Page 39 of Merciless Protector

Normally, I wouldn’t have opened her bag without permission. But nothing in it was personal, as it had all been purchased by Kelsey or Griff’s team. I had the bag unzipped when I reached for the paper inside. I was sliding the contents out when Tayla came in and said, “Wait.”

It was too late. There in my hand was something I couldn’t quite comprehend. Everything went silent for a second before I could draw breath and dumbly hold up the box. “What is this?”

22

TAYLA

I gripped the towel closed as if it were a lifeline. “Best-laid plans” was the saying, but for me, everything was falling to shit. The man I had trusted may not be trustworthy, which shook me to my core. He’d been one of the reasons that had kept me sane.

“It’s exactly what the box says, Shawn.” I put a lot of emphasis on his name. “Or is Matt your name?”

The question had built in my head until the point of pain. I felt tears pricking in my eyes, which was one of the reasons I hadn’t brought this up until now. There was no way I wanted to cry. My emotions were all over the place.

“I can explain,” he began, having the nerve to sound pissed off, but I cut him off.

“You sound like every bad cliché line ever said in a movie.”

His eyes narrowed, and he snapped at me. “I didn’t know you. And as I’ve mentioned, I work with some very dangerous people. So I use an alias, sue me. No way would I give anyone a way to hurt my family because of my choices. Now you have your answer. I’d like some of my own. Whose is it?”

There was a moment when I considered slapping him, but I refrained. “Okay. I’ll give you that because we haven’t seen each other in three months. It’s a logical question, given you don’t know me,” I said, repeating his first words. “Let me set you straight and give you details you probably don’t want to hear but are relevant to your question.” I stopped and took a breath. “My period is irregular. What that means for me is it isn’t unusual for mine not to show up for a few months. Honestly, I hadn’t given it a second thought until Kelsey asked me if I needed supplies, and I didn’t. While it’s likely nothing, if, and I mean if, I’m pregnant, it’s yours. I haven’t been with anyone else, and Ruin billed me as a virgin and did everything to ensure you would be my first.”

I didn’t go into the things he did do. There was no space for that in this conversation. If I thought he would drop it, I was wrong.

“No one offered you the morning-after pill?”

I glared at him. “For your information, I was too busy defending you to the cops, the nurses, doctors, social workers, my mother and whoever else came to my hospital room that day that I wasn’t raped. I didn’t think about myself. I’m not even sure if they offered it because it didn’t cross my mind. Sorry, I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.”

“Okay. Fine. When were you going to tell me, if at all?”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I glared a few seconds before answering. “When I had an answer.”

He nodded and began to walk away.

“That’s it,” I spat. “No opinions?” I wasn’t sure what I expected.

He spun around with fire in his eyes and stalked toward me. “What opinions do you want me to have? Everything is up to you, no matter how fucked up my life is. Including how I should walk away from you, but I can’t.”

In the next moment, his mouth was hot on mine. I gave as good as I got. We fought for dominance over the kiss until we were frantically peeling at each other’s clothes. He hiked me up and urged my legs around his waist as my back met the wall. His thrust inside me felt like a brand. Everything I felt for him tattooed its way onto my heart.

There was nothing sweet about our lovemaking. It felt angry as if we were both frustrated with our undeniable connection. The earth moved, and it took more than a moment for my mind to penetrate the sexual haze I was in. We were on a plane, and as that thought materialized, Grant’s voice sounded above. I couldn’t make out the words, but as the plane shook, I was certain he was warning us of turbulence. But Shawn’s kiss on my neck made all that noise disappear. All I wanted was in the now as Shawn pounded his way to my ultimate climax. My inner walls spasmed around his cock, forcing his own release with a roar.

The plane jolted again as Shawn held me there against the wall, his face buried in the crook of my neck, his breath fanning over me. Not until the plane rattled again did he pull out and set me on my feet. The unsettling part was he didn’t look at me. He busied himself, gathering his discarded clothes, so I did the same. Though I noticed his bandage looked wet with blood.

“We should redo your bandage,” I said. It was a peace offering, as much as I still cared for him.

Not until he was done did he glance at me while he probed that area. “It’s fine. We should go strap in,” he said as the plane rolled slightly from turbulence.

At a loss for words, I nodded and followed him out of the bedroom, past the sofa into the main area with three rows of seats. Considering his mood, I sat in my original seat on the second row of single seats on the left side. He sat across from me, and I dared a glance and watched him put on his seat belt. Before he finished, I put on my own. When I chanced another look, hoping for an opening to discuss what was going on between us, his eyes were closed.

He hadn’t been sleeping enough. I decided to let it go for now. Shortly after, Grant spoke on comms and said that we’d passed the bad patch of air. I got up and Shawn didn’t stir. I sighed and went to do what I originally set out to do. However, before I showered, I peed on the stick. In fifteen minutes or less, I would have answers.

Time slowed as my tears mingled with the stream of water. Like it or not, I was falling for a guy who’d told me he wanted to walk away from me. I gave myself the time to mourn the loss of a potential relationship. Though I vowed to be over it before I got answers to my current problem.

When I had them, freshly dressed in clean clothes, I sat in my seat, eyes closed, wondering how I should feel. I had no idea I’d fallen asleep until Shawn gently roused me awake with a nudge. Startled, I automatically wiped my mouth, grateful to find no drool.

There was no humor on his face, and I jerked my gaze away from his. I unbuckled. By the time I stood up, Shawn was in conversation with Grant. I gathered my bag and walked toward the open door. Their conversation finished when I neared. Shawn exited, and I gave Grant a polite “thanks.” Though he smiled, it felt sympathetic, as if he could feel the tension between Shawn and me.

As I descended, I realized I had no idea where I was. It was the first question I asked when I got into the awaiting car after following Shawn through a maze of turns until we exited to a parking lot. The car was once again fancy but not showy. It was a black Nissan Maxima with high-end features.

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