Worth Fighting For (Warrior Fight Club 2.50)

Tara fixed her own jeans and hugged her sweater to her chest as she wandered deeper into the suite. A small kitchenette and sitting room occupied the space right next to the door, with the bed taking up the far side of the room. In the wake of the mind-numbingly good sex, her thinking brain was starting to come back online now, which made her wonder what was next. If anything. They’d teased about that only being the first round, but that was when lust had hijacked both of their bodies.

“There are some drinks in the fridge. Help yourself,” Jesse called out from the other room.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling the sweater back over her head. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long sip.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and Jesse settled his chin on her head. Surprise at the affectionate embrace whipped through her belly, which was maybe silly given everything else they’d shared tonight. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey.” She held her water bottle up to him. Why did it feel intimate when he accepted? A gut check told her why—because she didn’t have this with anyone else in her life. She had friends, sure. Guy friends, too. But this kind of quiet intimacy? Or the intense physical intimacy from minutes before? No. Not in a long time. Hell, maybe never.

And since she’d only been in DC for the last year, none of those friends had yet become the kinds of BFFs with whom you shared absolutely everything.

So this felt different. Special. Kinda scary, but that was the thing about nearly dying—it made you willing to try, to reach, to take a chance. Well, at least outside of her work. Given what it’d taken her to get back in the water, that was one place where she played things safe. But this wasn’t that.

When he gave her the nearly empty bottle, she turned in his arms, needing to see the cast of his eyes and the expression on his face. She didn’t know Jesse well enough to read his quiet, so she needed these other cues. There was still an intensity in the way his dark gaze took her in, but his expression was all sated ease. She didn’t think she was overstaying her welcome, but what was the point in wondering? “So, should I…go?”

He frowned. “Only if you want to, but I’m perfectly happy with you right where you are.”

Smiling, Tara nodded. “Okay.”

“There’s something I’m not happy about though.”

“Uh, and that is?” She finished the last of the water.

“You put your shirt on.”

Tara smirked. “I figured if it was going to get awkward, it would be better if I was prepared to make a fast exit.”

Jesse arched a brow. “Did it get awkward?”

She chuckled. “Not yet.”

He slipped the bottle from her hand and tossed it into the recycling can, and the next thing she knew he’d bent and put her over his shoulder.

Tara burst out in an incredulous laugh, her hands grasping the hard, flexing muscles down his sides. “What are you doing?”

“Making it clear I want you to stay.” He tossed her on the bed, making her laugh again as she bounced on the mattress and he climbed in until he was on hands and knees above her.

Whose life was she even living right now? A hot man had flirted with her, called her pretty, expressed interest in spending time with her, kissed her, fucked her senseless, and wanted to make sure she knew he was in no hurry for her to go. “Now I’m peeved,” she said, forcing her lips into a playful pout.

His eyes narrowed. “Why’s that?”

Having him above her was all kinds of distracting. And hot. How could she be hot again after the orgasm he’d just wrung out of her? “Because I didn’t have time to grab your butt before you threw me on the bed.”

Snickering, he grabbed her hand and put it on his ass. “That’s a problem I can solve.”

Grinning, Tara squeezed. “Mmm. Very nice.”

He chuckled. “Literally grab any part of me you want. Consider it a standing invitation.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Jesse lowered his weight on top of her, his big body settling into the cradle of her thighs, and geez it felt good. And then his expression went more serious. “I don’t know what’s happening here, Tara. I just know I like it.”

“I feel all of that, too,” she said, glad she wasn’t in this…whatever it was…alone. And man did she appreciate him saying what he felt. If she had to guess, he was a few years older than her almost thirty-two. So maybe he’d reached a point in his life where he didn’t see the sense in beating around the bush, either. Whatever explained his forthrightness, she liked it.

He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. Once, twice. Slow and lingering. Taking his time. Which made her remember what he’d said earlier.

“Fuck, I’m torn between hot and fast or spreading you out and taking my damn time.”