He rolled to his side and draped his arm across her stomach, then leaned over and gave her a long lazy kiss. “You’re beautiful.”
She lay her head over his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against her cheek. His arm curled around her, pulling her close, and she felt more relaxed than she had in forever. Her eyes drifted closed.
His lips brushed her forehead, and he shifted from underneath her, and then she realized she’d fallen asleep. She rolled to her side and watched him as he got out of bed and reached for his underwear on the floor.
“Sorry, I woke you,” he said as he stepped into his briefs, then pulled on his pants. “Go back to sleep, and I’ll let myself out.”
She almost invited him to stay the night, then stopped herself. She rarely had men spend the night, and certainly not after the first time they’d slept together, but the bed felt strangely empty without him. “Don’t be silly,” she said, sitting up and leaning over to her dresser to pull out a long T-shirt. She pulled it over her head while he slipped his arms into his sleeves and buttoned his shirt.
He sat on the bed and slipped on his shoes, then stood, pulling Lanie to her feet. He gave her a slow, lazy kiss, then lifted his head and grinned. “Thank you for an interesting night.”
She reached up and touched the edge of his bandage. “Does it hurt very much?”
“Some,” he admitted. “Which is partially why I got up. I need to take more ibuprofen.”
Guilt washed through her. “I’m sorry.”
A smile stretched his lips. “Strangely, I’m not.” He grabbed his jacket off the chair, then walked toward her front door.
As he started to open the door, Lanie stopped him. “I guess I should have mentioned this earlier, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep this secret.”
Surprise filled his eyes, then he grinned. “You want me to be your dirty little secret?”
She laughed. “Yes. That’s exactly it.” Standing on her tiptoes, she cupped his cheek and gave him a kiss. “No, it’s because of Britt. If she found out we slept together, she’d be merciless with her matchmaking.”
He nodded but sobered. “Yeah, you have a point.” He slid an arm around the small of her back and pulled her flush against him, then kissed her senseless.
When he lifted his head, she realized she’d melted into him. She quickly dropped her hold on him before he thought she was one of those clingy-after-sex women.
He opened the door and walked into the hallway, then stopped and grinned. He picked up her lilac shoes in the corner and handed them to her, toes first. “Wear these wisely. With great power comes great responsibility.”
She laughed as she took them. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He walked backward down the hall, still watching her as he moved to the elevator and pushed the down button. The elevator dinged and opened, and he gave her a wave.
She leaned her temple into the door frame. “See you tomorrow night.”
A smile covered his face. “I’m counting on it.”