“I love you,” he said with an overabundance of emotion in his voice that would forever be seared into my bones.

“I love you.” I kissed his nose. “I love you.” I moved closer to his chest and kissed his cheeks. “I love you.” I wiggled seductively on him. “God, I need to have sex with you… now.”

“Uh, earth to the love birds, sex in public is unfortunately still illegal!” Cole’s words forced themselves in between our lips, and we finally realized that we were still sitting in a bar… with our friends… and about fifty other strangers.

“It’s true guys!” Em called out, laughing. “Trust me, I’ve tried!”

“This is why you don't start that shit in a bar,” he growled in my ear. Lane stood and pulled my hand, so I was forced to keep up with him. “We’re out.” As we passed everyone, he leaned over and kissed Audrey on the cheek. “We’ll see you in the morning, doll, when we pick up the kids.”

A round of groans passed from my new group of friends, and I smiled that they were actually disappointed we were retiring. I waved to the girls. “Don’t leave!” a few called out.

“My girl needs sex. I deliver,” Lane said unabashedly. He looked at the guys, quirking his eyebrow in question. “What would you do?”

All three of them, Jax, Jace, and Cole, proceeded to point toward the exit. I laughed the entire drive home. But with a house free of children for the first time, there was a lot more than laughing going on the rest of the night.

- EIGHTEEN -

RAEGAN -

I realized Lane’s mood was deteriorating as the week moved on. He hovered over me every chance he got and grew more edgy by the day. I didn't understand what was going on at first. I wasn't going to complain that he was following me around or that he would trap me up against a wall any chance we were out of the kids’ eyesight, but I began to recognize that he was feeling insecure.

When out of the blue Lane decided to take Friday off, I didn't think he had done it so he could go shopping for school clothes with us. My mind had been so caught up in getting Kate and Braden ready to start school, I had forgotten that Adam, Braden’s father, was still picking me up tonight.

So when Friday morning rolled around and Lane stuck to me like glue, I finally registered his feelings of unease. He didn't want me to go tonight, plain and simple. What he probably didn’t fully comprehend was that I didn't want to go either. But I also didn't want Braden’s father causing any trouble so I was willing to sit down and talk to him like an adult about my son. I didn’t know why now, after all this time, he wanted to be in Braden’s life, but I would at least hear him out.

I moved down the hallway looking for my handsome man and finally found him in the spare room, which was kind of Lane’s catch-all room. He had gym equipment that he used when he couldn't sneak off to his boxing gym. On the opposite side, he had a large desk that he sat at and finished up any work he didn't get done at the office. He was staring at a stack of papers, and there were creases in the corners of his eyes.

I stood in the doorway taking him in until he looked up at me. “Hate to break it to you, but one day we’ll have to convince them they need to have separate bedrooms.” I gestured around the room. “And then we’re going to have to figure out a new place for this stuff.”

He smiled because he loved when I spoke about the future, especially when I mentioned the four of us together. I made my way around the desk and sat in his lap, snaking my hands around his neck.

“I think we should buy a house, actually.”

My mouth widened in shock, because that’s not something I had been expecting. He chuckled and continued, “You want to paint walls and all that girly shit, right?” I nodded but stayed quiet. “It’ll be good for us in the long run to own real estate.”

“You would do that?” I asked quietly.

“We would do that.”

“But… I don't have anything to contribute. I’m broke, if you haven't noticed.”

“Trust me, you contribute way more than I do. Just because I take care of things financially doesn't mean I don't need you just as much. You’ve made my house our home. I’ve never been so happy to come home every day. You keep this place running smoothly. I could barely handle myself, let alone Kate and Braden. I don't know what I would do without you.”

“Oh, so that’s why you keep me around. You need me to do the laundry,” I laughed. He tickled my sides until I screamed for him to stop, because I was about two seconds away from peeing my pants.

“Are you happy staying at home? Taking care of the house?” I nodded my head, because it gave me pleasure to take care of my family and actually cook them real meals every day. “You could always get a job if you really wanted to. I’ll only say this once and the rest is up to you. I love you at home. I love how you take care of us. I love that I can call you up any time of day and you’re available to meet me. I love that our kids can come right after school to our home and not go to some strange daycare. But that’s my opinion, and I’ll support whatever you decide.”

The fact that he said ‘our kids’ was not lost me. I think I felt my heart grow a few sizes in that moment alone.

“I just don’t want to ever burden you.”

He kissed my temple and smiled. “You could never be a burden. And I don’t want you to worry about money. I can afford to take care of all of us and still take a family vacation each year.”

I gasped playfully. “I have no idea what a vacation even is!”

“Well then, when the kids are on Fall Break this year, I’ll show you.”

I lay against his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was leave his arms and go see my douchebag of an ex-boyfriend, Adam.

“I don’t want you to be worried about tonight.” I tried to sound as strong as I could, because I knew how he had been feeling.

“I want you to take my cellphone. I don't know why I haven’t gotten you one yet. I’m taking Braden and Kate to Jace’s tonight. Call me anytime. Seriously, if he even looks at you wrong, call me.”

“Why are you going to Jace’s?” I asked suspiciously. I had visions of him and Jace secretly following us.

“He’s my friend.”

“We’ll see them tomorrow, though.”

“Call me for any reason.” He wasn’t going to answer me. “Even if you want to just tell me what you ordered for dinner. Do not, for any reason, go anywhere alone with him. I’m serious about this, Rae. You agreed to dinner, nothing else.”

“We’re going to the restaurant and back.” I decided to pacify him. It was obvious that he was feeling out of control, but he had never—not even once—asked me not to go. “I love you, you know that, right? Like over the moon, love you.”

“Make sure you tell him that, okay?” he said with a smirk. “You know I thought when I truly fell in love that my mind would only think about that girl and there wouldn’t be anything else. But that’s not how it works at all. Everything around you becomes important because all of those things could potentially take you from me.”

“No one can take me from you,” I whispered. I slipped down to the floor and found a spot in between his legs. He looked at me with wide eyes and I grinned. With my hand, I stroked him through his gym shorts. I hadn’t given him much of a heads up, but he was quickly catching on as I felt him stiffen under my palm.

“Rae…” he breathed out harshly. “The kids are in the next room.”

“They can’t see me past the desk.” I blew warm air through the thin fabric of his shorts, which worked him up even more.

“They could come around.”

“Well then, I better work fast.”

“No way, I painfully learned my lesson the last time Braden decided to come check on us.” He scooted out of the chair and I heard the lock of the door slip into place.

He sat back down and lifted his h*ps without any further resistance and helped me slide his shorts down to his ankles. I loved when he went commando. When he walked through the house, I could always see the outline of his perfect butt, but now I was really reaping the benefits. I took hold of his large length in my hand and hummed against his scorching hot skin.

“Mmm, baby,” I mumbled. My breath blew across him and his head dropped backward. His hands clutched the arms of the chair tightly, and I moved my grip up and down his erection.

He looked absolutely beautiful in my hand. His strength was visible through every single mouth-watering inch of him. That made me think about the thoughts I had of him when I was only the nanny. I didn't let it happen often, but I couldn't stop my dreams late at night.

“You’re giggling with me in your hand?” he bit out through his barely contained desire.

“I was thinking something very inappropriate,” I whispered. I let my tongue slide lazily up and down the underside.

“Tell me, baby. I want to hear what you could possible find inappropriate with my dick seconds away from your mouth.” His voice was a guttural groan.

I let him slide between my lips while I spoke. “I may have fantasized about this once or twice while I was… working… for you.” His body froze and I immediately took him fully into my mouth. I was feeling self-conscious about telling him now. It had only happened a few times, and I’d woken up panting and sweating, feeling dirty. But God, it had been so hot.

“Are you serious?” he rasped. My long hair hung loose down the entire length of my back and he reached for it to hold in his grasp. I loved when he grabbed my hair, as if he just needed to be holding me any way he could.

I nodded my head, but I didn't know if he really knew the difference between my bobbing motion up and down his length and the nod.

“God…” he moaned, “babe. Oh, sh—” The words were flowing past his lips without much thought and I loved making his thoughts this jumbled. My hand squeezed the base of his c**k tighter and he groaned. “You’re right, that was terribly inappropriate. But God, it makes me so f**king turned on right now.” I smiled and worked harder. “That’s it, baby… so good.”

I moved my mouth up and down and used my hand to cover the inches my mouth couldn't take. I felt his fingers grip my hair tighter, but he didn't force me to move any faster. He liked my rhythm and he was close to losing all control anyway.

When I felt him begin to swell in my mouth, I whimpered at his pleasure. His h*ps jerked and I squeezed around him as hard as I could.

“Ahh, damn it,” he growled. I could tell he was trying to stretch things out and make it last longer, but my relentless cadence consumed him and he just couldn’t hold back any longer. I reveled in his release and the look of satisfaction on his face.

His hands had moved to grip the edges of his desk, and he looked down at me in complete awe. He appeared authoritative and oh-so-sexy, yet he was looking as if I were actually the one with all the power.

“What is it about guys loving bl*w j*bs at their desks?” I smirked up at him while licking my lips.

“Must be that whole secretary fantasy,” he breathed out as he pulled his shorts back up.

“Remind me to tell Jace that you are never allowed to have a secretary.”

When he finally caught his breath again, he pulled me up onto his lap, and I relaxed against his large chest. He let out a huge breath and held my face close to his body. Strong fingers ran over my face and down through my hair.

“He doesn't get to touch you,” he whispered.

I groaned. “You weren’t supposed to be thinking about him. You were supposed to be thinking about my mouth and maybe me pretending to be your secretary next week.”

“I was. Then I started thinking about some other guy getting that and I saw red for a moment.” I sighed at his words and he rushed to say, “I’ve got it under control.”

“I never doubted that you didn’t.” I rubbed my hand across his chest, enjoying the hard planes, followed by the tough ridges on his abdomen.

Lane was physically the strongest person I had ever met, and yet his self-control was even more tenacious. He didn't rile easily and he didn't allow others to egg him on. I had witnessed guys in the gym try and coax out the beast inside of him, but he never let it escape until he was in one particular controlled environment—the boxing ring.

I’d only witnessed him in the ring the few times I decided to join his workouts. I marveled at the power each of his fists possessed and the lithe movements he made as his feet carried him around. I had never known someone with that much muscle who could hold back the way he could. Outside of the ring, he was calm, easygoing, and gentle. But on the inside of the ring, he fully let himself go, using all of his energy and hard-earned strength. He was absolutely beautiful.

Regrettably, I still needed to take a shower and get somewhat ready for tonight. I turned in his lap and glanced at the papers he had been reading before I interrupted his work. Usually, his papers were filled with numbers and spreadsheets. It was all so confusing, and I generally tried to stay away from it.

But today the papers appeared different. The first thing that stuck out was an official-looking seven-pointed star. At a closer glance, I saw the words Policia Federal and then Miguel Flores. That stupid name. Would I ever be able to escape it? I’d hoped to never see nor hear that name ever again. I thought that was behind us.

“What is this?” My voice was only a whisper.