Page 43 of Securing Jane

“Nope. It’s because that’s just who they are,” Storm told her. “And because you’re easy to be around. I felt that way from the very beginning. You’re calming, and when I’m around you, I feel more relaxed.”

Jane wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she simply smiled at him.

“You got a bit of sun today,” he told her. “How do you feel about baths?”

“Love them. Why?”

“Because I thought I’d run you one when we get home. You can relax and soak while I make us something light to eat. Then I thought we could watch one of the multitude of movies I’ve got collecting dust on my shelf.”

“I’d love that,” Jane told him. As much as she enjoyed making love with him, she wasn’t as young as she used to be and was tired from being in the sun all day and having to be “on” all afternoon. A quiet night, vegging in front of the TV and snuggling with her man sounded idyllic. “But you don’t always have to cook for me,” she protested.

“I enjoy it,” he told her honestly. “Cooking for myself is boring and gets old. I love spoiling you.”

“Far be it from me to protest,” she told him, then changed the subject. “Do you think Dag is worried about this Sandburg guy?” She’d thought about what he’d said on and off all day, and it bothered her that Dag might still be in danger.

Storm shook his head. “No. Now that NCIS has him on their radar, he won’t be a threat for much longer. I’m sure by Monday things will be resolved, and we can all relax.”

“Until the next person who thinks that violence will make them feel better or solve their problems,” Jane muttered.

“True. But how about for tonight, and the rest of the weekend, we try not to think about work and enjoy our time together?”

“Deal,” Jane said immediately.

“Go ahead and close your eyes, it’ll take another half an hour or so to get through this traffic and get home.”

Home. Jane liked the sound of that more than she should for the amount of time she’d been dating Storm. But she merely nodded and rested her head on the seat behind her.

Chapter Ten

When Monday morning rolled around, Storm was ninety-nine percent sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Jane. The weekend had been perfect. They clicked and meshed so easily it was as if they’d known each other their entire lives.

Usually by this point in a relationship, Storm was feeling antsy and couldn’t wait to go back to his old routine of being alone. But he couldn’t imagine spending even one day without talking to or being with Jane. He’d spent his entire life looking for her but hadn’t known it until they’d met. If he believed in that sort of thing, he’d think they were meant to be together. Divine fate or reincarnated lovers. Whatever it was…he was going to do everything in his power to hold on to her and treat her so good she’d never want to leave him.

They’d made love yesterday afternoon, and it had been slow and lazy. He’d never thought he’d be in a kind of relationship where cuddling was almost as satisfying as being inside her. But he was now.

He hated having to go back to the “real world,” and for the first time in his career, Storm actually looked forward to a life outside the Navy. He’d given a hell of a lot to his country and couldn’t wait until he didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to give even more, especially when he thought of waking up to Jane.

He locked his door and headed toward the parking lot with Jane at his side. He’d driven her around all weekend, and it didn’t feel right to part with her now…but he was a grown-ass man, just as she was a grown-ass woman, and they both had jobs to get to.

“Are you going to have a lunch break today?” he asked.

Jane shook her head. “I don’t usually have time on Mondays. The mail from Saturday is stacked up, and it’s easier to skip lunch and get it out than to let it continue to pile up.”

“Are you coming back here tonight?” he asked hopefully.

Jane turned to look at him. “Do you… Are we rushing this?” she asked.

“No,” Storm told her immediately. “I mean, we’ve moved fast, but it feels right. Doesn’t it?”

“It does, but the absolute last thing I want is to move things so fast that you’ll regret it.”

“I won’t,” Storm told her emphatically. “But if you want to slow things down, I’ll respect that.”

“You could come over to my apartment…” she said tentatively, letting her words trail off.

“Deal,” Storm told her.

“I know my bed’s not as big and you have a better kitchen,” she told him.