Page 53 of Jessica's Hero

Like finding the one person in the world who fits you.

And with each plunge into Jess’s tight heat, I hear the same silent words on repeat.

She’s the one.

When Jess comes apart around me, calling my name,my heart nearly bursts from happiness. From the truth I know deep in my heart.

It doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other.

After thirty-one years of steadfastly remaining single, I’m finally falling.

Or maybe I already fell.

Only seconds after Jess takes that leap into ecstasy, I’m right there with her, shouting out my pleasure. Filling her just like she asked me to.

It’s the first time I’ve been with a woman without protection, and there’s no one else I’d trust enough to do it with.

With the aftershocks still rippling through both of us, I roll us over and drape Jess across my chest. She snuggles against me, tucking her head beneath my chin. My hand strokes down the length of her hair, combing through the silky strands.

“Was that okay?” Jess asks quietly, her breath a whisper on my skin.

My hand stills mid-stroke. “Was itokay?”

“It’s been a while,” she explains. “Like… ten years a while. So I might have been out of practice.”

My heart flips over.

Ten years. And she’s trustingmewith this. Trusting me with everything.

Unexpectedly, my eyes burn. Pressing my lips to the top of her head, I reply, “Sweetheart. You were incredible. Beyond that. You wereperfect. I promise.”

CHAPTER 11

JESS

“Kane, you didn’t have to do this.”

But my protest is met with a broad smile as my boyfriend—that still feels odd but awesome to say—pulls me in for a quick hug before saying, “I know I didn’thaveto, sweetheart. I wanted to.”

Then he pauses, and his cheeks pink up in that adorable way they do right before he’s about to say something sweet and completely incongruous to his tough-cop persona. Catching my hand in his, he adds quietly, “I know it’s only been a few hours, but I missed you. And I couldn’t stop thinking about you all morning.”

And there goes my heart, melting into a puddle on the floor.

“I missed you, too,” I tell him. Stretching up on my toes, I give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I just don’t want you getting into trouble at work. Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol right now?”

It’s a rhetorical question, because I know he’s on patrol. One, because I know his schedule, and he’s scheduled for the eight-to-four shift today. And two, Kane’s still wearing his uniform, looking so handsome I can barely stand it.

I’ve heard people talk about the appeal of a man in uniform, but never gave much thought to it until meeting Kane. Until the first time I saw him at a Sleepy Hollow first responders fundraiser and couldn’t stop my gaze from sliding over to him. And now that he’s standing in front of me, his blue eyes popping from the matching shade of his shirt and his shoulders stretching the fabric, it’s hard to tear my attention away.

A quick glance around the reception area shows a lot of eyes glued to Kane, actually.

Or, rather, to both of us.

Kane’s the one receiving admiring looks, while the ones I’m getting are more disbelieving. I catch Anna and Sandy, two of the med techs who work under me, whispering furtively as they keep glancing over at me, and although I can’t hear them, I can easily imagine what they’re saying.

How did Jess land a guy like that? Is he really interested in her? Does he know the story about what she did in high school?

To the first question: I’m not sure. Luck? A weird twist of karma? Or, as Hazel said on more than one occasion, did I finally find the man I’ve deserved all along?