Page 171 of Protective Heroes

She’d lost count of how many times she had to slip a hand into her panties to relieve herself, but it was never enough. Her body knew the difference between her touch and his.

“Shay? You all right? Your eyes kinda glazed over there for a minute, sweetheart.” Genuine concern laced his words as he slipped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. She rested her head on his chest, thoughts of his warm embrace and delicious kisses chiseling at her resolve. “You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world all by yourself. Why don’t you let me help you?”

She wished.

Letting him in meant opening herself to the same heartache her mother died from—and that would break her.

Shay drew a breath and raised her gaze to his, teasing him with a smile. For a minute she thought he’d press her for more. To her surprise, he crooked a finger, motioning her over to a small area a few feet away. “Come.” His deep voice washed over her, soothing the tension in her shoulders and back.

He bent over to pick something up along the edge of the tidal pool.

“When we’re out on a mission, there are times we’re placed on standby while orders come down the pipeline. When your cousin is not tormenting us with his pranks, we’ll get to sharing things.” A distant look took over his expression for a moment and for that small fraction of a second she saw a part of Dyson’s soul.

Then it was gone and he smiled down at her with a quirky smile on his lips. “We talk about things mostly stupid things, but once in a while…” She placed her hand in his outstretched one. He turned her hand up, placing his palm over hers revealing a perfectly-shaped sand dollar. “…treasures are revealed.”

Shay blinked several times, fighting back the tears. Not of sadness, but of fond memories and how touching it was of Dyson to remember such a small detail about her. Heck, that her cousin remembered was a miracle.

He must have told Dyson.

It was so beautiful and her favorite of the treasures she loved to gather on the beach as a child. She caressed the face of the sand dollar, recalling the last time she held one. It had been a month before tragedy struck her small family with the death of her father and her mother had found it for her on this very beach. She closed her eyes for a beat and let out a deep sigh.

“I want you to have this one to add to your collection, and every time you see it, I want you to remember something.”

Shay raised her gaze to his and let the beauty of the moment hold her. “What?” she whispered over the sound of lapping waves.

A wicked smile played on his lips a second before he answered, “I’m so glad you asked.” Dyson crushed her lips with his, stealing every ounce of oxygen from her lungs instantly. He caressed the seam of her lips with his tongue, demanding entry.

She obliged.

Shay slipped her fingers into his locks and groaned.

She’d wanted to do that all day.

Taste him.

Devour him.

And let him take her the way only he could.

He countered her sudden possessive claiming of his mouth by taking their kiss deeper until they were almost one.

His tongue swirled around hers, swallowing her moans.

She could feel the hard length of his cock pressing into her and the need for the pleasure he could give her pulled a whimper from her lips.

Dyson wrapped his arms around her, their bodies melded together from lips to hips.

“God, I can’t get enough of you, woman. What have you done to me? I wake wanting you and fall asleep dreaming of tasting you on my lips.”

“Let’s go or we’re both in danger of me laying you down in the sand and making love to you right here. While I have no objection of bending you over right here, no one else gets to see what’s mine.”

Before she could give her thoughts on the matter or the idea of kinky beach sex, Dyson scooped her into his arms and turned away from the water, heading back toward a grouping of palm trees. He covered the short distance in a few strides, moving them into the protection of the low-hanging fronds where no onlookers could see them.

She sent him a quizzical look. If there was one thing she knew about Dyson, it was his ability to keep ninety-nine percent of what went through his mind to himself. He took being the strong silent type to a completely different level. But that didn’t stop her from pushing him for an answer. “Why did you bring me all the way out here for a sand dollar? You could have easily given it to me back at the party.”

“True, but I couldn’t have done this in front of two hundred guests…” He pushed closer, placing his hands low on her hips, easing her back against the closest tree. He bent to claim her lips again, only this time more languid as if savoring every second.

He pulled her lower lip between his and sucked delicately; nipping the flesh with his teeth just hard enough to turn the slow heat he’d started between us a notch hotter.

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