“Coffee’s done,” Ryan said through the closed door. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

He was just on the other side of the door, in her bedroom. She had but to flip the lock and he could be here with her, right now. Had he read her mind?

Shaking, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a plush white towel from the rack, then wrapped it around her body. Her breasts tingled. Warmth pooled in her abdomen. On a deep breath, she forced herself to relax. “Okay. I’ll, um, be right down.”

“Do you need anything?”

Yes. You. Now.

She swallowed the words before they could slip out of her mouth. “Um, no. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Don’t take too long.”

When his footfalls fell silent, she dropped to sit on the closed toilet lid. A smart woman would recognize she was in over her head and get the hell out of his house. But of course, she wasn’t going to do that. She was going to stay here and suffer until she worked through these insane desires.

Or until she jumped his bones. Either way, she was screwed.

She put the thought out of her mind, slipped on jeans and a T-shirt. Then she brushed on mascara in the hope it would hide that tired look in her eyes, and slicked on some pale lipstick. Glancing at her reflection, she couldn’t do anything but frown. Her curly hair was a mass of wetness, but she didn’t want to take the time to dry it. She needed coffee and a good dose of reality more than a dry head.

She made her way into the kitchen and found Ryan standing at the stove with his back to her. That fire built again, heat careening through her veins as she watched him. He was barefoot, wearing loose-fitting, faded jeans and a light blue T-shirt stretched seductively across wide, toned shoulders. His blond hair was still damp at the edges from his shower, and her fingers itched to tangle in it like they had yesterday.

Oh, man. If she didn’t get in control of this wild need, she was in for big trouble.

Clearing her throat, she stepped into the room. “Smells good. I didn’t know you cooked.”

Ryan turned at the sound of her voice, and heat arced between them. A heat she saw from the way his eyes darkened, he felt too.

He looked away quickly, but not before her breasts tingled all over again.

“Coffee’s over there.” He gestured with the spatula in his hand.

She poured a steamy cup of coffee, drew in a deep whiff of the enticing brew. Prayed it would settle this impossible hunger inside her. But something told her this hunger would only be sated one way.

She turned, leaned back against the counter, and eyed him over her mug. God, he was sexy. Not for the first time, she was awed by the fact she’d been able to snag a man like Ryan Harrison. Those shoulders, the tapered waist, that firm butt… She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She’d felt that body pressed up against her yesterday. Had tasted that mouth with her own. If they hadn’t been interrupted, she’d have known what every inch of him felt and looked like.

Fire flared in her veins. Shot straight to her sex.

She was losing it. She needed to remember what was important. Finding answers. Not wild, erotic, X-rated sex with the man in front of her.

She cleared her throat. Sipped her coffee again. “This is wonderful.”

He flipped off the burner, turned, and crossed to her. She looked up with surprise and confusion as he plucked the mug out of her hand. Something dark lingered in his eyes. Something dangerous and, oh, yes…something hot.

He slid a hand around the nape of her neck, then pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his own.

Her legs nearly went out from under her. She dug her fingers into his shirt and held on for dear life, opening her mouth to his, drawing his tongue inside, sliding hers over and around his as she returned the kiss with everything she had in her.

Yes, yes, oh, finally, yes.

He tasted like mint and coffee, smelled like the soap she’d run all over her body, and felt like pure heaven. Her hands streaked up into his hair and fisted, her mouth turned wild and greedy against his. Her blood pumped hot as his hands slid down to her waist, drawing her even closer to his body. When his hips pressed into hers, she felt his erection, already hard and hot and so very eager for her.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” he murmured against her lips, tipping her head with one hand to kiss her deeper, using the other to draw her shirt up so he could palm her breast. He squeezed just hard enough to make her gasp. But it didn’t hurt. It felt good. So good. “All I could think about was you in that bed, naked. I was hard the entire night.”

“You were?” she managed. The news thrilled her. Exhilarated her. Made her wet with anticipation. She kissed him harder.

“Yes,” he groaned, kissing her again and again. He let go of her neck, used both hands to push her shirt up over her breasts, then pulled back and looked down at her puckered nipples. And when he groaned all over again, her sex contracted.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. Warmth unfurled in her belly as he palmed one breast, as he lowered his head and laved his tongue across her nipple.

Pleasure arced to her pelvis. She dropped her head, threaded her fingers in his hair, leaned back against the cabinets and moaned long and low as he licked her again and again, as he flicked her nipple with his tongue, as he drew her deep into his mouth and finally suckled.

If he touched her between the legs, she knew she’d come. Every nerve ending in her body was alive and on fire. She pressed her hips against his, felt his cock swell even bigger behind his jeans.

“Ryan,” she managed as he moved to her other breast. Her elbow knocked into a bowl. She heard something crash at her feet. Could only think about one thing. “I need you.”

His head came up. His hair was messed from her fingers, and those achingly familiar eyes of his flashed with the same hunger devouring her.

He pulled her away from the counter, turned her for the back stairs, moved his hands to her hips, and pushed her backwards. “Come to bed with me.”

“Yes. Yes,” she groaned, slanting her mouth over his and wrapping her arms around his neck.

His body pressed into hers. His arms slid around her waist. He lifted her feet off the floor. He was close, but not close enough. She tangled her tongue with his as she tried to wrap her body around his.

The front door opened, and voices echoed down the hallway. Kate stilled in Ryan’s arms. He froze near the bottom of the stairs. Julia’s laughter echoed from the front of the house.

Ryan tightened his arms around her waist and dropped his head to her shoulder. A strangled groan resonated from his chest, one that vibrated through her whole body. Though she tried to stop it, a chuckle bubbled inside her.

“This isn’t funny,” he mumbled as he lowered her feet to the floor.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Her back hit the stairwell wall.

“I think your parents have a hard-on radar. Anytime I get turned on, they show up.”

Her chuckle turned to a full-blown laugh.

“That’s not funny, either,” he said into her shoulder.

“Imagine how much worse it would be if we were already upstairs.”

“I can lock the door upstairs.” He eased back and looked down at her. But he wasn’t mad or upset or frustrated like the last time they’d been interrupted. Laughter glinted in his eyes. Laughter that made her chest constrict. “What was I thinking? I should have locked the front door.”

She laughed again, brushed her fingers through the silky hair at his nape. Was this the same man who’d ranted and raged at her only a few days ago? The one who’d looked at her like she was destroying his world? She couldn’t believe the changes in him. She’d done that, she realized. It was because of her the lines around his eyes looked softer now. Because of her, he looked…almost happy.

The realization sent warning signals running through her mind. But before she could overanalyze them, Reed burst into the kitchen. “Mama!”

She eased quickly out of Ryan’s arms, dropped to her knees, and gathered her son in a bear hug.

Ryan moved behind the counter to hide, she knew, what was still a rather large erection. She’d done that too, she thought with a wicked flare of heat in her belly. She glanced over Reed’s head and saw Ryan watching them. And that heart that had only just started to warm to him took one long, hard tumble when she recognized the emotion flooding his mesmerizing blue eyes.

Love. For a son he hadn’t known. For a wife that wasn’t her.

Her stomach pitched. And fear brewed inside at the realization that the fire between them was only physical. She’d never be the woman he remembered. With how fast she was falling for him, she didn’t think she could take it when he realized that for himself.

Julia emerged from the hall, her face full of smiles. When she saw Kate in the kitchen her expression dropped.

Tension seeped into the room, a tension Kate didn’t know how to break. No matter what happened between her and Ryan, she had to be here for her daughter.

Kate slowly pushed to her feet and lifted Reed to sit on her hip. “Good morning, Julia.”

“What is she doing here?” Julia asked, glaring at Ryan.

“She,” Ryan said firmly, “is about to have breakfast. And so are you. Go wash up.”

Julia’s eyes narrowed, and she glanced from her dad to Kate. “I’m not hungry.”

Kate knew what the girl was thinking, and she wasn’t far off base. One look and it was obvious what had been going on. Kate’s hair was likely disheveled, her lipstick smeared. Julia was a smart kid. She’d obviously seen her father with other women before. Unease and guilt and fear tumbled together in Kate’s chest all over again to make drawing air downright painful.