Page 14 of Protection for Rowan

“So they support you being in a relationship?”

He nodded. "Sharp and Jay have women. I mean, they can be immature, but they are all adults. And they want to meet you."

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought about the fact she would need to meet his buddies. They were just people. She was actually looking forward to meeting his friends, but they were all SEALs, and meeting a group of them could be intimidating.

“So, it won’t take long to cook dinner. What would you like to do before we eat?”

Rowan drew in a sharp breath as thoughts of doing dirty things with this man invaded her mind. Heat rose up her neck to her face. She raised her hand to her throat, trying to hide a little of the embarrassment because her thoughts were about getting him naked. “Um, I don’t know.”

His chuckle was sensual and made her heat even more. “Oh, I think you know.”

Her gaze met his, and the look in his eyes made her want to reach for him. She shrugged. "Maybe I do know."

He took a step closer, and she moved toward him. Her hands shook as she raised them. Excitement poured through her.

She glanced up and licked her lips. “I’ve had dreams about this.”

He reached up and pushed her hair behind her ears. “Same.”

“I’ve wanted to kiss you, really kiss you, for a long time.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and applied enough pressure she closed the distance. When his arms wrapped around her, she glanced up, loving how his eyes shone as he stared down at her.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

Heat filled her. “Yes. I want that.”

His lips curved up just before he lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. It was gentle at first, but then his tongue licked along the seam of her lips, and she opened for him. He pulled her closer so she was plastered against his body. His tongue stroked against hers in a dance that was sensual and seductive.

His hands trailed down her body, heightening her desire. She needed to feel more, so she ran her hands down his back and then tugged at his shirt that was tucked into his shorts. When her fingers hit the skin on his back, they both paused the kiss.

His skin felt so velvety soft under her fingers. She wanted more but didn't want to rush too fast. Maybe she was moving things along at a much quicker speed than he was comfortable with. She didn't want to scare him off.

She pulled out of the kiss, and they stared at each other, breathless. After he swallowed hard, he let go of a chuckle.

“You know, I think we could end up doing more than we want to do.”

Her lips pulled into a smile. “Oh, I think we both want it, but I know what you mean. We both want to build a foundation so we last.”

He ran his hand over his face and blew out a breath. “I really want us to work out.”

“Maybe we should play cards. I have a few card games.”

Shine’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you have Uno?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s play that. It will give us time to chat and not touch each other.”

Rowan sighed and turned away. The heat running through her veins made it difficult to think. Where were the cards? She blew out a breath and then remembered she'd put them in a container in the pantry.

She found the cards and then opened the refrigerator. "I don't have beer, but I have water and tea."

“Tea would be nice.”

She flashed a smile. “Awesome.”

She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and he came into the kitchen and took the tea out from the refrigerator. He poured them both glasses and took them to the table.

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