Page 57 of Hero of Mine (Men in Uniform 2)

“I said thirty seconds, and I gave you forty. I’m calling the cops.”

Angel glared between the two of them a few times and finally turned away with a noise filled with anger. Tyler didn’t take his eyes off his retreating form until he’d climbed into his car and started it up.

While Angel was backing out of the driveway, Tyler suddenly found his arms full of a trembling Dani.

“Oh my God, I have never been so glad to see anyone in my entire life.”

Wrapping her up tight against him, he resisted the urge to shake her. “What the hell were you doing on the porch with him? Actually, why did you answer the door in the first place?”

“Because I thought he was you. I didn’t even look out the peephole because I . . . I was so excited to see you.”

Well, how could he be mad at that? “When I came up the walk and heard what he was saying, I wanted to pound him. But now, all I really want is to get you inside and give you a proper hello.”

She looked up at him from the circle

of his arms, and damn, nothing had ever seemed so right. “I like the sound of that.”

Unable to wait, Tyler took her lips, coaxing them open with a slow sweep of his tongue. This had been what he’d been missing. Even if he’d kissed another girl, it wouldn’t have been like this, sweetly fulfilling.

Because the only one who made him want like this was Dani.

“Mmm.” She was the one to break away, taking hold of his hand from her waist and bringing it to her mouth. “Come on.”

Tyler followed her in, and as she closed and locked the door, he asked, “Are you hungry?”

She turned to face him, her back against the door, dogs sniffing around her legs and feet.

“No. You?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he stepped into her, moving the dogs out of the way and burying his fingers in her hair.

“I’m not much for pouring my feelings out, but this, what’s happening with us, is something . . . ” Special.

She leaned up on tiptoe, her mouth so close he could feel the warmth of her breath mingling with his. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“Oh yeah?” His words were soft, pressing her to say more even though he couldn’t find the words.

“Like you just . . . fit. It’s effortless, like you belong with us, and I . . . shit.” She pulled back a little, her eyes heavy with worry. “I shouldn’t have said that. Now you’re freaking out, afraid I’m thinking about marriage, and I swear I’m not. I just like spending time with you, and you’re nice to my son and—”

“I’m not freaking out.” And weirdly, he wasn’t. Because ever since the day at the park, he’d been feeling the same way. They fit together, as if Dani and Noah had been placed on Earth just for him. They were his . . . his to protect and care for. What he had been waiting for; what he needed to make a change.

Although the hard-on in his jeans was proof he wasn’t completely changed. With Dani so close, he could see the rise of her breasts beneath her shirt, the valley of her cleavage making his mouth water.

He might care about Dani, but he was still a man. A man who hadn’t had sex in nearly six weeks, and with her staring up at him with those beautiful eyes shining, her lips swollen from his kisses, he wanted to mold her body to his.

“What are you thinking?” Her question broke into his thoughts, and this time, he was the one scared to answer, afraid she’d kick his ass out.

“How much I want you,” he said honestly.

“Want me like . . . ”

“I don’t know if you can handle it.”

The soft teasing did the trick. Her eyebrow rose, and her chin kicked up a notch.

“Why? Because you think I’m just a mom? That I don’t think about my needs?”

He trailed a finger across her cleavage, and he heard her breath catch. “Tell me about what you want, what you need, and we’ll see if we’re on the same page.”