me, so I stepped in, using the calmest voice I could muster.

“Val, this may go nowhere. It’s a kiss. Will it be more? Will it last? Who knows? Remember, we talked about this. I’m a grown up, and I make my own decisions, right?” I pleaded to my grunting brother, but his eyes didn’t leave Jag. It wasn’t like this was a shocker to him. Val obviously saw the sparks between Jag and me last night at the bar or he wouldn’t have said anything. “He’s part of the family, right?” I asked, walking closer and putting my hand on his cheek.

His eyes darted to me, some of the anger dissipating with my touch. “Yeah.”

“I’ll be okay.” I urged with my eyes for him to calm down.

I knew hardly anything of the man my brother was trying so hard to steer me away from. As far as I was concerned, he could scratch an itch and move on. It wasn’t like I was in love with the guy. His hot body could simply keep me warm for a bit and I was more than fine with that.

“Man, you need to calm down,” Jag said to Val when his vein looked like it was going to burst out of his neck.

Val glared hard at Jag. “You fucking hurt her and I’ll gut you. Then my father will finish you off. You’ve been warned.”

I turned to see Jag smiling, which was an oddity. Normal men would be shaking, but Jag was definitely not intimidated, or if he was, he didn’t bother showing it. And I liked it. I liked that he did have balls to stand up to Val. This was a bigger turn on than his smell…okay, so maybe a really close second.

I shook my head, turned to Jag, and grabbed his hand giving it a soft squeeze. “Thank you for the foot rub. They feel much better. I need to go back in now. Maybe we can meet up sometime.” I shrugged, moving away from him.

Jag pulled me flush against his body, causing me to shiver from head to toe. “Dolcezza”—my heart fluttered at the Italian word for sweetheart—“I’ll find you before you leave, and we’ll grab some food, okay?”

I nodded, immediately feeling stupid for once again not speaking. What the hell was wrong with me?

I finally found my voice. “I’d love to.” I smiled then kissed him on the cheek before putting my shoes back on and leaving Jag. As I walked past Val, I whispered, “Be nice,” then moved back into the party.

For the next hour and a half, I schmoozed and laughed at all the jokes that no one thought were funny, but made the players in our world happy. Kiera came and helped me, which I was eternally grateful for. At one point, my father came and wrapped his arm around me, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I didn’t need words from him to feel his comfort. My brother calmed down, but he kept his eyes on me while I ignored him. I was grateful when people began to leave for the night. I couldn’t wait to get home, undress, take off these shoes, and relax.

Hands wrapped around my waist then pulled me to a strong body, and I could instantly smell the sexiness that was Jag. I closed my eyes, but snapped them open as the sounds in the room came to a halt, and I saw all eyes were on us. My body tensed of its own accord as I looked from person to person, everyone’s eyes wide. My pulse picked up, and I had no idea why the hell I was so damn nervous all of a sudden. I breathed in and out deeply, trying to keep calm. I was going to eat with Jag, right?