And there she was. The flash of red hair. The smile that could thaw the coldest of hearts. She didn’t walk to him, she ran. Jumping into his open arms like it had been days rather than hours since she’d last seen him. This was the fantasy. Coming home to her. Opening his arms to her. Loving her.

She kissed him on the mouth, and when it was over too soon for his liking, he fisted a hand in all of that fiery hair and made her kiss him again until he was hard and she was breathless. His. The fierce possessiveness nearly choked him.

“I missed you,” she said, squeezing his hips with her thighs. “Busy day?”

He stroked a hand down her back to her buttocks, gave them a squeeze. He’d spent all the hours since Camille’s interview with the feds, setting up patrols and coordinating the arrival of a dozen more federal agents. They’d be on the island by morning. In the meantime, Mackinac officers were scheduled to patrol past his place, Remi’s parents’, and Kimber’s house every half hour.

“A bit.” With regret, he let her slide down his body to the floor. “How was yours?” he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Good, considering. I declared it family dinner night to welcome Camille. Mom will be here soon. Kyle’s coming, too,” she said with a wiggle of eyebrow.

“Do we smell a reconciliation?”

“From what I eavesdropped on Kimber’s very private conversation today, it sounds like Kyle is changing jobs so he can be home every night, and Kimber is starting her own business. Agnes Sopp hired her to rehab her property by the marina.”

“Good for them,” Brick said. “I’m going to miss having the kids here though.”

Remi smiled coyly and ran her hands down his chest to his belt. “I’m so glad to hear you say that because I volunteered us to take them for the whole weekend next week while Kyle and Kimber go away for a sexcation.”

“When can we take one of those?” He skimmed a palm up her side to cup her breast under the jewel-toned cropped sweater she wore. A week away with nothing to do but make Remington Ford come. He’d move any mountain to make that happen.

“I was thinking. It’s been a while since I had a vacation. And it’s been such a long winter.”

“Very long,” he agreed, thumbing her nipple into a point.

“What would you say to a Caribbean vacation? Maybe a quiet villa with a private pool so I can sunbathe topless?”

He let out a pained breath as his dick throbbed behind his zipper.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, cupping his erection in her hand.

There was an outburst of laughter coming from the living room, and he heard the oven timer go off. Too many people in the house for him to carry her upstairs and make her scream out his name. “That’s a definite yes,” he growled. With great reluctance, he removed her hand from his crotch and pressed a kiss to her palm.