Finally, after brushing her teeth, removing her makeup, and completing her moisturizing routine, she emerged from the bathroom, still clutching her clothes to her chest. Jack was sitting on the edge of the bed in only his boxer briefs, thumbing through something on his phone. Her eyes roamed over his strong, muscular back, and she felt the momentary compulsion to run her hands over every chiseled feature. It was almost enough to chase the exhaustion away.
She yawned suddenly. Almost.
He turned back to her with a tired smile. If he was disappointed that she wasn’t wearing a naughty negligee, it didn’t show. “Are you as beat as I am?”
She nodded. “Beater.”
“Come on. I already brushed my teeth at the wet bar,” he said, making her heart jump into her throat as he slid into the bed and pulled back the sheet, motioning for her to join him inside. She crawled onto the mattress next to him, feeling the waves of heat from his body surrounding her. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her back to his front and nuzzling his face in her hair.
She had expected to spend the rest of the night lying awake, too worried to fall asleep. But as she lay there, she felt something she hadn’t expected. Comfort. Safety.
Contentment.
What happened to this arrangement being just about sex? She thought sleepily. She couldn’t think of an answer, though, because before long she relaxed into him, her heartbeat slowed, and they both fell asleep.
Chapter Five
Eva
Eva rolled over in bed, still unable to drag her eyes open. She felt suddenly chilly.
Great. Was the heater in her apartment on the fritz again?
Pulling the covers up to her chin, she realized this wasn’t her worn flannel comforter, the same one she’d had through twelve years of Catholic boarding school. As she stretched her toes, she heard the faucet for the shower twist on in the bathroom.
Jack.
Eva blinked open her eyes to see the crown molding of the Plaza hotel room above her, and pale morning light peeking through the small gap in the drawn drapes. Her stomach lurched as she remembered the circumstances that had brought her back here. Someone had broken into her apartment. Someone had managed to breach the Antonio Fiorini Fortress.
No matter how tough she’d tried to play it, Jack had to have realized she was afraid. She’d never been good at hiding things like that. Plus, Jack had good radar in that department. He’d always been protective, and he was also fiercely loyal to Antonio¸ even now that Antonio was no longer among the living.
That’s why she was here. She was Jack Bennett’s charity case. She’d known that the moment the words “You’re staying with me” had left his lips.
Last night, however, she’d been too tired to fret about it. Now, reality crashed into her as she remembered why she felt so cold this morning.
She’d slept in his arms in a king-size bed. There was plenty of room to stretch out, and holding her wasn’t something he was required to do. She was pretty sure spooning wasn’t part of sex education, either.
Interesting. Very interesting.
But she refused to think about it too much. How much she liked it. How safe she felt.
It’s only for a short while, she reminded herself. Don’t get used to it.
She glanced around the hotel room. Everything was just the way they’d left it after last night’s sexy lesson—the half-empty bottle of Dom propped in the ice bucket, the chair where Jack had watched her strip pulled out from the desk.
Last night, before the break-in, he’d driven her wild…
Yes, that was something much nicer to think about than her fear, or all the confusing emotions swirling in her chest. There was nothing mystifying about the way Jack made her feel when they were skin to skin.
She shivered again, suddenly very awake as she remembered the way he had felt against her, the hungry way he’d touched her, clearly wanting her every bit as much as she wanted him. As she lay propped up against the headboard, her hand instinctively travelled beneath the waistband of her pajama pants. She slipped her fingers under the fabric of her panties and touched herself, almost absently at first. She was already wet.
Hell, now that she knew what Jack could do to her, would she ever not be wet, thinking of him?
Her mind drifted to the electric touch of his skin, his hardness hot against her thigh, and she let out a sharp gasp. She’d been so close to having sex with him. She’d never been that close with any man, but even if she had, she couldn’t imagine that anything could compare to the enormity of having the man she’d lusted for since she was a teenager inside her.
She opened her legs wider, her fingers lightly grazing her clit as she recalled how his tongue had expertly and thoroughly explored her folds, the way he’d spread her apart, delving deeper and deeper until she thought she’d explode.
He was damned good