I felt his hard body tight against mine, his arms pulling me mostly on him, and I rested against his chest as I pressed my arms to his sides and my cheek to his shoulder.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “I’m good with just panties.”

To show his approval, he dipped his hand inside said panties and again cupped my bottom.

I sighed.

My body was loosening, my eyes drooping, when Joker called, “Carrie?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Means everything, fuckin’ everything, you’d want to pull out all the stops to take on my dad for me. Got men who wear a cut who’d do that for me. Some people from back in the day. And you. That’s it. And you gotta know, it means everything.”

I closed my eyes tight, turned my head, pressed my lips against the base of his throat and said there, “Good.”

“Still don’t want you doin’ dick.”

I grinned and settled back, cheek to shoulder. “I won’t.”

“Good,” he muttered, giving my behind a squeeze.

“Though, if I ever see your dad, even though I have no idea what he looks like, I won’t be responsible for sending him a killing look.”

There was a smile in his voice when he returned, “That you can do.”

“And if he should later turn up with his car keyed, I’ll say now, it wasn’t me.”

His body shook, I gloried in it, though his humor had no noise.

But the smile was deep in his voice when he ordered, “Shut up and go to sleep.”

“Just to say, I’m going to do that but only because I was going to do that anyway.”

“If you were, why aren’t you shuttin’ up?”

“I was just saying it just to say.”

“You’re still not shuttin’ up.”

“Whatever,” I muttered.

“And still,” he pointed out.

I lifted my head and snapped, “Joker!”

He caught me at the back of my head, pulled me in, lifted up, and gave me a hard, sweet, short kiss.

Then he tucked my cheek back to his shoulder, my forehead in the side of his neck, and said, “Now shut up and go to sleep.”

I grinned at his throat.

Then I shut up, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

End of Story

Carissa

WITH AN INSTINCT born in me the second Aaron’s swimmers fertilized my egg, that next Monday, I knew my son was on his way to the front door without me even seeing him through the window.

Thus, after a week that included me getting myself and my boy into a great new house, only one double shift since LeLane’s flu epidemic was settling down, and a whole lot of time spent with my awesome new boyfriend, I was lounging (more like fidgeting with anticipation) while Joker hung out with me on my couch.