Page 60 of When He Protects

Fuck.

“It wasn’t exactly a happy call.” Her hand touched his shoulder. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Tyler swallowed.

“Because I thought you didn’t have those.”

“Everyone has those.” Even bastards like him.

“Did I do something bad in your dream?”

“Yes,” he gritted out. His hands reached for her. “Very, very fucking bad.” He caught her and pulled her on top of him. Her eyes widened as she straddled him. “Promise to never do it again,” he ordered.

“Wh-what did I do?” Her hands pressed lightly to his chest.

You died, Esme. I didn’t save you in time. You died, and I couldn’t bring you back.But as he stared up at her, hecouldn’t say the words. Because saying them would make the dream too real.

It hadn’t been real. Esme wasn’t dead. She was alive. Warm and sexy and right in front of him. Right on top of him.

Her hair slid over her shoulders as she shook her head. “I can’t make a promise if you don’t tell me what I did.”

“Open the nightstand drawer,” he ordered.

Her eyes widened, then she reached over. Her breasts did a delicious jiggle, and he had to lean up and lick one. Suck it.

“Tyler!”

He nipped lightly and felt her sex get wet on his dick. Nothing separated them. If he just thrust up, he could sink straight into her tight core again.Want in. Need in.“Condoms inside. Get one.”

“You have more condoms in your wallet?”

“Not the wallet.” He’d already used the only one in there. “Inside the bottom drawer.”

“Uh, how are there condoms in the drawer?” And, sure enough, she shimmied and twisted, and pulled out a box. She shook the box at him. “Planned this already, did you?” Her voice seemed oddly flat. “Did you tell your friend to have them in the bottom drawer before we arrived?”

“I put them in there. Got them at the grocery store.” He hadn’t pulled them out earlier because he’d thought seeing an entire box might freak her out the first time they had sex.

Her eyes widened.

“Got them on our second trip.” She’d been talking to Clay. Tyler had thrown as much into the buggy as he could and hauled ass out of the place.

“You…you knew you were going to fuck me then?” She was back to straddling him. Her silken folds slid over his dick, but she didn’t take him inside.

Need to put on the condom.But, wait, she’d asked him about fucking her. A rough laugh broke from him. “I knew I wanted to fuck you the minute you first told me that you were trouble—that was back at Jorlan’s BS party.”

She opened one packet and slid back so she was resting on his thighs. “I didn’t tell you I was trouble.” Slowly, inch by torturous inch, she rolled the condom onto his dick.

His back teeth clenched.

“Do you think I’m trouble?” Esme asked him.

He stared into her eyes. Eyes gone even darker. And he thought about his nightmare. “Yes.” Rasped. “You are the worst kind of trouble.” The kind that could wreck a man.

What could have been pain flashed in her stare. He couldn’t have that. He tumbled her back onto the bed. His mouth pressed to hers. Claimed. Possessed. She gave the little moan that was quickly coming to addict him, and then he was kissing a path down her neck.

Something within him feltmarkedby her. Changed.

And he wanted to mark her.

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