She was trapped, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to escape his warm embrace.
A small smile crept over her lips and she leaned in closer, pressing her cheek against his broad chest. His skin was smooth and warm, and the smell of soap and fresh laundry drifted off him.
He must have showered late last night. It was the only explanation for the sweet scent of cleanliness which lingered about him this morning.
"Good morning," he whispered, still half asleep.
Nya felt her cheeks flush at the sound of his voice. She hadn't been able to sleep properly for days, and now she found herself waking up before he did simply because she couldn't stop staring at him in his sleep. He looked so peaceful and content, his face relaxed as his mouth hung slightly open.
As much as it should have bothered her, it didn't.
In fact, the more she watched him, the less she wanted to wake him up. Her smile grew wider as she admired his sleeping form.
She reached up and smoothed the hair behind his ear as the auburn strands fell back into place.
"I love your ears," she whispered.
Jay's hand instinctively came up to cradle the side of her face, pressing his palm against her jawline. "That's a random complement," he mumbled coherently in his half-asleep state, "You're not so bad yourself."
Nya blushed again, and this time she couldn't help it. His words were so sweet and innocent, it sent shivers through her body.
She loved how he spoke in his sleep. It sounded like poetry, or maybe just a lost love letter.
Her heart fluttered as the warm sensation spread throughout her body. She pressed her lips together, trying to hold back a smile as the words continued to roll off his tongue.
She knew it was a silly thing, but it was nice hearing him say it.
No one ever said those things to her before. It was always 'you need to work on your stamina' or 'your technique is sloppy.' But never anything like this, and certainly nothing that made her feel like the sun was shining directly on her.
At least, until last night.
His hands were gentle as he ran them down her arms, entangling themselves in her fingers. Nya leaned in and kissed him softly, and when he pulled away, she let herself fall into his arms instead, snuggling her face against his neck.
"Good morning," she whispered.
His voice was husky and low, and a shiver ran through Nya's body. She tilted her head up to look him in the eye. They were both smiling, and she realized for the first time that she was actually happy.
It was strange, but she felt so secure in his strong arms.
"Good morning," he responded, finally waking up.
They lay there for a few minutes, enjoying their silence and each other's company.
Then it happened. Something that should have scared her, or made her mad, or hurt her somehow—but instead it only brought her joy.
There was no doubt about it. What they shared was real.
She wasn't just seeing what she wanted to see, and neither was he.
This was something real.
Something precious.
When she finally opened her eyes, a smile threatened to split her lips apart. She couldn't keep the grin from spreading across her face. It seemed so obvious now, yet all these months she had convinced herself it was nothing more than a fantasy.
For years, she had dreamed of having someone care for her, someone to take care of her.
To look at her the way Jay looked at her.
But now, she wondered why she'd thought it was such a terrible thing.
Sure, it was different, but so what? Different didn't mean wrong.
Different was special.
And as far as she was concerned, she was damn lucky to be so blessed.
"What are you grinning at?" Jay asked as he rolled onto his back, lifting himself up on his elbow.
Nya smiled even wider at the sight of his chiseled abs peeking out beneath the sheets. Years of discipline and dedicated training looked good on him, and she could understand the effect his body had on women.
"Nothing," she lied, but she couldn't stop her face from turning red.
She wished he would put an end to this game of cat and mouse, but he just smirked at her, and continued to watch her.
"Are you going to tell me what you're thinking, or will I just have to guess?"
She threw her pillow at him, hoping it would distract him.
"Guess," she said.
"I'm thinking we need to get a bigger bed," he replied as she scooted down the bed and swung his legs over the edge to stand.
"That's not very nice," she said with a laugh.
"Whatever," he said with a shrug. He was trying to be obtuse just to annoy her.
She grabbed her clothes from the floor and started to dress, but her mind was still reeling from the revelation.
She couldn't believe it.
After all these years.
All this time.
Finally, she had come to terms with the truth.
She really did love him.
"Hey!" Jay complained as she pulled on her pants and tabi boots.
"We got training today," she reminded him, but she couldn't help but smile as she watched him stretch his arms above his head.
"Oh yeah? When do we start?"
Nya grinned at him as she slipped her undershirt over her head. "Now."