Milo holds me up with both hands resting along the small of my back. He kisses my collarbone as I ride him, softly groaning with each roll of my hips. Passion passes between us. I claw at his back. He nibbles my neck. I feel climax tear me apart from the inside and he clings to me to keep me upright.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. His hard cock stays within me but he doesn’t thrust. He sits and gazes at me, his eyes falling to my neck and breasts, all the way down to my legs wrapped around his bruised waist.

I rest my head on his shoulders, breathing hard to bring my pulse back to normal.

“Your body is amazing,” he says in my ear.

“Thank you.” I chuckle and raise my head. “You sound surprised.”

“No, not surprised. Just can’t even tell there was a baby in it.”

“I guess I got lucky. My bump wasn’t as destructive as other bumps.”

His eyes flash with excitement. “Do you have pictures?”

I groan. “Yeah. I wasn’t too keen on photographing the whole process but Evey insisted on a weekly shoot.”

He laughs. “Can I see them?”

“You want to see them?”

“Sure, why not? That’s my baby bump, too.”

I hesitate but give in quickly. “Okay, I might have a few on my phone. It was in my jeans pocket…”

“I’ll get it.”

He pushes me off him. I fall back onto the mattress, yelping in surprise as he bounces off the bed in excitement. I sit up, enjoying the splendid view of his glistening backside as he limps out of the room. He comes back quickly with my phone in his hand and I admire the tattoo just below his navel. Two birds flying along an infinity symbol.

“Here,” he says, handing me my phone.

“You didn’t have to go get it,” I say. “You’re injured.”

“It was worth it.” He lays on his side next to me. “Let’s see that bump.”

I sigh and swipe my phone on. I tap over to my photo album, feeling my cheeks burning up as I scroll back through the years. I’m suddenly finding it very difficult to find a flattering picture of myself, when before this moment I never would have cared.

I stumble on one Vincent took in the Muffin Top kitchen just a few days before I went into labor. The lighting is dim, so I don’t feel quite as self-conscious as Evey’s must-always-use-the-flash pictures. “Okay, here...”

Milo takes the phone out of my hands before I can change my mind. He clears his throat and settles in before looking at the screen.

His jaw drops. “You look so cute.”

I roll my eyes. “Shut up.”

“Not gonna lie to you, Anna. I’ve never looked twice at a pregnant woman but I probably would have hit on you anyway.”

I try to take the phone back but he extends his arm. “Milo…”

“Are there more?” He swipes his thumb across the screen.

“Yeah, but I would prefer it if—”

“Aww!” he cries. “Is that a hospital gown? Is it happening?”

“Yes, that’s after I went into labor. Evey stayed with me in the delivery room and—”

He grows serious. “Did she take video?”

“No, she didn’t take video!” I grab at the phone, laughing. “But only because I threatened to shoot her if she even tried.”

He ticks his tongue. “Police brutality much?” He laughs at another picture. “You look mad.”

“I’m in pain!”

“Man, women get the short end, don’t they?”

“The whole process is a cruel, cruel joke.”

He looks at me. “Was it worth it?”

I gesture to the phone. “Swipe again and you tell me.”

He does it and looks at the next photo. The first one ever taken of me and Charlotte. I still remember every second of that moment. We’d both been through total hell and back but I still smiled. She was what I always wanted and more.

“Wow,” Milo whispers.

“Yeah,” I say. “Wow.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

“Charlotte’s not bad, either,” he adds.

I look at him and he smirks. I reach for the phone. He lets it slide free of his fingers and I barely hold onto it before it drops to the bed.

Milo kisses the tip of my nose. Then, my cheek. Then, my lips. I cup his face and he flinches.

“Bruised,” he says. “Still very bruised…”

I laugh, moving my hands to his chest instead. “Sorry.”

He kisses me again, adding pressure as he rolls me onto my back. I look down to his navel, following the bruises along his torso with my fingertips until I land on his tattoo.

Milo whistles. “Um, excuse me. I’m up here.”

I smile. “What’s this mean?” I ask, pointing at his tattoo.

“It’s…” He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

I raise a suspicious brow and he laughs.

“Okay, it’s not nothing but I got it when I was a teenager, so no laughing.”

I bite my inner cheek. “Is it from some horrible punk phase or something?”

“No. God, no. Boy bands.”

I snort. “Seriously. What is it?”

“It’s fate,” he says, shrugging. “You know? Just two beings on a path. Eventually, they’ll cross each other. It’s silly.”

“That’s not silly. That’s actually really sweet.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re kind of a romantic guy, aren’t you?”

He runs his fingers along my chin and up to brush through my hair. “You tell me,” he says.

I kiss him in response and he pulls me closer. My lips curl against his and I can’t help the chuckle climbing up my throat.

He laughs, too. “Bet it feels nice to be able to take off your badge and let your hair down.” He runs his fingers along my hairline again. “Isn’t that right, Detective?”

I smile, feeling a little more tension slip out of me. “Anna,” I say.

His nose taps mine. “Detective Anna.”

He shifts up onto his arms, towering over me. I touch him and he touches me, but we hold back. “When do you need to go?” he whispers, briefly glancing at the clock.

I breathe a laugh. “Probably shouldn’t be here at all.”

We kiss again, this one harder than before.

“Oh.” He hums, amused. “You’re not supposed to be here with me, are you?”

“No.”

He smiles. “Are you being naughty, Detective?”

I quiver in his arms. “Yes.”

I stiffen as his hand slides between my thighs. His lips crush mine, bringing me back down and I relax against his bed.

“You can go if you want,” he says, his hand still moving. “I won’t stop you…”

“I want…” My words fail me as he slides a single finger along my outer folds. “Oh, god, I want.”

Milo gives a deep laugh behind his closed lips. “You want what?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer. He slides two fingers inside of me and my jaw drops. A twinkle of pleasure teases me, slowly building as he rubs me on the inside. He drops his lips to my neck to lick and nibble at my skin as he works me even harder.

I try to speak but my voice comes out a moan.

“What?” he asks, amused.

“You.” I force the word to form on my tongue.

He raises a brow but he doesn’t stop fucking me. “What?”

“I want you.” I kiss him again, drawing his bottom lip between my teeth.

He breathes with fire and passion for me and I feel his erection pressing into my hip. “I want you, again.”

I tremble in his hands. “Yes.”

“I want you to come first,” he says. “I want you to say my name.”

I grin, feeling the pressure building. “Milo…”

“No.” He kisses my temple. “Not that one.”

I look into his dark eyes, breathing hard. “Jacob,” I say.

“Jake.” He closes his eyes. “I want you to call me Jake.”

I cup his cheek slowly, guiding his head back up to kiss him. My entire body trembles more and more with each glide of his hand inside of me. He playfully bites my bottom lip, sending a tremor down my back. I moan for him. I give myself to him. All of me.

“Jake,” I mewl, feeling the pressure burst within me.

I come for him, just as I said I would and his smile grows wider. He keeps his hand moving in me and I feel every inch of him as my muscles pulse around him.

“Detective?”

I moan.

“Do you have handcuff keys?” he asks.

I pause, still catching my breath. “Yeah, why?”

He smirks and pulls his fingers out. “Turn over,” he whispers.

I furrow my brow and he laughs as he reaches toward his bedside table.

He pulls out a pair of silver handcuffs. “Souvenir from Daniel Quinn,” he says, jiggling them.

“And you want to…?” I ask.

“Oh, I want to.” He kisses me. “To be fair, you cuffed me first.”

I chuckle, my body buzzing. “I thought you were a bad guy.”

“Who says I’m not?” he jokes, our lips still touching.

I shut it off. Every second thought to say no. I don’t want to over-think this. I just want to keep feeling the way I do right now.

I do as he asks, rolling over onto my stomach. I welcome the cool touch of the pillow against my burning face and move my arms behind me.

He holds me down and cuffs me. “You have the right to keep moaning my name, baby,” he says.

I crack up, pressing my face into the pillow. “Shut up.”

“Any other name you moan can and will be used against you—”

“Oh, my god!”

He laughs and his lips glide down my back, leaving soft kisses along my spine. I twitch as he bites the flesh of my rear, then purr in relief as he plants a quick kiss to soothe the pain. I fall even deeper into the pillow, feeling warm blooms of pleasure ripple throughout my skin as he continues downward, kissing and nipping at my legs and knees.

“Jake?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, his breath tickling me.

I twist to look back over my shoulder, my eyes falling to his still swollen cock. A deep urge throbs in my core as he starts moving up again, his wet tongue drawing a long line up my left thigh.

I spread my legs a bit, making him pause. He looks up into my begging eyes before slowly traveling the rest of the way to my lips. His knees nudge my legs, pushing them apart. I obey, feeling his hardness rest against my ass.

Milo reaches down and guides the tip of his cock inside me. “Is this what you wanted?” he whispers in my ear.

A bolt of warmth travels through my core. “Yes,” I breathe.

He grabs the chain on the cuffs and pulls my arms taut behind me. He fucks me slowly, making me feel every inch of him. I moan into the pillow, softly twitching as he takes me over. He grabs my hair and wraps it around his fingers. I raise my head, torn between his gentle tug and his harder, deeper thrusts.

“Oh, god,” I moan.

He lowers down to whisper in my ear. “Does that feel good?”

“Yes,” I answer.

He kisses the back of my neck, shooting shivers down my spine that fuel our shared pleasure.

“I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you,” he tells me. “I wanted to rip that black suit off your body. I want to take hold of that ponytail and…”

He tugs my head back, drawing my lips toward his. He kisses me, his mouth wild and open. His hips buck faster, grinding me against his bed. I can’t do anything or say a word. I moan on his tongue, twisting around to keep the kiss for as long as I can.

“Did you want me, Anna?” he asks.

A wave of pleasure takes my core. “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully.

He grins. “Even after you arrested me, I wanted to crawl under that table in the interrogation room…” he groans, “and tongue-fuck that tight pussy of yours.”

The fantasy sparks in my head and I picture it so clearly. Him with his face buried between my thighs. My hands cuffed behind my back. People watching through the glass…

“Be honest,” he growls, bringing me out of it. “Have you ever wanted a suspect to fuck you on that table? Or like this?”

He tugs my cuffs and I moan loudly, giving in. “Yes.”

“Who?”

“You.”

He squeezes my hair a little tighter and bites the nape of my neck. “Bad girl. You almost made me jealous.”

I laugh out loud. “Are you a territorial man, Jake?”

He hums in amusement. “Would you like me to be?”

His palm connects with my rear, giving me a playful slap. I laugh again from the bottom of my gut in response.

The question sinks in as another orgasm curls my toes.

Yes. I do.

I want him to claim me. I want him to puff out his chest and call me his woman. In all my life, I’ve never felt as warm or safe in anyone else’s arms. He risked everything to rescue me and our daughter. We barely knew each other but we knew life put us together for a reason.

I look behind me. “Yes,” I whisper.

He kisses me, hard and fast with desire on his breath. I feel him pull out of me and he reaches down to stroke himself. I massage his tongue with mine, tasting his passionate moans as he gets himself off. He comes on my rear, marking my cheeks with his warm seed, and I smile with delight.

He pushes back onto his knees to catch his breath. “There,” he quips. “You’re mine now.”

I realize how true that is and my heart skips a beat.