64 Jamie
I always thought the phrase ‘making love’ was dumb. It always sounded awkward to me, like someone trying to dress up something raw and physical in softer words so it wouldn’t make people uncomfortable. A PG phrase to refer to an X-rated act.
But standing here with Frankie in the shower, I finally get it.
I pull her against me, so close that there’s no space left between us. The water runs over our shoulders and down our backs, steam curling around us. I’m soaking up her weight against my chest. The heat of her skin. The way her arms slide around my waist, holding me as tight as I hold her.
This isn’t about pleasure. It isn’t about getting off or wanting something from her.
It’s about the ache that’s been living in my bones for days finally easing because she’s here. Because she’s real and in my arms again, after so much. After all the pain and angst and bullshit.
I press my face into her hair and just breathe her in. She tilts her head slightly, resting her cheek against my chest, and I tighten my arms around her without thinking.
This- this- is what making love is.
Wanting to be so close to someone that it has nothing to do with bodies anymore. Wanting to worship them not with words or grand gestures, but by simply being together.
She turns her head and starts to press kisses to my chest. I move my hand and tilt her chin up so I can look at her.
“I love you, Frankie,” I say. “That doesn’t feel like… enough. But that's all I know how to say. I fucking love you.”
She giggles. “I fucking love you too, Jamie.”
I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her, slow and easy, and even though this closeness isn’t about anything physical, my body betrays me. I feel my length hardening against her body. She feels it and laughs softly.
“What?” I murmur against her lips. “Is me getting hard because your sexy body is pressed against me funny?” I rock my hips a bit so she can fully feel the effect she’s having on me.
She moans a bit, then grins, eyes bright. “I was just thinking about you having to take your piercing out when you went to jail. Like, did they watch you? And did you even get it back?”
I groan, dropping my forehead to hers. “You are unbelievable.”
She laughs harder, clearly pleased with herself. “What? I’m curious.”
“It was not a dignified moment,” I say dryly. “And yes, it’s in a plastic bag downstairs I think.”
She presses another kiss to my chest, gentler this time. “Do you miss it?” she asks, blushing just a little.
“Do you?” I ask, raising an eyebrow, and her blush is all the answer I need.
I smile. “Well. Now that I know my girl’s a fan, I’d say it’s making a comeback once everything’s… properly sanitized.”
She beams. “Good.”
I shake my head, laughing softly, and pull her closer.
We stand there for a moment, the warm water surrounding us, blocking out the rest of the world.
And then I feel her tucking her hand between us. Then slowly move it down.
I groan at the first contact. Sure this wasn’t about sex, but that doesn't mean sex can’t be a part of it, right?
“Turn around. Put your hands on the wall,” I say. Her eyes flash wide before she complies.
I just take her in for a second. She’s arching her back a bit, sticking her ass out, and water is sluicing down her body.
“Holy fuck,” I ground out as I step into her. I wrap one hand around her chest, pulling her front up. With the other I reach down and start playing with her pussy.
“Oh shit. You’re ready for me aren’t you? I don’t even need to warm you up, do I Frankie girl?”
She quivers a bit in my arms and lets out a small moan.
“I’m not gonna make you wait, babe.” I take my hand, grip my dick and line it up with her entrance and slide in.
I take her there, against the wall of the shower, her head leaned against my shoulder, her hands splayed on the wall in front of us. It’s quick, urgent, like an itch we just have to fucking scratch.
“Oh god, Jamie. Oh god,” she repeats over and over.
I adjust the arm around her chest just enough to take one of her breasts in my hand. With the other hand, I start to circle her clit.
“Oh Jamie, yes, right there, yes. Please, please!”
I bury my face in her shoulder. I can’t help myself, and I bite down on her skin- not too hard, but enough to make it feel like I’m staking my claim.
She comes, yelling and trembling and clenching around my cock so hard I can barely breathe. I pump into her, almost frantically, reaching my peak seconds after her.
And then I just hold her, pulling her tight against my body, stepping back with her directly under the stream of water, and just breathe with her as we both come down.
After we dry off and get dressed- me in jeans and a T-shirt, her in sweatpants and one of my T-shirts- we go find Christian in his office.
“Enjoy your shower?” he asks, glancing up over his glasses as we step inside.
Frankie freezes, her cheeks going instantly pink. A part of me hopes she never loses that little flash of embarrassment at one of us calling out the others having sex with her. It’s adorable.
I step in behind her, fitting myself to her back, my arms sliding around her waist. I nip lightly at her ear and look straight at him. “Best one of my life.”
His mouth curves into a knowing smile, and Frankie visibly relaxes as he stands and comes toward us.
He cups her face in his hands, bends, and kisses her- slow and deliberate.
It makes my chest tighten just watching it.
Then he straightens and does the same to me, hands firm, kiss unhurried, grounding.
Yesterday there hadn’t been space for this- me and him. Not with the jail and the lawyers and the cops- everything clipped and procedural, every interaction all sharp edges and urgency.
And once we were home, all of my focus- all of our focus- had been on Frankie. As it should have been.
But now, finally, it feels like a moment just for us.
For him and me. Sure, our girl is literally sandwiched between us- but honestly?
That’s exactly where she belongs. We kiss, slow and tenderly until I’m practically breathless.
Christian rocks his forehead side to side against mine. “I love you, Jamie.”
I’m not going to cry, which is why I don’t say anything back, just nod quickly.
“What’cha up to?” Frankie asks when the two of us finally pull apart.
“Come here, I’ll show you,” Christian says. He guides her behind his desk and settles her onto his knee. I stay behind the chair, leaning forward to look at the screen over his shoulder.
“I’m getting the two of you signed up for online GED classes,” he says.
“Oh.” Frankie’s face falls, excitement draining out of her.
“Hey, love- look at me.” He tips her chin up until she meets his eyes.
“We’re starting a new chapter in your life, and I want to make sure you have every single door open to you.
That means checking this box. From what I can tell, you can knock this out in about a year.
Maybe less. It’s not as big or scary as it feels right now. ”
He flicks a look at me that clearly says don’t mess this up.
“Babe, it’s gonna be great,” I say, probably way too enthusiastic for school talk.
“I want to do it- I really do. Getting that is something I’ve wanted for years, but it seems so silly, given everything else going on.”
“What? It’s the most important thing,” I say. “This is your future- which is going to be fucking awesome, babe. I bet you- er, we- can do it in nine months. And when it’s done, you’ve got more job options. Or if you want to go to college- you can. World’s your oyster.”
She narrows her eyes, lips pursed. “Will you go to college with me?”
I blanch. The thought of sitting in a lecture hall arguing about Plato flashes through my brain. I try to look calm. “Sure.”
She bursts out laughing. “Holy crap, you look so uncomfortable.”
Christian smiles at me and leans back a little, hands still on her. “I don’t know that Jamie will head to college, but I do have plans for him.”
“What? Landscaping, construction, maintenance?” I shrug. “Already living that dream, babe.”
“No, you ass,” he says. “The garage. Ryan told me he already mentioned it to you.”
I just blink at him. This is an actual plan they have?
“We’re going to take our time,” he says calmly. “Find the right location. Set it up properly.”
My jaw drops. My hand is hanging uselessly at my side when he reaches for it, lifts it, and presses my knuckles to his mouth.
“This isn’t some risky gamble. It’s a solid investment. You already have the skill set.”
“But- I can’t,” I say, the words tumbling out as reality crashes in. “I can fix an engine, sure, but I don’t know how to run a business. Taxes, payroll, permits- any of that.”
“You have me,” he says simply. “This is what I do. Until you’re ready, I’ll work with you. But learning how a business actually runs, all that stuff? You’ll pick it up fast.”
I blink. “You… want to work with me?”
Christian throws his head back and laughs.
“I want to spend my life with you. I want to marry you and spend every day together for the rest of our lives,” he says, looking at me like this is the most obvious thing in the world. “So yes, Jamie. I want to work with you.”
Holy shit.
Holy. Shit.
“Ooh, perfect!” Frankie says brightly. “I can marry Ryan, you can marry Jamie. Double wedding!”
I blink, my brain goes completely offline.
“Actually,” Christian says carefully, “I don’t know that marriage makes sense for any of us right now. Maybe someday, for practical reasons, but right now it kind of feels like… lying.”
She tilts her head, thinking, then nods. “Yeah. I wouldn’t want to marry one of you and not the others.”
“Right,” he says. “So we’ll table that- ”
“What the fuck is going on?” I nearly yell, and both of them turn to me, wide-eyed.
My chest tightens and I step back, hands raised. “I just- I need a minute. Yesterday I was in jail. Jail. And now you’re talking about opening a business with me and double weddings?”
“No, we decided against the weddings,” Frankie says unhelpfully. “Remember?”
I stare at them. “You’re both insane,” I say, shaking my head. “Absolutely fucking crazy. You know that, right?”
She shrugs.
Christian nods once, completely unbothered.
“What’s actually insane,” he continues, calm as ever, “is wasting another minute pretending we don’t know what we want.”
He gestures vaguely between the three of us.
“You’re out. We love you. We want a life with you. Want to make all your dreams come true,” His expression softens, just slightly. “Wasting time seems stupid.”
The whole thing should feel terrifying. And maybe it does, a little.
But it also feels so good to be here, standing between people who somehow refused to give up on me, planning for our future.
“You’re both fucking crazy,” I mutter again.
But I sit down anyway.