Page 19 of Tactically Tied

Jami’s eyes sparkled at the compliment, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "But?"

He sighed.There it was. “But you can’t wear that.”

She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, which only made him more aware of the dress's snug fit across her curves. "Why not?"

He stepped forward, ignoring Jacqui and Noah, who were clearly eavesdropping. “We’re cooking today, remember? The show? We can’t have you in a sundress while we’re in the kitchen. It’s not safe.”

Jami’s frown deepened. "So what? You want me to change into something less...nice?"

Jed’s gaze flicked to her bare toes in sandals. They were delicate, with the nails painted a light pink, perfectly pedicured. “No,” he said after a moment, an idea forming in his mind. “You can keep the dress. But you need to lose the sandals.”

Jami arched an eyebrow, clearly considering his suggestion. “You want me to cook barefoot?”

A barefoot Jami. Hmmm, he liked that idea. He was acting like a caveman. But that's what this woman did to him.

“Not barefoot. Just not in sandals. Health and safety, remember?”

She stared at him for a moment, her lips pursed as if she was trying to decide whether to argue with him. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she turned on her heel and headed toward the staircase. He didn’t miss the sway of her hips as she moved, the dress skimming her legs.

The tension in his shoulders ease slightly with distance between them. The thought of her cooking beside him in the kitchen, even in that dress, sent a thrill through him. He wanted her close, wanted to feel her presence beside him as they worked together. This marriage might have started out as a practical arrangement, but he was going to make sure it became something real.

As soon as Jami disappeared up the stairs, Jacqui turned to him, her smile still in place but her eyes sharp. “You’re not wasting any time, are you, Jed?”

Jed wasn't sure what she meant, but he got the sense that he couldn't show any weakness. Not in front of this woman. He shrugged, trying to keep his cool.

“Just know that if you hurt her, I’ll make sure you regret it,” she said, her voice calm but edged with steel, her smile turning cold. “I’m not above raking you over hot coals like a burnt brisket or using a dull knife to cut you up piece by piece.”

There was the Jacqui Chou he knew and feared.

Noah clapped a hand on Jed’s shoulder, breaking the tension. “Welcome to the family.”

CHAPTERTWELVE

Jami's entire body buzzed with an energy she couldn’t quite control. Her fingers kept flexing involuntarily. The weight of the ring on her hand was heavy, like a constant reminder that this was real. Too real. She wasn’t even touching Jed, just sitting next to him. Still, it felt like he was crowding her space.

He smelled smoky, like the lingering scent of a barbecue where the wood chips were special, the kind that seeped into the food, lingering on the tastebuds. Every breath she took was him—spices, char, and heat. It filled her lungs, wrapped around her senses until she was drowning in it, in him. His broad shoulders took up all the space beside her. Every time she glanced in his direction, he was there. Big. Solid. Unavoidable.

Even when he wasn’t speaking, it was like his voice boomed in her ears, filling her head and making her skin prickle with awareness. How was she supposed to survive this? This temporary marriage that already felt too permanent in just a day.

"How did this happen?" the producer asked them.

"I proposed to her yesterday. She said yes. We were so eager to be together that we went straight to the Justice of the Peace."

Jed said this all with a grin—the one that always made her heart skip. It caught her off guard now. And then it was pressed against her mouth. Jed kissed her, hard, decisively, like he was claiming something that had always been his.

Her body jolted, a rush of heat surging through her. Her pulse quickened, beating in her throat as her hands instinctively reached for him, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. She didn’t know if she was trying to push him away or pull him closer. All she knew was that she was lost in him, in the warmth of his lips, in the way his stubble scratched against her skin, igniting sparks that ran through every nerve.

Her senses blurred—every taste, every scent, every touch became his. She tasted the faint smokiness of barbecue lingering on his breath, a reminder of who he was and everything he represented. The taste was intoxicating, familiar yet foreign, and it consumed her. His lips moved against hers with purpose, heat radiating off him, overwhelming her in a way that made her knees tremble.

Was she standing? No, she was sitting. So why did it feel like she was falling?

Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of the kiss, of the way her body reacted as if it had been waiting for this—waiting for Jed. His kiss was firm, demanding, but beneath the hunger, there was something else—something that felt dangerous in its depth, something she wasn’t sure she could survive.

Her chest tightened as her heart slammed against her ribs. Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to melt into him, to let herself get swallowed by the heat, but a part of her was terrified. This wasn’t just a kiss. It was Jed Winchester, taking over her world, piece by piece, one kiss at a time. And she didn’t know how to stop it.

When he finally pulled back, leaving her breathless, her lips still tingling, Jami stared at him, her heart racing as she tried to remember how to breathe. She didn’t even care what the producer thought, didn’t care what anyone around them saw. All she knew was that the kiss had changed something in her, ignited something she hadn’t been ready for.

And God help her, she wasn’t sure she could go back now.

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