He removed his fingers and shifted so he was poised between her legs. “Look at me, baby.”

She opened her eyes to find him gazing down at her.

“I love you,” he said, brushing his lips over hers.

Clutching his shoulders, she said, “I love you, too.”

He eased her legs farther apart. “Relax, honey.”

“I’m trying.”

He kissed her, a deep, passionate kiss that distracted her—momentarily—from the pressure between her legs. An instant of blinding, burning pain quickly gave way to pleasure. Oh, God, he felt so good.

Her hands coasted over his back to grip his backside.

Groaning, he flexed his hips and buried himself in her. “Okay?” he asked, holding still to give her time to adjust.

“Hmmm, oh, yeah.”

Encouraged, he kissed her and reached beneath them to anchor her hips, keeping his movements small and easy.

“Oh,” she gasped.

“What, honey? Tell me what you need.”

“More,” she pleaded, pushing hard against him.

He flexed once, twice.

That was all it took to send her spiraling into yet another orgasm.

Reid saw her through the storm and then was gripped by one of his own.

With Reid resting on top of her without crushing her, Kate knew she would never forget this. It hadn’t been at all like she’d expected. Her friends had talked about feeling let down afterward, but Kate didn’t. If anything, she was exhilarated. “Did you mean it?”

“What?” He spoke as if it took every ounce of energy he had.

“That you love me?”

He nodded against her neck.

“But you wish you didn’t?”

He withdrew from her and rolled onto his side so he could see her. “I could never be sorry for loving you. I just wish things were different.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Was it good for you?”

He leaned over to kiss her, pulling her tight against him with one arm. “It’s only been like that for me with one other woman. It’s been so long, I’d forgotten it could be that good.”

Pleased by his answer, Kate rested her cheek on her folded arm and studied his face, wanting to memorize every detail. “What was she like? Your wife?”

He thought about it for a moment before he replied. “She was sweet and very devoted to Ashton and me. He looks like her.”

“How did you meet her?”

“We went to high school together and kept in touch during college, even though we dated other people. When I came home from Berkeley, all I wanted was to be with her. We got married a few months later and had Ashton right away. He was only two, and we were talking about having another child when Cindy was killed.”

“What happened to her?”