This morning, Gwen and her parents left for their weekend in Scotland which was a last-minute suggestion on Gwen's part based on some deal she found. They're back on Sunday, and they all leave next weekend.

Now I'm waving to Tejinder and his newest girlfriend as they drive out of the laneway with the kids strapped into their car seats in the back. Things have been going well between them, and as a trial run for children, he asked if he could borrow ours for the night. Worked out well. Gwen's last-minute booking and Tejinder taking the kids.

Any time I can get Paige alone is a gift, and I didn't have to work too hard to convince her that letting the kids have an overnight visit with Tejinder on a Friday night was a good idea, especially since her parents and Gwen wouldn't be around anyway.

It's not the first time the kids have stayed over with him or Diya, but it's the first time someone other than Paige or I have initiated it. There's still an hour before Paige gets home, and I run around the house tidying and organizing.

At the front door, I leave her hangers for her clothes, a note, and a box with lingerie in it. I light lanterns and set the google device to music I know gets her in the mood. We purchased blackout drapes for the big windows that face the laneway, and I close those in case either of us wants to sneak down to the kitchen later.

Upstairs in her bedroom, I light candles that smell like cinnamon and vanilla—two of her favourite scents—and I get out our box of toys that I've added to this last week. We keep them in the closet on a high shelf to avoid either of the kids finding them, and we've gradually added items over the last few months together. Neither of us shies away from experimentation.

While I love making Paige come with my hands or my mouth, when we're attempting a quiet, rushed quickie before the kids wake up, a vibrator will do in a pinch.

The front door opens, and Paige's keys clatter on the little table in the entrance. I listen at the top of the stairs for whatever she'll say next.

"Oh, my God. Ash! I love it," she calls, and the delight is evident in her voice.

When she comes up the stairs wearing the outfit I picked out, I greet her in the corridor in my boxers. Just the thought of her downstairs shimmying into the lingerie I got her was enough to get me hard, and seeing her in it ratchets up my desire another notch. A black lace push up bra, garter, and crotch less panties.

Sexy as fuck.

I groan at the sight of her, and a wicked smile teases the edges of her lips. She does a slow circle for me before getting close enough for me to touch.

"You like?"

"I fucking love it." My voice is rough, and I drag her against my body.

"I can tell," she says, and she glances at me under her lashes.

I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist while I carry her into the bedroom. At the edge of the bed, I ease her into a standing position, and she glances at the box.

"All night to ourselves," she says.

"No interruptions," I agree, and I slide my hand up the side of her leg.

"God, I can't wait to have you inside me." She rises on her toes, and she kisses me long and deep. Then she slides her hand under the waistband of my boxers, stroking the length of me, and I groan into her mouth. Paige's hands on me, anywhere on me, is one of my favourite feelings, but this one is almost top of the pile. Almost.

Through the thin, lacy fabric, I lightly pinch her nipple, and then I run my thumb along it in the way she likes. She gasps and arches into the contact, desperate for more.

I tug the material down, and I swirl my tongue around the hard bud before grazing it with my teeth. She clings to my head, and I'm sure if I slid my hand between her legs, she'd already be soaking wet with need.

All these moves I know, but tonight it's not about going fast and hard. I want to savour every inch of her.

"First," I murmur against her neck. "I'm going to fuck you with this on. Then I'm going to strip you naked and take you from behind."

"God, yes," she whispers, her nails digging into my shoulders.

I ease her back on the bed, and I pluck out the newest vibrator. When I turn it on, her eyes light up.

"This looks different."

"I did some research," I say, knowing those words turn her on. "This part," I indicate the arm, "goes on your clit. And the other part curls inside to hit your G-spot while I'm inside you."

She spreads her legs, and I run my hand up her thigh, dipping into the warm wetness between her legs.

"You're so fucking wet."

"I'm ready," she says, trying to draw me down. "So ready. I just want to feel you."

I position the device, and as I ease into her, I use the remote to turn it on.

"Oh," she says, and there's so much pleasure in one word. "Ash."

But I know exactly what she means. As I slide out and thrust back in, the vibrations and the tight fit that already exists between us causes me to mutter a curse into her neck. This might be my new favourite. She's so warm and wet, and I keep the seal between us, edging her closer to a release.

"How's it feel, sweetheart?" I run my teeth over her earlobe before giving it a gentle bite. While I do that, I play with the bud of her nipple, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger.

"Ash," she murmurs, and her legs tighten around my waist. "I don't ever want you to stop fucking me."

I shift to grip her ass, and I lift her off the bed so I can drive deeper. With her, I'm always seeking more. I thought I understood what it meant to be with someone, to love someone, to crave someone, but Paige has taught me I only skimmed the edge of those things before. What we've got is more of all of it, so much more.

"That feels so good," she says, rocking her hips in time with my thrusts. Her pupils are dilated, and she's panting. "I'm getting—oh, God—I'm close."

I maintain the pace and pressure between us, straining to hold back my own release. One of the best things about Paige is the expression she gets on her face as she starts to catch the wave of her own release, and it's happening now. She stares at me like I'm a god bringing her to the brink of ruin, as though she'll never love anyone like she loves me, and I fucking love it.

I grit my teeth and hiss to hold myself back until her hands tighten on my biceps, and I start to feel her pulsing around me. Unable to restrain myself anymore, I race toward my own finish.

~ * ~

Thirty minutes later, we've discarded one toy in favour of another. This one sits on my finger, and after I've gotten her thoroughly wet with my mouth and my tongue, I pat her ass.

"On your knees, sweetheart."

"Yes, sir." She rolls into her stomach and up on her knees, and when she glances at me over her shoulder, I smirk.

I know what she's waiting for. "Good girl."

Her lips part as I fill her up, and when she moans with pleasure, I almost lose it. There's never any doubt about how much she wants me, how much she loves being with me like this.

I click the finger device on, and I reach around her to circle her clit. She arches into the contact, and then we're moving together, both of us lost in a haze of sensation.

We so rarely get so much uninterrupted time together that it's hard to remember that no one is napping and there's no danger of someone pounding on the door looking for a snack. It's just us, getting absolutely lost in each other. The temptation to go faster than I need to hovers on the edge of my consciousness. We've got all night. I can take as long as I want.

She reaches back to grab me, and I know she's close to coming again. A little push from me, and she'll tumble over. I've got exactly what she needs.

"Come for me, Paige," I mutter into her ear. "I want you to come all over my cock."

As soon as the last word is out of my mouth, she cries out my name and clutches onto me, almost frantic.

"That's my girl," I say, before drawing back to guide her hips with both hands in a faster rhythm.

"I love you so much," she gasps.

My own release tingles at the base of my spine, and I let it rush forward, drawing her tight against me as I spill into her.

~ * ~

"I love our kids," she says later as I give her a back massage and she pops Haribo sweets into her mouth, chewing quietly. Another guilty pleasure—gummy bears after sex. "But I really love this time alone with you too. Like, really love it."

"Me too," I say, and I kiss her shoulder before getting more lotion for my hands to work my way down her body. Moisturizing and massaging, letting the stress of her week seep out. A few months ago, we took a couples' massage class on a weekend. While I'd muddled out the basics on my own, the woman who led the class was bloody brilliant at showing us how to make the other person feel good. Paige loves when I do her feet as we're sitting on the couch watching telly after the kids have gone to bed.

"I had a surprising phone call today, and I can't stop thinking about it," she says.

"Oh? What was that about then?" I find a knot near her shoulder blade and start to work it out.

"The real estate agent, Kate, the one who found me this place. She called to say the owners are planning to put it on the market in a few months. She called to offer her services to find something else to rent. But I've been considering another solution." She peeks over her shoulder. "If I sold my house in Michigan, I might be able to afford to buy this."

"Blimey." I stop what I'm doing, and I sit back on my haunches. "Is that what you want to do?"

"I don't want to move. I love it here. We've got all this space, and the house is a good size."

"I reckon it'll cost a fortune." I glance around the bedroom, and I try to tally how much a house of this size with the big garden would cost.

"I bought my place in Michigan for well below market value, and the market is hot right now. I'd make a substantial profit. There'd still be some sort of mortgage on this place, but after looking at comparables before I left work, I think it's doable."

"What about Gwen? Isn't she living in your house?"

"I'd have to ask her to move out, obviously. She's had almost two years rent free. She's almost thirty, so she'll need to grow up and be more stable and all that."

"Do you reckon she ever will? I've got mates I can't see every doing any of that."

"Maybe this will be the push she needs."

"You know I'm all for putting down roots here in the UK, but I want to make sure this suits you as well." She turns over, and I search her face. "I know I'm British, but at some point the Americans would let me in, wouldn't they?"

She laughs and her fingertips graze my cheek. "They'd let you in. For a visit. Longer than that? Takes a lot of paperwork and ..." she bites her lip, "a marriage certificate would make that process easier. But I love it here. I do. Buying this place might not work out, but I thought it was worth mentioning."

"I'm saving for a ring." I run my hands down my face. "It's just weird to me that I'm literally saving your money to buy one."

"You know I don't care about any of that."

"I know. But I've been wondering whether I should take in some other peoples' kids. Expand Nanny Ash's services so I've got some of my own dosh."

"Is that what you want?"

"Until we've got more kids of our own. At least then I'm contributing. It's not all on you."

"You are contributing. We've got two happy well-adjusted kids, and that's mostly down to you."

"Feels a bit strange when I'm with me mates. Before, even though we were together, I was still your nanny. Now I feel like ..." I give her a sheepish grin. "A kept man."

She grins. "I know where I'd keep you. Chained to the bed."

"Would you now? And whatever would you do with me?"

She rises onto her knees and with her fingertips on my chest, pushes me back until I'm lying on the bed. Her hands pin mine above my head before she straddles me. "It's ridiculous how much I love you, do you know that?" She stares down at me.

"The feeling is mutual, sweetheart."

Her gaze softens, and then she releases my hands to cup my face before kissing me deeply. "Run a kids' camp in our front yard for all I care. I just want you to be happy."

My hands land on her hips, and then we're making love, all the frantic, giddiness of being alone out of our system. It's slow and intimate, staring at each other the whole time, as though we couldn't possibly love each other more.

The truth is, I don't reckon I could. With Paige, I've got exactly what I need and so much more than I ever knew to want.