Page 5 of Protecting What's Mine

“Knew what?”

“You fancy her.”

I let go of his collar and step back. “Bullshit.”

His grin gets even wider. “Man, you’ve never tried to fight me over anything before. Not even when I crashed your crappy car in high school.”

“That pile of shit wasn’t worth it.”

“Exactly.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “But clearly Alex is.”

I falter, and his face softens. Clasping my shoulder, he looks me straight in the eyes. “She’s seems like a good one, Jay. You deserve someone good.”

“Thanks, bro.”

“Cute that you thought you could fight me though.”

“I could give you a black eye if I wanted.”

“Pft, yeah. As if.”

Jacob

When I’m right, I’m right. It takes about an hour after we open for the word to get out, and then our usually quiet lunch period is a rush of seated patrons and takeaway orders that people just happened to arrive very early for. I know it’s not because of our burger special - most people are here to see the pretty new school teacher. Alex doesn’t have a moment to herself but she takes it all in her stride, laughing and coaxing conversation out of even the most reclusive of residents with her energy and enthusiasm. I keep an eye on her the whole time, ready to step in if the crowd gets too much or anybody gets too friendly. But she watches me just as much as I do her, and it causes my heart to skip a beat every time.

By the time the bar closes Alex has won over the entire town. She hugs or high fives everyone as they leave, and her cheeks are rosy with joy. Whatever was bothering her earlier has been long forgotten thanks to this warm welcome. And from the wines I kept sending over.

Ethan leaves with the last of the crowd, his arm around some young and pretty tourist. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he calls out which makes his admirer giggle and makes me want to punch him in the face.

After locking the door I turn back to the bar - there’s no Alex in sight. She must have gone to bed. As I scrub the sink my mind fixates on the memory of her, dancing with the local girls and singing along to trashy pop, and I’m suddenly desperate to get these chores done so I can jump in the shower and relieve the growing pressure in my cock. I’m so focused on cleaning the bar that I don’t feel her creep up behind me. “Want some help?”

I adjust my apron so she can’t see my raging hard-on. “No way. You’re a guest, and guests don’t clean.”

She grabs a stack of dirty glasses and starts loading the dishwasher. “Don’t be silly. I’ve had quite a few drinks tonight, and yet somehow I haven’t spent a dime. Think I should earn my keep, don’t you?”

The sight of her bent over behind the bar brings wildly inappropriate thoughts to mind. “There’s no need, truly.”

“Nonsense, the sooner it’s done the sooner you can get to bed. It’s getting late, you know.” She grabs another stack and adds them to the dishwasher. I could have sworn she wiggled her ass as she did so.

I need to get away before I do something we both may regret. I throw my rag into the sink. “I can finish up the rest in the morning. Goodnight, Alex.”

I move to step around her but she blocks my way. “Jacob.” Her voice is low and soft, heat radiating from every syllable, and I can’t help but turn to her. I’m shocked to see naked longing in her eyes. She reaches for me, tentatively, until her fingers curl on the edge of my apron. I still, letting this perfect moment play out. She holds my gaze as she pulls me to her, ever so softly but my body is weak in her presence. “I don’t want to say goodnight yet.”

Gulp. My heart leaps into my throat and my pants bulge obscenely, but I hold onto reason. “You’ve had a few drinks tonight. Let’s not do anything you’ll regret.”

At that notion Alex laughs, and like last night the sound reverberates around the walls. But she makes no attempt to move away. “You poured seven wines for me tonight. Tessa took three, Ethan sculled one when you weren’t looking, and some old guy in the corner took one after beating me at cards. I’m sober enough to drive a car right now.” Her eyes darken to a deep sea blue that makes my pulse race. “Or make a completely rational decision.”

I lift my hand to stroke her cheek with my thumb, causing her eyes to close and her lips to part. “You don’t even know me. I’m not what you need.”

Her eyes fly open. “I’ve spent the entire evening listening to dozens of people say how great you are. How much you give to this community. And even though you try to give off this grumpy demeanour, you have the biggest heart in Emerald Springs.” She closes the little space left between us, her erect nipples poking through her shirt to rub against my chest.

“I think you’re exactly what I need.”

That was enough to break my resolve. I push her back against the bar and claim her lips with my own, hungry and desperate to taste her. Instantly she obliges, and she tastes sweeter than I ever imagined. My hands skim across her torso as our tongues clash, and when I caress the side of her breasts a moan escapes her mouth. The sound sends heat straight to my cock, and I know if we don’t leave now we’ll end up naked and fucking on the bar. Which sounds amazing, except for the threat of someone looking in the windows. What was underneath her clothes was just for my eyes. And my tongue. And my dick.

I pull back and glimpse disappointment in her eyes, which quickly turns to surprise as I toss her over my shoulder and take her upstairs. I take us to her room so she’s in her own territory and always in control of how far we go. The moment I put her down she’s pulling my face back to hers and ripping my t-shirt off as we kiss wildly. Her hands trace my chest, fingers lazily swirling around my abs and setting my nerve endings on fire. Within seconds we discard our clothes on the floor, and fall onto the bed together. I roll on top, one knee between her legs so every part of her is open to me. Her breasts are perfection, fitting perfectly into my hand as I massage each in turn. Each brush of her nipples causes her to cry out, and when I finally take one in my mouth she tangles her fingers into my hair and arches her back to demand more. I can’t touch her enough, can’t taste her enough to satisfy my desire. As I start to kiss down her stomach she lifts my chin with her finger.

“Don’t make me wait.”

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