Page 53 of Protector

He chuckles against my lips and grabs my face in his hands. “I knew you were going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on you. Fucking hell, baby,” he says breathily before taking my mouth in a rough kiss that makes my head light.

When one of his hands snakes down to my waist, curves around it, and then pulls my body to his, I’m ready to straddle him right there in the front seat. But I barely lift one knee when we hear a loud whistle. I pull back, and we stare at each other before our gazes instinctively float over to the house.

Now there’s a dim porch light glowing, illuminating the figure of a woman wearing a dark tank, ripped jeans, and boots, her arms crossed over her chest. “I’d tell you to get a room, but then I’d have to let you in,” she calls.

My brows crinkle as I turn my confused expression on Brooks. “Um…something else you want to tell me?” I hold my breath as I wait for him to answer.

“That’s Jade. Don’t worry, you’ll love her.” And without another word, Brooks jumps out of the truck, moves to the back to pull out our bags. Before he gets to my side, I’m already hopping out, nerves bubbling up in my stomach.

Jade ambles forward as we approach the home, which I can see is more of a large log cabin, almost like a mountain retreat with a set of steps leading to the house, rocks and greenery bordering the bottom, and a long railed in porch.

Jade reaches her hand out to me. “Hi, I’m Jade.” Her gorgeous dark auburn hair is cut short and glimmers under the moonlight. It also highlights the row of earrings going down her left ear and her almost completely tattoo-covered right arm. If not for her welcoming smile, her physical presence might have been a bit intimidating as I can also tell she’s in great shape, with defined muscles.

Accepting the shake, I smile at her. “Shay.”

“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing with my ape of a brother?” she says, slapping a hand against Brooks’s leather-clad chest.

Sister?

“Whatever.” Brooks says, walking past her toward the steps. He stops just before, waiting for us. “You coming?”

Jade looks at me, and I nod and say, “Thank you for letting me stay at your place.”

“You’re welcome, but it’s not mine. This place belongs to Brooks.”

My eyes meet his, and I’m not sure what I’m feeling—confused mostly. He told me he lived in a small place in San Diego. And though the “Jade” mystery is solved, it feels as if these last two minutes really hit home that I don’t know as much about this man as I thought.

Stepping inside confirms this house is, indeed, a log cabin. Because once you get past the entryway and walk across the rustic wood flooring to the living room, that’s what you’re surrounded by—thick, beautiful wood. The logged walls and ceiling are gorgeous, inviting and so cozy combined with the fireplace bordered with rock and the large section of plush tan carpeting that houses two dark chocolate-colored couches.

“You two must be exhausted,” Jade says, snapping me out of my conundrum of trying to match Brooks up against this home. She’s halfway across the room, and with the open floorplan, I now take note of a bar and counter area, dark wood stools and a kitchen. She glances to a clock on the oven. “It’s almost three in the morning, so do you want sleep, coffee, or food?”

“Don’t go to any trouble,” I say instinctively, as if I haven’t just likely turned her life upside down. Brooks comes up behind me as Jade crosses back over and stops in front of me. Brooks’s hand on the small of my back makes me think I should brace for something.

“Let’s get something straight,” she says. “As long as you’re here, I’m gonna treat you like family.” She tilts her head, and her eyes flash up to Brooks behind me. “That means I won’t hold back, tiptoe around you, or treat you any differently than I do him.”

“Okay,” I say a bit hesitantly.

“That also means if you’re family, then we take care of each other. I know you’re going through some shit—though I have a lot of damn questions,” she says, looking at Brooks for that one. Then she pulls her attention back to me. “All of that can wait till tomorrow, but just know you’re safe here, and you should consider this place your home for however long you need it. Okay?” Taking my hand, Jade smiles, softening the rough exterior of her appearance.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. I think I’d like to rest for a few hours.”

“We all should,” Brooks says.

“You two go ahead. I’m going to make sure Dusty is okay. He hates Brooks, so he’s probably hiding.”

“Dusty?” I ask.

Brooks shakes his head. “Her psycho cat. Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”

We head back to the entry and then over to a set of stairs that leads to an A-frame second level. Brooks leads me to the second door and opens it to an adorable little bedroom with hardwood floors, a queen-sized bed with a black-and-white checked cover, and an antique-looking wood dresser beside it. The cozy feel is aided by the nightlight plugged into the wall and throwing a glow across the whole room. Brooks sets my bag down on the bench seat at the foot of the bed, then gestures back to the door. “Sorry, no private bath. It’s across the hall.”

“It’s okay.” I shrug. “This is perfect, and it feels…nice to be here.”

When I move next to him, take his large hand in mine, his expression looks torn.

“You can sleep as long as you want,” he says, then tries to pull away toward the door.

“Sorry, no.”

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