Page 68 of Courageous Hearts

I start to swell, but Jameson slides his hand over to my thigh.

“I like leaving you reminders so you don’t forget how much I want you,” he says, pressing against the bruises he marked on my skin.

God.

Jameson brings his hands back up to frame my face, touch light but grounding. He leans in, peppering a kiss near my ear. “I like the confidence you have on stage. That same confidence you have when you’re naked. It’s beautiful.”

My breath hitches, and Jameson’s mouth travels to the other side of my face, placing a kiss there, as well.

“I like the way you’re like no one else I’ve ever known,” he says seriously. “I think it’d take a lifetime for me to learn everything I want to know about you. Maybe longer.”

“Jamie,” I breathe out, not sure my voice even registered.

Jameson tucks his chin over my shoulder, tugging me to him as much as possible in the confines of the car. “And I like the way you melt against me,” he says, and as if proving the point, my body sags. Jameson chuckles. “Like that.”

He holds me for a long moment before pulling back enough to look me in the eyes, and it feels immensely intimate. I force myself to hold his gaze, heart tripping over itself.

“I like you, Blue, if you haven’t figured that out yet.”

I nod, unable to speak. I don’t think my voice would even work if I tried.

“And I’m going to miss you,” he tacks on.

I nod again, chewing at my lips, hoping my eyes stay dry.

Jameson glances at the clock on the dash and sighs before looking back my way. “Can you at least say goodbye before you go?” he teases.

I clear my throat. “Bye.”

“It’s only a week,” Jameson adds, as if he’s the one trying to convince me now.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I mumble, shaking myself loose, literally and figuratively. Twisting around, I grab my carry-on from the back, and Jameson leans away so I don’t clock him in the face with it. “I, uh…” Puffing out a breath, I try again. “I’m gonna miss you, too, Jamie.”

“We’ll talk,” he says.

Another nod. “Yeah, okay. Um, bye.”

“Bye, Bo.”

I lean forward one more time, smacking my lips to Jameson’s quickly, needing that final kiss but refusing to linger. Pushing my way out from the car, I close the door and grip my baggage tight. With one more glance through the window at Jameson’s sad little smile, I say a final goodbye inside my head and stride forward.

I don’t dare look back, refusing to crack over something as simple as leaving my…my Jamie for a single week. It’s nothing. No time at all. I’ll be back before I know it.

Besides, I have bigger things to worry about, don’t I? Like what’s going to happen when I finally confront Diesel. I need my wits about me because I know it’s not going to be easy, this next week back in my hometown. It’s going to drag to the surface all those memories I’ve tried so hard to bury. All my regrets and poor choices.

But I’m ready. I have on my battle gear—black t-shirt, black combat boots, and purple camo pants—and I’ve prepared myself mentally as best as I can.

It’s time to face my past.

The San Antonio International Airport is just how I remember it. Crowded, loud, and full of cowboy hats.

That’s one accessory I almost never see in Chicago. Apart from in clubs with a mechanical bull, that is.

I smile, thinking about the way Jameson was acting that night. The aborted looks. How he bristled when someone approached me asking to dance. That hug when we were leaving, and the way Jameson hightailed it away like his ass was on fire.

Was he trying to figure out his attraction to me even then? He seemed confused by his own actions. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now, looking back, I can see the signs.

Dang it. I miss him already.

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