What was so special about his room? And how had Carly known that he hadn’t let her back there? As determined as she was not to let some bitter, jealous ex-girlfriend get to her, she couldn’t deny that her curiosity was now at a peak.

She had to get in that room.

“Would you mind keeping an eye on Hope? Just for a second while I use the bathroom.”

Eli nodded and stepped over the gate into the play area. “Of course. We’ll spend a little time building a tower with these ABC blocks. It’s never too early to start teaching her to read.”

Hope toddled over to him and he picked her up. She squealed as he swung her around and then sat with her settled in his lap. Once they were absorbed in what they were doing, Eli reciting the alphabet while Hope knocked over the blocks with destructive glee, Kay slipped down the hallway to the bedrooms.

Eli’s room was directly across from hers, but she rarely saw him in it. He got up so early that the door was always closed by the time she woke up. He’d been sleeping in her room every night lately so she could only assume he was going in there to get clean clothes every day.

She hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. What was she doing? This was his personal space and she was about to sneak in and trample all over his privacy.

Because you don’t look like the freaky type and there’s no way he’s getting what he needs from you.

The memory of Carly’s taunt made her turn the knob. It held fast under her hands. She looked down in shock. It was locked.

What in the world was so important that he felt the need to keep it under lock and key? Before he could get suspicious, she whirled around and ducked into the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and then came back out.

“Okay, thanks for watching her. Does pasta sound okay for dinner?”

He looked up from where he was sitting and smiled at her. “It sounds great.”

The locked door was on her mind as she made a quick dinner of fettuccine Alfredo, while they ate, and while she got Hope ready for bed. When she emerged from the third bedroom, Eli was sitting on the couch. A bottle of wine sat in an ice bucket on the floor next to him. He poured two glasses and held one out to her.

“I figured we could use a little relaxation.”

Kay sank down next to him and accepted the glass gratefully. She took a big swallow and then another. Eli watched, bewildered, as she set her near-empty glass down on the side table.

“I’m guessing you really needed some relaxation. Was Hope cranky again? You know I don’t mind walking her around.”

Kay instantly felt guilty. He was trying to reassure her while she was thinking of ways to break into his bedroom. “No, she was fine. I’m just on edge. I think this whole situation is finally catching up with me.”

Eli nodded. “That usually happens after a few weeks. Your whole life has been disrupted. It’s okay to be pissed off about it. You have every right to be.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling a little down. That’s all.”

He set his glass on the side table next to hers. “Maybe I can help with that.” A soft kiss on her cheek. Then another on the curve of her earlobe.

“Hmm, that’s definitely not helping me relax. I think that’s having the opposite effect.” She climbed in his lap and looked down at him. In that moment, she wanted to hear him moan with abandon. She wanted to be the one to put a smile on those delicious lips and know she held his complete fulfillment in her power. Shifting, she pulled his shirt up until she could run her fingers down his muscled chest.

“I will never get tired of this,” she whispered.

He chuckled and tugged the shirt over his head. “Glad you approve.”

She waited as he lifted the hem of her T-shirt, helping her draw it over her head. His eyes fixed on her cleavage spilling out of her bra. She shivered at the frank and open possession in his gaze. His obvious approval gave her the courage to stand up and take off the rest of her clothes. If anyone had told her she’d be undressing in the middle of the living room with the lights on, she’d never have believed it. But with Eli, it gave her a sense of power to see how her body affected him. He tugged her closer and took a playful nip at her stomach.

“I was trying to do the romance thing, but then you distracted me.” Eli surveyed her nude body with a gleam in his eye that Kay had come to recognize as his “caveman” look.

“Oh my God!” She clutched at his neck as he lifted her into his arms. “What is your obsession with lifting me all the time?” She scolded him, but truthfully she was thrilled. It wasn’t often that a man was strong enough to make her feel dainty.

“Because I can. And because it’s so much fun.” He leered down at where her full breasts were pressed up against his chest.

Kay laughed. “Such a guy.”

“Through and through, angel.”

Seeing his reaction gave Kay courage to be more aggressive. Once he lowered her to the rug in front of the fireplace, she ran her fingers down his chest to tentatively touch the bulge at the front of his pants. He stilled and she raised her eyes to his and found herself caught in his tortured gaze. A groan escaped his clamped lips and she delighted in the sound. He covered her lips in a quick, hard kiss. Then he stood to remove his own clothes.

Every inch of him was a visual delight. Had she ever wanted to just stare at a guy before? It was impossible not to marvel at how utterly masculine he was, from his incredible physique to the deep voice that sent shivers down her spine. Then there was the obviously male part of him currently trying to escape the confinement of his boxers.