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But he wouldn’t do that. Not when he was so intent on making sure we were safe and cared for in his house. Not after he’d told me he was putting his playboy days behind him, that he wasn’t that man, that he only wanted me...

Right?

I didn’t look like this pretty young woman anymore. Hell, I’d never been tall and lean like that, but especially not now that motherhood had accentuated my curves. Come to think of it, this girl had the same build as Blakely.

Stephan shook hands with the clan member on the porch. Then, the guy wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulders and led her down the stairs to his motorcycle. Laughing, she hopped onto the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around the guy.

I grimaced. Good thing I hadn’t walked up there and made a scene.

“Hi, Dad,” Dylan called as he jumped out of the passenger side. Then there was a familiar yip, and Hawk’s puppy Zoey tore out of the clubhouse toward Dylan. “Zoey! Hi, puppy.” He and the dog bounded through the yard, looking for a stick to throw.

Stephan’s hazel eyes caught mine immediately, and his lips curved into a smirk. Heat raced from the center of my chest down into my hips. That look was like a rope tied around me, drawing me toward him.

I wanted him so badly. If he was going to screw around, or change his mind, or get thrown in prison again… I needed it to happen before I got too attached.

I didn’t know if I could bear losing him again.

He stepped off the porch and wrapped one strong arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said in a low voice. “What are you up to?”

My whole face heated up. God, I’d forgotten how intensely flustered he could make me.

“We’re, uh, we’re heading to the grocery store,” I said. “Do you want anything particular for dinner?”

“Get whatever you want.” Smiling, he let go of me, and I immediately missed the warm weight of his arm around my waist. He reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, then handed me a metal credit card. “Here, use this.”

“You don’t—” I shook my head. “I can pay for it. That’s not why I came here.”

“I know that. Never doubted it. You’ve got a good job, your own life, and you take good care of Dylan. Let me take care of you a little bit. I want to.”

“Stephan…”

“It’s what family does.” He waved the card at me.

I relented and took the card from him with a small smile. “Okay. Just this once.”

His hands found my waist again, like they had last night in the kitchen. His gaze dropped to my lips as his fingers dug into my hips. The memory of last night’s kiss hummed through me, and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again, in the open, in front of his clan and Dylan.

He leaned down and brushed his lips across my forehead. “Drive safe.”

“I always do,” I murmured. The swoop of disappointment in my gut shocked me. I’d had one kiss, and now my body was begging for more.

Stephan stepped away and climbed the porch stairs. He stuck his head inside. “Hey, Striker, got time for a quick drive?”

“Sure,” a voice shouted from inside.

“I’ll have Striker follow you,” Stephan said. “Just to be safe.”

My nerves prickled the same way they had when he’d showed me the panic room. “I need an escort, now?”

“I like to be overcautious,” Stephan said. “He won’t bother you. Hell, he won’t even go into the grocery store.”

I sighed. “Fine. But just this once.” Then I turned toward the side yard. “Dylan, time to go.”

“Aw, already?” Dylan jogged around the house with Zoey hot on his heels. The dog’s tongue lolled out of her mouth, and she panted.

“I’ll see you later today, son.” Stephan pulled Dylan into a headlock and tousled his hair, making Dylan shout. I laughed. “Why don’t you pick up some treats for Zoey, too?”

“Augh! I will, I will! Let me go!”