Page 61 of Ransom for His Secret Son

And then there was Remi.

Another unexpected complication that he hadn’t seen coming.

That kiss had changed everything between them. At least, it had changed him, and Brody wasn’t sure that was a change for the better. Part of him wanted to hold on to the past. But his sons weren’t in the past. What Remi had done to save them and help take care of them wasn’t the past either. That was all in the now. In the present. Maybe in the future, too.

Yeah, he definitely hadn’t seen that coming.

Brody had been so sure Remi was asleep, but the shift of movement behind him indicated otherwise. He glanced back as she stirred on the cot, stretching before pushing herself up on her elbows. Her gaze found him, and she smiled sleepily before getting up and moving toward him, her bare feet silent on the floor.

She stopped beside him, looking down at the babies. “They’re beautiful,” she murmured, her voice hushed in the quiet.

Brody swallowed hard. He felt a hell of a lot right now. Love for his boys, bone-deep exhaustion, relief that they were safe. But mixed in with all of that was the heat still lingering from his second kiss with Remi.

He hadn’t let himself think too much about it.

Now standing in the dark with Remi so close, it was all he could think about.

Brody didn’t think. He just moved. Reaching out, he caught Remi’s wrist, tugging her toward him. She didn’t resist. Didn’t hesitate. And the second she was close enough, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Remi melted against him, her body pressing into his, warm and familiar in ways he hadn’t let himself think about in years.

His arm slid around her, pulling her in tighter as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers curled into his shirt, gripping, anchoring, as if she needed this as much as he did.

She made a soft sound of pleasure, and hell, it did something to him, sent a wildfire through his body that he couldn’t control. Didn’t want to control. He just kept kissing her, kept notching up the heat and need. Until Brody knew this wasn’t going to stop.

He should pull away. Should think about what this meant, about the past, the weight of it all. But he didn’t. Instead, he tightened his grip, giving in to the need, to the pull of her, and let himself feel.

Brody’s hand slid between them, brushing over the soft curve of her breast. Even through the fabric of her shirt, he felt the tight peak of her nipple. He traced the hardened tip with his thumb before catching it between his fingers, rolling gently.

Remi sucked in a hard breath, her body arching slightly against him. That soft, breathy moan slipped past her lips, a plea for more.

Brody gave her more.

He dragged his mouth from hers, kissing a slow path down the curve of her neck, lingering at the pulse beating wildly beneath her skin. He felt the way her heartbeat had kicked up, felt the shiver that ran through her when he scraped his teeth lightly over the sensitive spot at the base of her throat.

Man, he wanted to keep going.

His mouth went lower, tracing the neckline of her shirt before he pressed a kiss directly over her breast, the heat of his body seeping through the fabric.

Remi moaned again, her fingers tightening on his shoulders. That reaction, that sound, sent a jolt of pleasure straight through him. But it also fueled the need, made it impossible to ignore the way his body ached for her.

Kissing alone wasn’t enough.

He needed to feel her. All of her.

His hands slid lower, gripping her hips, pulling her flush against him. The heat revved up big-time, scorching through every barrier they’d tried to keep in place.

There was a voice in the back of his mind, warning him that this was a mistake, that they were treading into dangerous territory. But Brody ignored it. Because right now, this was the only thing that felt right.

With a low growl coming from his throat, he scooped her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her the few steps to the cot. Remi landed beneath him, her body molding to his as the kisses continued, harder and faster. Deeper.

But it wasn’t just kissing anymore.

They were touching. Exploring. Her hands moved over him, tracing the hard lines of his chest, the muscles tensing beneath her fingertips. He sucked in a breath at the sensation, the heat spiraling higher with every stroke of her hands.

And then he needed more.

Desperate to feel her, all of her, Brody grabbed the bottom of her shirt and peeled it off in one smooth motion. Her bra followed, and the second her bare skin was exposed, the rest of his control went south.