Minutes or perhaps hours later we pulled apart, when Zoe stirred between us. We’d probably been squishing her a bit. I looked into our daughter’s beautiful eyes and thought of something. “Do you know what we have to do right now?” In my excitement, my words came out in a squeal.

“I certainly do.” Blake’s words were more of a growl. A low, sexy rumble that left his meaning clear, even before he slid one hand down my back and squeezed my ass.

“Not that,” I said giggling. “Or at least not yet. First we have to go see Ellen.”

Blake released me, and the look on his face made me laugh again. “Never mention my mother when I’m grabbing your ass.”

“Sorry.” I bit back a smile, but then the giddiness returned. “We have to go tell her that Zoe’s really her grandchild. She’s going to be thrilled.”

“No, she’s not.”

“You know how much she loves Zoe. She’s going to be over the moon—we have to tell her right now.”

“She already knows.”

“She only thought she knew, but now we know for sure…” Wait a second. This was getting confusing.

“My mother knew before we did. She knew all along.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re right, she did. Why didn’t we listen to her?”

“Because we thought she was only seeing what she wanted to see. Guess she saw more clearly than either of us.”

“I’m glad we don’t have to disappoint her about Zoe.”

“Me too. So… if we don’t have to go rushing off to tell my mother…” Blake trailed off, looking at me suggestively.

“We could go tell Jana and Hazel,” I said, mischievously.

“Just Jana. Let’s go.”

I gave him a surprised look as I stood. “Why just her?”

“Because Hazel’s still recovering—Jana’s not. Therefore, I’m going to offer Jana a million dollars to watch Zoe tonight.”

I chuckled again. “I’m pretty sure she’ll do it for less than that.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” Blake stood as well and walked to the door, expertly strapping Zoe into the car seat I’d abandoned on my way in. Then he stalked back to me. “I’ve waited over a year and a half to be alone with you again—I’m not waiting one single night more.”

The heat from his gaze tore right through me. My giggle turned nervous… it felt like his intensity had the power to break me in half. “And what happens once we’re alone?”

Blake’s hands were on my ass again but this time they kept going, sliding under my thighs and picking me up. My legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed me up against the wall. His firm abdomen pressed against my core, the heat evident even through several layers of clothing. His hands captured mine and raised them above my head.

“I think you know,” he said with a growl, and then his lips nuzzled my throat.

I was pretty sure I did, too.

* * *

At last we were alone. No more sweet baby cooing softly at Blake. No more excited best friend, winking at me and telling me have fun. It was just Blake and me.

Finally.

He’d taken me to his place, but I hadn’t formed much of an impression of it yet. The moment I was through the door, he had me pinned up against the wall, his mouth on mine, his hands all over me. He seemed to have grown a few extra ones, and that was just fine by me. His touch felt amazing. After all this time, he still knew exactly how to make me moan. But this time it was better. I knew him, and he knew me. We had a child together. We were a family.

Right now, however, I just wanted him to tear my clothes off.

Naturally, in the manner of hot men everywhere, he decided I didn’t get to set the pace.

Damn.

“What’s the rush, my little Not-Sarah?”

“Hmm?” It was hard to focus when he had my wrists pinned above my head and his teeth nipping at my throat.

“That’s what I called you when I was looking for you. I’d found out that you replaced a woman named Sarah in the costume contest. So you became Not-Sarah.”

“I thought of you as Zorro.”

He laughed, his warm breath tickling my neck. “I wasn’t really.”

“I know that,” I said, lifting one knee and wrapping it around his leg. “I just meant your costume.”

“No,” he said. “I was actually part of a group costume, too. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I was too embarrassed to admit that I was Famine, and not a cool one like Death or War.”

My eyes flew open as I looked up at him. “Really? I heard from someone that there were four men dressed that way, but I didn’t know one of them was you.” Suddenly, I was anxious, sliding my leg back down. “I tried, Blake. I really tried to find you. Especially once I knew I was pregnant—“

“Shh.” He released my wrists and hugged me to him. “I know. I tried, too. For months. It just—it just wasn’t meant to be, not then. But now we’re together. I’m never going to lose you again.”

“I named her after you, you know.”

“What?”

“Zoe. It was as close to Zorro as I could make it.”

For a moment he looked shocked, and then absurdly pleased. “You named our daughter after me.”

The look on his face was so raw that I had to lighten the moment. “If you want, I can change it to Blakette.”

His face cracked into a grin, and spun me around, holding me tightly against him.

I buried my head against his broad chest, feeling his arms tighten around me. I wanted to weep. I wanted to laugh. I wanted him to throw me on a bed and pounce on top of me. I didn’t know what I wanted, except to be in his arms. And I was. Finally.

Blake bent down so that our heads were eye level, and then his hands came up under my thighs. He picked me up effortlessly, and I clung to his neck as turned, carrying me deeper into his penthouse.

The rest of his place barely made an impression because I only had eyes for him. Still, I got the sense of space. Of well-made dark furniture. Of a pleasant pine scent in the air. And expensive light fixtures. I could see those very well from my vantage point in his arms.

At last, he set me down at the edge of a huge bed. Curious, I looked around. This had to be the master bedroom. Over eighteen months after I’d first dreamed of being in his bed, now, finally, I was.

Blake stepped away and smiled down at me. Without breaking eye contact, he unbuttoned his white shirt. Slowly. One button at a time. I watched, mesmerized as more and more of his smooth, chiseled chest came into view.

The closer he got to his waistband, the slower he went. I was fairly sure I was drooling by the time he peeled the white shirt off his arms.

Oh god. Those arms. Dimly, I remembered passing some exercise equipment when he carried me here. It was obvious he used it regularly. More than obvious.

I was staring, but I couldn’t stop. With shaking hands, I lifted the bottom of my blouse, but Blake shook his head. “I want to do that.”

He knelt down the floor in front of me, and my legs parted automatically, giving him space. His voice was low, rumbly, and incredibly sexy. “Last time, I didn’t get to undress you. This time, I can’t wait.”

I couldn’t either. The heat from his body between my spread thighs was intoxicating. Overwhelming. Every inch of me trembled as he lifted the edge of my blouse, pulling it over my head. Once it had joined his on the floor, his gaze remained steady on mine. He leaned in and kissed me, long and deep, before straightening and reaching for the button on my slacks.

It helped that he maintained eye contact while his fingers slid under my waistband. Yes, I wanted this, more than anything, but my body had changed since he’d last seen me. I’d had a baby. I wasn’t the way he remembered me.

But his gaze told me he didn’t care about that. He only cared about me. Kicking off my shoes, I raised my hips, letting him ease my pants off my hips. When they were just below my ass, he stood and grabbed my hair at the back of my neck, tilting my head so he could kiss me again. Gradually, so slowly I almost didn’t realize he was doing it, he lowered me to the bed. He kept his lips on mine as he tugged my slacks lower and lower.

Perhaps sensing that I’d be more comfortable that way, he reached out and flipped off the lamp by the bed. The light dimmed, but I could still see his gleaming dark eyes staring down at me, taking me in. “My long-lost Not-Sarah. My beautiful Penny. Finally, in my bed,” he whispered, in his sexy, deep voice. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?”

“About as long as I have.”

“Think you can stand to wait a little longer?”

“No,” I said, honestly.

“Too bad. Because you’re going to.”

What?

He tugged at my shoulders, rearranging me until my head lay on the pillow. Then he leaned back and looked at me. Really looked at me. “Beautiful,” he said. “Put your hands at your sides.”

I did so, feeling a little exposed, but there was no mistaking the admiration in his eyes. He placed one hand lightly on my stomach.

“Spread your legs a little.” His voice was soft, but it was a command nonetheless. It turned me on to part my legs for him.

Blake slid his hand down, across my silky panties to my leg. Slowly, he trailed one long index finger down my inner thigh. My legs parted more with every inch lower his finger slid.

When he reached my knee, he stopped. “Perfect. Stay just like that. Don’t move a muscle.”

“What?”

“I need to go get something. I want you to wait just like that. For me. Think about what I’m going to do to you when I get back.”

Oh god. If I thought about that, my panties would be soaked by the time he got back. They probably already were just from looking at his smooth, bare chest. And the way the muscles of his back moved as he walked away got me going, too.

By the time he came back with a bottle and a wine glass, I’d imagined him touching me all over. Licking me all over. And taking me hard. I wanted to close my legs to hide the evidence of my arousal, but I didn’t.

“Good girl,” he said, setting the open bottle down on his nightstand.

“The Latour?” I asked.

“Yes. A lovely lady got it for me.”

“I wish I could have some.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get a taste.” He treated me to a naughty wink. He filled the glass and clicked it against the bottle. “To our happily ever after.”

I repeated the toast, blinking back a sudden tear that rose behind my lashes. It had been a long journey, but there was nothing standing in our way anymore.

Blake took a big sip of the wine and then climbed onto the bed, straddling me. He leaned down to kiss me, and I sank my hands in his hair, pulling him closer. His mouth met mine and wine poured past my lips in a delicious cascade. I swallowed it down and sucked the excess off his tongue, enjoying its taste. And his taste.

His free hand stroked down my side, teasing me as he deepened the kiss. Just when I was about to sink into a puddle of bliss, he eased back and held the wine glass over me.

“Hold still,” he growled. Tipping the glass, he allowed a small amount to splash across my collarbones. I squealed as he licked it up, his tongue making long, slow strokes. God, I wanted to feel that tongue everywhere—and one place in particular.

The glass tilted again, and this time the sweet red liquid slid down between my breasts. Blake set the glass on the table and reached underneath me, unhooking my bra. He tugged it off of me and then buried his face in my cleavage, licking up the sticky liquid. His hands cupped the sides of my breasts, pushing them together, rubbing them against his jawline.

It was a hot mixture of sensations, the scratchy stubble, versus his slick tongue. When both sensations moved down my body, I squirmed with pleasure.

Blake kissed his way across my abdomen, and I was grateful he didn’t linger there. Firstly, because I needed his talented tongue lower, and secondly, because after giving birth to a baby, my stomach was not my favorite feature. But he seemed to like it.

His long fingers slid under the waistband of my panties, then he tugged. I closed my eyes, and arched my back, lifting my hips for him.

In a flash, my panties were gone, and I lay naked before him. Last time, I’d been hidden under many layers, but this time, I was bared to him.

Kneeling between my legs, he looked up at me as if I was a priceless treasure. “Hold onto something,” he commanded. His head descended, his hands pushing my legs farther apart.

“Oh god,” I moaned. Warm breath caressed my slit. Then I felt a long lick tease over the outside of my folds, making me moan again. Taking his advice, I reached above my head and grabbed onto the iron bars of the headboard.

“I’ve waited so long to taste you,” Blake growled. His words vibrated against my sensitive skin. “Too long.”

My response was lost in a groan when his tongue parted my slit, teasing past my clit while he worked his way up and down. It felt amazing. The heat from his mouth, his lips, his tongue. He circled my clit, his fingers holding my thighs wide apart.

I writhed on the bed until he pinched the inside of my thigh sharply. “Hold still. I’m not done yet.”

I tried, but he wasn’t making it easy. His long licks narrowed in on my clit, circling, occasionally flicking over it. And his fingers slid up my leg until one paused at my entrance.

“Blake,” I groaned, gripping the bars above my head even tighter. “Please…”

He answered my unspoken plea, sliding his finger inside of me. My back arched again and I pressed myself against him, willing him to take me where I needed to be.

And he did. He circled my entrance with one long finger, then two. His tongue flicked across my clit again and again, and when he thrust his fingers into me, I exploded underneath him, crying out. Crying his name. Begging him not to stop.

He didn’t—not until I was thrashing around on the bed, my breath coming out in gasps. God, I hadn’t felt anything like that in so long. Not since the last time I was with him. So amazing. Blake’s fingers stilled inside me, and he lifted his head, a satisfied grin on his face. I knew he could feel each time an aftershock jolted through me. He had every reason to feel self-satisfied—he’d made me feel so damn good.

Letting go of the iron bars, I wiggled my fingers, trying to restore circulation. Reaching down, I stroked Blake’s head, tugging on his hair lightly.

He sat up, crawling forward until he hovered over me. I cupped the back of his neck and pulled his head down, kissing him, tasting myself on him. “Please,” I moaned when he came up for air. “I want you inside me.”

“I’ve wanted that since the day I met you—both times.” Another wink. A few seconds later, he’d fished a condom out of the drawer and slid it on. When he was poised to enter me, we made eye contact and both seemed to be thinking the same thing. “What are the odds it could break a second time?”

I laughed. Probably pretty low, but if it happened, so be it. Someday, I’d love to have more children with him. But tonight was all about pleasure. “Please, I need you.”

“You have me.” His voice came out breathless with desire. “Tonight and always.” He grabbed my knee and pushed it up to my chest, then the tip of his cock teased my entrance.

“Please, Blake…”

It was all the invitation he needed. He thrust into me, a long smooth stroke that filled me completely and almost made me come again. Nothing had ever felt so good as his hard length inside me. He drew back, almost all the way out, and pushed in again. I cried out, grabbing onto his bicep as he balanced over me.

“God, you feel incredible.” His eyes never left mine the whole time he moved inside of me.

I meant to say the same thing to him, but only a gasp came out when he thrust again, filling me. He was the only man who’d ever reached me like this. Made me feel like heaven.

“I want to feel all of you.” I didn’t even know what I was asking, but apparently Blake knew. He bent my other knee and suddenly I could feel his hard cock going even deeper. God, I’d never known anything could feel so wonderful.

I held onto his arms, our gazes locked. “Yes,” I chanted. He sped up.

“Are you going to disappear on me again, Penny?” Blake’s breathing grew harsh as he pounded in and out of me.

“No,” I panted.

“Are you going to scream my name when you come?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to come with me?” His strokes sped up even more, each thrust making my whole body shake until I clutched his arms. I was getting so close.

“Please…”

“Are you going to come?” He thrust harder. “Right…now?”

My head tilted back while he held himself deep inside me. “Yes. Yes, Blake, please… please come with me.”

He did, his hard cock pulsing as we shouted together. I clenched around his spasming hardness, shouting his name, begging him to fill me up, telling him I loved him.

At long last, he collapsed on top of me, both of us breathing heavily, spent. The feeling of his hot, hard body on top of me was intoxicating. He was so big. So strong. So freaking gorgeous. He was mine. And I was his. And wait a second… “Did I just tell you I loved you?”

Blake lifted his head and grinned down at me. He looked tired, but satisfied. “I believe you did.”

“During sex?”

His grin widened. “Yes, ma’am. And you don’t get to take it back, either.”

I could practically feel the blush spreading across my face. “I don’t want to take it back. But can we pretend I said it at a different time?”

“No, we can’t.” He winked. “Like our encounter tonight, it was long overdue.”

“But I said for the first time during sex,” I moaned, covering my face with my hand.

Blake pushed himself off me and lay down on his side next to me, his hand roaming possessively over my breasts. “If you hadn’t rendered me incapable of speech, I would have said it, too.”

“Really?” I looked over at him. Did he mean that?

“Really.” He leaned down, kissing the tip of my nose. “Penelope Not-Sarah Jenkins, I love you. I loved you when I lost you, I loved you when I found you. I love the baby girl we made, and I love the woman she’s going to become. I love that you’re mine. That you’re both mine. Does that convince you?”

The tears welling in my eyes proved it did. Instead of answering, I pulled his head down and pressed my lips against his. I kissed him long and hard, my body wrapping around his, as if it knew he’d soon be ready for round two.

“I guess it does,” he whispered.