Ryan beat her to his place by a few minutes and was hanging up the phone as she walked in the door. Even with his pale blue cotton button-down shirt rumpled, shoulder holster hanging off one arm, his hair mussed from his habit of running his hand through it, and tired lines around his eyes, the man was breathtaking. The wrinkles in the shirt did nothing to mask his well-defined chest. If anything they enhanced what the fabric hid. His stonewashed jeans looked painted on the way they caressed his hips and thighs, leaving nothing to her imagination as she gave a moment’s study to the fly. Straight white teeth showed through his smile…but it was those luminous emerald green eyes of his that spoke volumes.

She felt like she was walking through a heavy mist as she made her way to him, Ryan’s arms coming up to enfold her. She wanted to be in those arms—now. Not in ten seconds. Now.

No, not his arms.

His bed. With him buried deep inside her, making her moan in pleasure as only Ryan could give.

“Mith you, luff yo.” Kelly managed to say as Ryan brought his lips to hers, crushing her in a hug and soul-jolting kiss.

“Mfth u too.” He murmurred just before he gave every indication of reading her mind when picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. She worked the buttons on his shirt, peeling it, along with his shoulder holster, off his shoulders. He quickly set her down, then reached around her back to slide down the zipper of her dress. As she bent ever so slightly to step out of the dress, Kelly reached for Ryan’s belt, whipped it open and drew down his jeans. He kicked off his shoes the split second before she shoved his pants off.

“Truth be told, Michaels, this is one time I am certainly pleased you go commando.”

His response was to wrap his arms around her, lifting her while she wrapped her legs around his waist, making sure to position herself just so. In two steps he was at his bed, in a heartbeat thrusting into Kelly’s already hot, wet portal.

Keeping her mouth in a lip-lock, Ryan thrust hard, fast, and steady into her. In seconds her first climax rolled over the couple. Her second brought Ryan’s quickly in its wake.

Kelly felt his heartbeat even out as he lay on top of her. She had no doubt he’d fallen asleep seconds after he came. Rather than making her feel used and forgotten, it warmed her, the man had stayed awake long enough to greet her and carry her to his bed, and…pleasure her, before exhaustion overtook him. Lying beneath him, his weight a sensual possession, allowed her own lassitude to smooth over the edges of the day. Memories played through her mind, images of another time and place where Ryan, as the warrior Redonius, claimed her for his own. She felt the movement of the ship where that other man who was Ryan, yet not Ryan, first claimed her, carrying her back to that time. A time of loving this man. Without a doubt she knew she loved him more in this lifetime than any other.

A while later, the couple stopped midstep, coming out of the shower with the chime of the doorbell. With a sheepish look, Ryan told her, “I ordered dinner. Chinese. That okay?”

“Chinese is excellent. I really did plan to cook, but Clarissa…”

Ryan tied his towel around his waist, grabbed his wallet out of his pants and strode to the front door. A few drops of water trickled down his back and legs to plop on to the floor in his wake. Bags in hand, he handed them off to Kelly on her way to the kitchen. “Flew on in, did she?”

She sighed, “Yes,” and then proceeded to enjoy the view of him finishing dressing.

“You’ll have to tell me over dinner.”

“And you’ll have to tell me what you can about your investigation. Somehow I think that is going to be a lot more interesting.”

“We’ll see.”

The smell of chicken in black bean sauce, broccoli beef, vegetable pot stickers and prawn fried rice wafted out of the containers Kelly set on the table. Pulling out chopsticks, she had the table, a rough-hewn slab of wood handmade by Ryan, set by the time her man joined her.

“Mmm, all my favorites.” Kelly bent to sniff the still steaming chicken dish. “I don’t know what gets my mouth watering more, this food or thinking about being with you.”

“I hope I make more than your mouth water.”