Jack closed the door and made his way back into the bedroom. Mira lay tangled in the sheets, her long hair spread over his pillows and one slim calf and foot peeking from under the blankets. She had her eyes closed. No wonder. They'd really made a night—and morning—of it.

He wanted to walk over and kiss her awake. Wanted to crawl back into bed, pull her into his arms and hold her. He wanted to spend the whole day in bed with her, order something up from the kitchen when they were hungry, but otherwise spend all their time immersed in each other.

Cold reality slapped him in the face. Fuck. He kept making this situation worse.

Thomas wanted him to wait until all this was over before he revealed that he was actually Crane's son. Jack wanted to never tell her. He never wanted to see that inevitable look of hatred in her eyes when she learned of his parentage and discovered that he watched her mother die right in front of him ... and had let it happen.

"Mira," he said gruffly.

Her eyes drifted open.

"That was Thomas. We're supposed to meet him in his office. He's got something to tell us.”

She pushed the blankets away and stood, cloaked in nothing more than morning sunlight. She raked a hand through her long, loose hair. Tight little pink nipples peeked from where the dark skeins lay tumbled over her shoulders. The curve of her waist and hip begged for his lips and tongue.

His cock started to rise. Down boy. He turned away and busied himself with finding clothing.

"I need to go back to my room. All I have here is my nightgown and bathrobe," she said.

He turned toward her, a pair of jeans in his hands. "That's probably for the best. If you stay here any longer, I'm going to push you back down onto the bed and keep you there all day.”

"Would that be such a bad thing?”

"Considering Thomas's mood? Yes.”

She laughed and slipped her nightgown over her head. "I've noticed he can be a bit prickly sometimes. Moody is perhaps a better word to use." She grabbed her bathrobe and breezed past him. "I'll meet you down there.”

He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her against his chest for a final kiss, wanting the taste of her in his mouth awhile longer.

They broke the kiss, and she stayed there for a moment with her lips parted and her eyes half closed. "Mmmm," she sighed and bit her lower lip. "Do we really care if Thomas is a little upset?”

"Go." He slapped her ass playfully.

She went, throwing one last glowing smile over her shoulder at him.

Hell, he loved her.

And he was going to lose her soon. He felt it.