Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Caleb

Dawn came far too quickly, and for the first time in my life, I watched another human doze. For someone who confessed to having trouble sleeping, Tony was a remarkably deep, peaceful sleeper. A pale beam of light filtered in from the hall. My door was cracked from an earlier trip to the bathroom. Tony's face was slack, the picture of relaxation where earlier he'd been so tense. Once we'd figured out what we both wanted from the sex, it had been the best I'd ever had, and it sure had seemed that way for him too.

I tucked the covers more securely around him, the urge to take care of him undeniable. Maybe that was what made the sex so good—we both seemed more invested in the other person's pleasure than our own. And as much as I'd liked watching Tony slay as a coach and fundraiser earlier in the evening, getting to see his more vulnerable side felt equally special. He'd been willing to try something new with me despite uncertainty. Further, we'd found our way to deeper communication, enabling me to give him exactly what he wanted and needed.

Heady stuff, and it was no wonder I couldn't sleep. My stomach let out a rumble as I glanced at my bedside clock. The local donut shop would be opening in a few minutes. I was decent at cooking for a crowd at the fire station, but the thought of wooing Tony with a breakfast for two intimidated me. A little too romantic for what was supposed to be a super-secret fling, but donuts I could do.

I left a sticky note on the alarm clock in case Tony woke up, but as luck would have it, he didn't rouse until I slid back under the covers next to him. I'd left my clothes on the bedroom floor to both better absorb his warmth and because being naked with him felt like too much of a luxury to waste the chance.

"Where've you been?" he mumbled, blinking his bleary eyes open. "Your nose is cold."

"And my feet." I ran one along his calf. "I snuck out to get us some donuts and coffee."

"I slept through you leaving?" Tony made a disgusted noise. "Some Ranger I am. Army would drum me out if I wasn't already retired."

"You were dead to the world." Chuckling, I poked his nose with my index finger. "And you probably needed the sleep."

"I did." Sitting partway up, he looked around the room. His eyes glowed amber in the early-morning light. "Where are the donuts? Bring them here."

"You wanna eat them in bed?" I gave a delighted laugh as I hefted myself out of bed. "I knew I loved your rebel side."

Love. There was that word again. I didn't love him, couldn't love him, and he definitely didn't love me. Yet, last night, as we'd fallen asleep, I could have sworn I'd heard a "Love you" that hadn't come from my lips.

Not wanting to dwell too much on emotional stuff this early in the day, I hurried to grab the coffee and donuts. When I returned, he was sitting up in the center of the bed, covers pooling in his lap, his chiseled physique worthy of any number of classic Italian sculptors.

Lacking words to express how hot he was, I merely handed him his coffee before getting back into bed with him. I watched as he helped himself to a cream-filled maple donut.

"Knew you didn't seem like the sprinkles type," I teased as I grabbed a donut for myself. Watching Tony eat the donut was possibly more appetizing than sampling my own. His tongue darted out to capture some rogue cream, and I had to suppress a moan. "This breakfast in bed idea was the best."

"Yeah, well, gotta make the most of our time," Tony said pragmatically.

"Yep." There was nothing else to say. He was right. Our time was finite and precious. No use arguing with the inevitable, so I ate my donut in silence.

"Oh, these are good." Oblivious to my depressed state, Tony continued his near-pornographic devouring of his donut, adding in licking his fingers clean.

"I know. I have to limit how often I let myself splurge, but the donuts from this place are so worth it."

"So are you." Tony stole my next breath with the compliment, followed by a quick kiss. "Thanks for the surprise. I like waking up like this."

"Me too." My voice came out thick and heavy, laden with my wish that it could be this way every day from now until forever.

"I should go by this place on my way back to Eric's," Tony mused as he nabbed another donut. "Donuts might distract from questions about my being gone all last night."

"Good call."

"But I don't have to leave yet." Tony leaned in for another kiss, this one lingering with the promise of more sex. Someday, he would have to leave for good, but right then, he was mine, and I kissed him back with my whole heart. We had today, and for now, that would have to be enough.