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Hailey proudly smiled at herself as she stared at the squeaky clean stove.
She'd been tidying up the entire condo and was happy with the result, glad she'd made the most out of her day off.
Jay had helped her a lot, moping the floor and swiping the dust off the highest shelves (not without making fun of her height in the process), and now he was in their office, their bullpen-at-home, the place where usually finished writing their paperwork or other boring, work-related stuff.
His Sergeant exam was just a couple of days away, and Jay was using every bit of his free time to memorize as much information as he could.
Overall, he was at a good point, but it was common knowledge that the last mile is always the hardest.
Hailey was so invested in the audiobook she was listening to, the story about enchantress Circe, that, "Oh my god!" She jumped when felt someone hugging her from behind, her heart thumping fast in her chest as she took her headphones off.
When she turned around and saw her husband staring at her with wide eyes and an amused grin, "What is wrong with you?!" She snapped at him, hitting his chest with her hand.
"Woah, so much love in the air!" Jay commented sarcastically, backing off and raising his hands in surrender.
Hailey sighed, sending him a glare and crossing her arms on her chest. "Thought you were studying," she mumbled to him.
Jay hummed at her, "I'm taking a break," he replied while reaching for the snacks cupboard and taking one of Hailey's chocolate bars from it.
He hated those, they were way too sweet for his liking and she didn't know why he suddenly wanted to have one, but she decided not to question that for the moment.
There was something else concerning her at the moment.
In fact, "Jay, you started ten minutes ago," she pointed out, jumping to sit on the counter.
"Fifteen," he corrected her, taking one bite of the chocolate bar and making a disgusted face when the sugar hit his taste buds.
"How do you eat these?" He asked her after he'd swallowed, shaking his head in disapproval, "Nasty."
"Why aren't you studying?" She tilted her head, snatching the chocolate bar from him, knowing he was going to toss it in the bin.
"What are you? The police?" Jay retorted, proudly grinning at himself for the excellent joke he made.
Hailey gasped at him, baffled by his response and, really, she didn't want to give in by laughing at his joke, but her attempt failed when her lips started curling upward.
She sighed, exasperated, "Why did I marry you?" She mumbled to herself, closing her eyes in disbelief.
Before he could come up with an answer (an idiotic one, most definitely), "I'm done here," she told him, pointing at the squeaky clean house, "I can help you."
"Nah," Jay waved his hand dismissively. "I appreciate it but I've got this," he went on. "It's just boring stuff anyways so…" He trailed off with a shrug.
"Enjoy your day off," he concluded, sending her a wink before sweetly pecking her lips and going back to his duties.
Hailey quietly watched him go, not really convinced by his response, but let him be.
She reached for the cupboard to take another chocolate bar (blame Jay for reminding her those still existed), then took her phone and headphones and got on the couch to start listening to her audiobook from where she left it off.
She kept listening to her audiobook for about thirty more minutes before deciding she'd had enough and pressing pause. She wasn't focusing on it anyways, her mind too busy wondering if her husband was actually studying or not.
Hailey got up from the couch, filled a glass with some cold water, and started tiptoeing as she approached the room Jay was in, holding her breath so he wouldn't hear her. As if that could help.
She wasn't spying on him, she was just… Checking, secretively.
The door wasn't completely shut, so Hailey could easily see what was going on inside.
She saw that Jay was bent over the table, lazily reading through the flashcards he was supposed to be actually paying attention to and huffing every other second.
"Jay Alexander!" Hailey exclaimed, stepping inside the room with a scolding look on her face.
Jay quickly sat upward, pulling the numerous flashcards closer to him, just like he did when he was a teenager and his mom would come into his room to check if he was actually doing his homework.
"You're a truant," she went on, leaving the glass of water next to him and standing beside him with her arms crossed on her chest.
"Those eyes…" Jay pointed at them, "You're judging me," he muttered.
"I am," she stated with a nod, then "Really though, what are you doing?" She asked, "Well, not doing," she added, sending him a glare.
Jay huffed in frustration, "This thing is so damn boring," he whined, "I've been on the job for more than a decade now, I know how to do it," he rolled his eyes, leaning back on his chair.
"Still, you're supposed to know this boring stuff," Hailey argued, patting his chin, a smile of sympathy on her face.
"I know," he murmured, scratching the back of his head.
Hailey peeked at the flashcards and, just like that, an idea came to mind.
If Jay thought that whatever he had to learn for his exam was too boring for him to be actually interested in him, well, she was going to make it less boring. Or at least try to.
And she knew a way.
"Okay," Hailey sat in front of Jay, feeling his piercing stare focused on her. "Let's make this fun then," she said, smiling at him, "Or at least try to."
"Fun..?" He asked skeptically, his head slightly tilted, "I really can't see how…"
Hailey nodded, her cheeks slowly turning red. "Does strip poker ring any bells?"
Jay raised his brows, an amused yet intrigued look on his face. "It rings many bells," he replied, clearing his throat, suddenly feeling flushed.
"Perfect, we're gonna use it as our studying method today," she started.
"You got thirty minutes to study these," Hailey pointed at the flashcards, "After those thirty minutes, the quiz starts. You answer correctly, I say goodbye to one piece of clothing, otherwise…"
"There'll be no otherwise," Jay was quick to cut her off, feeling extremely thrilled by that plan.
Hailey chuckled, amused by his eagerness, and then got off her seat.
She started walking towards the door but, "Where are you going?" He asked.
"Clock's ticking, Jay," she muttered wittily, "Don't worry about me," she added with a wink before exiting the room.
Hailey played it fair and returned to the room when the thirty minutes passed.
Jay looked up at her, a confused look on his face when he saw she was wearing her bathrobe, her hair tied in her signature ponytail and a relaxed expression on her face.
"Very sexy!" He commented sarcastically, causing Hailey to stick out her tongue at him as she sat back in front of him.
She took the flashcards from him and cleared her throat. "I'm gonna change some data so I know you're actually following me," she told him, earning a confident nod in response.
Hailey started reading the first question but was cut off mid-sentence, "Are you already naked under that robe?" Jay asked.
She gasped at his audacity, kicking his leg. "Jay, zip it. Focus," she told him, glaring at him as a way of telling him to stop playing around.
"Name, uh, five of the most high risk critical tasks in Law Enforcement," She asked.
Jay hummed for a couple of seconds and then started counting with his fingers. "Use of force. Pursuit. Arrest search and seizure. Motor vehicle contacts. Property and evidence," he replied without hesitation, proudly smiling at himself before Hailey could confirm his answer was correct.
When she did, his smile widened. But, it didn't last long, his face turning into a frown when Hailey untied her hair, handing him the hair tie, "Here."
"You're kidding me, right?" Jay arched his brow, staring at his wife in disbelief.
Hailey glanced at him, keeping a straight face. "I'm dead serious," she said, "You gotta earn whatever you think you're getting out of this," she went on, biting her lower lip to prevent her smile from forming.
They had just started and she was already having fun.
Jay huffed in annoyance, "God, this is gonna take forever…" He trailed off.
The blonde snickered, "Nah, only twenty-four more questions to go!" She said with way too much enthusiasm for her husband's liking.
They made it to question twenty without many troubles on their way, Jay got only two questions wrong for now; Hailey's method turned out to be a success, which wasn't that surprising to be honest.
The next questions were so easy to answer that Jay didn't even have to properly listen to them, not that he actually could, since Hailey was now sitting across from him in just her underwear and a pair of socks.
The socks went away quickly too, but it's not like he actually cared about those.
Her whole face turned red completely when he nailed the second to last question.
"Take it off," Jay murmured in a challenging tone, his voice now sounding more horse and his thumb nervously tapping against the wooden desk.
He was trying everything in his power to resist and not reach for her, touch her where he knew she liked it.
"Aw, it's cute you think you're in charge of anything here…" She mocked him but nonetheless reached for the back of her bra to unclasp it, the thin, red fabric sliding off her body and fully revealing her breast.
Hailey couldn't help but grin though, when another idea came to her head.
"You can't touch," she warned him, her voice shy and low.
Before Jay could ask what the hell she was talking about, Hailey was already on her feet and walking towards him.
She sat on his lap, facing him, keeping an innocent look on her face.
But, Jay's thoughts right now were far from innocent; how could they be when Hailey was just a few inches away from him, teasing him to the extreme and driving him insane?
And not happy, "Stop moving," she put her hand on his thigh, very much close to his crotch, feigning to be annoyed by the nervous bouncing of his leg.
Jay let out a small groan of frustration. That was plain torture. He had no doubt that she was trying to kill him.
"Last question, c'mon, Hailey," he pleaded, biting his lower lip and swallowing hard, "Let's get this thing done."
Hailey couldn't lie and she wasn't enjoying seeing him like that, his eyes begging her to hurry so he could finally touch her.
She sighed dramatically, "Fine," she granted. "But don't snoop," she warned him and then started reading the last flashcard she had.
Once she was done, and before Jay could deliver his answer, Hailey decided to change her position, actually straddling him, blushing the moment she was able to realize and feel how much he wanted her.
It was enough for Jay to forget what the question was and he suppressed a groan when his brain registered that.
"Oh, shoot. Uhm…" he huffed, closing his eyes hoping that could be helpful.
"D..?" Jay tried, not even knowing what the answer he chose did imply.
He couldn't care less.
Hailey tried not to react, her body feeling hotter all of a sudden. "Are you sure?" She adjusted herself on him, watching him wet his lips.
Jay just nodded, not trusting his voice, and waited for her response.
"Well, congrats, Sergeant Halstead," she whispered to his ear, cupping his face and leaving a big kiss on his cheek.
He let out a long breath, only now realizing he'd been holding it this whole time.
His hands immediately reached for her body, his long fingers hooking with the fabric of her panties as his lips found hers, kissing her passionately.
"Now, c'mon, panties off," he muttered against her mouth, pulling her body closer to his, "I won."
"Wait," Hailey halted him with her pointer finger and slightly pulled back, a smile curling up her lips, her skin flushed red.
"Bonus question," she said, starting to giggle when he groaned dramatically, still tugging at her lacy underwear and teasing her through it.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt him fingers against her bare flash as he kept pulling the fabric to the side.
"Am I or am I not a good teacher?" She asked rhetorically, her hands fiddling with the hem of his black sweatpants.
"Oh, you're definitely a good teacher," Jay replied, his lips traveling down from her jawline to her breasts. "The best," he added, ripping her panties open, the sharp sound echoing in the room.
"Jay!' Hailey gasped, smirking at the eager gesture.
"I promise I'll buy you a whole new box of these," he chuckled, pecking her cheeks, a soft hum of pleasure following his words when Hailey pulled down his sweats.
"Needless to say but…" Jay cleared his throat, his eyes glimpsing at Hailey, "I love this studying method," he muttered, a smug smile on his lips as he handed the blonde her (his) oversize shirt.
Hailey blushed at the comment and dramatically rolled her eyes. "Bet you do," she said, putting her shirt on and sighing while resting her back against the couch.
She observed Jay as he put his clothes back on, kind of saddened by the fact that they were preventing her from staring at his perfect, muscled body.
"Seriously though, did you actually learn anything?" She asked him, her arms crossed on her chest.
She wasn't trying to kill the mood but she was honestly concerned; she knew he was tired of flipping the pages of that gigantic book he had to study, the flashcards and the other stuff, but it was the extra effort he had to put if he wanted the exam to be a success.
Jay nodded confidently at her question. "I did," he stated, staring at her. "Wasn't really doing much before you came in, so…" He leaned, pressing his lips on her pink cheek, "Thanks for having my back," he smiled against her skin.
"Always have," he added, blushing a little.
It had always been a constant in their relationship before they got together before they even could consider themselves friends.
Ever since the first day they worked as partners, Hailey had proved to him over and over again that she could be someone to rely on whenever he needed it, and he was grateful for that.
And, once again "Always will," Hailey made sure to remind him, cupping his face with her hand, her thumb brushing over his stubbly cheek.
She then leaned closer to him and before their mouths could touch, "You still got one chapter to study," she told him with a smug smile, patting his face and backing away.
Jay squinted his eyes, his lips forming a pout. "You're a party pooper," he mumbled.
Hailey scoffed in response, "Dude, I'm the one who threw the party!" She retorted, getting up and pulling his arm so he would take the hint too.
But, he wasn't having it at all, pulling her instead, and of course ending up winning.
Jay welcomed her in his arms, chuckling at the dramatic groan she let out, "You're annoying," she made a face at him.
"Let's party some more," he whispered to her ear, her hands sneaking under her shirt and touching her skin.
Hailey had to take a deep breath to calm herself down because, really, it was insane how many sensations he could make her feel with just a simple touch.
She cleared her throat, "Duty first," she granted, the look on her face implying that he still had a chance.
"Same method as before?" He asked, a hopeful tone behind his voice as his eyes kept going back and forth between her eyes and her lips.
Hailey amusedly patted his cheek and snorted at his question, "You're funny," she replied with an eye roll, getting up and going to sit at the desk.
Jay shrugged and, "Didn't sound like a no to me," he chanted excitedly before getting up as well, following his wife and sitting in front of her.
TWO DAYS LATER
Hailey got out of the car the exact moment she emptied her large cup of coffee, tossing the item into the nearest trash can.
She was outside the 15th District, she'd been there for the last two hours waiting for Jay's exam to be over.
When he dropped him off, he had insisted she'd go do her errands so time would pass but stubborn Hailey was firm in her decision to stay there instead and wait until he was done.
It was now 10 AM and Jay was supposed to come out with his result any second now, and Hailey was anxious.
She was also excited, knowing deep down in her heart that they had nothing to worry about. Jay was an excellent detective and it was definitely time for him to prove he could be a good Sergeant too.
When Jay finally exited the building, Hailey couldn't really interpret anything based on the look on his face until he got in front of her.
She frowned in confusion when she saw he had a blank, unreadable expression.
"So..?" Hailey asked, nervously patting his arm.
He stayed quiet and took a folded paper he’d tucked in the back pocket of his jeans. He unfolded it slowly — too slowly! — and showed it to her, pointing at the number revealing his score.
96%.
The look on Hailey's face changed in a matter of seconds, maybe less than that.
She was now grinning with enthusiasm and immediately threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, and Jay didn't waste time as well, lifting her body and smiling when she hooked her legs around his waist.
"Congratulations, Sarge," she told him, peppering his face with sweet kisses.
They weren't used to displaying affection in public, at least not so openly, but Hailey didn't actually care, the fact that people could see them was the last thing on her mind right now — she was so damn proud of her husband and had every intention of showing it to him.
"Not there yet," Jay chuckled, blushing slightly, "But the tough part's over," he muttered, leaving a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Couldn't have done it without you," he tightened his grip around her body.
Hailey blushed at his words, bringing her lips close to his ear.
"Why don't we go home and celebrate," she told him seductively, her teeth slightly biting his earlobe.
Jay chuckled contently, "Don't have to tell me twice," he replied, giving her thigh a light squeeze before watching Hailey get back on her feet and hurry inside the truck with the biggest grin ever.
When Jay got inside the vehicle too, "I think we should take my score as a hint, ya know…" He mumbled casually, starting the car and glimpsing at his wife from the corner of his eyes.
He saw Hailey frown in confusion at first then, when she realized what he truly meant by that, shook her head in disbelief.
"Your sense of humor is broken, let me tell you that," she sighed.
Jay started chuckling, "Hey, you said we should celebrate!" He retorted, lifting his eyebrow.
"Still. You're a freak," Hailey commented, her cheeks now fully red and a tiny smirk threatening to form on her mouth.
"Takes one to know one, Hailey Anne," he continued to tease her, his lips curled into a mischievous grin.
She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time and shook her head; she really couldn't wait to wipe it off his face.