Page 57 of The Ranger Gets His Girl

His hands flattened on the sand beside her, and he glared. "It isn't funny, little bird. You could've gotten hurt."

She slapped her knee to clean off the sand and wiped a tear out of her eye. "I know, I know. I could've twisted an ankle or something."

She rolled her eyes as she got to her knees to stand, then felt his hands on her waist and elbow, helping her up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Tis just a flesh wound." She shrugged him off and stepped back onto the sand, needing more space as his touch sent that same fire through her veins. She had to rein herself in. He wanted to protect her so much but the one thing he couldn't protect was her heart. He couldn't protect her from him.

He snorted and crossed his arms. "There you go again, brushing it off like it's nothing."

"It literally is nothing, Mason." Her tone was exasperated, but she wouldn't keep arguing with him.

She sat on the path and put her sandals on, taking deep breaths to try to recenter her mind and emotions.

"Are you sure?" His voice was soft near her ear, and she realized he'd squatted behind her. She was cradled between his legs, and she felt his dick pressing against her back.

Her spine straightened and her nipples hardened with awareness. She felt his body heat behind her, and his hands raked up her bare arms to her shoulders. One hand gently swept her hair to the front, exposing the sensitive part of her neck to him.

Then he dipped his head and kissed it softly. Her breath caught in her throat. He was touching her, and it made the overwhelming need skyrocket.

Damn it, she wanted more. More of him. More of his time. His heart. His everything. Tears pricked behind her eyes, and she closed them and leaned back into his arms.

Chapter 21

Lust burned in Mason's brain at just that small kiss to her shoulder, and he shook his head to clear it. Lucy tilted her head back, her beautiful brunette hair shining in the tiki lights, making him think of an island goddess full of passion and spitfire.

She turned in his arms and looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Mason, I'm going to say this one more time. You do not need to protect me from everything. I tripped. Things happen, and that's ok. You have to let go of this need to control."

He frowned, standing up and gently pulling her to her feet. His hands hovered on her elbows to make sure she didn't fall again.

"It's not about control," he growled. Amanda had called him on that too, but that wasn't what was going on here. Was it?

She waved her hands to the side, and his dropped limply.

"Isn't it? You're acting like a dad with a little kid, trying to make sure your little girl doesn't get a scrape on her knee. I don't need a fucking babysitter, Mason. You want to keep pretending we're together this week, that's fine. But I need you to treat me like an equal, not like a fragile little girl who needs to be put in a bubble of safety."

He frowned. "I'm not—"

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and cocked a hip. Her look was the epitome of 'Ya think?'

He chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. "Fine, fine. I'll try to ease up, but no promises."

She snorted and cocked one hip. "Look, if you see me as a child who needs looking after, fine. I can't stop you from feeling that way. But we're not going to have much fun if we keep fighting about it for the next week."

His eyes raked down her body and back to her gorgeous eyes. God help him, but he was more than aware of her as a woman. He felt it with every cell in his body anytime she was near.

She tried to step around him again, but his hand shot out to grab her wrist. She couldn't just walk away. His chest tightened.

"No, wait. I know you're not a kid. But to be perfectly honest, I like treating you like one."

Her hands waved wildly, and she raised her voice. "What the fuck does that mean?"

He pulled her flush, making her gasp when her breasts contacted his chest. "It means I want to kiss every booboo on your body. I want to spank you when you get mouthy. And I want to punish you when you run out of the room without telling me where you're going."

Her eyes widened, and he wondered if he'd gone too far. Then she licked her lips and looked at his. "What—you want to do what?"

Her voice was almost a whisper.

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