Page 8 of A Soldier's Pledge
The sun peeking through the curtains woke him. For the first time in more years than he wanted to think about, he’d slept through the night. No nightmares at all. No waking up in a cold sweat, shaking, the scent of fear choking him as he watched the plane hit the ground in an explosion of flames, spewing twisted metal and body parts. Moondog’s body parts. Shaking his head, he didn’t want to dwell on it now, not when he’d finally not relived it in a dream.
He needed to focus on the now, the fact that he was still in her bed. She hadn’t kicked him out as usual. Instead, she was still tucked against him after hours of making love. A first for them. She’d been a ‘definitely no sleepover’ kind of girl. Whatever had changed he was thankful. A huge step forward in their relationship, or whatever she’d decided to call it this week.
Unable to resist her tousled appearance, he kissed her slightly-parted lips. So warm, so soft, so beautiful. He wanted her—again. Twice last night was not enough, he’d never have his fill of her. If it weren’t for the dark smudges under her eyes, he’d covered her body in kisses until she woke.
Instead, he’d make coffee and see what she had in the way of breakfast fixings. He wouldn’t wake her with his body, but he couldn’t be held responsible if the scent of fresh coffee and bacon woke her up, now could he?
Carefully sliding out of her arms so as not to wake her, he had a hard time finding is jeans in the discarded clothing and bed linens. He salvaged the pants, but the shirt was hopelessly shredded and ready for the rag pile. As quietly as possible he searched her bathroom for some toothpaste, wishing like hell he’d thought to bring a toothbrush with him, and a change of clothes for that matter. But he’d never had to worry about any of this before. It wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last he’d had to use his finger to brush his teeth. It was quick and dirty but better than nothing.
Devoid of morning breath, he hoped, he went in search of her coffee pot and beans. He knew she was a coffee snob, so he wasn’t surprised to find a French press and grinder tucked into the “appliance garage” in the corner of her countertop. He loved her kitchen. It was a chef’s dream, high-end everything, and she hardly ever used it from what he could tell. But it was easy to have the best, she came from a very wealthy family, and had earned plenty of her own money since she’d assumed control of the realty. From what he’d heard around town, it had more than tripled in size since she’d taken over, she’d even opened satellite offices in adjoining towns. Her father should be proud, but instead, he was just a jerk.
The bean grinder was sure to wake her, so he put that off until the water was ready. Then he searched for the leftover bacon he’d put in the fridge the night before, grabbed the eggs and some cheese. After going through what she had and what was left from the night before he whipped up a quiche and tossed it in the oven.
He’d always objected to the “real men don’t eat quiche” comment. They were stupid if they didn’t. Not for the first time, he wondered if he’d missed his calling. Maybe he should have opened a restaurant when he’d gotten out of the Air Force, but then he loved helping people too. Besides, if he kept getting reactions like last night, he’d be happy to reserve his cooking for his woman.
After the water was ready, he ground the beans and set up the French press. It would have to sit for a bit for the beans to be infused into the water before he’d be able to push the plunger and have coffee. Five minutes always felt like forever when you were waiting for the coffee, but he knew from experience it would be worth every second. He got out the half-and-half and sugar since he knew that’s how she liked her coffee. He took his black, and if you listened to his partner, Steele, it was just like his soul. The stronger, the better, but after getting a good night’s sleep, he wouldn’t need coffee sludge today.
“Coffee. Is it ready yet?”
“Yes, ma’am. Good morning, beautiful.” She looked good enough to eat, but he’d hold off until they had their coffee. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. After all, it had been their first night together. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made breakfast.”
“Mind? It smells delish. What did you make?”
“Quiche.” As expected, she giggled, and it was heaven to his ears. Sweet, joyful and totally Anna.
“What? Real men do eat quiche, and you damn well know I’m right.”
A hint of a blush graced her cheeks as she smiled. After their antics last night, he’d have been surprised if she hadn’t blushed. She’d been a wild woman.
“Did you sleep okay? I know that sometimes in strange beds…”
“It was great. Your bed is wonderful and perfect because I got to share it with you.”
“About that…”
Damn, when would he learn to keep his mouth shut? “What about it?” he said and poured coffee into the two mugs he had pulled out earlier. He slid hers across the counter toward her. Then he inhaled the scent before having his first taste.
“I think the no sleepover rule is kind of stupid, how about you?” He sipped his coffee, but inside he did a fist pump and shouted, ‘wahoo.’ It hadn’t been wishful thinking; he was winning her over. Now he just had to be careful not to push too hard too fast.
“I’ve never been so happy to break a rule, and I vote for putting it down the garbage disposal.”
“All right then. I guess I know where you stand.”
“Baby, I never agreed with the rule to begin with. But I didn’t want to push you into something you weren’t ready for and run the risk of losing you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve fallen in love with you.” Ugh. There he did it, it was bound to slip out sooner or later. Cringing inside, he waited for her response, half expecting her to tell him to get out and get over himself.
Her eyes widened, the brown getting more hazel like it did when she was full of emotion. But what was she feeling? “You’re in love with me?”
“Yes. You really didn’t know, did you?”
“I guess. I don’t know. I think I was avoiding the entire subject. God knows you are persistent enough.”
“Only when it’s something I want. And I want you. But I am trying hard to take it slow. And I’m not sure what happened yesterday to change your way of thinking. But I have to say, I’m ecstatic. And there is no way I’m letting you backslide, so don’t even think about it.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all good. And for the record, I loved sharing my bed with you.”
“Does that mean I can move in?”
“Don’t push it, buddy! Take your win and enjoy it…for now.”
