I lost sense of time after that and when it finally did come back to me, Zander and I were still lying on the floor just inside my front door. He remained deep inside of me, but while I was a limp noodle, Zander was pressing soft kisses against the parts of me he could reach without needing to move. I managed to turn my head just a little, and that seemed to be enough for him to settle his mouth on mine.
We kissed for the longest time. With Jackson, the moments after sex had always been my favorite because he just held me and we talked. But I knew that wouldn't happen with Zander because this whole thing had been about sex and nothing more.
I needed to remember that.
I needed to make sure that when he pulled out of me and helped me off the floor, or possibly even just left me there and walked away, that it was the way it was supposed to be. There wouldn't be any cuddling or talking or just lying in silence and enjoying the aftermath.
But Zander wasn't helping matters, because he chose that moment to run his fingers along my temple in the gentlest of ways. It was more of that cherishing stuff and I loved every moment of it.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
The man was just too damn perceptive.
"Nothing," I said and forced a smile to my lips. I made myself hold his gaze in the hopes of convincing him. I couldn't tell if I succeeded or not, but when he leaned down and kissed me, I kissed him back with everything that I was.
"Joli," he began, and I steeled myself for what would come next. He kept caressing my face and I almost asked him to stop. How was I supposed to stay strong if he wouldn't stop touching me and being all sweet? "Can I stay the night?"
I stared at him in disbelief. I had to have heard him wrong.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have—" he began, his eyes filling with uncertainty.
"Yes," I blurted. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and practically dragged him down for a kiss. "Yes," I repeated more forcefully between kisses. I didn't know what him staying meant, but at the moment, I didn't care. All I cared about was that for whatever reason, he’d given us more time. Whether we had sex again or he wanted to eat something or just sleep, I didn't care.
The only thing that mattered was that he was all mine for at least a little while longer.
Chapter 7
Zander
Light was just starting to filter in through the curtains when I managed to pry my exhausted eyes open. I was pretty much used to waking up in strange beds because I'd been traveling so much the past year, but this morning I knew exactly where I was. As I rolled over, I automatically reached across the bed for Jolene to pull her against my body where she belonged, but her side of the bed was empty… and cold.
I forced my tired muscles to respond as I sat up and scanned the room. It had been both a short and long night. Short in terms of sleep, but long in terms of Jolene and I loving on one another. I couldn't say that it was particularly unusual for me to have multiple rounds of sex with a partner that I enjoyed being with, but Jolene was the first woman I could remember taking the initiative and waking me up from the light dozing we’d both done between lovemaking sessions. The last round had been just a couple of hours earlier and I'd been sure I'd been only dreaming about the sensual mouth wrapped around my dick. I hadn't even managed to really wake up enough to enjoy watching Jolene blow me because I'd come so quickly.
The woman was an enigma when it came to sex. In some ways, she was inexperienced despite having been married, but in others, it was like she already knew my body and everything I liked. I'd lost track of how many times I'd fucked her in the twelve hours we’d been together. Even now, my tired body wanted nothing but her.
I climbed out of bed and pulled on my jeans, then wandered through her small, clean house. There were pictures all over the walls and little knickknacks on many surfaces. They were the things that made a house a home. Her son's room was covered in cowboys. The bedding, the posters on the wall, and more knickknacks all stuck to the same theme. I remembered her telling me that her ex worked as a ranch hand. Clearly, young Cameron wanted to be just like his dad.
I made my way to the kitchen, but there was no sign of Jolene. Coffee was brewing, but I didn't see any used cups sitting out. I was relieved to see her purse on the counter. Movement outside the window above the sink caught my eye. I went to the sliding glass door on the far side of the kitchen and scanned the backyard. I was greeted by the site of a pert ass bent over a large swath of garden.