Black as night and sweet as a stolen kiss. Sarah knew him well; she'd take her cup out, fill it with soy cream and sugar and various flavorings. Gross. And then she'd pour about a half a cup of sugar into the pot.

“It's a wonder you can still hold anything,” she said. “Like a pen. You have papers to sign today.”

He didn't jump in surprise, even though he hadn't even heard her breathing in the room with him. Something might have stirred a little at the sound of her voice, though. Down, Pete.

“Honey,” he drawled, “if I ain't got my coffee, I'd tell that agency to fuck off and die.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.” David felt the air heat as she moved toward him. “You need a job more than I need you to have a job. You’re going stir-crazy.” Standing desk-duty for companies had grown tiresome, so he’d gone back to school. Eighteen months of classes, and only two months of them involved anything interesting, like self-defense and target practice, but he finally had his security license and he was ready to sign up with Harbor Security, a national company that had branches in all the major US cities and a few overseas as well. He wasn’t sure, exactly, what the job would entail, but he was looking forward to finding out.

“My wife already wants me out of the house,” David said, milking it for all it was worth. Down. Pete. Really. Didn't you get enough last night?

“Your wife,” Sarah stressed, “wants what is best for you, and that’s you having a job. This search has been a nightmare for both of us.” Three months after graduating, he’d been looking for new work. The loan they’d taken out to cover the education costs was going to be coming due soon, and that was grief neither of them needed. “Besides, I’ve got this trip with Edward’s campaign. I’m going to be gone for at least a month, and I don’t need you sulking around the house.”

“This politician of yours is a jerk,” David said. “Why the hell does he need you to go on tour with him? Can’t he kiss his own babies and shake his own hands without you telling him which way is up? He’s throwing you under the bus.”

Sarah shook her head, her hair brushing lightly against his bare chest. “A political stump isn't a bus; more like a big kid on a little skateboard.”

“He really needs you that bad?”

“He thinks so, and I’m not going to discourage him. Getting Edward Virga into a position of power is one of the best chances we have to get our message out there.”

“You keep tellin' yourself that, sweetheart,” David said.

Sarah put one arm around his neck and drew his head down for a quick kiss. “I always do.”

Yeah, that was it. Sergeant Pete wasn't having any more of this At Ease nonsense.

Gently, she nudged his arm. “Put the coffee down, David.”

Okay, well, he had to think about that one for a minute. Sex? Or coffee? Oh, he had a hard life.

She touched him, light fingers running up his spine, just shy of tickling, which always made him arch up. Sarah’s breath rippled against his gut and he, very gently, and carefully, tenderly...

Set the coffee pot down. And followed her into the bedroom. And this was all still before he'd opened his eyes. It was gonna be a glorious day.