CHAPTER 15
Jimmy opened his eyes and stretched. Judging by the sun it must be late morning. He’d actually slept really well once they’d gotten to sleep.
He looked down at Lia next to him and smiled. She was the reason they’d been up until the wee hours of the night, and she was also the reason he’d slept better than he had in months.
It felt good waking up next to her. Right. Perfect. He’d be happy to wake next to her every day for the rest of his life . . .
His blissful bubble was broken when he heard the front door open and voices in the living room.
A moment later, his bedroom door burst open and Jack flipped the light switch on.
“Jeez, Jack. Close the friggin’ door. I’m not alone.”
Lia, apparently not fast to wake, sat up sputtering. “Wha-what’s going on?”
Jack’s eyes bulged as the sheet fell away from Lia’s naked breasts. Jimmy reached out and pulled it back up to cover her, but not before Nicki, who’d just walked in and taken stock of the scene, smacked Jack.
“God, Jack. Give them some privacy.” She yanked him out by the arm and pulled the door shut behind them.
“You better get your naked butt out here, big brother.” Jack’s voice came through the closed door. “You’re in deep shit. Don’t be surprised if the next person to come knocking is the commander.”
“What? Why?” What now? He glanced down at the still-groggy Lia. “I better go out there and see what’s up.”
Sleepy and tousled and looking far too tempting, she nodded. Jimmy hopped out of bed before he lost interest in Jack and whatever bad news he had to deliver in favor of staying in bed with Lia.
He pulled on a pair of PT shorts and a T-shirt and went to investigate what the hell Jack was so flustered about.
He didn’t have long to wait. The moment he entered the living room, Jack flung a newspaper on the table and pointed to the front page. “Good thing Mama still gets the newspaper delivered at the farm. Just imagine my surprise when over coffee this morning I see this.”
The headline above the half-page photo of him and Lia kissing outside of the party last night read, Mystery Military Man sMooches Miss Monroe-Carrington.
Jimmy groaned “Aww, shit.”
“You gotta give them credit for creativity, getting all those Ms lined up like that. The press will do anything for a witty headline, but yeah, shit is right. Good thing you had your hat on and it hid your face. They haven’t figured out who you are yet, but you keep seeing her and they’ll figure it out soon enough. Jesus, Jimmy. You gotta fall for the governor’s daughter? The commander is going to flip. Dating her will mean your face will be in the paper all the time. You can forget about going undercover ever again. That part of your career will be over.”
Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t care. I’ll leave the task force if they ask me to. I’m staying with Lia.”
God, he hoped they wouldn’t ask him to.
“No. I won’t let you sacrifice your career for me, Jimmy.”
At the sound of Lia’s voice, he turned and saw her standing in the bedroom doorway wearing his shirt from last night. The sight only served to steel his stance. “It’s not your decision, darlin’. My mind is made up. I’ll change and go see the commander right now.”
She shook her head and was about to protest when he walked to her, laid one finger over her lips and then kissed her. “I know what I’m doing. Please trust me.”
“I do.”
“Good.”
She followed him into the bedroom and sat silently on the edge of the bed, watching him while he got changed into clothes appropriate for begging forgiveness from your commander.
Then that was it. He couldn’t procrastinate any longer. “Guess I better get going. Will you be here when I get back?”
“Do you want me to be?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes. Please.”
Today and for every day after that.
Lia nodded. “Then I’ll be here.”
He led her to the bedroom door by the hand. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him with tears in her eyes. “Good luck.”
After seeing that, he didn’t worry any more about the fact that he might be forced to leave Zeta. It would be worth it to have her in his life.
Jimmy glanced back into the living room at Jack sprawled on the couch while Nicki was in the kitchen filling the coffee pot with water.
“I’ll see you two when I get back?” he asked his brother.
Jack sat up. “Um, maybe not. Shit, I know you got other things on your mind, but I was planning to start moving out today.”
Jimmy groaned and ran a hand over his face. He couldn’t deal with this now. “Jack. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but it’s nothing to move out over.”
Jack broke into a crooked grin.
“You know me better than that, bro. If I didn’t want to go, you couldn’t get me out of here with a bulldozer. I’ve been thinking about getting my own place so Nicki and I can be alone when she’s visiting.” Jack paused long enough to glance at Nicki in the kitchen. “Carly’s moved in with Trey, so her old apartment above the bar is available. She said I can have it. And now that you’re with Miss Monroe-Carrington in there, I figure you’ll be wanting the extra privacy too.”
What Jack said made sense, but it still seemed like a huge change in their lives just when things were changing too fast for Jimmy. Jack had lived with him since the day he’d joined the team.
Jimmy moved across the room and pulled Jack into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, little brother.”
Jack laughed. “Jeez, one near-death experience and he’s all sappy. I’ll miss you too, big brother. Good luck with the commander. Call me the minute you get out of the meeting.”
“Will do.” Jimmy nodded and with one final glance back at Lia, biting her lip and looking worried, he headed out the door.