Page 63 of Falling Fast

Easton scratched the side of his jaw, seemed to consider that for a long moment. “She feel the same way about you?”

Jamie hid a wince. The truth hurt, man. “I don’t know yet, but I’m hoping to convince her to give us a shot.” Starting tonight.

His friend huffed out a breath, shook his head. “Yeah, looking back, I guess I can’t say I’m all that surprised. She was always asking me about you during our last deployment, and after that 407 went down today she wanted you, not me.”

“And you don’t know how fucking happy that made me,” Jamie said with a chuckle. Her reaching for him rather than her brother for comfort was huge.

Easton cracked a grin, then sobered. “So what happens if things…don’t work out with you guys? I don’t want it to be awkward. I want to still be able to hang out with you both and spend time at the farm together or whatever.”

“Guess I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.” But the mere thought of Charlie turning him down put a lump of dread in the pit of his stomach.

Easton clapped him on the shoulder. “Okay, man. I appreciate you telling me.”

“Thanks for not knocking my teeth down my throat.”

His lips quirked. “Only because you said you’re serious. But honestly? I can see it. You two, together. It’s pretty damn cool, actually. I hope it works out.”

“Thanks, man.” Relief slid through him, and he felt better for having said his piece.

“So. Should we get going? Guess you’re anxious to get back to….” He grimaced again and gave a dramatic gulp. “My sister.”

More than you can imagine, brother.“Yeah, let’s go.” He was desperate to finish what they’d started.

And hopefully begin something far more.

****

Charlie shifted on the sofa and willed her mind to stop spinning, to no avail. It was after midnight now. She’d been back at the apartment for a couple hours now, after doing more interviews and answering questions until her brain turned numb. They’d let her shower first, thankfully, allowing her ample time to scrub off all the concrete she’d been covered with. The drug Baker had given her had long since left her system, but she still felt stupid for accepting that beer in the first place. Investigators were executing various search warrants at Baker’s place right now, on the hunt for the laptop, other evidence and whatever security video footage they could get.

In the meantime, Jamie had been stuck in separate meetings with the rest of the taskforce at another location, but Taylor had been here with her. Charlie had sent her home an hour ago, since Taylor had been struggling to keep her eyes open.

But mostly because she wanted to be alone with Jamie the instant he got here. He’d promised he’d come, so he would be here as soon as he could.

She sat bolt upright on the sofa when she heard the key in the lock, heart thudding.

The lock clicked and the knob began to turn.

She bounded to her feet, ignoring the aches in her body where the bruises throbbed, and was already halfway across her apartment living room when the door opened. A soft, desperate sound came from her throat when Jamie appeared in the doorway, his dark-honey gaze colliding with hers.

He’d showered at some point and changed into jeans and a T-shirt, and someone had put a Steri-Strip over the cut on his eyebrow. The rest of his face was slightly battered and she wanted to kiss every mark on his skin better.

She’d had a lot of time to think since leaving Long Island. Enough to crystalize what she wanted most going forward.

And he was standing right in front of her.

She launched herself at him. He caught her with a soft grunt, and hoisted her upward as she wound her arms and legs around him. Burying her face in the side of his neck, Charlie dragged in a deep breath, drawing his masculine scent deep into her lungs. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Charlie had never needed anyone before. Not like this. She’d come so close to losing him today, to dying. It had been more than a wakeup call. Everything she’d felt for him had become clear, along with the decision she’d made.

She was done with hiding behind the fear of potentially losing him one day, the way her father had lost her mother. The way Jamie’s father was about to lose his wife.

Life was too damn short and she wasn’t wasting another moment of it hiding behind excuses or lies she’d been telling herself all these years. The hours she’d spent waiting for him to come to her had been endless. Now that she had him, she wasn’t letting him go.

Jamie eased her head back to look down at her. His gaze was like molten amber, so hot it burned as it dipped down to her mouth, and the intensity coming from him sucked the air from her lungs.

Twining her fingers in his hair, she lifted up as his lips closed over hers in a scorching, bone-melting kiss that lit up every nerve in her body. His free hand locked in her hair, holding her head still while his tongue stroked along hers, his other arm banded tight around her hips to keep her in place. Charlie poured her heart into the kiss as he carried her through the living room and into the darkened bedroom, not bothering to shut the door.

Her back hit the mattress. She shimmied her legs up higher around his back as he lowered his weight onto her, moaned into his mouth as the hard outline of his erection made contact with the needy flesh between her thighs. She’d wanted this man for so damn long, but it was far more than that now.

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