Page 114 of Saving Summer
“Laundry, cleaning, tidying the nursery now that the painting is done. Who paints at three in the morning anyway?”
“Cody when he’s stressing out.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll find him and thank him later. How about you?”
“Construction on the surgery, physio with Eve, and a planning meeting with the rest of the JTT this afternoon.”
“Sounds like you’ll be busy.”
He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her closer. “Never too busy for my girls.” He brushed his thumb over her pulse point, and her full-body shiver went bone deep. “If either of you wants some cuddle time, you come find me. Got it?”
Summer felt the slight burning between her legs and grinned. After sucking on Jamie’s cock, she’d ridden him until they both came. Then he’d fingered her in the shower, giving her another orgasm before they’d gone down to have breakfast together as a family.
So yeah, sex should be the last thing on her mind, but really, she couldn’t get enough. “What if I want more than cuddle time?”
He smacked his hand down on her ass. “Then you better not be wearing any underwear when you come find me.”
* * *
Jamie’s focus shot,the words on the page blurred, and frustrated, he leaned back in his office chair, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. He’d read the separate autopsy reports multiple times, and he wasn’t any closer to determining the real cause of death for the three Boston massacre shooters.
Brain aneurysms brought on by prolonged opioid use? Bullshit. He was missing something. He had to be. His empty stomach growled in agreement. He’d skipped lunch to get the construction on the new operating room done, then gone straight to physio with Eve.
She’d turned him into a pretzel, stretching his fucked-up knee joint way beyond the point of uncomfortable and into, holy fuck this hurts territory. Now his knee pulsed, and his leg muscles burned, the extra-strength Tylenol he’d downed taking their sweet time to kick-in and dull the pain.
Worth it, though. He was making gains. His range of motion and strength improving with each session they did. He’d take the pain if it meant he could lose the brace. He wanted to be whole for Summer in body and mind, and he needed to be in top shape to face the challenges he knew were coming.
One way or another, Dominion was about to wreak havoc across the globe. Yeah, they had the advantage of awareness, and they were making contingency plans to address the threat by stocking up on essentials.
Food, water, medicine, fuel, weapons, ammo. Hadn’t taken long to fill every corner of the lodge, plus Zander had brought in several shipping containers to house the overflow out of sight behind the barn. The rest was stored at the warehouse he’d rented on the outskirts of Kalispell, with more necessities arriving daily.
They were close to being locked and loaded. Ready for Armageddon. And it wasn’t enough. They’d be self-sufficient with their provisions for a year, maybe longer, provided nobody came for them. They needed to think longer term. Stock up on seeds. Plan for a garden. Dig a well. Install a wood-burning heat source. Put up some solar panels. Be prepared to be off the grid. Permanently.
With Zander’s help, they could get there. A master of planning and procurement, he knew how to get shit done—fast—with the least amount of disruption possible and without leaving a trail. Hell, half the time, they had no clue where he was or what the fuck he was doing, but when they needed something, he got it done, usually before they asked.
What happened when they lost him? When. Not if. Zander had loving parents he cared about. He’d do anything for them, anything to protect them, including leaving the JTT. Chase did too. Cody as well. What about the people they loved outside the bubble they lived in?
What about his own parents? Even though Jamie and his father had reconciled, they didn’t communicate often. A necessity to keep Samuel and Lillian off Johnson’s radar. What did he do about them? How much did he share about the possible dangers ahead?
Jesus, his parents wouldn’t make it six months. They weren’t equipped to deal with something like this. Unfortunately, telling anyone outside their circle about Dominion had the potential to end in disaster, and he had his girls to consider.
And what about Nalini Christina? She lived in Miami, but Adam considered the doctor a member of the JTT. Jamie had come to think of her as a friend in addition to his therapist. They couldn’t tell her anything that would put her or the team at risk, but he wanted a way to keep her safe too.
Nobody had raised the issue of family and friends. Still, they had to be worried, even if there wasn’t anything they could do about it, aside from finding a way to stop Dominion, dismantling the Imperium Council, and putting Johnson in a pine box.
Should be easy. Not.
A double knock on his open door had his eyelids popping open and his eyes feasting on the sight of Summer carrying a sandwich on a plate. “Am I interrupting?”
“You’re never interrupting. Come on in and close the door.”
She grinned and did as he asked, shutting the door but not locking it. “Thought you might be hungry.”
“I’m starving.” When she came within reach, he took the plate from her hand and set it down on the printer table behind his desk. Then wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her between his legs. “Where’s Halia?”
“Gone outside for a bit of fresh air with Eve.” She bent over and kissed him hello, and he fucking loved how casual and perfect it felt.
“Miss me?”
