He slept like the dead. His hand sat heavy on my hip, and when I turned toward him, it fell with a thump to the bed, but he remained asleep.

His thick lashes fluttered against his cheeks as puffs of air separated his lush lips with each breath. My fingers traced the scruff on his face, coarse black hairs that had left a delicious burn between my thighs.

I dropped to his chest and outlined the clock inked in blacks and grays. I’d commented that it was backward, and he’d corrected me: When he stared in the mirror, it was perfect. The hands were set to 3:36, the time his life changed forever.

Time was a funny thing, and his tattoo was a reminder that we didn’t have an infinite number of minutes in our lives. How much time would I have with Silas? Forever wasn’t something I had considered until he pressed himself inside me. For the first time in my life, I’d felt perfection.

Inquisitive fingers ran down his chest and skimmed over the scars of a rough life. The silver lines reminded me that Silas had fought for everything he had.

When I dragged my gaze up his body, his blue-gray eyes were open. He greeted me with a smile and a raspy, sleepy hello.

His hands skimmed over my flesh, his calloused fingertips stopping in places he knew turned me on. The sensitive area beneath my breasts, my tender nipples, the spot where my collarbone met my neck, the lobe of my ear, my lips.

“Did you get enough sleep?” His blue eyes searched mine for the truth.

“I never get enough sleep, but I’m getting used to it.” With Blue just reaching the two-month mark, he was sleeping more, but I never got more than four consecutive hours. “You were a far better alternative to sleep.” I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Do you want coffee?”

He nodded, and I moved to get up, but his hand lowered to my hip and pulled me close to him. There was no question about what else he wanted.

I was sore in all the right places, but I didn’t care. Until Silas, I was convinced I’d die single and alone with a latex dick and pack of D batteries.

He twisted around to look at the single remaining condom. Yep, we’d used four last night.

“How about I have you first and then I make the coffee?”

His plan was appealing, but I had to rescue Ana and Ryker from Blue. “I have to get the baby.”

He turned over and picked up his phone. His fingers danced over the screen, and seconds later, I could hear the muted ring.

“Hey, bro, is Blue okay?”

A quiet male voice said something I couldn’t hear.

“Can you give us another hour? I’ll buy breakfast.”

There was more muffled conversation on the other end before Silas said, “Thanks, man.”

He tossed his phone on the nightstand and picked up the condom. “Blue is fine. Where were we?”

There was nothing like morning sex. An orgasm or two could do a body good—it got your heart pumping and your adrenaline racing to start the day. Add to that a hot-as-hell man who wanted to please you and then bathe you after, and you pretty much had nirvana. And it wasn’t even nine in the morning.

Hand in hand, we walked down to Ana and Ryker’s house. When we entered, Ana had Blue cradled in her arms, feeding him. Silas went straight to my little boy.

“Do you mind? I like to feed him.” He held out his arms and waited for Ana to hand Blue over.

She quirked one brow skyward and relinquished him right away. “I’ll get cleaned up, and we can go to breakfast. I hear Silas is buying.”

He didn’t pay one ounce of attention to her. Silas sat in the old leather chair and cradled my son in his arms while he fed him. It would’ve been a damn Norman Rockwell moment if he were alive and painting bad boys caught in soft moments. Ana stopped in the doorway and gave me her I’m-happy-for-you smile.

Life comprised seconds and minutes and hours and days, but it was the seconds you needed first because without them there were no minutes or hours or … I watched Silas feed Blue, and I knew in that second, I was the happiest woman in the world. My life was good, my body was sated, and my heart felt full.

I walked over and sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at Blue. He stared up into Silas’s eyes like he was looking at a superhero. His mouth opened around the bottle, and I swore he was smiling. Not the smile a baby gets when they’re gassy or fill their pants, but a genuine happy smile.

Silas shifted, then patted and rubbed Blue’s back until he got the response he wanted, and now that I’d had those hands on me, I could see why he was so effective. Silas dove into everything with enthusiasm because he understood the value of seconds and minutes and hours.

Fifteen minutes later, we had piled into Ana’s Jeep and arrived at the diner. Hannah brought three cups of regular coffee and a cup of decaffeinated for Ana, but no menus—we’d become such regulars that we didn’t need them. She ignored Ryker and smiled down at Silas and me.

“Told you,” she said smugly before taking our order.

After Hannah strutted off to the kitchen to place our order, I turned toward Silas with a tilt to my head. “She told you what?”

“That I wasn’t single when I thought I was.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. “Care to elaborate?”

Ryker stepped into the conversation. “Everyone saw the spark between you two but you. Even Not-So-Happy Hannah recognized what was happening, and she’s pretty self-involved.”

I looked toward the kitchen to the blonde-haired woman who leaned against the counter and picked at the polish on her nails. “She’s just young. She can’t be over twenty-one.” It had been a long year for me, and I swore it made me feel more like thirty than the twenty-six years I was.

I turned to Silas. “How old are you?” I’d slept with the man but knew little about him except that I liked him—a lot.

“I just turned twenty-seven. Two years younger than that guy.” He nodded toward his brother. “Our birthdays are all in the same month. Mom and Dad apparently loved the month of July for conceiving because all three of us were born in March. Ryker on the 21st, me on the 27th, and Decker on the 31st.”

“Aries,” I blurted out. I’d gone through a zodiac phase for a month or two. “Hard-headed and stubborn.” I looked between the two and nodded. “Sounds about right.”

“What are you?” Silas asked.

Ana and Ryker sat back and listened. They had long ago passed these first hurdles in their relationship.

“Valentine’s baby,” I said with pride. “Not everyone can claim Cupid as their father.”

Ana snorted and choked on her coffee. “Saying your father is like Cupid is like comparing a toad to a prince. It can’t be done.”

“Aquarius. Intelligent, quick-witted and rebellious.” Silas talked like an expert on the subject. “This guy in my squadron had a thing for astrology. He was born in February and never missed a chance to tell me he was a smart, funny badass.”

“Speaking of your squadron, what’s the plan?” Ryker asked.

All eyes turned to Silas.

“I don’t have to go back to the desert.” His faint smile held a touch of sadness. “They’re packing my stuff and shipping it back.” He shrugged with indifference, but I knew he felt deeply about the loss of his career. “I’m heading down to Colorado Springs this week. I can out-process at Fort Carson.”

I laid my hand on his thigh and gave him a supportive squeeze. When his hand covered mine, I felt something pass through us. We were in this together.

Two days ago, Silas had been out of the question; Mr. I’m Not Having Any Kids sat at the bottom of the eligible-bachelor file. But now he was at the top of the list. Not only was he wonderful with Blue, but he also had other talents that couldn’t be overlooked. Sweet, sexy and hella good in bed, Silas Savage was perfection.