CHAPTER 9
As Zane dragged himself through the apartment door and slammed it shut behind him, all he could think was how much he hated late afternoon meetings.
The meeting might start at a decent hour but they somehow inevitably always seemed to stretch out into the evening. By the time he got done with it, today's included, he was stuck in the worst of D.C.’s legendary rush hour traffic.
Not to mention that when he eventually did arrive home—late for dinner—he was starving.
Maybe civilian life had made him soft. When he'd been active duty he'd be happy to get home at all. And he and the team were just as happy for a hot meal not eaten out of an MRE pouch in the field.
He was still part of a team—and not just the GAPS team he and Jon had created. Zane was one half of a unit of two and he'd kept his partner waiting once again tonight.
Missy was definitely home. The lights were on in the apartment and he could hear the television playing softly in the living room.
He glanced at the time on the hall clock and cringed. It was even later than he realized. He could only hope she hadn't waited for him to get home and had gone ahead and eaten dinner.
With a sigh Zane tossed his keys onto the hall table and called, “I'm sorry I'm so late, baby. The client wouldn't shut up.”
“That's all right.” Missy called back. She leaned out of the kitchen doorway and asked, “Did you eat?”
“Yeah. I ended up grabbing something on my way—” Zane stopped mid sentence and sniffed. “What do I smell?”
“Cookies.” She smiled. “I just pulled them out of the oven.”
Zane lifted one eyebrow. “Cookies? Really?”
“Yup.”
Hmm. Of all the things he might have expected to find when he arrived home, hot fresh baked cookies were the last thing he would have guessed would be waiting for him.
Moving across the apartment, he met Missy in the doorway of the kitchen. He leaned down and dropped a quick kiss onto her mouth before straightening and gazing past her into the kitchen, which smelled warm, sweet and homey for the first time since they'd moved in months ago.
“What's the occasion?” he asked.
“No occasion. I just felt like something sweet. And I heard the temperature is supposed to take an unseasonable dip tonight, so I thought it might be nice to have some warm chocolate chip cookies.”
“So you made them? Yourself?” He frowned.
“I did.” She smiled, looking proud.
He walked farther into the kitchen. The amount of dishes in the sink proved she was telling the truth. Between the bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixer parts, and cookie sheets it certainly looked like she'd assembled them from the ingredients he could see still out on the kitchen counter.
Meanwhile Zane hadn't realized they even owned all this stuff. Sure he cooked, but bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning required one frying pan, maybe two, max.
“Want to try one?”
He wasn't generally a dessert eater but the scent that enveloped him was too enticing. He gave in to its allure. “Sure.”
She smiled as she held out the plate. He reached out and took one, and had to use his other hand to save the oversized cookie as it bent and broke in the middle and the hot melted chocolate chips stretched between the two halves.
He managed to get one half into his mouth without making a mess and groaned when the warm, buttery, chocolaty flavor coated his tongue.
His mouth full, he chewed and swallowed before he said, “Wow.”
“Want a glass of cold milk to go with that?” she asked.
Cookies and milk. He had a flashback to sitting in his parents' kitchen as a child as the staff spoiled him while his mother and father were off somewhere doing something without him. He'd loved those stolen moments.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Of course.” She smiled again, broader.
Seeing her like this had him smiling too. Apparently baking made Missy happy. Who knew?
Actually, the cookies had lifted his mood as well, elevating it from annoyed to amorous. After making sure his fingers were free of chocolate, he grabbed her hips and hauled her close.
Leaning down, he took possession of her mouth for a deep kiss.
He tasted chocolate and pulled back. “You had one yourself.”
“I had more than one plus some of the raw dough.” She laughed. “I probably shouldn't bake too often or I'll end up gaining weight.”
“We both will but I'm fine with that. Although, I think I can come up with a way for us to burn off some of those calories.”
Her eyes narrowed just a tad. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea.”
With one hand he picked up the glass of milk she'd poured him and held on to her with the other. Glancing back he said, “Grab that plate of cookies, will you?”
Missy's eyebrows rose but she said, “Okay.”
Cold milk. Warm cookies. Hot Sex. Yeah, his evening had definitely improved.
He glanced at her on the way to the bedroom. “You should bake more often.”
Plate laden with cookies in her hand, Missy smiled. “Don't worry. I plan on it.”
Zane didn’t waste any time getting them both naked and sliding inside her.
Sex had always been good between them, right from the first time they'd been together on her boss's sofa when they'd basically been breaking and entering—or at least abusing the key Missy had to water the woman's plants while she was away.
Three years later, they knew each other as well as two people could.
In the past Zane would have assumed that would make things boring. He'd learned the opposite was true.
They were perfect together. After years of practice—as often as he could get—he knew exactly how to touch her to make her cry out his name.
Exactly how hard he could push her to reach that next peak of pleasure. When to be gentle and when she wanted rough. And that the prim and proper senator's daughter was anything but when they were between the sheets—or wherever they happened to be.
He'd had her every way a man could and she'd surprised him with a few tricks of her own. With her, Zane had gone from a man who couldn't wait to ditch the girl of the moment to see what else was out there, to realizing he'd never grow tired of Missy.
Funny what love did to a man—even a man like him.
Maybe if he'd known falling in love made sex so damn good, he wouldn't have waited so long. Though he hadn't been waiting for just any woman. He'd been waiting for Missy, even if he didn't know it at the time.
Until a few years ago, they'd been too young. He'd definitely been too stupid.
Now, things were perfect just as they were.
Missy was perfect as her eyes slammed closed and her mouth opened on a gasp.
He felt her body squeeze his, drove into her one last time and held deep, letting himself succumb to the pleasure.
Still breathing heavy from the exertion, he rolled off her.
When his brain started to function again, Zane realized Missy had met with her cousin today and he hadn't spoken with her since.
“How was lunch with Amelia?”
“It was more like a late breakfast. It was good. I had a chocolate croissant that was to die for and chai tea, which I love and don't get often enough.”
So that's what had gotten her into the mood for cookies, a chocolate laden breakfast. Though, he hadn't asked to find out what she'd eaten. More to feel her out about how the time spent with her cousin had been. Particularly since he knew Meli, younger than Missy, had just gotten engaged.
He had a bad feeling this engagement was going to be a sore spot for her.
“And how's your cousin?”
“Good. Busy planning the wedding.” Missy lifted up on one elbow. “She asked me to be in the wedding party.”
He blew out a breath. “Better you than me.”
Missy pressed her lips together.
The fact she had more to say, that she was holding something back, radiated so strongly off her he couldn't help but ask, “What?”
“Nothing.” Her hesitation before answering told him the real answer definitely was not nothing.
Only a stupid man would stir up trouble at a time like this when there were warm cookies and a hot naked woman in his bed. Zane was not a stupid man.
If whatever was on her mind was important it would come out eventually. Until then, Zane intended to enjoy what blessings he had at his disposal.
“What happened with the office space today?” she asked.
He noticed she'd changed the subject, and he let her. “I saw it and it's perfect.”
“So you're taking it?”
“Yup. I signed the lease quick before Jon changes his mind.” Zane laughed, only half joking. “I can't wait to show it to you. I mean it needs furnishings but the area is perfect and the space is exactly what I had in mind. Thank you for introducing me to the owner. It made suffering through yet one more wedding event bearable.”
“You're welcome.” She visibly deflated, going from happy about the office, to looking incredibly sad.
Why? Was it because of his comment about suffering through the wedding stuff?
Maybe he had been a bit too anti-wedding lately. He'd have to ease up on that. He'd do anything to not be the cause for that expression on her face, including suffering in silence.
“Hey,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” He brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek.
“I love you too.”
“And I love those cookies.” He glanced at the plate next to the bed.
She laughed. “Good to hear.”
“There's something else I love.”
“What's that?” she asked.
He slid down between her legs, spreading her thighs as he went. “This,” he said before he dipped his head down and heard Missy gasp above him.