back down into his arms, squeezing her against him. “We take your protection very seriously, Eden. You are our top priority. No job takes higher priority than another. Every mission we take gets our full attention. Besides, if we hadn’t been hired to protect you, then you and I wouldn’t be right here right now, and I’m liking exactly where we are.”
He felt her smile against his chest. “You have a point there. I wouldn’t have missed meeting you for the world.”
“Me either,” he said. “Now how about you get some rest. I have the alarm set for early so we can get in that workout. Don’t expect me to go easy on you because I think you’re cute. I’ll work your ass off and then you’re going to show me your self-defense moves so I’ll know what else you need to be taught.”
She chuckled but settled bonelessly into his arms, letting out a long breath that signaled her fatigue.
“Good night, Swanny. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
He squeezed her one last time. “I’m glad too.”
CHAPTER 16
THOUGH Swanny had set the alarm on his watch, he had an internal clock that never failed him. If he knew what time he had to be up, he woke up five minutes before without fail.
He reached down to turn the alarm off, not wanting to jar Eden, who was sleeping soundly in his arms. He had five minutes before he needed to wake her up, and he intended to savor every one of those five minutes.
She was nestled in the curve of his arm, her hair spread out over his arm and the pillow. She was as beautiful in sleep as she was awake and alert. He studied her in the dim light from the bathroom, the door slightly ajar, using the opportunity to drink his fill when she was sleeping.
The straps to her top had slid down her shoulders, and it would take only the slightest movement to expose her nipple. As it was, the plump swells of her breasts were enticingly visible, the material just catching on her nipples so it didn’t bare her further.
She shifted and he froze, but she simply snuggled deeper into his chest, let out a soft sigh and then settled back down again.
Damn, but he hated to wake her. He could lie this way for hours, simply watching and enjoying the sight of her in bed with him.
Their limbs were tangled, one of her legs between his, and his leg thrown over her possessively, anchoring her solidly against him. No, they hadn’t made love, and he agreed that they shouldn’t rush things, but the intimacy between them was as tangible as if they had made love.
And even though they’d both agreed not to rush, he was honest enough with himself to know that she would be in his bed and he would be inside her soon. They both wanted the same thing. Their consummating their growing relationship was inevitable.
All of his earlier wariness was gone, vanished. Now that he was certain of her and her feelings, he was eager to take that next step. Because sex with Eden wouldn’t just be sex. He knew in his heart that it would be earth-shattering and that it would likely change the course of his life forever, no matter what happened between them later.
He refused to look too far down the road because their careers took them in completely separate directions. He was just focused on now and the time they would have together now. Looking beyond here and now would only bring him heartache.
They literally had to take it one day at a time and see where things took them. If they became serious, then they would simply have to find a way to be together. Love required sacrifice. He’d seen it time and time again. But where there was a will, there was a way. He had to believe that. Because if he thought too far ahead and imagined them saying good-bye and going their separate ways, it would devastate him.
He wanted nothing to interfere with what they had—and would have—now. All he could control was how they spent the time they had together. Anything beyond was out of his control, and so he had to concentrate on what was in his control: making damn certain that he gave Eden what she wanted—what he wanted—and enjoying every stolen moment together. If in the end they did go in different directions, then he’d savor every single memory of