Page 27 of Tell Me Your Desires

Chapter Fifteen

“Mm. That feels good.” Jaime shifted onto her side, bringing the blanket up to her chin.

She hadn’t felt so well rested in a long time, but the warmth, weight, and softness of the blanket grounded her.

Then there were the nails softly grazing her scalp.

Given her line of work, a gentle hand wasn’t always easy to come by.

But right now? Here? She felt cocooned by safety. Enveloped by calm and care.

Taylor had never done this for her.

Wait, what?

Jaime froze in the position she lay in and opened her eyes.

Her head…was resting on Anya’s lap. That soft hand she had just been enjoying…

was Anya’s. Oh, shit. Part of her wanted to sit bolt upright, aware that this wasn’t what she did.

But most of her wanted to lie here for the rest of the day, enjoying the silence and the serenity this woman—surprisingly—offered.

Did Anya realize what she was doing? Was she aware it was Jaime’s head in her lap and not somebody else?

Jaime carefully stretched, then slowly sat up.

God, that nap had been just what she needed.

It seemed Anya had been what she needed, too.

“Hey. Uh, how long was I out?” She dragged a hand through her hair and regarded Anya with the smallest smile. “Can’t have been long.”

Anya offered a sweet smile. “A few hours.”

Hours? How? Jaime may have still been sleepy, but she was confused more than anything. She had come here to find out why Anya had lied about where she lived…not for a fucking head massage and a midday nap. “I’m so sorry. You should have kicked my ass out of here a while ago.”

For the first time in more than two hours, Anya was able to move without disturbing Jaime. She discreetly flexed her feet and shifted her position to look at Jaime. “Why? You needed to rest, and I have nowhere to be.”

Jaime appreciated that, she really did, but she shouldn’t get comfortable here. She had to work.

Still…Taylor had never soothed her the way Anya had today.

As she allowed that to settle in her mind, Jaime didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about it.

How could she when it felt right? How could she when Anya had been nothing short of respectful since Jaime had sat down with her?

No, Jaime had enjoyed her morning here so far.

She turned her watch towards herself. Okay, and her early afternoon, too.

“I know this is kinda unexpected, me being here…but thank you. For listening and allowing me that space to get a few things off my chest. I, uh, didn’t mean to fall asleep on you, though. ”

“You’re welcome. I have a feeling you needed it. And I’m used to it. Derek does it all the time,” Anya grinned.

Did she just compare me to her cat? The mischievous smile told Jaime that Anya was teasing her, and she relaxed even more. She inched her hand forward, hesitating before she settled it over Anya’s. “You’re a good person.”

Anya’s thumb absently stroked Jaime’s hand. “And you need to stop punishing yourself over something you couldn’t control.”

Jaime smiled as she cast her gaze on the space where their hands intertwined.

“It’s something I have to work through. It feels easier to blame myself than admit that it was simply something I had no control over.

As a member of law enforcement, that’s not a nice feeling to have, you know? Feeling out of control.”

Anya understood more than Jaime realized. But that was a story for another time. So, Anya kept her response to a simple, “Hmm.”

“So, um…” Taking Anya’s non-answer as an out, Jaime wrinkled her nose and hiked a thumb over her shoulder.

“I’ll go. And thank you again.” Her stomach growled as she got to her feet, those eyes of Anya’s boring into her soul.

For fuck’s sake! Were they green or blue?

It was so hard to tell, depending on the light.

She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Sorry about that. I’d better feed it before it starts yelling at me. ”

Anya suppressed a laugh. Her stomach was about to have a full-on conversation with Jaime’s if she didn’t eat soon. What was the point of either of them eating alone? “Stay. I’ll order in.”

Stay? Jaime swallowed as inconspicuously as she possibly could.

Anya wanted her to stay? Did she want to stay?

Yeah, she did. But continuously sharing this space with Anya would surely complicate everything.

“I shouldn’t. I’ve taken up enough of your time.

I’m sure you have better things to do. Better…

people to hang out with or somewhere to be. ”

“You really have strong opinions about me, don’t you, Jaime?

” Anya scoffed playfully. “And yourself. So let’s get this out of the way.

” She nodded toward the TV that was on, with the volume too low to hear.

“If I’m not at the club, this is where I like to be.

Home, on my couch, watching mindless TV, usually with Derek on my lap.

Today I had you on my lap, so he’s off sulking,” she smiled.

“I don’t have friends. It’s too tedious having to explain what I do and being judged for it.

For that same reason, I have no significant other.

I certainly wouldn’t be sleeping with clients if I was…

involved. So, no, Jaime. There’s no one better and nowhere to be.

I’m right where I want to be, with the person I want to be with. ”

Anya stood, smoothing her robe down and cinching the belt tighter. She nearly laughed out loud when she saw Jaime’s slack-jawed expression. Anya had to wonder if anyone had ever been so bold with her.

“Do you have a preference for food? Allergies?” Anya leaned forward, a gleam in her eye. “Hard limits?”

“I, uh…n-no. No hard lim…I mean, no allergies. I’ll pretty much eat anything.

” Jaime’s eyes widened when she realized what she said.

Great. Now she’s laughing at you. She had to admit, the talk, the nap, and yeah, even the teasing had lifted the burden Jaime had been carrying for two years.

It wasn’t gone. Jaime was smart enough to know that.

But as she sat here with Anastasia Grant, the weight of it simply fell away.

Anya cleared her throat, keeping the laughter to a minimum so as to not embarrass Jaime too much. Though she was adorable when she blushed. Anya narrowed her eyes, giving Jaime a once-over. “You look like a pizza and beer type of woman.”

Jaime nodded. Anya got it right on the first try. Why did that make her feel giddy and… seen?

“Pepperoni?” Anya squinted and shook her head. “No, too predictable. Italian sausage and… mushrooms.”

“H-how… how’d you know that?”

Anya smirked. “Reading people is something I’m good at. Do you like olives?”

Jaime wrinkled her nose. “Not really.”

“So you won’t eat anything,” Anya joked. “Fine, I’ll get olives on my half.” She picked up her phone and opened the app for her favorite pizza delivery place. “I don’t have any beer, but Joaquin will bring some with the pizza.”

“Joaquin? You’re on a first-name basis with the delivery guy?”

Anya lifted a shoulder. “When you get as much takeout as I do, it’s good to know the people bringing your food.”

Jaime glanced over at the well-equipped kitchen. “You don’t cook?”

“I never had time before. Now, I just don’t have the motivation. It’s only me. Food would go to waste in my fridge more often than not if I bought groceries other than the staples.”

Curiosity got the best of Jaime. “What is your definition of ‘staples’?”

“Yogurt, tea, cat food. You know, the usual,” Anya winked, then returned to ordering food. Ordering food while you were starving was the equivalent of going grocery shopping while hungry. By the time Anya was done, she had ordered more than fifty bucks’ worth of food.

“There’s an olive on my pizza.”

Anya’s eyes widened comically. “Oh no!” She reached over and plucked the offending olive off of Jaime’s piece of pizza and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

Jaime watched as Anya’s pink tongue poked out to lick the corners of her mouth. “I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “Maybe I should try them again. They look pretty tasty.”

Anya grinned, noting Jaime’s evident appreciation. “They are.” Derek’s paw crept toward Anya’s plate, and Anya casually slid it away. “Ah, ah, no olives for you, young man. The last time you had olives, I was cleaning up after you for a week.”

“Meow.”

“Mmhmm, I know you like them, but your stomach doesn’t.”

“Mow, meow, meow.”

“Sorry, bud.” Anya tore off a small piece from her crust and put it in front of Derek. “There. Take that wherever you take it and do whatever you do.”

Jaime watched with amusement as Derek picked up the piece of crust, jumped off the counter, and trotted off.

Oddly enough, she didn’t find having a cat on the counter with them while they ate strange or gross.

One of the main reasons Taylor didn’t want pets in the house was because she had always thought animals were unsanitary.

It was something Jaime never fully agreed with, but since her work schedule meant Taylor would spend more time taking care of whatever pet they got, she accepted Taylor’s position on it.

“How did you and Derek meet?”

Anya swallowed the bite she had just taken and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

“Cat distribution system,” she answered.

As she took a sip of water, she thought back with fondness to that time when she had met Derek for the first time.

“I had just moved here, and this place was being built. I stopped by to check on the progress one day and heard this soft mewing out in the backyard. When I went out to investigate, this little ball of fluff came out of nowhere and began rubbing himself all over my leg, rolling around, meowing like he was telling me his life story. Which shouldn’t have been that long since he was such a tiny little kitten, but he was certainly selling it. ”