“Good.”
He lifted his hand, tracing a loose strand of hair from her face.She didn’t pull away.The silence stretched, charged and fragile.
Finally, she stepped back, pressing her hands against the counter to steady herself.“If we’re going to do this, we need proof before they erase everything.Tomorrow, I’ll start cross-referencing their PR timestamps with the upload data.If I can match internal logs, it’ll show they planted the altered clip.”
He nodded.“Tell me what to do.”
Her eyes softened.“Just keep being who you are.You’re the reason this works, Jami.People believe you.”
He smiled faintly.“I’m starting to believe in a few things myself.”
She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth curved.“You’re impossible.”
“And you’re worth it.”
Her breath caught.She looked down, her hands gripping the counter, then glanced back up.“You should get some rest.Tomorrow’s going to be rough.”
He shook his head.“Not before you do.”
“Jami—”
“I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
Something in his tone silenced her protest.After a long moment, she gave a small nod.“Okay.”
He reached for her hand.“Come on.You can take the guest room.”
As they strolled slowly toward the bedroom, she stopped.He turned to her, his brows furrowed.
"I don't want to sleep in the guest room."
He swallowed the knot in his throat."I don't want you to either."
He kissed her lips quickly, then took her hand and turned her in the direction of his bedroom.He stepped inside, turned on the lights, and pulled her in behind him.The soft glow of the lamps alongside the bed made the massive wooden bed in the center of the far wall look warm and inviting.She stood staring at it for a moment."That's beautiful."
Grinning, he nodded."I had it made by a man in town.I love that it looks old, like this house, but it's new.It fits perfectly."
"It does."
Jami turned to face her, his hands held either side of her face, and he stared into her eyes.He realized in that moment that he'd become used to her incredible brown eyes staring into his.He looked forward to seeing her each morning.Her silent strength and incredible resilience spoke to him in ways he'd never have been able to put into words just a week ago.All the love songs he'd sung in his life.All the love stories he'd witnessed in his life had not prepared him for this moment.How could a man be in his forties and have never felt this pull, this connection with a woman until now?It didn't make sense to him at all.
He leaned in and kissed her lips.Softly at first.Testing and tasting her at his leisure.Her hands slid up his abdomen, then around to his back, and it felt as though she were blazing a trail along his skin.His fingers began undoing the buttons on her blouse.He took his time, though he didn't want to.This would be their first time, and he wanted to always remember it as a tender, beautiful moment.
Her fingers began unbuttoning his jeans.Slowly sliding her blouse over her shoulders, he reluctantly urged her to drop her arms long enough to remove it from her body.He reached behind her and laid it on the dresser.Enjoying the way she looked in her pink satin bra, her skin tanned slightly, her breasts full and shapely, he grinned."Had I known you were wearing that sexy bra today, it would have been impossible to keep my hands to myself."
She grinned."I didn't know you were into bras."
He chuckled as his fingers brushed the tops of her breasts, then followed the soft fabric to the back, where he unsnapped it, setting them free."Only this one."
Pulling the straps from her shoulders, he slid the bra from her body and enjoyed the movement her breasts made."Sexy," he whispered.
She took a deep breath, which moved her breasts in the most seductive way, and his hands covered them.Molding them and teasing her nipples, his body reacted immediately to hers.
The zipper on his jeans moved down slowly, and her soft hand reached inside and held his thickened cock.He closed his eyes as she moved her hand up and down his length.How many times had he thought about this the past week?He couldn't even answer that.
Undoing the latch on her slacks, he held her hand as she stepped out of them, then he watched with great appreciation as she shimmied her panties off.He shucked his jeans off quickly, slipped his T-shirt over his head, and took her hand as he led them to his bed.
Turning to kiss her lips once more, he bent his knees and wrapped his arms around her body as he lifted her off the floor.Their skin was heated.Hers was the softest skin he'd ever felt.Her body smelled of citrus, and her kisses tasted of bourbon.She was intoxicating.
