He'd better not change his mind.

Tag My feet feel like feathers as I swish through the house and check on our son. He looks sweet enough to kiss, but I don't want to risk waking him up. I've waited too long for this.

I grab the monitor before rushing back to the guest bedroom where I left her, praying her mind hasn't changed. When my eyes fall upon her barely covered by the black satin sheet, my pants try to burst open.

"f.u.c.k," I breathe, and her cheeks blush as I slowly crawl over her body and press my lips to hers with a hunger only she can sate.

She moans into my mouth, and I'm worried I'm about to explode just from her s.e.xy sounds and lips.

"You've got to stop making those sounds if you want to get anything out of this," I grumble, and she giggles against my lips as her hands tangle in my hair.

I jerk her legs open, and then I drop my head to her chest as I let out an exasperated groan.

"What?" she panics. "Please don't tell me you've changed your mind... again."

The frustration in her voice makes me do something incredibly foolish as I pull out my pulsating c.o.c.k and brush the sheet away, revealing her glorious body to me. Without giving her time to object, I surge in - skin on skin - and she gasps while dropping her head back and parting her perfectly modeled lips.

"I don't have a condom, but I can't stop," I say as I thrust in deeper, forcing a grunt from deep in my throat.

"I wouldn't let you," she breathes, and then my lips cover hers as I surge in again, harder each time.

Everything about her feels so f.u.c.king incredible, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to make it up to her later because there's no way I'm going to last long.

"Harder," her rasp, needy voice releases, and then a cry exudes from her throat as I slam into her.

Ashiara "Tag," I cry out, as his hand curls around my a.s.s to jerk me into his next, gloriously sublime thrust.

"Please come for me," he murmurs against my ear, and my nails slide up his back as my legs wrap around his waist.

His incredible rhythm forces me to the brink, and I cry out louder as real tears fall free from my eyes and my body goes stiff before raggedly limp.

I feel his rhythm slowing, his life rushing through me, and his breath heavy and panting as he collapses to my side. He wraps me up, and then he lets out a chuckle as he wipes away one of my bizarre tears.

"That good?" he breathily teases, his c.o.c.ky persona in full play.

I blush feverishly, and then I curl up against him while kissing his chest.

"That great."

"Sorry, about not having a condom. I didn't think I'd get lucky so soon," he jokes.

"So soon? Well, it hasn't be so soon for me," I mumble, and he lets out another laugh.

"That's not what I meant."

I don't want to think about how many girls he has been with this past year. Right now, I don't want my few seconds of bliss to be tainted. I know this is as far as this goes, but it's enough for me.

"Well, the doctor put me on birth control after I had a baby without meaning to, so you're in the clear."

His eyes brighten as they become alight with mischief.

"You wait until you stop having s.e.x to get on birth control?" he teases.

"No, I waited until after I had a child-hindsight and all," I laugh lightly. "It is aggravating to take that d.a.m.n pill everyday and not have any real reason for doing so."

"Give me a second, and I'll give you one h.e.l.l of a reason," he says while acting as though he needs to catch his breath.

I giggle, and then I curl my leg around him.

"Fine, your second is over."

He grins happily, and then he pulls me to his body while bringing my lips to meet his. For right now, I can pretend everything is okay. For right now, he's mine. I'll worry about what happens later-later.

Chapter Sixteen.

Gifts Tag I almost laugh as I stare at the mermaid tattoo on her back with the letter T dressing the center. I've heard about girls getting Tagged my whole life, but Ash literally got tagged.

It makes me love her that much more. She's going to kick my a.s.s when she finds out I've seen it and the d.a.m.n ridiculous high school pictures. I believe she stayed a virgin for that long now. That hair was every-d.a.m.n-where.

I let a laugh escape, and Trip squirms in my arms as Ash rolls over and hugs the pillow where I was. I can't help but wonder if she thinks it's me she's hugging.

I hear the door to the front open, and I walk away from the bed to go meet the others as Trip finishes the last of his bottle. Silently shutting the door, I swish away from the room where we had one h.e.l.l of a morning.

"Did you get a lot of work done?" Wren asks as I lower myself to the couch.

Nothing business related.

"I've still got some catching up to do. How was town?"

"Not bad. Where's Ash?"

"Sleeping," I say vaguely, my lips twitching up in a wry smile.

I love knowing I exhausted her. Sadly, I'm so s.e.xually out of shape, I'm also exhausted now.

"Still? It's five," he murmurs in disbelief.

"She's had a rough few days. Cut her some slack," I say with a shrug.

She's only been asleep for an hour.

Other than the occasional interruption by Trip, our day has been solely focused on getting back to good.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he laughs.

"No reason."

Shannon walks in with Bity before Wren can interrogate me further, and then Erica comes over to pull Trip from my arms.

"You can get some work done, Ash can sleep, and Wren can get some practice, since we're planning on having a baby sometime in the near future."

I can't help but delight in the way Wren's eyes widen, seeming horrified. Apparently this is the first he's heard about a baby.

"That sounds good. I'll see you guys in a bit."

"You're going to the bedroom with Ash?" Wren asks suspiciously just before I walk in.

"Yeah. It'll be quieter in here since she's asleep."

He narrows his eyes, knowing d.a.m.n well I'm holding out on him, but he'll have to wait. I'm not talking to him about us until I talk to Ash about us.

Ashiara My eyes flutter open to see I'm curled around Tag as he stares at his laptop I'm crowding.

"What time is it?" I mumble, and he smiles as he removes his computer and places it on the table so he can wrap me up in his arms.

"Just after eight."

"Eight?" I gasp in shock. "Trip. Oh my gosh. I have to-"

"He's fine. Believe me, everyone out there wants their turn to feed him, change his diaper... you get the point. You needed to rest, especially after the day we had."

I blush as his scandalous grin comes to surface, and I kiss his chest as he pulls me even tighter to him.

"So how is it a girl with such dreadful hair became such a swan?" he teases.

"d.a.m.n you, Tag Masters," I laugh while burying my face in his chest.

He laughs hard, and then his hand slides down my back, almost to my side as he traces the lines of-oh s.h.i.t!

My body stiffens, and he laughs the second he feels my rigid terror.

"That's right, baby. I saw it, too."

"s.h.i.t," I growl, jerking the sheet back over my bare body.

"I happen to find it rather endearing. I mean, after all, you really went and got tagged."

I let a laugh escape while covering my head, and then he pulls down the sheet to force me back to his body.

"Why'd you get that, specifically?"

"Tequila made me do it."

He laughs ferociously hard, and I smile against the vibrations of his chest.

"Seriously."

I take a deep breath, and then I shrug. I didn't know I was pregnant when I left that wedding. A few drinks and a clouded mind will make you act crazy.

"I don't know. I guess I thought I'd never see you again, and it was one of the best weekends I've ever had. I wanted to remember it. And come on, you fell in a mermaid fountain because you were staring at me. It seemed to represent the weekend pretty well."

He snickers lightly. "That I did." His laughter tapers off, and a look of seriousness cloaks his face. "I'm curious about something. How did your birthmother pa.s.s away?"

I look up, frowning a little. "Are we playing the truth game again?"

He pulls my hand in his as his fingers trace over mine.

"No. No more games."

I smile a little, and then I shrug.

"A car crash. She was on her way home from work, and she collided with the side of a mountain after having a seizure. She hadn't had them in years, but she and my dad had been fighting, and it's possible the stress provoked it. My dad blamed himself for a while, but then he moved on-just as everyone in life does. I don't even remember her."

I hate talking about this. I love my mom even though I don't remember her, simply because of the way she loved me through the pictures.

We sit there in a comfortable silence for a while as he just holds me, making me feel as though this is more than it ever will be. It's comforting and depressing at the same time, but I try to push it out of my mind.

"So, I have a question," he murmurs softly while kissing the top of my head.

"Mm?"

"Since Kinset has an incredible website now, I'm not far from launching the business. That being said, I also need a date to the launch party. Will you go with me?"

I smile, unable to hide the girly side of me as I giggle a little.

"Well, it would look bad for you to be living with your child's mother and yet take another girl to the launch, so... hmm... I guess I'll go."

I expect him to laugh, but he's silent as his fingers continue to play with mine. I look up to see a faint smile on his lips as he stares at my hand.

"I want you to go as more than just my child's mother, Ash."

My heart stops. I knew this would happen. s.h.i.t. No.

"What do you mean?" I ask, swallowing hard.