Her voice came out softer than she’d expected.
His arm stayed secure around her, his hand moving in slow, easy circles over her back.
They lay there like that, skin warm, limbs tangled, the intensity giving way to something quieter. Something deeper. Tess traced idle patterns across his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall beneath her fingers.
After a moment, he spoke again, his voice low and sincere. “That was... amazing.”
Her lips curved faintly. “Yeah. It really was.”
But even as she said it, her thoughts started to wander.
How will this change things?
Will either of us regret it in the morning?
Was it just a fleeting moment in time that we’d shared, or is this the beginning of something neither of us had planned for or expected?
She didn’t have the answers as Brian slid from her body. Worry crept in as he stood, removed the condom, and disappeared into the bathroom.
Was he going to leave?
God, she hoped not.
The anxious flutter in her chest eased when he returned, stretched out beside her, and pulled the sheets and comforter over them both.
She shifted closer, fitting herself into his side, and he welcomed her without hesitation, drawing her in like it was instinct.
Earlier, she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t let her heart get ahead of her head. She wouldn’t read too much into his warm arms and whispered words and the way he held her as if she mattered.
But lying there with him, listening to his breathing even out, it was hard not to wonder. Hard not to hope.
They didn’t need to define anything yet. For now, it was enough to be there—wrapped around each other, breathing in sync.
And Tess told herself she’d take it one step at a time.
Even if part of her already knew she was in trouble.
Chapter 18
The first thing Tess noticed was the light. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense the brightness behind her lids, the soft warmth of morning sun pushing through the blinds. For a moment, still caught between sleep and waking, she thought she’d only dreamed it—the heat of his body, the way his mouth had claimed hers, and their night tangled together until exhaustion finally won. That it had all been some reckless fantasy she’d made up.
Then the mattress dipped behind her. She opened her eyes to see sunlight painting pale stripes across the floor and turned her head just enough to see him.
Brian.
Relief and a rush of warmth surged through her at once. He was real, solid, sitting there, in boxer briefs.Gah!He looked so handsome and drool-worthy. Hishair and skin were damp from a recent shower. His masculine scent lingered—clean soap threaded with the darker, musky trace of sex still clinging to the sheets. It pulled her right back into the memory of last night, every nerve ending sparking with awareness.
What startled her most wasn’t just that he was still there, but that his presence didn’t feel strange. There was no awkward scramble for distance, no sudden regret filling the air. And when his gaze met hers, she didn’t see the familiar signs she dreaded when she hooked up with a man she was interested in, rare as it was. There was no flicker of second thoughts, no urgency to leave. Just steadiness and want.
He leaned down, bracing a hand on the mattress beside her, and kissed her. Gentle but persistent. More a promise than a demand. Tess let herself sink into it, savoring the warmth of his mouth and the calm that came with it.
Then his stomach growled. Loudly.
She broke away with a startled laugh. “Hungry?”
He smirked and rubbed a hand against his taut abs. “I was just about to ask you the same thing, but my stomach beat me to it.”
He straightened, grabbing his jeans from his duffel bag at the foot of the bed. She didn’t know where it came from, and he must have noticed her confusion. “I always keep spare clothes in my truck. My first homicide scene was particularly messy, and I learned quickly to have extra clothes I could change into.”
