Page 28 of Tactically Tied

"Rick!"

The producer held up his hands and backed away.

"Tell me what's wrong," Jed demanded again.

"It's nothing." Jami tried to back away, but Jed held on to her forearms.

"Jami, I don't want to fight with you."

"Why not? It would look good for the cameras."

"I don't care about the cameras." He gave her a gentle shake, but she was still having trouble making sense of things.

"I'm starting to lose track of what's real and what's not."

Jed stepped closer, crowding her into a corner. "Are there any cameras around?"

Jami didn't need to look over Jed's shoulder to say no. She gave a shake of her head. The air was getting thin.

Jed placed his forearm above her head and leaned down. His lips were so close to hers, but he didn't kiss her. "I want to kiss you, Jami."

She felt the whisper of his upper lip against her bottom lip. The spice of him curled around her nostrils, begging her to lean in and savor him.

"I want to kiss you because you are my wife. Because you are the woman I desire above all others. Do you understand that?"

Jami cleared her throat. "I?—"

Jed didn't require her answer. He captured her lips in a fierce kiss. In a claiming kiss. In an all-consuming kiss.

Jami felt herself falling. It was an odd sensation, because Jed's arms were wrapped tightly around her. To keep her from falling? To keep her from getting away from him? Whatever his aim, it worked.

Her arms went around his neck, and she was completely lost. She didn't care if the cameras were there or not. She didn't care who saw. Jami knew for a fact that she would die if Jed stopped kissing her.

"Make sure you get a close-up on them."

"Rick!" Jed shouted, breaking the kiss.

"You signed a?—"

Rick and the camera man ducked back around the corner as Jed advanced on them. But he didn't get far. He had a grown woman still clinging around his neck.

"You said you wanted to kiss me."

A slow grin spread across Jed's face. His body turned back to her. His arms came back around her.

Jami lifted up onto her toes to reach his lips. Jed obliged by bending down to meet her halfway. They picked up where they left off. Only Jed held her closer. Jami gripped him tighter. The kiss deepened.

It didn't matter if the cameras caught them. Not when Jami was so caught up in Jed.

She forgot about the cameras, about the competition, about everything that had been weighing her down. She felt something break free inside her—a realization that maybe life didn’t have to be perfectly controlled, perfectly planned. Maybe it could be a little wild, a little messy.

They pulled away from the kiss, both out of breath. The cameras had returned. But this time, Jami didn’t mind. She let them film, let them capture the reality of this moment—because it was real. It was her and Jed, in all their imperfections and uncertainties.

And as she looked at Jed, she felt her heart swell. Maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to run from this. Maybe she could stay, be part of this beautifully chaotic life they were creating.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Jed had been consumed with the feel of Jami in his arms. Her lips were soft, pliant against his. It was his every high school fantasy come to life. His every adult male fantasy, too.

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