Jacey woke in the early hours of the morning and blinked steadily for a moment, wondering where the hell she was. It was too quiet for the shelter and the bed was way more comfortable.
A soft snore drew her attention and she rolled over to see Derrick lying on his back, his arm sprawling over his head, the sheet resting on his stomach.
She’d slept with him. What had she been thinking?
Yeah, she knew what she’d been thinking, that here was the sexiest man she’d ever met and he wanted her. Her. She’d been thinking it was a dream come true, one she couldn’t pass up.
A one-night stand that she would remember for the rest of her life. Except that she’d never had a one-night stand before. However, she was pretty sure that most people didn’t bare their sole to their lover, spilling their darkest, most horrible secrets.
It was a wonder he had wanted to touch her at all afterward, let alone make love to her half the night. She was going to be sore when she started moving around. Worth it, though. She grinned. Yeah, the sex had been amazing, but it was Derrick that had truly made it wonderful. He’d been nothing but kind and considerate, even when she’d freaked out on him.
But she couldn’t forget that all they had was one night. As hard as it was going to be to get up and leave, she had to. She had to separate herself from him.
For her own good.
Sitting up carefully, she wondered if she could manage to climb out of bed to get in a shower without him waking up. Scooting over to the side of the bed, she swung her legs over the edge, letting out a scream of surprise when a tanned, muscular arm surrounded her waist, dragging her back down.
“Just where to do you think you’re going?” Derrick murmured in her ear.
“I have to get up for work,” she told him. Already her body was reacting. Her clit throbbing as her nipples hardened.
“Surely we’ve got some time… ahh, damn, maybe not. I have a flight to catch this morning.”
Twisting her around, he hugged her tight, kissing her deeply. “Hmm, I should have set my alarm for earlier.”
“But you have to go and so do I.” Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with him, but it was best to break things off now. It was a good thing he was going away, give them both breathing space and stopping her from falling back into his arms and begging him to take her.
“You’re right.” He gazed down at her. “Take a shower in here, while I grab one in the guest bathroom. Do you have a change of clothes in your backpack?”
“Yes.”
“Good. After we shower, I’ll rustle up something for breakfast. Hopefully you like omelettes. It’s about all I can do.”
“That’s fine.”
She showered quickly, changing into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Combing her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror, wondering at the wide-eyed gaze of the woman staring back at her. This woman looked like she’d been well-loved, her gaze was shining, her lips plump and there was an air of satisfaction around her.
“Jacey, come down when you’re ready,” Derrick called out. “I’m going to get our clothes from outside and then start breakfast.”
“Okay, thanks.”
She gazed around the magnificent bedroom one more time, drawing it into her memories. Last night was something she would remember forever.
***
Jacey walked down the alley behind the diner to the back door. Derrick had dropped her off outside and she’d waved to him as he drove off, her lips still tingling from his kiss. He’d said he would see her when he got back, but she knew that was just talk. She’d probably never see him again.
For the best, she told herself, wishing she could believe it.
She was a bit early for work, but she knew Frankie would already be there. Frankie always beat her there in the morning. Sometimes she wondered if the other woman slept there.
Jacey knocked on the back door and waited for Frankie to open it. The diner wasn’t open yet and Jacey didn’t have any keys. She shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other.
The solid door opened but instead of seeing Frankie’s smiling face, Jimmy stood there.
“Hi, Jimmy, how are you?” she greeted the owner of the diner.
The dour-looking man stared down at her. “Jacey, what are you doing here?”