In the News

By Jade C. Jamison

Some crimes only happen in small towns...

As Nicki’s reporter skills improve, her boss Neal begins giving her better stories, key to moving up at the paper. This time, when a rash of robberies hits the downtown Winchester area, Nicki begins reporting the damage, hoping to help law enforcement bring the culprit to justice.

It’s not long before she discovers that there’s far more to the story than the petty crimes she’s reporting.

As she uncovers the truth to share it in the news with her readers, she realizes that the reality behind something seemingly minor could damage her town in unthinkable ways...

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2011 as RIGHT NOW.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jade C. Jamison
• Release date: Jul 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463719060

Jade C. Jamison

1. Imagine 2. Play some music 3. Write 4. Blow readers away 5. RepeatJade C. Jamison is a steamy romance author, heavy metal fangirl, wife and mom, coffee connoisseur, cat lover, and vegan foodie--not necessarily in that order. She loves life and believes we learn our wisest lessons when reading, especially if it's fiction. Her heroines are fierce, her heroes all but broken, both seeking redemption together. Whether in a small Colorado town or big city, she strives to take her readers' breath away...one story at a time.Find out more at www.jadecjamison.com ORhttp://www.subscribepage.com/JadeCJamison (newsletter)

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Nicki Sosebee knew it was a crap shoot, but she had had enough. Sean and Jesse were going to settle this shit if it killed them. But would her plan work?

When Nicki opened the door to her apartment to let Jesse in, he planted a toe-curling kiss on her and then said, Smells amazing in here, babe.

Not for lack of trying. Nicki had spent the better part of an afternoon following her mom’s recipe for lasagna with Italian sausage. She’d also made garlic bread and salad. Never in her life had she minced so much garlic, and her apartment was beginning to smell like Napoli’s kitchen. Because Nicki was trying to find out if indeed the way to men’s hearts was through their stomachs, her place smelling like work was worth it.

You’re early.

"Work’s over when it’s over. I’m not that early."

He was right—she’d just wanted a few extra minutes to make sure everything was perfect. But, really, how could it have been? The table was set; the food was ready, in the oven staying warm. And one of her two guests had arrived.

As perfect as it could be.

At this point, though, Nicki was questioning if it would even work—but she couldn’t continue this way, so it had to. When she and Jesse had started dating last month, the last thing she’d expected was some weird conversation between the two men that led to an agreement that hadn’t involved her.

Was Jesse right to worry about Sean and Nicki being alone together?

Probably. But that was beside the point—and now she was dealing with the aftermath. For years now, Sean had been a huge part of her life, and even though their relationship had been mostly platonic, Nicki couldn’t imagine him out of her life.

Experiencing a taste of it over the past few weeks had made her miserable—and even though Jesse had found a way to light up her soul, it wasn’t enough to counteract the loss. Nicki missed having Sean in her life. The man was her best friend and even though her lustful thoughts had simmered down with Jesse in the picture, she didn’t want Sean cut out completely.

Besides… so much time had passed and her feelings for Jesse had intensified enough that she thought she would be safe alone with Sean, no matter how she’d felt a month ago.

And that was why the three of them were going to get together—as friends and adults—to talk about it.

Nicki had thought it through. Just in case she had any residual lustful feelings about Sean hiding inside her, she’d be protected. With the three of them together, Sean wouldn’t be able to pull any of his hoodoo on Nicki. The last time she had tried to talk to him about it, he’d made her realize that she wasn’t quite over her deeper feelings for him. So, for four weeks, she had avoided him.

Until then, she hadn’t understood just how close a friend he was. She missed him. Before, she’d pop in at his motorcycle repair shop at least two or three days a week just to chew the fat. But they also had lunches together, hung out at each other’s apartments, did other fun things together. And now...nothing.

So she decided, being rational adults, the three of them were going to talk. Nicki rarely cooked, but she made dinner as an excuse for the two men to come to her apartment.

Jesse had been easy. Because he’d been spending most of his free time at her apartment anyway, she just had to ask. Not wanting to be accused of anything underhanded, though, she explained that she was making dinner and Sean was invited, too.

Sean wasn’t quite as simple. To convince him, she had to assure him more than once that Jesse would be there. After he balked, she’d told him to call Jesse if he was concerned—and she tried not to be angry that he was being such a pain in the ass.

So on the first Sunday afternoon of August, Nicki had the two most important men in her life (aside, of course, from her father and her brother) over for dinner. And they’d better like it. After all, Nicki had done more cooking that afternoon than she had in a year.

As Nicki closed the door, she asked Jesse, How was work?

Brunch is always easy. There’s not much to do. The diners fill up their own plates. You just keep bringing the mimosas, they get buzzed, you clear off the dishes, and they leave hefty tips. It’s a fuckin’ piece of cake.

She smiled at Jesse as she walked to the stove and he slapped her on the bottom. Peeking in the oven, she sighed, knowing she was putting far too much pressure on herself. Either this would work or it wouldn’t, but getting all nervous about it wouldn’t help a damn thing. So when she turned around, she gazed in Jesse’s twinkling brown eyes until he closed the gap, leaning over to kiss her. If someone had asked Nicki two months earlier what she thought of Jesse, she would have told them he was kinda cute but also kind of a dork, adding that the two of them only knew each other because of Sean. And she might have even said that he’d hit on her a few times in the past but she’d politely refused. One kiss had changed all that, and now Nicki saw Jesse in a completely different way. He was hot, an incredible lover, sweet, funny, and smart. And Nicki loved all his tattoos and piercings, but they were just icing on the cake that was Jesse.

As he kissed her, she breathed him in through her nose. He smelled so good, especially since he’d quit smoking a week earlier. On the first day, he’d worn a nicotine patch. Then he’d ripped it off, saying it itched like hell. Because he’d been edgy and nervous, they’d fucked every chance they got for four days straight. Jesse had admitted that it helped him stay calm and sleepy—while Nicki hadn’t thought it was possible at her age, but they’d done it so much, she felt sore. Not just her pussy—even her hips and thigh muscles ached. So three days ago, he’d told her they could take a little time off.

Now, though? Well, Nicki could tell she’d missed him.

A lot.

Apparently, the feeling was mutual. The kiss didn’t end, instead becoming another and another and another, more impassioned and desperate, and Nicki started feeling as hot as the oven behind her. Do you think we have time? he asked, his lips on her neck.

Maybe. Because the curtains to the living room were open with the afternoon light streaming in the window, Nicki didn’t want to do anything there. Sean was rarely late to anything, and she knew this dinner would be no different. Come on, she said, her arms around Jesse’s torso urging him to follow her.

Seconds later, they were in her bedroom. As they fell on the bed with Jesse on top of Nicki, he pummeled her with one passionate kiss after another as she grabbed for his zipper. His cock was straining against his jeans, and as soon as she pulled the zipper down, she caressed him while Jesse let out a deep, heavy sigh.

Of course, that was the moment when the doorbell rang.

Jesse clenched his teeth. Christ. Are you fucking kidding?

Nicki bit her lip, but she hadn’t let go of his cock yet. We knew it was a gamble.

Grinning, Jesse tried to look neutral, but his brows were furrowed. How long do you think he’d wait?

"Shit, Jesse. Not that long."

"I know. Fuck." A primal grunt escaped his lips, and he looked as though he were willing down a beast inside.

Releasing his cock, Nicki felt guilty because he was still hard as granite—and that had partly been her fault. As she kissed his nose, she said, I promise to take good care of you later. When Jesse rolled off her, a pained expression spread over his face. Nicki sat up, realizing she was aching, too, but she could wait—and any residual engorgement she was experiencing wouldn’t be obvious to the eye. Take as long as you need, stud. I’ll handle our guest.

Jesse forced a laugh and Nicki left the bedroom, brushing her hands over her long brown hair to smooth it down and then over the front of her pale yellow blouse to straighten it out. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she took a deep breath before walking to the front door. She was relieved to see Sean wasn’t peeking through the front window to figure out what the hell was taking so long.

By the time she reached the front door, she heard the door to the bathroom close, and she wondered how long Jesse would need to pull himself together. Maybe he planned on taking care of the problem himself right now.

Probably not.

Taking one last cleansing breath, Nicki opened the front door. Hey, Sean. I’m really glad you came.

Before he could answer, she assessed her reaction. Trying not to smile, she assured herself that she wasn’t reeling from being in his presence. Unlike in the past, Nicki wasn’t cataloguing every detail in her mind, recording every nuanced change that had occurred to him since the last time she’d seen him.

Wasn’t trying to sniff his cologne. Wasn’t even going to force a hug on him.

As he returned her smile, Sean was looking over her shoulders. Wouldn’t miss it. Nicki stood back so he could enter. Where’s Jesse?

Like she was chopped liver. That pissed her off. Although, in fairness, he just wanted to make sure she was keeping her part of the bargain. The three of them. He’s in the bathroom. He should be out in a minute.

Nodding, he handed her a bottle of red wine after she closed the door. Smells great in here. Italian?

Yeah. Lasagna.

Glad I picked red then.

You didn’t have to bring anything.

I know, but I didn’t want to be rude.

Sorry I didn’t invite Amber, but I have my reasons.

It doesn’t matter. We stopped dating a couple of weeks ago anyway. Too high maintenance.

When Nicki gave a short nod of her head, she hoped he couldn’t tell how glad she was to hear it. Amber was a short-lived girlfriend in Sean’s long list of them, but she’d been one of the bitchiest—meaning Nicki wasn’t mourning her loss. After setting the bottle of wine on the table, she crossed the small space to look in her cabinets. She thought she had a few odd wine glasses, but she couldn’t be sure. As she walked past Sean, she smiled, proud of herself. In her mind, she could still admit that he was devilishly cute—his bright blue eyes with the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen, his rugged jaw highlighted by flared sideburns, the longish soul patch, his full, kissable lips. But she felt calm around him, and she wasn’t sure the last time she’d felt that way. Maybe when she was twenty?

Maybe.

After opening the cabinet where she kept her dishes, she spied some wine glasses high up on the third shelf. She could barely touch them, even on her tiptoes, so she started to pull a chair over. Let me get those, Nicki. Sean came over and reached, easily able to get three glasses down, and that was when she was able to smell his cologne, a spicy sandalwood scent he’d worn for years. Almost nodding to herself, Nicki noted how Sean was not affecting her. No pounding heartbeat. No blood racing through her veins. No butterflies in her stomach. She was proud of herself as she realized fully that her heart did belong to Jesse in a big way.

What was taking him so long anyway? Now, Nicki was sure he was rubbing one out. But, as if on cue, she heard the toilet flush. Sean handed Nicki one glass at a time and, by the time all three were down, Jesse was exiting the bathroom. When he saw Sean, he said, Hey, man. How the hell have you been? Nicki was impressed. She herself couldn’t tell that Jesse had recently been suffering from coitus interruptus—or, more accurately, pre-coitus interruptus?

Can’t complain.

Nodding, Jesse then shifted his gaze to Nicki. What can I do to help?

Nothing. Why don’t you guys pour the wine and sit down, and I’ll get this stuff on the table?

After a few minutes, they were all sitting down, food on their plates, wine in their glasses. Now Nicki grew a little nervous, but not because of their impending conversation. Instead, her anxiousness was based on something far less consequential. Even though she knew she was no cook like her mother, she’d worked hard and hoped they could taste her efforts. But she couldn’t wait for their approval; she had to taste the results for herself. Taking a bite of the lasagna, she felt tremendous relief as she realized it was almost as good as mom’s. The rest of the food she wasn’t worried