Page 46 of Vengeful Guard

He looks at me with those ocean-blue eyes of his, and my stomach rolls.

The feelings and sensations he’s awakening in me are so foreign, so wrong. Because I want him to do more than protect me. I want him to show me how a man makes a woman feel good. I want him to wreck me. To defile me.

God, I need to talk to Sophie. I need my brothers to leave so that I can call my best friend and ask her to come. Maybe we should head to the mansion where we can talk without risking him overhearing us.

I reach across to grab my breakfast, digging in.

Gray smiles. “I’m glad you’re eating better, a’stóirín.”

I smile at him. “Kael’s been taking good care of me. He makes me eat, and we’ve been doing some self-defense training.”

When my brothers frown at him, he looks away. “Just teaching her stances and how to punch.”

Is he embarrassed? Is he ashamed of what happened last night? Ashamed of me?

“I’m glad you two are finally getting along.” Gray chuckles. “I know when you were a senior in high school, you guys really butted heads.”

I smile at him. “To be fair, I was young then.”

Declan snorts. “You're young now.”

“I'm almost thirty.” I hate how whiny my voice sounds. I hate being the baby of the Burke family sometimes. It’s like being forever a child in their minds. I glare at him. “Are we done here?”

Kael clears his throat. “I want to take a little time off on Sunday. While Paige is at dinner.”

Why does he want time off? Is he going to one of his girls? I have no reason to believe that he is, but at the same time, the way he mentioned that Diamond girl...

“I’d feel safer if you stayed,” I blurt out, and Kael’s gaze shoots to mine.

He looks at me for a long, hot moment, and it’s almost uncomfortable because my brothers are in the room.

“Aye,” is all he says in response, and Gray looks from Kael to me like it’s a tennis match.

“Looks like you’re still butting heads a little.”

Kael laughs. “I can handle the little princess.”

Great. We're back to that, are we? Even though I have to admit there was something very hot about how he called me that while I was riding his thigh.

“We’re done.” Declan stands up. “I’ll see you both on Sunday.”

“I’m inviting Sophie over to the mansion. I want to use the pool.”

Kael nods. “Fine.”

I finish my breakfast after saying my goodbyes to Declan and Gray, and call Sophie as I head upstairs to put on my bikini.

“You working today?” I ask when she answers.

“I’m off in ten minutes. Blackjack.”

“You’re working? On a weekday?”

She shrugs. “The Italians and the Bratva don’t ever take a day off of gambling.”

“Right. Well, I need you to come over right away. We’re going over to the mansion so we can jump in the pool.”

“All right. I can be there in thirty, keep your panties on.”