When he kisses me, my insides catch fire. Something inside of me snaps, and I throw myself into his arms.

There are so many thoughts fighting for prevalence in my head, a plethora of emotions running rampant in my heart, but I don’t want to think right now. All I want to do is feel. And the person I want to feel is Jeremy.

My arms lock tightly around his neck, and I practically climb up his body. Helping me reach my destination, he grips my ass and lifts me so I can wrap my legs around his waist.

He owns my mouth.

His tongue teases, tempts, licking along my bottom lip before slipping inside to entwine with mine. Small laps, like he’s tasting me. When he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, I moan, my fingers playing in his hair. Tugging him closer, pulling him deeper. He walks me toward the couch, but then pauses, tearing his lips away from mine to glance up the stairs.

I can see the wheels in his brain turning. He’s thinking about our son catching us like this. Before he knows that he’s our son.

Diverting from the couch, Jeremy clutches me tighter to his chest and walks me up the stairs. All the while, he’s trailing kisses along my jawbone, down the column of my throat, around the curve of my neck.

Up on the landing, he catches another one of my needy moans with a kiss. He tows me to his bedroom, closes and locks the door behind him, and sets me down on his bed. I tilt my head back to stare at him.

He stands there, eyes searching. “We haven’t discussed sleeping arrangements yet. Allow me to assist you in your decision: you’re sleeping with me.”

A soft giggle escapes me. “Yes, sir.”

The corner of his mouth kicks up in a boyish grin, the one I originally fell for. So my Jeremy, the one before all the swagger and the army credentials and the ops training…he’s still in there.

Standing there in front of me wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans, Jeremy’s the picture of male perfection. His broad shoulders and thick biceps have the ability to carry the weight of the world. His rock-hard chest and washboard stomach indicate years of good fitness and a healthy lifestyle. There’s a light smattering of golden-brown hair scattered on his chest, and I follow the trail down the center of his abdomen that disappears into his jeans.

When my gaze reaches his again, it’s full of fire.

Handsome men crossed my path many times when I lived in Phoenix. But none of them captured my attention; I haven’t been with anyone since Jeremy. But now, as I stare at Jeremy Teague, I’m faced with the opposite problem. I might die of the intensity of it all if I don’t allow him inside me tonight.

Inhaling a deep breath, I pull my tank top over my head and toss it to the floor. Standing, I unbutton my shorts and slide them over my hips and onto the floor. Kicking them aside, I stand in front of him in nothing but my simple cotton bra and panty set and wait.

Jeremy dinks me in, his gaze blazing a slow path down my body. On the return trip, he lingers on my breasts where they nearly spill from the cups of my bra. A flush begins in my chest, traveling to my cheeks. I’m bigger than I was in high school. Pregnancy will do that to a woman. My body has filled out…a lot. I must look like a total stranger to him.

His eyes float back to mine, the shadows of the darkened room casing them to look nearly black. “You’re fucking beautiful.”

My blush deepens, and my heart riots in my chest. “Your turn.”

“Damn…been awhile since I’ve had a better offer than that.” He keeps his eyes trained on me as he flicks the button on his jeans and removes them, kicking them out of the way as two steps eat up the distance between us.

His presence is big—so is his personality. It could be intimidating. Especially knowing that he most likely has a weapon hidden somewhere in this room, and he knows a million different ways to hurt someone. But, as he crowds me, his eyes full of promise, I don’t feel an ounce of that intimidation.

All I feel is raw desire pooling in places I haven’t felt in a really long time.

Sitting on the bed, I fall back on my elbows and watch as he stalks forward. Leaning over me, he places a knee beside me and cups the back of my head. He kisses me deep. So deep I’m in danger of falling again, if I haven’t already.

Reaching behind me with one hand, he unclasps my bra. He slides the straps down my arms, and then pulls back to stare down at me.

“Beautiful,” he rasps.

My nipples go tight and hard under his greedy gaze, and he smirks.

“They need attention.”

Dipping his head, he takes the peaked tip of one breast into his mouth and sucks, teasing and playing with his tongue until my head lolls back on my shoulders.

That mouth…holy hell. Made for sin.

Pulling back, he takes both my breasts in his hands, palming them softly, teasing the pebbled flesh of my nipples with his thumbs. He pushes them together, testing their weight.

With some amusement, I pipe up. “So, still a boob man?”

His eyes jerk to mine, and his gives me a sexy, rakish grin. “Oh, I’m an equal opportunity lover now, darlin’. I don’t play favorites. You’ll see.”

He follows suit with the same delectable treatment on my other breast, a series of licks and sucks and tiny stinging bites that are enough to drive me insane. By the time he’s done with them, I’m writhing on the bed, ready to beg him for more.

Dropping kisses along my stomach as he moves south, his hands continue their play with my breasts, proving they’re as skilled as his mouth.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it’s like he’s certified in making a woman feel amazing.

This isn’t the Jeremy I remember. The boy I left behind was a sweet lover. He took care of me every single time and wanted to make sure I was okay. But he wasn’t this…thorough.

He playfully bites my hip bone before smoothing the sting with his tongue, causing me to arch off the bed. He slides onto the floor in front of me, pushing my legs apart with his hands. His long hair, hanging down around his face, tickles my skin as he leans over me.

I’m quivering all over, just waiting for the first touch from him where I need it most. Everything about Jeremy is overwhelming me right now: his masculine scent, his incredible body and hands, his tantalizing mouth. And when his lips land in the center of my folds, giving me the most searing kiss I’ve ever felt, I almost come apart right then and there.

“Relax, baby.” His voice is low and full of dirty intentions. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

The next swipe of his tongue is possessive, demonstrating that in this moment, he owns me. And it’s the absolute truth.

Jeremy Teague eats me up and swallows me whole. I’m panting, my fingers digging into the bed beneath me. I’m thrusting my hips forward, fucking his mouth, because it’s all I can do. I know that it’s too much at the same time that I want to beg for more.

Jeremy brings his hand into play, penetrating me in a steady rhythm while is tongue works me over.

“Oh, God.” I pick up my head, needing to see him while he drives me wild.

He glances up at me, his eyes dark and full of lust. “If you knew how beautiful you are…how perfect you taste…you’re driving me crazy, Rayne.”

I’m driving him crazy? Seriously?

As the culmination of everything he’s doing to me builds, my inner walls begin to quiver and his finger pumps harder.

“Come for me, Rayne. Let go.” His voice is an insistent growl.

My pleasure climaxes, washing over me repeatedly while stars dance before me.

“Jeremy, oh God, yes!” Words tumble from my lips without me realizing exactly what I’m saying.

All I know is if he can do that to me with his mouth and his hand…sex with this Jeremy is going to blow my world apart.

Can I handle that? The little thought burrows its way in as I float back down from my orgasm. If he doesn’t decide he wants this life? With Decker and me?

Scooting back on the bed, I fall against Jeremy’s pillows as I watch him stand and crawl toward me on the bed. He hovers above me, bearing his weight on his arms and knees. He scans my face.

“What’s going through that gorgeous head of yours?”

Blinking, I stare up at the ceiling while I attempt to sort out my thoughts.

“Rayne.” His voice is firm. “Look at me. Talk to me.”

I look into his eyes and see nothing there but genuine concern. This isn’t just some guy I met. This is Jeremy. And the things I’ve been assuming about him all these years were wrong. This man wanted to be there. For me. With Decker.

“Jer…” My voice breaks. “This”—I gesture between the two of us—“isn’t just a roll in the hay for me. Hell, I don’t even know how to have a roll in the hay. There hasn’t been anyone…not since…” I trail away, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

Understanding dawns in Jeremy’s eyes. “Baby…this”—he gestures the same way I did—“isn’t a roll in the hay for me, either. You are…God, Rayne. I never expected this. But it’s everything. You and Decker. I’m ready to sign on the dotted line. I want this. I want you. But I don’t need this until you’re ready. No pressure, darlin’.”

His words sink in, coat my emotional distress, smooth out my doubts and my fears.

Thrusting my arms around his neck, I pull him to me. The only thing I can think about is how fast I want him to sink into me. All of him, surrounded by all of me.

I’m so locked in on Jeremy, so focused on the step we’re about to take, that the sound coming from the hallway outside his bedroom door nearly fades into the background.

Jeremy stills. His eyes narrow in the second before he wordlessly slides off the bed.

“What was that?” My whisper is urgent and slightly panicked as my son’s face flickers through my mind.

Mild alarm turns to outright fear as, this time, Night’s guttural growl comes from the hallway just beyond the closed bedroom door. Jeremy slips on his jeans and turns to me.

Leaping from the bed, I grab my clothes and shove them on my body, moving more quickly than I’ve ever moved before.

“Rayne.” Jeremy’s voice is full of authority. “Stay here.”

I gape at him. “Like hell.”

“Night can hear noises inside and outside, Rayne. Just let me go check things out. It could be nothing. Can you stay here until I get back?”

I shake my head, a resolute NO to that madness. “Walk me to Decker’s room. I’ll stay there until you come back.”

Jeremy’s expression is a mixture of irritation and understanding. The conflict would be amusing, if my heart weren’t pounding like a marching band on a Friday night. Decker is all I can think about, all I can see in my mind’s eye.

“Let’s go.”

Jeremy eases open the bedroom door. He glances both ways into the dark hallway before he takes my hand and slips out of the bedroom. The room where Decker sleeps is on the other end of the landing, closest to the stairs. We spot Night sitting at the top of the stairs, staring down. He glances at us when we emerge, whining softly.

“God, Jeremy. Do you think someone’s in the house?”

In response, Jeremy squeezes my hand.

“Should we call the police?” Cold, oily fear is a bitter taste in my mouth. My limbs are tingling with adrenaline; the high surges through my body and makes the blood pound in time with my pulse in my ears.

Jeremy shakes his head. “Let me see what’s going on first, Rayne. It’s going to be okay.”

He twists open the doorknob to Decker’s room. Gesturing that I should stay put, he ducks inside. I can see him walking through the room, making sure all is right. He’s moving silently, and I take a second to marvel at his stealth. Basically, if Jeremy Teague doesn’t want you to know he’s coming, well then…

When he reappears, he nods. It’s the all-clear for me to be with our son, and so I pull his face down to mine and plant a hard kiss on his lips before ducking inside. I don’t close the door, though. I want to be able to hear everything that’s happening downstairs.

I give a quick glance to my son’s sleeping form. He’s lying on his stomach, his pillow clutched tightly in both hands. His breathing is steady and even. When I peek back outside the bedroom door, it’s just in time to see Jeremy and Night disappearing down the stairs.

I’ve yet to hear any sounds from down there, though. It makes me feel a tiny bit better. Maybe Night was just growling at the sound of a car outside? Or something as equally harmless?

It feels like forever, the waiting. I know that whatever happens, this can’t be a coincidence. Wagner Horton is used to getting what he wants when he wants it. He may be a spoiled billionaire, but he knows exactly how to close a deal. And right now? I’m a loose end. He knows I can out him, and now I’ve brought Jeremy into this mess. I need to figure out how to get rid of Wagner without bringing everyone around me down with me.

I know that Jeremy can take care of himself; it becomes more evident every moment I spend with him.

Guilt threatens to swallow me, because I’ve brought him into my problem when he never deserved it.

There’s not a single sound from downstairs. Jesus. He’s like a super-silent ninja. But as the moments tick by, my anxiety ratchets up another notch. Every sound the house makes pulls an overzealous reaction out of me. When one of the hardwood stairs lets out a creak, I jump like I’ve just heard a gunshot. When the soft click of Night’s nails on the floors downstairs reaches my ears, I draw back like I’ve seen a ghost.

Finally, I hear the sound of the front door opening. After a moment, it closes again. And then Jeremy’s voice whispers to me from the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s okay, Rayne. Come down.” He flicks the lights downstairs, sending an arc of light creeping up the steps.

With one more glance over my shoulder at my sleeping boy I shoot out of his room and down the stairs. At the bottom, Jeremy catches me and I squeeze him until I know he’s safe and that everything really is okay.

“Hey,” he croons into my hair. “You’re shaking. It’s okay, Rayne. Everything’s okay.”

Pulling back, I scan his face. He gives me a reassuring smile, but there’s something else there that sets me on edge again. “What is it, Jeremy? What aren’t you telling me?”

Jeremy sighs, and then gestures toward an envelope on the table beside the front door. “That was on the porch outside. Whoever left it is gone.”

The struggle within his eyes is real. It goes against everything inside of Jeremy to let me see the envelope, but he knows that keeping me in the dark would be worse.

Grabbing it off the table, I slide out a piece of paper with a handwritten note.

My hands tremble, and the envelope falls to the floor. Something falls out of it, sliding across the floor toward me. Bending, I pick it up, and my breath is lost somewhere between my lungs and my mouth.

It’s a photo of Jeremy, Decker, and me on his boat.