Page 76 of Guarded from Corruption

“Shit.” I hug her closer, suddenly not feeling like she’s close enough.

“I knew you’d find me. Even though I was scared, I knew you’d come.”

I kiss her forehead. “Always, sweetheart.”

Her gaze is steady on mine, and I’m amazed all over again at how strong Jade is. “It sucked. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t. But you came. I’m okay. I have a few more bruises inside, and I know I’ll have nightmares, but I’m safe. I have you.”

“Jade.”

“And I was thinking, it’s not all bad.” At my raised eyebrows, she explains, “Now I can find a job closer to Blade and Arrow. There are plenty of places in Seguin I can look at, so I won’t have to commute as far.”

I stroke Jade’s hair, threading my fingers through the silky strands. “I like that idea.”

“And something else I realized yesterday… when you came into the office all snarly and dangerous?—”

A laugh bubbles up. “All snarly and dangerous?”

“Yes.” She grins. “Snarly and growly and dangerous. I knew you were Special Forces, but I’ve never seen you in action. And it was”—pink touches her cheeks—“sexy. I mean, I wasn’t thinking about it at the time, but after? It was really hot. My boyfriend, all tough and intimidating and protecting me.”

“Oh?” My voice goes rough. “You like that?”

“Yes.” The pink deepens, but she lifts her chin as she says, “I do. You know I love it when you take control. Being independent; it’s important to me, but not all the time. Sometimes… I want to let you be in charge.”

Oh.

Just like that, I’m hard, throbbing and aching to be inside her. The desire I’ve tried to beat back surges forward, filling my head with all the things I want to do to show Jade how much I cherish her. How much I want her.

I want to lift her shirt and take her breasts into my mouth. Slide her temptingly small shorts down and plunge my fingers into her welcoming warmth, feeling her satiny-slick inner walls clutching at me. Rub and flick at her little bud the way Jade likes best, bringing her close to the edge, hearing her soft moans and cries and then I’ll move over Jade’s perfect body and?—

“Niall?” Jade’s voice jerks me out of my fantasy. There’s a hint of laughter as she asks, “You alright?”

“What? Of course.”

“Oh?” A sly smile appears and she glances at my shorts, which are now clearly standing at attention. Her hand grazes the stretched fabric and her smile gets bigger as I jerk in reaction. “So you wouldn’t want to take charge now? Instead of resting?”

My brain wants to insist that Jade needs her rest. But my body, particularly my growing arousal, begs to differ.

And sex is a great way to relieve stress.

I mentally reshuffle the morning—make love to Jade, give her enough orgasms to get her to sleep, make a huge breakfast and eat it in bed…

My brain makes one last-ditch effort. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

Jade’s hand slides under my waistband. “Making love to my amazing boyfriend? Enjoying a lazy morning with you? I’m definitely feeling up to it.”

“Good.” In a blink, I’m braced above her. Her eyes dilate, desire turning them nearly black. “First, I’m going to taste your breasts. Then your sweet lips. Here.” I kiss her, tasting coffee and a hint of mint. “And here.” With one hand, I stroke the dampness growing between her thighs. “And then I’m going to make love to you until you come at least three times. How does that sound?”

Her lips part. Slightly breathlessly, she says, “That sounds perfect.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

JADE

I never look forward to visiting my parents.

They aren’t kind or nurturing or fun like Shea and Niall’s parents were. Even though I never got to meet them—they passed away in November of freshman year, just before I was set to go home with Shea for Thanksgiving—I’ve heard so many wonderful things about them.

The Walshes created special holiday traditions for their kids, like caroling around the neighborhood and handing out cookies to all their neighbors. They went on family trips every year, visiting places like Disneyland, Maine, and Cape Cod. And Niall and Shea’s parents never, ever missed a school event, no matter how far away it was.

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