Page 7 of Sentinel

“There’s nothing to tell. I’m fine. Really.”

“I know when someone’s running. And you’ll either tell me yourself, or I’ll find out on my own. But one way or another, Sarah…” He closes the distance separating us, as he grips my chin between his forefinger and thumb. Ghosting his lips across mine, he says, “I will find out, baby. And I’m gonna spank your sweet ass if I don’t hear it from you first.”

His words should land like a threat, but instead, they prickle my skin like a delicious promise. My eyes involuntarily close, and my entire body quivers when I think about what he’s just said…andhow badly I want him to stay true to his word. Still gripping my jawline, he brushes the tip of his nose up the column of my neck. He breathes in the soft scent of my floral perfume, causing my pulse to beat wildly at the base of my throat.

“I shouldn’t be touching you like this, but fuck if I can stay away.”

I know this is wrong, and the timing is horrible, but it feels so good, and I want more. This man is all kinds of dangerous, and he’s done God knows what with his club. Not to mention, he’s my new boss—oh, and the fact I’ve just left my ex-fiancé. I should be pushing him off me right now, not allowing him to slide his huge, muscular thigh between my legs and rub it against my shamelessly hot, wet core.

Sentinel looks into my eyes with an unmistakable hunger that I’m sure is reflected by my own. “I can tell your pussy’s needy for me, baby. But we have some shit to work out first.”

He almost looks pained as he leans in and kisses my forehead, before taking a step back and putting some space between us. I have to blink several times, to clear away the cloud of lust that has fogged up my brain and almost made me climb my new boss like a tree. Right here. In the office.What the hell was I thinking?

I can’t believe I move to a new city and almost screw everything up. Of course, there’s no denying there’s some kind of insane chemistry between this man and me—the kind of lust-at-first-sight you only read about in books. But this is my life, not a damn romance novel. And I can’t afford any more mistakes. Not like the ones I made with David.

“You’re thinking awfully hard again, baby girl. You ready to tell me what I wanna know? Or you still want me to find out on my own?” There’s a hint of challenge in his eyes that, for some odd reason, makes me want to defy him simply to see if he’ll give me that spanking like he promised.

“Like I said, there’s nothing to tell. And about what just happened…” I wave a hand between us. “I shouldn’t have done that.Weshouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry, and it won’t happen again. I, um… I think I’ll go ahead and leave for today.”

I turn to gather my purse and keys from the desk drawer, when he grasps my waist to stop me. “Every protective instinct I have goes off when I’m around you. I’m not gonna hurt you, Sarah, if that’s what you think.”

I tense at his spontaneous admission, somehow knowing he really would never hurt me, yet reminded of the last man who did. He must notice my reaction, as awareness flashes across his face, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he lets me continue to pack up.

“I meant what I said, baby girl. We have some shit to work out.”

After I have what I need, I try to give him a wide berth, hoping to keep my raging hormones in check. But, of course, the headstrong biker doesn’t let me get away that easy. And a corrective hand shoots out to pull me close, just as I try to walk past him.

He presses the length of his taut body against mine before bending down to whisper in my ear. “If you think this thing between us isn’t going to happen, you’re dead fucking wrong. From the moment I saw you, I wanted to have you. I wanted to fuck you. I wanted to keep you. I know you feel it too, but you’re scared.” He pulls back and gazes into my eyes—the intensity of which is nearly overwhelming. “You don’t have to be scared with me. I’ll show you.”

Iwantto believe him, though I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the sincerity I see staring back at me, or the calm steadiness of his voice that conveys honesty. But for some reason, I trust him.

I give him a slight nod, and he crashes his mouth to mine in a kiss unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. If this is how a kiss is supposed to be, then I have no idea what I’ve been doing with other men, because it sure as hell wasn’t this. Every inch of my body is on fire for this man right now, and all he’s doing is kissing me.

Sentinel’s full lips are soft and commanding as his tongue explores the depths of my mouth. He cradles my face with his hands and angles my head to his desired position, controlling our passion and giving me everything I need without the burden of asking. I mindlessly rise on the balls of my feet, trying to get closer, as my hips press farther into his body. But just as I feel his massive erection prod my belly, he wrenches his mouth away from mine, leaving both of us panting and painfully unsatisfied.

“Tomorrow. I’ll see you tomorrow, baby girl.”Noooo, don’t stop!

My breathing still labored, I do my best to respond without seeming desperate. “Right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening.”

I make an effort to collect myself as I walk out of the office, trying to control each breath. But as soon as I’m in my car and see my slightly swollen lips in the rearview mirror, my pulse picks up again in excitement.

I thought coming to this unknown town—in the middle of nowhere—would keep me out of trouble. That it would be the perfect place to hide from David and start a new life. Instead, I think I may have found myself a different kind of trouble. The kind of trouble that makes good girls like me want to be all kinds of bad.

7

SENTINEL

Iwalk into the Disciples’ clubhouse, feeling edgy and agitated. It’s been three days since I’ve seen Sarah, but that couldn’t be avoided. I had to be away on club business, which kept me from the shop. That meant leaving her under Whiskey’s watch for the last seventy-two fucking hours. And I hated every second of it.

Not that I don’t trust my brother, because I do. But we all know Whiskey doesn’t discriminate when it comes to getting his dick wet. And he likes to turn on that stupid southern charm he thinks is so fucking cute—anything to improve his chances of getting pussy.

But I gave him a fucking warning before I rode out the other night—made sure he knew damn good and well to keep his handsandhis dick to himself. Because brother or not, if he touched what’s mine (even if Sarah doesn’t know that yet) I’d have to kill him. And that’d be too much of a fucking mess for the club to sort out.

Aside from what’s been going on at the shop, I’ve had prospects keeping an eye out for Sarah at night, to make sure she gets home safely and stays that way. It’s not that she’s in a bad part of town or anything, but she is a beautiful woman living alone. And I want her to be protected, especially if I’m not around to do it my damn self.

And, yeah, I’ve decided she’sfuckingmine. I can’t explain why; she just is. From the moment I laid my damn eyes on her, I had to have her. And it isn’t just my dick talking either.

Not to be a fucking asshat, but I have no problem pulling pussy whenever I want it. But it’s more than that with her. Like there’s this fucking cord drawing me towards her, forcing me to be near her, close to her, surrounding her.