Page 44 of The Maverick's Homecoming

And then, he carried her to her room, set her down on the turned-back bed and sat beside her. She toed off her sandals and watched as he took off his boots and socks.

The past—theirpast—was so close right then, or so it seemed to her. She still remembered their first kiss. It had happened under the bleachers during freshman year after the second game of the season. He’d been shy and so had she. Their teeth had knocked together and they’d both jerked away.

She remembered her own embarrassment and how wide his eyes were, the way he’d whispered desperately,Kenzie, I’m so sorry…

He bumped her shoulder with his. “What is going through that mind of yours?”

She bumped him back. “Our first kiss.”

He groaned. “Anything but that.”

“Oh, come on. We were adorable.”

“Kenz…” He kissed her and she kissed him back. It felt so good, so right, the two of them, just sitting here, kissing and then kissing some more.

Eventually, in the middle of yet another, slow, tender, perfect kiss, they fell back across the mattress. That kiss went on for quite a while. When it ended, they were lying on their sides. She stared at him, grinning, and he crossed his eyes.

“Oh, stop.” She whacked him lightly on the shoulder the way she used to do when they were at Tenacity Elementary and he would chase her around the playground and then stick his tongue out at her when he caught her. “Grow up,” she grumbled.

“What fun is that?” he teased. And then he was kissing her again, so sweetly at first, but then deeper, harder.

Finally, she framed his face between her hands. “Finn…”

“What?”

“Everything off. Now.”

They were both naked in a matter of seconds. He grabbed his jeans, pulled a condom from a pocket and set it on the nightstand.

She sat in the center of the bed, arms crossed over her ever-expanding middle, staring up at him, thinking that he was the finest-looking man she’d ever known, bar none. “We should talk.”

He gulped. “About?”

“Protection. Do you always use a condom?”

“Yes, I do. Every time, except for you and me way back when…”

She smirked up at him. “Learned your lesson, did you?”

“Yep.”

“As an RN, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of safe sex.”

He looked slightly pained. “Okay…”

“However, in this case, I think we’re good to go without the condoms. I mean, I’m already pregnant. And I got tested after I found out what my ex had been up to. Tate’s a cheater, but he didn’t give me any diseases.”

“Alright.” Finn stuck the condom back into the pocket of his jeans and rejoined her on the bed. Wrapping her up in his warm arms, he guided her down to the pillows.

She gazed up at him, amazed to be here in her own bed with him. Until very recently, she never would have guessed such a thing could ever happen.

But it had happened. And she was loving it.

His gaze steady on hers, he turned on his side. She did the same. Stirring lovely shivers in his wake, he skated his palm up over the swell of her hip and then downward along the back of her thigh. Gently, he guided her bare leg up to wrap around him.

He entered her slowly, staring right in her eyes.

Neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to. It was so good between them, so natural and right. Her body shimmered with arousal as they moved together. She felt the pleasure rising, a giant wave in a great blue ocean, rearing up high as it raced for the shore.