“Hold on,” he groans as I lift my hips, trying to get him where I need him most.

“I can’t.” I use every ounce of strength I have and manage to roll him to his back, and I rest my palms against his chest, watching his pupils flare as I sink down onto his length, feeling the stretch and burn as he fills me. “God.” I sit up and cup my breasts. “There is nothing better than being filled with you.”

“Jesus Christ, Mia.” He takes hold of my hips, and his eyes darken as they skim down my body. I watch his jaw twitch as I lift my hips and fall, then do it again and again and again, getting lost in the feel of him. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” I bite my bottom lip, and my head falls back to my shoulders.

“Kiss me.” His fingers sink into the hair at the back of my head as he sits up. I meet his gaze, my skin tingling when I see the hungry look in his eyes. I circle my legs around him and lean forward as his arm wraps around my waist, holding us together. My inner walls spasm as he rocks us, and his mouth takes mine in a kiss so deep that it has my toes curling. I cling to him, having never felt more connected to anyone in my life as the slow waves of my orgasm begin to wash over me. I hold him tighter and bury my face in his neck.

“Talon,” I whisper as he moves us to lay me back on the bed, and his hand slides between us. “I can’t.” I shake my head when his thumb finds my oversensitive clit.

“You can.” He pulls out of me slowly, only to sink back in, his deep thrust hitting just the right spot. I dig my nails into his back and the heels of my feet into his ass as he manipulates each of my breasts with his tongue and teeth. On the edge once more, I press my fingertips into his scalp, and he pulls back to look at me. I catch the warm look in his eyes right before he drops his head down to kiss me while his thrusts become faster and faster. Until he plants himself deep inside me, groaning his orgasm down my throat and sending me over the edge with him.

Breathing erratically, I relish in the feel of his heavy weight as he falls against me and hold him as tight as I can, not ready for our connection to end. “I love you,” I whisper, and he kisses the side of my neck before pulling back to search my face.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to hearing you say that.” He smooths my hair back away from my damp forehead. “I didn’t think you were there yet.”

“I wanted to tell you before you told me, but I was afraid you didn’t feel the same,” I admit.

“Chicken.”

“Yes.” I laugh, and he rubs his nose against mine.

“You never have to be afraid with me, baby.”

“I’ve been learning that.” I skim my fingers along his jaw then down his neck and rest them over his heart that is still beating hard. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“I know I didn’t make things easy for you, but I’m glad you were willing to show up, even when I was pushing you away. And even though it’s going to sound cheesy, I think part of me was so scared, because I knew I wanted this but was afraid you’d end up being just like every guy I’ve known before. I didn’t want to tarnish the image of who I thought you were, if that happened to be true.”

“I’m not perfect, baby, not by a long shot. But I love you and will always fight for us, because what I found in you is more than I ever thought possible. I thought I had an idea of what having your love might feel like, but it didn’t even come close to the real thing.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” I whisper as my nose starts to sting.

“No crying. Just tell me you love me, and then we need to clean up and get to bed, because my mom said to make sure you’re at breakfast tomorrow morning, which means you are only gonna have a few hours before you gotta get up.”

“Is your mom mad at me about yesterday?”

“Hell no, she gets it. And baby, once you’re a part of the family fold, that’s it. There is no going back. Everyone has accepted you, which means all of them are gonna be up in our business whether we like it or not. But the good thing is that means you have a whole lot of people who now have your back.”

“That’s a little scary.”

‘That’s family—or that’s my family, anyway.” He grins.

“Right.” I let out a deep breath then lean up and kiss him quickly. “I should go shower.”

“Yeah, but first you need to tell me you love me.”

My face softens and I touch his cheek. “I love you, Talon Mayson, even if you are bossy and slightly crazy,” I whisper.

“All I care about is that you love me,” he whispers back, and I know in that moment that as long as I have him, I can handle anything life throws at me.

CHAPTER 17

Mia

“SO HOW DID it go?” I ask Cece about her meeting with Mike as I take a seat on the couch in a windowed room next to the kitchen with the phone to my ear. The kittens immediately start fighting at my feet, making me smile.

“It went all right,” she says, sounding tired.

“Just all right?”

“Well, he was defensive when I brought up the amount of time he spends with the girls, and he threw it in my face that he has to work to pay all the bills.”

“Seriously?” I don’t even attempt to hide my annoyance.

“Are you really surprised by that?” She sighs. “I told him that I have to work too and that if it weren’t for you being here, I don’t know what I would do.”

“You would have made it work,” I tell her gently, and I know she would have. It might not have been easy, but she would have found a way to do it all. That, or she would have been forced to talk to Mike.

“I wouldn’t have, Mia, and you and I both know I was drowning, and he didn’t even notice.”

I hear tears in her voice, and my throat gets tight. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not going to cry. The girls and I are in a good spot, and with me getting a new job and the house going on the market soon, we will be even better off.”

“New job?” I frown. I knew a realtor came to check out the house yesterday and start the paperwork, and knew he told her that the break-in might have been a blessing, because fresh paint and updates always help with a quick sale. But I didn’t know about a new job.

“This afternoon, I applied at a café in town, and they offered me a job. The pay is a little less than I was making at Winston’s, but with tips, it should even out. And it’s days, so I’ll be home with the girls in the evenings, and I can just move my online classes to nights and do my schoolwork while they’re in bed.”

“Cece, you don’t have to—”

“Mia, I love you, and I’m so thankful for you. But honestly, I can’t expect you to help me until I finish school. I know you’re not moving with us into the apartment, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to expect you to take care of my girls when they have two parents that are capable of looking after them.” I listen to her take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You were right about Mike. He needs to start doing his part, and I’m going to start holding him accountable, because the girls and I both deserve that from him.”