Page 61 of When He Protects

His mouth pressed harder to her neck.

“That feels so good.” She whimpered. “Tyler, fuck me.”

Like he wanted to do anything else. The condom was on. Her legs were spread, her hips were rocking eagerly against him, and he sank in deep.

Her head tipped back against the mattress. Her breasts thrust toward him, and he had to taste. To lick. Even as his hips pistoned against her. Over and over, he drove into her hot, tight body. Sanity slipped away as he hurtled toward the release that waited for him.

The bed heaved beneath them. Her gasps filled his ears. His mouth was on her breast. One handstrummed her clit. And when she came, she squeezed his dick so hard that he lost his breath.

Fucking perfection.

There was no more holding back. There was only the fierce, driving need that consumed him. For the first time in his life, he let go completely. His self-control snapped as he fucked her. As he sent them both straight into brutal oblivion. The pleasure consumed and seemed to burn everything else away until the only thing that existed?

Esme.

She couldn’t catchher breath. Aftershocks of pleasure still pulsed in her sex, and Esme’s heartbeat still hadn’t returned to normal.

He’d pulled out of her. Ditched his condom in the bathroom.

Then came back to the bed.

His arms were around her. He held her close, like she mattered to him, and she didn’t say a word. A woman who hated silence, but she found she couldn’t talk. Why? Because sex with Tyler had just wrecked her. In the best possible way.

Sex had never been that good for her. So good that she’d lost herself completely. The orgasm hadn’t been for a beat of time. It had gone on and on and on, wringing her out. Leaving her sated and limp. And, possibly, utterly destroyed for other men. Dammit.

Her eyes closed. Sleep pulled at her. For the first time in a very, very long while, she actually felt safe. How could she not? She was in her marshal’s arms. He’d sworn to protecther. And after what they’d just done, she couldn’t merely be a case to him. Not anymore.

Hope flickered. The dream she’d had for so long.

Her heartbeat finally began to settle.

“When are you going to tell me the truth?”

Her eyes had just been sagging closed. At his low question, they flew right back open again. The lamp was off. Darkness surrounded her.

“You weren’t after diamonds at Jorlan’s party, were you?”

She could not move. He had to feel the tension in her body. Anger built inside of her. The twisting, stabbing pain of betrayal grew stronger with each tick of time that passed.Don’t do this, Tyler. Not now.

“Jorlan is pissed, Esme.”

Had he just kissed the back of her head?

“He came looking for you at Gray’s office. Demanded to talk to you. And now he’s gone missing.”

Oh, no. Her breath shuddered out.Jorlan can’t find me.

“Why does he want you so badly? Can’t be just about the diamonds. We took those from you. They’re safe. The diamonds were flash, weren’t they? They were to distract everyone from noticing what you really wanted. What you took.”

The anger inside was getting worse. As was the stab of betrayal. So much for the best sex ever. “Your post-sex chitchat needs a whole lot of work.” She tried to pull away.

He didn’t let her go. “You trusted me enough to fuck me.”

Yes, she had.

“Trust me enough to handle your secrets.”

She didn’t trust anyone with those. She turned in his arms. Their faces were close. “I have no secrets.” A whisper.

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