She smiled even bigger. And how was it possible that Asher McIntyre was asleep past the break of dawn? Maybe she was rubbing off on him.

Her hand drew lazy circles under the blanket and over his stomach. “Good morning.”

He shifted and tightened his arm over her shoulder. “Careful. That’s a dangerous way to wake a man.”

She giggled and flattened her palm, sliding to the waistband of his boxers. “What? Saying good morning seems harmless enough.”

He covered her roving hand and moved it over him. “Your pleasantries weren’t what I was talking about.”

Asher’s mind might have been waking up, but the rest of him was raring to go. He hooked his other arm over her back and brought her to lie on him, legs straddling him. Jenny rested her cheek on his chest, and his lips pressed to the top of her head.

“I was scared I lost you, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head again then flipped them over. His jawline had a rough shadow, and his perfect hair was messy. Asher’s gaze burned through her until he broke and kissed her tenderly. “Lots of things have been put in perspective now.”

“Like?” Her throat ached from saying one simple word. There was so much that could be hanging on that question.

“You.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip, unsure what to say. “Meaning?”

“It means…” His forehead dipped against hers. “It means I’ve always cared about you. Always wondered how you’d taste and what would make you scream.” He kissed her lips. “I never let myself wonder…”

Her heart raced. “About?”

“Anything but me. Selfish politician, huh?” He chuckled softly. “But now I’m wondering what you want. If you want me. If you want to make love.”

She nodded as her world spun. He could love her in any way, and it would be amazing.

Asher kissed her, deeper and longer. His tongue probed her mouth, but then he softened the intensity. His eyes blazed. “I need to know if you have that same ache that’s been plaguing me.”

“For far too long.” Her heart banged in her chest, and she slipped off her panties. His boxer-covered erection flexed against her mound.

“God, I need you, Jenny. Need.”

“You do?” Jenny snagged his boxers and pushed them over his bottom, and he took care of them the rest of the way down. The thick emotional tension that hung on their words made it hard to breathe, even as it cocooned them together. She needed him too, in more ways than she could describe.

“My head, my heart, they’re both saying the same thing. I love you, sweetheart, and I have for a long time from a distance.”