Between You and Me

He hovered over her, pushed back her hair from her face, and stared into her beautiful blue eyes. Emotions rolled through him, waves of warmth and connection. He pressed his lips to hers. “You’re amazing.”

She only smiled and kissed him back.

He rolled, pulling her with him until they settled side by side, still locked in an embrace. “I’m wiped out,” he murmured. “What a day . . .”

“So go to sleep,” she said, stroking his beard.

He glanced down at her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Do you want to leave this bed right now?”

“Not for all the money in the world.”

“So give in. Go to sleep.” She kissed his cheek and added in a whisper, “It’s okay.”

Suddenly overcome by exhaustion, he kissed her once more and closed his eyes.

He woke with a start in a dark room. Disoriented, he tried to piece together where he was . . . Hair tickled his chest. Tess’s warm body was aligned with his. He had no idea what time it was. She slept soundly, curled into his side. He listened to her slow, deep breathing, letting it hypnotize him back to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, there was light. Dark gray light poured in from the floor-to-ceiling glass wall of Tess’s bedroom. The forest and mountains were barely visible outside, but still a stunning view. He lifted his head to look over Tess’s sleeping body to the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was just past six in the morning. This was usually when he woke for the day, but he felt tired deep in his bones. He let himself give in and closed his eyes once more.

Movement on his arm jostled him out of sleep . . . a tiny wet tongue on his face. Sputtering, he raised up on his elbows, then laughed. Tess wasn’t licking him awake, Bubbles was.

“Naughty girl,” Tess reprimanded the dog. “Let him sleep!” She gave Bubbles a gentle push away from Logan.

“It’s fine,” he said, flopping back down. Sunlight peeked from between thick clouds over the mountains. Again, he gazed at the view, enjoying it. Then he realized he was waking up in that big cozy bed beside Tess for the first time, and he wanted to savor it. The bed felt as amazing as he’d always suspected it would, but waking up with her was even more amazing. Warmth stole through him. He pulled her in close and lightly kissed her lips. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning.” She smiled, a lazy, sweet curve of her mouth. “How’d you sleep?”

“Both like a rock, and restlessly,” he said. “It was weird. When I was asleep, it was so deep, I didn’t even dream. But I woke up a few times . . . Guess my brain wouldn’t let me be.”

“I’m not surprised.” She gripped his chin and pressed kisses to his mouth. “Glad you slept at all. You needed it.”

“Yeah, I did.” He trailed a fingertip along her cheek. “Thanks for letting me stay over.”

“Thanks for not arguing with me. I could see you needed to pass out.”

“I did. I . . . I needed to be here with you.” He only realized just how much as he said the words. His throat got a little thick. “You gave me the comfort I needed last night. Thank you. You’re an incredible friend.”

“I’m glad I could give you what you needed,” she murmured. She kissed him once more, then sat up. “How about coffee? Can I make you some breakfast?”

“Yes to the coffee,” he said. “But I’m making you breakfast. Time to treat you with my culinary skills.”

“On top of your already incredible bedroom skills? You’re a man of many talents.” She got out of bed and he relished the view of her lithe naked body. He tried to ignore his morning wood as she crossed the room to grab her soft red robe. But as she pushed her feet into the matching slippers, she eyed his growing erection. “How about after breakfast, we take care of that . . . ?”

His cock twitched at the thought. “I like how you think, lady.”

He pulled on his jeans, didn’t bother with the sweater, then made himself comfortable in her kitchen. Enjoying the space and high-end appliances, it was a pleasure to make omelets with onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. She toasted some whole wheat bread and made coffee. They sat at the kitchen table and ate together in quiet comfort.