After Him Chapter 3

Jameson didn't show his face for days after that. He just sent perfunctory texts every day.

[Field exercises. Can't get away.]

[Stop being upset. When you're discharged, I'll throw you a party.]

[Does your hand still hurt? Take care of yourself.]

But every time I received his message, one from Riley would follow immediately.

All photos of Jameson taking care of her.

Feeding her soup. Massaging her shoulders. Even using his prized combat knife—the one he never let me touch—to peel an apple for her.

That night, my hand hurt so badly I couldn't sleep. On impulse, I called Jameson.

The phone rang and rang. No answer.

After I hung up, Riley's message came through immediately.

[Guess what we're doing?]

Below was a video. Just the thumbnail radiated an intensely intimate atmosphere.

My hand shook as I clicked play. In the video, Riley was completely naked, her face flushed as she writhed on the bed.

She got up and wrapped her arms tightly around Jameson's waist from behind, pressing her burning body against his crisp uniform.

"Jameson... don't go... I'm suffering... the drug... the effect hasn't worn off..."

"If you leave... I'll die... please..."

Jameson stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back at Riley's glazed eyes, his own filled with tortured conflict.

Finally, he bit down hard, hung up my call, turned around and swept Riley into his arms, tossing her back on the bed, his voice rough and strained. "Let's make this quick!"

The video went dark after that, filled only with the sounds of tangled bodies and Riley's satisfied, anguished moans.

I felt like I'd been plunged into ice water. My blood froze in my veins.

I clutched my phone and stubbornly kept calling Jameson.

All night long. 527 calls. He didn't answer a single one.

It wasn't until the next day, when daylight broke, that I received a cold reply: [Emergency military business yesterday.]

Tears fell. I smiled bitterly.

So his "emergency military business" meant being attentive to another woman, taking care of her at negative distance.