Mind Games

He hadn’t looked for her. No, he’d stopped looking for anyone like her. But she’d slipped into his life, and she’d brought him what he’d needed. She filled a space he’d kept empty, deliberately empty.

And given him the one thing missing in his life. A woman to want and take, and trust.

He ran his hands down her arms, long, graceful arms he’d seen wielding a sword like a warrior. He saw her eyes, so deep and blue in the moonlight, look into his as if she knew him as no one else did.

When he kissed her, she gave back with so much warmth it filled, she filled, all those empty places.

Her scent aroused him; it clouded his mind until he thought of nothing but her. When her heartbeat quickened under his hand, when her breath caught on a sigh, he let himself take more.

His mouth, his hands took her on a slow climb up, and up, held her trembling at the peak before the breathless fall.

She arched to him, her fingers clutched in his hair to bring his mouth down to hers again.

He touched her in so many ways, body, heart, mind, she opened it all to him without a qualm. Her hands explored him, smooth skin over sharp planes, long limbs and lean muscles.

The little scar on his left hip from a broken chain-link fence he’d crawled under as a boy of eight. As her fingers brushed over it, she thought of the boy he’d been, the man he’d become.

His fingertips, calloused from guitar strings, thrilled her as they skimmed over her.

As his need merged with hers, she arched again, a welcome. And met his eyes as they joined.

She rose with him, fell with him, beat by slow beat.

She held him in those eyes, held him with her as they took each other in the moonlight with the faint summer breeze cooling heated skin.

He watched her go over the edge again, and surrendering, followed.

Blissfully limp, she lay under him.

Her world had changed, and would never be quite the same again. She knew love, the truth and power of it. She knew how it felt when it lived inside her.

Whatever happened, she’d have that.

When he turned his head, pressed his lips to the side of her neck, she thought love was like finally bursting into bloom after a long winter’s wait.

After bracing on his elbows, he looked down at her. Once again, he brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Stay.”

“Oh, but—”

“He’s four, Thea. Well, almost five, but still. We’ll just say you were tired, so you slept over.”

“I was tired?”

“You’re going to be.” He kissed her brow, her cheeks, her lips. “Eventually.”

“He’ll be all right with that?”

Wrapped around her, he rolled over, reversed their positions.

“Let’s find out.”

* * *

The squeal shot Thea out of silky dreams. Heart pounding, she’d nearly launched herself out of bed when laughter followed the squeal.

Beside her, eyes still closed, Ty muttered, “Brace yourself. Here it comes.”

Rushing footsteps followed the laughter before Bray pushed open the door. Dog and boy rushed in.