Page 60 of Ransom for His Secret Son

Remi expected Brody to turn back to the crib, to keep up that watchful stance. But instead, he turned to her, his jaw tight, his eyes darker than before.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice low, rough at the edges. “For what you did today. For putting your life on the line to get my son.”

Remi opened her mouth, ready to brush it off. But before she could speak, Brody moved. His fingers brushed her arm first, the lightest touch. Then his hand slid to her waist, pulling her in.

She landed against him, her breasts against his chest, and she drew in his warmth. His scent. They’d both taken quick showers shortly after returning to the ranch. A necessity since they’d had dirt and grime on them from where they’d landed on the ground while taking cover. Not exactly ideal when holding the babies. The scent of his soap was still on him, but it was what stirred beneath that caused the heat to swirl through her.

That heat did a whole lot more than just swirl when Brody lowered his head and did something that surprised her.

He kissed her.

This wasn’t like the kiss at the police station, born of exhaustion, adrenaline and desperation. This was slower. Deeper.

The heat raced through Remi’s body, making her breath hitch. Making everything inside her burn for him. She didn’t hold back. Didn’t want to. In fact, she wanted more.

Her hands slid over his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat under her fingertips. Brody tilted his head, angling the kiss just enough to pull her under, to make the rest of the world fade away.

For a moment, there was no past. No regrets. No missing pieces of this twisted nightmare. Just the feel of his mouth on hers. The solid strength of his arms wrapped around her. Then, slowly, he pulled back, his forehead brushing against hers.

His breath was as unsteady as hers. “I just wanted to do that when we weren’t waiting in a police station.”

A shaky laugh escaped her. “I noticed.”

Brody’s grip on her waist lingered a moment before he finally let go. His expression, though, was still a mix of emotions. Desire and something else.

“I don’t know what the kiss means,” he admitted, his voice cutting through the silence that had settled between them.

Remi searched his face. “It can just be a kiss,” she offered, giving him an easy way out.

But she could see the war raging inside him, the fight between what he wanted and what he thought he should feel.

“There’s guilt,” he admitted, his gaze flickering to the crib. “That’s not going away. But the babies help. You help.” He swallowed hard. “No matter what happens, just know that I am so very grateful for everything you’ve done.”

The words warmed her. But they chilled her, too. Because they sounded like some kind of goodbye.

It didn’t help when Brody let go of her and moved back. Remi immediately felt the loss of his body against hers.

“Take the cot,” Brody said, clearly shifting gears. “You should get some rest in case they wake up together. I don’t think I can feed both of them at once.” He frowned. “Heck, I’m not even sure I can feed one of them.”

Remi smiled, gave his arm a reassuring pat. “We’ll figure it out.”

And hoped that was true. She wasn’t exactly an expert in taking care of babies. She went to the crib and stood there a couple of long moments, watching their peaceful faces, their tiny chests rising and falling with each breath. Safe. For now.

Sighing, then yawning, she went to the cot and dropped down on it. The exhaustion was hitting her fast and hard. She had been certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep, not with everything still churning in her head.

But she was wrong.

The dreamy haze of that kiss was still with her, warmth curling through her, making it easier to let go.

Brody stood at the crib, watching his sons sleep. There was enough illumination from the night-light for him to see their tiny faces and the way they had snuggled closer to each other.

They looked so peaceful.

That caused the relief to settle deep in his chest, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the storm still churning inside him.

Throughout the night, the boys had woken up about every two hours, which meant he and Remi had too. Despite their shared lack of experience tending to infants, they’d found the rhythm necessary to change and feed the babies, do the uptime and burping the doctor had mentioned, and then put them back in the crib to sleep before the cycle started all over again.

In between the feeding, changing and such, Brody had woken up for what felt like the hundredth time, instinct pulling him toward the crib to check on them. They were safe. They were his. That truth was still sinking in, leaving him raw in ways he wasn’t prepared for.