Chapter 12
Jamie studied Rebecca when her head turned to look at Alex. She was trying very hard to appear carefree and, if he wasn”t mistaken, flirty.
Before his ego took a victory lap, though, he remembered seeing her carefree and flirty with someone else.
What the hell was she up to? Was this Rebecca trying on men like shoes in a sale?
Well, fuck. That thought didn”t sit well. Not at all. He wasn”t interested in being part of a practice group.
”Meghan has her hands full with him,” she joked. ”Not that he isn”t totally wrapped.”
”Is that what you think? That she has him wrapped around her little finger?”
Part of Jamie was bemused by her take on the power couple. Didn”t she know about them? How was that possible?”Jamie picked up their D/s vibe right away. Meghan Marquez was a happy sub, thoroughly, and lovingly focused on her alpha Dom mate. If Meghan had Alex wrapped, it was because she earned it.
Rebecca”s expression changed. She appeared to consider his question. It was encouraging that she didn”t blow him off.
”I was being flip.”Her face suggested self-consciousness. ”Can I walk that comment back?”
”Yes, you can,”Jamie drawled. ”But may you?”
His response made her chuckle.
”Is that how I sound when I get on Kori about her grammar?”
”Probably.”He returned her smile.
”Well, I stand corrected.”Wearing a droll smirk, she asked, ”May I walk that comment back?”
”Yes, you may, Rebecca.”
”Are you always so, um … sanctimonious?”
”I enjoy a good five-dollar word, and yes. Sloppy language leads to chaos.”
”Interesting take.”
He rolled a shoulder. ”Just my personal experience.”
”I”ve got a bunch of words and sayings that ruffle my feathers. As for the big man and his red-haired mate, he”s neither meek nor passive, and she”s not the type to want total control.”
Jamie wondered if she knew how much her answer gave away. Without realizing it, she”d wandered into some interesting territory.
She paused for a moment, then winked. ”What those two get up to in the barn is interesting. Of course, kinky is as kinky does when it comes to Justice.”
He didn”t react at first. Then, in a cautious tone, he probed.
”What exactly do you know about kink?”
”Is that a real question?”
”Yes.”
”Oh.”She twirled a lock of her hair and nibbled her lips. ”Hmm. Well, uh.”
Watching her struggle was all kinds of cute, and since cute wasn”t something he did, Jamie was surprised by his reaction.
”I know nothing,”she admitted after a long pause. ”Except what I read.”
He was on the brink of responding when she leaned on her elbows, lowered her voice, and asked, ”Does porn kink count?”
He felt his jaw drop. ”You watch kinky porn?”
”Um, well, no,”she chuckled. ”I don”t watch,”she explained using air quotes. ”But I”ve seen some stuff.”
”And?”
”I”m old enough and have witnessed enough shit in my days to know the difference between real life and entertainment.”Her brows rose. ”You ever actually seen a kinky dungeon?”
”No comment,”he snorted as a laugh shook him.
”What?”Her shocked expression was as cute as her struggle to answer his query.
They were veering into an area of conversation that was unsuitable for social chitchat, so he pulled the plug to save this for another time.
”Have you eaten?”
”No, we were a little late. I had to stop for gas. Whatever Rafe is serving up on the grill smells amazing, though.”
Pointing at his and Dev”s empty plates, he said, ”The meat line was long, so we chowed down on a bunch of sides. I recommend the macaroni salad.”
Craning his neck to ascertain the situation around the grill, Jamie saw an opening and quickly stood—moving to her side of the table.
”What can I get you, Rebecca? Steak? Ribs? Chicken? There are hot dogs and hamburgers too, and if meat isn”t to your liking, I saw grilled veggies.”
His impromptu meal companion started to get up. ”You don”t have to wait on me.”
With less than a split second to decide how he wanted to respond, Jamie looked down and stopped her rising with a hand on the bare skin of her shoulder.
”Happy to do it.”The dominant side of his nature surprised him by puffing up just a little. He”d never experienced anything close to the feelings Rebecca Tate inspired.
Time stood still. He watched her eyes dart from his. Then she looked at his fingers on her shoulder.
Knowing full well that he was opening a door best left shut didn”t stop Jamie from touching the thin strap of her dress and stroking her soft skin. She gasped slightly, and he was sure a subtle shiver wracked her body.
This woman was not immune to him. Warning bells clanged in his head, but he ignored them.
And why was that?
Because when all was said and done—when all the bitching at each other and angry language was exhausted—he couldn”t deny the attraction he felt toward her or ignore its strength.
When her eyes finally lifted and locked with his, her cheeks were a glorious shade of dusty pink.
Confusion marred her expression. A shadow he suspected was caused by doubt combined with a healthy sense of suspicion brought him down to earth.
Satisfaction and deep, deep pleasure shot straight into his system when she straightened, and her mouth curled into a smirk. He might have surprised her, but Rebecca wasn”t a pushover. She was a strong woman—a taker of no one”s shit. It was entirely reasonable for her to show skepticism toward him in a friendly situation. A part of him was delighted when she replied, as only Rebecca could.
”Excuse me, but did I miss the memo? I thought we were sparring partners who occasionally made nice to stop everyone from gossiping about us. This feels different. What happened?”
After all he”d been through, Jamie knew being authentic was his only move.
”What happened? You showed up dressed to flirt, and after seeing you out on a date the other day, it occurred to me that I wasn”t entirely okay with how that made me feel.”
”Say again?”Rebecca”s eyes narrowed to a squint.
”Which part? How I feel—your flirting—or the other man?”
”Uh, there isn”t, I mean, what?”
”I”m not saying you aren”t still a bitch. You are. But alas,”he chuckled in a lighthearted voice—unusual for him— ”the bitch looks amazing in that sundress.”
”Dr. Hunter,”she began in a flabbergasted tone.
”Call me Jamie.”
Her mouth dropped open. For a few seconds, it looked like she had trouble forming words, and then she murmured, ”Wow. You”re giving me first name permission? Okay. But are you sure? I mean, before now, you never…”
Her voice dwindled to a whisper. He”d been deliberately rude. A dick. And he knew it. Asking if he was sure told him he”d hurt her with his ridiculous obstinance.
”Yes, Rebecca. I”m sure.”He didn”t say sorry, but he hoped his tone signaled a bit of regret.
Her mouth wobbled. Seeing her emotion made his gut tighten.
In those few seconds, the universe shifted. He let her see a tiny part of him, and for the first time, he saw the real Rebecca.
”Thank you.”Her voice sounded thick.
The expression of thanks was not what he expected—or deserved. It revealed something about her nature that intrigued him.
Tugging playfully on a lock of her hair, he chuckled. ”Place your order before I change my mind.”
In the blink of an eye, their dynamic changed.
”I like my steak medium rare, not medium. Ribs require napkins. Oh, and yes to the mac salad.”
He grinned—teeth and all.
”When you get back, we”ll talk about this date you think I”ve had.”
* * *
Becca placed a shakinghand against her tummy and pressed to stop the butterflies bouncing around inside.
What the hell was happening?
Were she and Jamie Hunter flirting with each other?
Holy crap! Domineau was right. This was fun—scary, yes, but also fun.
Quickly checking to make sure her boobs weren”t falling out or some other disastrous wardrobe malfunction had befallen her, she looked around at the large crowd of people spread out around the backyard.
Tori St. John and Angie Sullivan were playing a boisterous game of cornhole while their men, Draegyn and Parker, stood to the side shouting encouragement. Each man held a baby girl in his arms.
The Justice Security Chief, Duke Winston, and his wife, Carmen, were standing with Alex”s uncle, Father Ed—all laughing.
She spied Kori talking to Duke”s grandson, Paul. The two had a lot in common. They attended different schools, though, and only ran into each other at functions like this.
It was Meghan and Alex who held her attention.
Jamie—it felt a little weird to think of him by his first name now that he”d given his consent—had not exactly been subtle when he reacted to her dumb comment about Alex being wrapped.
For everyone who lived or worked inside the Marquez-Justice compound and most of Bendover”s residents, privacy and everything that comes with it—things like confidentiality and trust—were significant. Sure, there was gossip, but none was mean-spirited or crossed a line. People respected each other”s boundaries, especially those at the center of Family Justice.
Becca might not consider herself part of the inner circle, but her close-up view made her privy to many things. What Alex and Meghan did upstairs in the big barn was one of those things.
And there was more, like Angie Sullivan and her never-ending collection of beautiful chokers and delicate necklaces. Once, Becca overheard Stephanie teasing the youngest Marquez about them, referring to the jewelry as collars.
Not to be outdone, though, were Roman and Kelly Bishop, recent newlyweds. Despite not having accompanied everyone to New York for the Bishops’ wedding, Becca nonetheless heard tantalizing tidbits about a ladies” field trip to a kink castle on the Hudson run by Roman”s cousin.
Alex was a dominant with a very happy mate.
Parker was dominant to a spoiled desert angel.
Newlywed Roman was a dominant indulging his bride with a months-long European honeymoon.
Jamie challenged her flippant remark and then asked what she knew about kink.
His amusement and sardonic response when she asked if he”d ever seen a kinky dungeon had almost left her speechless.
The lights were flashing.
Becca”s eyes swung to Domineau. How much did her friend know about Jamie?
A new sensation caused all of her senses to go crazy. Tingling goosebumps emanating from the area around her shoulders made Becca shiver.
If I turn around and he”s there, I will freak out.
Furtively glancing behind her, unsure what she hoped to find, Becca gasped when Jamie took up the viewfinder. The tall, handsome veterinarian—his arms full—was advancing on her with an expression on his face that made her giddy.
She murmured, ”How glad am I that I had this dress?”
Spaghetti straps, wedge-heeled sandals, and breezy fabrics were not her usual thing, but maybe they should be now that she”d felt Jamie”s reaction.
Lifting shaky fingers to her neck, she ruffled the hair falling around her shoulders. The thrill dancing up and down her spine was like nothing she”d felt—ever.
”I come bearing all the meat,”Jamie announced as he leaned over her shoulder and placed an enormous platter on the table.
A thousand wisecracks and flirty comebacks about meat sprang to mind. Any of them would have been preferable to what she actually did, which was a side-eye assessment of the area just south of the big man”s belt buckle.
She was in over her head and wasn”t entirely sure what to do.