“Second thoughts?” Mark asked quietly.
“No,” she told him immediately, and a little desperately. “Not at all. It’s just been a crazy week.”
The lines around his eyes smoothed out. “Yeah, it has. Take your time. I’ll go use the other bathroom.” Then he was gone once again.
This time, Zoey didn’t stand there staring at herself. She quickly changed into his T-shirt, feeling naked standing there in nothing but her panties and the shirt that came down to her upper thighs. She brushed her teeth and headed into the bedroom.
Mark wasn’t there yet, so she slipped under the covers, taking another deep breath. God, she wasn’t sure she’d survive sleeping in his bed, on his sheets. She hoped and prayed his scent would seep into her skin overnight so she’d have a piece of him to carry with her always.
Deciding that was weird, and she really was a creeper, she closed her eyes and tried to think about anything other than how right it felt to be in Mark’s bed. And what a freaking miracle it was.
She heard him come back into the room and, without a word, he pulled back the covers and slid in next to her. His bare legs brushed against hers, and a warmth like she’d never felt moved up and over her body. When he physically moved her around to his liking, and she ended up with her head on his shoulder and her arm lying across his flat stomach, Zoey sighed in contentment.
“Comfortable?” he asked softly.
“Yeah.”
“Sleep well, sweetheart.”
“You too.”
She felt his lips touch her temple, and she couldn’t help but turn her own head and kiss his shoulder. His arm tightened around her for a second, then he relaxed once again. She wanted to stay awake. To treasure the moment. But he was too comfortable. And smelled too good. And felt too good under her.
She was asleep within minutes of closing her eyes.
Chapter Fourteen
Bubba reached up and knocked on Jessica Martens’ door. It was eight o’clock, and he couldn’t remember a morning he’d enjoyed more. Merely waking up with Zoey in his arms would’ve done it, but then he’d acted without thinking and kissed her awake, and she’d more than reciprocated. He’d made her a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, and it had felt really nice to start the day with someone at his side.
When Zoey went upstairs to get ready, hearing the water running and knowing she was upstairs in his bathroom, completely naked, turned him on more than anything he could remember. When it was his turn to shower, the room smelled like the girly shit he’d bought her in Anchorage, and he’d had to jerk himself off simply to be able to walk upright.
While pleasuring himself had taken the edge off, the second he saw Zoey waiting for him downstairs, curled up under one of the throw blankets he had on the back of his couch, he got hard again. He wanted nothing more than to snuggle under it with her and show her exactly how much he liked having her there in his house.
But Jess and work were waiting. He wouldn’t have been so keen on getting started with his day and parting with Zoey except he wanted to talk to Tex. He needed to get to the bottom of what had happened, and he had a feeling that would start with finding Eve Dane. And that’s where Tex excelled.
“You ready?” Bubba asked Zoey as they waited for Jess to come to the door.
“Yeah. Are you sure I look okay?”
Bubba looked Zoey over from head to toe. She had on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeve green T-shirt they’d picked up in the Anchorage airport. It had a picture of a bear standing on its hind legs and the words, “Juneau what I’m saying?!” around it.
He’d thought it was funny and had bought it as a surprise present. She’d giggled when she’d seen it, and he’d been thrilled with her joy in the simple gift. She looked as beautiful as ever in it. She’d also been surprised that she didn’t need to wear a jacket, saying that it would take some getting used to, not getting all bundled up every time she went outside.
The door in front of them creaked as it slowly opened. Bubba smiled at Jess and immediately stepped forward to hug her. He wasn’t surprised when her arms latched around him with a strength that belied her looks.
“Hi, Jess,” he said into her hair.
The older woman pulled back and stared up at him. She was tiny compared to him, he had at least a foot on her. But her big personality more than made up for her short stature. “It’s about time you got home,” she nagged. “Look at my grass. It’s way too long, and I think a family of gophers have taken up residence.”
“I’ll take care of it tonight.” Bubba turned, keeping one arm around Jess to make sure she didn’t lose her balance. “This is Zoey. I told you about her when I called yesterday.”
Watching with a careful hopefulness, Bubba grinned as Jess turned to Zoey and immediately hugged her. “It’s good to meet you, Zoey. Anyone who can put up with this guy for a week out in the middle of nowhere has to be a saint. Come in, take a load off. I want to hear everything.”
Bubba tried to follow them inside, but Jess put a hand on his chest and stopped him. “Girls only. Sorry. Besides, it’s late. You need to get to work and do your super-soldier stuff.”
He heard Zoey cover up a chuckle with her hand, and smiled at Jess. “Okay, I get the hint. I’ll go. Zoey, you’ll call if you need anything?” Rocco had gone to a store in Anchorage and gotten them both replacement phones before they’d left.
“Of course. But I have a feeling we’ll be fine.”
“Darn tootin’ we will,” Jess said. “I’ve got the grocery store on speed dial, and that hot young thing with an ass I could bounce quarters off of will bring me whatever I need. So shoo. I need some gossip time with your young lady.”
Bubba didn’t correct her. Zoey felt like his young lady. Leaning around Jess, he put his hand on the back of Zoey’s neck and pulled her toward him. Bubba kissed her briefly on the lips. It was a short kiss, but he still felt sparks shoot through him as their lips touched. “I’ll text you later,” he told her.
Zoey licked her lips, and he swore he could see her pupils dilate as she did. “Okay,” she told him.
“Have fun. Jess, don’t corrupt Zoey too much, okay?”
“Pish-posh,” she scolded, but smiled as she said it.
“Bye, Mark,” Zoey told him.
He gave her a chin lift and turned to head back across the street to his car. He found himself smiling the entire way.
It was easy to see that Jess liked Zoey on sight, which was a relief. The older woman wasn’t one to beat around the bush, and if she’d sensed something about Zoey that she didn’t like, she wouldn’t have hesitated to tell him that she’d changed her mind and didn’t need Zoey’s help after all.
His girl was in good hands. It was time to get to the bottom of whoever had fucking tried to kill them once and for all.
Four hours later, after being caught up on what he’d missed at work over the last week, after reassuring his commander that he really was all right and explaining everything that had happened while he’d been in the wilderness more times than he could count to some of the other SEALs he came across, after he’d taken calls from Malcom and Sean with questions about the business up in Juneau, and after he’d called Zoey to make sure she was all right and her helping Jess was going to work out, Bubba dialed Tex’s number and put the phone on speaker before placing it on the table top in front of him.