Once she reached his bedside, she hesitated, suddenly a little shy, a little nervous. But he didn't give her time to reconsider. He came to his knees on the bed and slipped both hands under her nightgown to circle her waist, turning her so he could make the most of the moonlight filtering through the gaps in his window blinds.
Kino's tail thumped against the floor as if he approved, but Zoe didn't care about the dog's presence. She cared only about touching Jonathan, about being touched by him.
"Wait." She stopped him. "What about birth control?"
"I've got a condom," he said. "Don't worry about anything."
Slipping her arms around him, she let him kiss her and felt an involuntary shiver as his tongue slid against her own.
"It'll be okay," he said. "Everything will be okay."
She clenched her hand in his thick hair as he took the kiss deeper, and desire spread through her veins, heightening every sensation until the slightest touch made her tremble. "I like the way you kiss," she whispered.
His hands pushed up her nightie until he'd taken it off entirely. "What a sight," he said, his voice low and reverent. Then he leaned forward just enough to graze the tips of her br**sts with his bare chest.
Light though the contact was, it felt like an electric jolt. Zoe heard his quick intake of breath before he drew her fully against him.
It wasn't long before they fell back on the bed. Zoe purposely forgot about everything as she lost herself in the sensations he evoked, purposely shoved it all away and felt carefree for the first time in days, weeks, years.
When he rolled her beneath him, she was so eager and ready she almost groaned in frustration when he stopped.
"Look at you. I've never seen a more beautiful woman," he said, gently pinning her hands above her head.
"How many have you seen like this?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Enough to know what I'm talking about." He gave her a sexy grin and lowered his mouth to her breast.
By the time he lifted his head, she could scarcely catch her breath.
"This was inevitable," he told her.
As she took in his earnest expression, fear seeped through the pleasure. What if she could still fall in love? What if she did--and it didn't work out? Again? Where would that leave her?
She was tempted to flee to the safety of her own room. When their relationship ran its course, she wouldn't be able to walk away from him the way she had Anton. She knew that as surely as she knew making love with him wouldn't be the same, either. What would that do to her? Or Sam, if--when--she ever got her daughter back?
She needed to be more cautious. But she'd come too far to turn back....
Zoe woke naked in a tangle of sheets. Caught between Jonathan on one side and Kino on the other, she could hardly move. She didn't care; she was in no hurry to go anywhere. Warm and content, she closed her eyes and pretended she was someone else and this moment could last a lifetime.
But then her cell phone rang, reminding her that she wasn't someone else and her daughter was still missing.
Nudging Kino out of her way, she got up and hurried into the kitchen to grab the phone. She didn't take time to dress. After such a wonderful night, she couldn't help hoping that maybe this was the call she'd been waiting for.
Maybe the nightmare would end today....
But her phone identified the caller as Colin Bell.
Disappointment slammed into her. It wasn't the good news she so desperately craved. If her daughter had been found, Detective Thomas would be calling to tell her. But Colin had done a lot to help her look for Sam and she hadn't followed up with him after the search yesterday. Once Jonathan had notified her that they hadn't found any trace, she'd decided to give herself some time to deal with the letdown before making the obligatory thank-you call.
Swallowing a sigh, she figured there was no need to put it off any longer and answered as pleasantly as she could, considering he'd just pulled her out of a warm bed and away from the first real comfort she'd known since Sam went missing.
"Hey," he said. "Happy Mother's Day."
Was it Mother's Day? She'd forgotten. Considering the circumstances, she'd rather not have acknowledged it. And she thought most people would understand why, but she supposed he meant well. "Thanks."
"How are you doing?" he asked. "I've been worried about you."
She would've felt more comfortable if he'd said we. "I'm fine. Better."
She left the kitchen to find a more comfortable spot on the couch.
"What happened to you yesterday? It had to be serious to keep you away from the search."
"I don't know exactly." She didn't want to mention the sleeping pills.
"I must've had a touch of the flu."
"The flu's miserable."
She opened her mouth to respond when a strange scene--a flashback?
a dream?--played in her mind. She was sitting at Colin's dining-room table, looking at...maps? Tiffany was in the kitchen doing dishes. Colin, who'd been sitting beside her, was getting up.
In her own voice, she heard a question. Where're you going?
It was Colin who'd answered. Just helping Tiffany clean up.
You have a really nice wife. Her voice again, said with a smile.
Except when she's helping me murder someone came Colin's response, and then he'd laughed.
The memory was out of focus and a bit surreal. Did that mean it was a dream? An hallucination brought on by the alcohol she'd had with dinner?
It must be. No one would make a comment like that to a guest.
"Zoe?" Colin said.
"I'm here."
A noise in the hall told her Jonathan was up. Folding his arms, he leaned against the doorway. He'd put on a pair of boxer briefs, which made her self-conscious about her own nudity. Even though they'd made love last night, it felt awkward facing him in broad daylight--especially naked in his living room. Somehow that was different than being with him in the bedroom. "Who is it?" he asked.
She pulled a throw from the back of the couch to cover herself. "Colin Bell."
"What does he want?"
She tried not to admire Jonathan as he stood there, barely dressed.
While she was living with Anton, she'd made an effort to convince herself that physical attraction, or the lack of it, didn't matter. Kindness. Loyalty.
Dependability. Those were the traits that mattered.
She still believed those traits mattered more, but it was astonishing how powerful physical attraction could be. Especially when Jonathan seemed to possess kindness, loyalty and dependability, as well. "He's just checking in."