“Oh dear,” Diandra muttered again as I looked down at the baby tiger in my arms. All I felt was the soft, thick fur of the cub, the pads of its cute, fluffy paws. All I saw was her proud nose and rounded ears and beautiful, pale blue eyes looking up at me with complete trust. Oh shit. I was in love.”

“We were both quiet a long time and I was about to fall back asleep in the curve of his arm with his warm body at my back when he called my name.“Laurie?”“Yes,” I muttered, my voice sleepy.“I was pissed last night.”“I know.”“You look good.”“Sorry?”“No way you can look like all the rest.”My eyes shot open.His arm curled me deeper into his body and I felt his face burrow into my hair.“You’d always shine through,” he muttered and now he sounded sleepy but I was again wide awake. “Somethin’ special,” he finished.”

“You know what love is?"Creed asked that and my eyes shot from the hair on his forehead to his."I..." I swallowed again then, holding his eyes, I whispered, "Yes. I do. I know what love is, Creed."I felt his big hand curl warm on the side of my face before I felt the pad of his thumb sweep across my lips again. He watched it move as he replied, "I do too, baby." His eyes came to mine. "I absolutely do.”

“Fuck,” he muttered.…“Language in front of the girls,” I snapped.“Baby, they hear it all the time,” he returned and I felt my eyes get wide in motherly affront. Cal looked at my face then over the seat to the girls and asked, “You gonna say fuck because I say fuck?”“No,” Kate answered immediately.“No, ‘cause Mom doesn’t like it,” Keira replied waspishly. Cal looked back at me and raised his brows.”

“I was snagged around the midriff and thrown back to the bed, my head hitting the pillows, and Vance Crowe rolled his body over mine. I stilled and looked up into his dark, lushy-lashed eyes.“Oh my God,” I breathed.“Mornin’,” he said to me, like we woke up next to each other every day.“Oh my God,” I breathed again. His hair was not in a ponytail but falling down around his face and shoulders and, I kid you not, he looked like a Native American Warrior God. “Do I have your attention?” he asked.”

“Your dad just threw down and I just laid it out,” Shy started when I didn’t speak. “Now’s the time to share, Tabby.”“I love you,” I whispered. “Good, but don’t say that shit to me three feet away. Get the fuck over here.”I launched off on a foot, took one step and flew through the air. Shy, as he’d been doing awhile, caught me. I wrapped my limbs around him and looked down in his beautiful green eyes. “I love you,” I whispered again.”

“We done with this talk about everything?”“Yes,” I answered. “You good?” he asked. Oh yes. I was good. I nodded but added another soft, “Yes.”His hands slid down over my ass and he ordered, “Then hop up baby, Time to f**k.”