Temptations | ✔️

16

~Eden's POV~

"Come on." Jagger chuckled as he watched me cringe into the couch when he put on a new movie. "It's a good movie, little bird. I think you'd like it." He assured me, an amused tone to his voice.

I whined and slouched into his side, eyeing the new movie on the TV with distaste. I'd always preferred movies that were animated—Disney movies, Pixar movies, stuff like that. It was just more up my ally, I guess. "But I don't like Harry Potter. I couldn't even get past the first chapter of the first book." I grumbled, eyeing the screen as the movie now sat paused on the screen, waiting to be played. It was true, too. I'd tried several times to read the books, but my attention span just couldn't seem to focus long enough, though mostly because I got bored with it. Reading wasn't much my thing in the first place, but Silas used to read Harry Potter a lot when we were kids, and always tried to encourage me to read it. Obviously, I never did.

Jagger chuckled and shifted, his long arm moving from between us so I was more against his side. He instead slung his arm over my shoulders, the muscular feel of his body now much closer to mine, pressing against my side. I felt a warmth spread from my belly up into my chest, then into my neck and my face. "Well, did you ever try to watch the movies?" Jagger responded, his fingertips brushing my arm. I looked up at him and my breathing faltered slightly when he met my gaze, his face a lot closer than I had expected it to be. For a moment I just stared up at him, my heart pounding as my eyes wandered down to his lips. His mouth looked full and soft.

"Um," I mumbled after a bit of silence, trying to gather my thoughts and composure. "No. No, I haven't." I answered finally. A slight wave of embarrassment washed over me when I looked into his eyes again, realizing that I'd just been staring at him shamelessly. Hopefully I hadn't creeped him out or something.

He gave me a smug smirk. "Then you have no reason to not start now." He hummed, suddenly playing the movie without saying anything else. I pouted at first, but eventually I just gave in and began to watch the movie with him. After all, I'd already picked the first movie we had watched and he hadn't complained at all. Not only that, but I had never even attempted to watch Harry Potter before nor had I ever finished even close to a third of one of the books. However, before I even knew it I was sucked in, leaning into Jagger's side as I felt the air conditioning kick on.

He seemed to notice that I was a little bit cold after I did this, causing him to reach down to one end of the large couch and grab a fluffy fleece blanket that had been sprawled over the back of it. I almost sighed happily when he pulled it over the two of us, pulling it close to my body as I curled into his side for extra warmth.

As the day continued Jagger seemed intent on having a Harry Potter marathon, because once the first movie ended he just moved onto the second, and then the third. Before I even knew it, it was very late and I was growing sleepy, my stomach full of the Chinese food that we'd ordered and my body very content and relaxed. I hadn't meant to, but I soon found myself fading in and out of consciousness as I tried to stay awake. Eventually, though, my body gave in and I fell asleep with my head leaning into Jagger's muscular chest, curled into his side beneath the soft blanket.

**

"Eden," I heard a low, familiar voice call for me softly, making me stir in my sleep and groan quietly. I rolled over on the couch and began to attempt to fall back asleep, not paying Jagger any mind.

He hesitated for a moment before I felt his arms slip beneath me as he suddenly hoisted me up off of the couch, one arm supporting my legs while the other wrapped around my back. I snapped my eyes open in alarm, not liking the feeling of being lifted up so high, and squeaked in surprise as I latched an arm around his neck to grasp at the back of his shirt. "Hey!" I exclaimed, my voice a little sleepy sounding still.

Jagger shushed me softly and began to carry me down the hall. "Calm down, birdie." He murmured, gently kicking my bedroom door open with his foot. "I'm just carrying you to bed. You fell asleep about an hour ago." He told me, making his way to my bed. I went quiet and loosened my grip on his shirt a little, allowing him to lay me on the bed carefully. His fingers gently brushed along my bare thighs as he pulled his arms from beneath me, causing goosebumps to rise on my flesh and a shiver to rack up the length of my spine.

"You should probably change before you fall back asleep." He advised me in a low tone, causing me to hesitate and gently grab his hand when he stood and turned to leave. He stopped, glancing down at me with a brow raised and the low lighting casting shadows over his handsome face. I pulled him closer, my face warming as he leaned down and placed his other hand flat on the mattress, making himself eye level with me. For a moment he merely looked at me, waiting for me to say something, but whatever words I had died on my tongue. I just stared back at him, biting down on my bottom lip as I trailed my gaze down to his mouth.

I was quiet for a while and so was he, neither of us seeming to have anything to say and yet not wanting to pull away. At the same time, we also didn't dare to move any closer.

"What is it, Eden?" He murmured, the sound of my name on his lips making my body light with goosebumps. I couldn't say why, but I then realized that I had never liked my name even half as much as I did when he said it.

"Um," I paused as I eyed his mouth, the fact that I could lean forward and so easily kiss him making my head a little bit foggy. My lower belly swam with butterflies and something else, something that made me clench my thighs together slightly. It was a new sensation for me, and I didn't know exactly what to think of it, but I knew I wanted to kiss Jagger and that was it. So I leaned a little closer, my grip on his hand loosening to instead trail up to his bicep as I flicked my gaze from his lips to his gray eyes. "I want to kiss you." I admitted softly.

It was clear from the way his lips parted that I had caught him off guard with the confession, the hand resting on the mattress tightly clutching onto the sheets. He hesitated, not stopping me nor saying anything when I leaned closer, my breath fanning over his lips. I paused, my lids fluttering shut as I went to connect our lips, but the sudden grip on my neck made me stop. My eyes shot open immediately, peering up at him in confusion.

Jagger gave a slight shake of his head, pushing me back a little. "No, little bird." He murmured, the rejection making my face burn in embarrassment. I turned my head and looked down at my lap, removing my hand from where it had been on his bicep. The air grew tense between us, suffocating me in my own humiliation. I shouldn't have made a move on him in the first place, I was quickly realizing. "Sorry." I apologized quietly. The silence lingered for a bit before he stood straight, his gaze burning into the top of my head despite the fact that I was no longer looking at him.

"Goodnight, Eden." He said lowly, standing there for a moment longer before he turned and left my room, leaving me to sit in bed as I wallowed in my own self pity and humiliation.