Page 71 of Keeping Zita

His words turned her on even more. But it wasn’t until he shifted a hand so his finger roughly massaged her clit that she broke.

She let out a half wail, half scream as her body shook. The orgasm went on and on, until Zita didn’t think she’d be able to hold herself up anymore. Sage thrust inside her once more and held still as he groaned loudly. The sound was sexy as hell, making Zita’s muscles spasm.

They were both breathing hard when it was over. Frozen in place, as if memorizing the moment. At least Zita was.

Probably sensing how shaky she was, Sage pulled out almost immediately, which sucked, but it was a relief when he gently lowered her to the mattress, turning her onto her back in the process. Then he climbed onto the bed, throwing one leg over her thighs, his arm over her chest, and buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

Zita smiled. She loved being used as a pillow, the way he was doing now. She felt surrounded by him. Warm and replete. Safe.

“Never gonna be able to sit in that chair again and not get an instant hard-on,” he mumbled against her skin.

She giggled. “I could always sit in the other chair. You have two, after all.”

“No way. It’s the most exquisite torture having you in my lap.”

Her smile wouldn’t die. Zita ran her hand lazily over the arm on her chest. She liked this. No, she freaking loved it. Lying here with Sage. Her body tingling from her orgasm, feeling a little sore between her legs and having no doubt the man next to her was meant to be hers.

“Not sure I like you thinking about me and torture in the same sentence,” she teased.

Sage lifted his head and stared at her for a long moment. Then said, “I didn’t get it. Didn’t really understand the connection Casper has with Laryn or Buck has with Mandy. But I do now. I feel like a different man than I was before I met you. More compassionate, more determined to be the best pilot I can be so I can come home to you. So the men and women I transport can get home to their loved ones. So my single teammates can stay alive to find their soul mates. I thought loving someone would be scary. Would change my passion for flying. For serving my country. Instead, it’s magnified it.”

“Sage,” Zita whispered, having no idea if he even knew what he’d just said.

“It’s like this missing piece inside of me has suddenly been filled in. That’s cheesy as shit, but it’s how I feel. I like knowing you’ll be with me when I’m on a mission. That you’ll be there inside me when the shit hits the fan, because I have a feeling it’ll help me concentrate. To do what needs to be done so I can come home to you. It’s not frightening in the least. It’s…empowering. Makes me even more determined to be the best pilot possible. The best partner.

“I love you, Zita. I…you…Fuck. It’s impossible to put into words just how much I care about you.”

“I think you just did,” Zita said quietly. She was reeling from his admission. She felt much the same as he did. That he made her a better person, because she wanted him to be proud of her. That she wanted to save other people’s lives so they could continue to be with their loved ones. Was that love? She had no idea, as she’d never felt about anyone the way she did about this man. Like if she didn’t get to be with him, she’d shrivel up into a tiny little raisin and wither away.

Talk about dramatic…she was being ridiculous. Wasn’t she?

Sage shifted and kissed her cheek reverently, before putting his head back down and snuggling deeper into her.

Was he upset that she hadn’t said the words back? He didn’t seem to be, but Zita had no experience with this. The words were stuck in her throat. She wanted to say them but something held her back. A sense of self-preservation, maybe?

She was well aware that she was making all the sacrifices in the relationship by quitting her job and moving across the country, but she was all right with that. She wanted to move. Was ready for a change. But if Sage decided she wasn’t what he wanted after all, that he was wrong about loving her, it would devastate her so badly she wasn’t sure she’d recover.

“Sleep, Zita. Stop thinking so hard. This is going to work. I give you my word. You’ll see.”

Deciding stressing about the future would do her no good whatsoever, Zita took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was no need to lay all her feelings out right this second. The sex was good—no, it was fan-fucking-tastic—but that was no reason to blurt out that she loved him. She had time. They had time. Their life together was just starting. No need to rush things.

Feeling better about the situation, Zita fell asleep within minutes, happier than she’d been in a very long time.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Obi-Wan felt on top of the world. Last night had been…

He couldn’t come up with an adjective to adequately explain what it was. He’d jumped the gun by telling Zita he loved her, he realized that, but wasn’t concerned that she hadn’t said it back. The woman cared about him, that wasn’t in question. But he’d most certainly taken her by surprise, and he never wanted her to tell him that she loved him out of some sense of obligation or because she felt it was expected.

Today would be long for both of them. Obi-Wan needed to get caught up with the team and the meetings they’d had while he was gone. He was also looking forward to getting in the air again. It was only a week, but he couldn’t wait to be back in the copilot seat with Buck. Zita had the wrap-up meeting, where she’d be presenting her report on the injuries she’d treated while on set. Then a lot of research to do on jobs and apartments in Virginia. He’d see her again that night, when he went to pick her up to bring her back to his place.

They had one more night together before she’d head back to California to begin the process of shutting down her life there.

He’d miss her like crazy while she was gone, but he’d do his best to be patient, since the end result would be her living minutes away, instead of thousands of miles.

After making oatmeal and pancakes, along with large cups of coffee for them both, he sighed. “About ready?”

“Yeah. It feels weird that we won’t be spending the day together. I’ve gotten too used to looking up and seeing you throughout the day.”