Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  “Oh. That’s kinda a letdown. I was liking that it was a big bad haunted prison where the worst of the worst were incarcerated. You know a lot about it,” Rayne observed.

  Ghost shrugged. “I like military history.”

  “Obviously.”

  Ghost smiled against Rayne’s hair. He enjoyed it when she got a little snarky with him. She was a breath of fresh air compared to the people he usually dealt with in his life.

  “What else am I looking at?”

  Ghost pointed out other notable landmarks of the London skyline as they continued to gain altitude. When they got to the top of the wheel’s projection, Ghost shifted them until they were looking once again at Westminster Abbey far below them.

  “Look, Ghost! It’s Big Ben!”

  “Actually, its real name is the Elizabeth Tower.”

  “What?”

  “The Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is only a nickname. Before that, it was known simply as the Clock Tower.”

  Rayne turned in Ghost’s embrace and looped her arms around his waist loosely. “Really? Good thing they changed it. The Clock Tower is a completely boring name for one of the most well-known clocks in the world. What else?”

  “What else what?”

  “What else do you know about Big Ben?”

  Ghost grinned down at her. “Big Ben is the nickname for the clock and the tower it’s in, but it’s actually the name of the bell itself. Also, it’s not the largest four-faced clock in the world…the largest is actually back home in the States…specifically, in Minneapolis. No overseas visitors are allowed to climb to the top of the tower, but United Kingdom residents are allowed, as long as they’re sponsored by a Member of Parliament.”

  “Anything else?” Rayne asked with a smirk, amazed at how many random facts he knew.

  “Yeah, there isn’t an elevator. So anyone who wants to get to the top has to climb the three hundred and thirty-four stairs to get there…then come down all three hundred and thirty-four as well.”

  “Three hundred and thirty-four? Did you make that up? How do you know that? Have you been up there?”

  Ghost smiled at Rayne, but didn’t answer.

  “You have! How in the hell did you manage that? Do you know someone in government as well as someone on the police force? You don’t live here, right?”

  “Right. I’m a US citizen, just like you.”

  Rayne stared at Ghost for a beat, trying to use her nonexistent mind-meld power to get him to tell her his secrets. Finally, she huffed out a breath. “I was right…you’re totally a spy. Fine, don’t tell me. You’re probably best friends with the queen or something.”

  Or something was right, but Ghost wasn’t going to let her know that. It was amazing the connections he had because of being a Delta Force soldier. He’d protected, and even saved, the lives of some powerful men and women in his career.

  He turned Rayne back around so she was gazing out at the city again. The weak sun was setting and it was slowly getting dark.

  Rayne sighed as Ghost gathered her into his arms. He put his hands on her hips and she shivered. God, he felt good.

  Feeling her shiver, he ran his hands up and down her arms. “Cold, Princess?”

  Jeez. Princess. Could he get any better? He’d called her that a few times already, but it was apparent he’d officially decided that was her new nickname. She should’ve been irritated, but she loved it. “No, not really.”

  “Come ’ere.” Ghost pulled her into his embrace fully. His arms went all the way around her so his right hand rested on her left hip and his left hand rested on her right hip. She rested her hands on his forearms. Finally, she sighed.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “I’ve had a good time today.”

  “And?” Ghost prompted.

  “And I don’t want it to end. But,” she warned as she felt his hands tighten on her, “I’m scared.”

  His arms immediately loosened and Rayne missed them. He physically turned her so she was facing him. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so she had no choice but to look at him. “Scared of me?”

  Rayne shook her head. “Not exactly.”

  “Talk to me. Explain.”

  Rayne bit her lip unconsciously, trying to think how she wanted to voice her fears. “I heard what you said earlier today…and I agree with all of it. But, I’ve never done this.” She gestured between them. “I was serious when I told you earlier that I’m a dork. I don’t do one-night stands. I haven’t had a boyfriend in two years. I like to read. You know I’m a romantic. Sleeping with you goes against everything I’ve ever thought about doing. It’s not safe going to bed with someone you don’t know. I don’t know if you have the creeping crud, or if you’re a sexual deviant, or what. For all I know, your ID was a fake and your name really isn’t John Benbrook and you’re not from Fort Worth. I’m just…scared.

  “But you should know…I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a man more than I want you. I’ve never had to forcibly think about something other than what your chest looks like, or how big your…well, how big you are, or even how your hands will feel on my skin. So, it’s all freaking me out. All of it. John, I don’t think I should—”

  “Call me Ghost,” he ordered immediately, and when she nodded, he continued, “You’re absolutely right, it’s not safe to sleep with someone you just met. But I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have the creeping crud, I’m not a sexual deviant, although if wanting to taste every inch of your skin, fuck you so hard you’ll still feel me days later, then eat you out after you come apart on my cock is sexually deviant behavior, I’ll have to amend that. And, Princess, you aren’t alone in your attraction. I haven’t stopped thinking about what’s under this sexy outfit since you sat down next to me in the airport. We absolutely should do this. Every woman needs at least one one-night stand in her life. Please God, take what you want. Take me. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, you’re safe with me, Rayne Jackson.”

  “How much longer until this thing is back at the bottom?”

  “I think we’ve got some time,” Ghost murmured, tilting his head down to hers. “Plenty of time for me to taste these scrumptious lips again.”

  Rayne smiled up at the man in front of her and licked her lips in anticipation of his kiss.

  “God,” he groaned, “you’re gonna be the death of me.” And he lowered his lips to hers.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ghost knew he was making one of the biggest mistakes he’d ever made in his life, but he couldn’t stop himself. If Hollywood was there he’d be smacking him on the back of his head telling him to think. But Hollywood and his other teammates weren’t there. And Ghost couldn’t resist the sweet, funny, slightly nerdy woman who was holding his hand and trying not to hyperventilate as if her life depended on it.

  He’d felt bad when she was expressing her confusion and fear while they were on the London Eye, and she’d said she was scared his name wasn’t really John, but not bad enough to stop what was about to happen. He needed Rayne. Needed her like a drug addict needed his next fix. A part of him knew he’d regret it if he didn’t take her to bed…and not in a horndog way, but because he knew their time together would change him fundamentally.

  He was being sentimental, but Rayne was the first woman in a long time who he was attracted to as much by her personality as he was by her body. She said what she was thinking, she wasn’t afraid to show her emotions, and she was fun to be around. Yes, she was also hot, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her body, but it went deeper than that. For the first time in his life he felt a connection to a woman.

  It scared the shit out of him, but Ghost knew he couldn’t walk away. Didn’t want to walk away.

  Hearing Rayne say she’d thought about what he might look like without his clothes on…that she wanted to know how big his dick was. Yeah, at that moment, he was putty in her hands and she had no idea. None. She said she was scared of him, but in actuality, it was
the other way around. She terrified him. He’d never felt like he did right now, in all of his life. As though if he didn’t get inside her, couldn’t taste her, smell her, hear her come apart under his hands, that he’d feel like he’d never truly lived.

  But it was more than that. Deep down he knew one night wasn’t going to be enough. For the first time ever, he was contemplating trying to figure out how to meet back up with a woman…to see her again. He hadn’t lied when he’d told her he was a one-night-only kind of man. First, his job demanded it, but second, he’d never found a woman who’d interested him enough to want to get to know her deeper than that.

  That made him a dick, but so far, he hadn’t had any complaints. He always let the woman know straight up he couldn’t give her more than one night in bed, and if she balked, he let her down easy and left. One or two had tried to change the rules to their agreement after they’d fucked, but Ghost still always left.

  The fact was, he wanted to know more about Rayne, knew that one night with her body under him, over him, and in as many other positions as she could imagine and even some she couldn’t…wasn’t going to be enough. He knew it in the very marrow of his bones, but that didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t have what he wanted.

  Ghost probably still could’ve resisted her and walked away, but when she’d said she’d never had a one-night stand before and hadn’t had a boyfriend in two years, all he could think of was that she was clean. Clean. Keane Bryson didn’t have “clean” in his life. His hands were covered in the metaphorical blood of all the men and women he’d killed for his country.

  He’d seen too much hatred, jealousy, gluttony, selfishness, and straight-up stupidity in the world. Ghost hadn’t even known someone as fresh and naïve as Rayne Jackson existed except in the fairy-tale movies she claimed to like to watch. And even if he had known, he knew he would never have a shot at her. But to have her stand in front of him and flat-out tell him she’d thought about how he’d feel against her skin was too much for him to resist.

  Ghost wasn’t a selfish man. His Delta Force team came first. His country came second. If someone needed food, he’d give his up. If they needed a weapon, he’d gladly give his over. He wasn’t even afraid to give his life if it meant saving one of his teammates or someone he was supposed to look after on a mission.

  But this? He couldn’t give this up. Ghost thought he deserved to be selfish for once.

  He needed Rayne. And he was going to have her. And not just once, but as many times as he could before it was time to go. He’d get her out of his system and then have the memory of the hot woman he’d seduced during a lucky layover in London.

  They went into the lobby of the Park Plaza Hotel and after collecting their luggage from the concierge, almost ran into a woman in a wheelchair with her assistance dog next to her. Scooting around her with a murmured apology, Ghost kept his hand on Rayne, stepped up to the front desk, and secured them a room for the night.

  Ghost could tell Rayne was embarrassed. She blushed as he asked for the largest-size bed they had with a view of the London Eye. She blushed as he gave the woman behind the desk his credit card. She even blushed when the lady in the wheelchair came back from outside and said hello as she went by them on the way back up to her room.

  “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Rayne,” Ghost told her as the clerk went into a back room for a moment.

  “I feel like I have one-night stand and slut tattooed on my forehead,” she whispered.

  Ghost leaned down and kissed her head. “I guarantee you don’t. You are so far from a slut it isn’t even funny. Relax.”

  He finished checking in, threw his duffle bag over his shoulder, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and took hold of her hand with his free one. Neither spoke as they headed up the elevator and got off on their floor.

  Ghost unlocked the door and held it open to let Rayne walk in ahead of him. He watched as she put her handbag on the dresser and went straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was nice, but it wasn’t huge, as was typical with European hotels. Rayne pulled back the curtain and gasped.

  The sun had completely fallen while they’d checked in and their room faced both the London Eye and Westminster Abbey.

  “It’s beautiful,” Rayne breathed, looking at the lights of the city twinkling in the distance.

  Ghost came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’re beautiful,” he told her honestly, brushing her hair off her shoulder, kissing her neck lightly.

  “I think I can see Buckingham Palace from here too. Were we really this high up when we were on the Eye? Oh, what time does our plane leave tomorrow? You did get on the list for standby, right? Do we need to schedule a wake-up call?”

  Ghost turned Rayne until she was facing him instead of the window, knowing she was skittish about the upcoming night. “Yes. I talked to the reservations woman and said to put me on standby and I’d confirm in the morning. Don’t be nervous, Princess. We’ll go at your speed, okay?”

  He watched as she swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.”

  “Why don’t you get changed into something more comfortable? Then we’ll sit and talk.”

  “Talk?”

  “Yeah, talk. Then if you want more, we’ll do more. If at any time you want to stop, we’ll stop.”

  “Simple as that?”

  “Yeah, Princess, simple as that. I told you once today that I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do, and that hasn’t changed. Although I have to tell you…I’m hoping you won’t want to stop and I’m going to do everything in my power to try to convince you to continue.”

  “I want you, Ghost. I’m just nervous. Thank you for being patient with me. I’ll get there.”

  “Then I’ll wait all night if I have to. Go on, get changed, I’ll head downstairs and make sure our wake-up call is set up.” He knew he didn’t have to leave the room to set up the call, but he figured Rayne would be more comfortable if he wasn’t there when she changed.

  “Thanks, Ghost. I won’t take too long.”

  Ghost pulled Rayne into his body and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He waited, thrilled when he felt her hands tentatively snake around him and rest on his back. He pulled back, kissed her lightly on the lips, and squeezed her biceps. “I’ll be back.”

  He took the elevator down to the lobby, went outside and leaned against the building after speaking briefly with the woman behind the desk. He didn’t need to schedule a wake-up call for himself. He’d get up without any problem. He always woke early in the morning. The guys on the team could set a clock by him. He did ask for a call at six for Rayne though. She’d have to get back to the airport to get to work, and he didn’t want her to miss the flight and get in trouble. Knowing what he was planning was a dickful thing to do, he still made the arrangements for Rayne to get to the airport in the morning without him. He’d warned her, so she knew she’d most likely wake up alone…or at least she wouldn’t be surprised when she did.

  Ghost waited as long as he thought Rayne might need to get changed and do whatever it was women did to get ready for bed, before heading back upstairs. He put the key in the lock and eased the door open. The lights had been dimmed and Ghost could just see Rayne’s shape on the bed. He went over to his duffle bag, grabbed it, and headed into the bathroom.

  He came out a few minutes later wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and no shirt. He padded to the bed and pulled back the sheet. He stretched out on his side and propped himself up on his elbow, facing Rayne.

  She was sitting upright with her arms around her knees. Rayne was wearing a black tank top and a pair of bright purple loose pants. Ghost smiled.

  “Purple, huh?”

  He watched as Rayne smiled then turned her head toward him. “Yeah, I’m fond of bright colors.”

  “I can see that. Let’s play a game.”

  “A game?” Rayne’s brows furrowed in confusion.

  “Yeah. Word association. I’ll say so
mething, and you tell me the first thing you think of when you hear it. Then you can tell me a word, and I’ll do the same thing.”

  “What’s the point?”

  Ghost smiled again, loving how blunt she was. “The point is to get you to relax a little bit…and to get to know each other a bit better.”

  “How is this game gonna help us get to know each other better? And doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a one-night stand?”

  “Soldier,” Ghost said, without answering her question. The whole point of the game was to take her mind off what they were about to do and to get her to let down her guard.

  “Fort Hood,” she responded immediately.

  “Why Fort Hood?”

  “Because it’s the biggest Army base in Texas, my brother is there, and it’s what I thought of first.”

  Ghost silently swore. Figured with his luck her brother would be stationed at the same place he was. Even with that little piece of knowledge, he wasn’t willing to turn his back on Rayne. He simply needed her too badly to walk away now. “Okay, your turn.”

  “London,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

  “Kissing you on the London Eye,” Ghost answered immediately. He watched as Rayne smiled. “Sex.”

  “Awkward.” As soon as she said it, she slapped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes in mortification.

  Ghost reached out and put his hand on her foot. “Sex has been awkward for you?”

  “Unfortunately, yeah.”

  “In what way?”

  “In every way. It’s just weird. Getting naked with someone, figuring out where my hands are supposed to go, waiting for him to get done…it’s just weird.”

  Ghost’s pulse rate sped up, listening to her. It was obvious she wasn’t a virgin, but damn he wanted to introduce her to passion. If she was lost in the moment, she wouldn’t be worrying about where her hands were or if he got off or not. “Your turn,” he said in a strangled voice.