“Yes. I just …” Jami hesitates, as if unsure she’s ready to talk about whatever is on her mind. “I’ll tell you what I’m thinking once I know for sure it will work out,” she says, nodding to herself. “Can you trust me?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Dressed only in my boxers, I slide under the covers with Jami and pull her warm body against mine, focusing on the soft, steady breaths escaping from her lungs. We’re face to face, and all I can seem to focus on are the soft curves of her lips and the flecks of amber in her eyes.
Fuck, she’s perfect.
“Ely,” she says quietly, after a moment of silence. One hand reaches out to touch my face, and I shiver under her touch. If it wasn’t for the shitty day we’d just had, I wouldn’t be able to resist fucking her right here and right now.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” I lift my own hand to rest it over hers as Jami’s finger gently caresses the skin of my cheek.
“I feel like a horrible person,” she says softly, her gaze dropping briefly from my own. “You found out only hours ago that Kasper Hill had a hand in killing your family. You’ve been so strong for me the entire time, and it’s not even until now that I realize you’ve been going through something much, much harder than I could ever imagine. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for breaking down when you needed me to be strong for you.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” I bring the back of Jami’s hand to my lips and kiss her, relishing in the scent of her, the warmth, the desperation to have her against me and never let her go. “I spent many years mourning for Gin and Jacob, to the point that the only closure I needed was to find out who was involved. I found that tonight. And it’s possible that a tiny part of me always somehow knew that Kasper Hill knew more than he let on, and this just confirmed it. In fact, I think it’s the closure I needed to accept things, knowing that Kasper Hill will rot in prison for what he did not just to my wife and son, but to Tara and Maddy, and anyone else he ever managed to hurt, threaten, or harm in his lifetime.”
Jami smiles sadly, scooting closer to me until her lips rest against my own. I grow hard for her under the blankets, which only seems to bring her closer as she trails her lips down my neck and chest.
“I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you,” she whispers. “You don’t have to be the strong one that takes care of everybody and everything, not all the time. Let me take care of you, Ely.” Her tongue slips between my lips and she kisses me, gently at first, and then with more and more passion. Our bodies come together as one, and Jami’s hips meet my own, pressing against my bulge as one of her hands slips under the covers and takes hold of me. I swallow a groan, mesmerized by her beauty.
“You are amazing,” I whisper, bringing one hand up to rest it on her warm cheek. “Since you came into my life, Jami Newman, I’ve wanted to live again. I hope you know that. I hope you know that you saved my life.”
“Funny,” Jami breathes, resting her forehead against mine. “I feel the same way about you.” Her fingers work at the hem of my boxers and she pulls them off, then slips off her own panties before throwing one leg over my naked midsection until she’s sitting up and straddling me. I’m ready for her, shaft hard and throbbing against Jami as she teases me, grinding her hips against my body until I feel I might just explode. Before I can even pull myself together long enough to focus, Jami slides herself onto my cock, throwing her head back with a giggle of pure ecstasy, and begins to rock, taking my entire soul, my body, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
I’m hers, hers forever.
And she is mine.
36
JAMI
Ely is already at work by the time I wake in the morning, but, per usual, there’s a hot pot of coffee and my favorite chocolate chip muffins waiting in the kitchen. I feel much better today after speaking with Renee and spending the night with Ely. I’m confident that my plan will work, but deep down inside I’m also terrified that it won’t.
I drink a cup of coffee at the table and read the morning paper, then wrap up a muffin in a napkin to take with me on the go before I head to my office downtown to speak with my supervisor about what happened yesterday with Kasper and Madison. It’s not until I take the elevator to the fifth floor and approach my boss’s office that doubt begins to creep in, and my fingers are trembling as I knock and listen for an okay to come in.
“Hi, Jami,” my supervisor, Regina, says, standing up to reach across the desk to take my hand with a gentle squeeze. She points to the chair across from her desk and sits down. She’s always been a fantastic supervisor, Regina, but I have no real idea how this conversation is about to go, and I’m terrified to find out. “Have a seat,” she says kindly. “And tell me how things have been with your current case. I’ve heard more than once that it’s been very personal between you and that family. Yesterday was … interesting? For lack of a better word.”
“Yes.” I take a deep breath and drop my hands into my lap, trying to ignore the damp sweat forming on the skin of my palms. “It’s been quite an adventure, I’ll tell you that.”
Regina smiles at this, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s wary about what I want. So am I.
“My boss recommended I pull you off this case the day after you went to Tara Hill’s new apartment the night of the break-in,” Regina says, and the smile she wore seconds ago is no longer resting on her lips. I look down at the hands in my lap and swallow the fear in my throat, trying not to allow my emotions to get the best of me.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “I had no choice.”
“We always have a choice.” Regina reaches for a glass of water sitting on her desk, and takes a drink, giving me a moment to pull myself together. When I finally dare to meet her gaze, she’s staring at me, waiting for me to explain further.
“I went to the house that night because a terrified six-year-old girl called me–not the cops, not you, not anyone else–first. And as both a social worker and a human being, I had to respond to that call.”
For a second, I think that Regina might just fire me on the spot, but for a long moment, she says nothing at all to this, and I think the repercussions might actually be worse than just a termination.
“Luckily for you, that’s what I told my boss as well,” she says finally, folding her hands on top of the desk. “I told the board that you are the best social worker we have on staff and that pulling you off a case as crucial as this one could have been a deadly mistake to more than just Tara Hill.”
I swallow, twisting my fingers in my lap, and I don’t realize my fingernails have been digging into the meat of my hands until the tiny indents begin to sting.
“I appreciate that,” I tell Regina. “Sincerely.”
“You’re welcome.” Regina turns in her office chair to reach behind her desk and grab me a bottle of water. She hands it to me, and I open it and take a long drink, feeling a tiny bit of anxiety melt away.
“I’m actually here regarding the case,” I tell her, more confidently than before. Regina’s eyebrows shoot up, but it’s with more than just curiosity. I can see how uncertain she is suddenly like she’s already decided that there will be no more small favors for Jami Newman. Not that I can blame her; she’s already saved my ass once, and I’m about to ask her to do it again.
