Page 54 of Protector

His brows lift toward his hairline. “What? Is there something you need?”

“Yes. You.” I move until my body is snugly pressed against his. “You’re not leaving me, Brooks. Not after tonight.” Those last three words are laced with a pleading tone, but I don’t care. I lead him over to the bed, keeping a firm hold on his hand.

Reluctantly, I release his hand to pull back the covers. “You can go and change if you need to…”

“I don’t need to do anything.” He slides out of his leather jacket and throws it on the end of the bed, and we exchange a grin.

I slip out of the yoga pants and sweatshirt I put on before we left and climb into the bed in my bra and underwear. Then I watch as Brooks pulls his shirt over his head, slips out of his jeans and joins me in the bed, wearing only navy-blue boxer briefs.

As soon as his body envelops mine, it’s like someone tossed the world’s most comfortable blanket into the dryer and then over my body. I rest my head on his chest, drape my thigh over his, and breathe him in.

Then the images of tonight start to assault my brain, and Brooks’s hand rubs up and down my back, as if he can read my mind. I focus only on his touch until my pulse slows down. Then his lips press to the top of my head, and my eyes fill with tears, the emotion of the night catching up with me.

“It’s going to be okay,” Brooks whispers, continuing to caress my back, my head.

“I know…” I look up to his face then, edge up until my lips are next to his. “Thank you…for staying with me.”

“In case you haven’t noticed by now, Shay, I’d do anything for you.”

Those words, his caring, gentle touch, do crazy things to my heart. I don’t know what to say, but I do know what my body is saying. I want so badly to be with him completely in this moment, but I’m so exhausted and so overcome with emotion I don’t know what I’ll do or say—and I don’t want to freak him out. “As bad as I want… Well, I’m just grateful to be here, with you, in this moment.”

Looking deep into my eyes, he says, “Trust me, Shaylene, I know.” He kisses me then, slow yet sensual, his tongue a feathery brush against mine. And just when I think I might not be able to stop, he pulls back, brushes a tear from the corner of my eye. “Now, close your eyes. I got you.”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Brooks

Despite the fact that we’re hiding out, running from a sociopath, whom we can’t identify, I feel the calmest I have in I don’t know how long. Sitting halfway up in bed, the laptop teetering on one thigh so as not to disturb Shay, I focus on the soft, deep breathing emanating from her as she lies against me.

I might have had some serious restraint last night, knowing Shay only needed to be held, but that doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. Holding her all night long after making crazy passionate love to her that night in the hotel room was intense and beautiful. But being with her last night, just for the sake of being together, protecting her and showing her—fuck, yes, showing her—that I care deeply about her…that sealed the damn deal, and now I know I’m all in with Shay. I just hope it’s not the biggest mistake of my life. Not only that, but when all this shit’s over, I just hope she can see me in the same light. For all I know, this could all be a façade. Until then, though, staying focused is the only thing I can do to protect her.

Shay jostles next to me, and just the slightest movement from her, the quiet moan vibrating against my ribs, makes my body come alive. It’s torture not giving in, taking her and making her mine in every way.

“Good morning.” She looks up, and I can’t believe how she glows like a freaking character in some fairy tale.

“How do you feel?”

“Good, thanks to you.” She presses her cheek into me and cuddles in again.

I don’t know if I can take this heat pumping through me, so I say, “We should probably get up because if you keep pressing into me like that—”

“What?” She whips her head up, grinning deviously.

“You know what,” I say, half of me wanting to prove it to her, the other half still unsure what this whole thing between us means.

She laughs, and it is better than the best damn shot of whiskey, delivering fire to places I don’t need heating up right now. But then her smile fades. “Honestly, as much as I would love to give in and focus on one thing and one thing only, I think you still owe me some answers.” She rests her chin on her clasped hands and stares up at me. “I was so exhausted last night I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but now my head is spinning, and I really need to ask you some questions, if that’s okay.”

Knowing this was coming, I thought about what I would say the whole time I waited for her to wake. I slide the laptop off my legs and take a deep breath. “Ask me anything.” In reality, I’ve already admitted the hardest thing for me personally. The rest of it wasn’t my story to tell, but Jade gave me permission last night.

Her eyes show surprise for only a moment before she starts in with, “Why didn’t you tell me you had a sister? I told you all that stuff about my family, my brother, and I just don’t understand why you hid it from me.”

My lips pull tight, my chest constricting at the hurt in her expression. “Hey, to be fair, I shared a lot of things with you. Things I’ve never shared with anyone else.” I pause for her response because I want to make sure this hits home with her. She nods, and I brush my hand over her head and continue. “I didn’t tell you about Jade because her story was not mine to tell. And before I say anything, I want you to know it had nothing to do with me not trusting you. Jade’s here because she’s hiding out too.”

Shay’s eyes pop wide, and she pushes herself off me to sit up beside me. “She have a stalker too?”

“Not exactly. Some years back, she was living with someone. A man—no, not a man; he doesn’t deserve for me to call him that. He beat her on the regular, and she hid it from everyone, including me. When it got so bad she ended up in the hospital, it all finally came out. Thankfully, for that piece of shit, and me, the police got to him before I did. He only did three years, and when we heard he was getting out, I moved Jade here from Jersey. It used to be one of Cole Security’s safe houses. Since I didn’t know how long we would need it, I bought it from the company.”

I had drifted my gaze toward the window while I spoke, hoping it would help keep my emotions at bay as those images of my sister re-emerged, so hurt and in so much pain. But now that I return my attention back to Shay, I see she has tears in her eyes. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

---