Claire made a face. “What do you think, Nina? I’ve got to get rid of him.”
My mouth fell open. “But it’s Ryan’s partner. He just lost his whole unit. You’re going to kill his partner?”
“Better than you,” Bex said, climbing onto his bike.
“Where are you going?” Jared said.
“Home. I need to check on Mom, make some calls.”
Jared nodded, and then looked at me. “Let’s get you inside. You’re cold.”
I looked down at my ensemble: a coat over my robe, and tennis shoes. I’d been in such a hurry to ride along, I’d barely dressed. “Okay,” I said, following him inside. Jared had told me over a year ago that he could sense my feelings, but I would never get used to him noticing them before I did.
In my bedroom, I kicked off my sneakers and peeled off my coat, falling into the bed. Jared crawled into bed beside me, outlining my body with his. Sleep came quickly, despite the excitement of chasing after Shax.
It felt as if the moment I closed my eyes, I jerked awake, covered in sweat, screaming for my father. Jared held me, this time silent. There was nothing left to say that hadn’t been said already. Reassuring me that it was just a bad dream was pointless.
“Coffee?” he said.
“No,” I said, pulling on his shirt. “Don’t leave me. Just…stay,” I said between breaths.
He kissed my forehead, whispering sweet comfort in French in my ear. I didn’t know what the words meant, but it was so soft and soothing, I was relaxed against his chest in moments.
I took in a deep breath, inhaling his incredible scent. A tingling traveled the length of my body, and I extended my neck to kiss the lobe of his ear.
“Nina,” he warned.
“I miss you,” I said, kissing tiny sections of his skin until I reached his lips.
“It’s not a good time for us to—,” he began, but I kissed him, cutting off yet another lecture.
“I don’t care,” I said, tears filling my eyes, “I need to forget. Just for a little while. Help me forget.”
Jared returned my kiss, cautiously giving in. His soft, full lips worked against mine, but not in the way I wanted.
I pulled his t-shirt over his head, but when I tugged at the belt of my robe, he gently held my wrist. “Sweetheart….”
The frustration and fear finally boiled over, and I fell flat against his body, face down. My tears pooled between his chest and my cheeks.
Jared sat up, bringing me with him. “Don’t cry,” he said with a frown. “Please don’t….” he trailed off, sighing at the messy sight of me. Finally he kissed me, leaning me tenderly against the bed.
I shamelessly took advantage of his moment of weakness before it passed. For the first time in months, we lost ourselves in each other. Not a single moment did I worry or regret, and neither did Jared…until it was over.
Peaceful against his skin, my head rose and fell with his deep breath. “Don’t say it,” I said with a smile.
“It’s a little late to say anything,” Jared said, kissing my hair.
“You know, the Christmas party is next weekend.”
“I know,” he smiled, beginning to relax.
I stretched. “I assume you’ve bought a suit.”
“I did.”
“I need a dress,” I said, my brows pulling together.
Jared laughed, momentarily forgetting about anything but the mundane details of our normal life.
We giggled and snuggled until the sun filtered through the curtains, and then Jared walked across the room to dress. I turned on my side to watch him, propping my head with my hand. Knowing how many bullets and wounds he’d sustained in the last few years, his skin was flawless. Every inch of it.
“What are you plotting over there?” Jared asked, smiling.
“Absolutely nothing, I’m simply appreciating your form.”
He pulled a pair of light blue boxer briefs up his legs and over his bare backside. “Is that so?”
I pulled the sheet across the room with me, hunting for something casual to wear to Brown.
“That’s not fair at all. I should be allowed to appreciate as well,” he smiled. That smile quickly faded as he pulled me behind him.
Bex knocked twice before walking in. “Geez! Really?” he yelled, closing the door.
“Knocking doesn’t count if you just walk in!” Jared growled.
I backed into the closet, mortified.
The door opened again, and Jared sighed. “We are allowed privacy,” he said, his voice low and angry.
“I’ve seen it all before,” Claire said. “Hey,” she smiled, poking her head into the closet. “You wanna hang out today?”
“Don’t even think about it,” Jared warned.
“She’s learning, isn’t she?” Claire snapped. “She’s got to see it sometime!”
“She’s not learning that,” Jared said.
“You’ve got business today, anyway,” Bex said.
Kim walked in, confused by the number of people in the room coupled with our lack of clothing. “I’ll just wait outside.”
“I’ll go, too,” Bex said.