Protecting Her

by Goode, Ella

  “No! Gabe. That’s my brother!”

  But it’s too late. The punch has landed. The man’s head thunks against the side of the door and 200 pounds of him slithers to the floor—out like a fucking light. Oh, fuck me. I just knocked her brother unconscious.

  I make an awkward smile and reach down for a vase of flowers. “Hey, Cat, I’m here to woo you.”

  She stares at me, completely dumbfounded.

  Chapter 17

  Catriona

  I stand there in shock. I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry. I know I want to kiss Gabe and slap him across the face.

  “Leave,” I snap out. Right now I need to check on my brother. I’ll deal with Gabe later. If he’s around. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that at any moment he could walk right out of your life and disappear without even an explanation or goodbye. I was heartbroken.

  The only thing that kept me from having a pity party in my bed for days was my work. With the serum being done and ready to go to the next stage, I’d actually thought about really taking those days to do just that. I would’ve tried anything to help me get over him. Anything to take away the ache in my chest.

  I drop down to my knees as my brother opens one eye. “Damn that was a good hit.” I roll my eyes at him.

  “Don’t instigate a fight.” I glare at him.

  “I’m on the floor after someone punched me for no reason. Or should I say that I’m on the floor because of you? Aren't you supposed to baby me or something?” I laugh, helping him to his feet. That blow is definitely going to leave a mark. Good thing my brother can take a hit. He fought all the way through college in underground bouts. I told him he was nuts, but when he graduated he didn't even have one dollar in student debt. Now his only fights are in courtrooms.

  “Cat.”

  I turn my head away from my brother to glare at Gabe. I’d almost forgotten he was still standing there. “I told you to leave.”

  He looks down for a second with a guilty expression on his face. “Can’t do that.” He shrugs, stepping inside.

  On instinct I put my hand on Brock’s chest so he doesn't lunge for him. I know my brother like the back of my hand. He’s not going to be okay with any man crowding my space when I’ve already made it clear that I want him to leave. “If you two fight I will get hurt because I’ll try and break it up.”

  Brock takes a step back. I don’t think either of them will chance me getting injured. “Brock, can you give us a few minutes? Maybe put that steak on your face.” I try to ease the tension between the two of them.

  “I’m not leaving you with this asshole. He’s dangerous.” He keeps staring at Gabe.

  “I’m not dangerous to her,” Gabe says. He sounded defeated. As mad as I am at him, I don’t want him to hurt either. I give my brother a pleading look. One that I’ve used on him many times growing up. Praying that it still holds the same power as it once did.

  “Fine. But I’m eating that steak.” He turns to leave us alone, mumbling about wasting good ribeye.

  “You’re wrong,” I tell him as I turn, heading over to the living room. I hear his heavy steps behind me. He stops at the coffee table and starts unloading stuff onto it. Before I can ask him what the heck he’s doing, he turns, heading back toward the door. Is he leaving again? What the hell? He opens the door, grabs some more stuff, and brings it inside too.

  “Yes, I was wrong. I agree with you.” Nope. He’s not getting off that easy.

  “So you agree that you’re a danger to me?”

  “Wait? What are you talking about? No. I don’t agree to that.” He steps around the table, trying to get closer to me. I shift away. I have to keep my space. I know exactly what will happen if I let him get too close to me. I can’t let that happen. It’s hard for me to think when he touches me. And to think that only days ago that was one of the things I’d loved most about him.

  When I was with him, I could escape into a world that was only him and me. But just as fast as he had given me that sense of comfort, he took it away.

  “You hurt me.”

  Pain flashes in his eyes. I’m not the only one feeling it. Even though it shouldn't, it remotely makes me feel better.

  “That’s the last thing I wanted to do. But you could have died that day, Cat. All because I was too preoccupied and selfish to put your safety first.” He drops down into one of my chairs. His elbows go to his knees as he looks down at the floor.

  “Gabe.” I take a few steps toward him. An invisible string pulls me, as it always does when it comes to him. He lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine. I get a flutter in my stomach that only he can make me have.

  “Say it again?”

  “What?” I ask confused.

  “My name.”

  “Gabe.”

  He reaches out, grabbing my hips to pull me into his lap. I end up straddling him as he buries his face in my neck. I run my fingers through his short hair.

  “I am sorry. It’s a shit excuse. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to stay away from you. Hell. I’ve had someone watching you since I’ve been gone.” I let out a small laugh because it’s kind of adorable.

  He pulls back to look at me, his big hands cupping my face like I’m the most precious thing in the world. I think to him I am.

  “I love you so damn much. So much that I know I couldn't live in a world that didn't have you in it even if it meant I couldn't have you.”

  I suck in a breath. “You love me?”

  “How could I not?” he half yells in shock. “Who in the hell wouldn't love you?”

  “I could make you a list. Mostly male scientists and a few doctors. And that bitch Marly from gym class.”

  His lips twitch. “You make it and I’ll handle it for you.” He looks like he really will.

  “Everything okay?” My brother steps into the room.

  “Yes,” I reassure him. “Gabe and I are new at this whole relationship thing, but I think we’re going to figure it out.” Finally Gabe gives me a smile. One that makes my heart flutter.

  “Wait. This is the fucker that broke your heart?” Brock looks even more mad about that than the punch to the face he took earlier.

  “I was stupid. You can hit me a few times. I owe you.”

  “No.” I cut in before my brother can take him up on the offer.

  “He thinks you’re too good for him?” Brock lifts a brow in question.

  “That and other things.” Gabe’s hold on my hips tightens.

  “But he’s not doing that disappearing shit again.”

  “Never. She’s stuck with me now.”

  “All right.” Brock shrugs. “But you’re cooking dinner,” he says before turning to go into the kitchen. That went a whole lot easier than I thought it would. I look back down at Gabe. I should tell him I love him too, but I don’t. I think I’ll let him sweat for a few hours is my last thought before he pulls me down for a toe-curling kiss.

  Chapter 18

  Gabe

  “Babe, hold up for a minute.” I run my hand up the damp skin of her back.

  She stops moving immediately. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Truth is, though, it’s hard for me to last in this position. Her back is turned and she’s riding me, and while I can’t see her beautiful face, the view of her ass and the way that my cock appears and disappears as she lowers herself on my shaft is too much. I’m about to blow my wad, and I want to last a little longer.

  “You’re working too hard,” I improvise.

  She giggles, her own breath short. “I am working up a sweat.”

  “Exactly. You should relax and let me do the heavy lifting.” I pull her off my cock and lay her down on the bed.

  “Are you calling me heavy?” she says in mock indignation.

  “Never. At least not while my dick is wet with your pussy juice.” I lean forward and nip at her neck.

  She squeals and bats me on the back. Man, I love her so much. She makes everything in this world be
tter. I swear the sun shines brighter when I’m around her. I push her hips to one side and hold her legs together.

  “Noooo,” she moans. “Not that position.”

  “You love it.” I can dick her deep this way.

  “I do, but it makes me come so fast, and I’m totally at your mercy.”

  “Yeah.” I grin evilly.

  She buries her face in the pillow. The feathers catch her moans as I slide in. Her passage is slick and hot and so fucking tight. My balls draw up, and I have to pause halfway inside of her to take a breath and count to ninety billion before proceeding. I inhale and press forward until my shaft is completely swallowed. This view is just as erotic as the reverse cowgirl, so I shut my eyes, but it’s almost worse because with my eyes closed, the sensation of her pussy hugging my cock is heightened. Every nerve ending is alive and throbbing.

  “You’re such a good girl,” I tell Cat. “You take my dick so good.”

  “Stooop,” she wails. “You know how that works me up.”

  “I do know. Why else do you think I say it?” I give her ass a light slap. “Now be quiet and take my cock.”

  She buries her face back into the pillow while I watch in fascination as I shaft her slow and steady. It’s harder to reach the g-spot from here, but she’s exposed and vulnerable, and that cranks her engine to eleven. I push her legs up until her knees are tucked against her chest and quicken my pace. I can feel her tightening up, gripping me with each passage. Light sweat breaks out across her skin, and even though her face is muffled, I can hear her cries.

  “That’s it, baby, come for me. Come on my cock.” I need her to come because my control is thread thin. My balls ache from the load I’m holding back. I slap her ass again, watching the skin turn white then red. She convulses once, her whole frame shuddering. I thrust into her harder and faster, making sure my cock head rubs against every sensory ending. The headboard bangs against the wall. A pillow falls to the floor. Sweat beads across my forehead. The ache in my lower back intensifies.

  “Gonna come.” I curse. Not yet. Not until she does. “Gonna blow,” I warn. I lick my thumb and press it against her pucker. She jolts against my touch. I slide the tip in, and it sets her off. She creams on my dick, coming hard enough that juice leaks onto my thighs. A high, keening cry fills the bedroom. My own orgasm follows swiftly. The cum shoots down my cock like a bullet fired out of a pistol. I fill her up, coming so hard that I blank out for a second. Beneath me, Cat trembles and shakes from the force of her climax.

  I collapse beside her, curl my body around hers, and draw the covers up to her waist. She’s hot. We joke that my cum heats her from the inside.

  “Mmmm,” she murmurs as she hugs my arm around her frame. I mold one breast with my hand and kiss the back of her neck.

  “Love you, babe. Love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.”

  The words never get old for me. We’ve exchanged them a thousand times, but a thrill still runs down my spine when she says them. I’m a lucky sonofabitch. I know this.

  “What’s that grunt for?”

  I didn’t even realize I had. “Just thinking about how I could’ve missed out on all of this.” I tighten my arm and pull her close. I’m not too proud to admit that I almost fucked up, but I course corrected in time, and now I’ve got the most beautiful woman in the world in my bed. Smartest, too. There’s talk of big fancy prizes being handed out because of her work. It’ll require me to get suited up, but I’m used to that. I retired from the field and now screen clients, do background checks, help with logistics and training. That’s how I spend my days. My nights are with Cat. Some of our best times are just eating together or watching television. She’s a big reader, and I enjoy watching her read. My favorite activities involve fucking her, watching her, and talking to her. Even though I don’t understand half of what she says, it’s still a turn on. She’s so big brained. I don’t deserve her, and I tell her that. “You know, you’re too good for me.”

  “I know,” she replies smugly. Then she giggles. “I am not. We’re a perfect match.”

  “Yeah, perfect,” I echo in amazement.

  My life is perfect, but only because she made it so.

  Epilogue

  Catriona

  Many years later

  “Glasses,” I remind Max as he walks back over to the giant island in the center of the kitchen.

  “I was getting them.” He grabs them, sliding them up his little button nose before he straightens his lab coat. He’d run to his room to get a new one after he got dye on the previous one and claimed he didn’t look professional anymore. My little scientist is also a perfectionist.

  I swear our twins are night and day. Still I see bits of my personality in both as well as Gabe’s. Max’s bedroom is always clean and organized. Oftentimes cleaner than my own. While Maddie is a walking mess. You always know when Maddie’s been in a room because she leaves a trail wherever she goes.

  Max is obsessed with all things science, and at the age of six he’s already doing 5th grade work and loving it. We often do his homework together for fun, which usually gets us funny looks from both my husband and my daughter. They are puzzles to us.

  Maddie is my little daredevil. She’ll often come over and do experiments with her brother. She's good at it too; it's just not her passion right now. I’m not really sure what will grab her attention, but it will have to be grand and definitely full of adventure.

  I hear the sensor alarm go off, letting me know that someone has opened the front gate that leads to the house. Max groans from beside me.

  “We can do more when we get back.” I smile, loving how much he enjoys this and hates interruptions. He’s my little twin. Once we get focused on something, we want to work at it until we figure it out without interruption.

  A few minutes later I hear the front door open and the sounds of little feet running my way.

  “Mom!” Maddie comes sliding around the corner, and I see instantly what has her so excited. “I got my orange belt today.” Her whole face lights as she tugs on it.

  “Never doubted that you would.” Maddie is persistent. If she wants something or if someone tells her she can’t do something, it only drives her to prove them wrong. Especially if it’s something that the boys are doing. “I’m so proud of you, muffin.” I scoop her up, kissing her cheeks until she giggles.

  “I knew you would get it too.” Her brother hops down, grabbing a little box he had on the counter before giving it to her.

  “For me?” Even as she asks the question, she’s already opening it. “A frosted chocolate cookie! Did you make it?”

  “Yep.”

  She lets out a small scream and hugs her brother. Gabe strolls in a beat later with a smile on his face. He drops a quick kiss on my lips. My heart flutters the same way it always has since our first kiss.

  “Go eat it at the counter, sweetheart. I’m going to go get cleaned up. We leave in thirty minutes.”

  “An hour,” Gabe corrects me. My face warms, and I feel myself get wet knowing what he has in store for me. “I need a shower.” He snags my hand, leading us through the house to the master bedroom.

  I love this home so damn much. When I found out I was pregnant Gabe said he was going to build my dream home. He hadn't been kidding. Not only did he manage to get it done, but he did it in record time. He had the entire thing built and ready to go before the twins got here. Maddox clearly gets her determination from her father.

  “I think you know how to shower on your own,” I tease him. He releases his hold on my hands, shutting the bedroom door.

  “Is that so?” He starts to strip out of his karategi from karate. I love that he and Maddie get to have that experience together. I’ve never seen a more hands-on father than Gabe. I knew he would be. When Gabe loves, there are no bounds to it. He’ll do anything for his family. My eyes start to sting.

  “Are you about to cry?”

  “No,” I quickly say. He gives me a l
ook that says he’s not buying it.

  “I’m getting naked and you’re about to cry. You’re going to give me a complex.” I giggle. “You think that's funny, wife?”

  “A little,” I admit. He grabs me, throwing me over his shoulder. “Put me down, you brute.” He doesn't listen to me. Instead he makes his way into the bathroom, turning the shower on. I think he’s going to put me down and undress me, but I thought wrong. He steps right in with me. I let out a small scream as the cold water hits me. He sNathans my ass. I love that he can still surprise me, and I never know what he might do next.

  “You going to behave?” He sNathans my ass again, making me moan.

  “Yes.” I wiggle against him as he begins sliding me down his big body. He looks as handsome as the day I met him. I’ve gotten more curvy. Especially after the twins. Gabe always tells me there’s more of me to love and for him to hold on to when he’s making love to me. He’s always digging his fingers into my hips and holding me tight.

  I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. He gives me what I want, leaning down to meet my lips. His hands tangle into my hair. I love this man so damn much. He’s the only person who has made me feel normal. With him I don’t have any of the small fears that I used to about germs. Before him, my mind would always go off on a tangent about all the things you could get from the simple act of a kiss. He has changed that for me.

  The moment his lips met mine all those years ago, I thought of nothing but the fact that I wanted and needed more of him. I wanted him all over me. I truly believe it’s because he’s my soul mate. That my heart recognized him instantly. That it would never love or want anyone but him. He said it had been the same for him too. He’d never had sex because he said it always felt wrong and that he was never attracted to anyone before me.