Page 31 of Merciless Protector

But even I got caught up in the spell of his lovemaking. It felt far from fucking. It was probably a good thing I couldn’t see his face. He’d gone so cold last night that I’d almost stayed in the room and hadn’t gone for what I wanted. What had happened to me and what we’d encountered last night had reminded me life was short.

Once Shawn got Ruin, he’d likely disappear from my life. And who knew if I’d find a man I’d trust enough to give myself to again?

We came not in a rush but just as powerful. Our skin was dewy with sweat as we lay there together.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. I might have said no, but my stomach growled in answer. “Eggs and bacon?”

“Sounds good.”

When he pulled out, I wanted to weep. Intimacy was an incredible thing that played with your emotions. There was so much I wanted to say. Until I noticed the tracker on the nightstand. I picked it up along with his shirt from the floor and pulled it on before exiting the room.

“Should we keep this?” I asked, holding the tracker up so he could see.

He turned to face me. “We have the advantage at the moment of knowing he knows where we are.”

“But won’t he know that we know about it when he finds the women missing? He can place me there.”

“True,” he said, then went to take eggs out of the fridge. “If we destroy it, then it will confirm that we know. By not destroying it, he may think you still don’t know about it.”

I bobbed my head.

He turned back around to gather what he needed to cook while I planted myself on a barstool and watched. As I stared at his bare back, I noticed little scars here and there. A part of me wanted to ask what marred his beautiful skin. Instead, I closed my mouth. I didn’t want to spoil what had been a beautiful evening and what was shaping up as a glorious morning.

“Last night was the first time I’ve slept so good in a long while,” I admitted while admonishing myself for the admission. I’d gone from being committed to silence to being vulnerable. Who was I?

When he glanced my way, his smile lit up the room. “Oh really?”

I nodded like a bobblehead. Seriously, when had I become that girl? So I went and spoiled it. “Yeah. Even after everything, I had nightmares…” He stiffened, and I trailed off because I’d gone and stuck my foot in my mouth. “I mean, it was great. I—uh—It was really great.”

Quiet landed like a solid wall between us. I scrubbed my hand over my face, grateful that he wasn’t facing me. I forced myself to stay seated. He wasn’t allowed to get weird about my situation. I wasn’t great, but I was good. And last night had been amazing.

“I don’t know if I ever properly thanked you. So thank you for everything. If you hadn’t come, I might still be bound to him.”

When he shifted toward me with two plates in his hand, I couldn’t read his expression.

“The first or second time?” he said.

Feeling like a fish out of water, I opened and closed my mouth a few times as a smirk grew on his face. Tongue in cheek, I said, “Both.”

“Eat,” he said in response and handed me a fork.

So I did, and it was glorious. Not to boast about his ego any further, I kept it to myself. Though my huge grin probably gave it away.

When I put my fork down, he asked, “More?”

I playfully narrowed my eyes. “Are you fishing for compliments?”

“Don’t have to. The satisfaction is right there on your face. Though I admit, I’m not sure what you prefer.”

My response was to lift a questioning brow.

“You have that post-orgasm glow. Now I’m not sure if you prefer my dick or my cooking.”

My smile turned flirty as I got off the stool and said, “Maybe you should find out.”

He bit his lower lip, and I was sunk. Damn if the sound of his phone vibrating on the counter didn’t spoil the mood.

“I have to take this,” he said. I moved to grab the dishes. He shook his head. “I’ve got this. You go ahead.” He waved me off.