Page 25 of Infatuation

She was already drifting into sleep. A selfish part of him wanted to stop her, keep her awake. They weren’t going to have much time together. Kade wanted to savor every minute, try and draw out his visit.

There was a very good chance he was really screwing up. He had prepared himself to resist her, resist the crazy pull she always had on him. He had thought he could do it.

Inwardly, he snorted. Yeah, he could resist her. He’d been in New Orleans for less than forty-eight hours, and he had already crumbled.

“You’re thinking too much.”

Her breath tickled his chest. “What?”

She lifted her head and looked up at him. “You’re thinking too much. Right now, your head is turning over all the things you’re worried about.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry about it. Let it go.”

“Aren’t women supposed to get all talkative after sex?”

“If you don’t do it right. Apparently, you haven’t been doing it right.”

Her sassy tone made him chuckle. How could he stay out of her bed? The woman had just submitted to him, and now she was messing with him. If a man could resist her, he had to be stupid or gay.

“Or maybe I had the wrong partners.”

“I have to agree with that. Listen, I know you’ve got a lot on your plate. There is no pressure here, not right now. Let’s just take it one day at a time. If you can handle that, SEAL?”

Her tone was flirtatious, but there was a hint of steel beneath it. He had been preparing for a long, drawn out discussion of why he hadn’t contacted her. Instead, she offered him nothing but understanding.

“I am more than up to the task.”

“Good.” She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the nose then on his mouth. She lingered there, giving him a taste of her, tempting him. She pulled back, a smile curving her lips. In the soft moonlight, there in her roomwith the rain hitting the window, he knew he was still in love with her. His heart lurched at the thought, but he brushed the worry aside. One day at a time was what she wanted. That was what he would give her.

“You get some sleep,” he said, trying to keep a lid on his emotions.

“You betcha.” She chuckled, then settled back down and snuggled close to him.

He wanted this, wanted it more than he had ever wanted to be a SEAL. It scared him a bit to know that. From the time he entered the Navy, he had wanted to be a SEAL. He had questioned that in the last few months, but other than trying to protect her, he had never thought of giving up on Shannon.

Again, he shoved the thoughts aside and decided to do as ordered. A good night’s sleep was what he really needed to get his head back on straight.

Kade came awake with a shout. His heart was beating out of control, his body slick with sweat. He had been having these nightmares since he got back, but they hadn’t been quite this bad. This one had been vivid, almost real to him.

Each time, he saw Forrester’s face as he was shot, as the life seeped from him.

With a shake of his head, Kade stood and stretched. Shannon grumbled and settled deeper into the pillows. He brushed her hair from her face and noticed his hand was shaking. He wanted to touch her, to love her again, but he was too raw to handle that now. He needed to get his head out of the dream and back onto the day. He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with some cool water, then found his jeans and pulled them on. Even through the closed blinds, he could see the first stirringsof the sunrise. There was one thing about a good bout of healthy sex. He had finally slept through the night. When he unlocked the door, he heard someone moving around in the kitchen. He had a feeling it was Mal. He didn’t want to really deal with his friend without some coffee. Unfortunately, the coffee was, of course, in the kitchen. He could smell it brewing.

Kade squared his shoulders and walked to the kitchen. He found Mal there, frying some bacon.

“About time you emerged from her bedroom,” he said without turning around.

He didn’t sound mad, but he knew better than to trust that. Mal could be his deadliest when he was cool.

“Look. Mal…”

He trailed off when his friend turned with a smile on his face. “What are you, stupid?”

“Not following you, mate.”

“Get some coffee before you fall down.”

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