She felt the answering anger start in her roiling stomach. Pressing a hand there, she glared at him. “Do you think that’s the marriage proposal of my dreams? Because . . .” She leaned into him, her eyes narrowed, just as focused as his. “It. Isn’t.” She yelled the last two words.

His hand moved up to the nape of her neck, fingers curling there. “You need to get this, Siena. You don’t talk about leaving. You don’t think about leaving. You got something sticking in your gut, you fucking talk to me about it.”

“Which,” she snapped, “I was trying to do. You are such a hothead and I hope to God you are not going to be this crazy when we have children. Because I’m the type of person who believes parents should be on the same page. You fall off that page with your nasty temper, Elijah, we will have words, quite possibly in front of the children.”

He studied her face. One eyebrow went up. “Words? We’re going to have words?”

She nodded. Solemnly. “Yes, Elijah. You lose your temper like this with our children we will most definitely have words.” She folded her arms across her chest, indicating in no uncertain terms she meant business.

He reached out and very gently brushed strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. His mouth quirked, and she narrowed her eyes even more because just for one moment, it looked as if he might be finding her funny, which would get him in even more trouble than he already was in.

“You have words with me in front of our children, baby, and I’ll express myself in a very different war of words in the privacy of our bedroom. You won’t like it and then you will.”

His dark tone made her shiver.

“You can’t threaten me with . . . with . . . um . . .”

He leaned close, and this time she most clearly saw the glint of humor in his quicksilver eyes. “Baby, the word you’re looking for is sex. My kind of sex. The kind where I keep you right on the edge for as long as I want to play. Maybe tie you up and play for hours until you beg me and I’ll remind you of you having words with me.”

She blinked. Her breath caught in her lungs. She felt damp heat gathering between her legs and just for one moment, her sex actually spasmed. “Why do you keep using that tone when you say words. And before you answer, let me explain carefully, in grown-up language, that if you are in the least bit finding something funny about this conversation, that is only going to get you in more trouble.”