Dark Desire (2 page)

“And now you live with him?”

“No…well…ok yes
- but so what?”

“It’s been six weeks!”

“I know, I know ok! Jenny has already given me this lecture but I really like him, it’s really strong Willow,”

“Ava, you’
re setting yourself up for hurt.”

“I’m not, please trust me.”

I shove my head in my hands. I can’t judge her when she was there for me after my capture. Heck, I fell in love with my own kidnapper; it’s a little rude of me to judge her.

“I’m sorry
Willow; I know that you don’t need this right now, especially considering your problems with Jagger. I didn’t mean to fall for him.”

I sigh and
lift my head, reaching out to take her hands. “Honey, I could never be mad at you. It’s not your fault. My problems with Jagger are just that, mine.”

“I
t must be so strange, knowing that you have to see him again.” Jenny says giving me a sad look. She’s been oddly quiet this entire time.

“I’ll be ok, life is life.”

“Willow, are you really ok about all this?”

I force a smile. “I have to be.”

“But with this and your father…”

“I’m ok,” I say standing. I clap my hands together. “I say we go to lunch, come on, who’s with me?”

Both girls stand; give each other weary looks and then smile. “We’re in.”

They wait for me while I change, and we begin walking down the street towards our favorite café.

“I have to warn you, we’re about to walk past the boys’ new place…”

I swallow. “It doesn’t matter.”

Ava and Jenny both nod and Jenny surprises me by taking my hand, we continue walking and when we get to the big apartment complex my mouth drops open. Holy shit. They purchased this entire complex? Granted it’s only got about six apartments, but still…

“I guess they have free run of the whole place?” I ask.

“Well they’re the only tenants, so yeah, it’s all theirs.”

“Wow.”

“They’re nice apartments.”

“I bet.”

We quickly hurry past and when we make it to the café; I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God for that. When we’ve ordered our coffee and taken a seat, we scan through the menu.

“So
, you and Angel huh?” I say to Ava, and she flushes again.

“He’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, Angel is a nice guy.”

“Ace isn’t so bad either,” Jenny throws in.

I flick my eyes towards her. “Jennifer Anne Lawrence, I swear to God if you and Ace are shagging….”

She giggles. “
I’m not shagging anyone; I just said he was nice!”

I give her the eye and she grins at me.

“Bad girl,”

“I can’t help it.” S
he laughs.

We talk and chat for the remainder of the afternoon. By the time I
get home, I’m exhausted. Jenny has one more coffee with me before going back to her apartment in the city, which she got a few weeks ago with her new job; I’m proud of her for doing so well. Ava is already back with her lover, dirty troll.

I curl up onto the couch with a frozen dinner that I picked up from th
e store on my way home. It’s beef and pasta, and it really does taste like crap. I toss it and settle with a block of chocolate and the notebook. Tragic I know, but it’s all that’s on. I’m sure this movie is played every week, seriously, it never gets old.

I’m munching on the creamy chocolate when my doorbell sounds out. My heart stops a moment. I wonder who that would
be. I get up, and straighten my cotton pajama pants and baggy old shirt. I walk over to the door and swing it open, and the chocolate drops from my hands.

Standing at my door, is Jagger. I feel my eyes widen as he leans against the frame and takes me in, his own eyes widening in shock. He looks the same as he did when I left, and he’s just as fucking gorgeous. His blue eyes are
as light as the sky and his dark hair is messy. He has a light shade of stubble covering his jaw and he’s wearing a pair of faded denim jeans and a white shirt that stretches across that beautiful chest.

“Willow, is that you?”

“No, actually, I’m some random who decided to break in and hang out in a stranger’s house.” I say with a roll of my eyes.

He narrows h
is eyes, “You changed your hair.”

It’s not a question.

“Yeah, well, I needed a change. Why are you here, Jagger?”

He leans against the door frame. “I wanted to see you.”

“Well, you’ve seen me. Can you leave?”

“You’re not even going to talk to me?”

“There’s nothing to talk about…”

“Bullshit there isn’t, I’m coming in.”

He shoves the door open and walks in, dropping that perfect ass down onto my couch and giving me a knowing grin. Oh, well, I’m glad he thinks it’s funny. I stand with my hands on my hips, glaring down at him.

“Leave Jagger, I don’t want to talk.”

He leans back against the couch and picks up the remote, flicking through the channels and scrunching up his face. He’s not leaving, so with a sigh I sit down beside him, making sure to leave a large gap between us. He looks down at the space and gives it a disgusted look, and then his eyes move up to meet mine.

“Surely I don’t smell that bad?
”

I glare at him.

“Stop glaring at me Willow, it’s not flattering.”

“What’
re you here for Jagger?”

“To talk, I told you that already.”

“Then talk!” I bark.

“Someone’s hormonal.”

I pick up the remote and hurl it at his head, he ducks and laughs. Then he grips my hands and pulls me onto his lap. I squirm and struggle, but he nestles his face into my hair and breathes me in.

“Let go of me, you asshole!”

“Not until you talk to me, if I have to hold you here I will.”

“There’s nothing to say, I told you that.”

“And I called bullshit on that.”

“Jagger please,” I reply, ceasing my struggling and slumping down. “I can’t do this.”

“Why did you leave?”

He’s still holding me, his arms are wrapped around me and his face is so close…
God.

“I was hurt, I needed time.”

“You couldn’t call? Heck you couldn’t even let me know where you were going so I didn’t think something happened to you!”

I meet his gaze and I give him an icy stare. “I told you I needed time; I said I was going to take it. You didn’t think I’d wait around here and do that, did you? I know I should have told you all where I was going, and for that I’m sorry, but I won’t apologize for taking that space.”

“Fair enough,”

“Sharleen’
s still with you.”

It’s not a question either.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated.”

“She’s pregnant right?”

He snorts. “No.”

“Well then why?”

“Look, Willow, she’s my wife and…”

“So you chose her?”

“I didn’t say that. I wasn’t going to make that choice while you were gone, even I’m not that selfish.”

“Let me go Jagger, please, just let me go…”

He sighs and lets me go, and I shove to my feet.

“Can you leave?”

“Willow, can we act like adults about this?”

I close my eyes, remain calm Willow, don’t break.

“Just leave.”

“No.”

I open my eyes and snap. “Will you fucking get out of my house Jagger? How dare you come in here and pretend all is ok. Don’t do that, because it’s NOT ok. I’ve been through hell and back in the last six weeks and I managed to pull myself through. You come in here, and make out as though everything is ok. You haven’t even made a choice, you’re playing with me and I won’t take it. So just get the fuck out of my house and leave me the hell alone!”

I turn and run into my room, slamming and locking the door.
Childish? Yes, but it’s the only escape I have. I drop to my knees and bury my face in my hands.

“Open up, come on.”

Jagger bangs his fists on the door, but I don’t move. He tries again and again, encouraging me out but I don’t budge.

“What are you doing
, Jagger?”

I hear Ava’s voice through the door.

“She ran in here after we had a fight, she won’t come out.”

“Why did you come here? I told you not to!”

“I needed to talk with her.”

“About what? The fact that you’re still living with that woman? How dare you come in here on her first night home and do this to her. Don’t fuck with her emotions Jagger, do you have a
ny idea what she’s been through?!”

“I know what she’s been
through; I wasn’t trying to fuck with her emotions. I just wanted to talk, to know how she feels.”

“Fo
r whose benefit? Hers or yours? Do you care at all how she feels? Or do you just want to hear her say how much she loves you. Get out Jagger, you don’t deserve her.”

Silence fills the room, and then I hear him speak again.

“I’m sorry Willow, for everything.”

A moment later I hear the front door slam, and Ava knocks gently on the door. I crawl over and open it, and she smiles weakly
when she sees my empty expression.

“Hi beautiful,”

“It hurts Ava, so much.”

“I know honey,” She says, dropping to the floor and wrapping her arms around me. “I know.”

CHAPTER 2

Finding a job - it sounds easy, but it’s not. I walk up and down the main street for about two days asking just about every store for some work. I end up getting a job at our favorite café just down the road from my place. Now why didn’t I think of that first? I’m not much of a waitress, but for now it’ll have to do.

M
y father left me some money when he passed, and that paid for my holiday, as well as paying out my apartment and car. I’m grateful to him for that. I miss him some days, but I can’t quite grasp why I feel like that, when he did nothing but lie to me. I think about my Mom and I know I should really go and see her, and I will, maybe tomorrow. When I’ve filled out my paperwork at the café, I head to the store. I need some food, seriously, I’m empty.

I pull out a basket and begin walking through the cool store
. It’s fairly easy to buy for one. I’m half way down the cold food section, when I hear my name. I turn around to see Jagger and Sharleen standing beside the freezers, staring at me. Jagger’s eyes soften when he sees me and no doubt mine harden. A lot.

“Oh look baby, isn’t that your friend?” Sharleen purrs.

Either Jagger hasn’t told her about us being lovers, or she’s being a bitch. I’m going for bitch. I want to slap her beautiful face.

“Willow, it’s good to see you.
” Jagger says.

“Yep,
”

“Are you coming to Angel’s party tomorrow night?”

I pause just as I’m about to turn away, “No, probably not.”

“Why not?”

I look into his eyes, and then stare at Sharleen who’s smirking at me. Her hand brushes over Jagger’s ass and I turn away, unable to deal with her any longer.

“Willow!”

I hurry towards the checkouts, horrified. Jagger reaches me just as I begin throwing my items onto the counter.

“Willow, it’s not what it looks like.”

“I don’t care Jagger.”

“You do care!”
he growls, slamming his hand on the sliding belt.

The
checkout chick looks up at us, and shifts uncomfortably.

“Go back to your wife,
Jagger.”

“We were just getting food for the party.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me!”

“Willow?”

I hear the sound of a familiar voice and turn. There stands Joey, smiling at me. With a squeal, I rush over and leap on him. He wraps his arms around me and swings me around.

“I was getting pizza for our movie night tonight; I can’t believe I saw you here! Girl, four days without you and I miss you!”

Jagger is glaring at Joey, and his eyes keep jumping from him, to me, and back to him again.

“I
missed you too Joey, I’m glad I ran into you.”

“Who’s your friend, Willow?” Jagger says in a voice so icy, even Joey’s eyes widen.

“I met him while I was away. Joey, I’ll meet you at the café down from my place in fifteen ok? We’ll talk then.”

“I’ll be there.
”

He kisses me smack bang on the lips and walks away. It wasn’t a passionate kiss; Joey
is just your typical gay male, he has no problem showering women with affection. I turn and Jagger’s eyes are flaring, uh oh.