Feedback Contact: etxjaglady @ flash.net (without
the spaces) Rating: Mature
Pairing: JimmyC/OFC
Classification: Romance, Drama
Spoilers: My stories can contain spoilers of any episode already
aired in the US
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Just borrowing them for a little
while.
Archiving: Usual drill. Archived at DJE_on_Close_to_home@yahoogroups.com
and http://jagficlady.topcities.com/closetohome/ Anywhere else,
please ask I like to know where my stories end up.
A/N: In chat, some of us were discussing the idea that Jimmy
needed some romance in his life. The poor man is always working
- when he's not playing political games. <G> So this is
for the chatters. You know who you are. The events of this story
take place before (or maybe instead of) the events in "Drink
the Cup" and the end of season2 episodes. I know I'm playing
fast and loose with a few things, but bare with me.
Summary: Jimmy finds romance. But what secret is she hiding?
==========================================
It was a wonderful day for a morning run, Jimmy Conlon thought
as he ran along the path through the park. He had taken to running
here every morning - since it was close to the house he'd bought
after moving to Indy.
Ahead of him on the path, he saw a familiar form - and slowed
to enable him to keep watching as the firm muscles under the
shiny powder blue material moved in supple waves. Blonde hair
the color of wheat was pulled back into a pony tail - and her
bare arms showed the natural glow of a tan that matched her smooth,
long legs.
This was the sixth day that he'd seen her here - always alone.
Usually, he hung back for a few minutes to 'appreciate the view'
before passing her and continuing on his way to complete his
run. Most of the time he had to get back home to shower and dress
for work - but it was Sunday - and for once he had nothing pressing
on his time.
So instead of passing her, he slowed again as he came up to her
side. "Hi," he said, giving her a wide smile.
"Hello," she said, smiling back, easily matching his
stride. "It only took you six days," she noted, causing
Jimmy's smile to fade slightly.
"Six days?"
"To do something other than enjoy the view," she noted,
and Jimmy felt his ears turning red with embarrassment.
"I'm a slow starter," he replied, seeing her blue eyes
move from his ears back to the path ahead. "And I didn't
want to rush things," he continued. "I mean, I -"
he wasn't usually this tongue tied with a woman, and the fact
that he was now caused him no small amount of frustration. "I
usually don't have a lot of time in the mornings between my run
and getting to work."
"Ah," she nodded. "I know the feeling." They
ran in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "I
guess you don't have to be at work today, then?"
"No. I usually don't on Saturdays, either, but yesterday
was an exception."
"Unfortunately, I *do* have to go to work today," she
said, and Jimmy felt deflated by the news - until she continued.
"But I don't have to be there until ten."
"Working on a Sunday?" he questioned.
"I'm a doctor," she told him. "I have ER duty
today." The sound of a cell phone ringing caused them to
both stop running as she unclipped the device from her waist
and opened it. "Hello, Kelly . . . Where's Dr. Martin? .
. ." Jimmy saw her sigh heavily, and enjoyed watching the
rise and fall of her chest before quickly lifting his gaze back
to her face. He could tell that she'd been aware of his attention
and relaxed when he saw that she was smiling at him, even though
she didn't look overly happy. "Okay. I'll be there in -"
she looked at her watch "- half an hour." Closing the
phone, she returned it to her waist. "I have to go."
Jimmy nodded. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Most likely," she confirmed.
"I'm Jimmy," he told her.
"Cameron. They call me Cam."
"I'll see you tomorrow, then, Cam."
She started to walk away, then turned to say, "I get off
at seven this evening. Why don't we have dinner?"
Jimmy was surprised at her suggestion - but wasn't about to pass
up the opportunity to spend more time with this woman. For some
reason he didn't understand, she intrigued him. "Sure. Where
and when?"
"St. Elmo's," she told him, surprising Jimmy just a
little. The surprise must have been apparent, because she smiled.
"Too rich for you?
"Not at all. What time?"
"Eight."
"I'll make a reservation, then," Jimmy agreed, watching
as she turned around and jogged away in the direction of the
parking area. His grin widening, Jimmy returned to the trail
and finished his run.
===========================================
He was waiting on the sidewalk in front of the St. Elmo Steakhouse
at precisely eight when Cam appeared. "I thought we were
going to meet inside?" she said.
"I couldn't get a reservation for 8," he told her.
"It's for 8:30."
"We could go to the bar," she told him.
"Exactly what I was thinking," he confirmed, opening
the door for her. "After you."
They told the hostess that they would be in the bar when their
table was ready, and then entered the back area that gave a view
of the kitchen behind the bar.
"I love coming here," Cam sighed. "Even when I
was a little girl and my dad brought me down here, it was so
wonderful."
"You're from Indianapolis, then," Jimmy noted.
"Born and bred," she nodded as the waitress came to
take their orders. "Tonic water with a dash of lemon,"
she told the woman, shrugging as Jimmy gave her a look. "I'm
on call," she explained. "Don't let that stop you,
though."
Jimmy grinned. "Whatever you have on draft," he told
the waitress.
"What about you?" Cam asked once the waitress left
them. "You're not a native."
"Does it show?" he asked, laughing softly.
"There's - something in the accent that's not right."
"I *was* born in Indiana," he told her. "My grandparents
had a farm downstate. But I grew up and lived in New York City
until last year when I moved back."
"New York? Wow. I can't imagine why anyone would leave there
for Indianapolis," Cam said, thanking the waitress for her
drink.
"I was offered a job here," he said.
"Must have been a pretty good job," Cam observed.
Jimmy shrugged. "I thought so. More chance of advancement
here."
"So, tell me, Jimmy. How is it that someone who looks like
you isn't married?"
"How do you know I'm not?" he questioned.
"No ring," she said, pointing to his left hand. "And
no sign of a tan line where one usually goes. Unless you're one
of those married men who doesn't wear a ring. Although, if you
were *my* husband, I'd make sure you wore one all the time just
to warn the other ladies away," she finished with a smile.
Jimmy chuckled. "I'm divorced," he told her. "Five
years."
"She left you?"
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" he replied, relaxing slightly.
"We just - didn't see eye to eye on the plans I had for
the future." He sat forward, leaning his elbows on the table,
his own gaze moving to her bare hands. "What about you?
No husband?"
He saw a flicker of something cross her face, but it was gone
so quickly that he wondered if he'd really seen it at all. "No.
Being a surgeon takes up a lot of time. Not much left for investing
in a long term relationship."
Jimmy felt as though she might be warning him not to get too
involved - to keep things light between them. And that piqued
his curiosity even more than it was already. But all he said
was, "You're a surgeon. I'm impressed."
"Why? Because I'm a woman?"
"An attractive woman," Jimmy clarified. "Most
of the women I've known in your field aren't." He winced.
"That sounded incredibly sexist. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I understand what you meant - even if you had
trouble saying it. I hope whatever you do doesn't depend on your
being able to convince people of things by talking."
Jimmy laughed. "As a matter of fact -" he was interrupted
by the intercom.
"Conlon, party of 2. Your table is ready."
"That's us," he told Cam, standing up and grabbing
his beer.
"Conlon?" she questioned, standing as well. "Jimmy
- James - Conlon. You're the Prosecutor for Marion County,"
she realized.
"Assistant Prosecutor," he admitted, looking for any
sign that she didn't approve of his profession. "We can
go now, if you'd prefer -" he said, giving her an out.
But Cam's smile uncoiled the tension that had fallen around him.
"Why? If you don't mind being seen with a doctor, I think
I can handle being in the company of a lawyer."
Jimmy stood there fixed in place as she swept past him and out
of the bar, surprised at her reaction. Finally he moved to catch
up, and they were lead to their table, in a corner as he'd requested.
For a few minutes they both studied the menu and gave their order
when the waitress came to take it.
Alone again, Jimmy sat back in his chair, studying her. "Where
did you run before you started running in Military Park?"
he asked.
"Eagle Creek Park," she told him. "I just moved
back into the downtown area last weekend. It was closer to work,"
she added - and Jimmy wondered why she felt the need to do so.
"Have you ever run a marathon or a tri?" he asked.
"I ran one last year," she told him. "The marathon,
I mean. I've never done a tri."
"What was your time?" he asked.
"Let's just say that I finished in the middle of the pack,"
she answered with a wry grin. "I could have done better,
but - I couldn't find the time to train like I should have."
"I've been thinking about signing up for the one this year,"
he told her. "It's in May, isn't it?"
She nodded. "The first Saturday. Kind of a kick off for
the hoopla surrounding the 500."
"Are you going to run this year?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"We could - train together," he told her. "And
there's a tri this summer that we could train for - if you want
to."
Cam was smiling again. "Let me guess: you ran the New York
Marathon."
"A couple of times. Ran the Iron Man in Hawaii once,"
he told her, picking up his glass to take a drink.
"Now *I'm* impressed," she said, her blue eyes wide.
"What was your time?"
"Thirteen thirty one," he admitted. "Not great."
"But you *finished*," she pointed out. "That was
an accomplishment. I'm not sure I'm in your league, Jimmy - I
mostly run for fun and exercise -"
"You'll never know until you try," he said smoothly,
give her a charming smile. "I've watched you run. I think
you could do it."
"Can I think about it?"
"Don't wait too long," he said. "We'll have to
register before the event."
"I'll remember," she said.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I tend to forget that
not everyone shares my enthusiasm."
"Did your wife?"
"I wasn't running marathons then, but - no. She was too
busy taking care of our daughter and running the PTA."
"You have a daughter?"
"Jessie. She's 18 and starting college in the fall."
"I'm sure she's lovely." She was quiet for a moment,
her thoughts written on her face. "I sometimes wonder what
- a child of mine would have been like," she said, a sad
smile on her face.
He ignored the slight hesitation as she spoke to say, "You're
still young -"
"I'm a doctor, remember? After 30, having a child isn't
easy."
"Not if you want it bad enough," Jimmy said.
"Enough about me," Cam said. "Have you always
been a prosecuting attorney, or did you used to be on the dark
side?"
Jimmy smiled again. "Always. Never seriously wanted to do
anything else. My father was a lawyer - a defense attorney. I
watched him defend people that he knew were guilty, saw how much
he began to hate it. After I finished law school, my father's
college roommate offered me a place in his office. He was an
ADA in New York. I accepted and never looked back."
"What did your father think about your going to the 'other
side'? she asked.
"He wasn't happy about it -" Jimmy admitted. "But
he was in the courtroom when I won my first case."
"He supported you even though he disapproved of your choice,"
Cam said in a tone that caused Jimmy's curiosity to rise yet
again. "I'm sure he's even more proud today, considering
where you are and what you're doing."
"He and my mom were killed in a car accident a couple of
years after I started with the New York DA's office," he
told her.
"Sounds a little like me. My dad's a doctor, too. But he's
still alive. Still sees patients that he's had forever. He's
a General Practitioner. There are times when I wish I'd gone
that route." She laughed. "And we're back to me again."
"I don't mind. I'd like to hear more."
"I'm not really that interesting. I'm not even sure why
I suggested dinner this evening. I don't usually go around asking
men I've just met to have dinner with me."
"I'm glad you did," Jimmy told her. "If you hadn't
asked, I think I would have. Of course, at the rate I was going,
it might have been next month." They both laughed and he
leaned forward just as the waitress returned with their food,
interrupting the moment. Sighing, Jimmy sat back again while
the woman placed their plates on the table, asked about refills
for their drinks, and then left. Jimmy sat forward again. "I'd
like to see you again, Cam."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Jimmy," she said.
"My life's a little like a train wreck at the best of times.
And no, I don't want to explain that, Counselor," she told
him before he could speak, even though he had opened his mouth
to do just that. "I don't want to drag you into my problems."
Taking a chance, Jimmy reached across to capture her hand as
it toyed with the fork beside her plate. "You're not dragging
me anywhere that I don't want to be, Cam," he insisted.
"Let me help."
"Why *did* your wife divorce you?" she asked, her eyes
meeting his as she slowly removed her hand from contact with
his. "I can't imagine any woman in her right mind letting
you go."
"I wish I could say that it was because I spent so much
time at work - but - a few years ago, I started thinking about
running for office eventually. Prosecuting Attorney, Attorney
General, - who knows where I'd end up. When I mentioned it to
Gail, she didn't want any part of it. She liked her quiet life
- out of the limelight."
"But you wanted more," Cam guessed.
"Yeah. And when she realized that I wasn't going to let
it go, she filed for divorce."
"So do you and she talk - or was the break less than amicable?"
"We talk - usually about Jessie." He smiled again.
"Jessie lives with her in New York right now."
"I still say she had to have been crazy to let you go."
"That's what I kept saying," Jimmy agreed. "But
she insisted. And since I wanted her to be happy -"
"You're still in love with her."
"As the mother of my daughter - yeah. But I'm over her.
Just never met anyone else that interested me enough to think
about moving on fully." His smile faded, his eyes meeting
hers as a sign of his sincerity. "Until today."
Cam's eyes dropped to the table. "Jimmy,-"
"I'm not going to give up, Cameron," he warned.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're stubborn, James Conlon?"
she questioned with a half smile.
"I prefer 'tenacious'," he clarified, smiling.
"My schedule's murder," she warned. "I'm surprised
that dinner hasn't been interrupted by a call from the hospital
by now."
"I'll take that chance," he told her. "Being an
attorney doesn't necessarily mean that I keep regular office
hours, either. But I really want to get to know you better -
will you at least give that a chance?"
"You're not worried that I might not want to be involved
with a politician?" she asked, and for a moment, Jimmy sat
back, studying her face, looking for any sign that she was telling
the truth.
Finally he shook his head after seeing the tiny smile that hovered
around her full lips. "You're not worried. If you were,
you would have taken her side when I told you about it."
"Okay. We can give it a try." She put her hand out
over the table. "Friends."
Jimmy laughed, taking her hand to shake it. "Friends,"
he agreed, then added, "for now, anyway," as he raised
an eyebrow, enjoying the sound of Cam's laughter merging with
his.
==================================
"You're in a good mood today," Annabeth noted after
the meeting the next morning.
"What makes you think so?" he asked, gathering the
papers back into folders.
"You're smiling."
"And that's unusual?"
"She means that your smile is different today," Maureen
clarified.
"Ah," Jimmy nodded. "Maybe it is."
"And you were late this morning," Annabeth continued.
"My morning run went a little longer than usual," he
told them. Picking up the folders, he said, "Keep me informed
about what Ed and Ray find out when they question Mrs. Compton."
"Yes, sir," Maureen agreed as he left the conference
room and headed toward his office.
Once there, he picked up the phone and called the number that
Cam had given him when they had parted after their morning run.
Truthfully, he'd been more than a little worried that she wouldn't
show up at the park - but when she had appeared as he was warming
up, he had smiled and greeted her with a delighted smile.
"You look happy to see me," she noted.
"I wasn't sure you'd be here."
"Honestly? I almost didn't come," she admitted sheepishly.
"I'm glad you did."
She smiled. "So am I." They'd run together, with Jimmy
subtly 'pushing' her to increase her speed until he was almost
running at his usual pace.
Now, he dialed the number and waited for the phone to be answered.
He was only momentarily disappointed when the call was picked
up by voicemail.
"This is Dr. Cameron Collier. I can't answer the phone at
the moment. Please leave a message. If this is an emergency,
please call 555-5151."
Jimmy waited for the beep, and said, "It's just me, Jimmy.
I wanted to see if you want to meet me for lunch. Call me when
you get this message if you're interested."
Hanging up, Jimmy opened one of the folders on his desk.
When the phone rang an hour later, he answered with a distracted
tone, his mind fully engrossed with a request made for dismissal
of charges in a murder case. "Conlon."
"Lunch sounds like a good idea right now," Cameron
said, and Jimmy felt his entire body immediately respond to the
sound of her voice.
"Hello. You sound tired."
"Surgery went longer than I thought it would," she
explained.
"Did it go okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks for asking. Where are we going to meet for
lunch?"
"I have a meeting that will probably go until noon - could
you come here and we'll go somewhere close by?"
"To your office?"
He could hear the uncertainty now. "Sure. I'll leave your
name downstairs with security." For a moment, as the silence
began to stretch out, Jimmy wondered if she'd hung up.
He was relieved when she finally said, "Okay. I'll be there
around noon."
"I'll look forward to it."
=========================================
Jimmy was coming back from the conference room when he saw Cam
approach Annabeth and heard her ask, "Excuse me, I'm looking
for James Conlon's office -"
He saw Annabeth turned to look at the woman, quickly inspecting
the visitor's badge that Cam was wearing. "It's just down
- there he is now," she said when she saw him.
He saw the curiosity on Annabeth's face as he approached. "Cameron
Collier, Annabeth Chase."
"Ms. Collier," Annabeth said.
"Ms. Chase."
"Ed and Ray aren't back yet," Annabeth told Jimmy.
"I'll be out for lunch," Jimmy informed her. "If
anything important comes up -"
"I'll call," she finished for him. "Enjoy your
lunch. And it was - nice to meet you, Ms. Collier."
"Please," Cam said as Annabeth would have turned away.
"Call me Cam."
"And I'm Annabeth." She gave Jimmy a knowing look before
walking away.
"She seems nice."
"She is. And she's a good lawyer," Jimmy confirmed.
Holding up the folder in his hand, he said, "Let me put
this in my office and grab my coat, then we'll go." He put
a hand to her elbow to guide her toward the office. Inside, while
he returned the file to his desk and grabbed his coat, he surreptitiously
watched as Cam examined his 'trophies' as others tended to called
them. Various mementos of his various marathons and triathlons,
including his medal for the Ironman.
"Impressive," she commented, as her gaze moved to the
photo of himself and Jessie taken during her last visit to Indy.
"Is this your daughter?"
"Yeah."
"She's lovely - and she looks like you."
"I think she looks like her mom," he said, putting
on his coat. "Are you ready to go?"
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Just around the corner."
=================================
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Jimmy decided
after the fourth time they were interrupted by someone from City
Hall saying hello. "I'm sorry."
"That's okay. You're an important person around here. I
can understand that. Next time, we'll have lunch at a place near
the hospital. Then it will be *my* turn to apologize," she
said, and they both laughed.
"Actually, I think the real reason they're coming over is
to meet the beautiful woman that I'm with," he suggested.
"That's possible too," Cam replied in a playful tone,
her blue eyes sparkling. "I take it that you don't bring
many women here."
"Actually, I haven't really dated anyone since I moved here."
"You're kidding, right? I'd have thought women would be
lining up around the block to get your attention. What about
that young lady in your office - Annabeth?"
Jimmy shook his head. "Annabeth's on my staff. She's too
young for me - and she was widowed less than a year ago. She's
a friend."
"You didn't answer my question about the ladies lining up
-" she pointed out, leaning forward.
"Never said they hadn't. I just wasn't ready to pay attention
to them." He reached across the table to capture her hand.
"I am now. But there's only one lady that I want to pay
attention to." He leaned closer. "Dinner tonight?"
She opened her mouth, but Jimmy stopped her. "And before
you say no -"
"I wasn't going to say no," she said quickly.
"Good. I'll pick you up at seven."
"Pick me up? From the hospital, you mean."
"No, from your place." Seeing her uncertain expression,
Jimmy frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing - I, uh - I probably won't be finished at the hospital
in time to get home and change - Why don't I meet you -"
"Is there some reason why you don't want me to know where
you live, Cam?" he asked.
"No. Of course not. I have an apartment on the west side.
It's just -"
Realizing that pushing might push her away, Jimmy gave in. "Okay.
I'll pick you up at the hospital," he compromised. "Is
that okay?"
"That's fine. I'll be waiting at the main entrance at seven."
She winced as her phone began to ring. "Sorry," she
apologized, opening it. "Hello, Gary . . . What's his temp?
. . . No, don't. I'll be there as soon as I can . . . Just keep
an eye on him." She hung up, apologizing again. "I'm
sorry."
"You have to go," he guessed.
"I *did* warn you," she reminded him. "My patient
has developed a post op fever - I need to check on him."
Jimmy stood up when she did. "I'll see you at seven."
"Thank you for lunch - what I got to eat of it."
"You can make up for it this evening," Jimmy told her.
"I hope." In a quick gesture that seemed very impulsive,
she leaned in to touch his cheek before turning to leave the
Side Bar.
======================================
"Annabeth said that you went to lunch with an attractive
woman," Ray said as Jimmy came down the stairs.
"She's right, I did," Jimmy confirmed.
"I didn't know you were dating anyone here in Indy."
"I'm not sure we *are* dating just yet. We met running yesterday
morning."
"You had lunch with her today?" Ray said with a knowing
grin. "You're dating."
Jimmy ignored his old friend's teasing. "Did you and Ed
find out anything from Mrs. Compton?"
"Yeah. She's in the interrogation room with Maureen."
=====================================
"Where are we going?" Cam asked when he picked her
up outside of the hospital that evening. "I'm not really
dressed for anywhere fancy tonight -" she pointed out, indicating
the blue surgical scrubs she was wearing.
"What happened to the clothes you were wearing this afternoon?"
Jimmy asked as he turned the car back out into traffic.
"A patient had an accident," she explained. "So
I had to change into these. Maybe we should cancel this evening
-" she suggested.
"Where we're going, you'll be fine," Jimmy promised.
"Where *are* we going?" she asked again.
"It's a surprise. A quiet atmosphere, good food." He
smiled as she looked at him with a curious expression. "How
was your afternoon? Other than the - accident, of course."
"All right, I guess."
"And the patient that took you away from lunch?"
"Doing very well. The fever turned out to be nothing serious,
as I expected."
"Good." He turned into a drive, and saw her turn to
look at him.
"Where are we?" she asked as the house came into view.
"My house," he answered, parking the car in the drive
in front of the porch. Turning off the engine, he turned to look
at her. "No ulterior motives, Cam," he assured her.
"But after lunch, I thought maybe we needed some down time
- just us, without any interruptions."
"Jimmy -" she said, surveying the two story house of
native limestone, built at the turn of the previous century.
"If you really hate the idea, we can go somewhere else -"
He started to turn the key, but she quickly put her hand over
his, stopping him.
"No. It's not that. It's just - I had no idea that you lived
*here*. This house is -"
"I know. Huge. Especially for one person. Too ostentatious?"
She studied him for a moment. "Not for you. Now that I know
you live in one of these old houses, I can see you here."
"Shall we go inside, then?" he asked, opening the door,
still giving her the chance to say no.
"Why not? I'm more than a little curious as to how you've
decorated it."
"It came furnished," he warned, coming around to open
her door for her as the front door opened to reveal a middle
aged woman.
"Mr. Conlon. I thought I heard your car."
"Mrs. Dawson," Jimmy said, sweeping Cam up the steps
and onto the porch. "Cam, this is Mrs. Dawson, my housekeeper.
Cameron Collier," he told Mrs. Dawson. "Dr. Cameron
Collier."
"Dr. Collier," Mrs. Dawson said, stepping aside as
they entered the house. "I'll take your coats," she
offered. "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,"
she announced as she took their coats.
"Thank you," Cam said, surveying the entry. After Mrs.
Dawson left, Jimmy extended a hand toward the living room. "Very
nice," she noted, leading the way into the other room.
"I plan to re decorate eventually," he told her.
"Why? I think it's lovely just the way it is," Cam
told him, running a hand over the age-smoothed dark wood of the
fireplace mantle. "I'm not sure that I would want to change
a thing."
After removing his suit jacket and tie and hanging them over
the back of a chair, Jimmy went to the bar. "Can I get you
something before dinner?"
"Whatever you're having," she said.
He paused - the bottle of scotch hovering in the air. "You're
not worried about being called back to the hospital?"
"Dr. Graves is on call tonight," she informed him.
Smiling, Jimmy poured two glasses of the liquid into glasses.
"Then here's to an uninterrupted evening," he said,
lifting his glass to hers, watching her as he took a drink.
"There's something different about you this evening,"
he noted. "I can't quite put my finger on it - but you seem
more - at ease than you did earlier today."
"Maybe I am," she confirmed. "I had to give one
of my patients some bad news earlier," she explained, looking
into the glass she held as Jimmy continued to watch her. "I
had to tell him that the tumor we removed from his body was malignant
- and that we weren't able to get all of it out."
"He's dying, then?"
She nodded, and Jimmy saw how deeply it had affected her. Moving
closer, he pulled her into his arms in what he hoped was a non-threatening
embrace. "I'm sorry."
"It usually doesn't bother me this much - but today, the
patient wasn't concerned about himself. He was worried about
his family. His wife was with him - and she was more devastated
than he was."
"That's understandable."
"I know. But for the first time I realized that I didn't
have anyone in my life that would miss me if something were to
happen to me."
"You have me."
Cam pulled back, lifting her blue eyes to his. "Be honest,
Jimmy. If I were to vanish tomorrow, you'd miss me for a little
while, then move on."
"No, I wouldn't."
"You don't even know me," she insisted, pulling away
from him. "You don't know all the things I've done. Things
that caused my own father to -" She paused, as if suddenly
realizing she'd said more than she meant to.
"I'm sure your father would miss you, too, Cam," Jimmy
said quietly.
"No," she said with a sad sigh. "We haven't spoken
to each other in ten years. Sometimes other people can't live
with the choices you have to make in order to survive."
The cryptic statement was punctuated by Mrs. Dawson appearing
in the doorway. "Dinner's ready." She was wearing her
coat and had her oversized purse on her arm. "I'll see you
tomorrow morning, Mr. Conlon. It was a pleasure to meet you,
Doctor. I look forward to seeing you again."
Cam frowned as she heard the front door close behind the older
woman. "She doesn't live here?"
"No. She stays late if I need her to for some reason, but
she's usually gone around seven. Why? Worried about being alone
with me?" he teased, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.
"Should I be?" she asked, and Jimmy relaxed slightly
as he realized that her earlier mood was gone, replaced by a
more light hearted, almost flirtatious one.
"You never know. If you want me to take you home -"
"No," Cam said. "I think I'll risk it."
Jimmy laughed and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's eat
before it gets cold."
Cam took his hand and let him lead her into the dining room.
============================
Over dinner, Jimmy kept Cam entertained by recounting his marathon
and triathlons, keeping things light and easy. Cam was surprised
by the meal, telling Jimmy to let Mrs. Dawson know that she enjoyed
it.
"You can tell her yourself the next time you see her,"
Jimmy told her as they moved back toward the living room.
"You seem sure that I *will* see her again."
Putting his arm around her, he pulled her close to his side.
"I am. As much as you fight it, you like being with me."
"You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" Cam noted,
but she was smiling up at him.
"Am I wrong?" Jimmy asked, one eyebrow lifted as he
turned to face her.
"No," she told him, lifting a hand to his cheek as
she had in the restaurant after lunch. "You're not wrong.
I *do* like being with you. You make me feel like I matter. Like
I'm important. Not as a doctor or a surgeon. But as a woman.
And I feel safe. It's been a long time since I've let anyone
close enough to make me feel like that."
Jimmy captured her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing
a kiss against her palm. "Safe? I'm not sure whether or
not to be insulted by that idea," he told her, his eyes
on hers to let him know that he was only kidding before he said
with sincerity, "I have a hard time believing that you've
lived a celibate life, Cam. A woman as beautiful as you are -"
"I didn't say I was celibate, Jimmy," she said. "I
don't do 'relationships'. A couple of dates and then I usually
find an excuse not to see someone again. Usually because they're
starting to get too serious."
"And that scares you," Jimmy said, releasing her hand
to lightly slide his fingers up her arm. He felt her shiver in
response to his caress. "Because you don't want to get too
close to anyone because you're afraid of being hurt again."
For a moment, he thought he'd made a mistake as she froze, her
eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Again?"
"That's what happened, isn't it? Why you're so frightened
to let someone in," he said, touching the back of his fingers
to her cheek. "To let someone close enough to really get
to know you."
"You don't want to know me, Jimmy," she said.
"Yes, I do. But I can wait for you to trust me enough to
let me in."
"I do trust you, Jimmy," she said, leaning in closer.
"I don't know why. It doesn't make any sense, but I do trust
you."
"That's good to know," he said, leaning closer as well,
lowering his head until his lips were a whisper away from hers.
"Last chance," he told her, hesitating a moment, not
wanting to push her into something she didn't want.
But Cam surprised him by meeting his lips with her own. Jimmy
felt her arms slide around his neck and pulled her in closer,
molding her body against his as the kiss deepened beyond anything
he'd expected. Cam felt so - right in his arms. Loathe to let
the moment end, he continued kissing her even when his lungs
began to scream for air. At last they both drew back, breathing
heavily. Jimmy buried his fingers in Cam's long hair as his eyes
met hers, relieved to see his own feelings reflected there.
His eyes fell to her swollen lips as her tongue appeared to circle
them. "Oh, Cam. That was -"
"Fantastic," she finished. "I know. I felt it
too," she assured him, her long fingers tangling in his
dark curling hair. "I didn't want it to end."
"Neither did I." He pulled her down onto the sofa as
he sat down, keeping his arms around her.
"Ooh," she teased softly, turning to face him again.
"Smooth move."
"I don't feel smooth at the moment," Jimmy admitted.
"I'm nervous as hell."
"Nervous?" she questioned, her fingers on the white
of his shirt, toying with the buttons. "I don't picture
you as the nervous type."
"I am with you," he told her. "It's been a long
time since I've felt this way, Cam. And while I don't want to
push you before you're ready, all I can think about is -"
"Taking me to bed?" Cam suggested, unfastening first
one button, then another.
"Yeah," Jimmy sighed. "I don't want to rush into
this, Cam. I don't want this to be short term." He could
have bit off his tongue as he saw the subtle change in her expression.
"Can't we just - take it one day at a time, Jimmy?"
she asked him. "Enjoy what we have right now without worrying
about the future?" As if attempting to convince him, her
fingers slipped inside of the shirt to touch his skin, - and
Jimmy was lost.
With a soft groan, he pulled her close again, plundering her
lips, taking what she was offering. But Jimmy gave Cam everything
he had, hoping she could feel how much he was starting to care
for her - and how much he hoped this wasn't going to end anytime
soon.
For the first time in a long time, Jimmy wasn't thinking about
his political future or how being involved with Cam might affect
it. By her own admission, she'd had more than one lover over
the years - always keeping things light. Something like that
probably meant she had skeletons in her closet - but Jimmy didn't
care.
He'd handle whatever came out of this. As long as Cam was here,
in his arms, that was all that mattered. She pulled back just
enough to straddle his hips, facing him. She framed his face
with her hands, placing a light kiss on his mouth before releasing
him and lifting the blue scrub top over her head, revealing a
very sexy black lace bra that left little to the imagination.
Jimmy's eyes widened when he saw it. "Do you always wear
things like this?" he questioned, lifting a shaking hand
to lightly trace the edges of the lace, watching as the contact
raised goose-bumps on her skin.
"No. I wasn't sure why I wore it today - except that being
with you last night made me feel like a woman instead of a doctor."
"I'm glad to hear that I'm somehow responsible," he
told her, slowly lifting his still shaking hands to cup her breasts.
Cam's eyes fluttered closed as he did so, and her head fell back,
revealing her neck to him. Jimmy's fingers began to steady as
they traced the outline of her nipples that he could see under
the lace before he leaned forward and gently sucked first one
and then the other into his mouth before blowing gently on the
dampened fabric. He watched as the flesh tightened and peaked
as Cam moaned softly.
She wiggled her hips against him, and Jimmy knew she could tell
how much he wanted her as he lifted his own hips to meet her
movements. "Why don't we move this upstairs?" he suggested,
only now realizing that his shirt was fully unbuttoned as his
hands dropped to her waist. When had she done that, he wondered
silently.
Cam leaned forward, kissing him again before standing up and
holding out her hand. "That sounds like a wonderful idea,"
she agreed.
Jimmy took her hand and stood up, leading her into the entry
hall, where he made sure that the door was locked and the security
system turned on before turning toward the stairs, with Cam's
hand still in his.
Once inside of his bedroom, he pulled her into his arms again,
pushing aside any concerns that this might not mean as much to
Cam as it did to him. When he felt her fingers on the fastening
of his trousers, Jimmy captured them and lifted each one to his
lips, shaking his head in silence, putting them onto his chest.
Lowering his own hands again, he found the tie at the front of
her scrubs and easily unfastened it, allowing the scrubs to pool
at Cam's feet Kissing his way down her neck, pausing at her still
covered breasts, Jimmy placed a line of kisses down her stomach
until he was on his knees before her. He felt Cam's fingers on
his shoulders, and with her leaning on him, he removed her shoes
one at a time.
Jimmy was grateful for the moonlight that streamed into the
room, allowing him to see the black lace panties that matched
the bra. Using his tongue, he left a trail along the top of the
lace before moving lower as he felt Cam's legs begin to shake
and her fingers digging into his shoulders.
"Oh, Jimmy, please," she begged softly.
"Shh," he admonished in an equally soft voice, one hand
moving to cover the dark mound in front of his face as the other
moved up her back, finding the closure of the bra, releasing it
as he touched her still-covered core. The fabric was damp - and
he could smell her arousal. Inhaling deeply, savoring her essence,
Jimmy felt her release his shoulders just long enough to remove
the scrap of fabric that was her bra just as Jimmy hooked his
fingers under the top of her panties and lowered them to join
the scrubs on the floor.
Standing, Jimmy easily lifted her into his arms and carried her
to the bed, laying her across it before kneeling again, this time
to kiss the inside of her thighs as she spread her legs for him.
When he finally touched her bare center, Cam cried out and jumped
at the contact, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Jimmy,
I need you -"
"Shh." Again he silenced her attempt to end this too
quickly. "Let me love you, Cam," he whispered, his thumb
circling her sweet spot before he replaced it with his tongue.
"Aaah!" Cam cried, her back arching off the bed.
While Jimmy's mouth was busy tasting her, his hands moved up to
gently cup and knead her breasts, circling the taut peaks. Her
head was turning from side to side, and she was moaning loudly.
Jimmy brought one of his hands back down and slowly inserted it
into her body, curving to find just the right spot as his lips
closed over her button once again.
Cam's reaction was immediate as she cried out his name and pulled
at his hair, her entire body tensing as she found her release.
"Jimmy!!!!!!!!!"
He stood and joined her on the bed, pulling her close as her breath
slowly returned to normal. His hands drew circles against her
bare skin, calming her.
"Thank you," she said at last, resting against him.
"No one's ever done that for me."
"No one?" he asked, doubtful.
"Not without my doing something for them first," she
continued, and Jimmy pushed aside his jealousy of the faceless
men she'd known before. Rising up on her elbow, she leaned over
him to kiss him. "I enjoyed it."
"I'm glad."
"You know," she said, lifting his unbuttoned shirt,
"One of us is overdressed, don't you think?"
When Jimmy would have pushed off the bed, Cam put her hands on
his shoulders, stopping him. "Uh uh," she whispered
against his lips, covering his body with hers. "Your turn,"
she said as she slipped down across his groin.
"Cam, you don't have to -""I want to," she
insisted, working on the fastening of his trousers before lowering
the zipper with an excruciating slowness that left Jimmy almost
gritting his teeth in frustration. "I can be unselfish too,
you know."
She surprised Jimmy by sliding farther down until she was standing
beside the bed. Lifting first one leg, then the other, she removed
his shoes and socks, then leaned forward to pull both his trousers
and briefs down and off of his legs. She kissed her way back up
each leg with the same almost agonizing slowness, ending by closing
her fingers around his hard member. "Mmm," Jimmy muttered.
"Feels good."
"You ain't seen anything yet," she promised, and Jimmy
lifted his head to see her touch her tongue to him.
Jimmy dug his fingers into the bedcovers as she took him fully,
encasing him in a velvet warmth that felt like he'd died and gone
to heaven. "Cam," he breathed, reaching down to touch
her hair. "Stop," he begged.
But she refused to be moved, and Jimmy's hand dropped back to
the bed, giving in to her on this. If she wanted to do this, he
wasn't going to stop her. Not when she was making him feel so
good. Incredible. Fantastic -
Suddenly he felt bereft as she left him, and he looked down to
see her climbing onto the bed, straddling him before lowering
herself onto him. If her mouth had felt like Heaven, Jimmy had
nothing to compare the way her body felt around him, her muscles
tightening.
Jimmy lifted his hands to her waist, letting her set the pace.
His hands spread out, his thumbs low on her stomach. She leaned
forward, her breasts rubbing against the damp, curling hair on
his chest, as she placed a kiss on his lips. "I'm so close,
Jimmy," she whispered against his lips. "So close."
Without warning, Jimmy rolled them over so that he was on top
and lifted onto his hands as he made slow, lazy love to this woman
that he knew now he would never get out of his system. Even after
a lifetime, he doubted he would ever get enough of her. "That's
it, Cam, honey," he whispered as he felt her body's tension.
"That's it. Let it go. Let it go, baby," he said, his
lips against the side of her neck. "Let it go."
As she tensed and cried out his name again, Jimmy found his own
release and joined her . . .
===========================
"You're incredible," Jimmy said as they lay tangled
together on the bed after they had recovered.
"So are you," she said, snuggling up against him, her
head on his shoulder. Her fingers moved down his chest. "I
could get used to this."
"I hope so. Because I don't plan on giving it up anytime
soon."
"Tell me, how does a Prosecuting Attorney afford a place
like this?" she asked, and Jimmy knew that he was pushing
again, so he let it go.
"My mother's family was old money. She was the only child
- and when she and my dad died, it all came to me."
"I'm sorry," she apologized, lifting her head to look
at him. "I didn't mean to remind you -"
"It's okay," he assured her, cupping her hip in his
palm and pulling her even closer.
"So, you're not only handsome, you're rich."
"I guess I am. Does that matter?"
"Matter? Of course it does," she said, and he could
see that she was teasing. "Money, good looks, and an unselfish
and *wonderful* lover to boot? You're every woman's dream!"
she declared.
Jimmy laughed, feeling just a little self-conscious. "Well,
as long as you're happy," he said, and felt her fingers tangling
in the hair on his chest..
"You know, neither of us asked the right questions before
we started this," she pointed out.
"Questions?"
"You know. The usual 'dating' questions," she prompted,
making quote marks in the air, and Jimmy realized she was right.
"Don't worry. My record's clean - It has be, since I'm a
doctor," she pointed out. "And I'm using protection,
so you don't have to worry about *that*."
"Not sure I *would* be worried about that," Jimmy said,
wondering what a child of theirs would look like. Turning on his
side to face her he was just in time to see something flicker
across her face at his words. "Cam?"
"Never mind," she said quickly, pushing him onto his
back and climbing onto him again. "What about you?"
she asked.
"Clean. I haven't had a relationship since I came to Indy,
remember?" he said. "And before that, I was careful."
"It wouldn't do for someone planning to run for Attorney
General to turn up with an STD, I guess," she said.
"No," he agreed, his hands on her waist. "But that's
not why I did it. And I'm sorry we didn't have this discussion
before we made love. I'm usually more careful. But there's something
about you that made me forget everything else," he told her,
lifting his head to kiss her.
"Same here. I *always* ask. But not this time."
"Maybe that means something," he suggested, watching
her reaction to his words.
"It means that you're sexy as hell," she said. "And
totally irresistible."
"Well, if that's true, then you'll stay the night."
"Stay the night?"
He nodded, bringing his hands up to cup her face, forcing her
to look at him. "Stay with me. Please."
"Saying no to you isn't easy."
"Then don't say it," he said, placing a light kiss against
her lips.
"I'll stay," she agreed. "But we have to get up
early so that I can get home before work."
"We will," he promised. "We'll even be up early
enough to get a run in."
"We'll see," she said, sliding against his body, smiling
when she realized what she was doing to him. "Ready for another
go, Counselor?" she asked with a sensuous smile.
"Always," he assured her, rolling them both over again.
=================================
A week later, Cam was becoming a welcome fixture in Jimmy's life.
They spent every evening together, either at her apartment or
at his house. They shared lunch most days. At Jimmy's insistence,
they had gone to a small diner near the hospital a few times -
and true to Cam's word, they had been interrupted more than once
by people who knew Cam and were curious about her dining companion.
They had even gotten past Cam's one attempt to break off the relationship
- but it had taken Jimmy refusing to let it happen by spending
most of her voluntarily working to cover the all night ER surgery
rotation waiting for her to go off duty for her to realize that
he wasn't going to give up as easily as the other men in her life
had apparently done.
He still knew very little about the reasons for her distrust and
fear of being abandoned - every time the subject came up, she
changed it - or seduced him into forgetting it.
"Do you have to work this weekend?" he asked on Monday
night as they lay in his king-sized bed after having made love.
"No.Why?"
"There's a party that I was invited to - I wasn't going to
go, but - I thought we could both go -"
She turned to look at him. "A party?"
He shrugged. "The governor is having a fund raiser - and
he's going to give me some kind of commendation - I just thought
you might agree to go with me." She relaxed slightly, but
Jimmy could still feel the tension in her lithe body. "If
you'd rather not go, I can make my apologies -"
"No, I'll go," she told him. "I just hope I can
find something suitable to wear. I would guess that it's black
tie?"
"Yes," he admitted shyly. "But you look good in
anything," he told her, sliding his hands down her body to
pull her closer. "Or nothing."
"You're a smooth talker, James Conlon," she replied.
"Part of my charm," he told her.
"But not all of it," Cam said, sliding down his body
. . .
=========================================
"I guess people are getting used to seeing us together,"
Cam noted as they sat in the Side Bar having lunch later that
week. "We're not being interrupted as much."
"Sounds like you miss that."
"Not really. It's nice being able to talk without having
to stop every few minutes." She pushed the salad on her plate
around for a moment. "I found a dress for Saturday night.
I just hope it'll be okay. I've never been to a reception at the
Governor's mansion before."
"You could - model it for me tonight," he suggested
with a leering grin and a wink.
"I just might do that," she told him. "We can see
how easy it is to -," she was saying as something caught
Jimmy's eye at the front door of the bar.
His eyes widened as he recognized the dark haired young woman
at the same time as she saw him and waved. "Jessie,"
he muttered.
"What?" Cam questioned, turning as Jessie appeared at
the table.
"Hi, Dad," she said, and Jimmy stood up to give her
a hug.