Page 66 of Somebody's Watching Me
Why did he have to keep reminding her? It was hard enough to hear it the first time, but now, vulnerable after that hellacious dream, it was like rubbing salt on an open wound.
“But you won’t always be.”
“And whose fault is that?” Giving up, he released his hold. “Not mine.”
“Not mine either.” She held up the hand holding the earplugs. “And thanks for remembering these. I’m sure they’ll appreciate them.”
“They will unless, by some miracle, you no longer snore.”
The comfort and safety provided by the woman next to her was unmatched. No one mothered like Simone. Crawling into bed with her and Annabeth, the three of them had slept soundly together until dawn.
“Remind me to tell Liam thank you for the earplugs.”
Blinking against the sunlight streaming through the blinds, Jamison focused on the battered and bruised face inches from hers.
“I’m not that bad.”
They lay facing each other, sharing a pillow. “You’re a damn liar, little girl.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like hell.”
“At least you can talk now.”
“Much to your father’s dismay, I’m sure.” A deep laugh rumbled out of Simone, and she winced. “How are you feeling?”
“Not dead, but not far off.” Jamison stretched and rolled to a sitting position. “Is Annabeth already up?” She sniffed at the scent of bacon coming from the kitchen. “Why is she cooking? She needs to rest.”
“Rowan said he would be over bright and early today.”
“How did they interact with each other at the hospital?”
Simone rolled her one good eye. “They hardly spoke.”
“That’s weird, considering they’re having sex.”
“They are not having sex.” Simone struggled to sit up, making it halfway before begrudgingly accepting help. “They are talking on the phone while naked. She went into the whole thing last night before you came down. God help me, that is not something I needed to know, butapparently, she sets up a table with a bunch of... well, you know... things, and he watches her use them.”
“Like a masturbation station?” Jamison nodded, impressed by Annabeth’s forethought. “That’s kind of smart.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with y’all’s generation.”
“Listen, old lady, if you do it right, it’s as good as the real thing.” Sliding off the bed, Jamison held her hand out. “Liam and I would have sex like that when he had to stay overnight for an assignment. It was awesome.”
“Sometimes I wish you girls weren’t so open with me.” Simone hoisted herself up to stand. “I did overhear them arguing when we got back to the house, though. He wanted to stay, and she said that he didn’t need to do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Rowan isn’t like the other boring men my baby has dealt with, and that look of ownership he gets in his eyes when he’s around her is intense.” Simone shuffled over to the closet to get her robe. “It probably sets her on edge, but you know what?”
Jamison grabbed her own robe. The damn thing was becoming like a second skin, and she was tired of it. “What?”
“It makes me like him.”
That was a surprise. Simone had been a staunch anti-Rowan advocate since day one.
“Say it isn’t so,” Jamison teased. “You like Rowan? I’m so going to tell him.”
