Page 17 of Protected By The Ranger
His hand comes up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across my skin. The contrast between the violence these hands have done tonight and the tenderness they show me makes my chest tight with overwhelming emotion.
“What if someone else decides to fixate on me? What if this happens again?” The fear bubbles up before I can stop it. “What if next time—”
“Hey.” Jake’s voice is firm but gentle. “Look at me. That’s not going to happen. And if it does, I’ll be there. No one is going to hurt you.”
The question slips out before I can stop it. “What happens with us?”
Jake’s hands frame my face with reverent care. “That’s up to you.”
The intensity in his green eyes makes my breath catch.Something’s happening here, at this moment. This is real, and it’s ours.
Before I can respond, he pulls me into his arms and kisses mewith desperate need. His hands tangle in my hair as he deepens our kiss, and I press my body against his.
“Jake, what the actual fuck?”
Hayden’s voice cuts through the moment like a blade. We break apart to find my brother standing in the kitchen doorway, his expression shifting from confusion to understanding to fury.
“Ah, Dawson…” Jake stammers, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him be remotely unsure about anything.
Jake doesn’t let go of my hand, doesn’t step away, or try to make excuses. Instead, he faces my brother directly, his posture steady despite the bandages and torn shirt. “I’m in love with your sister.”
My brother’s eyes widen as he looks at Jake. “And you think that makes it okay to—”
“I think as long as Izzy is happy and safe, that makes it worth everything. Including your anger.”
Hayden’s eyes narrow, studying Jake’s face with the intensity that makes me cringe.“You’re serious about this. This isn’t just some adrenaline-fueled thing after a dangerous situation.”
“Dead serious,” Jake replies without hesitation.
Hayden’s gaze shifts between us, taking in our joined hands, the way Jake positions himself slightly in front of me. “Jesus, Jake. She’s my baby sister.”
“She’s also a grown woman who can make her own choices,” I say.
Hayden looks at me then, really looks at me, and I see the moment he recognizes something in my expression that makes his shoulders drop slightly.
I move to Jake’s side, wrapping my arms around his waist. The message is clear—I’ve made my choice, and it’s Jake.
“You going to treat her right?” Hayden asks Jake, his voice carrying the weight of big-brother protectiveness.
“I’m going to treat her like the extraordinary woman she is.”
Something in Jake’s tone, the absolute conviction with which he speaks, seems to satisfy Hayden. My brother studies Jake’s face for a long moment, then nods once.
“Good. Because if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
“Understood.”
“I’m going back to the hospital. I’m not staying here with you two,” Hayden says with a hint of a smile. “If I’m lucky, no one noticed I was gone.”
“I can drive you back,” Jake offers, but my brother shakes his head.
After Hayden’s taxi picks him up, Jake turns to me, his green eyes intense as they hold mine.
“Come on,” I tell him, taking his bandaged hand in mine. “Let’s go to bed.”
CHAPTER 9
JAKE
