She rested her head against his neck, clasped her arms around his shoulders. “I’m not complaining.”

She smiled, and he kissed her, softly, gently, wanting her to feel what was in his heart.

She sighed and kissed him back. Her fingers laced through his damp hair to draw him closer.

When he eased back and looked down at her he realized one other thing he’d majorly screwed up on. His eyes slid closed. “Shit. Condoms.”

“What about them?”

“They’re in my pants pocket. After this morning I grabbed some, just in case.”

“Hopeful, were you?”

He opened his eyes, saw the humor glint in hers. She didn’t look upset, if anything she looked…amused. “I…I didn’t mean to—”

Her soft fingers landed on his lips. “Don’t apologize again. You may have started it, but I’m pretty sure I’m the one who finished it. I didn’t give you a chance to say no let alone find a condom.”

She hadn’t, that was true. His lips curled and his blood warmed at the memory.

“I won’t get pregnant, Ryan. I have it covered.”

He wanted to tell her he’d be thrilled if she wound up pregnant from tonight. Just the thought of seeing her carrying his child, getting to experience everything he’d missed out on with Reed, warmed him from the inside out. But he knew she wasn’t ready to hear that. Not yet.

“Plus,” she added. “I’ve been through every test under the sun and I can say for certain, that’s one part of my body that’s completely healthy. And I trust you. I’m not worried.”

He hated that they were having this conversation. That it was even an issue. “I was always careful. I want you to know that. If I had thought there was any chance, even a minuscule one, that you were still alive, I never would have been with anyone else.”

Her eyes darkened. “I believe you.”

He didn’t want her to believe it. He wanted her to feel it. To know she was the only one he’d ever wanted. He brushed a curl back from her face. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I know that too,” she whispered.

He leaned in and kissed her, felt his heart swell when she kissed him back.

“I can do better,” he said against her lips, running his hand down the soft indent of her spine.

“Right now? Are you up for that already?”

“Babe, I’ve been up for it ever since you walked back into my life.”

When she laughed, relief swamped him. He pulled her down onto the plush, red comforter, rolled her over, kissed her again, then eased back just long enough to look down into her eyes. “Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily?”

“Too obvious?”

His fingers tangled in her hair. “You almost had me convinced, until I remembered your eyes could never lie. They still can’t.” He kissed her eyelids, slid down to her mouth, traced his tongue along her lips until she opened and drew him in.

“I’ll have to remember that,” she mumbled when they were both breathless.

“Tell me what you want,” he whispered as he ran his hand down her side, grazing his knuckles against the swell of her breast.

“I don’t want to think. I just want you to touch me like you did before. I want to forget everything but you.”

“Oh, babe. I think I can help you out there.”

“Good. Because right now, all I need is you, Ryan.”

And those were all the words he ever needed to hear.

* * *

Kate flexed her toes, stretching out her foot. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt so relaxed, so sated, so calm. Every muscle in her body was loose and invigorated.

She glanced down at Ryan, and a smile slid across her face. His head lay pillowed on her chest, his arm draped across her waist, his legs tangled with hers. Even in sleep he didn’t seem to want to let go of her. Her fingers knotted in his hair, the silky blond tendrils tickling her skin. She’d never felt as desired, as wanted as she had the last few hours.

They’d made love twice more before he’d finally pulled her close and drifted off to sleep. Rain pelted the window outside, waves crashed against the shore in the dark, but in the confines of her little house, she was warm and content. And, for the moment, happy.

The kids were still with her parents, the phone was unplugged, and the nightmare that was her life shifted to the back of her mind. She’d deal with all that later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment, in case it didn’t last.

“Don’t,” Ryan said without moving.

Her fingers paused in his hair. “You don’t like that?”

“No, I love that. Keep doing it. Just stop thinking.”

She smiled wider. “How do you know that’s what I’m doing?”

“Babe, I can practically hear the gears grinding away in that thick skull of yours.”

“They were not,” she said playfully. “And it’s not that thick.”

A chuckle bubbled through him, one that vibrated in her own chest as he nuzzled her bare breast. “If you say this was a mistake I’m going to have to make love to you again until you stop thinking.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“No, but you’re thinking it.”

“Well, of course I was thinking it. I’m a smart woman.”

With a smile, he skimmed his hand up her thigh and pressed his fingers into a pressure point in her hip. She giggled and tried to move away.

“Okay, you were warned.” His lips trailed across her chest, up to her neck. Warm hands slid up her body to caress her breasts. Arousal coursed through her again.

“You’re insatiable, you know that?” she whispered as his lips worked their way up to her ear.

“But in a good way.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t known she could feel this relaxed with him. Didn’t expect the warmth in her chest every time he kissed her.

He eased over onto his side, ran his hand up her shoulder, down her arm, his fingers intertwining with hers. He brought her hand back to his mouth and kissed her fingers one by one. Tiny threads of emotions coursed through her, the gesture so endearing, so tender.

She let her fingertips graze the scar on his chin. “How did you get this?”

“Mitch.”

“How?”

“We got into a fight.”

“About what?”

“You.”

She traced the curved line, feeling the worn ridge. “Why?”

“I’m not sure how to say this, but back in college, I was sort of…” He paused as if embarrassed. “Well, I dated a lot.”

She couldn’t help but smile. A player. “Like Mitch.”

He laughed. “Yeah. Probably why we got to be such good friends. Anyway, you and I had just started seeing each other, and you came to one of my games. Mitch and I played—”

“Baseball,” she finished for him. “And Mitch saw us together and got so mad he got ejected from the game.”

“How do you know?”

“Mitch told me the story. But not about the scar. He said he hit you when you came out of the clubhouse.”

One side of Ryan’s mouth curled. “He did. Man, he was pissed. And you…you were even more mad.”

“I was?”

“Yeah. Said we were acting like children. Actually, it wasn’t all that different from what you said to us after the press conference yesterday.”

She ran her fingers over the scar again. “How many stitches?”

“Four. I knew Mitch was right. He had every reason to be pissed at me. I went to break up with you that night. But I took one look at you standing on the porch of your sorority house, and saw how worried you were about me, and…”

“And what?”

“And I fell for you. Hard.”

Her heart thumped. She could imagine the scene. She just wished she could remember it. “You did?”

“Yeah. Plus, it didn’t hurt that you took me back to my apartment, doted on me, kissed all my wounds.”

She laughed, then glanced down at her hand in his. Her fingertips grazed the platinum band edged in gold. “Why do you wear this?”

“Because I’m married.”

“You were wearing it when we met. You didn’t know you were still married then.”

“I always wear it.” His fingers slid along hers.

“You’ve worn it all this time?”

“Yeah. Does that surprise you?”

She shook her head, fighting back emotions she couldn’t define. “Why? It’s been five years.”

“Because I got married, once, for better or worse. Forever. I found the woman I wanted to spend my life with. I have no intentions of getting married to anyone else.”

“You’d rather be alone? What if you’d met someone?”

“I’ve met lots of women. None of them ever came close to you.”

“Ryan.” Emotions flowed through her. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. Under that tender gaze, her heart was dangerously close to the edge.

His fingers tightened in hers, and he glanced down at her left hand. “I noticed you took yours off.”

She followed his gaze. “He wasn’t my husband. I couldn’t wear it once I knew the truth.”

He lifted her hand, kissed her naked fingers. “I wish I knew what happened to your ring. I need to get you a new one.”

She saw the determination in his eyes, and her stomach tensed in reaction. Loud warning bells went off in her head. She wasn’t ready for that. Wasn’t sure she ever would be. She tried to sit up. “Ryan—”

He leaned in and feathered his lips across hers with the most wicked of smiles. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t think. I don’t want you to worry about tomorrow or the day after. I don’t want you to overanalyze what I say. I just want you to feel.”

His mouth nibbled its way down her neck. She sank back into the pillows and closed her eyes. As his hands caressed her body, glided over curves and angles, she drew in a breath. Desire coursed through her all over again as his tantalizing fingers slipped between her thighs. Heat pooled in her core with each gentle stroke.