Jaimi's heart leapt. "Are you taking me to bed?"

"Yeah, you look tired." Dane carried her over the threshold, kissing her as he kicked the door shut and then locked it. "You need some sleep, hon." He set her on the bed and stood back. "Sleep well. I'll just camp out on the couch."

She propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he strode over to the dresser and began unbuttoning his shirt. "You're getting undressed in here?"

"Yeah, it's my bedroom. I do that kind of thing in here." He pulled off his shirt, revealing ripped abs and shoulders that made her want to whimper. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, not at all. I'm always up for a little eye candy." She rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin up on her hands, making a show of ogling him. "Can you show me more?"

He grinned, shooting her a look of pure, decadent mischief. "Hell, yeah, baby. I'm a complete exhibitionist when the woman I love is stretched out on my bed."

"The woman you love?" Her heart leapt. "You just slipped that in there, didn't you? Super casual, so that I could either ignore it, or acknowledge it."

Dane walked over to the bed, braced his hands on it and bent down, laying a super hot kiss on her. "Sweetheart, if you ignored it, it would've broken my poor li'l heart into a million pieces."

She sighed, grinning up at him as he stood up and ditched his boots and unfastened his belt buckle. "You have such a kind heart. I'd feel really bad if I broke it into a million pieces, or even just two."

"Now that, my dear, is the kind of thing I like to hear you say." He unfastened his jeans, and dropped them to the floor, revealing a lean, hard body with muscular quads, and black boxer briefs that clung to him in the most delicious of ways.

Her belly tightened, and her body suddenly seemed to catch fire. "You're way hot."

"I know." He strode over to the bed and grabbed her ankles, rolling her onto her back. "You're breathtaking."

She giggled as he leaned her feet against his chest and began to unlace her boots. "I know."

He tossed the boots aside, and then eyed her. "Do you always sleep fully clothed?"

"No. I usually wear pajama pants and a tank top." Her heart raced as she waited for him to make the next move.

He pursed his lips as if he were thinking. "Do you feel like going out into the living room to get your suitcase?"

"Not at all. You?"

"Nah. I'm not feeling chivalrous right now, and since it's all about both of us following our hearts, I say that we skip the clothes and just sleep naked. It feels like too much effort to put pajamas on."

Her heart began to pound. "You said you were sleeping on the couch."

"I know. But again, it feels like a lot of effort to go all the way out there." He let her feet drop so that one was on either side of his hips. Then he leaned over her, bracing his hands on either side of her head. "What do you say to some innocent, platonic, naked co-sleeping?" He lowered himself just enough to begin to nibble on her neck.

She sighed. "No."

"No?" He grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged gently. She raised her arms over her head and let him tug it off. He paused to kiss along the swell of her breasts. The tender, flirty kisses were so intimate, the kind of intimate that was about so much more than sex. "Then, what do you say to me doing my best to convince you that I'm your forever guy, in every way possible?"

She caught her breath, her hands resting on his biceps. "Forever is a long time."

He pulled back to look at her. "Forever isn't even close to being long enough." He didn't give her a chance to answer. He just kissed her, the kind of kiss that went straight to her heart and nestled deep inside, taking root in the place that she had never let anything touch before.

He whispered her name and sank onto the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms as he kissed her. She had no chance to resist, and she didn't want to. All she wanted was to give herself over to him completely. Not just her body, but her heart, and her mind.

He palmed her breast as he kissed his way along her neck, stoking fires in her that had never been even a spark before she'd met him. The kisses became more intense. The touches became more vivid, and more desperate. Before she was even aware of it happening, suddenly there were no more clothes between them, just bare skin, kisses, and the kind of tender, intimate touches that brought light into her heart, light that ignited a need that seemed to pulsate through her.

She wrapped her arms around Dane's neck, kissing him fiercely as his fingers slipped between her legs, stoking need in her that was delicious and decadent, spiraling tighter and tighter.

Her body moved against him, calling for him, begging for more, as he kept teasing her with his kisses, his touches, and his whispers of intimacy and love. "Dane," she finally whispered. "I can't wait anymore."

He pulled back, his eyes dark with the most possessive and electrifying light in his eyes. "Yes." He leaned away from her, grabbed something from his drawer, and quickly sheathed himself in a condom. He was back over her quickly, but not soon enough, not soon enough for how badly she needed him inside her.

He braced himself above her, gazing down into her face as he began to move his hips, nudging at her entrance. "Jaimi." His voice was husky and low, making her belly tighten.

"What?" She gasped as he began to slide inside her, so delicious and amazing that she almost wanted to cry.

"You need to know something." He shifted his hips again, and then he was completely inside her.

She arched her back, gasping as he began to move. "What do I need to know?"

He paused, and she opened her eyes to look at him. "I give you my heart forever, Jaimi. It's yours. If you walk away from here tomorrow and go back to Boston, you will have my heart with you, keeping you safe, loving you, every minute of every day for the rest of forever."

Tears filled her eyes, and suddenly she couldn't talk.

He smiled gently, and bent down to kiss her. "Now that I've found you, we have all the time in the world," he said softly. "It's okay if you're not ready. I'll hold us together until you are. Let me be your rock. Yours and Emily's."

Emily's. The way he said her daughter's name, with such complete protectiveness, made the tears break free. "She doesn't know what it's like to have a dad."

He smiled. "I think we might do okay. What do you think?"

She nodded. "I think you guys might do just fine," she acknowledged.

His face softened. "My sweet Jaimi." He kissed her again, driving deep as he kissed her, until she could do nothing but hold on and ride the waves he'd stoked inside her. The orgasm came like a burst of sunshine in a storm, cascading through her like droplets of angel dust, taking them both in a simultaneous blaze of flight.

She held tight to him, using him as her anchor as the final shudders echoed through her body, her eyes squeezed shut as he kissed the tears off her cheeks.

Forever was a long time.

Love was a big word.

But somehow, as she lay wrapped in Dane's strong arms, they didn't feel so big, and they didn't feel so scary.

* * *

Dane was basking in the feel of Jaimi asleep on his shoulder when the first rays of light broke through the morning haze. He grinned, playing with her hair as he listened to her breathing. He'd checked on Emily three times during the night, and the little girl had slept soundly, holding Zoey's old teddy bear, which he'd found in the closet for her.

He inhaled deeply. God, he'd never felt so at peace in his life. For the first time since his parents had died, his home felt like a home. With Jaimi in his arms, and Emily in the next room, there was completeness.

He knew he had to deal with the Stocktons today, and all he'd done was shoot Chase a quick text last night that he'd found Jaimi and brought them back to his house. He was going to have to find a way to bridge that gap.

But right now, today, he didn't want to.

He wanted today to be about the three of them, beginning to build the trust and foundation that he wanted with them. He knew Jaimi was scared, but he also knew that she'd opened the door for him. She'd given him a piece of her heart, and he was going to make damn sure he kept it safe—

"Hello! Anyone here?" Chase's voice boomed from the front door, jerking Dane out of his reverie.

He bolted upright in bed, as Jaimi mumbled sleepily. What the hell was Chase doing there? "I'll be right back, love. You can keep sleeping." He kissed Jaimi, and was rewarded when she opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile.

"Kiss me again," she mumbled.

"So demanding," he said with a grin as he took a moment to accommodate her, trying not to listen to the sounds coming from his living room. There was too much noise and clattering for just Chase. What was going on out there? "Okay, love, I need to go do some exterminating," he said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." She rolled over and closed her eyes, nestling deeper into the blankets.

Dane vaulted out of bed, yanking on his clothes in record speed. He paused at the door, looking back at her in his bed. A sense of absolute rightness filled him, and he was smiling as he opened the door.

Then he took one look at what was in his living room, and all his amusement vanished.