They were little things, but they made a huge difference. She’d never seen Joey’s face light up the way it had tonight. It made her very happy to see them together. It also made her incredibly sad that she’d waited so long to bring Xander into Joey’s life. It had been the right thing for Xander’s career, she was certain of that, and it had saved her the humiliation of begging him to come back for their child’s sake, but it hadn’t been the right thing for Joey. Craig had done a wonderful job but it wasn’t the same.

Xander gently shut the car door without waking Joey. “You should be all set.”

Rose looked up at his face illuminated by the overhead lights in the parking field. The shadows played across the sharp angles of his face, making him look handsome and devious all at once. A part of her had broken inside the day she left him, but there was just something about this man she couldn’t resist. She wasn’t certain if it was the sly smile or the soulful eyes, but she was lost the moment he looked at her. Even with a Batman mask painted on.

“Follow me home,” she said quickly before she lost her nerve. She knew that it wasn’t the smart choice, but she didn’t care. Rose had no doubt that Xander would always be a part of Joey’s life. Hers...she needed to take what she could get, while she could. Soon he would return to D.C. and the glamorous women there. Eventually, one of them would be Joey’s stepmother. But now, tonight, Xander would be all hers.

“Sure,” he said. “I know he’ll be hard for you to get out of the car by yourself.”

Rose frowned and shook her head. That was sweet, but obviously, she wasn’t being clear enough about what she wanted. “Well, yes, but that’s not why I want you to come home with me.”

His hazel eyes locked on hers as he caught her meaning. He swallowed hard, his jaw tensing. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“No, but it doesn’t matter. I want you. If you want me, follow me home.”

Xander nodded and took a step back, his expression hard to read. His Lexus was parked on the other side of the field. She watched him walk away, not entirely certain if she would see his SUV behind her or not.

They made their way out onto the highway with the rest of the crowd. Rose’s eyes kept darting nervously into her rearview mirror as she drove, watching for his steady headlights behind her. When they passed the turnoff for him to head back to the farm and he was still there, her heart started pounding frantically in her chest. She wanted Xander, and at least for tonight she was going to have him.

Now her only concerns were about how things had changed. The last time they’d made love, she was a fit and firm young teenager with a flat, bare-able belly you could bounce quarters off of. She had worked hard to keep up her figure over the years, but she’d had a baby. She’d breast-fed. She’d aged. Rose thought she still looked pretty good when she strutted in front of the mirror naked, but there would be no quarter bouncing tonight.

She took a deep breath as she pulled into her apartment complex and parked her car. Xander pulled up alongside her and got out. He shot a wide grin of anticipation at her that made her skin start to flush and her belly tense. Her hands were nearly shaking as she opened the car door. Xander winked before dipping down and hoisting Joey out of the car. They went inside together and got him settled into bed.

Rose pulled off Joey’s shoes and tugged down his jeans. He could sleep in his T-shirt and tighty-whities tonight. She did want to get off some of that face paint, though. She got a makeup-removing wipe from the bathroom and gave him a few good swipes. Joey whined and squirmed a little in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up. She turned on his white-noise machine and joined Xander back in the hallway.

“You got more of those?” he asked, looking pointedly at the red-and-black-smeared wipe.

“Sure. Come on back.” Rose led him to the other side of the apartment, where her bedroom and bath were. He followed her into the bathroom, where she plucked another wipe from the box and handed it to him. “Here you go.”

She took another and made quick work of the butterfly paint. When she was done, she noticed Xander still had a good bit that he’d missed.

“Let me help,” she said, reaching up to caress his face.

The minute she touched him, she could feel the energy in the room change. Xander’s hand reached up to cover her own and his eyes closed as he savored the contact.

“Rose,” he whispered.

The word traveled like a caress down her spine. Every nerve in her body came alive in an instant. His other hand moved to her waist, his fingertips grazing over her through the silky fabric of her top. Her blood suddenly seemed warmer in her veins. Her cheeks felt flush. Her breasts felt painfully confined by her bra. Modesty be damned—she wanted to strip off all her clothes to let the cool air-conditioning and his sizzling touch combine across her bare skin.

Xander leaned down and his lips met hers. She melted into him, pressing every soft curve of her body into every hard ridge of his. As he tasted her and let his tongue leisurely explore, she could feel his fingertips gathering her blouse at the waist of her jeans. She put her arms over her head and he broke away from the kiss long enough to pull the top off.

His eyes raked over her with blatant approval. The extra curves she’d picked up over the years didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, they seemed to stoke the fires inside of him like never before. It made Rose bold enough to reach behind her and unclasp her strapless bra. Her pale breasts spilled free, the tight pink tips reaching out for his touch.

Xander groaned softly at the sight, but he didn’t reach for her. Not yet. He ripped his own shirt over his head and threw it to the ground first. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He, too, had changed since she’d seen him last. Her lean baseball player had bulked up over the years. He seemed broader, stronger, more powerful now. His bare chest was like a wall, the muscles etched into stone. A sprinkling of light brown chest hair sprawled across his pecs and then traveled down his stomach. It darkened as it disappeared into his waistband, making her palms itch to reach out and unbutton his fly.

Before she could, he stepped forward, his hulking figure nearly overwhelming her own as he pressed his bare skin against hers. His hands gripped each side of her face and drew her mouth back to his. Rose wrapped her arms around him and tugged him closer until her breasts were crushing against his chest.

Xander growled against her mouth. He moved his hands down her sides and over her hips and caressed the curve of her rear through her jeans. Then she felt his fingertips press against the backs of her thighs and before she knew it, he’d lifted her up. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist so she wouldn’t lose contact with his lips.

He carried her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, where he sat her on the edge of the mattress. Crouching down in front of her, he unfastened and slipped her jeans down her thighs. He pulled off her shoes and tossed her clothes out of his way before he guided his hands back up her bare legs to the lace edging of her panties.

Rose was propped on her elbows, watching his exploration with anxiety. The closer his hot breath got to her aching core, the harder it was for her to breathe. He wrapped his fingertips around the lace and tugged gently until they, too, were gone. Then he pressed against the insides of her knees, opening her thighs to him.

The moment his tongue made contact with her skin, she could no longer watch. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head dropped back. She swallowed one gasp of pleasure, then another, as his mouth moved over her slick skin. One hand closed over her left breast, teasing and pinching gently at her nipple until her hips bucked involuntarily against his tongue.