Jamie thumbed through the pages of the Holton University Herald she’d picked up on the way in from her run. Instead of taking care of the 10 page final paper that needed to be written, she’d cleaned her apartment, browsed online for things she wanted to buy but couldn’t afford, until finally settling on a run to clear her head. It should have been easy, she'd already done all the reading, she loved her child psychology class, and she knew exactly what to write and how to write it to please her professor. But she couldn’t focus long enough to put the words on paper, her mind too preoccupied, overwhelmed with all of the uncertainty that next phase of her life would bring.

Getting in to college had been the easy, she was a straight A student, and a volleyball standout, enough to earn a full ride to Holton. But it was the staying in college that was tough. Without any family to support her, Jamie only had herself to rely on for food, books, clothes, it all added up. Even with her work study job in the chemistry lab, it was barely enough to scrape by. She’d kept her struggles well hidden, from her coaches, and the few people she called friends, and no here she was only 3 weeks away from graduation.

But Jamie couldn't just take the diploma, an accomplishment bigger than anyone would have thought her capable of, and be happy about it. No, she wanted more than any old 9-5 job, she wanted to do something meaningful, so she decided go to medical school. In itself, the decision hadn't come completely out of left field and it had been in the back of her mind for quite some time, but it was only recently she'd actually put the plan in place. After adding an MCAT course on top of her Fall course load and finishing up her remaining pre-requisites, all she could do was wait. She'd taken the test, her GPA was strong, and her roommate Lilly kept her from going insane with worry while waiting for the results.

Lilly was Jamie's sister from another mister, although they looked absolutely nothing alike. Jamie's mixed heritage, the daughter of a Brazilian mother and black father, lent her a café au lait complexion and long flowing dark hair. She was tall and lean from playing volleyball through to college and her sparkling dark eyes and full lips added to her exotic looks. She had maintained a level of popularity based solely on her appearance, despite a generally stand-offish attitude borne mostly out of insecurity, but hadn't been as lucky in love as some would have thought. The only serious relationship she'd ever had, ended with her kicking her dead beat soccer playing ex to the curb. He'd apparently slept his way through half the volleyball, swimming, and cheerleading teams, the attention his hazel-green eyes, sun-kissed blond hair, and chiseled abs drew from the fairer sex, apparently just too much for him to resist. She'd found a petite red-headed attached at the mouth to his dick and knew to cut her losses and maintain some of her dignity.

 Lilly was your typical all American girl next door type, she had chestnut brown hair that she kept shoulder length and always looked like she'd stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Jamie would have been annoyed by someone like her, except Lilly was just too nice to dislike. They'd been roommates all four years and were almost inseparable. 

Jamie had rocked the MCAT, toasting her success with Lilly and half a box of cheap wine. After months of applications and interviews, Jamie had her acceptance letter in hand. The trouble was, she was moving halfway across the country to follow her dreams and leaving her only family, her foster mother, brother, sister, and Lilly behind. When she'd told them all, they’d been so happy for her, Lilly, known for her dramatics had started to cry, tears of joy she promised. Clark and Campbell, her twin foster brother and sister, and had started to cry too, sad tears of the impending departure of someone else from their lives. She'd looked after them since they were born and their foster mother, Miss Davis had taken them in.

Because she'd been late in applying, Jamie wasn't going to start school until fall of the next year, but she'd decided to move after graduation so she could get settled in a new city, find a place to live, and a job to start saving some money. She'd worked all through college saving as much as she could, not caring too much for expensive clothes or Spring Break trips to Miami but it still wasn't enough to afford medical school tuition.

Jamie heaved a long sigh, closing the newspaper, and turning back to the decidedly blank word document on her computer screen, the blinking of the cursor almost taunting her. She very well couldn’t start her new life without passing Child Pysch so she’d write this paper and move on with it.

****

Jamie stood at the airport terminal waving frantically as she did her best to keep her tears at bay. The weeks following graduation had flown by and she'd finally come to grips with the fact that things were really about to change. She'd found a cute little one bedroom apartment not far from where she'd be going to school, it seemed that other medical students rented a few units in the complex so she would have the chance to meet a few people that could help her out when classes started and she knew there weren't going to be any wild frat parties to disrupt her studying like there had been in the dorms. She'd already given a deposit and one month’s rent when she'd visited, a few weeks before and she had enough money to maybe last 2 months if there weren't any great emergencies or unforeseen events, but finding a job quickly was an absolute must! Getting onto the airplane was harder than she would have ever imagined, but deep down she knew this was the right decision.

It took Jamie a little over a week to settle into her new apartment. Lilly had chipped in and helped her cover the cost of having her furniture shipped so she wouldn't have to buy all new things. She'd unpacked and rearranged, putting little touches here and there to make the place her own. Early one Saturday morning after waking up she plopped on the couch, sat cross legged with her bowl of Cap'n Crunch, and flipped on the TV like had been her routine. Lily would come in shortly after from her morning run and drop a newspaper on the coffee table for her. 'Looks like I'll have to go out and get my own paper this morning” Jamie thought. She was going stir crazy in her apartment with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Clark and Campbell called almost every night and she talked or texted Lilly just as often. She'd been to every restaurant and bookstore within walking distance and hadn't been able to find a job yet. Today she planned to stop by the medical school employment office and see if she could find anything there. Although she wasn't quite a student yet, she hoped they would make an exception.

When Jamie entered the office later that day, she scanned the list of wanted ads posted on the bulletin board, most of them were quite a few months old and she guessed those positions had already been filled. A short woman with gray streaked, brown hair, called out to her.

 “Excuse me Miss, can I help you with something?”

“Oh yeah, sorry, Hi,” she stumbled in response, “I'm Jamie....Watson, uhmm, I'm not actually a student here right now, I won't be starting until next fall, but I really need to find a job and thought maybe someone here might be able to help.”

“Nice to meet you Jamie. well we usually like to reserve most of the positions here on campus for students, but sometimes we get faculty and staff and some other outside places that want to advertise their job listings with us. I can let you take a look through that and see if there's anything you might be interested in.”

“Thanks a lot, I really appreciate that.” Jamie replied as the women handed her a thick stack of 1 page job announcements.

“The newest ones are on the top.”

Jamie took a seat in the corner and scanned through the first few ads. Some were for places that were too far from where she lived to be able to get there without any type of transportation, others were things she had no experience in at all. Finally half way through the stack she found an announcement that read, “Part-time Sitter needed desperately for infant boy”. There was a number attached that she quickly jotted down.

They were desperate for a sitter and she was desperate for a job.

'I can do this' she thought, she had practically raised Clark and Campbell since they were babies, one baby boy couldn't be half as much trouble as those two. She thanked the secretary for her help and walked back out into the warm afternoon air.

Jamie dialed the number biting nervously on her bottom lip as she listened to the insistent ringing. Soon enough a woman answered “Hello?”

“Uh...Hi, my name is Jamie Watson, and I was wondering if you were still looking for a sitter for your baby. I got your number from the employment office at the medical school.”

“Oh, yes! Thank God! Listen...we're kind of desperate here, we haven't been getting much sleep and I need to get back to work. Do you have any experience with infants?”

Jamie went on to tell the woman about Clark and Campbell and her experience taking care of twins. She was no stranger to dirty diapers, runny noses, and crying babies. She loved children. She wanted to be a pediatrician when all was said and done.

“Why don't you stop by the house tomorrow, how about noon? The baby, his name is Alex. He's usually down for a nap around then so we should have a chance to talk. We can go over the details then.”

Jamie didn't know what to say but she thanked the woman profusely, glad to have finally lined up a job prospect for herself. She jotted down directions and cell phone numbers and planned to show up the next day. 

The house wasn't a far walk from her apartment and she enjoyed the mid-day stroll before the sun got too hot. She was dressed casually but nice in a pair of khaki capris, a light, flowing top, and a pair of comfortable but cute gladiator sandals on her feet.

When she rang the doorbell she wasn't quite sure who she was expecting to answer it, but Mitchell Kerr was most definitely not it.

He looked young maybe only a year or two older than she, definitely younger than she was expecting judging by the voice of the woman she'd spoken to. Despite the two days worth of stubble on his face and the dark circles under his eyes, he had to be the most gorgeous men Jamie had ever laid eyes on.

He was much taller than Jamie's 5'10 frame which put him in the 6'4 range and his wide muscular chest was the first thing Jamie took note of under his thin white undershirt. She saw a sizable beige stain on the front that she assumed was spit up and couldn't help the slow smile that spread across her face. He had dark, curly hair that looked like it needed a cut but it made his handsome face with his gorgeous blue eyes look just a bit boyish. Jamie was openly staring and she hadn't quite noticed that he was talking to her until he cleared his throat.

“Thanks but no thanks, we don't want whatever you’re selling and I've already accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”

“Oh...uh, sorry,” Jamie said, her cheeks coloring. Oh God, how embarrasing...his wife is one lucky, lucky woman. “I'm Jamie....the babysitter, I spoke with your wife on the phone yesterday.”

Mitch looked at the young woman incredulously, “Wait....Whaatt! My wife?!....I'm sorry you must have the wrong address, I'm not married and the only woman in this house right now is my mother, who is upstairs putting my son down for a nap! I don't know anything about any babysitter.”

Jamie was shocked and a little confused so she showed him the piece of paper on which she'd written the address and phone number. She'd double checked with the woman on the phone to make sure she'd written it down correctly.

Mitch was starting to put the pieces together, his mother had asked this woman to come, without his knowledge, to take care of his own kid. “Listen I'm sorry, I don't know why my mother asked you to come here, or what in the hell is going on, but we're handling this just fine so while I appreciate you stopping by, we won't be needing you”.

Jamie was just about to get the door closed in her face when the woman she'd spoken to, who she now realized was not his wife but his mother, spoke first. “Well you won't be able to handle this all on your own when I leave at the end of the week, Mitchell. Look at you, you're a mess, you need a shower, a change of clothes, and a few good hours of sleep. And you definitely need to go back to work before you lose the job you worked so hard to get in the first place.”

Here tone softened then as Jamie watched the scene unfold before her. “Listen, as much as I would love to stay here and help you, I have classes to teach, and you know your father can't survive much longer on his own.”

Jamie could here Mitchell grumbling at his mother's words as the woman nudged him out of the way and stood within the front door frame.

She issued Jamie in with a big wave of her arm, “Hi there, I apologize, you'll have to excuse my son. He is a little overwhelmed right now and the lack of sleep is making him just a bit cranky.” she said, pinching him on the side.

“I'm Madeline Kerr, and this here young man is my son, Mitchell. He's usually much more of a gentleman, I know I taught him better than his current behavior would imply. Little Alex is upstairs. As I said on the phone he is a little over three months old and I've been here helping my son for the last few weeks but we both need to go back to work and I'd like to find someone to take care of him during the day. I'd prefer not to send him to day care. Although if his mother were here, that probably would have been best” Madeline said, her expression turning sour.

Jamie and Madeline spoke for about an hour, they discussed Alex's typical schedule, and she was given a tour of the house.

“If you don't mind me asking, where is Alex's mother?”

As Madeline was about to answer, Mitch who'd been trudging behind them silently finally spoke up. “Actually I do mind, it's really none of your business.”

Jeez, this guy obviously didn't want her here, cutting him some slack for not getting any sleep could only get him so far, but he was definitely working her nerves. Thank goodness he wouldn't be around for the most part while she was taking care of Alex. Madeline told Mitch to run up and check on the baby and he was happy to get away from the two women.

When Mitch was out of earshot, Madeline replied, “I know I keep apologizing for him, but this has been incredibly hard on him. You see, he'd just moved here at the beginning of the summer to start working as an architect in a new, up and coming firm. It's been his dream for a while and he was so, so excited. Not only about the prospect of the job, but happy to be getting away from California. That’s where his father and I still live.

He'd been through a pretty rough patch, gosh he'll kill me for telling you all this, but I  felt you should know. Anyway, Liz was his high school sweetheart, they'd even managed to make it through going to college in different states. They were living together and everything, I really don't know the details but one day she just packed up and left him. About a month later he took the job here, intent on starting over. Six or so months after that, he finds Alex on his doorstep with a note from her. How she'd known she was pregnant, but wasn't ready to be a wife and mother, how keeping their son would have been a constant reminder of Mitch and she didn't want that, she wanted to get on with her life. That first week, we tried everything to contact her, called her parents, but she wasn't returning any phone calls and he had no idea where she was. Well....we still don't.”

Madeline took a deep cleansing breath, “We got a paternity test, so Alex is definitely his, and Mitch loves that kid, he just doesn't have a clue what he's doing. I've given him the accelerated course on parenting but he can't do this by himself. He's still hurting from Liz, I think he was actually making progress, getting over it, but the fact that she was pregnant and didn't tell him, and then just dumped their baby on his door step, it just doesn't sit well.”

Madeline sniffed and wiped an errant tear. Again Jamie was speechless, she couldn't imagine ever abandoning her baby, it brought back haunting memories of the mother she could barely remember aside from a few fleeting images in her dreams at night. She hadn't had someone who wanted her until Ms. Davis, bouncing around from foster home to foster home until then. At least Alex had people who loved him and wanted to do what was best for him.

She talked to Madeline for a bit longer before she left that afternoon. They'd planned for her to return at 8 the next morning, Madeline would be there for a few more days but wanted Jamie to get started right away.

Upstairs Mitch heard the two women talking followed by the soft click of the front door closing. He'd acted like such a jerk and it was so unlike him. But his instant attraction to the exotic beauty had really caught him entirely off guard. When he opened the front door, he was expecting Jehovah's Witnesses or the Avon lady that had befriended his mom, not the leggy beauty with the full mouth and long dark hair.

He'd heard his mother say something about hiring a nanny but he'd assumed it wouldn't be for quite some time. And nannies weren't supposed to look like Jamie either, they were supposed to remind him of his grandmother, or Mrs. Doubtfire, or something. Definitely not Jamie, with her flawless bronzed skin and bright chocolate brown eyes. He wanted to feel the smoothness of her skin, and touch her soft pillowy lips. The pants she'd been wearing hugged her firm round ass and despite her loose fitting top, he could tell she had nice sizable breasts. Mitch could study the gentle curves of her body all night long, it’s what he did after all, analyze the shape and contours of a structure from every angle.  He could feel his cock coming to life, pressing against the zipper of his shorts as he thought about what she could do with those incredibly long legs. A slow smirk spread across his face before looking almost shamefully at the erection slightly tenting up from his lap.

It was thoughts like these about Liz that had gotten him standing over the crib in his son's nursery. He could have told Jamie about his situation, but the truth was he was more than a little embarrassed. Having your long term girlfriend just pack up and leave one day is a bit like getting left at the alter, and although he'd gotten over it, coming to realize that Liz was never really the one and he had just been too afraid to break up with her, being dumped still hurt...his ego more or less.

Now he was more just plain angry with her, the fact that she would just abandon their son like that. Who knows how long he'd been sitting in that bassinet on his front step before he came home, she obviously wasn’t the type of woman he’d thought, if she could do that to her own child. Mitch shook his head to clear the dark thoughts, tossing his curls into his face. I really need to get a haircut, he mused, before sniffing the armpit of his t-shirt, and a shower wouldn't be a bad idea either.

At 7:55 the next morning, Jamie stood outside the Kerr house, her index finger poised to ring the doorbell, the slight hitch in her actions caused by a case of nerves. On one hand she was excited to be starting a new job, babies always brought a smile to her face, and Alex sure seemed like a sweet baby. But on the other hand, she was not looking forward to another confrontation with Mitch. Not only did the sheer site of the man rendered her mute, it was entirely too early to be verbally assaulted by him.

After ringing once cautiously, Jamie was greeted by Madeline's smiling face.

“Good Morning Jamie, I'm glad you're here.”

“Morning.” Jamie replied.  The slight glance over Madeline's shoulder that she thought had been casual, unfortunately didn't go unnoticed.

“Mitch left for work already, it's his first day back in a little while so I don't think he'll be back here anytime soon. You don't have to be afraid of him you know, he's all bark and no bite, really.”

They walked together into to the living room where baby Alex sat in his swing being softly rocked back to sleep. He had his father's dark hair curled atop his head and just the tiniest, little fingers and toes. Jamie tiptoed over to him, amazed at how peaceful and carefree babies always looked. She brushed her fingers softly over the dark pelt of his hair, his tiny hands, even his little sock clad feet, trying desperately not to wake him. She couldn't help but smile as he wrinkled his nose, stirring just a little. Babies are so perfect, Jamie thought as she slowly rose to leave Alex to his morning nap. She wandered into the kitchen where Madeline sat drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper.

“Alex is an adorable baby, Madeline. You must be such a happy grandma.”

“He's the spitting image of Mitch as a baby. Except for the eyes, it's unbelievable how alike they are.”

 “He's even got a bit of his father's temper.” Madeline added, chuckling a little.

“Are you sure you're ready to leave him just yet?”

“I wish I could stay longer, but I've got classes to teach, in fact they've already started. Besides, with me here, Mitch would probably keep feeling sorry for himself. He's my only son and I'm sure I baby him a little. I was watching you in there with Alex, I know he's in good hands.” Madeline smiled at Jamie then, pouring her a cup of coffee and handing her the section of the newspaper that she'd just finished.

The two women sat and chatted while enjoying the quietness of a sleeping baby. Madeline took the opportunity to show Jamie where the bottles and formula were and where things were in his room.

At nearly 4 months he was awake most of the day except for 2 or 3, hour to hour and a half long naps. That would give Jamie plenty of time to do his laundry, read, and make her own lunch or dinner. For the most part, Madeline tried to stay out of the way and let Jamie take over so that Alex could get used to her. She was a natural with children, obvious in her interaction with Alex, playing with him and singing to him to make him smile and prattle happily.

Jamie left at about 8 that night before Mitch made it home. She felt silly for having been so caught up with any possible run in, only for him to not be home when she left. I'm probably blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

--------

When Mitch got home, Alex was tucked in his crib, his mom reading in the guest room he’d designated for her and his father, and Jamie was already gone. His mind was solely on food as he dropped his stuff on the kitchen table, and opened the fridge. His back was turned while he rummaged through looking for leftovers for dinner.

“Jamie made a delicious lasagna for her and I, there's some left in that pan.” He heard his mother say just as he'd reached to remove the foil on that very tin.

At the mention of her name, Mitch felt his stomach turn. He'd been having more....thoughts about Jamie and hadn't a clue how to control them. He'd had one particularly vivid fantasy while in the shower the night before.

 His mind had drifted back to the woman who would be taking care of Alex while his hand traveled over his soapy, chiseled chest. His skin had been warm, wet, and slick from the lather and hot water and he'd fisted his dick while images of Jamie and her sexy mouth and beautiful brown skin danced in his head. With his arm braced against the shower wall, he'd worked himself into a frenzy stroking quick hard strokes followed by long slow ones, imagining what it would be like to bring her pleasure, until the force of his ejaculation took the strength from his legs.

Mitch still couldn't believe he'd cum that hard just fantasizing about her. I really need to get laid, he thought. I finally meet a girl that I'm instantly attracted to and I have to ruin it by acting like a complete ass. He was 24 and he'd acted like a little boy, stomping his feet and hiding out in his room.

“When did she leave?” Mitch asked as he fixed his plate and set in the microwave to heat.

“I sent her home around 8. She was great with Alex, I don't even think he'll miss me. He was just smiling and laughing with her all day.”

“Of course he'll miss you, Mom. We'll both miss you. I don't know what I would've done without you the first few weeks.

 “But you're right. I need to get on with my life, be a good role model for Alex, you know?”

“You already are, son. You're a great father and you two will be just fine. I'm going to apologize for going behind your back too. I shouldn't have done that. You're an adult and I should have treated you like one. But Jamie's a great girl and she's here to help you with whatever you need.”

“I'm sorry too, mom. I don't think I gave such a good first impression yesterday. And I would hate for the person taking care of my little man to hate me. I'm gonna do something to make it up to her. It's the least I can do for acting like an asshole.”

“Language, Mitchell!” Madeline reprimanded, outrage and a hint of a smile playing on her face.

Sorry, Mom” Mitch replied, a flush of red staining his cheeks. She always had a way of making him feel like he was 12 again.

“That sounds like a good plan, I'm sure she'll appreciate it. I'm going to head back up, read a bit before I go to sleep.”

Mitch hugged and kissed his mother goodnight. She whispered something in his ear and headed back up to her room.

When Jamie came the next morning and followed Madeline in to the kitchen for their cup of coffee, she found a bouquet of purple lilies in a vase sitting in the center of the island.

“These are beautiful Madeline! Did your husband send them?” she asked.

“Oh no dear, we're way past that point in our marriage. If Jasper remembers our anniversary, it's a miracle.” Madeline laughed.

“I think those are for you.”

Jamie found the card, tracing her fingertips over the embossed script that spelled “I’m Sorry”, before flipping it open to read the note. It was printed neatly in block letters, the message warming Jamie to the core, a bright smile forming on her face.

  A little birdie told me purple was your favorite color. Let's start over. Dinner?

                                                                                                               - Mitch

  -------

The rest of the week continued much the same for Jamie, aside from the flowers and invitation for dinner, Mitch had also left her a t-shirt and hat from her favorite football team, the Giants, a stuffed puppy, and a book by her favorite author. He'd obviously been milking his mother for information because despite not having spoken to him, Jamie knew that she'd discussed some of these very things with Madeline during their chats. She and Madeline would gossip like old girlfriends over a cup of coffee and the daily paper. It was a bit ironic that instead of meeting med students and going out every night, Jamie's new friends were a 58 year old grandma and her infant grandson.

Friday came all too soon for Madeline. She really was sad to be leaving her son and new grandson but she knew they would be well taken care of. Sitting down for lunch, neither woman spoke, afraid to mention Madeline's impending departure. “So are you all packed?” Jamie asked quietly, pushing her salad around on her plate.

“Yes, packed and ready to go. Mitch is coming home from work to drop me at the airport so, you'll probably have to hang around a little later tonight.” At the mention of Mitch's name, Jamie couldn't help but blush. She hadn't had a chance to speak with him at all, despite the notes and gifts he'd left. She had planned to accept his dinner offer and at the very least try and establish a cordial friendship with her employer.

When Mitch came later in the afternoon to pick Madeline up, she hugged Jamie tightly, “You take good care of my boys, ok.”

She got set to wait around a while for Mitch to get home. She fed Alex a bottle and put him down for an afternoon nap. She flipped channels briefly, taking not of all the drama-fide daytime tv shows and decided to instead pull out a book. Romance novels were her guilty pleasure, something about all that passion put into words, it made her heart beat faster and sent jolts of electricity straight to her core. The good ones had her blushing and fanning herself with the open pages to cool her flushed skin. She knew they were kind of cheesy, but at the end of the day, she liked the happy endings.

---------

Although it was nice to be home early for a change, he was exhausted and his head was killing him! He'd been working incredibly long hours since he'd started back, playing catch-up for all the time he'd missed. He hadn't spent as much time as he would've liked with Alex, and now, with his mom gone, he was going to be thrown head first into single parenting. He had no idea what he was going to do, how he was going to balance work and taking care of a baby. He wanted Alex to have all the same luxuries he had growing up. Even though both his parents worked, his mom still made time to drive him to football practice and his father would toss the pigskin with him in the backyard or take him on weekend camping trips.

He pulled fished in his coat pocket for his keys and unlocked the door. After depositing his briefcase on the kitchen countertops he tiptoed up the steps, peeking into Alex's room to see his little boy sleeping soundly. He didn't know how it was possible to love another person so much, despite only knowing them a short time. He quickly bent over the crib placing a kiss atop Alex's head of curls that so closely resembled his.

He stopped by his room to trade in his slacks, button down shirt, and tie for a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. The house was incredibly quiet, and Jamie hadn't made an appearance when he'd come in door so he went in search of her. He'd hoped that his presents had been an effective olive branch to put him safely back in her good graces, but she'd been gone every night when he got home from work so he couldn't be sure.

He checked the guest rooms upstairs, trotted down to check the deck out back, finally stopping in the den. Turning the corner, he spotted her sleeping form curled up on the couch, a small paperback book tucked neatly under her hands. She really was a beauty, model gorgeous even, but sleeping like she was, her long limbs folded together, she was too cute for words. It was still early so she could leave if she wanted and Mitch could handle Alex on his own for the rest of the day. He crept closer, nudging her gently so as not to startle her.

When the only response he got was a soft sigh, he knelt by the couch and whispered to her.

“Jamie? Jamie....Wake up.” Mitch watched her eyelashes flutter as she slowly came to. Realizing where she was, her eyes popped open and her cheeks colored. She couldn't help the sleepy moan that escaped her lips as she sat up and stretched with a feline grace.

“Mitch.... you're home.”

The breathy way she'd said his name sent all of his blood pumping south. Her voice was husky and he caught a glimpse of the smooth taught flesh of her stomach and peak of her belly button as she moved. Mitch was so close to her he could smell the scent of vanilla on her skin. It was almost intoxicating, causing his vision to blur and most definitely clouding his judgment, because he caught himself just before he lent forward and their lips met.

-------

Jamie must have still been drunk with sleep because she could have sworn that Mitch was just about to kiss her. He'd been leaning so close, obviously trying to wake her up but once their eyes had met, they'd just been frozen as if in a trance.

“I...uh I'm sorry, Alex was down for a nap, I must have fallen asleep” Jamie managed to croak out, sleep still thick in her voice.

“No...it's ok. I'm sorry to wake you. I didn't go back to work after I dropped my mom off. It's only a little after 4.”

“Oh, ok. I should go then, huh? I'm sure you want to spend some time with Alex.”

Jamie rose, standing, and stretching her tightened muscles again. She slipped her bare feet back into her flip flops and turned to leave.

“You could stay.”

Jamie turned to face Mitch her expression unreadable as she waited for Mitch to speak again.

“I did promise you dinner. I'm not much of a cook but maybe we could come up with something together?”

When she didn't answer, he begged a little. “Please? I promise to be on my best behavior.”

The more time it took Jamie to answer, the larger the pit in his stomach grew until it felt like a black hole was going to swallow him from the inside out.

“I think there's some salmon in the fridge that you're mom and I bought the other day.”

His whole face lit up when he smiled at her and Jamie couldn't help the girly giggle that escaped.

 “Come on.” she said over her shoulder as she nearly skipped to the kitchen. “But this doesn't count as the dinner you owe me if I have to help you.”

Mitch and Jamie decided to put the salmon, some summer vegetable, and corn on the grill outside. Mitch pulled out a bottle of wine someone had given him for his housewarming but he'd never drank and they sat on the deck enjoying the evening.

“So can I ask you a question?”

“Should I be nervous?” Jamie asked.

Mitch laughed, “I just want to know why you took this job. I mean don't get me wrong I love Alex with all my heart. But you're 23, you should be waiting tables somewhere or I dunno. Not here, practically raising someone else's kid. I mean you spend more time with him than I do.”

“I like it here.” Jamie said.

“Baby's are so innocent, you know? No matter how hard you're day has been they can smile up at you, and you're heart just melts. I remember when Clark and Campbell were babies, Campbell was so fussy any time Ms. Davis tried to hold him he'd cry like she's pinched him or something! But when I held him, he would just snuggle into me and giggle.”

“You miss them. Your….brothers?” Mitch said, his hand softly resting on top of hers.

“Something like that...Although, don't let Clark here you call her a boy. She's a diva through and through.”

Mitch waited for her to elaborate. He realized that while she knew a great deal about him, including some embarrassing anecdotes his mother had probably shared, Jamie hadn't been as forthcoming with information about her life. He knew that she'd moved to California from the east coast for medical school but was taking a year off, and from their brief conversation he'd gathered that she had a close knit if not small group of people she cared a great deal about. Her whole face lit up when she talked about them until a wave of sadness covered her pretty features.

A sharp cry on the baby monitor broke the moment and they both rose to get him.

“Why don't you get him. I'll get these dishes cleaned up.” Jamie said as Alex continued to wail in his room. He'd taken a long nap, almost 3 hours, so Mitch was going to have his hands full for the rest of the night.  Once the last of the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher she shouted up a quick “Goodnight!” before closing the front door behind her. 

The quilt Ms. Davis had given her just barely hung off the edge of queen sized bed, her sheets twisted and tangled around her long legs, and beads of sweat dotting her brow. She’d had the same nightmare time and again, only it wasn’t a dream, it was the reality of her past haunting her, teasing her with fleeting images of parents she could barely remember.

Her mother, frail and broken both inside and out, her olive toned flesh, marred with bruises old and new alike. All she remembered of her father was his coffee brown skin and the faint smell of cigars, only one of his many addictions. Jamie prided herself on being strong, stoic even, and hated that years later her she could still wake up in the middle of the night, eyes rimmed red, and face tear-stained as her mind tried to process the parents who’d given up on themselves and left her behind.

They’d met when her mother, Paola, had come from Brazil to study abroad in the States for the year. She was young and inexperienced and had fallen hopelessly, madly in love with just the type of man your parents always warned you about. Even after her year abroad was over she couldn't leave him.

Justin was handsome, he was intelligent and charming, and had a way of convincing her that he could do anything. She didn’t know until later that his larger than life personality and overwhelming self-assuredness was fed by the nasty crack habit he’d picked up. At first the drugs had been something they'd done at parties together, he’d take a hit from a crack pipe while offering her a line a coke. The fine white powder would ensure she’d have a good time, ‘no need to get you’re hands dirty’ he’d say. But when Paola had gotten pregnant at 20 she'd quit cold turkey, scratched her skin raw as she struggled through withdrawals, and put back on the 20 lbs. cocaine had taken off. Paola had thought Justin would quit too. Excited about the prospect of being a father, he’d gotten a job and cleaned himself up. At least that was how it appeared. But what is done in the dark always comes to light, and Jamie’s birth put a strain on their tenuous relationship. While Paola had thought Justin was clean, he’d been taking hits and having sex with the crack whores from his old neighborhood. Out of sight, but freshly in her mind, when Paola began to notice the changes in him.

He was always agitated, almost as if he were fighting to get out of his own skin. He would disappear for days at a time, only to return as if nothing had happened and not a day had gone by. Violent outbursts became common in their once happy home, forcing himself on her, striking out at her with his fists that had once fought for instead of against. As Jamie grew, she watched her mother beginning to waste away, her once rosy cheeks, sallow and sunken in, bright hazel eyes, now without luster. He never hurt Jamie, she was the one thing Justin was afraid to tarnish with his touch, and you could say she was the better for it.

If only.

If only her mother hadn’t stopped fighting, hadn’t given up on raising her daughter on her own. The burden of dealing with Justin and his addiction too heavy a cross to bear.

 Jamie was 8 when life as she knew it ended. She’d come home straight from school early one Friday afternoon. She called out for her mother who was usually in the kitchen fixing a snack for her or down the hall in the bedroom reading. When she hadn't answered, she searched their modest 2-bedroom apartment, checked for the note that her mother usually left if she'd run out to the bodega on the corner or something.

Jamie found nothing.

Jamie hadn’t been concerned right away. Her father was apt to disappear, her mother doing her best to disguise them as “business trips.” Only Jamie knew better, she’d seen her father strung out on the corner waiting for a fix, the places she wasn’t supposed to be, with the friends her mother didn’t approve of, far away enough to ensure that Paola wouldn’t see him. But Jamie only knew her mother to always be there, masking the pain of bruised ribs and a busted lip to help Jamie with her Halloween costume or bake cookies for her 3rd grade class. As the hours ticked on, and the street lights came on, she'd still seen no sign of either of her parents. Worry set in.

It wasn't as if she had anyone to call, her father didn't have any family that he was close to, his drug abuse had made sure of that, and her mother's family all lived thousands of miles away in Brazil. Jamie waited curled up in her bed for someone to come home. The telephone spooked her, the sounds of the boisterous older kids in the hallway, the ground shaking bark of Ms. Pritcher’s Pit Bull 3 apartments down, forced for her to hide away in the safety of the only home she knew. Hours turned in to one day and then two.

Alone for 5 days before someone came looking for her. When she hadn't shown up for school the following Monday, without a word from her parents and their phone calls went unanswered the principal had gotten suspicious. Five days after both of her parents had abandoned her, the police came to pick her up and she was turned over to child protective services. She'd begged and pleaded with them, told them that she needed to wait for her parents to come home, only to be told that no one was coming to get her. No one wanted to tell her where they were or why they weren't coming back.

She'd bounced around from foster home to foster home, being abused by one and then acting out at the others because of it until Miss Davis took her in and helped straighten her out. She’d always been athletic, taller than boys her age, just as strong and fast, and Ms. Davis had encouraged her to try a sport. When she tried out for the volleyball team, the coach had been surprised she’d never played in any organized fashion before then. Her natural talents shone through and having that one thing to focus on helped turn her life around.

 Even after she'd turned 18 and aged out of the system, Miss Davis hadn't sent her packing as she’d seen happen to kids in her other foster homes. Despite not receiving a check for Jamie’s care, Ms. Davis had allowed her to stay as long as she continued to do well in school, stay out of trouble and help with Clark and Campbell, the two younger foster children in Ms. Davis’ care.

At 18, Jamie had also found out what really happened to her parents. Her mother had received a phone call from the city morgue. There was the body of a man matching Justin's description, dead from an apparent overdose. After Paola had gone to identify him, she’d taken a hard look at what her life had become. The man she loved abused her, abandoned her, and killed himself with the drugs he loved more than his family. And she’d taken the abuse, withdrawn into herself, and tried her best to raise the daughter she could hardly stand to look at sometimes because of her shame. She was a weak woman, a shell of the bright and eager student of life she’d once been. She’d cleaned whatever money she had hidden from Justin out of her savings account and took the first flight back to Sao Paulo, erasing all traces of ever being with Justin, of ever loving that man, and leaving their daughter behind.

Jamie wiped a stray tear from her cheek, rolled over on her side and curled herself into a ball. Thinking about Alex and the mother who had left him had triggered memories she’d always fought to keep suppressed. Alex deserved better, they both deserved better than the women who had given birth to them, the women who had put themselves and their own hurt before their children. Refusing to allow her self another minute of self-pity, she kicked the covers the rest of the way off and rose languidly out of bed.

She dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Nothing could improve her sour mood better than running outside, the quiet solitude, save for the pounding of her feet on the pavement matching the drum of her own heartbeat in her ears. She didn’t listen to music only used the earphones to tune out the din of the outside world while she ran. 

Mitch rubbed tired, sleep-deprived eyes as he sat in his office, blue lined paper spread haphazardly across his drafting table. Alex hadn’t wanted to sleep, AT ALL, and he’d kept Mitch up into the wee hours of the morning before finally closing his eyes and allowing Mitch to put him down. That cycle had repeated itself both Friday and Saturday nights and Mitch had the bags under his eyes to prove it.

How do they do it? Mitch wondered, thinking about his Mom and Jamie. They never seemed tired or frustrated. The women had seemed to be able to lull his son to sleep in a matter of minutes instead of the song and dance that took Mitch hours. I’d rather have Jamie rubbing my back and falling asleep against her chest too, Mitch thought, a wry smile spreading across his face. In truth he couldn’t put all the blame for his sleepless nights on his little man. He’d been dreaming of smooth skin the color of coffee with just a touch of too much milk, running his fingertips along it, tasting it on his tongue. He couldn’t get her out of his head. His wood wasn’t just relegated to the mornings, it made its presence known noon, night, and any other time in between.

Like…now. 

Sure he loved being an architect, the clean lines of his modern designs, the sleek steel and reflective glass he’d planned for his newest project was pretty sexy, but it certainly wasn’t his job giving him the hard on currently tenting his boxers.  Mitch readjusted himself and stood up from his chair, dropping his pencils on the desk. Not much work was getting done anyway.

Later that morning, Mitch dressed Alex in a tiny t-shirt with the Jumpman logo on it, a matching pair of shorts and little Nike socks to match his similar running gear. He put the baby in his jogging stroller and headed out the front door figuring some physical exercise would help staunch some of the energy bottled up from his sexual frustration.

----

Jamie was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other towards the end of her run, most of the sounds around her blocked out by the ear buds in her ears, that she didn’t notice a familiar voice calling her name or the large figure waving frantically in her direction.

At first, Mitch spotted the bright pink sports bra from the side of his eye. It wasn’t until he watched the female jog by on the other side of the street that he realized who it was. It was the same light brown skin that had been taunting him in his dreams, skin that was now bare save that hot pink sports bra and a pair of barely there running shorts. He called her name and when she didn’t respond he waved his arms instead trying to draw her attention. Once he realized how much of an idiot he must have looked like, he quickly pushed Alex’s stroller across the road and called her name again.

Jamie turned her head to the sound and stumbled as she tried to stop. Once she caught her balance, she yanked on the string running across her chest effectively pulling her headphones out and bent over at the waist to catch her breath.

Mitch was having just as much trouble breathing from watching Jamie’s breasts rise and fall as her chest heaved.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to spook you. I didn’t know you were a runner.”

Jamie pulled her shirt out of her waistband and wiped her forehead with it.

“I’m not really…just to stay in shape or if I need to clear my head.”

Mitch could sense this wasn’t the usually pleasant and happy Jamie he’d gotten to know, a cloud of grey and melancholy surrounding her. He winced at the half smile that more closely resembled a grimace she forced on her otherwise beautiful face. 

He’d made up his mind, screw running, he’d rather torture himself in the presence of the object of his desires than have his muscles screaming at him. He rushed the thought swirling around in his head out of his mouth without taking a breath.

“Well Alex and I just came out for some air. We were gonna go home and make some breakfast. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

Jamie was hesitant at first, the sweat trickling down her back, reminding her of how much of a hot mess she must look. Her hand unconsciously went to her head, pulling out the elastic band holding her messy ponytail together, combing her fingers through the tangled locks, and putting it back up into a messy bun. 

She let out a nervous laugh.

 “I’m a complete mess, I should at least go home and shower first.”

Mitch’s eyes trailed over her bare flesh, tinted with a deep flush and was overcome by flashes of Jamie, head thrown back in ecstasy, long, toned legs wrapped around his waist, and his tongue tasting the beads of water dotting her skin as he took her against the shower wall.

He swallowed the groan threatening to bubble out of the back of his throat.

 “You look good to me.  Uhmm …yeah. I mean you could just take those clothes off…”

Mitch chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit Jamie had begun to notice. She couldn’t help the ego boost she felt knowing that she was capable of making a man like Mitch trip over his words.

 “What I meant was, Alex and I don’t care what you look like….that’s not to say I don’t find you attractive...cause I do….but I mean, you could be naked and we wouldn’t…care…I mean I’d care but….”

The neck rub came once again and the corners of Jamie’s mouth twitched as she fought not to laugh.

“Ok, ummm, I make a mean French Toast and Alex and I would really enjoy your company. You can even shower in one of the guest rooms. So, how 'bout it?”

Jamie didn’t hesitate, although the temptation was there, built up from years of harboring reservations and mistrust. She smiled, the first genuine smile to grace her features the whole weekend, and took off running back to the Kerr house.

“Come on. I’ll race ya!”

-----

By the time they reached the front door, sweat was pouring down Mitch’s face and his now shorter hair was sticking to his scalp.

“Wow, Mr. football star, you’re so out of shape!” Jamie gasped, hands on her head, sucking in big deep breaths.

Jogging behind her had given him a great view of Jamie’s firm, round ass bouncing with each stride and made it just that much harder to keep up.

“You cheated! And here my mom thought you were “such a sweet girl”.” He said mimicking the soprano of his mother’s voice. He dodged the fist Jamie threw towards his bicep and picked Alex up out of his stroller.

“I’ll just change the little guy and I can get you something to wear if you want to shower.”

Twenty minutes later after his own quick shower he set out the ingredients for their big breakfast. Eggs, milk, cinnamon, and thick cut bread for French toast, and best of all —bacon! He got started putting together the ingredients as he waited for Jamie to make an appearance.

Another twenty minutes later, Jamie made here way into the kitchen, feet bare, and dwarfed in one of Mitch’s t-shirts and a pair of his shorts. Standing in the doorway, she watched him work, turning abruptly and pulling brown sugar out of the pantry and adding some blindly to his mixture.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing cause I’m starved!”

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s breakfast! I could eat breakfast all day, everyday. Here…” he said pointing to the pan he’d placed on the stove to the left of him, “at least be helpful.”

Mitch and Jamie danced around the kitchen while Alex sat in his swing, content for the moment. 

 She set the bacon in the frying pan while Mitch went to work on his French Toast and very shortly the kitchen was filled with its delicious sent. Mitch couldn't help but groan, his mouth salivating. Jamie turned back to the stove and slid the cooked bacon into a plate, placing it off to the side. r32;He crept up beside her, intent on sneaking off with a strip from the plate and popping it into his mouth. He might have been successful too, if not for the sharp sting he felt from Jamie slapping his hand away with the spatula.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?" he asked, laughter in his voice as he faked a frown to hide his smile. He tickled her; his fingers searching out her sides, distracting her while he shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth.

Chewing quickly, he watched the playful scowl on Jamie’s face, and turned on a charming smile. Mitch knew what he was about to do, whether it was right or wrong, he didn't know. He closed what little space there was between them, feeling the heat radiating off her skin. He leaned down slowly, until his lips were inches above hers, giving her every opportunity to pull away. Mitch could feel her hot breath against his skin. He brushed his lips against hers softly as he brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek. r32;It was meant to be a brief meeting, solely to declare his intentions. But when a soft moan escaped past her parted lips, Mitch took it as a cue to take the kiss further, moving his mouth purposefully over hers. He parted the seam of her lips with his tongue and delved into it, teasing her, tasting her. She met his tongue with hers, the two dueling in each other's mouths. Jamie's hands brushed his chest, her fingers fisting around handfuls of his shirt.

She broke the kiss first, catching her breath while staring into Mitch's blue eyes. Her lips were swollen from his assault, her skin flaming. Mitch ran his fingers through her hair, waiting for her to say something, do something. Jamie dragged her bottom lip through her front teeth, nibbling on it nervously, the action only serving to make Mitch want to kiss her again.

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Alex saved them the awkward silence, his shrill cry, startling them out of the moment.

Mitch let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and chuckled. "I should ummm, I should go get him." Jamie nodded her head but she hadn't let go of his shirt yet, her hands still feeling the ripple of his muscles and the steady strumming of his quickened heartbeat. Mitch touched her arm softly. "Oh...sorry" she laughed shyly, releasing her hold on him.

Whoa…Jamie thought. She knew she was about to be in over her head but instead of fear, excitement sent a shiver down her spine.

Mitch picked up the baby, instantly quieting him, the little stinker.  Jamie plated the breakfast they’d made, joining Mitch and Alex at the table. He winked and smiled back at her, Alex perched comfortably on his lap. She smiled back before averting her gaze, sneaking peaks at Mitch out of the corner of her eye as he tried to feed Alex and shovel forkfuls of food into his mouth at the same time.

Mitch broke the silence by talking animatedly about the new project he was working on, a downtown office building with loft spaces on the higher floors. Once their meal was complete and there was a brief lull in the conversation, Jamie made to get up and clear the table.

"Uh uh, no you don't. You helped cook, so I'll clean. My mother would kick my rear end, if she knew I let you cook AND clean. Here, will you take him?" r32;Mitch said holding the baby out to her.

"Absolutely -- Come here little man!" She cooed at Alex.

Jamie held her arms outstretched waiting for Mitch to place him in them. She hugged the baby to her, burying her nose in his curls then kissing his chubby little cheeks.

“You know. Alex has a visit with the pediatrician on Tuesday for his shots. Maybe you could ask about trying him on some solid foods?....What do you think about that, mister? Maybe some rice cereal or avocado, or I know bananas! Sounds good?”

Alex’s toothless grin and happy gurgle was enough to send Jamie into a fit of giggles.

Mitch couldn’t help but stop and watch. He was most definitely getting ahead of himself but this is what he’d always envisioned when he’d bought this house, it was perfect for a family…his family.

"You should spend the day with us."

Mitch had let the words slip before he could stop himself. He could see Jamie hesitating, unsure.

 "Mitch...I.." She sighed softly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I mean if you have other plans...I just...I just thought maybe, we could....I dunno, and, since you don't really know anyone here.....and Alex is...."

He let out a sound of frustration and felt the blush that was most certainly coloring his cheeks.

"Ok" She breathed softly. "Can we at least swing by my house so I can put on some clean clothes?"

An hour or so later Mitch pulled into the parking lot of Jamie's apartment building. He'd changed into khaki shorts and a light blue polo he knew looked good against his naturally tan skin and brought out the color in his eyes. He and Alex were waiting in the car while Jamie went to change.

Upstairs, she was wiggling her hips into the denim skirt of the fourth outfit she was trying on when she heard the jingle of her cell phone, the tell tale ring tone that let her know it was Lilly calling.

"Hey girl!" Jamie exclaimed, ecstatic to be hearing from her best friend.

"Hey Stranger! How are you?"

"Oh you know, missing you guys. I was just thinking about you and everyone today."

"Well, I miss you too, I hope I can come visit soon. So what are you up, how's work going?"r32;r32;Jamie had already told Lily about babysitting Alex. She'd even sent her a few pictures of the sleeping baby, taken with the camera on her cell phone. But what she really wanted to talk about was Mitch.

"I just don't know what to do about it, Lil. I mean, he's hot, I mean, just like, out of a magazine or something! Seriously, I have to remind myself to close my mouth so I don't drool. And when he kissed me, God, I thought I'd burn from the inside out."

“Lucky bitch, all the gorgeous ones fall all over themselves for you!”

“Shut up! They might be gorgeous but they’re not always sane! I’d trade gorgeous, but lying and philandering, for a just a really good guy any day!”

Jamie couldn't help but laugh along with Lily who she could hear cracking up on the other end.

"But I can't just have some meaningless fling with him, you know that's not how I operate. Plus the all important fact that I work for him and we both know I need the money."

She waited patiently for Lily's words of wisdom. r32;r32;"Why does it have to be all or nothing, Jay? I mean, I don't think he's gonna want to rush into anything blindly either. He's a 24 year old single father so that automatically makes things complicated. You've known him all of what, 2 weeks?  Get to know him better, take things slow."

"But..." Jamie began, her head filling with all of the ways that taking Lily's advice could go horribly wrong.

Before she could protest, Lily cut her off, "When have I ever steered you wrong, kid."

Jamie thought quietly, there wasn't a time that she could remember Lily ever giving her bad advice. She also happened to be a much better judge of character than Jamie sometimes was. She'd told her that her pretty boy ex was no good but Jamie had fallen for his rugged good looks, easy charm, and playful banter. At first she'd been pissed and devastated after catching him in a compromising position, but then she'd felt....relieved. Thinking back, she hadn't really let herself get too close to him, too invested in their relationship and he'd seemed pretty content with that. And then, magically, she wouldn't have to. She wouldn't have to open herself up to someone, to trust them.

It wasn't that she pushed people away, rather she kept them at arms length. She wasn't ashamed of growing up in foster care, it was what made her who she was, and she wasn't afraid to tell people that, but she never really confided in anyone. She never shared her hopes, fears, or dreams with them. She never let them know what she was thinking, what made her tick, and she didn't really express too much interest in getting to know their inner workings either.

She'd always been pretty much a loner, bouncing around from one place to the next made it hard to get to know people, so eventually she quit trying. Jamie was never rude or mean or anything. Most kids thought she was nice, just quiet and a bit shy. The occasional girl thought she was a stuck up bitch, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

When she'd landed at Ms. Davis', she and her social worker had agreed that getting Jamie involved in some sort of group activity might break her out of that shell. Playing volleyball had helped a bit, she appeared to have more friends, which made her social worker and Ms. Davis happy, but in reality they were little more than acquaintances. She engaged in their conversations about teachers they hated, or boys that were cute, homework assignments, television shows, but never shared anything personal with anyone beyond her foster family and Lily.

“Alright Lil. Well….what should I wear?”

With Lily’s advice, Jamie opted for casual and comfortable, pairing white denim shorts with a light indigo denim shirt she left untucked. She donned a pair of denim colored Toms on her feet, and headed out the door. Get to know him, take things slow, Lily had said. If Mitch kissed her again, she wasn’t sure how slow things would be going!

Jamie needn’t have worried about things progressing too quickly between her and Mitch. Alex had been cranky and colicky since she’d followed the doctor’s advice and started him on a few simple solids, and for the last two weeks Mitch had been working longer hours on a new project. By the time he got home from work, she’d declined his invitations to stay for dinner and simply went home and crawled into bed.

So when Mitch left a message that he’d be home late yet again, Jamie tried to quell her rising frustration.  She knew it was mostly lack of sleep that had her in such a mood. Instead of making dinner as she usually did, Jamie set the baby monitor on the coffee table, and curled up on the couch, letting her weary eyes close and sleep overtake her.

*****

Mitch sat in his parked car in the driveway, his eyes closed with his head back against the headrest. He was tired hungry, and frustrated. Starting his own project at the firm was an incredibly exciting opportunity, especially for a rookie like him, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was spending close to 12 hours out of the house and although he knew Alex was in good hands, Jamie had taken on more things around the house since he wasn’t home to take care of it, she looked exhausted, and he felt terrible!

He found Jamie asleep on her favorite spot in the living room, but instead of waking her, he reached over to cover her with a blanket. When she stirred, he resisted the urge to brush a loose strand of hair away from her face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, it’s ok. Did you just get in? What time is it?” Jamie asked, sitting up slowly.

“Late. I’m sorry, got held up again at the office.”

“Not you’re fault. Listen…I’m so tired, I don’t even know if I can keep my eyes, do you think I could just crash here on the couch?”

“Don’t be silly, that couch can’t be all that comfortable. There’s at least one empty bed upstairs” Mitch said cheekily, knowing full well that the only bedrooms occupied in his 5 bedroom home belonged to him and Alex.

Come on, I'll get you something more comfortable to sleep in.”

Mitch held out his hand for her and pulled Jamie up off the couch.

Jamie followed him upstairs and down the hall to his bedroom, hesitating a bit at the door before Mitch waved her in. He opened up one of his drawers and pulled out a pair of plaid boxers and a T-shirt from his alma mater, handing it to Jamie.

She thanked him quietly.

Mitch gave a casual shrug of his shoulders and a reassuring smile.

Just as she was about to retreat, she heard Mitch's voice again.

 “Hey Jamie...” he said. When she stopped and turned to face him again, he continued, “Sweet Dreams.”

Jamie smiled and turned to head to the room Mitch had showed her.

She closed the door to the guest room and changed into the clothes Mitch had given her. Although she was tall for a woman at 5'10, Mitch probably still had 5 or so inches on her and his overall bulk meant that his clothes draped shapelessly over her slender yet distinctly feminine frame. It was a bit warm so she decided to forgo the boxers and sleep in just his shirt. Once she'd taken off what she'd worn that day, including her bra, she could never comfortably sleep in one, she slipped the soft cotton over her head. The shirt was well worn, the white letters imprinted on the fabric, faded from one too many rinse cycles. The fabric brushed over her breast and nipples and settled at the top of her thighs.

She could smell Mitch on the shirt, the summer rain scent of his detergent, plus something else she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All she knew was that she really liked it and she wouldn't mind being completely enveloped in it. She pictured Mitch wrapping his strong arms around her as she nuzzled into the hard planes of his chest and before long she was lulled back to sleep.

Mitch hadn't slept a wink all night. Instead he'd tossed and turned in frustration, and he suspected that he would probably suffer for it. He had been out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow but the soft murmur of Alex fussing in the middle of the night had pulled him out of his peaceful reverie.

Mitch was pretty sure he just needed a diaper change. After a couple of months he'd gotten pretty good at judging his little boy's needs based on the sound of his cry. One meant he was hungry and wanted a bottle, another meant he was wet and uncomfortable, and sometimes he just wanted someone to hold him. Sometimes he'd almost wanted to rip out his eardrums, but Mitch was quick to the learning curve.

Groggily he turned the corner to Alex's room and stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he might have been dreaming so he rubbed at both of his eyes trying to clear the haze. If not for the startled gasp he heard, he probably might not have believed it himself.

To his utter amazement he was wide awake and staring at a very sleepy and barely clothed Jamie Watson.

She'd come out of the guest room wearing what looked like nothing but the faded Stanford t-shirt he'd given her to sleep in. With only faint moonlight peaking through the living room, the deep burgundy of the cotton shirt, played up the red tones in the skin of her bare legs.

It stopped at just above the middle of her thighs and the way she'd folded her arms up at her chest made it crystal clear that her ample breasts were free of any confines. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, a few strands loose from resting her head against the pillow. He knew he was staring but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He should have said something but when he tried, his mouth only opened and closed like a fish out of water, and not one sound came out.

Jamie's skin tingled under Mitch's heated gaze, electric pulses traveling from head to toe and concentrating between her legs. The air conditioning was on and she could feel the cool breeze against her flushed bare skin, which made her fully aware of her state of undress. There really wasn't much she could do standing out in the hallway as they were, so she'd made the quick decision to ignore it for the moment. r32;r32;Mitch's boyish curls were tousled about his head, a few reaching into his eyes, but the way his muscled chest filled out his thin white undershirt and the dark stubble along his jaw made him look all man. He wore that scruffy look oh so well.

Jamie wasn't sure how long they stood there staring at each other; what felt like minutes was probably only a few seconds. Before the silence could get awkward, Jamie spoke up.

"I can get him, I'm sure you're really tired. You can go back to bed if you want."r32;r32; 

Mitch finally got his voice to work, clearing his throat, he replied, "No, no..it's ok, it's Saturday so you're officially off the clock."

That slow lazy smile that turned Jamie's insides to goo, spread across his handsome face. "He probably just needs his diaper changed, once he's comfy, he'll go right back down."

"Ok then...I'll just, go back to bed."

Mitch watched as Jamie nervously tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear and turned to head back to the guest room. He couldn't help but stare at the pert, round shape of her ass as it swayed with every step she took, the hem of his shirt catching just under the cheeks. He was glad she hadn't turned back around because he was sure he was probably drooling.

Once he heard the soft click of the door closing, he continued on his way to Alex's room and made quick work of the diaper change. The baby settled down shortly after, but he didn't seem to want to go back to sleep. Mitch sat up rocking him gently and humming and singing to him. Eventually Alex had decided he'd had enough and gone back down. Mitch placed the baby gently back in his crib trying desperately not to wake him and headed back to his room. r32;r32;He'd tried to go back sleep but every time he closed his eyes he had flashes of Jamie, in nothing but his Stanford T-shirt. And the longer he kept his eyes closed the further those visions progressed until he was dragging the soft fabric over her head to reveal her beautiful, shapely body.

He pictured his hands running all over her soft brown skin, her smooth taut, belly, and full, round ass. He wanted to release her silken tresses from the band that held them tied back, and run his fingers through them, kissing her forehead, then her eyelids, before placing his lips over her plump pout.

Thinking about Jamie sent the blood pumping straight to his nether regions and had him tenting his shorts.  Sleep finally claimed him around 4am but his 8 o'clock alarm had cut it way too short. He knew Alex would be up in an hour or so and he wanted to make sure he was showered and dressed to take Jamie home once she was up and ready.

***

Mitch stepped out of the shower, dried his skin with a towel that he dropped in the middle of the floor and walked into his bedroom.  He didn’t hear the knocking his door, so when it swung open, he turned around, shocked, and gave Jamie a full view of his completely naked form!

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I knocked but you didn’t answer, I didn’t think anyone was in here!”

Jamie couldn’t move, she was literally frozen in place staring at Mitch’s tanned skin, the smattering of fine dark hair on his chest, his abs were hairless, the defined six-pack, rippling through the smooth skin.

Although she tried to fight it, she couldn’t keep her gaze from travelling south, more dark hair lining a happy trail to his slowly rising cock.

Jamie’s eyes quickly flashed to Mitch’s face, her caramel skin heating with a deep flush.

Mitch was smirking at her, her open perusal of his form, enough to start a fire within him. Before he knew it, his feet were moving towards her, his rapidly hardening cock bobbing with each step.

“I…I…Sorry, I should…you should….” Jamie mumbled. She turned to flee but before she could get away, Mitch reached for her hand and pulled her towards him.

Her hands reached for his bare chest as he wrapped his arm around waist.  Mitch brought his lips to hers, pressing them against her top, then bottom lip. His fingers splayed across the small of her back as he pulled her closer.  He broke the kiss to allow a hiss to escape his lips and Jamie’s lips moved to kiss his neck.

Mitch groaned when Jamie’s teeth grazed a sensitive spot on his jaw, sending him into a frenzy.

He pulled the shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor, and resumed kissing her, parting her lips with his tongue and slipping his into her mouth. Mitch lifted her leg to wrap it around his waist, and allowed his hand to trail up her thigh, palming her firm ass.  

Jamie moaned into Mitch’s mouth, his attention stoking a fire within her. She realized that while she could touch Mitch’s bare skin, she was still almost fully clothed. She attempted to push the boxers Mitch had given her to wear, off her hips, but Mitch’s hands were in the way. He took the hint tugging them the rest of the way down, before stepping back to admire her tiny black boy shorts. He didn’t know where to look or touch first! His eyes roamed over her breasts encased in a simple black bra, the mounds swelling over the top of the cups. He couldn’t top himself from pressing his lips to her heated flesh, kissing one, while cupping the other in his hand. He licked around her covered nipple, while testing the heft of her other breast in his palm.

Jamie was in ecstasy, she fisted one hand in his hair, while caressing his rippling back with the other. While Mitch was slipping her bra straps off her shoulder, she was walking him back towards his bed. When he sat down, she climbed onto his lap pressing her wet center against his hardened dick. She gyrated her hips against him, eliciting a cross between a whimper and a groan, and pressed her lips to his jaw, then his neck, before dragging her teeth against his adam’s apple.

Mitch pulled her boyshorts to the side, stroking his fingertips over her weeping pussy. She was nearly bare save for a thin line of hair in the middle, the smooth skin slick with her juices. He parted her folds seeking out the small, hard protrusion of her clit. But before he could brush his fingers against it, a muffled sound over the baby monitor stilled his hands.

Jamie moved to stand, but Mitch squeezed her hip to stop her.

“Wait, I think he’ll go back to sleep.” He said, nuzzling against her neck as his fingers continued to stroke her nether lips.

Soon Alex began to wail,  “Or not” Jamie uttered, laughing at the disappointed look on Mitch’s face. She bit her lip to hold back a moan, as Mitch removed his fingers and placed them in his mouth, tasting her essence.

Jamie stepped into the boxers on the floor, and slipped the shirt back over her head, her eyes still on Mitch’s bare stomach, his erection pressed against it.

“Whew…..umm, can you get him?….I think I might need another minute.” He said, trying to catch his breath.

Jamie laughed again as he threw his arm over his face.

“We’re gonna have to talk about what just happened here. I just want you to know, this isn’t a quick fling for me and I don’t just want to hit it and move on. I think there could be something really good between us. But, I’m not sorry about what almost went down.”

With a nod and a soft smile, Jamie went to take care of Alex. 

- 2 weeks later-

Mitch had started running again, lifting with the equipment in his basement, even hitting the heavy bag at the gym. Anything he could to quell the sexual frustration caused by a certain Jamie Watson who had managed to firmly imbed herself into his life. And sadly, none of it was working. When he was running, his mind would drift to the clench and bounce of her ass as she jogged ahead of him, pushing Alex in his stroller. When he donned his boxing gloves, he thought about Jamie’s magic fingers on his skin, kneading the tightness and tension from his back and shoulder. And when he heard the last clang of his weights after his final set, he thought about the awesome chocolate and banana protein shake that she always had waiting for him when he was done.

That’s where he was headed now, upstairs from his home gym in the basement where he was sure that shake was waiting for him.

Alex was sitting in his high chair watching Jamie as she moved around the kitchen. She’d convinced Mitch to feed him freshly made baby food that she pureed for him instead of the stuff from the jar and Jamie had him so thoroughly wrapped around her finger, he’d agreed to her daily purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables, and having his kitchen filled with the putrid scent of blended peas and carrots.

Alex saw him in the doorway and let out a hearty laugh at the silly face his daddy was making at him.

“What’s so funny, huh? Are you laughing at me there Alexander?”

He let out another laugh at Mitch continued to make faces at him.

“Of course you are. But soon I won’t be the only one covered in baby food, mister.”

Mitch snuck up behind Jamie and covered her eyes with his large hands.

 “Guess who?” he whispered in her ear.

 Mitch made enough space for her to turn around, her t-shirt, or rather his… was covers with putrid green stains, the color dotting her cheeks, and some among the strands of her hair for good measure.

 Mitch couldn’t contain his laughter, despite Jamie’s weak punch to his stomach.

 “Shut up. I had a little accident with blender. It’s bad enough the baby laughs at me.”

 Mitch busted out laughing again sobering a little when he saw the scowl on Jamie’s face.

 “Ughh what is that anyway?”

 “Avocado. Alex loves it. Here try it, it’s pretty good.”

 Mitch gagged and choked on the mushy mixture, “Oh God, I can’t believe you feed that to my son!”

 “Well Alex likes it just fine. You sure you don’t want another taste?” Jamie asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

 She sidled closer to him, baby food spoon held out to his face.

 “Come on, taste it.” She laughed.

 Jamie chased Mitch around the kitchen as he hid from the spoon wielding vixen.

 He turned the tables on her, caught her around the waist and began to tickle her.  Somewhere along the lines the tickling turned to touching and Mitch’s hands grabbed her behind and brought her flush against him, taking her lips in a gentle kiss. Jamie parted her mouth in anticipation of his tongue and Mitch didn’t hesitate to thrust it between her lips, only to back away suddenly with a disgusted look on his face.

 Jamie looked at Mitch, confused.

 “I can still taste that nasty avocado stuff in your mouth.” He laughed, running out of the kitchen before she could do him bodily harm.

 Later that night after Alex had been fed, bathed, dressed in his blue puppy pajamas, and put down to bed, Mitch found Jamie reclining on the sofa with a bowl of ice cream preparing to watch her favorite show. They’d gotten accustomed to cuddling on the couch and watching TV. The cuddling would turn in to kissing, and soon they’d be making out like teenagers before Jamie would go home. 

----

Mitch licked at her lips with his tongue before taking the bottom one between his teeth. She hissed out a breath before pulling him closer, her fingers laced in the soft dark hair at his nape. He let her take control of the kiss, spearing her tongue into his mouth and tangling it with his.

God…she could kiss him forever. Of course she wanted to do more, wanted to feel his skin against hers, the firmness of his length that she’d only touched, never seen, nestled securely inside of her. But Mitch didn’t press for more, stopped her when she’d slid a determined but unsure hand beneath his waistband, and only once letting his own fingers venture to the heat between her legs. Although they’d agreed to allow their mutual attraction to find it’s own way, they hadn’t gotten any closer than that one 

All of that was going to change. 

Tonight.

Jamie slid her hands under Mitch’s shirt and splayed her fingers across his chest. She could feel his heart beating against the palm of her hand and his breath catch when she fingered his flat nipple.

Definitely tonight.

She allowed a hairs breath of space between them, just enough to tug on the bottom of his shirt in an effort to take it off. And he let her. Mitch nibbled on her ear, his breath warm against her already flushed skin. He kissed the skin of her collarbone, trailed his tongue across the prominence left bare by the drooping straps of her tank top.  She pulled her own shirt over her head leaving her in a lilac colored bra that looked decadent against her smooth skin. Jamie replaced her lips on his, sucking his top lip, allowing the plump flesh to slide between her teeth.  

The press of his erection caused a new wave of wetness to seep from her core and she brushed her thigh against it, eliciting a sudden exhale from Mitch and another wave of heat rushing through her veins.

Most. Definitely. Tonight.

When Jamie’s fingers brushed the fine trail of hair leading into his shorts, Mitch put on the brakes.

“Wha…wait, Jamie…whoa.”

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and stood up to put some distance between them, his pants tented obscenely by the evidence of his desire for her.

He blew out a breath and tried to read Jamie’s expression, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“I should go.” She whispered quietly.

“No! Don’t. I’m sorry, it’s just…”

Don’t you want…” The insecurity in her voice broke his heart. How could he not want her?

“Of course I want…I definitely want. I would have thought that was obvious.” he laughed, gesturing to the still hard member in his pants.

Jamie gave a frustrated, slightly embarrassed groan before burying her face in her hands.

 “Can I tell you something?” Mitch asked. 

 Jamie shook her head yes, still safely hidden behind her delicate fingers.

“You scare the living daylights out of me. I’ve only been with one other person my whole life, and I didn’t feel for her, one tenth of what I feel for you in such a short time. I know what I want, but I just want you to be sure. Sure of this, sure of us, before we go there, so there won’t be any regrets.”

 Jamie was speechless to say the least. Although she hadn’t spoken the words, had done her best to make sure that her sentiments remained veiled, safely guarded, locked away behind the walls she’d spent years building up, she was failing and falling, hard and fast, for Mitchell Kerr. 

“You don’t have to say anything right now. If you really want to go, at least let Alex and I take you home. But…we expect to see you tomorrow, bright and early and I want muffins for breakfast.” He joked.

“Chocolate chip or banana nut?” 

“Chocolate chip of course.” He replied incredulously, his still kiss-swollen lips fighting a smile.

It wasn’t that Mitch hadn’t been thinking about having her 5’10 frame under his, his face between long caramel legs tasting her essence, or those same legs wrapped around his waist or draped over his shoulders, in fact he had been thinking, dreaming, imagining, conjuring up all of the various positions in which he could bend her body in order to bring her the most ultimate pleasure.

 And therein lay the problem. Or at least part of it.

 Call it whatever you want, but Mitch had a serious case of performance anxiety. He was a punk, and eventually his need for release would outweigh that genuine stupidity, but for now, his wrists and forearms were getting a serious workout.

He took a deep breath, “We good?” 

“Never better,” Jamie replied, reaching for Mitch to pull her up from the couch.

 Well….maybe tomorrow. 

Porto Alegre, Brazil

“Mama, quem é que na foto?” the little boy asked, looking at the tattered image his mother held in her hands.

It was a little girl with the same dark wavy hair as him. She had the same eyes too. Only her skin was darker than his, more like his avó.

“She looks like you, huh?” she replied in Portuguese.

Sim Mama, é você?

“No Davi, its not me. I guess she does look like me a little too.”

“Well who is she? She looks like Grandma too. How old is she? Is she 5 like me? Does she live here? Can she come play with me? We can play cinco marias, or play with the puppies.”

Davi fired questions at her in rapid succession. Paola was always challenged by the inquisitive nature of her young son. Without a suitable distraction, he wouldn’t let it go until his myriad of questions were answered. She’d had Davi later in life, unplanned but definitely not unwanted. A chance for her to try again, to do right by a child of hers, to make up for the one she’d wronged. It was always around this time that she thought about Jamie, her first born, her baby girl, too naïve, too stupid to realize that she couldn’t run away from her problems. Although she’d lost Justin, and much of herself along the way, she hadn’t lost everything. Instead she’d thrown away what was most precious, the most important thing in her life, discarded, carelessly, selfishly, all in the name of starting over.

 At the end of the month, Jamie would be 23 years old. She could still remember giving birth. Jamie came exactly on her due date, after 4 hours of natural labor. The doctors said it was one of the quickest births of a first child, they’d ever seen. She had been an easy baby, an even better little girl, and Paola had foolishly blamed her of all people for what her life had become.

Not ready to have that conversation with her son, she ushered him outside to the kennel to check on the litter of puppies one of their champion Labradors had birthed 3 weeks prior.

“Maybe you should try to find her? To find peace?” she heard a masculine voice behind her. She turned to find her husband of 10 years. By appearances alone, Roberto could be intimidating, because of his large, muscular 6-foot frame, bald head, and the dark salt and pepper of his beard. But once you saw him in the kennel with a litter of 5 week old puppies crawling all over him, or kissing them sweetly on the nose, you’d quickly learn what a gentle soul he had.

Roberto was retired from the Brazilian army and 12 years Paola’s senior. He’d taken to the sport of purebred dogs, and when Paola went in search of a puppy, a source of unconditional love, instead of coming home with a little bundle of fur, she’d left with plans for dinner the next day.

Ever the gentleman, Roberto had courted her, taking things as slowly as she wanted all the while showing her that she could in fact trust men, trust him, to take care of her, to provide for her, something that Justin could never quite figure out. Although he’d eventually gifted her a little black lab puppy, his presence in her life brought so much more. Roberto was her savior, her protector, her lover, and she knew without a doubt she would spend the rest of her life with him.

I wouldn’t even know where to start, ‘Beto. She’s a grown woman now. 23 soon. She could have new parents, new family. I cannot.

The pain and regret in Paola’s voice broke Roberto’s heart. So he did what he always did, wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her forheard as she let tears flow. He’d spent the first 2 solid years of their relationship building her up, trying to restore her confidence, assuring her that while she’d made mistakes, she couldn’t let the weight of them bury her. She’d cried in his arms countless times before while mourning the loss of her first love and her child. When they’d gotten married, he made it his goal to love her past the pain. Davi’s birth brought a light back into Paola’s eyes that Roberto hadn’t seen in all the time they’d been together. But still, she wasn’t completely whole, and he doubted she’d ever heal without making amends, righting the terrible wrong of abandoning her daughter.

Roberto had some contacts, a sobrinho who was a police detective in New York. He would make a call, plant a few seeds and see what he could find out. He hated to see his wife struggle so terribly with what she’d done in the past. Young and foolish she was then, but that wasn’t the woman she had become. This woman was strong, confident, and most of all a wonderful mother to their son. Roberto never thought he’d have a family of his own, the life he’d chosen not really what a woman wanted to put up with. But Paola had come along and later Davi, and he would do absolutely anything for them to be happy. He would do it. He would find Jamie for Paola. 

--2 weeks later--

 Bliss. Pure unadulterated Bliss. That was the only adjective Jamie could use to describe waking up next to Mitch in the morning, skin to skin, Limbs entwined, wrapped securely in his arms. Once they’d shared his bed for the first time, after he’d treated her to the best birthday dinner ever, she had barely spent another night alone in her apartment. Mitch was insatiable in his need to have her, touch her, possess her.

Jamie was always awake before Mitch, but she did her best not to stir. Instead, she basked in the warmth of his body next to hers, and waited for either father or son to wake up. It was often the muffled sound of Alex stirring that would draw her from their bed. Other times….like right now, she felt Mitch’s fingers trailing against her flesh, his lips pressing against her shoulder.

She spread her legs for his wandering fingertips as they found their way to her heated center. He stroked her and tickled her clit while his lips planted kisses along her neck, journeying towards her mouth.

Jamie moaned as their tongues met and Mitch tested her wetness with one digit, then two.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Mitch whispered in her ear.

A good morning indeed, Jamie thought as her toes curled in the first of many orgasms.

Mitch took her nipple into his mouth, laving the pebbled flesh with the roughness of his tongue. He gave the other a similar treatment while his fingertips continued to dance along her skin.

Jamie writhed under Mitch’s attention, desperate for more. Her nails grazed his scalp, encouraging him further. He placed, wet, open mouthed kisses along all of the places he’d touched with his hands, travelling down the valley between her breasts to her stomach, taking the time to trace her belly button with his tongue.  He paid special attention to the crease where her thighs met her sex, enjoying the way she squirmed when he kissed or touched her there, bursting with anticipation of what came next.

Mitch was addicted to the flavor of her, from the moment her juices landed on his taste buds, he couldn’t get enough. He inhaled her scent, let his tongue travel across every crevice, his lips kiss her dewy folds, sucked her engorged clit into his mouth, cataloguing every moan and whimper, every time she bit her lip or thrust her hips towards his face, pleading for more. Attention to detail, he said. That’s how he’d learned to thoroughly please her, only granting her pussy a reprieve, when Jamie begged him to stop, her legs shaking, the sheets in a death grip between her fingers.

Jamie pushed lightly against his chest and Mitch rolled over willingly so that Jamie could straddle him. She kissed him briefly tasting herself on his tongue before teasing him by allowing his dick to slide between her nether lips. He fished a condom out of the nightstand drawer and handed it to Jamie who slid the latex into place and sank ever so slowly onto him.  She controlled the pace, rising and falling, circling her pelvis just so, and gripping his member with her slick walls.

Knowing they didn’t have too much time before a certain little boy woke up, Mitch flipped her onto her back and took over. The feel of her was staggering, she had the tightest, hottest, wettest pussy and he couldn’t get enough. He pistoned in and out of her, rotating his hips, and reveling in the moans and cries she couldn’t hold back. His kissed her on the mouth, her lips swollen from biting so hard into then.

He knew she was about to cum again when she breathed a curse so quietly she thought he couldn’t hear it.

“Fuck!”

“Cum for me, babe”, he whispered as he doubled his efforts, finding her clit and stroking it with his thumb.

Jamie shook from head to toe as her orgasm enveloped her, mouth agape. She squeezed her eyes shut and saw stars as Mitch drew out her pleasure, continuing to pump his hips until his rhythm faltered and he groaned loudly, spilling his seed into the thin barrier between them.

He collapsed next to her, pulling her flush against him and tried to catch his breath.

They both drifted off into a light sleep before Jamie woke up and checked the time.

Jamie sighed before patting his arm so he could release her.

“Nooo…stay in bed and cuddle with me.” He protested.

Jamie giggled and shifted onto her side to look at him.

“Even though I’d love to, if one of us doesn’t get out of bed, you’re going to be late for work. Come on, let me up, I’m gonna go take a shower.”

A slow smirk drifted across Mitch’s face while he still kept his eyes closed.

“…Alone.” She added, laughing as he sucked his teeth.

--------

“So your parent’s are coming next week for Thanksgiving?” Jamie asked as she, Mitch, and Alex sat down to dinner.

Alex was seated in his high chair, shaking a set of teething keys in his fist.

“Yep, they’re coming in on Monday, and Mom and the old man are staying for a week! Besides the food, I could definitely do without it. But…what can you do. We’ll see how that goes.”

“Oh please.” Jamie replied in mock exasperation.  “Your mom’s great! I’ve never met your Dad but I’m sure they’re wonderful parents.”

“Oh, they are, but when you’re an only child, they have no where else to focus their attention but on you. It’s like living at home again, which I definitely do NOT miss. I can’t wait for you to meet my Dad, though. He’s got this wicked sense of humor, always playing pranks on my mom.”

Although Jamie had already met Madeline, becoming fast friends during her first week caring for Alex, and spoke regularly with her on the phone when she called to speak with Mitch, she was flattered that he was so excited about introducing her to his father. She could tell they had a special relationship, and hoped that she wouldn’t do or say anything embarrassing. This would be her first Thanksgiving dinner with a real family, instead of serving dinner to the homeless as Ms. Davis made all the kids do on the holiday.

“I guess that means no more sleepovers, huh?” Jamie wondered outloud.

She couldn’t help but laugh at Mitch’s shocked expression.

“Wait…No…But…Why?” he almost whined.

“How are you gonna explain that to your parents? Oh, Jamie, yeah she’s Alex’s nanny. What’s she doing in my room in nothing but her hot pink thong? Ummm….well…you see…it’s just, it’s nothing! And you can’t lie, we both know you’re terrible at it.”

Mitch couldn’t contain his smile, “Hot pink? Can I see?!”

“Mitch! That’s all you heard out of everything I said.” Jamie just shook her head at him, fighting to contain her laughter.

“Oh come on, I bet it looks damn good on you. I can’t wait to take them off.”

“Hey! I think Alex is a bit young to hear that kind of talk.” Jamie said, pretending to cover the baby’s ears with her hands.

Alex looked up at her and smiled, his two new teeth on display.

“Ok, fair enough…maybe later” he said, winking at her.

Mitch sobered a bit. “You know, it’s not nothing.”

Jamie wrinkled her brow at him in confusion and waited for him to continue. “You and I, it’s not nothing. You’ve been more than just Alex’s nanny from the day you walked in here despite how hard I tried to pretend otherwise, at first. If my parent’s were to ask, I’d tell them the truth.”

“And what truth would that be?” Jamie asked.

“That you and I are together, seeing each other, however you want to put it. I just want to be with you.”

Jamie kissed him sweetly on the lips, satisfied with his answer. 

---

The following Monday found Jamie and Mitch parked outside of her apartment complex. Alex was fast asleep in his car seat and once Mitch dropped Jamie off, he’d be on his way to pick his parents up from their late flight.

“I hate this.” He grumbled.

“Quit being a baby." Jamie said, running her fingers through his dark hair. "It’s not like I’m going anywhere, I’ll still see you everyday. We just have to keep our hands to ourselves for the next 7 days. I think you’ll survive.”

“I shoulda booked them a hotel.” He pouted.

It was the very same pout that Alex gave her when she took something from him he wasn’t supposed to have. Now that he had started crawling, he was busier than ever and the house needed some serious baby-proofing. She was sure Madeline would help her tomorrow after she was rested and she couldn’t wait to catch up with her friend.

Jamie placed a kiss on his cheek and got out of the car. “It’ll be fine. We can spend all next week making up for lost time. I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?”

She stopped to check her mail before entering her apartment. Setting her keys on the counter, she saw the flashing light of her voicemail.

Pressing play, she listened to the messages she’d accumulated over the past week. Everyone important had her cell phone number anyway and would call her on it if they didn’t catch her at home.

She had two from Lilly, one from Ms. Davis complaining about the trouble Clark and Campbell had gotten in to, and another from Clark and Campbell themselves, complaining about being grounded for getting into trouble. She’d spoken to them all during the course of the week but laughed anyway at the antics of her foster brother and sister. The last two calls were from a number she didn’t recognize, but the message caused a pit to form in her stomach, and a lump in her throat.

Olá, my name is Detective Mauro de Silva with the New York City police department and this message is for a Ms. Jamie Watson. I have some very important information for you concerning your mother, Paola Ferreira de Silva. I would very much appreciate you returning my call at 212-555-6140. It is rather urgent.

There was a second message, much the same as the first. She replayed them both a second and third time to be sure of what she was hearing before letting the phone slip from her shaky fingers.

Paola Ferreria. Just hearing the name made her sick. Her…mother. The surname de Silva she didn’t recall, but perhaps the woman who’d abandoned her had re-married, started a new family? Jamie began to wonder if she had siblings? In New York, of all places, the very same state Jamie hadn’t left until college? ….all this time??

There was no way that Jamie was prepared to deal with anything that might be concerning a woman she hadn’t laid eyes on in almost 15 years, despite the multitude of questions running through her mind.

Did something happen to her? Were she and the caller with the same last name as her mother somehow related? Did he really expect her to call back? Would he keep calling her? Where had her mother been all these years and why had she ever left?

Her fingers pushed the button before she could think twice about it.

Message Erased. You have no new messages.

She wouldn’t. She couldn’t, deal with whatever it is this police officer wanted to tell her about her Paola. If their paths ever crossed, maybe then she’d be forced to dredge up all the hurt and the painful memories, but for now, Paola wasn’t a part of her life any longer. 

Thanksgiving had been a fantastic family affair. Jamie had helped Madeline with preparing the meal while sneaking peaks at the football game and the three generations of Kerr men commandeered the living room.

If Jamie conjured up an image of Mitch in 20 years, Jasper Kerr was the exact replica that flashed into her mind. He was tall, although 2 or so inches shorter than his son, his dark hair salted with gray. His perpetually tanned skin and big easy grin hinted at his carefree personality and all the time he spent out on his boat now that he’d retired. He kept his face clean-shaven unlike Mitch who’d starting growing a beard ever since Jamie mentioned enjoying the feel of his scruff.

They were a wonderful family, and although Jamie enjoyed spending time with them, she couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy she felt when watching them interact. To top it off, keeping her distance from Mitch was harder than she’d thought, and every night she spent alone allowed her more time to think about the mysterious messages she’d been receiving. After deleting the first two, she was spared a few days before she’d gotten another call and another message. She’d gotten one everyday since then so she’d stopped deleting them, the flashing red light taunting her every time she came home to an empty apartment.

She had told Mitch to toughen up, but she was the one who was overcome with loneliness, missing the warmth of being enveloped in Mitch’s arms. The perpetual ache between her legs was hint enough at what else she missed and she fought not to get caught staring. Today, a burgundy henley was stretched taught over his well muscled chest and his firm ass was encased is a pair of well fitting jeans.

Mitch hadn’t been making it easy either. Whenever he caught her eye, he would get that glassy look that only meant one thing. He wanted her in the worst way. He kept brushing up against her in passing, finding excuses to trail his fingers against her back, and it was driving her insane!

 Now by Day 5 they were both on edge.

Mitch found her in the kitchen, stirring together ingredients for the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies he’d asked for. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she’d shrieked and nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Shhh…it’s just me.”

“God you scared the crap outta me. What’re you doing?”

“I missed you.” He whispered in her ear. The moan that escaped past her lips when he kissed the side of her neck made his dick jump.

Mitch had her caged her in against the counter, her back pressed firmly against his front. She could feel the growing erection in his pants and felt her body respond, wetting itself in preparation.

“Mitch….”  She warned as she felt his fingers seek out the bare skin under her sweater.

Jamie trapped her bottom lip between her front teeth, to keep another breathy sound at bay.

“I can’t wait to get you alone.” He whispered, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

“Mitch quit it, your parents are upstairs!”

“Exactly. They can’t see us.”

He buried his face against her neck and ground his erection against her backside.

“Stop, seriously, do you want to get caught putting the moves on the babysitter?”

Her protests were weak at best, but enough to get Mitch to take a step back.

“Fine, just one kiss. Please?” He begged. “You have no idea how hard it’s been sleeping in that bed alone.”

She turned to face him, her neck craned to look into his eyes and pecked him soundly on the lips.

“There now go.”

“That doesn’t count,” he growled before stealing her lips in a soul searing kiss. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and dragged it languidly across the roof of her mouth. He grabbed her ass and pulled her flush against him, grinding the evidence of his excitement in just the right spot to have her folds slick and ready for a much-needed intrusion.  

She stared at him dumbly, completely speechless as he patted her on the ass and turned to leave the kitchen. He was definitely not the only one anticipating his parents’ departure. She needed him to extinguish the fire that he’d set to her body, and soothe her weeping slit.

Lost in their own passion filled world, the didn’t hear the wooden stairs squeaking as Madeline descended them, didn’t see her round the corner to the kitchen and spot them necking like two teenagers. A smile spread across her face as she eyed them and then quietly turned around and tip-toed back up. Her son definitely had some explaining to do! 

----

Mitch wasn’t sure about Jamie, but he was tired of chocking the chicken by himself in the shower. Hell he’d even settle for her hands down his pants instead of his own, but she refused, too worried about getting caught in a compromising position by his parents, or inducing any type of awkwardness when they sat down to dinner. But it was already awkward for him. His mother had caught him staring at Jamie, and the stern look she gave him meant Mrs. Kerr surely knew he was undressing the girl with his eyes. Of course his mother would be appalled by his actions, but little did she know her son already had full carnal knowledge of one Jamie Watson. He’d studied every curve, every freckle, and every sensitive spot on her skin that drew out a moan when he touched her. He’d committed them to memory, and the next time he had Jamie, he’d be sure to show her how good his study skills were.

Even his dad, oblivious to most matters of the heart, had caught on to something. His words of wisdom, “Try not to run this one off, son, I’d like to have a daughter in law to dance with at your wedding.” he said, followed by a sound pat on the back.

“Wha…What? What are you talking about Dad? Jamie is gorgeous, but uhhh, there’s, there’s nothing going on there.”

“I love you son, but you have got to be the worst liar on the planet. I can practically see your Pinocchio nose growing. Every time that girl is within sight, you start salivating. If there was nothing going on, I know damn well she wouldn’t stick around and let you ogle her like that! I just want to know how serious it is.”

Mitch heaved a heavy sigh.

“I think I’m in love with her. Every second I’m not with her I’m thinking about her. I’ve know her a tenth of the time I knew Erin and already I…. I watch her with Alex and I wonder why she couldn’t have been the mother of my son. Hell, she pretty much is.”

“So what’s the problem, Mitch? She seems like a great girl and she’s certainly a looker. Your mother is smitten, I think she always wanted a daughter.”

“I just…she’s so hard to read sometimes. I just don’t know if she feels the same way? I’ve got it bad and it just feels like I’m always telling her how much I want to be with her, how much she’s brought to my life in such a short time, and I know she appreciates it, I know we have a connection, but she’s just hasn’t let me in.”

“That’s some heavy stuff there son. I can tell how much you care about her, you got that dumb look, that’s for sure. Just give her some time, these things don’t happen overnight. You know I asked your momma to marry me 3 times before she said yes? You know, it’s getting kinda late, much too late for a young woman to make her way home by herself, we’ll watch Alex, why don’t you give her a ride, hmm? Oh and why don’t you stop at the store on your way home? I’m sure there’s something there that we need.”

Mitch smirked at his old man, the sly old dog that he was.

---------

As soon as Jamie got her apartment door open, Mitch was on her. He didn’t waste any time getting his hands on Jamie’s bare skin, slipping his large slightly calloused hands under her sweater and pinning her against the front door.

Jamie gripped his silky dark hair when he trailed his lips against her throat and moaned, undulating her hips against him. Mitch took the hint and wrapped one of her long legs around his waist so she could feel the fullness of his erection. Jamie fumbled with his belt for what seemed like forever before they broke apart panting for air. A huge grin spread across Jamie’s face before she let out a full bellied laugh.

“What are you laughing about?!” Mitch uttered fighting back a smile and laughter of his own.

Jamie kissed him soundly on the lips, “Us! We’re ridiculous. I think the front door is still open. It’s only been 5 days!”

She slid her thigh down from his waist and looped her fingers through his belt loops.

“Well, I never want to go another 5 days again! There’s not one minute of every day that I don’t want you.”

Jamie bit her bottom lip and put just enough distance between them to slide her sweater over her head. She reached for his hand and led him to her bedroom.

She was out of her clothes in minutes, while Mitch feasted on the nectar between her legs. Her legs shook with the force on an impending orgasm but Mitch let up just enough to keep her from reaching her peak.

"No, no, no, don’t stop!" Jamie breathed on an exhale.

Mitch smirked, his blue eyes connecting with her brown ones as he kissed the inside of her thigh, then the top of her mons. He traveled up her body, kissing her on her lips, and as she tasted her self on his tongue, he slid in to the hilt, drawing a keening cry from Jamie’s lips.

Mitch rode out the spasms of her walls as she came, before stroking in and out of her, his pace picking up as he rode through her second orgasm.

Mitch tried to hold out as long as he could but when Jamie caught his earlobe between her teeth and tugged gently, his rhythm faltered just before he spilled his seed inside of her.

Jamie let out a content sigh as Mitch inhaled the scent of her hair and pulled her against him and snuggled against her. “Mmmmm, only a minute.” She whispered yawning, her energy completely drained. “we can’t fall asleep….”