When he was sixteen years old, Jagger Black laid eyes on the girl who was his. At a cemetery. During her mother’s funeral.

For years, their lives cross, they feel the pull of their connection, but then they go their separate ways.

But when Jagger sees that girl chasing someone down the street, he doesn’t think twice before he wades right in. And when he gets a full-on dose of the woman she’s become, he knows he finally has to decide if he’s all in or if it’s time to cut her loose.

She’s ready to be cut loose.

But Jagger is all in.

Series:

Chaos

Can be read as a standalone

Book Type:

Contemporary Romance

Exclusive Excerpt: Wild Wind

“Okay,” he crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against her window, “you tell me. How’s this gonna go down?”

“First, I’m not a big fan of being called babe.”

“Noted.”

He said it.

He didn’t mean it.

She was totally a babe and he hoped she would soon be his babe.

So that was sticking.

She could find that out later.

But for now, they needed to move this along.

“Second, it actually doesn’t matter if you call me babe or not. The window where we could have been something to each other has closed. I’ve moved on. You need to move on.”

“What are you, twenty-four? Twenty-five?”

“Twenty-five, who cares?”

Whoa.

“You’re only twenty-five and you made all of that?” He jerked his head to the window to indicate the store beyond.

“Jagger!” she snapped. “Focus.”

He grinned. “Babe.”

“Oh my God,” she said quietly, her stare hinting at being a glare. “Are you really this annoying?”

“Just to say, you’re only twenty-five, I’m twenty-seven, there are no windows that are closed for us. Unless you haven’t stanned for a boy band. I think for any cool chick like you, at your age, your window is closed for that.”

“You can be cute,” she was still talking quietly, but her tone was completely different, “but you’re still too late.”

He was talking quietly too, when he asked, “Too late for what?”

“Me.”

Shit.

“You married?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Engaged?” he went on.

“Jagger—”

“Are you taken, Archie?”

She held his eyes.

Hers were black.

She had mixed blood, that was obvious, and everything she got out of however that fusion came about was perfection.

Including her deep-set eyes that dipped down at the inner corners.

But she didn’t answer his question.

Which was an answer to his question.

So he kept going.

“I wanna know what’s happening with your family. And I wanna know why you got a bunch of kids hanging at your store. And I wanna know about these Harris brothers, and how much trouble they’re causing you, but mostly Mal. I also wanna take you out to dinner. I wanna see a picture of your mom because I’ve wondered what she looked like, considering how pretty you are, since the minute I set eyes on you. I want you to meet my dad who isn’t my real dad and I wanna share a drink and a game of pool with you in my MC’s compound. I wanna be your friend, Archie. I wanna take this where we should have taken it years ago. But to be clear, I also want more. I’m attracted to you. I wanna know how you taste and what you feel like and the noises you’ll make when I turn you on. That’s where I’m at right now and I want you to be there with me.”

He took a breath and she didn’t utter a word.

Which was good.

Because he wasn’t done.

“So last, you gotta know, I refuse to accept that our window is closed. If you believe in God or fate or destiny or karma or whatever, I was there for you the day you needed me the most. And I may have fucked up along the way, but I’m standing right here telling you, unless shit goes south in a way neither of us can turn that tide, I’ll always be there for you.”

When he was done with that, she turned her head away.

It was a sharp movement, and the way it was, was concerning.

“Archie, baby,” he called.

She turned back to him and said, “She was the best mom in the world, Jagger. She was…she was…I am everything I am today because of her and she died when I was fourteen. But boys with their moms, that’s another thing. And her being gone fucked my brother up. Fubar. Huge. And Dad was okay with it for a while. And then he got fed up with it. And now shit is dark, Jagger. And she would hate that. She’d really fucking hate it. And I have no idea what to do about it.”

For his part, he really fucking hated hearing the emotion tremble in her words and not be close to her, at least, holding her, better.

“Can I come to you?” he requested.

She visibly tensed.

Then she jerked her head up and down.

He went to her.

And carefully, he pulled her in his arms.

She didn’t commit to it, just rested her hands on his waist.

Though she did twist her neck and put the side of her head to his chest.

He breathed her in and tucked her as close as he could without being gross and pervy in doing it.

She didn’t say anything, and he didn’t have anything to say.