"Jerk," he thought she said, making him chuckle as he left her bedroom.

He couldn't help smiling as he jogged down Zoe's stairs to the living room where he found Toby, they really needed to do something about that name, sitting by the door holding that damn teddy bear leash in his mouth.

"You're killing me here, buddy," Trevor said, taking the leash out of the dog's mouth and exchanging it for the black leather one he'd purchased and he noted the dog could have easily reached as well, but apparently preferred the damn sissy one.

"You and I are going to have ourselves a little man to man talk," he said, clipping the leash to the black leather collar he'd switched out late last night after he helped Zoe in bed. "Let's go," he said, fighting the urge to look up at the stairs one last time and winning.

This was just an arrangement, a brilliant arrangement, but nevertheless an arrangement.

Chapter 18

"And where have you been all night?" she demanded with her arms folded over her chest as he came sauntering into her kitchen like it didn't matter that she spent half the night, okay the last hour, worried sick about him.

"Well?" she demanded when he tried to look innocent. He tried to give her his most adorable expression, but she wasn't having it.

"Relax, he was with me," Trevor announced as he stepped into the kitchen, giving Toby an affectionate rub behind the ears as he passed him.

"All night?" Zoe asked, hoping she didn't sound or look as nervous as she felt. A little over three hours ago she'd been sitting on top of this man fulfilling five years of fantasies. Not that she regretted a moment of it.

Oh god no.

After five years of going without real human contact, last night had been perfect. The sex was great and instead of taking her chances on a total stranger it was with Trevor, whom she trusted more than any person she'd ever met, she suddenly realized.

That didn't mean there wasn't going to be a little awkwardness the next morning. They went from having a very informal, semi professional relationship to buck na**d and doing a hundred different things that just thinking about made her knees wobble and her stomach flutter with anticipation. Then again just because she was happy with last night didn't mean that he was, she realized, instantly killing any lingering happy thoughts about last night.

He said the sex was incredible, but maybe that was just something he said during sex, she thought, making herself depressed. Maybe it was pity sex, she thought, horrified by the very idea. Pity sex was worse than no sex.

If it was pity sex then she wouldn't be getting anymore anytime soon and she desperately wanted more, not just the sex, she realized, but to spend time with Trevor, another human being and just feel close to someone. Even though it had no chance in hell of going anywhere it was still more than she'd had in years.

"He ate with me," Trevor pointed out as she reached to grab a can of dog food.

Sighing, she shut the cabinet door and washed her hands. "Thank you for taking care of him," she said, not knowing what else to say or really how to act.

"No problem," Trevor said, leaning back against the counter the same way he did every morning as he sorted through her fruit bowl, looking for something to snack on while he waited for his lunch.

It hit her then that this truly was only an arrangement for Trevor and she could relax and be herself. She didn't have to try and impress him or keep his interest, because once the sex was over they could go right back to this and not have to worry about any of the drama from a relationship, she realized as she did her best to hide her smile. This could so work for her.

"How many sandwiches today?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Four," Trevor said around a mouthful or something, probably fruit.

She opened the refrigerator door and nearly groaned. "I might be able to stretch out three. I was supposed to go shopping yesterday," she muttered pathetically. She could cry. She really could. She was exhausted and sore in the most delicious places and had been looking forward to coming home to a hot bath, her bed, and a book after work, but now it looked like she had to hit the grocery store first.

"That's fine," Trevor said, placing his hand on her hip as he reached past her and grabbed the gallon of orange juice she kept for him. "I have a few things I need you to pick up anyway." He slid his hand from her hip to her bottom and gave it a light squeeze that reminded her of something else she was really hoping to do tonight.

"Okay, just add whatever you need to the list. It's on the counter," she said, trying to sound cool and relaxed and not ready to jump him. After last night she shouldn't be able to move never mind be anxious for round two, but she was.

Five long years will do that to a woman.

"I can't remember what they are just now. I'll probably remember when I'm at work," he told her as he stepped away from her. She wasn't that surprised. He usually remembered what he needed to tell her at work. He'd stop by the office or more often than not call her to tell her what he needed.

"That's fine. As long you remember before I leave for the day otherwise I'll probably forget that you needed something," she said, grabbing all the food required to feed a Bradford and stepped around him to unload everything onto the counter.

"I'm going to ask the guys at work today if anyone wants a dog," he said as she started the long assembly line of condiments and fillers.

She tried not to look at the puppy that she'd started to think of as her baby and force herself to focus on the task at hand, but she couldn't help but look down at the adorable furry face that was silently pleading for a slice of Trevor's ham.

"Don't even think about it, woman," he warned.

"I wasn't going to give him a slice?" she lied, sounding as though she was asking a damn question. Seriously, why did she do that? She'd been thinking about it and might have decided to wait until Trevor turned his back so she could sneak Toby a piece of ham, but she'd in no way given herself away. At least she didn't think she had. Then again he was a Bradford and probably had some special connection with his food.

He snorted his disbelief. "Yeah, right."

She glared at him only to end up laughing when he glared right back at her. "Alright, so I was going to give him one slice, but it's not as if you would have noticed," she said, already knowing it wasn't true before the last word left her mouth.

He cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're shortchanging me on a sandwich, woman. Trust me, I would know."

"Fine," she mumbled, returning her attention back to making his lunch and not the puppy whimpering pathetically and nudging her pajama clad knee with his muzzle, making her feel bad.

Worrying her bottom lip, she shot a look down at the dog and met big round sad puppy eyes. Damn it! Her eyes shot up to find Trevor rummaging through the cabinet she kept filled with his snacks.

Maybe he really wouldn't notice, she thought as she reached for the last slice of ham, never taking her eyes away from Trevor, and slipped it to the dog, who just had to go and give her away by smacking his lips.

Trevor gasped as he turned around, narrowing his eyes accusingly on her. "Zoe," he said as he dropped the package of snack cakes on the table and stalked after her. "What did you do?"