by Vinson, Tami
“I just can’t believe this is all happening. It’s like a bad episode of some cop show and I wish I could just change the channel.” She said putting her arms tightly around him and burrowing into his warmth.
“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?” He said kissing her brow.
“Okay.” Her quiet affirmation humbled him.
He was so use to his clients automatically putting their confidence in him to get the job done that he realized that lately he’d begun to take it for granted. But now Winter was the one he was protecting and it meant a great deal to him to have her so readily place her trust in him.
With that in mind, he tried to will the molten fire of arousal coursing through his body to cool down at the feel of her soft weight of her breasts pressing against his chest.
He wanted to be near her to comfort her, but he knew he was in jeopardy of losing his grip on control when he felt her fingers lightly stroking the small of his back through the cotton material of his shirt. Helplessly he was once again reminded that the only thing separating him from the touch of her smooth skin was the flimsy material of robe he’d given her earlier.
Closing he eyes, he willed his body to relax and not give into the desire she was unknowing stirring up within him. He knew she was in no condition to even go there right now.
****
Winter just wanted to stay exactly where she was at the moment: safely within Eric’s arms. She’d had enough of the outside world for the day and all she wanted was to curl up and sleep leaving all her problems behind.
She’d never seen herself as a victim and now she hated the fact that the role had been forced upon her. But thanks to Eric, she was slowly but surely taking some of her power back.
The strength and heat coming from him had her relaxing fully into him as her eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. She told herself that there would be plenty of time to worry about what she was going to do tomorrow. But right now she just wanted the simple pleasure of knowing that Eric would be there to protect her from harm.
Before long, Eric was carefully tucking Winter’s sleep relaxed body under the cool weight of a sheet. For a moment, he stood there checking to make sure she was fully asleep and then forced himself to leave the room.
Closing the door quietly behind him, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes as he allowed himself to wonder into the dangerous territory of imagining what it would have been like if the night had gone differently.
Right about now they would have been just finishing up the gourmet dinner he had so carefully planned for her. During which, he had planned on telling her how much he loved her and sliding his ring on her pretty little finger and asking her to become his wife.
Afterwards, he’d wanted to finish up the evening by making love to her until they both fell into sweet exhaustion. Now because of the attack, none of that was going to happen.
At least not yet. He had never been one to accept defeat easily.
Shrugging his big shoulders, he pushed off the wall and walked the rest of the way to a guest bedroom two doors down. He resigned himself to the reality of tonight and mentally prepared himself for tomorrow.
He made mental note to make sure he cleared his schedule until things were back to normal. Protecting Winter and catching Randy were the only things he could focus on right now. With that settled, he called it a night himself.
****
A few hours later, Winter awoke with a racing heart to a dark room and strange sounds. Gripping the covers, her eyes ran wildly around the dark shadows of the room dreading what they might find. Taking a shaky, but calming breath, she sat up and swung her legs onto the floor to stand facing the bedroom window.
Just as she was about to investigate what was going on, something smashed into the glass hard making it vibrate from the impact.
Gasping, she scrambled across the bed and quickly ran out of the room. Her feet were way ahead of her as she slammed into hallway yelling Eric’s name. Spying an open bedroom door, she ran to it and pushed the door closed behind her. Looking quickly around, she heard the running water of the shower and took off in the direction of the brightly lit bathroom.
Relief made her weak in the knees as spotted the unmistakable outline of Eric’s body behind the steamed glass shower door.
While some part of her brain appreciated the steamy view of his naked glistening muscles, but the larger part of her needed him to protect her from danger.
“Eric—Eric!” She cried near hysterical now after banging on the shower to get his attention.
Eric turned at the sound and opened the shower door.
“Winter—what’s going on?” His voice was all concern as he quickly blinked the water from his eyes to take in her frightened face and exit the shower to stand before her like an avenging angel.
“I think someone’s trying to break in…” She said trying to calm down enough to explain what happened to the window in his bedroom.
Before she could finish, he let out a sharp curse and tore past her with purposeful intent to grab his pants off the bed and slid them over his long, bare muscular legs. Forgoing a shirt, he reached down underneath the pillow on the bed and pulled out a small caliber gun and tucked it in the waistband of his pants.
“I want you to stay here and lock the door once I leave. I’ll knock four times to let you know it’s me when I come back.” He told her in a precise lethal voice.
Nodding her head, she stood clutching the robe to her with now shaking hands as she watched him leave the room. As soon as the door clicked closed, she locked it and went to go sit on the bed. Sitting there, she couldn’t help but remember the gun Eric had had and how competent he was at handling it.
For the first time she was seeing him totally in his element. In working for him all this time, she had only ever seen him with high tech computer equipment not any sort of gun. It was a stark reminder of the other side of what he did. He seemed fully capable of taking on a small army if his swift action and the hard, lethal look she’d seen come over him was any indication.
As she continued to sit there, she tried to listening for anything else out of the ordinary. Even knowing Eric could handle himself without hesitation, she still said a prayer that he came back to her safely.
After a while, she heard a rapid succession of knocks on the bedroom door and her heart nearly stopped beating from fright. It took her a moment to remember that the four knocks she heard were Eric’s code to let her know it was safe to open the door.
Once she did, relief poured through her as she quickly moved forward to unlock it. She opened it to find Eric’s tall form standing there as she’d last seen him: sensually shirtless and deadly to anyone stupid enough to cross him.
“I checked everywhere both in the house and the surrounding area outside the house and I only found debris from the dust storm that’s brewing. I think that could have been what hit the window.” He assured her as he came fully into the room and then went straight to the closet to put the gun away.
Winter didn’t say a word as she watched him. She was too busy wallowing knee deep in embarrassment for letting herself get all worked up over a dust storm..
Was she doomed to be jumping at every sound until Randy was caught? She had to get a grip because there was no way she could live like that. She thought.
“Come here sweetheart.” Eric stood between the closet and the bed looking at her with one of his hands held out to her.
Wordlessly meeting his all too knowing stare, she made her way over to him and placed her hand in his. When Eric pulled her all the way into his arms, she felt her eyes prick with tears at the protective comfort of his embrace. And as she looked up into his clear blue eyes, she saw not only acceptance, but understanding.
She wrapped her arms around the warm bare skin of his muscular back and pressed her face into the warm damp skin of his strong neck. The scent of soap, night air and a sensual masculine musk met her nose and her previous thoughts fled to be re
placed with the familiar hunger that always consumed her in his presence.
Her emotions had seesawed all over the place tonight and she’d fought to shake off every last one of them to get back to her normal self. But as she felt her body respond to the nearness of Eric’s hard body pressed up against her own, she willingly gave into the need she felt taking over her body now.
Eric started out only wanting to comfort her when he saw how upset she was, but comfort was quickly turning into uncontrollable need as her breath gently feathered across the sensitive spot on his neck to slowly fan the flames of his desire. And if that wasn’t enough to bring him to his knees, he felt the soft swell of her lower stomach brush up against his rapidly hardening cock.
He couldn’t resist tilting his hips into the warm cradle between her thighs with a ghost of the movement his body was silently crying out for. And when her soft moan vibrated through him, he shivered in response as the urge to be buried deeply inside her threatened to overwhelm him.
He had to pull back before he went past the point of no return. She’d already been through enough tonight and he needed to do what was right even if it taking another cold shower.
“Sweetheart, I think we need to call it a night before this gets out of hand.” Even though Eric’s voice sounded calm and controlled, his body screamed at him for more as he slowly pulled back to look down into her beautiful face.
“No.” The one word was quiet, but firm. Winter knew why Eric was bowing out of the desire that was eating them both alive, but she wasn’t going to let him.
“Sweetheart, you’re not ready…” He said seeing a determined light enter her eyes.
“No Eric. I don’t want the night to end like this. Baby, you’re the reason I got through this day and making love with you is the only thing that can erase this fear that’s threatening to take me over.” She said trying to make him understand.
For a timeless moment, her words hovered between them tugging on every part of him. He understood and shared her need for this night to end with something good, but he also didn’t want to make a move she wasn’t ready for.
“Are you sure sweetheart?” He searched her face for any hesitation.
Taking one of his hands in hers, she placed it between her breasts above the strong beat of her heart. “I want this night to end how it was supposed to end. Yes, I’m sure.” She finished by sealing her words with a kiss.
When their lips met, the passion that had been simmering between them exploded. Eric masterfully took control of the kiss as Winters hands slowly explored the flexing muscles of his back and restlessly made the journey across the wide expanse of his broad shoulders. Downward her fingers traveled over the small hard points of his masculine nipples to make their way over his flat, muscled stomach to the material of his pants.
When she stopped at the unbuttoned top edges, she pulled away and glanced down. She bit her lip at the large bulge she saw there. Reaching out again, she ran her fingertips gently over it and felt sensual curiosity take over as his cock seemed to swell even more beneath her probing fingers.
“Can I—“ Her voice came out husky and unrecognizable even to her own ears as she looked to him for permission to continue.
“Please…” Now it was his turn to plead because he felt like he was going to cum just by the hesitant strokes of her fingertips.
Once his permission was given, Winter pulled the zip carefully down and boldly parted the material of his pants to display the paler skin underneath. As if by silent command, his pants fell the rest of the way down his long well muscled legs and his cock hungrily sprang forth into her questing hands.
She was mesmerized by the suspended drop of moisture she saw on the very tip of the blunt mushroom shaped head of his long thick length. She had the strangest urge to run the tip of her tongue over it, but didn’t. Instead she wrapped her hand lightly around his width and ran the pad of her thumb across the firm head of his cock smearing the warm pearl of his essence.
Eric couldn’t help the low broken moan that escaped his lips as his thinly held control snapped. Before he knew what he was doing, he toed his pants all the way off and picked Winter up in his arms. With his arms now full of her delicious curves he gave as good as he got.
Laying her as gently as he could on the bed, Eric knelt down on the mattress beside her and ran his hands slowly over the toned curves of her stomach to rest upon her upper thighs the robe parted to reveal.
Soon with her moaning encouragement, he deftly parted her legs further to move his wondering hands up her inner thigh. The closer he got to her heated center, the more she arched into his touch.
“Baby, I need you…” Unable to resist her soft plea, his fingers brushed against the soft short hair neatly covering the heated entrance of her pussy. Moving a little more, he stroked the soft wet folds of her womanhood and knew without a doubt what he wanted to do next.
Leaning down, he latched onto one of her large tight nipples and suckled it at the same time one of his long fingers slipped into her honeyed depths.
At the feel of her damp tight folds contracting around the short strokes of one of his thick finger, he drew away to take a steadying breath to stop himself from coming right then and there. He was not a selfish lover and he would not start now. He would make this last even if it killed him.
Pulling back to draw light circles around the now weeping entrance, he continued on and kissed his way down her lush body to where he most wanted to be. When he finally positioned himself between her thighs, he glimpsed a small bruises there and struggled to stay in the moment as he was reminded of what had almost happened to her. Instead of letting it ruin the moment, he touched his lips to it to dispense out his own brand of healing.
“Baby…” She begged for release from the sweet sensual torture she felt as his lips and fingers continued to explore the most intimate place on her body.
She felt a buildup of sensations roar through her body all at once at the bold relentless strokes of his tongue as it brushed up against her clit. She couldn’t help but ran her fingers through his thick dark hair trying to communicate her desperate need.
And Eric seemed to know exactly what she needed when he pumped his thick finger deep inside her pussy as he suckled strongly on her clit to push her over into an abyss of pleasure.
The music of her crying his name as wave after wave detonated through her pussy was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard as need burned hotter through him. He couldn’t seem to get enough as his hands gripped her shaking thighs to hold her steady as he begin to lap up her honeyed nectar like a starving man. But he wasn’t done yet.
Eric needed to be inside Winter more than he needed his next breath, but as he came to his knees and positioned himself between her still trembling thighs the sight before him made his heart clench with both love and lust.
“Stay with me…” He whispered looking down at her sultry well satisfied gaze as he ran the length of his cock back and forth against the soft lips of her drenched entrance in order to ease his passage inside her.
With each pass her lips emitted a broken moan letting him know of her eagerness for his masterful touch. In answer he leaned down and filled his hands with the firm globes of her rounded bottom and positioned her for his long hard strokes into her tight wet pussy.
Capturing her moaning acceptance in his demanding kiss, he preceded to hold nothing back.
Soon the flames of passion were stroked to a fevered pitch. It was both heaven and hell as each stroke took him closer and closer. But when Winter locked her legs around him, he went so deep there was no turning back.
“I love you—“ The admission was torn from him as he came long and hard.
After Eric had emptied every drop he had to give, he lay there feeling shaken to his core at the strength and intensity of his climax. He felt completely boneless and didn’t feel capable of moving from the shelter of her body.
A few minutes passed by before he was able to gently slide from the
snug haven of her body and switch their positions.
As he settled Winter against him, he felt a feeling of completeness move through him as he remembered the words of love he’d uttered as he came deep inside her. He’d wanted to say those words for so long that he almost couldn’t believe he’d done it. But something was missing. He couldn’t remember hearing her say the words back to him.
Did she feel the same?
Just as he was about to say something to her, he felt a drop of liquid fall onto his chest. Smoothing Winter’s mass of curls back from her face, he saw the source of the dampness.
“Sweetheart, why are you crying?” He gently asked drawing her tear-filled gaze to him.
“I’m just so happy.” She softly admitted.
“And why are you so happy?” He asked wiping the trail of tears away.
“Because I can finally tell you how much I love you too.” She said sealing her words with kiss.
Closing his eyes, Eric held her tightly to him as a feeling of completeness moved through him. Now more than ever he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her at the center of it. And as he drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t help but dream of the day when that would happen.
****
Early the next morning Eric stood fresh from his shower looking down at Winter’s sleep tangled curls spread across his pillow as he ran through the last few hours in his mind.
They’d gotten their happy ending after all last night. The combination of making love to her again and hearing her sweet lips utter words of love had him almost giving into the caveman-like urge to beat his chest in happiness.
Continuing to gaze at her sleep softened features, he couldn’t wait to tell her again how much he loved her when she woke up. But first he would use this time to take care of some things.
After Winter’s attack yesterday he didn’t want to take any chances with her safety. Last night when he’d searched all over the property and had found no signs of any intruder, he had felt a measure of relief, but it was a different story this morning. That storm had been a sign and he made his living upon never ignoring his intuition.
