"I want all of them. All of you." She nipped at his lips and turned to focus on the task of the roses. She set them in the sink when she couldn’t find a vase. "Open the wine for us and let's have salads first."
"Okay. Smells delicious in here." He walked to the stove and took a few minutes to taste everything. The small sounds he made while burning his tongue or fingertips caused her lips to turn up in a smile. She watched him over her shoulder, falling more in love with him by the minute.
Everyone went through shit. They would too, but it would be their willingness to come back together, to ask for forgiveness and to love each other past the storms.
He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "I knew you were checking me out."
"I'm always checking you out. I have the image of you above me, your face contorted in the throes of passion, locked into my mind's eye.” She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t really said that out loud, right?
"Fuck. That's hot." He licked his lips. "I'm going to change. You need me to help with anything first?"
"Nope. I'll meet you at the table."
He took a few steps toward the living room and stopped. "Thank you, Jamie. For this... for all of it." He brushed his fingers by his lips as his expression softened. He was impossibly beautiful.
"You're welcome." She turned back, trying hard not to choke on the emotion that sat inside of her. To know he was going to try and reconcile things with her if she hadn't made the first move was warming, but even if he hadn't. She felt really good about showing him how much he mattered. They would do that. Then have sex. A lot of it.
After finishing the salad, she moved everything to the table and plated dinner as well. She'd just finished pouring the wine when he walked back in. His jeans were low on his hips and he didn't have his shirt or shoes on.
The beautiful swell of his chest and abdomen caught her attention, forcing her to pause to enjoy the very sight of him.
"Damn, you're so hot," she mumbled and reached out, brushing her fingertips down his stomach as he moved to sit beside her.
He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing each finger softly as he watched her from underneath a hooded expression. "I have great and yet disturbing news." He reached for the wine, taking a quick sip before speaking. "Annette isn't pregnant, but she was paid to pretend like she was."
Relief flooded Jamie like she'd never experienced before. "Seriously?" She pressed her eyebrows together. “Wait. What? She was paid?”
"I'm still at a loss for who would do something like that, but she's not budging on the name." He shrugged and leaned back, his body language showing that he too was relieved.
She whirled around and threw her hands in the air as she spun. “She’s not pregnant. She’s not pregnant!” She kissed him. “Yeah.”
He chuckled. “A simply quiet yeah? That’s it? I threw a chair when I found out.”
Jamie laughed, giddy with relief. She pointed to a chair and sat down in the opposite one. She picked up her fork. "Eat Mr. Reid. I have plans for you. You're gonna need your strength."
He chuckled and picked up his glass of wine. "Would you really have helped me raise the baby?"
"Yes." She glanced up and locked eyes with him. She clinked her wine with his.
"I'm sorry about giving you shit about Mark. He and I spoke on my way home today. I was being a total dick about that too. I just hate the idea of you liking him more than you like me. My dad had such a love for him, and honestly, I love him too. I'm still trying to separate being so angry at him from the fact that he's my brother and really a great guy. It's just going to take time." He shrugged. "But... I shouldn't be giving you hell for caring for him. You're doing it as an extension of you caring for me."
" He's a good man, but I wouldn't have turned my head to speak to him if he wasn't your brother. I'm a one-man woman, Alex. There is no one else for me. Ever." She took a bite of her salad, enjoying the calmness that sat between them. And the relief. Instant, gratifying relieve.
"Forgive me about the situation at my father's house. I was out of sorts, and just being stupid. I honestly didn't mean to make you feel trashy or slutty, or anything. I just responded in the moment, and it was stupid. My reputation at the firm isn't going to change because of you or anyone else. It's going to get better or worse because of me. You make me a better man. I hate that I've hurt you."
"People have to learn each other, and we're both have to change a little to make us work." She reached over and slid her hand over the top of his. "I'm good with us being in the open or not. I want to be seen as your woman just because it's the natural inclination, I guess."