Jameson unzipped his jeans and pushed them down, so they clung to his thighs. He put the condom on before coming to her. That first intimate brush caused a sharp gasp to escape her, and she bit her lip to try to stay quiet.
Sue had never experienced anything like being with Jameson. He kept his eyes open, gazing into her with a look of wonder as if he couldn’t believe she was with him. The ring on her hand tingled, and she began to feel him inside her—not just his body but his soul. She had detected his kind heart, but now she felt it beating in time with hers. This was a good and caring man. He could no more hurt a woman than he could stop breathing.
“What is that?” he whispered in awe.
“Magic,” she breathed into his ear, rocking her hips into him.
She fell back on the desk, bracing herself as the rhythm became frenzied. When Sue met her release, she felt her entire body explode with the pleasure of it. Jameson met his release seconds after her.
Breathing hard, he braced his hand on the desk next to her. They took a moment to recover. After some time, he straightened and turned away from her. He dropped the condom in the trash can and righted his clothing.
Sue hopped down from the desk and redressed.
When she finished, he pulled her into his arms and held her. “I don’t know if you felt it too, but that was…”
“Amazing,” she finished for him.
“Magical,” he said.
“Perfect.”
“Magical.”
“Wonderful.”
“Magical.”
Sue laughed. “I think you said that already.”
He grinned. “Hey, you got to give a guy a break. I can barely think straight right now. You’re lucky I’m speaking English.”
Sue stroked his hair away from his forehead. “I have to say I’m thrilled you’re not my landlord yet.”
“If this was your way of negotiating a discount on rent, consider the building free.” Jameson chuckled and cupped her face. “Where did you come from, Susan Sue?”
“St. Louis.”
“Are you sure you’re not an angel?” Jameson laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, that sounds like a bad line now that I’ve said it.”
“It was kinda, yeah,” Sue teased.
He kissed her softly. “How did I get so lucky? The odds of me stopping to get gas that late at night, at a station I never go to, at the exact same time your bus breaks down, have to be astronomical. Then for you to stay down the block and happen to be walking on the rare night I’m here late doing inventory. It feels like something bigger has a hand in this.”
“What if I told you magic is real?”
“I’ll believe anything you tell me.” His expression changed, and he turned serious. “You said something earlier about being scared.”
“Did I?” She averted her gaze.
“You said you needed to feel something good, but the way you said it was like you hadn’t had much good. Then you said you spent too much time being hesitant and scared.”
Sue stroked his cheek. “You listened when I said that.”
Jameson ran his thumb over her lips. “Of course I did. I listen to everything you say.”
“No, I mean, you really listened to me.”
“Sue, I don’t know if you realize this, but regardless of the length of time I’ve known you, I’m really into you. It’s not because we had sex. I wasn’t expecting that to happen, at least not without buying you several dinners first. Not that I’m complaining. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the gas station. You looked so tired and sad and even a little terrified. I wanted to hug you. Then last night, just hanging out here counting inventory, I’ve not enjoyed myself like that in a long time.”
“I feel the same. I enjoy being with you, too.”
Jameson’s eyes implored her. “What’s been scaring you? Talk to me. Are you hiding from someone? Is that why you looked frightened at the gas station? If you’re in trouble, I’ll help you.”
At that, she kissed him on the corner of his mouth. “There’s nothing you can do but thank you for caring.”
“Are you scared now?”
She shook her head. “No. Here with you, I’m not scared.”
“Talk to me, Sue. What’s going on?”
Sue took a deep breath and stepped away from him. She pushed strands of loose hair back from her face. Maybe it was like pulling off a bandage. She just needed to tell him. “I turned forty four months ago.”
“I don’t care about age,” he said.
“On my birthday, my husband decided I was too old and that he didn’t want to be married anymore.” Sue looked at the floor and took a steadying breath.
“So you’re married? Separated? Divorced?” Jameson asked. “I can’t imagine any man letting you go. If you need time, just say the word and we can take this as slow as you—”
Sue held up her hand to quiet him. She knew he wanted to understand her, but it took her a moment to form the words. “He hit me. Often. And never where anyone could see the damage.”
Jameson stiffened, his expression darkening.
“On my birthday, he hit me with a hammer, wrapped me in plastic sheeting, and stuffed me in the trunk of our car.” Her hands began to shake. “By all rights, I should be dead, but Hank crashed into a semi on the way to dump my body. I was thrown out of the trunk. Hank was killed. I woke up in a hospital. They told me he was drunk driving. A detective suspected that something was off, but she had no proof. Hank went down as a tragic accident, and no one knows what happened in our marriage but me. And no one in St. Louis who knew us would believe me if I told them. He was a lawyer, which I guess naturally made him a great liar. He once told me that when it comes down to brass tacks all that matters is who can make the most persuasive argument, not the truth. Hank was compelling. The secret shame of our marriage died with him.”
“Sue…” Jameson offered his hand to her.
Sue didn’t take it. If he held her, she wouldn’t be able to finish telling him. “The worst part is when it happened, I wasn’t even surprised. There was a part of me that knew it would end that way.”
“Sue.” His tone became more insistent.
“The short of the relationship is, he drank, he hit me, I tried to leave and he always found me. I had nowhere to go, no money of my own, and being a lawyer, he had friends in the police department. I didn’t love him, not after the first year of marriage. I prayed for an out.” Sue gave a tiny shake of her entire body as if that could make the feelings go away. “So there you have it.”
“That’s not right,” Jameson said. “No one deserves to be treated like that.”
“I know.” Sue held her hand out for him to take. “But I’m not living in the past. I’m here, now, with you.”
Sue couldn’t bring herself to say she was being haunted. Dumping one baggage bomb on him was enough.
“Besides.” She drew him closer. “Why would I want to think about that when I have magic in front of me?”
Jameson wanted to say more. She saw the emotions in his eyes. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her. “Yes, magic.”