"Boone." Her voice is soft, satisfied.
"Yeah." I lift my head to look at her. Her face is flushed, her eyes heavy lidded, her hair a wild mess against the pillows. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. "It was."
I pull out carefully, dealing with the condom before stretching out beside her and pulling her against my chest. She curls into me automatically, her head on my shoulder, her leg thrown over mine.
"So much for professional distance," she murmurs.
"Professional distance was never going to work with you."
"I know." She presses a kiss to my chest. "I'm very disruptive."
"You're impossible." I tighten my arm around her. "But you're mine now. You know that, right? After this, there's no going back."
She lifts her head, meeting my eyes. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both."
Her smile is slow and satisfied. "Good."
We lie there in the aftermath, her breathing evening out as sleep pulls at her. I know I should return to my own cabin, maintain some semblance of the boundaries we've thoroughly destroyed.
Instead, I hold her closer and let myself have this. One night of peace before the chaos comes.
Because it's coming. The threat is real and closing in.
But for now, in this moment, she's safe in my arms.
And I'm never letting her go.
CHAPTER SIX
MARA
Iwake to an empty bed and the smell of coffee.
For a moment, I just lie there, cataloging the pleasant aches in my body. The tenderness between my thighs. The slight burn on my chin from Boone's beard. The satisfying heaviness in my limbs that comes from being thoroughly, completely satisfied.
Last night happened. All of it.
I stretch, letting the memories wash over me. Boone's mouth on my body, his hands lifting me, his voice rough with command and praise. The way he looked at me when he finally let go of his control. The way he held me afterward, like I was precious and his and not going anywhere.
"You're awake."
I turn my head. Boone is standing at the top of the loft stairs, two mugs of coffee in his hands, wearing only his tactical pants from last night. His chest is bare, and I can see the scratches I left on his shoulders. The marks of my nails on his skin.
Mine, I think. He's mine now.
"Barely." I sit up, pulling the sheet with me. "What time is it?"
"0630." He crosses to the bed, handing me one of the mugs. "I let you sleep as long as I could, but we have training scheduled at 0800."
"Training." I take a sip of the coffee. Perfect. He remembered how I take it from dinner two nights ago. "After last night, you still want to train?"
"After last night, training is more important than ever." He sits on the edge of the bed, his free hand finding my ankle beneath the sheet. "The threat is real, Mara. What happened between us doesn't change that."
"I know." I set the mug on the nightstand, reaching for him. He comes willingly, letting me pull him down beside me. "I'm not trying to avoid reality. I just want five more minutes of this before we have to deal with it."
He wraps an arm around me, tucking me against his chest. "Five minutes."
