Jo was vaguely aware of Nicholas pulling his head away and shouting out a heartbeat later, but then darkness descended and she slumped against him.
The first thing Jo saw when she opened her eyes was the glow of the digital alarm clock in the dark room. It was seven thirty-two. She was lying on the bed, Nicholas's warm body at her back, the heavy weight of his arm curled around her and tucked under her side. Jo lay still for a moment, not wishing to wake Nicholas, but her bladder was complaining and she finally had to move. Going slowly and carefully, she tried to ease out from under Nicholas's arm without waking him, but had barely started when his arm suddenly tightened around her, drawing her back against his chest.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.
Before Jo could answer, his hand found one breast and covered it to squeeze lightly and he began to nuzzle her neck. She sucked in a breath, and wiggled her bottom back against him as desire stirred within her.
"Mmm," Nicholas murmured, urging his own hips closer against her so that she felt his erection even as it grew between them. He then released her breast and reached for her face, catching her by the jaw to turn her head so that he could lean over her and claim her lips.
Jo turned as he kissed her, rolling onto her back and sliding her free arm around him. With the one caught between their bodies, she ran her fingers over what she could reach of his chest as she kissed him back.
"You taste good," Nicholas murmured against her mouth, his hand releasing her face to drift down over her body.
"I—oh," Jo moaned as his hand stopped to palm and squeeze her breast. It then slid away to smooth over her stomach before gliding down to her hip, and she moaned again as it tickled over her hip bone. But then it shifted again, sliding around to her bottom to turn her further onto her side and press her hips to his.
"I need you again," he growled, his hand dipping under her bottom and between her legs to find the center of her excitement in a roundabout route.
"I need… oh." Jo paused to gasp as he left off the caressing to slip one finger inside her. When she caught her breath again, she finished, "To pee."
Nicholas stilled and then pulled back to peer at her.
"Sorry," she muttered wryly, and then pushed herself away from him to sit up. "Nature calls."
Nicholas fell back on the bed with a groan and then sat up to watch her scamper naked across the room to the bathroom door and growled, "Hurry back."
Her answer was a chuckle as she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door.
Sighing, Nicholas flopped back on the bed again, a smile curving his lips. Jo was… well, she was a slice of heaven was what she was; beautiful in his eyes and smart and sassy… The perfect woman for him.
It was just too damned bad he couldn't keep her, Nicholas thought bitterly, and closed his eyes as the soft, warm feelings left by their lovemaking slid away to allow reality to intrude.
He never should have touched her. It was the dream's fault, of course. There were several signs that one had met a life mate; not being able to read or control them was just one of them. Another sign of a life mate was shared dreams, usually erotic ones, and Nicholas knew he hadn't been alone in the dream he'd had of their interlude in the cells at the enforcer house. He'd woken from that with a raging need and had tried to save them both the coming heartache by fleeing for the bathroom and a cold shower, but Jo hadn't let him. Nicholas didn't blame her. She had no idea what was going on here and had no doubt been as aroused by the dream as he, but his giving in to it had been a major mistake. It was just going to make it harder to give her up when the time came, and it was coming soon. He couldn't keep her with him. In fact, his plan to make love to her again seamed incredibly stupid now that he was thinking. It would just make things even harder.
Rolling off the bed, Nicholas stood up, eyes landing on the German shepherd asleep in the cushioned chair by the desk. He'd forgotten all about the dog and suspected he wasn't supposed to be sleeping on the furniture, but then remembered that Charlie had been sleeping on the bed with Jo when he'd entered and didn't disturb him. Instead, he moved around the room collecting his clothes and then laid them on the bed and sat down to wait when he heard the shower come on in the bathroom.
He would slip into the bathroom the moment she came out, subject himself to a cold shower to cool the raging passions just the thought of Jo caused in him, and then sit her down and explain the situation before things went too far. Nicholas had no doubt the moment Jo heard what he had to tell her, she'd be more than happy to let him take her back to the enforcer house and get him out of her life.