He laughs, a belly laugh, and I can’t help but join him.  “I’ll leave the room for that part, smart ass.  So, this is my official warning, for work, I may have to leave at a moment’s notice if I get ‘the call’.”

“That’s not a problem, if I’m not available just let Jenny know and she’ll get me the message.”

“Okay, thanks.”  I kiss his sternum again, circle my arms around his lean waist and hug him to me.  “You’re a nice boss.”

“I’m so happy you think so,” he says dryly, making me smile.

“Are you cold?” I ask, nuzzling his chest with my nose.

“Not particularly, but my bed was cold when I woke up without you.”  He’s combing his fingers through my hair.  Yum.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t want to wake you, and I was wide awake, so I got up.  I won’t leave again, Nate.”  I tip my head back and gaze up into those beautiful eyes.  His messy hair is framing that to-die-for face and a light dark stubble covers his chin.

Fuck, he’s beautiful.

“Okay, thank you.”  He leans down and frames my face in his large hands and sweeps his lips over mine, gently, caressingly.  He nibbles the side of my lips before settling in and kissing me long and slow and deep, as if his life depends on it, as if he’ll never get to do it again.  “Come back to bed, baby.  Let me make love to you.”

He lifts me effortlessly in his arms and moves across the room to his bedroom, still kissing me tenderly.  He lays me on the cool sheets and covers my body with his and makes slow, sweet love to me, getting lost in me, and taking me with him.

***

I smell coffee.  And bacon.  Is Natalie cooking?  Did hell freeze over?  I roll onto my side and stretch and open my eyes and frown.

This is not my room.

Then I remember.  The email, dinner, coming to Nate’s apartment, the cheesecake, the sex… Oh, the sex.

I sit up and wince.  I’m a little sore, but that’s to be expected.  I haven’t had sex in almost a year, and Nate’s… well, Nate’s big.  I smile to myself and climb out of bed, pulling on my discarded pajamas from the night before, and wander out into the great room.

Nate is at the stove with his back to me, and I pause a moment to take in the gorgeous.  He’s wearing pajama pants that hang low on his hips and he’s shirtless, his hair is tied back off his face.  His tattoos are such a distraction, and they give him a bad boy look that I so was not expecting.  Who knew that under those conservative suits was a rough, tattooed, pierced fighter?

It’s fucking hot.

He’s moving about his sexy kitchen gracefully, with cool confidence.  I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me, aside from my mom when I was a kid, or Luke when he and Nat invited me over for dinner last month.

But those don’t count.  They’re family.

Daughtry is singing about it not being over in Nate’s sound system, his voice is gritty, and sexy, and so appropriate to describe the hot man in the kitchen.

I saunter into the room, wrap my arms around Nate’s waist and bury my nose in his back between his shoulder blades.  God, he smells good. Body wash and sex and Nate.  It’s a heady combination.

“Good morning, beautiful.”  He turns in my arms, grabs my face in his hands, and kisses me in the only way Nate can.

“Good morning, hot stuff.”  I grin up at him and run my fingers down his face.

“Coffee?” he asks.

“God, yes. Please.”  He laughs and pours me a cup, adding just the right amount of creamer and sugar and my eyebrows climb into my hairline. “How did you know how I take my coffee?”

“I pay attention.”  He shrugs, hands me the mug and turns back to the stove.

What else does he know?

“Can I help?” I ask and take a sip of coffee.  Mmm… perfect.  I could get used to this.

“It’s just about done.  Egg-white omelet okay with you?” he asks.

“Perfect.  You’ll work the bacon off in the gym when I kick your ass today.”  I put my sassy smile on and lean against the counter, sipping my coffee.

“I look forward to it, baby,” he grins back at me and winks.  We settle in at the breakfast bar and dig in.

“Mmm… good,” I mumble around the food in my mouth.

He grins down at me and digs into his own plate.  We eat in companionable silence, then I hop up and clear our dirty dishes, and load them into the dishwasher.  I turn around and Nate’s watching me, his chin resting in his palm.

“What?” I ask.

“I could have done that.”

“You cooked.  I don’t mind.” I shrug and lean back against the sink.

“You look good in my kitchen.”

“It’s a sexy kitchen,” I murmur and grin.

“So I’ve recently been told by a very sexy woman.”

Oh, flirty Nate is fun!

“Really? Do I know her?”

“I think so.  She has gorgeous long blonde hair, the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, and a killer body.”  His eyes soften on mine and he continues.  “And she is so smart, funny as hell, and a very loyal friend.  Oh, and her work ethic is infuriatingly solid.”

Wow.  What the hell do I say to that?  I blink at him and open my mouth, then close it again.  I cross my arms over my chest and look down.