Page 25 of When He Protects

Too bad he’d have to kill her.

But…

No one steals from me. You were warned, Esme. You should have listened to my warning.

He’d find her. No matter where she went, there would be no escape. Not with his money and his reach. The authorities could be bought. More hunters and hitmen brought in to track her. She’d be hunted down like the prey she was.

In the end, she’d beg his forgiveness.

Too bad for Esme that he never forgave anyone.

Chapter Six

Esme was incredibly comfortable.Granted, her pillow was as hard as a rock, but she felt warm and protected. And beingprotected?Safe? That was a very new feeling for her. She’d fallen into a deep sleep shortly after the plane took off. Plane rides always made her sleepy. And shehadbeen up for more hours than she could clearly recall.

So, she’d drifted off.

And had some very steamy dreams about a certain U.S. Marshal.

Her eyes opened. Her head turned. And she realized that her pillow? Her ever-so-hard pillow? That would be his thigh. She was actually stretched out across the seats, and her head was on his rock-hard thigh. When she turned her head, she found herself staring straight up at him.

Grimly, he stared down at her.

“So…” Esme cleared her throat. “I don’t actually recall how I got in this position.”

He kept staring back.

She should get up. She would. Her head moved and…

Oh.

“Ahem.” Esme winced. “I’ll get up…carefully, shall I?”

His jaw could not possibly clench any harder.

She got up, carefully, because there had been a very aroused cock not far from her head. Once she was securely inherseat again, Esme discovered that the skirt of her dress had hiked way, way up. She pushed it down, extremely aware of the silence from the stone-faced man beside her. “Plane rides make me sleepy.”

“Um.”

“Though, for the record, I can’t remember ever just making the passenger next to me into my own personal pillow. You’re the first on that count.”

His eyes were on her. So very watchful. “Good to know.”

“Guess you’re special?” She tried a smile.

He didn’t smile back. “You were slumped on my arm. Your neck was all twisted.”

Now that he mentioned it, her neck did ache a bit.

“I put you down so you’d be more comfortable.”

He had? She couldn’t control her beaming grin. “That was incredibly thoughtful of you.” Her fingers skimmed up his arm.So warm.“Thank you, Ty.”

“Tyler.”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you called me Ty.”

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