His chest tightened, and his cock pushed at his sweats.
Zee didn’t answer with words. Her hand came up and she cupped his jaw, the touch gentle and sure.
The contact hit him harder than anything had in a long time.
Her thumb brushed along his cheek, then she leaned in.
And kissed him.
He froze for a half a heartbeat, then something in him snapped.
He locked a hand on her nape, and the other on her waist, hauling her halfway into his lap. She moved the rest of the way on her own, straddling his hips and cradling his face in both hands as their mouths collided.
Christ, she felt like heaven and tasted like need. Though their bodies reacted strongly, their initial kiss was a slow press of their lips, the scantest pressure as if they were testing the reality of it.
She pulled back a little, eyes gleaming.
“Zee.”
She crushed her lips to his again, wiggling closer, fitting their bodies together in a way that left nothing to the imagination. Through the thin barrier of her panties and his boxers and sweats, their body heat blazed.
He slipped his hand up her waist, dragging the little nightie with it, pulling her closer as he kissed her.
The second he deepened the kiss, he knew he was in trouble. Real trouble.
Because this wasn’t just attraction. This wasn’t just tension finally releasing.
This waswant—the kind that went deeper than he had any right to claim.
He couldn’t stop his hands from tightening on her side and memorizing the softness of her through the flimsy fabric. She slid her fingers into his hair, holding him close as the kiss deepened—smoldering restraint giving way to a heat that blurred everything else.
A voice landed in his head.
Matt’s.
The name hit him like a punch, and for a split second, everything inside him recoiled.
What the hell are you doing?
This was Matt’s wife. A SEAL under his command. His friend.
The one man he’d lost.
Guilt surged up, sharp. He should pull back, should stop this before it went any further.
But Zee wasn’t having any of that. Her breath caught against his mouth, overriding the guilt just as fast.
In its place came another worry—she was so much younger than him.
“Grant.” His name came out in a ragged whisper.
He sucked in a harsh breath. She wasn’t just Matt’s widow. She was Zee.
“Christ, honey.” He slammed his mouth over hers again, tilting her face up to his and drinking from her long and deep.Passion swelled with each flip of their tongues and the tiny noises bursting from her drove him to the brink.
He broke the kiss long enough to drag in a breath, resting his forehead on hers. “This isn’t—” he started, voice rough.
She kissed him again before he could finish.
