Forged in Steele

CHAPTER 6

MAREN was awake the moment Steele slid from the bed. One minute she was snuggled deeply into his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, and the next she was wide awake as he slipped away.

Her heart was heavy with regret. She so wanted to hold on to this moment forever. She didn’t want it to end. She’d savored every single minute with him, but now he was preparing to leave, and things would go back to the way they’d been before.

She would barely exist in his world. She would return to being ignored. No words and definitely none of those earth-shattering smiles she’d enjoyed for the past several hours.

“Steele?” she whispered.

She’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t say a word when it was time for him to go. She’d sworn she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Wouldn’t humiliate herself or make herself vulnerable. That hadn’t lasted long at all.

He turned just as he finished pulling his pants on. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat sideways, pulling up one leg so he faced her.

“You heading out?” she asked in a low voice.

Regret flashed in his eyes. Maybe he was as reluctant as she was to end their time together. She would keep that thought, even if it made her delusional.

“Yeah,” he said just as quietly. “Time to meet the team and get the girl home.”

“Be careful,” she said lightly.

“Always.”

To her shock, he leaned forward and kissed her long and leisurely. It was a slow, sensual kiss. Nothing like the heated, breathless kisses of the hours before. It was a sweet kiss, a gesture that showed tenderness and regard.

Her heart seized and a knot formed in her throat.

Damn it, she was not going to make an idiot of herself by getting all emotional. They’d had one night of sex, for God’s sake. It wasn’t like he’d put a ring on her finger and proposed. Or like he’d professed his undying love for her.

He’d been very clear that he was having sex with her to get her out of his system. It didn’t get less romantic than that.

“Take care of yourself, Maren,” he said.

“Always,” she said, echoing his cocky response.

He touched her cheek and then rose as she pulled the sheets higher up her body. He looked down at her a long moment and then his lips firmed, almost as if he were resolving to leave. Then he turned and strode out of her bedroom. In the distance she heard her door open and close and then silence descended until she could hear every creak, every little noise outside her windows.

She closed her eyes and rolled into the space Steele had occupied. It was still warm from his body heat. It still smelled of him. She buried her face in the pillow where he’d rested his head and inhaled deeply.

It had been the best and worst night of her life.

The best in that she’d never had sex with a man who equaled Steele. She never would.

The worst in that it only clearly outlined everything she’d never have.

Sometimes it was better not to ever live the fantasy. Because when reality descended, it outlined in stark detail just how much the real world sucked. The whole adage about how it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?

Complete BS.

In this regard, it was likely far better to have never had scorching-the-sheets sex with Steele than to have had it, tasted it and know she’d never have it again.

She closed her eyes, knowing she really needed to get up, shower and head to the clinic. The locals would be stirring and waiting for her to open. She faced another day just like all the other days. Illness, broken bones, minor injuries, checkups and cuts and wounds to stitch.

Another day in paradise.

The problem with that was that she’d spent the night in paradise. Now she faced the drudgery of her normal life. And now that she’d had a taste of utter perfection, the reality waiting for her was depressing as hell.