Page 57 of Keeping Penny

She licked her lips and nodded.

“Say the words, Penny. Be sure.”

“I’m more than sure. You’re not John, and I’m not in my early twenties anymore. You’d never do anything to hurt or endanger me or Bowie. I know that deep in my soul.”

“Damn straight.”

“Make love to me, Kylo.”

“With pleasure.” Pyro’s skin rippled with anticipation. His cock was already spilling precome. But he wouldn’t rush this. Not their first time. There would be quickies later, he was sure. But he wanted Penny to be as overwhelmed with feelings as he was.

When he’d become a Night Stalker, he’d felt as if he’d belonged somewhere for the first time in his life. And now he had that feeling once more. But it was different.

He finally had a family.

His teammates were family as well, but not like Penny and Bowie. They were his, as much as he was theirs. For a foster kid who’d never had anything special that belonged to him and only him, it was heady knowledge.

“Well? Are you going to move or just crouch there staring at me?” Penny asked boldly. But he could still hear the nervousness in her tone. Which was unacceptable. When she was with him, she should feel nothing but pleasure and satisfaction, and never any uncertainty about whether he wanted her or not.

“I’m relishing the moment,” he said quietly. “I can’t quite believe you’re here. That everything I’ve ever wanted is coming true.”

“Pyro,” she whispered.

“You won’t regret this. I won’t let you. I’ll be the kind of man you and your daughter need. I’ll fight for you, protect you, and treat you the way you should’ve always been treated. By your parents, foster parents, your husband, and everyone you met after he died. You aren’t alone anymore, Penny. You’ve got me, my team, our friends.”

Tears swam in her eyes, and even though he knew they were happy tears, he still hated the sight of them.

Pyro lowered his head and kissed her. It started out loving and sweet, but quickly turned carnal. He needed her. Now.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Penny couldn’t believe she’d been so bold. But as fun as the day had been, it was also torture. The moment Pyro stripped out of his T-shirt and pants and stood before her in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, she swore she’d had a mini orgasm. The man was fine.

F.I.N.E.

And amazingly, he seemed to have no idea of how beautiful he was. He was humble and funny, and spent most of the day at the beach entertaining and watching out for Bowie. Seeing him with her in the water, being extremely patient and teaching her how to float, had been the stuff of dreams. What single mother didn’t want to see her boyfriend being so kind to her child?

And when he’d walked out of the ocean, dripping wet, looking like a freaking model?

Yeah, her ovaries had almost exploded.

But Pyro was more than his looks. He was smart, intuitive, and extremely protective of both her and Bowie. He went out of his way to describe what he was seeing to her daughter in a way that made the world come alive for the girl.

And when he’d almost lost his shit over a seagull stalking Bowie, Penny could only laugh.

She and her daughter were lucky to have this man in their lives. She still wasn’t sure how it happened. Why he’d decided he wanted to help them when there were plenty of people who’d lost everything after being evacuated.

Yes, letting them stay in the team’s room on the ship had been tremendously kind. As had making sure they were eating properly and had extra clothing. But the thing Penny valued most was the people he’d introduced her to, the new friends she’d gained because of Pyro. It was a new experience, to be accepted exactly as she was, and Penny was still struggling to wrap her head around how much her life and Bowie’s had changed so much, so fast.

She’d been on the edge of arousal all day. And when Pyro had pulled out the braille Uno cards? Done. She’d almost melted in her chair. It was all she could do to act as if nothing was amiss, like she wasn’t squirming throughout the game, desperate for relief.

It was unusual for her, because she’d never been very sexual. Being with John was sometimes okay but never earthshattering. And since he rarely saw to her pleasure, she’d simply assumed that’s how it was…that sex was mostly for men. Of course, she’d masturbated plenty on her own. But being around Pyro helped her understand that pleasure from sex could go both ways. And she hadn’t even slept with him yet.

Which was something she was desperate to change.

Thankfully Bowie was exhausted from their day. From playing in the sand, learning to float, running around, being in the sun, and then staying up and playing games that exercised her brain. She’d crashed hard, and her daughter was a deep sleeper.

So despite her nerves, the second Pyro had re-entered the living room, she’d made her move. She’d been pretty certain he wouldn’t turn down her offer to move their relationship to the next level. He was a physical man, always touching her—a hand on her back, smoothing her hair behind her ears, holding her close when they kissed—and she couldn’t wait to have his full attention in bed. She just knew he’d blow her previous experiences out of the water.