Those were the magic words. “All right, but I’m not a little kid. I’m a big kid.”

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone’s in such a hurry to grow up. I miss being a kid,” he told Titus and took his hand, before glancing over his shoulder and mouthing the words, “One hour,” to me and Persephone.

Persephone and I fell in step as we walked silently towards my shop, for the first time in ages, the tension between was thick enough to cut with a knife. “You’re upset.”

“No, I’m confused. Wondering why you were with your ex in the middle of the night.”

“We had dinner,” she admitted. “I figured it was best to discuss his reasons for just showing up in town in private. I didn’t want the whole town to know my business before I had a chance to digest it all.”

“Late dinner,” I mumbled and held the door open to the shop, waving her inside.

“Don’t be a jerk, Ryan. He drank almost a full bottle of wine while he told me all about his cheating wife and learning that two of his three children aren’t his, biologically speaking. I couldn’t let him drive back to his hotel drunk, not even to avoid making you jealous.”

I stopped just in front of my office door at her words, turning slowly with an incredulous look on my face. “So he came here to get to know his real son, the one he so conveniently forgot about for the past five years?” The guy was a bigger ass than I imagined. “And?”

“And nothing, Ryan,” she growled at me and yeah, the sound made my dick twitch even though I was angry and upset. I was also still a man, very much attracted to and in love with this frustrating woman. “I told you that I don’t want him. I want you, but it seems as if you no longer want me.”

“Bullshit,” I shot back. “You know I want you, Persephone. I’ve wanted you for a long damn time. I want you more than anything, period.” I stared at her long and hard, making sure my words, the urgency in them, was as clear to her as they were to me. “But there is a reason you were so secretive about Ferguson. You’re not sure that I’m the right man for you. His arrival had to have you wondering if you were selling yourself short by being with me.”

“Now who’s full of shit?” Persephone was beautiful when she was mad, taking a step forward to give my chest a good hard poke. “You’re the only fool who thinks you’re not good enough. You own your own business, you’re a hard worker and you wear those sexy overalls that have starred in more than one of my fantasies lately.” That was nice to hear, but it didn’t change her secrecy. “Fine,” she growled again, the sound a direct line straight to my dick. “I didn’t tell you about Ferguson because I knew you would be pissed, or maybe because I knew you would be disappointed in me.”

“For going back to him?”

She glared. “No dummy, for considering letting him into Titus’ life even after he already walked away. I had to think about it, without your input. Can’t you understand that?”

My shoulders relaxed. “I can understand. Hell, I do understand it Persephone. But your secrecy had my mind wandering to places it shouldn’t go.”

“I didn’t realize you were so easily rattled, Ryan.”

I shrugged at her playful words. “I’m not, usually. But nothing matters to me the way you and Titus matter.”

Persephone blinked rapidly, a sure sign that her violet eyes were about to fill with tears. Instead, she smiled and kicked the office door closed with more force than necessary. Her smile grew darker and her eyes lit with something that looked a hell of a lot like lust, dark and hot and determined.

Then she was in my arms, long legs wrapped around my waist, one hand in the center of my back, the other fisting my hair at the nape of my neck. She growled and slammed her mouth against mine with the ferocity of a lioness, but the kiss was long. It was slow.

It was hot as hell.

Persephone’s tongue flicked inside my mouth, her tongue met with mine in a slow dance that flooded my veins with fire. I gripped her ass and held her close, but the way she took charge of the kiss was so damn hot that I was happy to let her lead. She kissed me, her soft lips hypnotizing me while her moans went straight to my cock.

I don’t know how long the kiss went on but it wasn’t nearly long enough. Forever wouldn’t have been long enough, but this kiss was the kind of kiss that hinted that forever was a possibility. I didn’t want to let her go, but soon—too soon—Persephone pulled back with eyes hazy with lust, and a small smile. “I want you Ryan, and when you decide that you want me too, come and find me.” She slid down my body, tempting me with every sweet curve until her feet hit the ground.