Page 12 of Joel
A blush heats her neck, and suddenly I’m reminded of the bikini on the pillow. A bikini I would be untying in my hot tub right now had her piece of shit stepfather not killed the mood with his utter selfishness.
“That is my real name,” she says. “In case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
“So what now?” she asks, her gaze locked on my hand.
I should move it away, but the damn thing seems cemented in place. As though my eager fingers are determined to find out what is or is not beneath her T-shirt.
“Are you obligated to report me?”
“I’m not reporting you, Kylie.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” Todd Mercer? Now that’s another thing. But it’s nothing Kylie needs to worry about. I would go to the ends of the earth to protect her. Keep her safe. The last fucking thing I’m doing is letting her go down for something she was forced into doing. “Your secret is safe with me. On one condition.”
“Does it involve a hot tub?” she asks, the sparkle returning to her eyes.
“Correction. Two conditions.”
“What’s the first?”
I reach my hand to her neck, turning her face toward mine. It’s not lost on me that we’re in a hotel room, onherbed. But I won’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. And after having to deal with her asshole stepfather tonight, I suspect she’ll need time to decompress.
“You don’t go back to look for the treasure. Not alone. It’s too dangerous, Kylie.”
She licks her lips, distracting me for a moment.
“Kylie?”
“Okay,” she says, her word a mere whisper. There’s turmoil in those amber orbs I wish I could wrestle for her.
“I mean it, Kylie.”
“I know,” she says, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s just Todd…”
“Do you trust me?” I ask.
“I just told you about my illegal treasure heist plot,” she says, letting out a gentle laugh. “Is that not proof enough?”
I could kiss her.
Iwantto kiss her.
So I do.
I lift her chin, meeting her lips halfway. When I imagined our first kiss earlier, it was a savage, hungry kiss. One where she’d be in my lap grinding on my cock as I devoured her pretty mouth. One hand on her throat, the other gripping her plump, perfect ass.
But this kiss is the opposite.
It’s a sensual promise that I’m not going to abandon her no matter what. That I’ll protect her at all costs. Even if that means risking my military career to do it.
The kiss deepens, and Kylie lets out a soft moan against my parted lips.
“Joel?” She says my name in a gentle whisper, pulling back.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
