Page 119 of My Damaged Protector

“Alright.”

“Now let's talk about you,” he declares with his gaze fixed on me.

“Yeah, let's,” I say sulkily.

“Good.” He starts to walk toward me, taking a seat at the edge of the bed, and he beckons for me to join. I do reluctantly, my body feeling flushed even though I know he has no filthy intention in mind.

I just can't help myself around him. When I'm seated beside him, he takes my palm in his, and I let him.

“Tell me what's going on, Sarah.”

He speaks so softly I almost don’t hear him. Almost.

Nodding my head, I let my mind travel to when it all began. He squeezes my hand in encouragement.

“I met Kyle a year after you left. He was charming, had a way with words. He always had the answer to every question, the perfect response to every conversation. I started writing, then published my first book. While I sometimes like to believe that my books are successful because people love my writing style, after Maria, his younger sister and my friend at the time, exposed the things I wrote about you, he also had a hand in my success.”

I pause, trying to gather my thoughts. Ian patiently waits for me, his fingers slowly caressing the back of my fingers.

“He had the money, he had the crowd, and he had the power, too. All he had to do was give instructions, and I was sold out. Of course, no one knew we were dating. He kept our relationship a secret, thank God for that.” I chuckle. My head is swimming with thoughts. “You know, I knew he was into something shady, but I didn't know the details until a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't get rid of her. So, I ran. Because I'd rather die than raise my child with a kingpin. A drug dealer, Ian. It wasn't until after I left his grasp that I realized how dangeroushe was. His sister knew but didn't tell me anything, so I stopped speaking to her, too.

“He never tried to reach out to me, and I'm more than happy to have it remain so, but now with my name all over the news, I'm afraid someone will bring it to his notice, and he'll grow curious enough to consider looking into me and find Olivia. And he would, if he wanted to. He has all the resources, and I know for sure he's going to take her away from me if he finds her. I can't let that happen, Ian.” I finish with tears trickling down my face.

“He won't.” He finally speaks. His voice firm and he pulls me into him for a hug. I let him hold me.

“Just to be clear, this Kyle, is he by any chance Kyle Austen?” he asks.

I pull away from him in shock. “You know him?”

Who am I kidding?

Everyone who's ever lived in New Jersey has to know Kyle. He didn't particularly try to hide his dirty engagements. I was just too stupid to see them because I was too engrossed with the attention and how important he made me feel.

Ian sighs and shakes his head in frustration.

“I had a run-in with him back in the day. Well, Justin did. He almost killed him, and I had to get involved to get him out. He's dangerous, Sarah,” he says tersely.

I know how dangerous Kyle is. The only reason I haven't turned him in is because first, I like being alive and second, I have a child to protect. I stumbled upon something that would have put him away forever years ago, and that's why I ran. Honestly, the only reason I'm still alive is because he didn't know. If he knew I had something on him, I would have been gone long ago.

“What are you going to do?” I ask Ian, trying to show him in my expression that I won't be disappointed if he turns me away.

“I'm going to protect you.”

Our eyes meet, his words hanging in the air with sincerity. Suddenly, I can't stay another minute without kissing him, and I do just that, showing him with my mouth how grateful I am to have him. To have known him. And for this moment with him.

However temporary it is, it's still a gift. If only things could be different between us.

I sigh into the kiss, ready to end it but he has other plans.

Taking his hands to my back, he massages my skin rough and hard, his touches sparking currents in my belly.

I will never get enough of him, will I?

He deepens the kiss, taking his hand lower to my ass where he finds my skin soft and in need of his touch.

Each intentional delicious squeeze and caress he delivers to my buttocks makes me grip his neck harder, and I plunge my tongue deeper into his mouth. He sucks my tongue with purpose, the hardness of his body suddenly becoming defined under me as I let my legs go around him.

I feel the strong bones holding his neck upright. The proud ridge of his shoulders as my hand goes over them. The elegant carving of his back feels just perfect beneath my skin.

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