Chapter 10 - Rami

Sunday dawned grey, the promise of more rain heavy in the air. Rami took his time on his run around the neighborhood, using it as a chance to patrol for any sign of the curse. He’d helped Vera transport the shifter they’d found to the Rosewood headquarters after he’d roused enough to give them his name, James, and Vera had deemed him stable. It had taken some convincing to get her to relinquish her patient, but in the end, they’d agreed it would be better for Jessa, and after three days of monitoring him, she’d accepted that there wasn’t much she could do.

According to the schedule he’d created, Vera would be out for the day after ten o’clock. He’d have Jessa and the house to himself and some breathing room from Vera. Every moment they spent together had him burning with the desire to hold her again. That night, when she’d reached for him after they’d found James, he hadn’t been able to resist embracing her back, and it’d taken every ounce of self-control he’d had to stop it from going further.

Rami jogged back to the house and up the drive, getting a whiff of something cooking. Sniffing suspiciously, he went in and kicked his sneakers off beside the door. If she was cooking, she wasn’t on her way out, and that meant she wasn’t paying attention to the schedule.

Jessa was cooing in the kitchen. He followed the sound of her bubbling laughter and found her in Vera’s arms as Vera swayed to the beat of a song pumping through the radio. A tray of muffins sat on the counter behind them. Vera, baking? She could barely boil water. She’d certainly never made anything when they were together.

“Those look good,” he said, warily. “Is Moira here?”

“What, you don’t think I could make them myself? It doesn’t take a genius to follow a recipe.”

She didn’t stop moving, her hips shaking back and forth to the rhythm, in those silk pajamas she insisted on wearing. He couldn’t see her face, but her tone was enough to tell him to tread carefully.

“Uh, no, I mean, of course you could. It’s just—“

She snorted and turned around, a shit-eating grin on her face. “I called her up and made her walk me through every step. Pretty sure they’re not going to taste anything like Moira’s, but hey, I tried. You can call me Martha Stewart.”

With Jessa against her chest, she did a little curtsy, then twirled around and kept dancing. Rami forced his gaze away from the way her ass jiggled when she moved and snatched one of the muffins from the tray. They looked like a real muffin. He sniffed one. Smelled like a real muffin. How bad could they be? He took a bite.

It took a moment for the flavor to hit. Vera was watching him, expectant, hips cocked to one side.

“Well? How are they?”

He choked it down. The lump got stuck in his throat, and his eyes watered before, finally, it slid free. “Just a little dry, maybe.”

Her eyes flashed.

“Actually, I think they’d be perfect with a cup of coffee. Is there any coffee left in there?” He grabbed the pot and poured himself a mug of Vera’s industrial-strength brew. It’d scour the taste out of his mouth, at least. “Mmm. Perfect.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Come on, Rami, you’re the worst liar I’ve ever met. They can’t be that bad. I did everything she told me to do.”

He kept his mouth shut and let her try a bite for herself. She didn’t last half as long as he did, spitting the bite out into the sink and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“See?” He laughed. “They’re horrible.”

“Awful,” she agreed. “I have no idea what I did wrong; I swear I did everything Moira told me to. Give me that.” She took his mug and drank half of it down, shaking her head.

“I don’t understand how you can be so bad at cooking.” Rami took Jessa into his arms, cradling the baby against him. “And good morning to you, baby girl. Aren’t you lucky you’re too young for solid food? Yes, you are.”

“Oh, stop it,” Vera said, laughing. “She’s been an angel this morning but it’s coming up on nap time, so we’re about to get the other side of things.”

Vera looked so happy that Rami almost didn’t want to bring up the schedule, but he had to. That smile, the sound of her laughter, made him wish for impossible things.

“So, did you check the schedule for today? It’s my day at the house with Jessa so that means you should be heading out soon. How long do you think it’ll take you to get ready to go?” He felt the temperature in the room drop ten degrees the moment the words left his mouth.

She dumped the muffins into the compost bin and slid the tray into the sink, not looking at him when she replied. “I think if you check the schedule again, you’ll find that you’re wrong.”

He’d made the schedule himself, so he damn well knew it wasn’t wrong. Still, he went over to the calendar on the wall. It was color-coded. Perfectly straight. Vera’s neat handwriting. And it had them together every single day when he wasn’t at work. Frustration flared inside of him. Couldn’t she see that he was doing this for her? Yet she insisted on fighting him every step of the way.

“That is not the schedule I made.” He jabbed a finger at the wall.

She turned around, arms crossed. “Because the schedule you made was idiotic. I’m not going to live like that, like I told you. This is the schedule, or I’m out.”

He took three deep breaths. It would be so easy to yell, to let out all the frustration he was carrying, but he couldn’t shake the image of his parents fighting just like that, shouting at each other in the kitchen while he hid in his bedroom. Rami forced down his emotions.

“Do you know how freaky it is when you do that? I can see all of these feelings flash across your face, and then, poof, gone. You close up like a safe. It’s not healthy.”

Rami arched an eyebrow. “You know you do pretty much the same thing, right? You just slip on that emotionless mask whenever you might have to be vulnerable.”

“At least I can talk about things. You refuse. Like the hint of me being upset sends you running for the hills because you can’t handle it.”

“You don’t want to talk about things,” he argued. “You just want to fight.”

“So I could maybe see you have an emotion for once!”

Jessa let out a stream of babbling like she was making her own contribution to the conversation and they both looked at her, ashamed. Vera’s cheeks were pink. Rami’s pulse raced, his frustration coursing just beneath the surface no matter how hard he tried to bury it.

Vera was just bad for him. When she was around, he couldn’t keep level, couldn’t fight the emotions that roiled through him.

“You’re right, Jessa.” Vera ran her fingers through her hair and gave her head a little shake. “It’s nap time for you. Come on, I’ll help.”

She pushed past him and up the stairs before he could argue. Reluctantly, Rami followed her up to Jessa’s nursery. The butter-yellow room was cheery, filled with soft places for Jessa to play and stuffed animals she’d been gifted, mostly wolves, by the packs. A mobile with small blue whales spun slowly above her crib.

In the end, he was grateful for Vera’s help with nap time. With two sets of hands, they managed to change Jessa into her pajamas and feed her a bottle without incident. She started to fuss when Vera laid her down, and Rami braced himself for the upcoming battle.

But Vera set her hand flat on Jessa’s chest and rocked her gently side to side, and she started to quiet. “Quick, start reading something.”

He pulled a story about a lighthouse from the shelf and began reading, his voice low and steady. With only one person, the combo of rocking and reading would’ve been impossible, but together, they were able to soothe Jessa to sleep in moments. Vera laid her finger to her lips, and Rami closed the book. Together, they backed out of the room and shut the door.

“Wow,” Rami exhaled when they’d moved down the hall, out of the danger of waking Jessa up. “I can’t believe how easy that was.”

“Almost like it’s better with a partner,” Vera smirked. “Don’t you wonder what else might be better with a partner?”

His mind flashed with all of the things that were much, much better with a partner, and his throat went drier than it had been eating her muffin.

“Vera,” he warned.

She backed down the hall, biting her lip. Her bedroom was in that direction, but so was his. He couldn’t stop the image of her in his bed from popping up, with those barely-there pajamas piled on the floor. The number of times he’d jerked off to memories and fantasies of her, it wasn’t hard for his brain to provide one now.

Except she was there in front of him now, turning so her back was to him, slipping one strap of her cami over her smooth shoulder.

“What are you doing?” He hissed.

She slipped the other strap off and then let the cami fall down over her body, around her legs, and onto the floor. “Just getting changed, Rami. What else would I be doing?”

He growled and followed her, wishing she’d turn around and give him a view of those perfect breasts. “Your room is right there.”

“You don’t have to look.” She hooked her fingers into the top of the silk shorts, hesitating in front of the two doorways, hers on the left and his on the right. Slowly, she lowered the shorts.

Damn her. She wasn't wearing anything under them. Her ass was pert and round, and he needed it in his hands. Not look? He’d have to carve his eyes out. There was no way he could take his eyes off of her.

She knew it, too. She threw a devilish grin over her shoulder and took the right into his room.

“That’s my room.” He groaned, but he kept following her, helpless as a sailor with a siren.

Vera sat at the edge of his bed, legs crossed, hands resting behind her so her breasts were pushed up toward him. Her nipples were begging for his mouth on them.

“Dammit, Vera, you know we can’t.” But he walked toward her, unable to stop himself.

“I know you think we shouldn’t,” she quirked her head to the side, watching him move, her eyes trailing down his body. “Which is why I decided not to play fair.”

He was standing over her, soaking in the sight of her naked body from head to toe. Bending, he cupped her face and kissed her, reveling in the first taste of her lips he’d had in months. They were pillow-soft and parting for him, inviting him to sink into her kiss.

Every last ounce of restraint washed away. Here she was again, finally, in his bed. He leaned over her, pushing her back onto the bed, her full body splayed out for him. Fuck. She’s perfect.

His imagination hadn’t been able to capture the details, the way she arched up into his hands the moment he touched her, the way her breath hitched when his lips were on her. But he wasn’t going to let her get away easily. She’d tortured him for weeks with her skimpy little outfits. If she wasn’t going to play fair, neither was he.

Rami pulled just out of reach of her next kiss. “Crawl up against the headboard and spread your legs for me.”

Her lips were swollen from his kisses, and she’d never looked hotter. “Just kiss me,” she demanded, trying to draw him back down again.

“You’ll get everything you want,” he promised, breathing against the shell of her ear. He sucked and nibbled at her earlobe. “Once you do what I tell you to.”

It’d always been like that with Vera. She loved bossing him around day-to-day, but in the bedroom, she’d liked being told what to do. Liked trying to push his buttons just to see how hard he’d snap.

She rolled her eyes but did what she was told, scooting back until her head brushed the headboard. But she kept her legs closed, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

He walked to the edge of the bed and brushed over her cheek with his fingertip, dragging it down over her neck, to the dip between her breasts. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps.

Rami slowed, circling her nipples, but not touching them. She sucked in a breath.

Down over her stomach to her hip bones, to the crease of her thigh, and down. Vera bucked into his hand when he neared her pussy—he could feel the heat of it, how turned on she was for him.

“If you’d been a good girl and spread your legs for me, I would be rubbing your clit right now.”

Vera bared her teeth, but he could see the fight was leaving her, being replaced by pure need. Finally, she parted her legs for him. He took his time, pulling his shirt off overhead and sliding out of his jeans while she squirmed and blushed and started to whimper with impatience. When he was in only his briefs, he kneeled on the bed before her.

“What do you want, Vera?” He dragged his fingers up her thigh.

His cock strained against his briefs. He knew what he wanted, and it was to be sheathed fully in that hot, wet pussy waiting for him.

“You,” she moaned, her fingers clawing the blanket when his touch neared her slit again. “Please, Rami. Please.”

His cock demanded to feel her wrapped around it, but he wanted more from her. Wanted to see her cum from his favorite view.

He flicked his tongue lightly against her pussy, wild for the taste of her. Licking her up and down, from the base of her to the clit and back again, Vera’s hips drove up to meet his tongue. Her thighs closed around his ears, muffling sound, but he didn’t need anything other than her taste on his tongue.

Slipping his arms around her thighs, he pulled her in closer. He focused in on her clit, teasing the nub with the tip of his tongue until her moans became urgent, the hitch in her gasps telling Rami she was close to the edge. She ground against his face, giving him no room to breathe. But he’d die happy like that. His cock was spilling precum onto the bed, achingly hard for the woman wrapped around him.

With a final flick of his tongue, he sent her over the edge. Her legs squeezed like a vice around his ears, and he kept lapping at her until finally, she collapsed back against the bed, chest heaving, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Now, she was ready for him. He climbed up her body, only stopping to suck her nipple into his mouth. His hands roamed over her skin, savoring every touch. If he only had this one moment with her, he wanted to absorb as much of her as he could. Maybe this would be enough. Maybe after this, she’d be out of his system for good.

She wiggled her way beneath him until his cock was lined up between her legs. With the tip waiting at her entrance, Rami dipped to kiss her, wanting to feel her gasp when he sank in deep. He thrust in, feeling her wet pussy stretch to take him all.

“Is that what you wanted?” He whispered against her jaw, kissing down her neck.

“Yes, oh fuck yes,” Vera cried as he grabbed her hips and started to thrust properly, pushing every inch of himself inside of her.

Her pert tits bounced with every thrust. His hand found one, tweaking the nipple, coaxing a moan out of her. How does she feel so fucking good? It was heaven. How had he ever walked away?

He thrust harder, until the headboard smacked against the wall to the rhythm. Too noisy. Rami grabbed her and flipped them over so she could sit on top, her dark hair falling in front of her face.

She needed no encouragement to take up where he’d left off, riding him just the way he liked. His hands cupped her ass, helping her move. The sight of her on top of him had him close.

Heat pooled at the base of his cock, but he needed to see her come again, needed to feel her tighten up around him. He worked the nub of her clit as she rocked her hips over him, driving deeper into the hot center of her.

“Right there, Rami,” she moaned, eyes fluttering closed. “Fuck I’m gonna come again.”

Her pussy clenched around him, and Rami saw stars, his cock pulsing as he emptied himself into her. She collapsed against his chest, panting and boneless. How does she do that to me? Their sex was like nothing else he’d ever felt before.

Rami stroked his hand over Vera’s back, feeling her breathing start to steady. The scent of her hair tickled his nose. His mate was in his arms, and it felt just as it should, like the final puzzle piece slotting into its spot. But he couldn’t give in to the temptation of Vera. This had to be the final time.

“We could be doing this all the time if you weren’t an asshole,” Vera mumbled into his chest, sounding half-asleep.

“It’s not that simple.”

She propped herself up on one elbow to look at him. He loved seeing her like that, disheveled from their fucking, hair mussed, and eyes heavy-lidded.

"Why do you have to make it so complicated?” She sighed, flopping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.

He wanted to reach for her. Wanted to pull her back against himself and tuck her onto his shoulder. Couldn’t she understand that it had nothing to do with what he wanted, and everything to do with what was best for all three of them?

The monitor crackled with Jessa’s questioning coos. She’d woken from her nap. Rami swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed for his clothes, grateful for the escape Jessa offered.

“Saved by the bell,” Vera drawled.