by C. J. Lake
“Of course not,” he mumbled into her neck. “I mean…I am, but not at you.”
“Then who?” Sky said. Then she smirked, adding, “Don’t say Remy.”
“Okay—I won’t.”
A bit exasperated, Sky pulled back and searched his face. “For real? You’re mad at someone who is giving me an opportunity?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of shooting the messenger?”
“Wait—so then you’re admitting your anger is not totally reasonable.”
“Of course.”
Her mouth curved into a smile then and she pressed her body closer. When she tipped her face up, she was blatantly inviting him to kiss her. So he did. As their lips parted, he murmured, “I don’t want you to go, that’s all.”
“I know, but this is a good thing,” Sky promised, hoping it was true. How could it not be? She couldn’t keep working at K9 Love Park with no direction for her life. Even though she did love working with the dogs. But still.
How many chances would she get to return to the ski life, at least in some variation?
To be honest, it bothered Sky—annoyed her, even—that Jamie was being so narrow-minded and self-absorbed about this. But fighting with him was the last thing she wanted. So she kissed him instead.
Hungrily, Jamie returned the kiss, sliding his warm hand on the back of Sky’s neck, pulling her closer. As he deepened the kiss, taking control of it, Sky moaned and clung to him, desperately aroused already.
Then her phone chimed.
There was undeniable irritation in his voice as he said, “Go ahead. Check it if you want.”
“No, I don’t need to check it now,” she began, but then it started buzzing. “It’s probably just Elle or something.” Slipping her phone out of her bag, she read the screen. “Oh, it’s Remy.”
“Just get it,” Jamie said, dropping his hands and walking farther into his apartment, leaving Sky standing by the door.
The call lasted only a few minutes. Remy was letting her know that Luc wouldn’t be reachable until next week, and also to suggest that she bring her passport to Canada, even though she didn’t technically need it. She hurried him off as politely as she could, but when she hung up, she saw Jamie sticking his own phone back into his pocket. “You know what?” he began, not quite making eye contact. “You’ve got a lot to focus on. You do what you need to do; I don’t want to distract you.”
“You’re not,” Sky insisted, but it was like he didn’t hear her.
“Tray actually just texted me. My friends are at the Billiard Grill, hanging out. How about you take care of your stuff and I’ll swing over there and say hi to them?”
“Um…okay,” Sky said, feeling hurt and very annoyed. What the hell—they were having a date! He was just going to bail? Yes, she was distracted and yes she was about to leave anyway to go look for her passport. Still, why should that mean their evening was over? Plenty of times she’d seen Brett in the same room as Elle while she worked on her computer or while she stripped her bed linen and talked on the phone. Wasn’t that Couples 101? Hanging out, even when the other person was paying zero attention to you. Did Jamie not get the memo on this?
“Fine, if you want to go,” Sky said a bit coolly. “I’ll see you later.”
As she opened the door, she heard Jamie call to her, “Well, you’re busy anyway, right?”
“Yep,” she replied without turning back.
~
Later that night, after Sky had found her passport, called her parents, texted her brother, and researched Luc Lapointe online, she showered and changed into her favorite oversized tee shirt. Elle was at Brett’s tonight so Sky had the whole place to herself. In the past, that would have been a relaxing prospect and a calm change of pace from Elle’s frenetic energy. But tonight the empty apartment just felt lonely and boyfriend-less.
She started to climb into bed when she heard a knock at the door. Her heart jumped hopefully. Jamie. Who else could it be?
Wait, she was sort of pissed with him, she reminded herself, as she checked her reflection and hurried to the door. “Hello,” she said neutrally as she let him in.
“Sky…” Jamie said, his tone intimate, almost raspy. She had a feeling he’d had a few drinks. He wasn’t acting drunk or anything, but he had definitely thawed out from before. In fact, he was downright warm and loving as he slid his arms around her waist. She wanted to be stubborn and hold him off, but she melted right into him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. He rubbed his hands up her back, then down again, running possessively over her ass.
“What for?” Sky asked a bit weakly, because she was already getting turned on.
“For being a dick before. When you told me about the job, I…” His voice trailed off as he kissed the curve of her neck. Sighing, she tilted her head to give him even better access. She loved when Jamie kissed her neck, and gently sucked on it, too. And he knew that, and was doing it perfectly. “I’m just sorry.”
He lifted his head to look at her. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way,” he began, but Sky just shook her head, not wanting to talk. She was already pushing his jacket off. “Wait…I need to apologize,” he said as she tugged his shirt from his pants.
“Nothing has to change between us,” Sky promised a little breathlessly.
“I hope not,” Jamie agreed. His voice was a little ragged when he said, “The fact is: I love you, Sky and I don’t want you to have regrets. Who the hell am I to stop someone from going after her dreams? That’s crazy. I’m not that important. Nobody is—and I just wanted you to know that.”
“You’re more important to me than anyone,” Sky told him, then pulled him down for a kiss. It was passionate and hungry and quickly turned into something intense.
She resumed stripping him. He returned the gesture, pulling her tee shirt over her head and tossing it aside, before hooking his fingers under the silky fabric of her panties. As Sky was pulling a shirtless Jamie toward her bedroom—while jerking apart his zipper—something made her ask: “By the way, did you have fun with your friends tonight?”
Maybe she was just looking for the right answer, and Jamie didn’t even hesitate. “Hell, no. All I thought about was you. All I ever think about is you,” he added softly. She smiled at that. God, she loved him so much in that second and she ached to have him. Of course things would change when she left, but Sky refused to think “changing” was the same as “destroying.” Love was love. Surely that would be enough, she decided—and then pushed him onto the bed.
Chapter 33
Over the next two weeks, Sky and Jamie spent all their free time together, trying to make the most of their Boston life before it was over. Still as much as Jamie tried to savor the time, it felt as though it raced by anyway. And before he could blink, it seemed, he was kissing Sky goodbye at the departure gate, feeling utterly miserable. As always, Logan Airport was crowded to the point of deafening, and yet, Jamie had never felt lonelier as he stood there, watching Sky disappear with her carry-ons.
Before she’d left, Sky had read up a lot on Luc Lapointe, forearming herself so that she could nail the assistant thing perfectly. Tensions were running high, though neither admitted it. Once, Jamie had remarked that it still seemed weird Sky hadn’t officially interviewed for the position—she only briefly talked to this Luc guy over the phone—but Sky reminded him that Remy had paved the way. “Good old Remy…” Jamie had muttered dryly, which earned him an icy glare. And when he’d asked how old this Luc guy was anyway, Sky said, “I read online that he’s fifty-eight. Why? You’re not going to get jealous about nothing, are you?”
Since he didn’t need her to be pissed at him, he adjusted his attitude and hopped back on the supportive-boyfriend-train. Really, what choice did he have? He couldn’t keep making Sky feel bad about getting this chance. It was like a door had cracked open, letting her sneak back into a past life that for some reason she seemed intent on idealizing.
They agreed nothing would change; Jamie knew that wa
s what Sky wanted to say, wanted to hear. She’d never done the long-distance thing in a relationship, though. Jamie had, so he knew what a buzz-kill it could be. It would be one thing if Sky were going away for a few months, even a year, but with this open question, this one-way ticket…truthfully? Jamie feared that this could be the beginning of the end for them. It wasn’t like him to be particularly negative, but he knew firsthand how these things deteriorate. Sure, they were still in the clinging-on phase now, but as days and weeks wore on…
Since he hated thinking this crap, he distracted himself with work and his friends. He even joined a bar trivia league. Yes, that was lame as hell, but he had to keep occupied during those lonely nights. And it was hard seeing Tragan with Andy, or Matt with Emma, and Jamie wishing his girl was there, too.
Secretly, Jamie hoped that Sky would hate her new job. How fucking wrong was that? Still, he couldn’t change that it was how he felt.
The first week that Sky was gone, Jamie and her talked on the phone every night. But then the conversations got shorter, because of Sky’s schedule. Apparently Luc Lapointe was a real demanding asshole (Jamie’s words, not Sky’s), and she always seemed exhausted and on her way to do some other errand for him.
On the eighth or ninth day of Sky’s departure, the nightly call was replaced with a flurry of texts. And that trend seemed to continue. Even though Sky’s texts were sweet and funny, or sometimes suggestive and sexy, it wasn’t the same as hearing her voice. And then one night Jamie’s phone rang at two-thirty in the morning.
“Sky?” he rasped, half-asleep. She sniffled on the other end. At least he thought that was what he’d heard. “What’s wrong?” Jamie mumbled. She sniffed again. “Are you crying?”
Finally she spoke. “Hey.” Her voice sounded so small.
Getting worried now, Jamie started to sit up more. “What’s wrong?” he asked again.
“Nothing.”
“For real; don’t do this to me,” he said impatiently.
“Do what to you?” Sky asked, sounding confused.
“Make me all worried about you, and not tell me what’s up.”
“Oh, sorry. Well…all that’s up is that I miss you.”
He exhaled a relieved breath and slumped back against the pillow. “I miss you, too.”
“How much?”
“What…?”
“Enough to come visit me this week?”
That threw him for a second. “Sure, I can probably come for the weekend,” he offered.
Abruptly, Sky shot him down. “No, no, that won’t work,” she said a little testily. He had a feeling she was aggravated by the fact that the weekend wasn’t her own, more than she was with him—at least that was what he hoped. “Luc’s weekends are packed with stuff. He needs everything organized to the nth degree. I can never get away for long. You could come, but I’d hardly see you.”
“Okay…”
“What about on Wednesday and Thursday, though? Luc’s ex-wife will be in town then so he’ll be busy. Apparently they still have a thing going,” Sky continued, “so Luc blocked off those two days for her. It’s sort of my time off. More or less. I still have to be around, but so far, the only thing I have to do is arrange a car for his ex at the airport.”
“Sky, I’m sorry,” Jamie broke in, “I can’t just take off work like that.”
“But…why not? Can’t you call out sick or something?”
Technically he supposed he could, but it didn’t seem like a responsible thing to do considering his company had an audit coming up, and since becoming the “senior” on his team, his boss counted much more on him. Also, he didn’t have vacation time again until June. Sky obviously wasn’t interested in his explanation (although, to be fair, it was pretty tedious corporate bullshit).
“Okay, forget it. Forget I asked,” she grumbled.
“Sky, I miss you, too,” Jamie said. “I’m going crazy without you. I mean, I’m happy for you that you’re happy,” he added insipidly, trying again to be Mr. Supportive, “but it’s been hell without you.”
She sniffed. Then said: “Really?”
“Of course,” Jamie assured her, lying back more and shutting his eyes for a second, thinking if only she were here in his arms, or underneath him. Or on top of him, or bent over the bed…
“It’s just so hard,” she added softly. “I never have time to call you except when I’m so tired, and there’s just a lot of crap to do for Luc all the time. It never ends.”
“So…are you saying you don’t like the job then?” Jamie asked cautiously, his hopes starting to rise.
“No, no, I wasn’t saying that,” Sky hastened to correct him. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a cake-walk, but that’s because Luc is so important. He’s like a celebrity in Quebec.”
As she went on, Jamie swallowed down his annoyance. He was being such a selfish prick. Jesus, Sky was his girl; he loved her. Did he want her to be miserable? “That’s great, that’s great,” he mumbled at what he hoped were the appropriate intervals.
Then he heard her say, “But I just miss being with you. Watching movies and getting dinner from Grendel’s and I even miss that damn ugly weight bench half-blocking the TV.” A giggle slipped out then and Jamie laughed, too.
“I see…eight hundred miles away and you’re still obsessed with my weight bench.”
“No—I’m obsessed with you.”
He smiled into the darkness even as a heavy weight seemed to be pressing on his chest.
He decided to make a move, but subtly. “I miss kissing you,” he said, his tone more serious. “And not just on your mouth.”
He heard a soft little intake of her breath. And he grinned, knowing she was thinking about it, remembering all the times he’d gone down on her. “I wish I could go down on you right now,” he murmured huskily. “First I’d have to tear off your panties…”
Sky let out a soft sigh. “I’m not wearing any panties,” she whispered, and Jamie’s eyes slid closed as his dick got harder.
“I’d make you feel so good, running my tongue on you,” he continued gruffly, “but that wouldn’t be enough.”
“No…” Sky agreed.
“I’d have to touch you more,” he said, his voice low and a little rough. “Slide my fingers in, just a little…”
“No.”
“No?”
“That wouldn’t be enough either,” Sky said breathlessly.
His dick ached as he asked: “What do you want then?”
“You know what I want.” Damn, her voice was turning him on so much right now. He reached under the covers to take hold of his stiff cock.
“Tell me,” he rasped.
She hesitated for a second, before murmuring, “I want to feel you—deep inside me.”
“Yeah…?” he managed.
“Yes,” she nearly begged.
“How do you want it?” he whispered thickly.
“I think I want to be on my stomach…and have you pull me up on my knees. And you can slide into me that way.” Softly, she moaned. “You know that makes me crazy.”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Jamie told her. his voice thick and almost ragged.
“Why not?” she said, sounding confused.
“Because…it’s too hot. I might lose control.” She sighed shakily at that. “I might have to start pulling on your hair…” Sky moaned as he said, “I’d try to be gentle…but you know I’d end up pounding you so hard.” He could hear her breathing and he knew he was really getting to her. He started stroking himself harder, grunting with male satisfaction as he heard her practically whimpering his name. “Are you touching yourself?”
“Of course,” she answered.
“Are you wet right now?”
“Of course,” she said, frustrated. “Oh, my God, I want you so bad,” she breathed, sounding urgent.
“Sky,” Jamie muttered hoarsely, “Tell me when.”
Soon her breath started coming in pants as he stroked himself harder and f
aster, hearing her whisper brokenly, “Soon, soon…” and then she started coming. When he heard that, he finished himself with a rough cry of relief.
Breathing hard, Jamie heard her say, “You know if I were there, I would lick you up.”
“Fuck!” he groaned exhaustedly, throwing his arm over his eyes. “Why are you so fucking hot?”
Sky gave a breathy laugh at that. “I only am with you.”
Chapter 34
Jamie and Sky didn’t have much of a phone conversation for the next few days. Again it was the same old story. Schedules not syncing up. She called him to talk when he was in the middle of a meeting at work. When he called her back, she was on the other line with the company designing Luc’s team’s jackets. Whatever the hell you wanted to blame it on, the lines of communication were breaking down. Yes, there was text. There was messaging, even email, but how was that satisfying? It would be different if this was a short-term thing, but…
Sometimes he wondered if Sky was too busy to notice that they hardly communicated anymore.
~
Sky noticed.
It was all she thought about sometimes. Jamie and her—the way it used to be.
She didn’t want to be so boyfriend-obsessed, it was just that she missed Jamie so much. Of course she was trying to text him whenever she could to keep their vibe going and to stay on his mind, but as they approached week four of their separation, she sensed some distance from him. It was like he was pulling away, but he wasn’t saying it. God, there was nothing worse than that feeling that something so important to you was slipping away.
Now Luc was talking to her. “Sky? Are you writing this down?”
He clearly knew that she wasn’t; she felt like she was back in school. “Sorry,” she said quickly and typed something into his calendar to make it look believable. “What was the last part?” she bluffed, figuring he’d repeat the whole thing.
As Luc detailed instructions for his travel schedule the following week, and told her which people he wanted her to set lunch up with, Sky’s mind drifted to Jamie again. This was bad. Did she want a career in skiing, or did she want to orbit her mind around her boyfriend who was hundreds of miles away?