A SEAL's Courage (Military Match #1)(24)

Fuck. He was going to lose his damn mind.

He bent his head, brushing his mouth over hers. Sipping. Tasting. Taking a privilege he damn well shouldn’t, but one he couldn’t resist either. Clearly he’d caught her by surprise, but she moaned low in her throat, and her mouth opened on a shuddering sigh. Her body melted beneath him, her hands sliding up his back to gather him closer. Yeah. He’d never in a million years get used to that. Or enough of it.

He allowed himself a taste. A moment to get lost in the suppleness of her lithe body beneath him. Her hot tongue swirling into his mouth and the quiet little whimpers and sighs emanating from the back of her throat. Then he forced himself to pull back, because he didn’t think he could stop at a kiss.

He nipped at her bottom lip, then forced himself to slide off her. He lay on his back beside her, tried desperately to ignore the throbbing in his jeans—which were now too damn tight—and folded his hands over his stomach. If he didn’t, he’d be rolling back.

Just his luck, Lauren snuggled up to his side and leaned her head against his shoulder. Every time he dragged in a breath, his lungs filled with the delicate mix of her fruity shampoo and the sweet musk of her perfume. “Thank you for being honest with me, but, Trent?”

He stared at her popcorn ceiling, watching the play of shadows. “Yeah?”

“I want you to use me.”

His knuckles popped with the effort it took not to reach for her. Clearly he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. He’d be hard all fucking night.





Chapter Six



Lauren woke the next morning to a vise squeezing her skull and a mouth that felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton. The house around her lay still and quiet. Eerily so. No soft breaths in her ear, no solid body warming her side. Beside her the sheets were cold as well. Despite her senses telling her otherwise, she pried her eyes open and turned her head. As expected, the space next to her was empty.

She sighed into the room, trying her damnedest to stem the disappointment rising in her chest. After spending the night in his arms and that phenomenal kiss, waking to an empty bed and cold sheets left a hollow ache in her chest. Should she have expected anything more, though? Okay, so he’d admitted he was attracted to her, too, but his heart was still under lock and key. He’d told her as much. He’d also told her he intended to keep her firmly in the friend zone.

So why the disappointment this morning?

Because they’d shared a moment. It might have only been a moment, but her heart had clung to it. Telling her that their kiss had meant something to him, too, was like dangling a cookie in front of a woman on a diet.

She threw back the covers and pulled herself upright, groaning as the headache became a dull throbbing in her skull. A glance at the clock told her it was five minutes after nine. She’d hadn’t slept this late in…years. She was usually up by three.

Never again. She was never drinking that much again. Another experience to check off her list, but something she wouldn’t be repeating.

As for Trent, she needed to go back to the agency and set herself up with another date. Stop her heart from hanging on this one impossible dream. The trouble was, she had no desire to. Her heart had gotten stuck on a single man. Him.

Firmly shoving her thoughts aside, she pried herself out of bed and stumbled toward the kitchen, eyes half open. Halfway up the hallway, noise coming from the kitchen stopped her cold. The sound the glass coffeepot makes as it settles into the base.

Her heart skipped several giddy beats. There could be only one person in her kitchen this morning. Barely daring to believe it, she resumed her trek, but it wasn’t until she came to a stop in the entrance that her mind finally accepted the fact. Trent. Not gone after all. He stood in front of the coffeemaker, wearing the same fitted jeans and long-sleeved shirt he’d had on last night. His hair stuck out at odd angles, but otherwise he looked the way he always did. Delicious.

She shook her head, unable to hide the awe the crept through her. “You’re still here.”

He peered over his shoulder and, at the sight of her, smiled. “Where else would I be?”

“You said you’d be there when I woke up.”

Regret filled in his eyes, creasing his forehead.

“Sorry. After last night, I thought you could use some coffee and something in your stomach. Figured I’d wake you when it was done.” He shrugged, adorably uncertain, then flashed a warm smile. “Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes.”

Amazed by the sight of him, she stepped farther into the room, glancing around as she moved. Trent had the top of the coffeemaker open and scooped in grounds from a bag of locally roasted coffee. On the stove sat a nonstick skillet, and on the counter beside it, bread was doing its thing in the toaster. “What is for breakfast?”

Trent closed the coffeemaker and hit the brew button before moving back to the stove. “Eggs and toast. I always found something simple easier to stomach after a night of binge drinking. You like your eggs scrambled, right?”

“Yes.” Color her impressed that he’d even remembered. Over the years, she’d stayed at his parents’ house a lot, but being so much older, he was always gone. They’d rarely had breakfast together, save the few times he’d come home on leave.

She moved to stand beside him, watching for a moment as he cracked eggs into a bowl. One-handed even. Damn impressive.