Page 9 of Protected By The Ranger
“Right now, those are the same thing. I’m working on it.”
I cross my arms, feeling seventeen again and bristling against anyone trying to tell me what I can and can’t do. I know the stakes here, but I can’t help my frustration that bubbles over. “So what? I’m supposed to hide in Hayden’s house for weeks? Months? What kind of life is that?”
“A safe one.”
“Safe isn’t living.”
Jake runs a hand through his dark hair, and I notice the way his black t-shirt pulls tight across his chest with the movement.Even angry, he’s beautiful in a way that makes my mind wander to what those hands would feel like on my skin.
“Do you have any idea what went through my head when I came back and you were gone?” The question comes out raw, loaded with something deeper than professional concern.
“I can take care of myself, Jake. I’ve been doing it for years.”
“Not like this, and you know it. Not with someone watching your every move, documenting where you go, who you talk to.” He steps closer, and I catch the scent of his cologne mixed with something uniquely him.The proximity makes me want to close the remaining distance between us, to see if he tastes as good as he smells.”This isn’t about controlling you. It’s about keeping you alive.”
The intensity in his voice makes my chest tight.
Maybe he’s right.
Jake pullsinto Hayden’s driveway and cuts the engine, but he doesn’t get out of the SUV. Instead, he sits there, staring out the windshield like he’s trying to find the right words.
I reach across the center console to touch his arm, feeling the tension coiled beneath his skin.The muscle flexes under my touch, and it’s hard to focus on anything other than going to bed with him. “What’s really going on here?”
He’s quiet for a long moment, his eyes searching my face like he’s looking for permission to say something he shouldn’t. The air in the SUV is electric.
I lean closer, close enough to see the flecks of gold in his green eyes. “What are you so afraid of, Jake?”
“Somewhere between protecting you and getting to knowthe woman you are, this stopped being a favor for a Ranger buddy.” The admission comes out quiet. “And that terrifies me. I shouldn’t feel this way about you. But…you’re an incredible woman. I can’t help how I feel about you. Your brother would kill me.”
His words steal the breath from my lungs. All the anger and frustration from earlier evaporates, replaced by a warmth that blooms in my chest and spreads outward.
“Jake—”
“I know it’s complicated. I know you’re Hayden’s sister, and you’re my client. I know I have no right to feel this way about you.” His hands clench on the steering wheel. “But when I came back and you were gone, all I could think about was what would happen if your stalker found you before I did.”
I unbuckle my seatbelt and shift closer, close enough to see the muscle working in his jaw, the way his breathing has gone shallow.My movement makes the fabric of my dress ride up slightly, and I catch him glancing down at my bare leg, before his eyes snap back to mine, darker now with an intensity that makes me squirm.
“Look at me.”
He turns, and the raw emotion in his eyes makes my knees weak.
My thumb traces along his cheekbone.”Tell me you want this too.”
His breath catches, and his green eyes are wild as he looks at me. “I want you so much it’s killing me.”
“Then stop fighting it.”
He blinks slowly and I see the moment his control starts to crack.”This is a mistake.”
“Maybe I don’t think it’s a mistake.” I move closer and run my hand along his jaw, his stubble scratching against my palm.
For a heartbeat, we stare at each other, the air between us charged with barely restrained lust. Then Jake’s hands come up to frame my face, his thumbs brushing across my cheekbones with devastating gentleness.
“If we do this—”
“We already are doing this,” I whisper, leaning my face closer to his.
The kiss starts soft, tentative, like he’s giving me a chance to change my mind.But I’ve been dreaming about this moment since the first time I saw him, and I’m not wasting it on hesitation.I press closer, my hands grasping his shirt as I pourall my wantinto the connection between us.
