Page 23 of Fiercely Protective

A gasp slipped past my lips as the hardness of his thigh brushed against mine, but I pushed back the desire building inside me. “I would prefer to be back in my apartment, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?”

He narrowed his eyes as he leaned closer to me, his warm breath teasing my naked flesh. “Speak for yourself, sweetheart. I always get what I want.”

Before I could offer any kind of protest, he ripped the shirt open. The sound of tearing silk and buttons pinging against the tile floor should have spurred me into action. I should have fought against him, pushed him away, screamed, but I didn’t. Whether it was from shock or that inner part of me that wanted him to touch me, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I didn’t move, and I didn’t fight, and when his warm hands skimmed over my naked breasts, every nerve came alive. How could this man make my skin burn and shiver at the same time as if my body was half ice and half flame?

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”

His nose pressed into the crook of my neck and my eyes nearly rolled back in my head when his tongue flicked over the skin just beneath my ear.

“This is exactly what we should be doing.” There was a cool authority in his voice.

His hand seared a path down my side and over my abdomen, causing the war raging inside me to intensify. I barelyknew this man and what I had learned about him so far, was definitely sending up some red flags. It wouldn’t be wise to allow myself to fall for a man like him…no matter how gorgeous he was. No matter how much I wanted him to kiss me, to touch me. He had handcuffed me to the bed, locked me in his bedroom, and refused to let me leave. How could I still want him? I had to have something wrong with me.

His hand slipped lower, between my thighs, parting my folds. I heard a soft sigh pass from my lips, but the pleasure I was feeling was short-lived. A sudden pounding on the door brought back my sanity. He was surprisingly swift as he moved away from me, a pistol suddenly appearing in his hand.

“Stay here!”

I pulled together the ripped material of the shirt I was wearing, or what was left of it, and jumped from the bed. “Wait…don’t go out there.”

He looked back over his shoulder as he moved to the door. His face was hard and serious, causing me to freeze. “This is not the time to disobey me, Bri. Stay here!”

I took a step back at the harshness in his voice. He slipped on the pants he had discarded before he had gotten into bed and held the pistol at his side before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Rogue

My anger at having my time with Bri once again disturbed was near the boiling point when I walked out of the bedroom tofind Blaze waiting for me. I was beginning to think that he was doing it on purpose.

“Why the hell are you here?”

He was making himself right at home standing by the bar pouring himself a glass of whiskey, my best bottle no doubt.

“I didn’t know I needed a reason, but as it were, I thought I would come by and introduce myself to your lost little angel. With things heating up and becoming more dangerous, it would be wise for her to become familiar with me.”

I walked over and took the glass from his hand before turning it up and draining the whiskey. “You don’t think I had already thought of that? But as noble as your intentions sound, coming by for a surprise visit is not why you are here. So, tell me the real reason you have chosen to disturb me again.”

I watched as he took the bottle from in front of me and turned it up. He closed his eyes and a low growl of satisfaction rumbled from his chest. Blaze has always enjoyed a good whiskey, almost as much as he enjoyed the women he had in his bed.

He sat the bottle back down and strolled over to take a seat on my sofa. “I talked to Nik. He wants to meet before he leaves Chicago to return to Las Vegas. He will contact you with a place and time.”

“Is that all? You could have texted that.”

His expression didn’t change. “I was hoping I could reason with you about the girl.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You? The voice of reason?”

He shrugged his shoulders, the slight grin he had worn when he came in disappeared. “Think what you want, but the girl shouldn’t be here. Especially now. There is no doubt the Armenians have you under surveillance or at least they did until the two fools from the club fucked up their assignment. Even so, if they have seen her and think she is more than just a casual fuck toy, they could try to use her. Send her away before something happens to her, or she hears and sees more than you want her to. We both know you have the city in your pocket, but you still don’t need some innocent young girl telling everyone the things she has seen while with you. Don’t let your dick make decisions that could hurt the business. You can give her a settlement that will make her happy, and she can be on her way before she gets involved. There is a war coming. We should all prepare for it. Send the girl away. When all of this is over, you can go find her again or better yet, find another beauty to grace your bed.”

My eyes narrowed as I contemplated his words. “You certainly have a lot to say on the matter. Why the sudden interest in what I do?”

He shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation. “I am feeling uncharacteristically charitable. Take it for what it is, it won’t last long.”

“I prefer you better as a psychotic asshole. Get the hell out before I decide to shoot you myself.”

He stood from the sofa, adjusted his jacket, and nodded toward the hallway where I could see the bedroom door cracked open and Bri peering out. “The longer you let this game play out, the harder it will be for her to leave. I will see you at the club and you should prepare her to meet me. If things continue on this path, she will need to trust me as much as she does you. It mightbe what keeps her alive, especially if you are too stubborn to let her go. We both know you will tire of her soon enough, Rogue. End it now before she gets hurt.”

The truth of his words did nothing to improve my mood. He was right. If the Armenian mob was about to make a move against us, the city would become embroiled in a war and Bri was in danger of becoming collateral damage. But with me being under surveillance, she might already be a target. Her life may already inadvertently be in danger.

I turned to walk back toward the bedroom and watched her close the bedroom door with lightning-fast speed. Blaze was right, but unlike my normally bad-tempered friend, I was not the least bit charitable. I always got what I wanted and right now, I wanted the blue-eyed lost angel that walked into my club two nights ago. Unfortunately for her, the life she once had was about to change forever.

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