my heart aching in recognition of everything he was feeling because I felt it too.
Water splashed, and his voice drew a little closer to the house as he said, “Jane looks up to you. She listens to you. You say any of this ridiculous shit to her and mess with her head … I swear, Skye, I won’t forgive you.”
“Jamie, I’m sorry, I won’t. This is … I’m putting my crap on you, okay. I love you. I want you to be happy. I want Jane to be happy.” Her voice broke. “I just worry about you. Please don’t be mad at me.”
At his silence, I glanced out the window and saw the siblings were hugging.
I took that moment to disappear upstairs and dump my bag.
Sitting on the bed in Lorna’s room, I stared a little unseeing at the artwork that cluttered the room. I wondered if Skye was right. Were Jamie and I setting ourselves up for heartbreak?
So lost in my thoughts, it took Jamie sitting down beside me on the bed for me to notice his presence. I drew in a breath, startled.
Our eyes locked. His narrowed. “You heard, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
Frustration tightened his features, but I knew it wasn’t directed at me.
“I’m making things weird for you two.”
“No.” He kissed me. Hard, deep, trying to pull me under his spell so I’d forget about their argument.
“Jamie,” I pulled away. “Are you and Skye okay?”
“We’re fine,” he assured me, tucking my hair behind my ear. “And you’re not sleeping in here so don’t get any ideas.” His lips brushed over mine as he curled his hand gently around my neck. It was claiming, dominant, and it made me shiver. “You know you need me at night,” he teased. “I need to be readily available to you.”
I rolled my eyes. Smug bastard. Often, I woke in the middle of the night, wanting him. It was me who kissed him awake. It was me who straddled him in the dark of the night, desperate to have him.
“Fuck, you excite me,” he whispered harshly, gripping my hips as I slid up and down on him.
I frowned, pushing out the memories before they distracted me. “We do have a lot of sex. Is that normal?”
Jamie burst out laughing, pulling me into his body, his laughter fluttering against my neck as he buried his head there.
“Jamie.”
My annoyed tone only made him laugh harder. Finally, he lifted his head, but only to kiss my pinched lips open. “You’re sleeping in my bed, and you’ll reach for me anytime you want. Discussion over.” He moved to stand, hand in mine, attempting to pull me up. I tugged on it, refusing to budge. “What?”
“What did Skye mean about Lacey?”
Jamie sighed and let go of me to run a hand through his hair. “Jane—”
“Well?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “She was here this afternoon. We were going over our presentation for tomorrow.”
“She likes you?”
“She kissed me.”
My heart lurched.
“Something I would have told you without Skye’s help.” Seeing my dubious expression, his brow puckered. “Jesus, Jane, you don’t think I actually wanted her to kiss me.”
I shook my head.
Still, I hated the idea of her lips anywhere near his.
His lips were mine.
My hands clenched into fists in my lap, and Jamie’s gaze dropped to them. “Jane, I pushed her off. I told her it wasn’t happening, and it would never happen. Skye walked in on the whole thing. Mortifying for Lacey. I felt bad for her.”
I narrowed my eyes. “She knows you have a girlfriend.” It wasn’t a question. “I don’t feel bad for her. She wasn’t thinking of my feelings when she kissed you.” I stood and threw him a displeased glare. “I’m hungry.”
I heard his heavy sigh as he followed at my back. “Doe, girls will come onto me. Ask me out. Guys will do the same to you. Doesn’t mean anything. Other than that, we’re both extremely irresistible.”
My lips twitched at his teasing as I thundered down the stairs. Skye was nowhere in sight. Feeling Jamie at my back as I opened the refrigerator, I said, “Well, since you were open with me, I should tell you I got asked out today.” I grabbed some carrots and hummus and shut the door, turning to Jamie, struggling to hide my smile.
His face had darkened. “Who?”
I tried not to laugh at his changed tone. “What happened to ‘it doesn’t mean anything’?”
“Are you messing with me or did someone ask you out?”