Waiting until Tony and Henri were for sure gone Jamie finally successfully takes her hand back and immediately stands up. Restlessly pacing back and forth in front of the bench Bucky still sat on in a tight line to get out the excess pent up adrenaline coursing through her body. “Bucky, I don't think this is a good idea. And not just because of the whole Steve situation.” She's quick to cut him off when he goes to open his mouth to protest. Tucking back a strand of hair she twines her fingers together as she speaks, avoiding looking Buck in the eye. “After all of the stuff that happened with Thomas I realized that I'm not ready for everything that comes with a serious relationship. Marriage and kids. It's a lot. I've just gotten everyone back and I lost my job at the magazine.. I need to figure out where I am in this new place.” She twirls her hand in a circle to mean her life.
“Doll, breathe.” Standing up, Bucky takes her flailing hands in his and tries to help her to calm down. Once she's suitably calm he smiles at her. Ducking his head a little to get her to look up at him. “I'm not ready for kids or marriage either.” Though down the road he wouldn’t be opposed if it was with Jamie, should she want the same thing. “All I know is I've fallen for this amazing woman who I happen to live with and I want to be with. I want us to go slowly as I also figure out everything now that I'm back. If you’ll let me, I want to be your friend and partner. The rest of it is all a bonus that can happen as slowly or as quickly as you're ready for.” He preens a bit when she blushes at the mention of them finally sleeping together. Something that she had thought about a lot and so apparently had he.
Tucking back some of her hair Bucky lowers his voice as fear fills his eyes. “If you really don't want to be with me because your feelings have changed since we last talked then I understand. I'm really hoping that they haven't because I can’t imagine my life without you in it by my side.” He finally goes quiet waiting for her reply.
Groaning with despair Jamie reluctantly pulls away, unable to look into his arctic colored eyes knowing that no matter what she says or how she explains it, she’ll end up hurting him. Something she’s been trying to avoid ever since she left New York. Using this time apart Jamie had tried to figure out a way that this could work between them, but has come up with nothing useful. Every scenario leaves one or both of them heartbroken or Steve hurting because of them. And Bucky just got his life back so how could she do that to him? No. It would be better for them both if they stop this before any of that happens. It would suck but she would rather they both suffer a little pain now to be able to survive than if it happened later which would be much more devastating.
Putting even more space between them Jamie shakes her head as she hugs her arms around herself. “I’m sorry but I can’t. Everyone I love dies or I hurt. I loved my parents and they died in a car accident. I loved Peter, May, Ned and Mj. I loved them so much and they died for five years all because of an ugly purple alien who thought he knew what was best. Then I loved and hurt Thomas by not being in love with him the way he was with me. I love and hurt Steve because I only love him as a friend instead of something more and there's now you. I love you and it’s only a matter of time before I either hurt you so badly that you’ll never want to see me again or you’ll die.” Seeing the understanding in Bucky’s expression has her heart softening towards him.
But when he goes to step forward she tries to harden her heart back up. Shaking her head vehemently Jamie resumes her frantic pacing. “No! I can’t do it. I refuse to hurt you or have you die on me. I don’t think I could stand to lose anyone else.” A brief flash of what happened last time and how she almost ended it all fills her mind’s eye causing her whole body to shudder. She knew she couldn’t go through the recovery again. It was too hard. Too painful.
“You’re in love with me…” Bucky’s awed voice filters through to her chaotic brain. When she shakes her head no, he nods his dark head yes with a grin on his lips. “That’s what you said,” Buck can’t help the widening smile that spreads across his face even though she’s freaking out. She loved him. That meant that there was nothing that they couldn’t figure out together. He just had to get her to calm down first.
Panicking Jamie frantically waves her hands as if she could wipe away her feelings for him. “No. I’m saying that regardless of what I feel, I refuse to give into it for your sake. I am not good at healthy relationships. I ruin everything I touch. It’s better for everyone if we just remain friends and roommates. Although I’ll understand if you decide you can’t live with me anymore.”
“Will you just stop, James.” He steps into her path forcing Jamie to come to a standstill at the use of her first name coming from his lips. Gripping her upper arms he presses a brief kiss to her forehead making her shudder at the feel of his skin on hers. “Let me put it this way, doll. I know everything coming in. There are no secrets from me about your past with Thomas or Steve. I think it makes it better this way, don’t you? We can do this together.”
When she doesn’t answer him he adds, “You think I’m not scared to lose you just because I love you? My life was snatched away from me for seventy years. I almost killed my best friend because of Hydra. My life almost ended again when Zemo tried to frame me for T’Chaka’s and the other people’s deaths at the U.N. and the whole thing with Tony about his parents. I refuse to give up one of the only good things in my life because I’m scared it’ll end badly. I love you, Jamie. More than anything.”
Disbelief fills her at how passionately he feels about her. It had Jamie wondering if he had built her up in his mind so much after only knowing her for such a short amount of time. Fearing that Buck wasn’t thinking clearly she chews on her bottom lip before asking, “How can you love me this much? It should be impossible that you love me after basically knowing me for all of five seconds.”
“Sometimes five seconds is all it takes. I might not have known it in the moment, but I fell for you the second you ran head first into me. And every minute after has only made me love you that much more. I never thought I’d ever get the chance to find someone who could look past everything I’ve done. To like me let alone love me and yet, here you are.” Cupping her face with both hands Bucky tilts Jamie’s head up as he closes the distance between them.
However, he stops just before his lips could touch hers making the breath hitch in her throat. Skating his thumbs over her cheeks he nudges her nose with his. Building the anticipation, letting the spark grow while he waits patiently for Jamie to decide what she wants to do. He had done what he set out to Paris to do. He told her how felt. Laid it all on the line. Now it was up to her. And Bucky really hoped he’d made his case because he didn’t know if he could walk away from her or let her walk away from him.
Eyes locked on his Jamie struggled to get in a full breath at the feeling of Bucky’s hands on her face, his body heat that was soaking into her from mere inches away. Was he right, could they figure this out together? She wanted it to be. If Bucky, someone she knew to be so resilient and brave, could admit to her of people that he was scared then it was the least she could do. Right?
Lowering her gaze to his mouth and swallowing thickly as she licked her lips. When it came down to it, it was very simple. She could have him and be happy or she could lose him and be miserable. Flicking her eyes back up to his patient gaze Jamie closed that distance to gently press her lips to his with a choked sob. A groan of happiness that she was going to give them a chance rumbles up from the back of Bucky's throat as he crushes Jamie to his chest, deepening their kiss. Bending at the knees he scoops her up encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist as his tongue flicks along the seam of her lips.
Opening her mouth to grant him entrance, Jamie winds both her legs and her arms around Bucky’s hard body as she practically devours him. Months of picturing how he would feel, what he would taste like and not one bit of her imagination could hold a candle to the real thing. However before they could do much more Bucky pulls his mouth away from hers, a small grin touches his lips when she tries to tug him back towards her mouth by his hair. “Doll, wait. I need you to tell me right now. Is this you saying yes? Because if this is a goodbye–”
Cutting him off with a light peck Jamie smiles shyly back at him. “I’m saying yes. I want to be with you.” Another brief kiss as she tightens her hold on him has them both groaning. His lips on hers felt way too good. Like it could become a problem down the road. Almost like an addiction if she didn’t constantly and consistently get kisses from this man every single day. But if she had to choose between never getting to kiss him again or being able to everyday for as long as she could have him then she’d take the latter option. “I want to try and make this thing between us work. Though to be completely honest, I have to admit I am terrified. But I want you too much to push you away anymore than I already have.”
An elated wide grin on his face had Bucky pounding damn near out of his chest. “Good. Because I. Feel. The same.” He says between kisses that went from her mouth down to her sensitive neck. Closing her eyes at the delicious sensation of his soft lips on her skin Jamie grinds her core against his taut stomach needing friction.
Needing her just as much, Bucky lifted his head to see that they were in too public a place for what he had in mind for his girl. His girl. That sounded fucking perfect and he would never get tired of hearing it applied to Jamie. Setting her back down on her feet Bucky grips her hand in his as he heads back out the way he came. Practically having to skip to keep up with his fast pace Jamie breathlessly asks where they were going. “Back to my hotel. As much as I want to, I don't think either of us is into fooling around in public.” Arching both of her brows at his assumption Jamie pulled back.
Knowing that he hadn’t meant any harm he had simply gotten excited she decided to mess with him a little. Folding her arms to cradle her breasts Jamie pops out a hip as she deadpans. “Bold of you to assume I’m going to have sex with you at all, Barnes.”
Stammering, blood simultaneously rushes to Bucky’s face then quickly drains away. Afraid that he’s offended her when all he really meant was that he needed her in any way he could get her and he was very certain that she would want privacy for that. “That’s not– I mean.. I just meant– I’m sorry, Jamie–”
God he was adorable when he was flustered she thinks to herself. Cracking a teasing grin she bites her bottom lip. “I’m joking. Of course I want to have sex with you. Have you seen you?” Her eyes roved up and down his body, heating up at the many things she had in mind to do to him as well as what she imagined him doing to her. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. You said you have a hotel?” Pulling him along behind her Jamie laughs when he growls at her invitation to take this somewhere else.
Letting out a startled yelp when he yanks her around, he dips her down to give her a fierce kiss before swooping her up into his arms and throwing her over his shoulder. With a hard swat to her ass Buck rushes them outside and out to the town car that brought him and Stark over from their hotel. With the thought of the other man coming to his desire hazed brain he tells Jamie to send Tony a message that they were taking the car. In doing so she also texts Henri telling him she was sorry to rush out but something important came up and that she would see him later to explain. Once they are settled in the back of the car Bucky keeps Jamie tight to his side as he tells their driver to take them to the hotel. Keeping things PG for the sake of the man up front they don’t do more than share a few hungry kisses while they are driven across the city.
:::::::
Mouths and hands everywhere, Bucky and Jamie stumble out of the elevator onto the floor of the suites Tony had booked for the two of them. The sound of a clearing throat had Jamie pulling back like she’d been caught doing something wrong. Face flushed, he watches as she bites her bottom lip when she sees an older couple staring at them with wide eyes. The older woman gives her husband a knowing look as they stroll around the younger couple and into the elevator. Laughing Buck tugs on Jamie’s hand to get her moving again towards the fancy suite that Tony had gotten for him to stay in, figuring he would want privacy with Jamie if he could convince her to come back with him. Kicking the door closed behind him, Bucky lifts his girl up while keeping their mouths attached as he then stumbles his way through the spacious living room and into the bedroom.
Jamie leans back only to tear her t-shirt over her head before fusing her mouth back onto his barely giving him the briefest of glimpses of her creamy skin. Desperate for her he kicks off his boots as he half sits, half falls onto the bed. His hands roaming over every inch of her body he could reach as he rolled them so that she was sprawled out beneath him so he could work on getting her jeans off. Sitting back on his knees, Bucky unties her Converse, tossing them one by one over his shoulder while she wiggles the dark material over her hips. Laying there on the bedspread in only a dark green bra with black lace edging the cups of her plump breasts and matching high cut panties, Jamie was every erotic dream of his come to life. With her dark hair in a silky pool around her head leaving her gorgeous face bare for his eyes he felt like the luckiest man alive.
Any rush he had been feeling faded away as soon as he stood up undoing the buckle on his belt as he stared down at Jamie with lust hooded eyes. He watches as she pants in anticipation of what’s to come when he flicks open the button on his jeans and pulls down his zipper. Shucking his pants and boxer briefs in one go, Buck crawls naked back up the bed until he is hovering over Jamie with his weight on his hands that bracketed on either side of her head. For once he wasn’t self conscious about his metal arm because he knew Jamie wasn’t afraid of it and for that he loved her even more than he already did. Staring into her shining hazel eyes, Bucky slowly dips his face down to kiss her making sure to keep some distance between them until she gives him the sign that she is ready for more. He didn’t have to wait long.
Reaching up she traces the lines of his face with the gentle fingertips of one hand while the other trails down his chest to his side. The feel of her soft skin on his has Bucky closing his eyes as his body trembles with need. But he holds himself back. This was the first day of the rest of their lives together. That meant they had plenty of time later for rushed lovemaking. Kissing the palm of Jamie’s hand Buck settles his hips between her now spread thighs. Taking his time to blaze his own slow trail with his mouth down the side of her throat to the tops of her breasts that weren’t confined in the sexy bra he was eager to remove. Being of the same mind Jamie leans up so that she could reach an arm behind her to unclip the snaps before sliding it off and away. Laying back down she bucks her hips up for him to take off her panties breathlessly whispering. “Please, Bucky. I’m ready.” Swallowing roughly he nods, bracing himself to sit back up on his knees so he could help Jamie shimmy out of the scrap of emerald lace.
Both now fully bare he licks his lips nervously. He hasn’t been intimate with any woman in decades and didn’t want to disappoint this woman so he lay down next to Jamie, running his hands and mouth over every inch of her body. Learning how and which way she liked to be touched. Starting with the erogenous zones he’d read about. Ears, neck, breasts, lower stomach, inner thighs, the bend of her knees. Finally ending in the sweet spot between her thighs. Once he figured out the spots that elicited the strongest responses Bucky focused on them until he had Jamie crying her release with strangled moans as she clamped her legs around his head. Her pleasure has his already engorged cock swelling with the need to be inside her sooner rather than later.
Panting Bucky crawls up her body briefly resting his chin on her shoulder as they both catch their breath. Trembling she grips onto the back of his neck, kissing her sweat-dampened forehead, Bucky readies to join their bodies when she says, “Condoms. There are some in my purse.” Blushing she bites her lip as a light pink tint fills her cheeks. “What, I’m always prepared.”
Chuckling he scrambles off the bed to search through their discarded clothes for the small bag she had brought. Finding it he practically tosses it back at her so she could dig out the protection he hadn’t even thought about. All he’d been thinking about was the inherent need to finish what they started, to be one with her. Watching her rip open the foil packet with her teeth, Bucky has to grit his own teeth when Jamie reaches out to sheath his cock with the condom. Without another word spoken he grasps both of her wrists in his metal hand to pin them above her head to the bed as he settles once more between her spread thighs. With his other hand he notches the head of his cock at her entrance ready to see her body accept him which it does perfectly.
Softly cursing when he is inside her to the hilt, Bucky holds still for a moment so as to not come before they even started. When Jamie goes to open her mouth he works his jaw as he shushes her. “Doll, it’s been a long time since I’ve done this.” Barely holding it together he tells her, “Believe me when I say I need you to stay still or else this is over before it begins.” Panting in short bursts he tries to think of anything unsexy so that he could center himself.
Biting her lips she shakes her head as her hands flex in his hold. “I was just– God!” Gasping, she wiggles her hips a little, her tight inner muscles squeezing his shaft so hard it had him nearly seeing stars. “I was just going to say I need a minute.” It’s only now that he focuses on her face that Bucky sees her brows pinching in pain. Had he hurt her and not realized it? The pink in her cheeks deepens to a dusty rose. “Um, you’re much bigger than I anticipated. I need a second to..adjust.”
Oh, oh! Now it was Bucky’s turn to blush, only it was with more than a little bit of pride. He’s always known he was bigger than average but he didn’t want to hurt her, not Jamie. So the time he gave her to adjust he kissed her deeply to take her mind off of the bit of uncomfortability until they were both ready. By giving her this time it also gave him the same to relax. At her say so he tests the waters by slowly pulling out then slowly pushing back in. When Jamie’s breathing alters in a sign that it feels good he does it again, this time adding a little more power behind it making her gasp. Wriggling her hands Jamie tells him to let her go so she could touch him.
Doing as she asked, Buck braces himself by hooking his forearms under her to grip onto her shoulders. Nipping and kissing up the side of her throat as he moves faster as she wraps a leg around his, the other is hitched up over his lower back so as to draw him into her harder. Closing his eyes Bucky allows himself to get lost in Jamie all the while being mindful of his superhuman strength so as to not hurt her in any way. Although it becomes harder to concentrate with every breathy moan and gasp of his name that ghosts over his ear as Jamie races towards her release. He could do this, last as long as she needed him to.
Nipping her ear lobe he husks out. “You feel so good, Jamie. So good.” Nails digging into his back Jamie lets out a deep moan at his words triggering her to arch her back taking him in even deeper. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for months.” He groans. “Feeling your tight pussy wrapped around my cock.” With each new thing he tells her she clenches him tighter and tighter, hands scrabbling down his sides. “Mm you feel like silk. Warm. Wet. Silk.” Bucky punctuates each word with a hard thrust.
Crying out Jamie throws her head back exposing her throat to his mouth. Without thinking he bites down on the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. “Oh god, Bucky!”
“That’s it, doll, scream my name. Make everyone on this floor know who is making you feel like this.” He'd never felt this possessive of any other woman he'd been with before. Something about Jamie had Bucky wanting every single person on this floor, this hotel, hell this whole city to know she was his.
“Shit, Bucky!” Her face screws up in pleasure when he rolls his hips to grind down on her clit with every thrust. “Mm, that! Keep doing that. Don’t stop. Don’t–” With one rolling thrust to the next Jamie comes screaming his name, her whole body trembling as her limbs lock around him.
If he thought her silky heat was tight before Bucky had been mistaken. Barely able to move now he struggles to withdraw from her body. “Shit, shit, shit! God you’re so tight.” Jamie’s only response was a whimper as she stared up at him through heavy lids. Sitting up he spreads his thighs as he grips onto her trim waist so he could lift her lower half, tilting her hips up at the perfect angle. “Can you give me one more, doll?”
Shaking her head Jamie pushes her dark hair out of her face with one hand as she grips onto his metal arm with the other. “It’s too much. I can’t.”
Contrary to her protests Jamie begins to match him thrust for thrust. “Yes you can, babydoll. I know you can. Just like that. Come for me one more time.” Straining to give his all while holding back enough not to damage her delicate body, Bucky's chest heaves with every breath he takes. So close. He was so close. He had to hang on just a little longer. Looking up from where they were connected his eyes drift up to her breasts that bounced with each punishing jerk of his hips until he met her eyes with his own. “Let me feel you strangle my cock as I come.” That does it. With a plaintive cry Jamie lets go triggering his own release.
Throwing his head back at the euphoric experience of their coupling he growled out every curse he knew. Never once stopping his body’s movements until he was too spent to do anything other than collapse shakily back down on top of her. Pressing lazy kisses over every inch of skin he could reach Bucky repeatedly whispers, “I love you, Jamie.” Her name and the declaration feels like it was being ripped from the deepest purest part of his heart. And it still didn't feel like it fully told her how he truly felt.
Brushing back his sweaty hair from his brow he could feel her smile against his skin. “I love you too, Buck. So much.”
When she said the words back it felt almost better than when he came inside her. Almost. Rolling off of her onto his back with a wide smile on his face he closes his eyes as his chest heaves trying to draw in enough air so they could do that again. Though the uncomfortable feeling of the cooling fluid trapped in the condom has Bucky grunting when he gets out of bed to clean up in the adjoining bathroom. Making quick work of discarding the condom in the trash he washes up making sure to rinse out the wash cloth so he could bring it back out to Jamie, but she had the same idea he had.
Coming into the bathroom she wraps her arms around his waist resting her chin on his shoulder blade. Peeking back at her his eyes fill with warmth and heat at the sight of her standing there naked. “Take a shower with me?”
“Of course, doll.” He says, turning around to lean down to wrap her legs around his waist on his way into the spacious shower next to the deep whirlpool bath. Setting her down out of the way of the cool spray until it warmed up then Bucky tugged her back in front of him to wet her hair. Shifting around at her insistence he tilts his head back to do the same.
There was already a washcloth hanging off a hook on the marble wall from his shower from earlier. Grabbing it and the hotel provided body wash he lathers up the white square. Washing each other's bodies between lazy drugging kisses they take their time touching, exploring until it becomes too much. Rinsing off Jamie wrings out her long thick hair as she steps out of the shower stall while he turns off the water. Following behind her he takes the towel she offered to dry off before wrapping it around his waist keeping his eyes locked on her the whole time.
Walking backwards Jamie’s eyes fill with a mischievous light that has him pursuing her with a single minded purpose when she drops her towel. With a shrieking laugh she takes off for the bedroom when he lunges for her. Giving chase, he gives her a ten second head start. They both know there was no way she could out run him, though Buck feeds into the game for all of thirty more seconds before he gently tackles her to the bed. Pinning her underneath him again with a chuckle at the fierce grin on her face he is about to ask her what her next move was supposed to be when somehow she maneuvers her legs in a move that flips him onto his back with her on top.
Beaming triumphantly down at his shocked face she tosses her long wet hair out of her face to hang over one shoulder as she playfully pins his wrists to the bed on either side of his head. “Ha! I didn’t think that was gonna work, but it did. I so have to tell Tasha.”
Growling he easily breaks her hold on him to grab her waist with both hands, bucking his hardening cock up to grind against her still dripping core. “Do you have to tell her now or can we play first?”
“Play. Definitely play.” She says with a gasping moan tipping her head down when she grinds down in response. That lasts all of a moment before she orders him to not move. “Stay right there, Sergeant Barnes. I’m in charge this time.”
Why did he get so damn hard at her use of his rank? Curious to see what she had in store for him, Bucky agrees to stay put. “Yes, ma’am.” With that assurance Jamie crawls off of his lap to scramble for her discarded purse grabbing out the whole box of condoms. His brows lift to his hairline when he sees how many she had on hand. “How many times do you plan on us doing this, dollface?” Sure he had a quick recovery time thanks to the serum but even he had his limits.
“As many as we can. I’ve been fantasizing about this, us, for as long as you have. There are so many things I want to do to you.” She bites her bottom lip in the way that drives him crazy as she hooks a leg over his lower thighs leaving his cock standing at attention in front of her. “There are so many things I want you to do to me.” Tilting her head to the side she wonders out loud. “I’m curious about what a former ladies man from the 40’s knows when it comes to sex. Does he know all that I know? Or does he know more?” Tilting her head the opposite way she grins in a way that honestly has him a little nervous when she brushes her thumb across his lower lip. “I have to give it to you, Bucky. Your mouth is pretty skilled but so is mine. Should I show you?”
Audibly gulping he jerkily nods his head. “If you want. I’m willing to do whatever you’re comfortable with.” And he was. Even if he’d never done it before he was willing to try anything if it made her happy.
“Oh James, you have no idea what you’re in for.” Grinning like he’d just given her the best present of her life Jamie shifts down his thighs until her hands were braced on the mattress beside him and her face was hovering over his cock. Flicking her tongue out to taste him has them both moaning. “Has any woman done this to you before? Be honest.”
Keeping his gaze locked on hers he grimaces at his answer. “A couple of times.”
“Did you like it?” Wrapping one of her hands around the shaft she grips him with the right amount of firmness as she strokes once up and then down, making him groan with the need for her to do more.
“It’s difficult to say. The women weren’t able to..”
“Weren’t able to handle it?” At his nod she looks thoughtfully at his thick cock as if she was coming up with a strategy that would work for the both of them. Tongue wetting her lips Jamie hums. “This is gonna be fun. Just lay back and enjoy.” Before he could say anything her mouth was engulfing the head of his cock. That tongue of hers writhing along the sensitive underside for a moment showing him just how talented it was.
Using both her mouth as well as her hands Jamie showed him exactly how enthusiastic she was about making this enjoyable for him. Gripping the bedding with his fists Buck threw his head back into the pillows as his chest heaved with each laborious breath he sucked in while she sweetly tortured him. The wet sucking glide of her mouth, tongue and lips. The firm grip of her hands, one working his shaft as the other snaked down to caress his balls. All of it had Bucky losing his damn mind. But what really tipped him over the edge was when she managed to work her way down to the end of his shaft, her nose touching his pubic bone as her throat repeatedly swallowed around him then pulled back for a quick intake of air. There was no steady gradual build up. No. When she does it again and stays planted at the base of him as she gently squeezes his balls he comes with a shout that feels like it came from the very core of his being.
Feeling the bed shifting he opened his tired eyes not realizing he’d even closed them to watch her come lay next to him, thighs rubbing together in need of her own release. Had she gotten turned on by fucking him with her mouth? Based on the slick evidence between her legs he found when he reached for her he would say yes. Exhausted but unwilling to leave his girl hanging, Bucky used his fingers to bring her the release she needed while he kissed her senseless. Uncaring that he could faintly taste himself when his tongue swept into twine with hers. All that mattered was his lips on hers while she writhed her soft curves against his hard body.
Only when Jamie was digging her nails into his back as she came, twice might he add, in thanks for what she’d done for him did Buck tug her onto his chest and allow her to rest. Beginning to drift off to sleep while he combs her half dry hair with his metal fingers whispering how much he loved her, Bucky has never felt so content in his life. Shifting enough to press a kiss to his clavicle, Buck could feel her lips widen as she tries to hide her grin behind a yawn. “I love you, too.”
Urging her to take a nap Bucky stroked his other hand up and down her bare back in the way he knew that put her out every time. Agreeing because she too was drifting, Jamie says, “Only for a little bit. Remember, we have to meet up with Tony and Henri for dinner.” Reassuring her he would wake them in time she fully fades off to sleep with him right behind her, both finally feeling content for the first time in years only because they were with each other.