So he fought the temptation and only said gently, “My God, I’m glad you barged in on me this morning. And that you found that photograph.”
She went still for a moment, then rose, her hands on his chest and a smile on her lips as she replied, “Call it fate, because as much as I might have wanted it—” she blushed “—I’m not sure I would have dared to do anything about it. I’m not exactly accustomed to picking up men.”
She eased back to his side, and he looked down at her, grinning. “No? I don’t suppose you have to. I imagine men spend a great deal of time and effort wracking their brains trying to think of a way to bring you home.”
She laughed. “Thank you. I think. I mean, that was a compliment, right?”
“Oh, yeah.” He was silent for a minute, then said, “So tell me about your love life.”
“Nonexistent,” she told him. She was staring reflectively at the ceiling, and she looked at him. “I was engaged. He was in the service, and he was killed in the line of duty.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“He was a great guy. I still miss him.”
“I’m sure you do,” he said sincerely. If you loved this guy, he had to be great, Caleb added silently.
“It was three years ago now,” she said.
He frowned. “You haven’t…gone out with anyone since then? Even for dinner?”
“No. I haven’t given up on life or anything. I just never met anyone I wanted to…I just never met anyone.”
“Now I’m really flattered,” he said, picking up her hand and kissing her fingertips. He loved her hands, he thought. Delicate, clean, manicured but not ostentatiously. They were well-tended but not fussed over. Like her hair. Clean and silky, but not cut in some hip, high-maintenance style, not highlighted, just…
Just beautiful.
She turned to him. “What about you?”
“I was engaged once, too.”
“Oh…?” she asked in a tone that said she wanted to know more.
“Nothing dramatic. We just went our separate ways. She didn’t like my job or my hours. Or my occasional moodiness.”
“Are you moody? You always seem to be watching. You listen to people. You see what’s going on. You…you wear a mask,” she told him. “You never seem to reveal how you’re really feeling.”
He stroked the skin of her face, amazed again at the breathtaking beauty of it. “It goes with the territory of what I do, I guess. And we broke up a long time ago.”
“And since then? I would have thought that—well, quite frankly, I’d be surprised if women weren’t throwing themselves at your feet.”
“I suspect they can tell I wouldn’t be interested. I haven’t felt like this in ages. Maybe not even in this lifetime,” he admitted.
She caught her breath, staring at him, but she didn’t accuse him of overdoing the flattery—or of being insane.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm, what?”
“This morning…well, the thought was in my mind. About tonight. Except I didn’t plan on barging into your room again. But I was thinking—” she blushed “—about sex. With you.”
“It was the boxers, right?” he said, and laughed.
“Actually, maybe,” she replied, her own tone light. But her smoky silver eyes seemed to hold a serious message meant just for him, and she added, “I think this is more than sex. No pressure intended, plus I’ve been known to be wrong. On occasion.”
“This is much more than sex,” he agreed, then kissed her lips, lightly and tenderly. “Though the sex…was awfully damned amazing.”
She chuckled, a deep and throaty sound that aroused him again all by itself.
“I hope I’m not looking at a one-hit wonder.”
“Oh, Lord, is that a challenge?”
“I’m not sure,” she said honestly and a little breathlessly. “It’s been a very long time.”
“In that case…”
And then he made love to her again.
And she made love to him.
As they strove together for the peak, the bizarre thought came to him that he was meant to be here. With her. That he had somehow loved her, looked for her, forever.
Then the thought faded, and he lost himself again in pure, primal pleasure.
Afterward, when they were exhausted, sated, he stayed. He didn’t suggest leaving, and she didn’t say anything about it, either, just lay curled against him, quiet.
He reveled in her warmth, still amazed by the way he felt.
Finally, as the night deepened, they slept.
Sex.
It was good. No, it was wonderful. It changed the world. It was magic.
How the hell had she forgotten? How had she managed to stay dormant for so long, not just physically but emotionally?
She woke slowly, feeling ridiculously giddy, even though she knew she might be setting herself up for a long and painful fall.
They hadn’t made any promises or anything. This wasn’t the kind of slow, steadily building relationship she had known before. This was instant passion and need, and it might end up going nowhere.
Even so, it felt somehow right to have him sleeping at her side.
She stretched out an arm as she turned, seeking the warmth he had offered.
And the excitement.