Twenty minutes later, I pull into Talon’s driveway and park then grab my cell to send him a text, not knowing if he’s home. Before I can even finish typing out my message, my door is opened and Talon is leaning over me, unhooking my belt so he can drag me out of my car. I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around his neck, and when he covers my mouth with his, I touch my tongue to his bottom lip and whimper when he takes over the kiss, thrusting his tongue into my mouth.

Logically, I know I should be concerned by my need for him, but that doesn’t stop me from falling into the kiss with abandon or wrapping my legs around his waist when he lifts me off the ground. When we get inside, he stops in the hall, turning to press my back against the wall, and I claw at his shirt until he quickly takes it off, dropping it to the floor as his mouth finds mine once more.

I grind myself against him as he carries me through the house, and when we reach the door for his bedroom, he rips his mouth from mine. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“What?” I lick his neck and nip the underside of his jaw.

“Condoms.”

“Condoms?” I repeat in a daze, meeting his heated gaze I’m sure mirrors the look in my own eyes.

“I don’t have any condoms.” He drops his forehead to rest against mine while squeezing his eyes closed.

“Oh,” I whisper, digging my fingers into his shoulders and sounding as disappointed as he looks.

“I got carried away.” He gives my ass a squeeze then loosens his hold, and I unwrap my legs from his waist.

“I think…” I laugh, realizing this is the first time we’ve spoken since he dragged me from my car. “I think we both got carried away.” I drop my forehead to his chest, and my shoulders shake, and then a snort of hilarity I can’t hold back escapes.

“Babe.” He gives me a squeeze.

“Sorry.” I tip my head back and smile. “It’s not funny. It’s just I didn’t even get to say hi.”

His eyes soften, and his lips twitch into a smile of his own as he drags his fingers through his hair. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m not.” I rest my hands against his chest, and he covers them with his.

“How about we go out to dinner?”

“Dinner sounds good.”

He takes a step back, releasing the hold he has on me, and I drop my eyes to his chest and the deep V that disappears into the top of his jeans, licking my lips.

“I’m gonna grab a shirt.” I hear the smile in his voice, but I don’t even lift my head to see it. Instead, I take that time to watch his back muscles flex as he walks into his room.

When he’s out of sight, I take a deep breath then wander down the hall to the laundry room. I step over the baby gate meant to keep the kittens in and settle my ass on the tile floor, picking up one of the two gray kittens that’s awake, the other two being almost pure white. Soma hops over the gate to join me and rubs against my knee, so I give her some love as the other three babies, who must sense their mom, start to move around.

When they all begin to cry, she lies down, and I smile as the kitten in my hands starts to wiggle. I place him or her near Soma and watch as they start to feed, the momma pulling them away one at a time to clean them—something they don’t seem to like very much.

“I figured you’d be in here.” I look up and find Talon with his shoulder against the doorjamb, watching me with his arms crossed over his T-shirt-covered chest.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” I stand, dusting off my bottom, then take his hand to step back over the gate. “When they’re a little older, I should bring the girls over. They would love playing with them, and it would be good for the kittens to have some experience with kids.”

“You also need to bring your dogs over, so we can make sure Soma and them get along before I talk to my cousin about keeping her,” he says as he leads me through the house.

I open my mouth to ask him why it would matter if my girls get along with her, but then my stomach somersaults as I realize he wants me and my dogs here often enough that my girls will factor into his decision. “Holy cow.”

“What?” He turns to look at me when we reach the front door.

“Umm... holy cow, I’m hungry,” I lie, and his eyes warm right before his mouth touches mine. When he pulls away, I want to wrap my arms around his neck and rise up on my tiptoes for more, but I have a feeling that if I do, neither of us will be able to pull away, so I hold myself in place.

“Let’s get you something to eat.”

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “That would probably be smart.”

“It would definitely be smart,” he agrees, dropping his gaze to my mouth before shaking his head and opening the door to let me out.

When we reach the driveway, I grab my purse and cell phone from my car then get into his truck. As soon as I’m buckled in, he kisses me—wet, hot, and deep—before pulling away and slamming my door. I watch him as he prowls around the hood and squeeze my thighs together to ease the unfulfilled ache that has settled between my legs.

“How does a guy who looks like you not have any condoms?” I blurt when he opens the door to get in behind the wheel, and he pauses with his hand on the steering wheel, his eyes on mine. I hold my breath, because he doesn’t look happy about my question. Actually, he looks annoyed by it. “Sorry, I don’t even know why I asked…. I mean, I do know why, but I shouldn’t have asked it,” I ramble, shifting in my seat.

Without responding, he gets in, slams the door then turns over the engine, and backs out of the yard. When he pulls onto the main road, I watch his jaw twitch before he glances at me quickly. “Since I’ve been back in Tennessee, I’ve been focused on my business, not getting laid.” His knuckles turn white as he holds the steering wheel. “Even before that though, I was never about hooking up with random women. It’s never been my style to fuck without there being some kind of connection.”

Nausea turns my stomach, and my hands ball into fists. I really didn’t want to know that. It makes me feel like what we have isn’t actually special; it’s just a part of who he is, which isn’t surprising, given what I know of him.

“What we have is different, so don’t try to use that information to build your walls back up and push me away. You asked the question, Mia. I’m just giving you honesty,” he growls.

“Okay,” I agree quietly.

“Hell, if you knew even half of what I’m thinking when it comes to you, you’d be jumping from my truck.”

“You don’t know that,” I defend myself.

He glances at me, raising a brow. “It took you weeks to agree to go out with me. You ready for me to start talking about the future?” I chew the inside of my cheek instead of responding with no, and he mutters, “Thought so.”

Silence settles between us, and my jaw clenches as I try to fight back the tears filling my eyes. I wish I wasn’t so messed up, but the truth is I’ve always found a reason to escape every relationship I’ve been in. I found something wrong with every man I’ve dated to make it easier for me to walk away before I get in too deep. Before I end up hurt. I’ve also never felt what I’m feeling now or wanted anything more than I want this.