He watched her disappear out the door and wished that the circumstances for her being in his apartment were different. They weren’t, and he would do everything to make her feel comfortable, because he wanted her staying with him for the foreseeable future.
Something tickled Jag’s nose.He twitched and blew out a breath in the hopes he would get rid of whatever it was. It didn’t help, if anything, it made it worse. He slowly became aware of something pressed to his side, and weight across his belly.
He cracked an eye open, and was greeted by a sea of blonde hair. What was across his stomach, was an arm—Steff’s arm.
The events of the night before came rushing back. Dinner. The break-in. Steff at his place. Falling asleep with her in his arms.
His intention had been to sleep on top of the covers so that Steff wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with his presence.
He chuckled quietly, recalling her look of disgust at the suggestion, and informing him not to be ridiculous and to get his ass inside the bed. No way was he going to upset her, so he’d complied. The second he slid beneath the sheets–clean ones he’d put on while she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed–she’d snuggled into his side.
Jag had been surprised, considering all she’d been through, but he was also pleased that she was relaxed enough around him to get as close as she was.
“Do you have to go to PT?” Steff mumbled against his chest, clearly sensing he’d woken.
Jag had no idea what the time was, he hadn’t looked at his watch. “No. Fox said last night there’d be no session today.”
“Okay.” She sighed and shifted against him, hooking her leg over his and drifted back off to sleep.
Jag moved a fraction so that Steff wouldn’t feel his body’s reaction to her closeness. His cock was rock hard, and it wasn’t just because of morning wood. The last thing he wanted was to scare her or trigger bad memories.
Her cherry blossom scent surrounded him, and he had no issues with his bedding smelling like her. He would happily go buy her a dozen bottles of the body wash and lotion she used.
Now that he was awake, his mind was running through the previous evening. He’d seen a lot of shit during his time in the Navy, and with some of the jobs he’d done with the FBI and Alliez. In those situations, he’d been able to distance himself from the mess and horror.
Last night was different. It had happened to a person he cared deeply for. Everything Steff owned had been torn, slashed, or broken. The motive for someone acting that way still baffled him.
From what they’d gleaned during their investigations of Steff’s friends and their backgrounds, she had no enemies. Her parents had been well respected before their deaths. The people Steff had worked with at the paper had nothing but nice things to say about her.
Her kidnapping had been motivated by Gomez Ramirez’s desire to send a message to the editor of the paper, and Teresa to back away and keep their noses out of his business. It was a show of power, and Steff and Cynthia, along with two other staff members, had been pawns in his game.
As risky as it had been for Isaac, he’d made some discrete inquiries to find out if someone in Gomez’s old organization had a vendetta against Steff for escaping, but had come up empty. They also believed that if that was the case, then Cynthia would’ve been targeted too, but nothing had happened to her.
Thinking of Cynthia, Jag recalled how she’d been with him at the restaurant and later at Steff’s apartment. If he didn’t knowbetter, he’d think she didn’t like him, but perhaps it was her reasoning that her reactions and concerns had been out of caring for Steff and from what happened to them.
The two of them had shared an experience that no one should have to.
Maybe he’d pull Fox aside and see if Cynthia was having as hard of a time readjusting as Steff was. He’d seen some indications of that last night. He and Fox could talk about ways to handle the situation. Help each other out as they navigated the waters of dating women who’d been abused.
He liked the thought of Fox being as happy as he was with Steff, and it was kind of funny to have two best friends dating two best friends. They could have a double wedding.
Jag silently snorted at the thought. It was too soon for that. Although he couldn’t imagine not having Steff in his life.
He adjusted his hold on her and let his eyes drift shut. He’d expected Steff to have a nightmare after what she’d been through, but she hadn’t stirred. He didn’t think that was going to be the case all the time, but he was glad she was able to get a decent night’s sleep.
The next time he opened his eyes, his room was bright as the sun was high in the sky. He glanced at his watch and swore under his breath when he saw that it was almost ten in the morning.
He never slept late. Or as deeply as he had. After years of being woken at the ass crack of dawn to do PT while in the Navy, and sleeping with one eye open while on a mission, sleeping in was an art he hadn’t mastered.
“What time is it?” Steff stretched against him, and his body jerked to life beneath the athletic shorts he’d worn to bed.
“Morning, hon.” He kissed her forehead. “It’s almost ten.”
Steff pulled away from him. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
Jag hauled her back against his chest. “What are you sorry about?”
“I’ve been sprawled over the top of you, meaning you couldn’t get out of bed and now you’re late for work.”
