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Jace moved in quickly and placed his hand on Lane’s chest I could tell he was subtly trying tothat Audrey dipped under Jace’s ar to ask you to leave… again?" Audrey tried to sound nonchalant, but I could hear the anger that she was trying to withhold

Geain at Lane’s face and wisely decided to step away, although I really doubted she felt any reht the catty side out in me I couldn’t help it--I swore I wasn’t usually like that

"Hate to break it you, but he’s been sleeping with et off in your bed alone over one ht after night," I announced She sneered at me and continued to move away "And let me tell you, he’s never distracted"

After I watched her h the crowded bar and then out the double doors, I finally let myself turn and face Lane Jace pounded his back and moved ahile Audrey looked at hi with him, she shotto reassure her that I could handle this After all, he was htly and his eyes were squeezed into thin little slits A crinkle marred the corners of his beautiful eyes and his pluently ranacross his face I didn’t say a word--I wanted him to speak first I continued to run my hands across his jaw, over his cheeks, and into his hair Over and over Finally, I felt the tension begin to subside

His first words surprised rabbed a hold of his shirt and jerked to show irls like her Why the fk was I wastingto himself, but I decided to answer anyway

"So you could save the real stuff for hed It wasto bring hirabbed a hold ofso bright that it was alhtly across o back to that horrid thing? "She tried to ht, and I could hear the real pain in his words

"Well, it kind of is"

"Stop"

"I just want to forget that thing is even there"

"I don’t" He kissed three ti It’s everything to ht Braden intoI love about you Your strength, your determination, your stubbornness Please, don’t let one of my mistakes make you feel any less, because I just wouldn’t be able to stand it And if, after all that you still feel less than beautiful, well then… I’ll just have to keep finding ways to convince you otherwise"

It was co--I could feel it in e us The one that would eternally alter the way I looked at the world around me If God forbid we ever parted ways, I would forever chase thisabout it deep into lasses The hoots of excite But most of all, the look in Lane’s eyes when he finally realized that his daughter wasn’t the only girl that owned his heart

My hands slid under his ar backside, so he could holdyou love about me?"

"Is that the only part you heard?" He smiled

I shook off his words "I heard it all But…"

His head dipped down and he rested his face next to mine I felt his war electric energy blasted through ued "Don’t break theto move even an inch away from one another "It’s not supposed to happen in a place like this It should be somewhere romantic Like our bed, so I can slide in you while I whisper softly in your ear"

"That sounds… a" I wished my words weren’t so breathy To distract hirabbed the back of his head and forced our lips to rowled past my lips and pulled me onto his lap up on the barstool I ihs

"Really?" I glanced down at his lap

"As long as you’re in the sa his ain His plump lips surrounded ain

He pulled back and panted as he tried to catch his breath "Das when I want to You attack everything, right in the s to me so I smirked up at him "You love that about me"

"Fine!" he huffed He tried to appear annoyed, but I could see the smile in his eyes that he loved this "I love you I can’t believe you’reme tell you this for the first time in a damn bar, but I love you!"

"God, you’re even hotter when you’re flustered" I sh above us

"Raegan…" he growled

"I love you… so et me when you came for Kate, but you did You are the reason I have been able to adjust back to real life so easily During what should have been thetime in my life, I found I could trust in you and I’ll love you forever for giving that toher the way you do And thank you for taking exceptional care of Braden"

"I love Braden, too"

"You don’t have to say that," I whispered I knew that a relationship between a man and anotherthat I love that little guy The second he stood up to me at the police station to protect Kate, I loved hiined I would find so Braden as ure in his life, but after he was born I had just accepted that I would have to play both roles for him Lane smiled at me and swiped his thumb under my eyes