Page 55 of When He Protects

“Well, no.” She hadn’t been. “I actually didn’t realize you feared anything.”

“We’re all afraid of something. Even tough talking, sexy-as-hell con artists and criminal masterminds.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Her teeth snapped together.

“I fear walking out of a damn grocery store, holding fucking chocolate chips, and finding you dead on the pavement.” Flat.

She shivered.

“I fear running to you and turning you over only to seethat you have blood all over you. That your bones are broken and smashed. And that your eyes—the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen in my life—are closed. That they will always be closed. Because you left me. Because I didn’t do my one job. I didn’t protect you. I fear fucking up andlosing you.”

Wow. That had been surprisingly deep. She pushed a little more off the bed because she wanted to see him so badly.

He grabbed her. His hands flew up, curled around her, and in the next instant, she was tumbling right off that bed and into his arms. Her breath left her in a rush even as her body collided with his.

“I fear something happening to you,” he rasped.

Her upper body pressed against his powerful chest. Her legs straddled his hips, and there was no missing the hard, thrusting proof of his arousal. His hands remained curled around her shoulders.

“I fear you dying on my watch when there isn’t a damn thing I can do to protect you.” His hands slid down. Moved to curl around her hips.

Her hands pressed into the floor on either side of him, and she lifted up just enough that she could peer down at his face. “You’re really good at protection,” she murmured. She wanted his mouth.

No, I want him.

“And you’re good at breaking my control,” he returned in a tone that made a shiver slide over her body.

And with that, his mouth took hers. He closed the last bit of distance between them. His mouth pressed to hers. His tongue thrust inside. He tasted her. He took. He commanded a response.

A flood of need burst through her. Heremotions—already so tightly wound—seemed to explode. Leftover adrenaline? Fear? Who cared what it was? Suddenly, her nails were biting into him even as a moan stirred in her throat. She’d crawled into bed naked. A taunt to him. And when he’d pulled her off that bed, she’d still been naked. Her hips rocked against his thick dick, and the only thing separating them was the blanket he’d been using.

And—as she discovered when her hand slid down between them—his jeans.

Why did the man still have on his jeans? She could help him ditch those. Her mouth pulled from his as she pushed herself up. The move just had her hips rubbing harder against his cock. Her breath seemed way too loud as it heaved in and out.

Darkness.

She couldn’t see him clearly.

But she could feel her own arousal. Just from a kiss, and she’d gotten wet for him. Her breasts ached. She wanted Tyler to touch them. To tease her nipples. To touch her, everywhere. But she also had no intention of being the man’s regret come morning.

Her hands splayed across his chest. Her traitorous hips might have been arching against him. “Is this the part,” her voice was too husky, “where you’re going to tell me that if we have sex, it will change nothing?”

“Esme.”

“Because I can beat you to that point.” Her chin lifted even as she still tasted him. “It will mean nothing. It will change nothing. Just hot, dirty sex in the dark.”

His hands were curled around her waist. Holding tightly. “Wrong.”

Wait, what?

He lifted her up. Moved with that casual, powerful strength of his, and in the next second, she found herself on the bed again. She bounced and stared up at his shadowy form as he towered over the side of the bed. No, as he towered over her. Her fingers flew out and grabbed for a sheet. Too dark for him to see her, but the man had just rejected her in record time, so no way did she want to be naked in front of him. Darkness or not. “Change your mind already? The good guy just can’t stand the thought of fucking the bad girl?” Mocking. Maybe. Maybe there was also a hint of pain beneath her words.

“Oh, I can stand the thought. In fact, it’s basically all I could think about for the last three hours while you slept. Especially after that little strip show before you climbed into bed. You want me?”

Yes.

“Then I am absolutely going to fuck you.” A savage promise. “But it will change everything.”

---