“I don’t have much time to watch sports, and it was never a big thing in the house…before.” Jaime shrugged. “When I do get a chance, I usually try to catch a WNBA game or two. Maybe some college games.”
Anya observed Jaime with interest. For someone Anya suspected was on edge most of the time, Jaime’s position was casual and open.Invitingand fucking sexy.
“Hmm.” That was all her brain could muster up at the moment. Anya tore her eyes away from the way Jaime’s legs were spread, the way her shirt lifted slightly at the hem to show a bit of skin, and the way the veins popped in Jaime’s strong handsas they rested on the soft fabric of the couch. “There has to be something that you do to take your mind off of everything you must see every day. Something mindless that relaxes you.”
Jaime stared at Anya for a long moment, a smirk playing on her lips. Anya’s gaze never wavered. Jaime should have known that a woman like Anya wouldn’t be intimidated or flustered by subtle, silent innuendos when her job was literally to talk about andplay outdesires.
Jaime chuckled at the ridiculousness of the situation. She hadn’t flirted with anyone in a long time. Clearly, she was out of practice. And she was out of her fucking mind. As a detective, she had no clue what Anya’s involvement was in Jaime’s case. Her gut said Anya was innocent. But was that really Jaime’s gut or that place just a little lower that was talking?
“I box.” Jaime did a couple of punches in the air to demonstrate. “The physicality of it helps me purge a lot of the excess energy, and pummeling the bag allows me to release the anger.”
That explains the veins in the hands.“So, sitting here like this is boring for you,” Anya guessed.
“No.” Jaime looked around, appreciating the calming environment Anya had provided here. As with the kitchen, the space was clean and modern. Not sterile like Jaime imagined places like this would feel, but cozy. Perhaps that was Anya’s influence with the plants, artwork, and various knick-knacks that lined the mantle of the stone fireplace. Despite the number of baubles, the place didn’t look cluttered. Not the way it had been when Taylor had brought home everything she had found ‘cute’ and put them all over Jaime’s apartment. “Quite the opposite.” Jaime didn’t quite know what she felt, but it wasn’t boredom. Being here with Anya was exciting. Though it would be wise for Jaime to be mindful here. She felt her pulse pickup whenever she locked eyes with Anastasia Grant. “I kinda like whatever it is you have going on here?”
“Whatever I have going on?” Anya glanced around, trying to see her home through Jaime’s eyes. She had a few souvenirs from her past, things she’d picked up from her travels, or whatever military base they ended up at. And, of course, she couldn’t resist a few cat figurines that reminded her of Derek. None of them told the true story of Anastasia Grant; those things were locked away, but it was a glimpse. It made her wonder what these things told Jaime.
Jaime nodded as she shifted a little on the couch. Being around this woman made Jaime feel far braver than she would usually feel. “It’s peaceful. I like the vibe. Relaxing, you know?” She could only regard Anya with a genuine, heartfelt smile. “This is the second time today that we’ve ended up here on the couch with blankets. Is this your routine?”
Anya smiled. “I told you blankets work. Youdoseem less tense.”
Jaime snorted at that. Was tense how Anya chose to describe Jaime’s usual personality? Huh. She wasn’t wrong. Jaime couldn’t recall the last time shedidn’tfeel tense. “True. But I think it’s the company more than the blankets. I enjoy this with you.” Jaime noted how Anya’s features softened as she admitted to that. “You’re calming.”
It was a compliment that Anya wasn’t expecting, especially since Jaime had shown up here wanting an alibi for Anya’s whereabouts during Maisie’s time of death.The human psyche is incredibly unpredictable.Unsure of how to respond to the flattery, Anya resorted to answering Jaime’s earlier question about her routine.
“This is only one of my routines,” Anya said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “It depends on the day, the time, and the weather.”
Jaime perked up at that. “Am I keeping you from something? I’ve been here all day, mostly talking about myself. I never once thought to ask you if you had plans or…”
“Or if I’m working tonight?” Anya guessed. She knew she was right when Jaime lowered her eyes, losing some of that calm she had spoken of before. She narrowed her eyes and gestured vaguely at Jaime. “I have the night off, so you can stop with that.”
“What?”
“Bunching up your muscles and tightening your jaw. You’re going to get a headache and totally ruin this vibe you claim to like.”
Jaime chuckled and immediately rolled her shoulders to release the tension. “You’re pretty good at reading people.”
If you only knew.“It’s not hard when I could almost hear your teeth grinding from here, Jaime.”
“Touche.” Jaime studied Anya for a moment, realizing she wasn’t going to get much more information about her routines out of her. This woman was excellent at listening, but when it came to talking about herself, Anya was very selective about what she revealed. “Can I ask you something?”
“Does it require handcuffs, being taken downtown, or alibis?” Anya quipped.
Jaime’s pulse jumped at the mention of handcuffs. She remembered all too well what it was like being the one in handcuffs with Lady A in control. How would it feel to have the roles reversed? Curiously enough, being here in Anya’s home, domination wasn’t what interested Jaime.
“No handcuffs, no interrogations. I just want to know why you haven’t kicked my ass out yet?”
Anya thought about giving Jaime some sarcastic answer, but they had spent the better part of the day being fairly open and honest with each other. Why stop now? “Maybe because I’menjoying this with you, too,” She said finally, her voice quiet yet full of truth.
What Jaime was about to do was either the worst idea she’d ever had in her life or the best. But shedidknow that if she didn’t do what her mind, body, and soul were begging her to do in this moment, she would regret it for the rest of her life. She’d already lived with the ‘what ifs’ when it came to Taylor’s death. She couldn’t do that with whatever this was with Anya.
“Come here.” Jaime held out a hand—okay, fine, it was an arm she hoped to wrap around Anya, but whatever—and nodded to the space next to her. She held her breath until Anya shifted to her knees and moved closer. Jaime then wrapped her up in her arms, but not before she pulled Anya into her lap. Bold, but if she was being honest with herself, this is what she’d craved to do since they’d moved into the living room. Anya visibly swallowed when Jaime looked up at her, the uncertainty in the air palpable. “Thanks for being so sweet to me.”
Anya dipped her eyes and smiled. “It’s what you needed.”
Jaime lifted a hand and held it to the side of Anya’s face. Her skin was surprisingly silk-like, but the real shocker was when Anya pressed her own hand to Jaime’s and leaned into her touch. Had she been waiting for this moment, too?Fuck. Jaime ached to touch her in the most intimate of places. “While I appreciate that you’ve welcomed me in here, you and I both know I’ve been less than kind to you at times. You don’t owe me a damn thing, but you still did that for me because I suspect that’s just who you are.” Jaime licked her lips when Anya turned in her lap and effectively straddled her. “I appreciate you, is what I’m saying.”
“I’m aware of how I appear to people on the outside, but this right here…Jaime,thisis the real me. When I’m at home, it doesn’t get any more real than this.” Anya reminded herself of why Jaime had first come here. “I work very hard to keep thisversion of me private.”To keep my personal life private.“That’s why I was so thrown off by you showing up.”
