The Protector

by Marliss Melton

  Relaxed by the delicious wine and lulled by the luxurious accommodations, Eryn had ceased to fret about the FBI pursuing her and Ike. When Chris suggested they indulge in an afternoon nap, Eryn’s first thought was would she get to make love to Ike again? She’d overheard Ike thank their host as he took a set of car keys from him. He’d mumbled that they would leave around midnight when, hopefully, the roadblocks would be gone. .

  Leaving at midnight meant she and Ike would have seven hours of interrupted time together. Wasting not another minute of it, Eryn eased from the guest bathroom while still tying the robe’s belt around her waist.

  At her entrance, Ike, who sat waiting in the bed, shut off the television abruptly, cutting short the news program he was watching. With the drapes already pulled across the tall, narrow windows, shadows filled the vast space, inviting restful sleep. But the word “manhunt” hung in the air, stealing a portion of Eryn’s anticipation as she crossed to the far side of the bed.

  “Are you sure we won’t be found here?” she asked, apprehension nipping at her heels.

  “Not here,” he said with confidence. The massive headboard framed his torso as he sat watching her impassively. To her dismay, he wore an expression as withdrawn and aloof as the day he’d brought her to his cabin.

  Oh, no you don’t. With a surge of defiance, she unbelted her robe and let it fall from her shoulders, leaving her standing in the nude. His gaze slid helplessly over naked offering and his features tightened. But he said and did nothing to encourage her.

  Slipping between the lavender-scented sheets, Eryn scooted across the wide mattress, groaning aloud at its comfort. “This feels like heaven,” she professed, edging closer. “Every muscle in my body aches.”

  “Rest,” he suggested, making her wonder if that was all he had in mind.

  In desperation, she reached out to touch him and encountered nothing but naked, male flesh. If he wanted just to rest, he would have come to bed wearing Chris’s clothing, she thought, encouraged. Snuggling against his stiffly held body, she refused to be deterred by his lack of affection. After all, he was bound to have a lot on his mind right now.

  Laying her head on his chest, she discerned the swift, sure thud of his heart beneath her ear. He wasn’t as aloof as he seemed. Moreover, as she gazed downward, there was no mistaking the tent in the sheet for anything but a full-blown erection. Obviously, Ike wasn’t so overwrought that he didn’t still desire her.

  “I’m exhausted,” she admitted, tipping her head back, “but I don’t know if I can sleep right away. You?” she asked, softly kissing his jaw.

  “Probably not,” he admitted, gruffly.

  It was all the prompting she needed to strain upward and touch her lips to his. He closed his eyes, passively letting her kiss him, until she slipped her tongue into his mouth, offering him a foreshadowing of what was to come. His restraint snapped so abruptly that she had to smile. At last, he was kissing her back with the focused passion she’d come to expect from him.

  Throwing a knee over his leg, Eryn took charge. She straddled his hips, pulling away just long enough to coil her damp hair into a knot. Ike’s gaze fell raptly to her swaying breasts. There was a tremor in his touch as he cupped her fullness.

  Determined to repay the pleasure he’d given her at the cabin, she settled over him, kissing his lips, cheek, ear, and neck. Nibbling the length of sinew that ran into the muscles of his shoulder, she trailed her mouth lower, over the expanse of his chest where she encountered a number of scars that made her heart ache. She traced them one by one, with the tip of her tongue. Ike didn’t think of himself as heroic, but the scars were evidence enough. He was her hero, and she would reward him for his commitment.

  As she followed the line of fuzz that bisected his abdomen, she saw him clench the sheet with expectancy. That’s right. You know what’s coming to you, don’t you?

  He emitted a groan as she cradled his turgid sex. Caressing him with her cheek, her chin, her lips, she let him know by the look in her eyes that she would settle for nothing less than his complete capitulation.

  Maybe then, he wouldn’t leave her with Cougar. Maybe then he’d stick around.

  Drawing him into the heat of her mouth, she pushed aside her insecurities and luxuriated in his maleness.

  See what you’ll lose if you give me up? She licked and swirled then took as much of him inside her mouth as she could, over and over again, until he gasped for breath, swearing incoherently.

  Without warning, he lunged toward her. With a hook and a twist, he flipped her over, onto her back. Throwing himself on top of her, he wrested the reins of power. Pleased to have pushed him beyond his limits, Eryn welcomed his immediate and powerful possession, as he filled her in one thrust.

  Ike caught Eryn’s keening cry into his mouth in the nick of time. Her slippery heat reassured him her outcry was a sign of pleasure, not pain. She opened to him like a flower, her thighs encircling his hips, her pelvis undulating sinuously.

  He should have known she would do this to him, pushing through the door he’d tried half-heartedly to close. From their first encounter, she had refused to let him retreat into isolation. What made him think she’d back off now? With every undulation, she pulled him closer, deeper.

  This connection between them would only make it harder to part. They should have climbed into bed fully dressed and gone straight to sleep. His head knew that; only, the rest of him had had an agenda more like Eryn’s. At least his reticence had wrought its own rewards, prompting her to make the first move.

  The memory of her hot, hungry mouth on his cock would remain with him forever. She would soon be lost to him, but the gift of her passion would be his to cherish, always.

  Oh, crap. Reality hit him like a hammer over the head. He’d forgotten about the condom he’d stowed beneath his pillow.

  “Shhh,” he warned, groping for it and, at the same time, withdrawing regretfully from her warmth. Palming a breast to console himself, suckled her flushed nipple as he tried ripping into the foil with just one hand. Once he’d covered himself, he shifted lower, burying his face in her steamy heat. There was no restraining himself, this time. He devoured her with all the yearning and desperation that roiled inside him, while still withholding what she begged for.

  He wanted her looking him in the eye when she finally came.

  Unable to wait any longer, he crawled over her. Bracing his weight on his elbows, he caught her face between his hands. He didn’t have to ask her to open her eyes. She was looking up at him with eyes that shone with warmth and surrender. His heart expanded painfully. The way she looked at him, it was like she felt the way he did.

  He sank into her snug, slickness, gritting his teeth as her muscles contracted, milking him.

  You going to remember me, Eryn?

  Buried to the hilt, he paused, fighting to shut off his awareness of how sweetly, how snugly she gripped him. Easing a hand between their straining bodies, he thumbed the swell that he had brought to sensitivity. Going to think of me at all when we’re apart?

  “Say something,” he heard her gasp over the humming of his own blood. “What are you thinking, Ike?”

  She must have sensed his desperation. Weighing the risk of sharing even a portion of what he felt, he ground out, “Don’t forget me.”

  Tears filled her eyes, turning them to shimmering, violet pools. “How could I ever forget you?” she demanded. In the next instant, she threw her head back and bit her bottom lip. Her body tensed beneath him, and her beautiful face creased with rapture.

  With his own release steamrolling over him, Ike fought to keep his eyes open, to memorize the way she looked climaxing with him inside her, a single tear sliding from the corner of one eye.

  Shed for him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sleep eluded Eryn. She lay on a three thousand dollar mattress, surrounded by down pillows, her body flat-out exhausted and sleep-deprived. But her troubled heart kept her eyes from closing, and Ike�
��s request rippled over her heartstrings in an endless melody. Don’t forget me. Don’t forget me.

  How could he think, even for a moment, that she ever would? And why did he have to imply that they’d never see each other again? She wished now that she’d articulated her feelings more clearly, except that she’d been beyond speech at the time. She wanted to tell him how important he’d become to her in just five days.

  When, exactly, had the jerk who’d accused her of self-medicating proven himself a sterling human being? Somewhere between heating water for her bath and rappelling down a cliff with her in his lap, she’d fallen head-over-heels in love with him.

  Ike had more integrity than any man she’d ever known, yet he was humble to a fault. He was competent and capable beyond belief, while still patient when it came to teaching his skills to others. He might appear to be unfeeling, but beneath his tough veneer there dwelled a man utterly sensitive to her needs and wishes, especially when it came to fulfilling her in the bedroom.

  What woman wouldn’t want to hold onto him forever? But how could she ask more of him when protecting her had gotten him into trouble with the law already?

  She rolled slowly away from him, careful to keep her troubled thoughts from disturbing him. For the first time since she’d met him, he slept soundly, neither moving nor snoring.

  Why was the FBI doing this? she raged, quelling the urge to punch up her pillow. They’d had their chance to keep her safe, and they’d blown it by using her for bait.

  Ike, in contrast, had removed her from the threat of terror. He’d taught her how to protect herself, how to shoot and fight and think through her fear.

  And for that he would get punished, if caught?

  The more she considered the injustice of it, the hotter she burned. She carefully peeled back the sheets to cool off. All Ike had ever done was to carry out her father’s wishes: to liberate her from the FBI, who’d insisted she was a guest, staying in the safe house voluntarily. How, then, could they claim Ike had abducted her?

  Surely Jackson saw the fallacy of such logic. If she could just talk to him, she might persuade him to convince his superiors to curtail their search.

  Her gaze went thoughtfully to the chair by the window where she’d left her purse. Jackson’s business card was still tucked into one of the little side pockets.

  Her pulse quickened as she debated her odds of success. Using a house phone was out of the question. The FBI would trace her call and know exactly where to find her. But what about a cell phone? She recalled seeing one on the island in Chris’s kitchen. Wouldn’t that give her a little anonymity?

  She had to do something. Ike had risked so much for her; she couldn’t just lie here thinking about it.

  With a held breath, she rolled slowly out of bed, praying she wouldn’t disturb Ike. To her relief, he slept on.

  Redressing in the jeans and T-shirt belonging to Chris’s wife, Marie, Eryn collected her purse. She slipped into the quiet hall and closed the guestroom door behind her. The mansion stood still and silent. The vineyard’s owners had retreated to the adjacent building to finish up the day’s work.

  Tiptoeing to the tidied-up kitchen, she spied the purple cell phone she had seen earlier.

  With one eye on the window, she pulled Maddox’s business card out of her purse. Picturing his compassionate gaze, she punched his number into the keypad with fingers that trembled and hit talk.

  On the other end, the ringer shrilled over and over. Just as she deliberated whether to leave a message, he picked up.

  “Special Agent Maddox. Hello?”

  “Jackson?” She had difficulty finding her voice.

  “Who’s this?” She could hear men speaking in the background.

  “It’s Eryn McClellan.” Her heart beat so heavily it rocked her on her bare feet.

  “Hold on a sec.” The voices faded and a door clicked shut. “I’m here,” he said, confidentially. “Are you okay? Are you safe?”

  “Of course I’m safe. Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve been through this before, Jackson.”

  “Then why are you calling me?” he asked.

  “I want to know why you’re treating Ike like a criminal. You told me I was a guest at the safe house, free to leave any time. Just because Ike helped me leave that doesn’t make him a kidnapper!” she railed.

  “I understand why you’re upset,” he said calmly.

  “Then stop chasing us!”

  “I can’t.” His deep, melodic voice grew monotone. “It’s not up to me.”

  She ground the heel of her palm against her throbbing temple.

  “Is Calhoun there with you?”

  “What difference does it make?”

  “If you two turn yourselves in, I’m sure we’ll drop the charges against him; they’re too flimsy to hold up, anyway.”

  She remembered how strongly Ike was opposed to the idea. “That’s not going to happen,” she informed him.

  Jackson was silent a while. “Then I need to tell you, Eryn, that I have the technology to pinpoint your location,” he said regretfully. “We’ll be showing up any minute to pick you up.”

  What? The blood drained from her head, making the room spin. “No!” She glanced wildly around.

  “If you don’t want us arresting Calhoun, you need to distance yourself from him, now. Keep this phone with you and start walking. I’ll find you.”

  “Please,” Eryn begged, regretting her decision to call him. “Don’t do this, Jackson. Just pretend I never called. Please!”

  “This is an agency phone, Eryn. People scrutinize my calls. I’d be neglecting my duties if I let you both go. I’ll give you thirty minutes.” He hung up abruptly.

  For a full minute, Eryn stared in shock at the phone in her hands. What do I do? The cell phone wasn’t even hers. How could she just take off with it? How could she just take off, period?

  She had to wake up Ike, tell him what she’d done.

  She cringed at the thought. He would assume she’d betrayed his trust, having gone and done the single thing he’d told her not to do. But that hadn’t been her intention at all.

  “Oh, God.” There was just one course of action left: to do exactly as Jackson had suggested. It was the only way to keep Ike from getting arrested. Once she was back in FBI custody, she’d convince the agents that he hadn’t broken any laws.

  Scribbling a note promising to return the phone or to pay for the cost of replacing it, she left it on the counter.

  Then she pivoted toward the mud room and found her Skechers drying with the laces untied and the tongues hanging out. Feeling guilty and ungrateful, Eryn slipped them on without socks. She tied them numbly. Her heart, sitting like a block of ice in her chest, scarcely seemed to beat.

  How could she leave without saying goodbye to Ike, without explaining or thanking him for everything? Jackson had given her a thirty-minute lead, scarcely any time at all. She would need every second to get as far away from Naked Creek Vineyard as possible.

  Please understand. She sent the message kinetically as she cracked the rear exit and eyed the distance from the house to the trellises—fifty yards, or so.

  If Chris’s security system was anything like Ike’s, she might not pull this off at all. But she had to try. Her hero didn’t belong in jail. Ironically, it was now her job to protect him.

  Ike awoke to a brisk knock. He jerked to one elbow, noting with a sweep of his eyes that Eryn was not in bed with him; the clock by the bed read 4:53 P.M. , and her purse was missing. His heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”

  “Isaac,” Chris leaned into the room wearing an urgent expression, “do you know that Eryn left?”

  Shock hit Ike squarely in the chest and radiated to his extremities. He leapt out of the bed, only to recall that he was completely naked.

  “Do you want me to try and stop her?”

  He tried to think through the memories crowding him. That single tear sliding from the corner of her eye… Had she known she was going to leave hi
m?

  “Isaac?”

  “No, wait for me.” He jammed his feet into the pants that were several sizes too big for him. Strands of thought caught one upon the other, leading him to a startling conclusion. “She’s turning herself in,” he guessed, threading a belt with fingers that started to shake.

  “She took Marie’s cell phone,” Chris added. “I found a note in the kitchen saying that she’d compensate us.”

  The sequence of events came together in Ike’s mind. Eryn had called the authorities to reason with them, probably, and had realized, too late, that she’d exposed their hiding place. She’d then bolted, no doubt hoping to protect Ike.

  “God damn it!” He stuffed his head into a clean T-shirt. Why, Eryn? They’d come so close to making a clean escape.