Her P.I. Protector

by Jennifer Morey

  Feeling like her bold self, Skylar reached behind her to unzip the dress. Then she slipped the garment off her shoulders and shimmied it down her legs until she stepped out of it.

  He dropped his shirt as he looked his fill of her in a lacy bra and underwear. Still in his trousers, he walked to her. Her flesh broke out with goose bumps as his hand glided over her skin from her waist to her back.

  She put her hands on his bare chest, momentarily distracted by sparks of heat before preventing him from pulling her to him.

  “No fair,” she said, taking the waistband of his pants in her hands and unfastening them. He pushed them down and kicked them aside.

  “You’re wearing more than me now.”

  “I don’t have socks,” she said with a slight smile.

  He bent to remove his, sending them to the growing pile of discarded clothes.

  Skylar couldn’t stop herself from looking at the hard length of him straining against his underwear. The evidence of his desire hitched hers up a notch. He didn’t move toward her, indicating he would wait for her. He wanted her ready.

  She was.

  Stepping toward him, she again put her hands on his chest, this time enjoying the soft skin over the shape of his fit muscles. His abdomen was ribbed. Sliding her hands to his rear and slipping her fingers inside the waistband of his underwear, she pushed them down.

  Julien took his cue and reached for her bra. Unclasping the front, he freed her breasts. After looking at her for a nearly uncomfortable amount of time, he touched them, cupped them and then ran his thumbs over her nipples.

  Skylar could ward off temptation no longer. She looked down and took his member in her hand. Its hard warmth quickened her breath and made her hotter.

  She felt him abandon her breasts and push down her underwear. Both of them completely naked now, Julien again took his time taking her in visually. She watched his face, so reverent and impassioned.

  At last, he put his hands on her hips and followed the curve of her waist back up to her breasts. He kissed her, his mouth moving with hers in loving gentleness. She moved her hands to his back as he pulled her against him.

  The skin-to-skin contact inflamed her. She pressed her mouth firmer to his and he reciprocated. She knew he intended to take this slowly, but she couldn’t wait any longer. Looping her arms around his shoulders, she kissed him even harder and pressed her hips against him.

  Lifting her, Julien took her to the bed and slipped on a condom. He didn’t take down the covers, just set her on top of the quilt. She opened her knees as he came to rest on top of her.

  His mouth trailed over her neck and down to her breasts, taking one and flicking his tongue across her stiff nipple, and then treating the other to the same exquisite ecstasy. He then moved on to her stomach, sending goose bumps spreading again. She sank her fingers into his hair as he kissed his way back up to her mouth.

  “I need you inside me,” she rasped against his mouth.

  “I need to be inside you,” he replied with equal passion. “I’ve never needed anything more.”

  His words washed over her, ignited her more. She felt the same.

  Probing her, his entry was tortuously slow, sinking in deep and then withdrawing. The friction infused her entire body and mind with sensation. She raised her hips in a wordless entreaty for him to go deeper.

  At last he seemed to lose control and thrust harder. Skylar lay her head back into the mattress, closing her eyes to sheer pleasure. He hit a spot that sent her soaring and he penetrated over and over, escalating the intensity until she burst with a cry.

  He groaned as he came just after that. Then his movements gradually slowed until he was still. He collapsed on her, his head beside hers as they both regained normal breathing.

  Skylar had known making love with Julien would be explosive but what she hadn’t prepared herself for was the intense connection she felt. Her heart had fallen for him much harder than she’d anticipated. It was as though love had instantaneously entrapped her. The significance of what had transpired began to weigh heavy.

  Neither one of them was ready for something this serious. Apart from their different lifestyles, Julien wanted a family, but he wasn’t actively looking for a wife any more than she was looking for a husband. Besides, he still had issues with his last serious relationship. He had bought a house for them, only to be disappointed over how wrong he had been about the woman. Trust would not come easy for him, especially since Skylar had never contemplated having a family. She felt swept away on a tidal wave taking her far off course. She was headed in a direction she wasn’t even sure she wanted.

  She needed time away from Julien. She couldn’t think straight with him nearby. As a woman who had always been certain of her decisions, she didn’t recognize this new person that Julien seemed to be extracting. Was she growing in a healthy way or was she being dragged from a life she loved?

  * * *

  Julien woke before Skylar the next morning. She slept on her side, facing him, left hand on the pillow and long lashes touching her face in deep slumber. Feeling himself harden, he carefully got out of bed. Last night had rocked him in a way that had crumbled his foundation. How could a woman feel so wrong for him and yet so right at the same time?

  He showered and dressed in jeans and a white Henley, memories of their lovemaking haunting him the whole time. In the kitchen he made coffee and heard Skylar running the shower. Soon he would have to face her, and he didn’t think he could pretend he wasn’t disturbed.

  There was more than a good chance she would end up the same as Renee. Different circumstances, different women, but the same ending. He would not walk away from this unscathed. Skylar would be a woman he would never be able to forget.

  He toasted some bagels and put out some salmon and cream cheese, then a bowl of strawberries, yogurt and granola. By the time he had the table ready, Skylar emerged in jeans and a flannel shirt. She appeared ready to go back to work.

  She briefly glanced at him and poured coffee. At the table, she sat across from him.

  “This looks good,” she said.

  “It was quick and easy,” he said.

  They sipped coffee and picked at their food. He read the news on his phone for something to do.

  This was worse than he ever could have imagined. “Sky...”

  “Don’t.” She held up her hand. “I can’t talk about last night yet.”

  They needed to talk about it. He began to wonder if he should have another P.I. assigned to her case and then immediately shot the idea down. He wouldn’t trust anyone with her safety.

  “If I’d known it would be like that...” He what? Would he have stopped it? He couldn’t have known and there’d been no stopping last night.

  “Julien.” She finally looked at him steadily. “I need to be away from you for a while.”

  He thought of the attacker out there somewhere, always watching. “No way.”

  She shook her head, closing her eyes and flattening her hand on the table. “Yes, Julien. I need time to think. My life is careening out of control and I need to get a grip on it. I can’t do that with you always near, with us...”

  With them craving each other like a couple of ravenous animals? He could not argue that.

  “I’ll be safe. I’ll go to my parents’ house. They’re out of town for a couple of weeks on a trip to Europe. Corbin is staying there. I’ll be all right. I just need a day or two.”

  Although he worried she would be all right, he could use a few days to himself, as well.

  “You can stay at my house if you want to be close,” she said.

  That was something. “Will you call me so I know you’re all right?”

  “Sure.”

  Hearing her voice might be just as detrimental to his state of mind as seeing her, but he needed to know she was safe.

 
“All right. I’ll take you there.”

  “Take me home first. I’ll drive my truck over.”

  “You won’t leave on your own, will you?” he asked.

  “No. I just need to be able to drive myself home when I’m ready.”

  Home, and back to him. She didn’t know how long she would need and wanted to be able to leave on her own timetable. He related to the way she felt. What happened between them had changed their perception of their lives—or threatened to alter its course in a way they least expected.

  * * *

  Skylar used her key to get into her parents’ house, locking the door behind her. She’d made sure she wasn’t followed, as Julien had instructed. She texted him to let him know she’d made it, leaving her purse by the door and rolling her small luggage to the lower level guest room. She could hear the television in the family room. It was Saturday, so Corbin must be there.

  She went to the family room and found him in a bathrobe, reclined on the couch with a remote in his hand. His hair was a mess and she was sure, if not for the housekeeper, this room would be cluttered with signs of his mood.

  “You look like you haven’t showered in days.” Skylar went to a chair and sat.

  Corbin looked at her, bleary-eyed and lethargic. “I’ve been working from home.”

  “I bet that’s going well,” she said.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m going to stay a couple of days.” She’d rather not discuss why.

  “What’s wrong with your house?” Corbin asked, sitting up and adjusting his robe. “I thought that investigator was staying with you until that shooter was caught.”

  “Well...” Oh, she might as well spill it. “He’s the reason I’m here.”

  Corbin’s eyes grew more alert, coming out of his self-induced stupor. “What did he do?”

  “Nothing. We’re getting too close, that’s all.”

  “Ooooh.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “So you finally found someone who can handle you and who isn’t after the family fortune?”

  “Something like that.”

  “If you like him, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “I like him too much.” Way, way too much. “Uncomfortably.”

  “I don’t see the problem. Why run away?” He reached for a bag of chips and ate one.

  “Why indeed.” She sighed and held out her hand for the bag, which he gave her. “He’s a city man and I’m a country girl. What can I say?”

  Corbin drank some of the soda on the coffee table. “Dad made you a country girl.”

  What was he saying? She couldn’t believe it.

  “Just like he made me an executive,” he added.

  “You love being an executive,” she said. “You love money and power.”

  “Yeah, but ever since Ambrosia kicked me out, I’ve been wondering about my roots.”

  Was it a coincidence that she had been, too? Had they both encountered people who made them question their paths?

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to do something crazy like change my career, but what would I have done if Dad hadn’t been such a stickler when we were growing up?” he said.

  “Funny, I’ve been wondering the same thing—not what I would have done. I don’t regret taking over the ranch operations, but this isn’t my ranch. I didn’t buy it.”

  “No, you were born into wealth,” Corbin said sarcastically.

  She studied him awhile. He was genuinely busted up over Ambrosia. “I’ve never seen you like this, bro. It’s like you...grew a conscience overnight.”

  He looked insulted. “I have a conscience.”

  “Maybe it was buried by your penchant for blonde airheads.”

  Now he just looked sad. “I’m swearing off women for a while.”

  “Probably wise,” she said, deciding not to give him too much of a hard time.

  He reached for a chip and ate it. “I hired a couple of guys to help me move some furniture from the house the other day. When I got there, she was throwing a wild party. The place was trashed. We used to keep it so clean and organized. I didn’t know she was so...untogether. We got into a fight in front of all her weird friends. I never knew she had friends like that. Come to think of it, we never did anything with anyone she knew.”

  “Exactly why you need someone genuine, Corbin.”

  “How do you find a woman like that?”

  Skylar shrugged. “I suppose you have to be able to recognize one when you meet her.”

  Corbin sighed and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. “Ambrosia tried to stop me from taking the furniture I wanted, but I took it anyway.”

  “No reason she should get everything,” Skylar said.

  Boy, the two of them were a wreck. For very different reasons, but they’d both been derailed by their relationships.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. Hire a heartless attorney and keep Ambrosia from taking all I’ve got.”

  “Are you going to stay here in the meantime?”

  “No. I rented an apartment. I have people setting it up for me.”

  Corbin liked to have people do things for him. He liked feeling important.

  “What are you going to do?” Corbin asked.

  Skylar took a few moments to consider that. “I don’t know.”

  “What’s keeping you from him?” Corbin asked. “It can’t only be because he’s a city guy.”

  No, it wasn’t. And she was beginning to see that. “The way he makes me feel...it scares me.”

  He considered her awhile.

  She had essentially told him she had strong feelings for Julien and this was much more than a casual thing.

  “You’re already in love with him,” Corbin stated.

  He hadn’t asked her if she loved Julien. He’d said she did love him.

  Oh, no. What if she did?

  She couldn’t possibly. How could anyone fall in love with someone in such a short period of time? She had heard of love at first sight, but really? That could happen to her?

  No, she refused to believe that. She was in lust with him for sure, but love was something deeper.

  That didn’t mean she wouldn’t fall in love with him. In fact, it would be easy to fall in love with him. What would she do then?

  She had so much to work out in her mind, she didn’t know where to begin.

  “Don’t sweat it, sis,” Corbin said. “We can watch movies today and get drunk tonight. Tomorrow we can work on our personal issues.”

  Yes. Tomorrow. Not right now. She was a jumbled-up mess. Tomorrow she’d deal with it. She was glad to have her brother for support and glad she could be there for him. Some might call that denial, or escape. Not her. Because, no matter what she did, tomorrow would come and she would have to face the seemingly insurmountable emotions swirling inside her.

  Chapter 12

  Later the next day, Skylar reclined on a lounge chair next to the indoor pool. She had shared meals with Corbin and each of them did some healing. She had spoken with Julien last night and this morning. He had made her feel better by telling her they could take it slow, meaning they wouldn’t be intimate again. While she appreciated his optimism, their potency didn’t give her much confidence. She doubted she could keep her hands off him, much less his off her. She had, however, come to a conclusion.

  Skylar hadn’t asked for a whirlwind affair, and she could do nothing about the way she felt. She could accept that. She also could not predict the future. Whatever happened would happen. She was not ready to give up the life she had built on the ranch. Right now, today, she would not give it up. And she could not allow herself to give it up for a man. Any decision that major had to be for herself and no one else.

  Sometimes her job of running the r
anch seemed like her father’s decision and not hers. Looking back, she didn’t know if she had gone that route for herself or for him. At the time, the idea of running a cattle ranch had excited her. Working her way to the level of ranch manager had given her a great sense of accomplishment. She would never regret doing that. She had earned it. But she had to be honest with herself. She had chosen her college major for her father, not for herself. She was one hundred percent certain she would have gone to college for interior design had her father not pushed her in the direction he had.

  At peace with everything, Skylar felt she could face Julien and deal with living with him until she was safe again. She would handle whatever became of them at that time. Not a weak person, she would get through heartbreak if it came to that. Meanwhile she would do whatever she could to minimize the damage, like taking it slow.

  Feeling much better, she left the pool and went to put on a dress and pack up her things. It was time to go home. She hadn’t brought much, so in a matter of minutes, she said goodbye to Corbin and sent Julien a text, telling him she was on her way.

  In her truck, she drove down the long drive to the two-lane highway. She made a right and headed toward her house, the driveway not far down the road as her home was on the ranch property. Just a few seconds later, she saw a large SUV come up fast behind her. Julien’s warning to watch out for a tail had her on high alert. But this vehicle didn’t follow her. It kept coming, until it rammed into the back of her.

  She shrieked in alarm and struggled to keep the truck in a straight line, swerving before she righted the vehicle. Her heart pounded and she felt her palms sweat, nearly slipping off the steering wheel. Taking a look in her rearview mirror, she didn’t see the SUV. Until it appeared at her side. Skylar gasped as she saw a man in a mask driving. Before she could evade him, he jerked his vehicle to the right. The sound of grinding metal was deafening. Again, Skylar struggled to keep the truck on the road.

  The SUV veered to the right once more and then crashed hard into her side again. Skylar was jostled in her seat, held in place only by her seat belt, and went off the side of the road. Before she could correct her path, she hit a tree head-on. The airbag exploded and that’s the last thing she saw.