A/N Last chapter. Enjoy! :-)
Mahoney's Pub was packed for their Bond Night film fest. The wait staff wore mocked up tuxedos, the James Bond theme music kept recurring and martini glasses filled cocktail trays being carried through the bar. The films were being shown in chronological order, just finishing 'Dr. No'.
Eric washed down a nacho with a beer. "I'm just saying that the cuff link cameras would be awesome."
Jamie shook his head. "Oh, come on! The high tech stuff is cool, I'll give you that, but let's be honest—it's the Bond girls. That's the headline."
"Well, from what I can tell you've been working with a beautiful girl for three years. Or did you fail to notice that?"
Jamie turned his head and followed Eric's eyes toward the bar, where Eddie was picking up a pitcher of Corona Light. She wore a black halter top and jeans, and her blond curls tumbled down over her bare shoulders and down her back. "Trust me," he added, "I didn't fail to notice a thing."
"And in all this time there's never been anything between you two?"
Jamie looked back at him. "I never said there wasn't anything between us. I just said we kept it platonic. But you'd be surprised how deep a relationship like that can be."
Eric looked dubious. "For three years?"
"Yeah," he said, taking a swig of beer. "But I didn't say it was easy."
Eddie set the pitcher down on the table. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked looking at Eric.
"I was just saying to Jamie that I was really convinced you two were married, and now that I'm with you in your real setting I still see it. It's really special what you guys have. I still stand by what I said at the workshop—you are role model for what a relationship should be."
Eddie eyed Jamie sideways and popped a peanut in her mouth. "So, Eric, now that everything is said and done, what about the marriage renewal ceremony that we participated in?"
"You mean is it binding in any way? Well, Roger—despite being a thief and an SOB—really is an ordained protestant minister and the paperwork was real. That being said, the Reardon's are the ones who were united in marriage—not you two." He watched their reactions sensing they would be slightly let down.
Eddie secretly felt disappointed. She glanced at Jamie. "I guess that's a relief, right, Reagan?" She patted his shoulder. "You probably feel like you dodged a bullet!"
"In my experience," Eric continued, "marriage has less to do with weddings than it does with what a couple feels. If two partners feel married in their hearts then the bond is as strong and committed as a couple who walked down the aisle—maybe stronger. The two of you are every bit as married as the next couple." He glanced down at his phone and checked the time. "I've gotta run. I have a session to prep for tomorrow."
Jamie stood up and shook Eric's hand. "Thanks for everything, Eric. We couldn't have done it without you."
Eric smiled. "You mean catch a criminal or test the waters of a personal relationship with your partner?"
Jamie chuckled and wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh…"
Eddie stood up and gave Eric a hug and he kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Don't be a stranger, Eddie."
"You too," she said squeezing his arm affectionately. "Thanks for everything."
He smiled. "You'll always be that girl in the cheerleader uniform, Eddie. You should model it for your partner. You put the Bond girls to shame." He winked at Jamie and, grabbing his coat, turned and disappeared in the crowd.
Jamie sat back down. "What cheerleader uniform? The one from the photo we saw?"
She took a pull from her beer. "Maybe."
He watched her facial expression and teased her with genuine curiosity. "And you can still wear it?"
She pretended to be offended. "Reagan! It hasn't been that long. Jeez! You know, I might have actually modeled it for you, until that crack. Now you can forget it."
He smiled and leaned closer to her. "Too bad. Halloween is around the corner and the precinct costume party is coming up."
She wrinkled her eye brows. "What precinct costume party?"
"The one I'm instituting as its new sergeant. I don't have a date, so that cheerleader costume would have made you the perfect side kick."
She burst out laughing. "I would not be caught dead in my old high school cheerleading uniform at the twelfth."
"You don't work there anymore. Remember?"
"Yeah, but I have my reputation to think about. Besides, that's pretty intimate stuff."
He leaned closer, whispering under his breath. "What's wrong with intimate?"
She laughed. "We've never even had a date, Reagan."
"What do you mean? We spent a weekend at the Plaza Hotel?"
"Yeah, working." She laughed and leaned her chair back. He grabbed her hand and led her out of Mahoney's and on to the sidewalk. He glanced to his left and right and found a side alley way he knew would be there, gently tugging Eddie along behind him. It was abandoned and was illuminated by a soft blue light, and he led them half way in to the alley.
"Reagan, what's the deal? Where are we...?" He nudged her carefully up against the wall and placed feather light kisses on her cheeks, forehead, chin and nose, tenderly tracing a trail of kisses over her mouth. He teased her with his lips, teeth and tongue until a quiet gasp of air shuddered from her mouth. Eddie felt butterflies swirl in her core, flying out to her fingertips, as they reached up in to his soft hair. She wanted to say something but the feel of his warm hands spreading up over her rib cage and breast rendered her speechless, only able to make soft pleading sounds from deep within her. "Jamie…" She whispered in the dark.
"Will you have dinner with me?" He whispered as he reached down and gently lifted her leg until it rested on his thigh, wrapping it around him as he leaned forward and pressed himself against her. He brushed his lips against her ear, tracing his tongue over its shell, his warm breath whispering against her. "At that little Italian place in Brooklyn, Luigi's." His breath was ragged against her skin. "The one we've passed a thousand times and you've always said you'd like to eat there."
Her head fell back against the concrete wall and a smile covered her face. Another little detail he remembered about her. ..he remembered. "Yes…" She mumbled, panting as his hands caressed her and his teeth nipped at her neck. "Yes, yes…." She felt delirious and senseless, losing herself in his arms and on the edge of falling in to him. He looked at her, the blue light reflecting off his hooded eyes, shining and dazed from desire. "I love you" he whispered. A tear trickled down her cheek and he kissed it, licking the tiny drop. "How's that for intimate?" He kissed her again, whispering against her lips.
She rested her forehead against his. "You know, technically we're married." He nodded his head against hers and kissed the tip of her nose as she spoke. "And marriage is an amendment to the earlier rule about intimate stuff between people who work together."
"We don't work together." His lips kissed a path to the swell of her breasts and he could feel her losing control, slipping to the edge…
"Thank God." She struggled to speak, nearly incoherent, her hands reaching for him…wanting him.
A flashlight suddenly broke through the solitude of the alley, shining brightly. "Hey!" the officer's voice called out. "You, two! Everything ok? This is public property." An NYPD officer on a night tour.
They immediately straightened up and Jamie stepped in front of Eddie, gliding a hand through his hair. "Yes, officer, everything's fine. Sorry. My wife and I were just leaving the pub and waiting for a taxi."
The cop nodded. "Alright then, let's hurry it up. Get a cab or get a room!" He turned and walked away.
Standing behind him, Eddie's forehead fell on to his shoulder and uncontrollable laughter bubbled up from inside her. "You heard the man, Reardon. Let's get a cab and a room."
He pulled a hand over his face. "Oh my God, It's not funny. We could have been busted!" He couldn't contain his own laughter.
She leaned around and looked up at him. "My place is a few minutes from here by car." She reached for his hand, her turn to lead the way. "Let's go home."
Straightening his clothes, Jamie followed her to the street where a yellow taxi pulled up and they climbed in. As the car sped through the street, they huddled in the back seat, anticipating the night they knew they would have. The car went passed the Plaza Hotel and they looked up to see their room. He kissed her and she recited the vow she took in to his lips….
My hero, my best friend and my partner…
A/N Fin! This was a fun one to write! Thank you again for reading and thanks so much for your sweet reviews and encouragement! :-) Ciao for now but Ill be back!