The bedroom door shut behind her and she jumped, startled at the sound. A violent shiver stole over her. God she was so cold, when had the room grown so cold? She was happy that this had happened, that Kategan land was no longer in danger, but then why was she shaking so cold?

Jacks’ arms came around her, and then she realized she was shivering like she was sitting naked in the middle of a snowstorm.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay baby. I’ve got you.” There were too many thoughts running through her head. Part of her didn’t know what was happening, the other was telling her that she’d never seen someone murdered before. The last time she’d been around a dead body was at her parent’s funeral.

She lost herself in Jack’s embrace. She didn’t know how much time passed, but when her mind finally slowed to a normal speed, she blinked and saw that they were sitting in the chair by the warm fireplace. She hadn’t even known he’d moved. She lifted her face from where it was buried in his neck and saw the evidence of her tears in the wet cotton of his shirt.

“I’m so sorry.”

He chuckled at her and pulled her back into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Feeling better?” With his hands running delicious warm strokes up and down her back, it was hard not to. She nodded against him. But when the grisly images of the guard’s throat and stomach popped into her mind, she said the first thing that popped into her mind to get rid of it.

“Do you still talk to your mom?” The hands stroking her paused, then continued on their comforting journey. Vera let go of the breath she’d been holding with a soft whoosh.

“Yeah, I talk to her on the phone about once a week. I see her twice a year and send her cards on all the right days.” Vera giggled, picturing him in a Hallmark store picking out a sweet Mother’s Day card. Somehow it was hard to picture the human marine, who so deftly was sharpening his knife with a whetstone earlier sending his mom a pink, frilly card. Another giggled escaped her, and he squeezed her in warning. “Hey now, none of that. I do what I gotta do.”

“Of course you do,” she said when she had control over herself again. A sudden thought hit her and she pulled back and lifted the sleeve of his right arm. “I almost forgot. I’d seen a glimpse of it when we were...you know, but haven’t taken the time to really study it. Rome has the same tattoo, tell me the story,” she said wistfully.

“Ah, no, come on. You don’t want to hear this. It’s lame.” Vera gave him a quick kiss and pouted, blinking doe eyes at him. He grumbled something about damned women under his breath.

“I met Rome my second year in. We bumped into each other and got into a little bit of a fight.”

“I remember him telling me about that. You know, I gotta say I’ve never befriended a girl I just had a cat fight with.” He smirked at her and grabbed her hand, inspected each fingernail with a sharp eye.

“Baby, I don’t think these pretty hands have ever hurt someone in anger.” She winked saucily at him, but her heart tightened that he could see something so easily about her.

“Okay, so when did you guys decide to get a matching tattoo?”

“Well I guess we’d been friends for about a year and as per our usual Saturday we went into town, got shitfaced, and next thing you know we’re getting matching tattoos.” Vera slapped him playfully on the arm.

“Come on now, I know you’re hiding something. Tell me it all.” The corner of his mouth kicked up making him look younger, more relaxed.

“Well, mind you we were young and stupid, but we got the matching tattoo because...ah shit,” he looked away, his cheeks burning. “We were trying to impress some girls,” he said lamely.

Vera’s head shot back as laughter erupted from her. She couldn’t control it, it just kept coming. When she finally calmed, she was down to hiccupping chuckles. When her eyes met his deadpanned, serious gaze, she couldn’t stop herself and broke into another fit of furious giggles.

“That’s it.” She squealed and held on tight as he lifted her and carried her over to the bed. Her breath caught, the giggles dying, as a hot and delicious thrill swept through her. God she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so light, so happy with someone.

As he threw her on to the bed and glared at her with laughter in his eyes, she knew she loved him. Stupid, stupid, fool. This was the very last thing she’d expected to happen to her while on this trip. Yet she wasn’t surprised that it was Jackson Marsh who pushed her heart open so easily. From the first moment she met him, she’d noticed him. The only other man she’d noticed like that was Dmetri, but even then it was different. Meeting Jacks had made her hackles rise, she’d thought stupidly at the time it was because he was a human--and she just plain didn’t like humans much. Now she knew it was something so much scarier, so much better. She liked him. She really liked him.

He crawled over her, his strong hand cupping her cheek and playing with the fringe of her bangs. “What’s wrong, you look sad?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking.” She reached up and trailed her hands over his short hair. The short cut looked good on him, fit the fact that he was a marine perfectly. She had a sudden thought of him wearing his dress uniform and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. Damn the man was sexy.

“Now you’re thinking wicked things. Do you know how I can tell?”

“How?”

He trailed a finger over her bottom lip, his gaze hot and possessive. “Because you gnaw on your bottom lip right here when you get turned on. You do it when I pinch your sweet nipples, too. And your cheeks flush a pretty red. When you come your chest flushes too, right here,” he said stroking from tops of her breasts to her neck. “It’s beautiful. I could watch you come every damn day.”

Suddenly he stopped, a tic pulsing at his right eye and Vera realized he’d said something he hadn’t wanted to. His words had her shaking, panting below him, desperate for more. She didn’t want the sweet moment to end so she kissed his mouth until it softened against her.

“Tell me more,” she whispered. His eyes darkened.

“How about I show you?” She was still shaking her head yes, when he started pulling her clothes off her.

She wanted to forget all about what she saw and just let the relief of the matter with Ariss pass. Jacks’ touch was the perfect way to escape that reality.

His touch was gentle but possessive. He took off her shirt but stopped to reverently stroke her stomach, the creamy skin of her breast. Her jeans came off and he slid his big hands up her inner thighs, lighting a fire inside her as his fingers teased the edge of her panties before pulling away. Strong, loving, demanding touches all over her until he finally worked her thong down her thighs and off her ankles.

He stood back and simply gazed at her naked body, with that smoldering, dark look in his eyes. Vera felt like a goddess.

This time was different between them, already she could tell. There wasn’t that rushed urgency that had driven them before. Though she still felt the same intense passion searing between them that had been there since day one.

Her legs scissored as he continued to watch her. Even now, he took in all the details. Her hardened nipples, the blush in her face, her hands fisted in the cover, the scent of her wet sex filling the air. He closed his eyes for a minute as if in pain, then reached at the back of his neck and pulled his shirt over his head. The expanse of his chest was breathtaking and sexy as hell. His chest was hard with a dusking of hair that disappeared into his jeans.

Nibbling her lip, Vera watched him reach for his fly and open it. His movements seemed slower as he unbuttoned his jeans them achingly slow pushed them down inch by inch. Vera held her breath until finally, his cock popped free. A flood of creamy, hot heat spilled out of her at the sight.