“Be careful, woman,” Ely says, and I feel him getting hard beneath me. “I might just have to fuck you silly right here and right now.”
I kiss him, biting down on his lower lip as my hips push into him, and Ely moans.
“Do you hear me telling you off or something?” I tease, rocking my hips a bit. Ely’s hands go to either side of my waist and hold me there as I continue to grind against him, and his head falls back with a sharp moan.
We don’t even make it to the bedroom, not this time, but even then, it’s still the best lovemaking I’ve ever experienced.
I wakethe next morning to the scent of brewing coffee and something baking. I smell bacon and maybe even more chocolate chip muffins as I roll out of my bed and slide into a pair of cozy slippers. Ely is already awake, of course, and I find him at the kitchen breakfast bar downstairs. He’s sitting on a stool with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Bacon is cooling on the stove, and sure enough, the scent of baking muffins is evident when I step into the living room.
“You weren’t supposed to wake up yet,” Ely says, glancing up at me. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”
“I guess I just couldn’t stay away from you for longer than necessary,” I tease, and Ely smiles, but there's something hidden behind that smile that puts me on edge. Something is wrong.
“What is it?” I ask automatically, stopping in my tracks. “Is it Tara? Or Maddy?
“Kasper is working,” Ely says, and the tone of his voice makes me want to cower. He’s angry. So am I. “The department didn’t put him on suspension so long as he attends his anger management classes. Jake just told me.”
“Jesus.” I rub my hands over my face, anger pulsating through my veins. “Not even any disciplinary action?”
“Aside from anger management, no. And I imagine it’s only a matter of time before he’s fighting Tara for custody of Madison.”
“Does he have restrictions? Or are they just pretending that nothing ever happened?”
“The latter.”
I sit down on a stool next to Ely and drop my head into my arms on the countertop. Ely’s hand goes straight for my back, and he rubs me between the shoulders.
“I know it wasn’t the news we were expecting. I’m sorry, Jami.”
“It’s not your fault, it’s just …” I grapple with the words I want to say, but nothing I can think of offhand seems harsh enough for what I want to say. “He’s a monster,” I say finally. “And he’s still out there.”
Ely presses his lips against the back of my bare neck, and I close my eyes with a pleasant shiver.
“I’m supposed to work today, but I think I’ll call out and stay here with you,” Ely murmurs.
“No, don’t be silly.” I turn on the stool to kiss him, running my hands up and down his granite muscles. “I’m fine here without you for a while. Besides, maybe you can get more info on Kasper.”
“Is that all I am to you, a snitch?” he teases, and I kiss his lips with the tip of my tongue.
“Is it that obvious?” I whisper, and Ely kisses me again, hard, passionate until I moan aloud. Then he pulls away.
“Kind of.”
I push him away playfully, then go to fill a mug of coffee and take a sip. “Do you want to come over again tonight?”
“Sweetheart, I want to be wherever you are,” Ely says, going to the front door to slip on his work boots. “And if that’s right here, then here is where I’ll be.” He crosses the floor once more to give me a long, lingering kiss, then steps away. “I’ll see you tonight, beautiful. Don’t forget to lock the door, okay?”
“I won’t,” I promise him. “And I’ll try really hard not to call you in a panic and ask you to come home.” I smile to show him I’m kidding, but Ely turns around and comes back to me, taking my face between his hands.
“I want you to call me any time. Any time at all, understood? I’ll be here at the press of a button.”
I clasp my hands over his and nod, then bring one hand in so I can kiss the top of it.
“See you later. Have a good day at the office, honey.”
Ely kisses me once more, and then he’s gone, leaving me to dwell in my own petty thoughts about Kasper Hill and just how difficult he’s making my life, and everyone else's for that matter.
22
