His expression is unreadable except for a quick ripple of desire when I put my hands on his shoulders and go on tiptoes to press my lips to his.

  A flash of surprise is all I see before he accepts the kiss without embarrassment, his hands going to my hips.

  “Mommy… why are you kissing Uncle Dozer?” Thea yells from behind us, and we jump apart.

  I grin at him, take his hand, and pull him into the apartment. Talking in a low voice, I say, “Clearly, we have some explaining to do. Just follow my lead.”

  He squeezes my hand in response.

  “Oh, and my mom knows,” I add.

  Thea is propped over the back of the couch, looking at us. Her eyes drop to our hands, then to me, the expression on her face curious but not upset in any way.

  My mom watches with a knowing smirk.

  “Honey,” I say to Thea, not quite sure what to say all of a sudden. It seemed so easy to explain to my mom, but looking at my seven-year-old daughter staring up at me with trust, I’m without words.

  Dozer doesn’t hesitate, though. He releases my hand, puts his both on the back of the couch, and bends to look at Thea. “I’ve got a secret. Want to hear it?”

  Thea grins at him and nods.

  He leans over, puts his mouth near her ear, and whispers—although it’s loud enough for us all to hear, “I really like your mommy.”

  “Like boyfriend and girlfriend, since you two kissed?” Thea asks.

  “Exactly,” Dozer says with a bright smile as he straightens. “I really like your mommy in that way, and I hope that’s okay with you.”

  “And does she like you that way?” Thea asks, but she looks to me for confirmation.

  Tipping my head, my smile feels radiant on my face. “I do, honey. I’ve liked him like that for a long time.”

  Her eyes stay on me a second, then move to Dozer.

  Then she shrugs and flips back around, settling on the couch where she returns her attention to the TV.

  I snort, shaking my head while my mom laughs. “That was easy,” she says, then turns to Dozer and shoots him a wink. It says without words, I’m happy for you.

  Elbowing Dozer playfully in the ribs, I say, “Piece of cake.”

  “Well, she does adore me and all,” he points out.

  Without thinking, I step into his side and wrap my arms around his waist. I don’t care if he’s sweaty—I want to hug him. His arm comes around me, pulling me in close.

  “Listen,” Dozer says, and the tone of his voice has me pulling away. “I know you texted asking for the keys to my car, but that’s not a good idea.”

  I frown. “Why not?”

  His eyes move over to Claire, then back to me. “It’s just… this isn’t a good area of town, and I don’t feel safe with you driving out of here on your own.”

  “I get that.” I remember how seedy-looking this area was when we drove in. “Kellen isn’t doing anything today. He’d mentioned he was going out to explore. Maybe he can—”

  “When did you talk to Kellen about this?” Dozer demands in a low voice, taking me by the hand and pulling me away from the couch.

  “Last night at the party.” I try to tug my hand from Dozer’s, but he holds tight. “It was just chitchat.”

  “The answer is no. You’re not going with Kellen.”

  Okay, that’s pure jealousy, and okay, it’s a bit cute. But I don’t want to be cooped up. I am willing to compromise, though. “Fine. How about you take us out to dinner tonight when you finish work?”

  “Shit,” Dozer mutters, releasing me and scrubbing a hand over his jaw. He looks to my mom—watching us with her eagle eyes—then back to me. “I need to talk to you and Claire.”

  “About what?” I ask as he waves my mother over.

  He moves over by the apartment door, the distance farthest from Thea. When my mom joins us, he speaks in a quiet voice. “You can’t leave the building at all.”

  “Why not?” I ask, trying not to sound hysterical, but I can tell by his expression that I’m not going to like the answer.

  “It’s probable that Borovsky has been able to identify me.” Dozer explains about them asking questions at the airport and the bribes for flight information. “And if I’ve been identified, then it’s very realistic to believe they have people in Pittsburgh right now coming after you.”

  “You mean here?” I ask, aghast.

  Dozer shrugs. “Most likely an assault would happen at my house first. But regardless, you cannot leave this building.”

  I exchange a look with my mom… a silent agreement that this isn’t so bad. We can hide out here for a bit.

  “Can they get into this building?” my mom asks fearfully.

  “It’s highly unlikely,” he says, but I can tell he’s withholding something.

  “Dozer… please,” I say quietly but firmly. “What aren’t you saying?”

  “I promise I’m not holding anything back. You are safe right here. We’ll play this day by day, and each day we’ll hope they bring Borovsky in.”

  “Okay,” I say, feeling better. We’re in a safe place. Dozer will protect us.

  We can wait this out.

  CHAPTER 13

  Dozer

  This apartment is relatively cramped with four people in it, but sitting around the small table that separates the kitchenette from the living area, I can’t say I mind sharing the space with these women. Sweet Thea who can do no wrong in my eyes, and if I ever have a child of my own, I hope she’s just like her. Claire, the woman who stepped in to fill my own mother’s shoes. And then… Jess.

  Formerly my dearest friend, now so much more in such a short period.

  We threw together homemade pizzas after raiding the cupboards and fridge of the communal kitchen, Joslyn having suggested such a meal when I declined her invitation to cook for us. Selfishly, I want to be with these girls because I know I might not have unlimited time with them in the future.

  There’s a chance I could be killed offering myself up to Borovsky, but that is the current plan. One I’m not willing to deviate from because now that I know I can have a future with Jess in all the ways I want her, I cannot wait for the police. That could take weeks… months, even.

  It could never happen, so I want to end it now.

  “More milk?” Jess asks Thea, her glass empty as she works on her second piece of pizza.

  She drops her slice to her plate and wipes her fingers on a paper towel sitting beside her plate. “I can get it myself.”

  I watch as Thea scoots her chair back, grabs her empty glass, and moves around the island to the fridge. I give Jess a pointed look as I whisper, “Since when is she old enough to pour her own milk?”

  “Since she was birthed,” Claire responds for her daughter with a laugh. “That kid came out independent.”

  “But she’s only seven,” I say.

  “I’ll be eight next month,” Thea says from the kitchen.

  “Going on thirty,” I grouse. She’s growing up, and I’m missing everything.

  Thea comes back to the table and regales us with her afternoon. So far, she’s not questioned her inability to leave this place and boredom hasn’t set in. We’re careful not to talk around her about the perils facing us, which makes having dinner together right now especially nice.

  I don’t want to talk about Borovsky with Claire or Jess anymore. I can’t tell them anything to make them feel better, and if they were to know what we really have planned, then all hell would break loose. If I thought Bebe was upset over this idea, I can tell you that Jess will be a hundred times more pissed at what I’m going to do.

  “Uncle Dozer,” Thea says, a hint of mischief in her eyes, “do you like princesses and fairy tales?”

  “Um… sure.” My mind races. Do I even know a single princess’s name? And what does she mean by fairy tales? “Why do you ask?”

  “Well,” she drawls, and I can tell she’s got a speech lined up, “I want to go to Disney World. I want to see the princesses and go on roller coasters.”

  “Princesses and roller coasters, huh?” I ask, thinking that one might be a truth and the other a smoke screen.

  “She wants roller coasters,” Jess confirms, then reaches to rub her hand over Thea’s head. “Honey… we’ll go one day. Mommy’s saving up.”

  My head whips Jess’s way. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have taken you both.”

  Her eyes flare with shock that I’d even ask that question. “It’s not appropriate. You don’t just go asking friends to take you and your daughter to Disney.”

  “I’m not just a friend,” I remind her.

  “Well, not now… but before…”

  “Even before I wasn’t just a friend,” I insist.

  Claire coughs into her hand, and when I glance at her, she gives a subtle nod to Thea who’s watching our exchange with wide eyes. She doesn’t know what it really means, this change in the relationship between me and Jess. She only knows we like each other in a different way.

  “We’ll talk about it later, okay?” Jess says, placating me and shooting a look to Thea. “You, young lady… it’s time for your bath. I’ll go get it ready.”

  “And I want Uncle Dozer to read me a book tonight before bed,” she insists.

  “Done,” I reply, shooting her a wink.

  “And I want to go to Disney World,” she adds with an impish grin.

  Jess rolls her eyes as I wink again at Thea. I’m taking her to Disney when this is all over whether Jess likes it or not.

  I clean the kitchen with Claire while Jess bathes Thea. It’s still too early for bed, so we play Uno for a while. It’s a game we’ve all played before, but even this is different.

  I look at Jess differently.

  Then it’s time for bed. I read Thea a book, then another because I can’t resist her dimples, and while Jess is busy tucking her in, I back out of the room.

  As I head to the door, Claire asks, “You going back to your apartment?”

  “Yeah… I actually have a job and have to work tomorrow, you know.”

  She snorts. “I imagine Jess will be along for a little alone time before long.”

  I’m horrified that she’d suggest such a thing. “Don’t do that, Claire.”

  “Do what?” she asks innocently.

  “Don’t ever,” I say dramatically, stepping up to her and putting my hands on her shoulders, “ever, ever try to have a conversation with me or insinuate something like… like…”

  “Like getting romantic with my daughter?” she asks.

  “Stop it,” I growl, and then lean down to kiss her cheek affectionately.

  She laughs, and I head over to my apartment.

  ♦

  Within seconds of opening my door to Jess’s knock, I’ve got her in the bedroom. With one knee on the mattress and the other foot planted on the floor, I hover over her on my bed. “Been thinking about this all day. You’re causing a substantial decline in my work productivity.”

  Christ, she looks beautiful as she stares up at me, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she considers my words. “I might have been thinking about this too.”

  “So much fucking time wasted.” I drop down to kiss her softly. The mere touch of her lips against mine, though, causes lust to sweep through me. “I’ve got a million different things I want to do to you to make you scream.”

  “Jesus, Dozer,” she gasps. “Where did you learn to talk like that?”

  Laughing, I bend down to kiss her again, nipping at her lower lip with my teeth. “I know you might prefer to believe otherwise, but I have not been a monk my entire life.”

  “Prove it,” she says defiantly, and I didn’t know that words alone could make my cock go rock hard.

  Challenge accepted.

  Jess tilts her chin up, eyes wide and trusting. Those full lips are parted slightly, a hint of white teeth behind. It’s been a longstanding fantasy of mine—because I’ve been fantasizing about Jess far longer than the first time we had sex last night—to have those lips and that mouth on me.

  I suck in air through my nose and resist the temptation to tear off her clothes so I can bury myself inside her. I have to remember that I have the rest of my life with her.

  That this is only the beginning.

  Bringing my other knee to the mattress, I place my palms on her shoulders. I drink in every detail… her luminescent skin, dark curls fanned out over the pillow, and those almond-shaped eyes I’ve stared into a million times, but never like this. I’m her captive.

  Dipping down, I graze my lips over hers again, but it’s anything but benign. Just touching my mouth to hers is electric, and she moans softly. My tongue slips inside, and Jess groans. Something deep within my chest answers that primal sound, and just from this kiss, I feel my control ebbing away.

  Jess slips her hands under my shirt, skims up my ribs, and then around to my back. Her skin is so silky against mine, I know why cats purr. Impatient with the material, she tries to push it up. I pause to help her and pull it off.

  Her eyes roam over my chest, and I’ve never been more grateful for my diligence at the gym as I am now. I see the appreciation and lust simmering in her eyes as she takes me in. A hand comes to my chest, and I know she can feel the thunderous beat of my heart.

  Her hand drops, goes to the button of my pants, and my breath catches as she pops it open. Lowering the zipper, she slips her hand inside and wraps her fingers around my aching dick. I hiss in pleasure as she grazes her thumb over the top.

  She squeezes in response, and it’s too much. I pull her hand away and haul her up to her knees so we’re face-to-face. Jess’s eyes look feverish, and my fingers itch to touch her more.

  I pull her shirt over her head and toss it behind me. My fingers work at the front clasp of her bra, releasing her breasts, which are magnificent. I spent a lot of time worshipping their beauty last night.

  Jess shrugs the bra off and then takes my hands, pulling them to her chest. I squeeze, rub a thumb over a nipple, and she tips her head back to moan her satisfaction.

  “You’re fucking perfect, JJ,” I rasp, and she lifts her head to stare at me. My palms go to her cheeks, and I kiss her again.

  Soft at first, but we’re both half naked, memories of last night fresh in our minds, so it turns erotic very quickly. I wrap an arm around her back, haul her against me so her breasts mash against my chest, and my dick, still half exposed, presses into her belly.

  I pull back and look at her wet, swollen lips, and Christ, I need them on me at some point, but not right now.

  A hand to her chest, I give a push. “On your back.”

  Jess doesn’t balk, flopping down on the mattress. I don’t hesitate, either, my hands going to her jeans. It takes no effort to divest her of all clothing from the waist down, and then she’s perfectly naked, like a feast laid out before me. I roll off the bed to remove the rest of my clothes.

  Mouth watering, I pull Jess to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. She watches me, dark eyes glittering, not a shy bone in her body.

  Not a shy bone in mine either. Throwing her legs over my shoulders, I lower my head, press my mouth to her pussy, and I devour her. Jess bucks under me, makes a strangled sound, and then grips my head so hard with her hands, her fingerprints are probably permanently embedded there.

  I ignore it, though, and use every bit of creativity coupled with my raging desire to please her with my tongue and teeth. Jess moans and begs, and in no time at all, she’s breaking apart with a sharp cry of relief.

  I look up, find her staring at me with tears in her eyes, and something shatters in my soul, only to be quickly put back together again, more complete than ever.

  Crawling up her body, I ask, “Are you okay?”

  She nods, her fingertips tracing over my cheekbone. “The best I’ve ever been. That was… amazing.”

  I grin and drop to give her a swift kiss. “I’m more than happy to give that to you all the time.”

  “I want to give that to you as well,” she murmurs.

  Hell yes, all my fantasies will come true.

  Except, I’m not interested in that right now.

  Right now, I just want to be inside her.

  “Roll over,” she rasps, and her hands go to my chest, giving a hard shove. I do as she asks and roll to my back, and she follows along until she’s straddling my waist.

  My hands go to her hips and I watch mesmerized as she raises herself up, positions herself over me, and lowers herself back down again.

  I’ve never seen anything more erotic than Jess lowering herself onto my cock, watching as I disappear inside her inch by torturous inch until she’s fully seated.

  Leaning forward, she braces her hands on my stomach and gyrates her hips in small circles that make me crazy with need. I put my hands on her waist, feel the motion of her body, and have to restrain myself not to lurch upward. I force myself to let her have her way.

  Watching her undulate, it’s the most sensually beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. She’s not just giving me pleasure, she’s giving me her all.

  The havoc she’s wreaking on my body is unmatched. It’s beautiful and painful at the same time. Her tiny moans and grunts, because it feels fucking good for her, too, only heighten my lust.

  She’s barely into her ride and I’m already straining to hold back from coming. It’s too soon. I’m not ready, and yet I can’t remember wanting anything more.

  Slowly, Jess lifts her hips, slides up, and then down again on my shaft. I grit my teeth and groan, and she does it again and again, slow and rhythmic. Her arms lift and she fists her hair, bites her bottom lip, and rides me a little faster.

  She’s a fucking goddess.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” I say softly as my hands go to her breasts.

  Dropping her hands, she lays them over mine, pressing them hard to her chest. She does all this without missing a single stroke as she fucks me.