“Yes.” She liked to be his sweetheart. Even if it was just for the night. But talk was cheap and her body was hot and aching. She’d been ready for him since the moment she’d jerked awake.
Bracing himself on her headboard, he thrust inside her. Stilled. Shuddered. Only then did she realize how badly he needed this, needed her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he pushed deeper, filling her completely. His muscles quivered with every thrust. Faster. Harder. Her mind calmed and she gave herself over to the frenzy of passion, meeting his every stroke with a rock of her hips, riding the tidal wave of sensation until it swept her up and carried her away.
He followed her with a guttural groan and then collapsed beside her on the bed.
“Do you still want to go?” she whispered.
Jay rolled to his back and pulled her over his chest, settling her against him. “Not yet.”
* * *
? ? ?
“Well, look what the cat dragged out.” Zara looked up from her coffee when Jay walked out of the bedroom with Marmalade in his arms. He had stayed in the shower after they’d made use of the soap and the warm water and the fact he was strong enough to hold her up against his hips.
“We’ve come to an understanding.” He sat at the kitchen counter and took the coffee she offered. “I’m the alpha of the bedroom and he can be alpha everywhere else.”
“Very sensible.” She pulled out a bag of bagels and offered it to him, unsure what to do. Now that they were both dressed, everything seemed too civilized. She still couldn’t believe he’d stayed the rest of the night, sleeping deeply and peacefully until she’d woken him in the morning. “I’m not much of a breakfast person. I usually pick something up on the way to work.”
“I can cook,” Jay said. “I have excellent breakfast-making skills.”
“I have excellent breakfast-eating skills, but I have a rehearsal for a community theater production of The Pirates of Penzance in an hour and I can’t be late.” Although tempted, she didn’t know what this was and she didn’t want him to get any ideas. A night of sexy times was one thing. Morning breakfast was something else entirely, and she was suddenly desperate to be alone.
“I would be a formidable pirate,” he said, musing. “I have a gift with swords, as you well know.”
Laughter bubbled up in her chest, easing her tension. “I think someone is overly pleased with himself this morning.”
“You’re still here. I take that as a marker of my success.” He added cream and two sugars from the tray she’d left on the counter. Clearly, he wasn’t in a hurry to go.
“It’s my apartment, Jay. Even if your performance was subpar, it’s not like I could go anywhere.”
“Subpar?” He choked on his coffee. “That word and my name should never be used in the same sentence.”
“Are you some kind of cat whisperer?” she asked when Marmalade purred, rubbing his head against Jay’s chest. “He doesn’t like strangers.”
“I’m hardly a stranger. I’ve been here all night.” He sipped his coffee with his free hand. “Cats love me. I made friends with a stray cat at a base in Afghanistan. He followed me everywhere. I said goodbye when we had to leave but he stowed away on our cargo plane. He came with me on every mission after that.” His face softened. “I named him Storm because there was a storm the night I found him.”
Marmalade purred so loudly Zara had to laugh. “You have tamed the savage Marmalade beast. I’d say that definitely makes you a cat person. Do you still have Storm?”
Jay’s face smoothed to an expressionless mask, and he shook his head. Sensing the loss had been difficult, she scrambled for a neutral topic to lighten the mood.
“Did you learn anything about me while you were alone in my room?” She didn’t know if he’d been poking around, and she didn’t care. Zara had nothing to hide.
His face lightened in an instant. “I did see some interesting lingerie on your dresser. Why wasn’t it worn for me?”
Amused by his look of righteous indignation, Zara laughed. “You didn’t seem interested in seeing me in any clothes.”
He shot her a pointed look. “Next time.”
Next time? Was there going to be a next time? Was this, as she’d told the singles table last night, just a wedding hookup that would end when he walked out the door? Or was it something more? Something she’d promised herself never to do again.