by Elle James
Chuck believed Kate could protect herself and Lyla without him. But she was smart enough to know it helped having someone else around to cover her back.
She was beautiful, confident and intelligent. And that kiss…
He was in deep trouble. As soon as he’d touched her lips, he’d known there was no going back. He had to kiss her again.
Now, he was running scared. Scared he was falling for a woman after all the years he’d sworn off love, marriage and family. He didn’t believe in happily-ever-after. Not after losing Anne and Sarah.
He stopped on the way down the hall to duck into Lyla’s room.
She lay with her arm wrapped around Sid Sloth, her stuffed animal.
Chuck held his breath and felt her forehead. Cool and dry.
He let go of the breath on a sigh. Thank goodness, she was okay. He left her door open and made another pass through the house, testing the door locks and the window latches. He stood by the front window, staring out at the night.
On the edge of town, the little cottage wasn’t inundated with street lights. Stars shone down, providing enough light to illuminate the road and houses. But there were deep shadows he couldn’t see into.
Had Lyla’s pursuers traced them to Montana? Would they catch up to them soon?
Chuck’s hands clenched into fists.
He wouldn’t let anything happen to Lyla and Kate. Not on his watch.
A soft hand touched his shoulder.
Kate stood behind him.
He didn’t have to turn to see her. He could tell it was her by the scent of spring flowers.
“Are you worried they’ve found us?” she whispered.
“I have to think of all the possibilities,” he answered.
“Thank you for being here for us,” she said. “I couldn’t have done this on my own.”
He shook his head. “You would have found a way.”
She emitted a gentle snort. “I would have done my best, but there’s so much I don’t know about protecting a child and taking care of her.”
“You’re doing fine by letting her know you love her. That’s all she needs.”
Her lips curled upward. “And Sid Sloth.”
Kate’s smile melted Chuck’s heart. He turned and gripped her arms. “I don’t know what happened a moment ago, but we can’t let it happen again.”
She stared up at him, her eyes wide. “No,” she breathed, her lips rosy from their kiss. “We can’t.”
His control was slipping, and he struggled to regain it. “I’m serious.” He shook her gently.
She raised her hands to his waist, nodding. “I know.”
“Then why can’t I resist?” he said. “Oh, hell.” All reason flew out the window, and he lowered his mouth to hers, crushing her lips with a kiss both desperate and beautiful.
He gathered her close in his arms, pulling her body flush against his.
She wrapped her arms around his middle and held on, giving back as much as he gave.
When he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, she opened to him, letting him in.
Chuck thrust in, claiming her mouth, tasting her in a long, sensuous caress. Their tongues tangled and twisted around each other while their hands explored.
Kate slipped her fingers beneath his shirt and splayed them across his back. They were warm and strong, kneading into his flesh.
He dragged the hem of her nightgown over her hips and slid his hands across her lower back, loving the silkiness of her skin.
His groin tightened, and his shaft swelled, pressing against her taut belly.
Kate’s hands shifted lower and into the waistband of his jeans.
Chuck moaned. “Don’t go there if you don’t mean it,” he said against her lips.
“I mean it,” she whispered into his mouth, and her tongue thrust between his teeth and tangled again with his.
Bending, he scooped her up by the backs of her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. Then he backed her against a wall and deepened the kiss, like a man drinking from a bottomless well. He wanted to be closer…couldn’t get enough of Kate.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and wove her hands into his hair.
“I want you,” he said.
“Inside me,” she agreed. “Now.”
“Protection.” That he could think about it was a miracle. But he refused to risk bringing another child into the world because he was careless.
She leaned back, a frown puckering her brow. “You have some?”
“Back pocket.” He kissed the column of her throat and nibbled on her earlobe. “Wallet.”
Kate slipped her hand into his back pocket and extracted his wallet. While he feasted on her neck, she pulled out a foil packet and slipped his wallet back into his pocket.
She tore open the packet and pressed her hands against his chest.
He held her far enough away from him that she could reach the button and zipper on his jeans. In seconds, she had flipped open the rivet and slid the tab down.
Unfettered by denim, his cock sprang free.
She laughed. “Commando?”
Chuck growled. “Damn right.”
Her smile faded as she hurriedly rolled the condom over him. Then she captured his cheeks between her palms and looked him square in the eye. “Foreplay is overrated.”
“Sweet Jesus, yes!” he pushed aside her panties and nudged her with the tip of his staff.
Kate was slick with her own juices, ripe and ready for him.
He eased into her and paused, the act taking all his diminishing control. “Say no, and it stops here.” He could barely say the words. His chest was so tight, and his body was on fire with need.
“Don’t stop now,” she cried. “I’ve never been so…so…on fire.”
He thrust into her, pushing deep until he could go no farther. Drawing in a deep breath, he waited, letting her adjust to his girth.
Kate wasn’t waiting for long. She pressed down on his shoulders, lifting up his shaft, only to ease down again. “Yes, please,” she said as she exhaled and dragged in another ragged breath.
After another slow glide in and out, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaned her against the wall, grabbed her hips and thrust into her, hard and fast.
“Better,” she said and held on for the ride.
Chuck powered into her like a piston on a racecar engine, pounding her as hard and as fast as he could and still balance her. A bed would have been easier, but he couldn’t take the time to move her there. Not when he was so…very…close.
One more thrust, and he shot over the precipice. He drove deep, clutching her bottom, digging his fingers into her flesh as he held on, milking the orgasm to the very last shudder.
Kate kissed his forehead, his temple and his eyelids. “Wow,” she said. “That was amazing.”
His desire slaked for the moment, regret set in. Part of the beauty of making love to a woman was watching her lose herself in the process. “I should have gotten you there first.”
She swept a hand through his hair. “I didn’t need you to. It felt good.”
“We aren’t done yet,” he said and carried her to the floral couch, still deep inside her. Instead of laying her on the cushion, he perched her bottom on the back of the couch and pulled free. After disposing of the condom, he spread her legs and stepped between. “Now, it’s your turn.”
Chapter 8
Kate balanced on the back of the couch, her channel slick with her juices, and her core coiled and ready for whatever Chuck had in mind. “Aren’t you afraid we’ll wake Lyla?” she asked, her gaze going to the hallway and the open door.
“If we didn’t wake her before, she’ll sleep through this.” He stepped back. “But I’ll check on her. Don’t move.”
He zipped his jeans and hurried to the bedroom.
Kate took the moment to shed her panties and stuff them into the cushions of the couch. Chuck had moved them aside to make love to her, but she didn’t want anythi
ng in the way of what he might have in mind next.
She waited, her breath catching in her throat, her heart pounding hard against her ribs.
The few short moments he stepped away gave her entirely too much time to think about what she was doing.
What was she thinking? This man was hired to protect her, not to make love to her. If she was smart, she’d pull on her panties and hightail it back to her bed. Alone.
But she wasn’t thinking with her mind. Her body burned for more and wouldn’t let her leave the couch to save her soul.
When Chuck returned, he stalked toward her like a tiger on the prowl for its prey. His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “Having second thoughts?”
She nodded, her throat tightening to the point she couldn’t push air past her vocal cords.
He parted her legs again and stepped between her knees. Then he cupped the back of her head and tipped her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Want me to change your mind?”
His deep tone resonated through the room, making her nerves spontaneously combust and shoot electrical pulses throughout her system.
She wanted him to do wicked things to her.
“Please,” she said.
“Please what?” He lifted the hem of her nightgown but didn’t pull it up over her head.
Kate raised her arms. “Please, change my mind.”
Chuck ripped the gown over her head and flung it across the room. For a long moment, his gaze swept her body, taking in every curve and swell.
Kate’s nipples puckered, and her core heated. She held her breath in anticipation.
He reached out and lifted the necklace she’d worn beneath her nightgown. “Do you always wear this?” His knuckles grazed the swells of her breasts.
Dragging a deep breath to steady her pounding heart, she nodded. “Hank told me to wear it always. I think it has a tracking device in it.”
“Smart man.” He lifted the pendant and touched his lips to it. “You’re beautiful.”
She started to raise her arms to cover her bare breasts.
“Don’t.” Chuck captured her wrists and held them for a moment.
Kate raised her eyebrows, a shiver rippling across her skin. “I seem to be the only naked one here.”
He winked. “But you do it so well.” Then he pulled off his shirt and flung it to join her nightgown. “I’d go further, but it might be harder to explain my being naked to a three-year-old.”
“True.”
“And I don’t need to be naked to do this.” He bent to press his lips to the base of her throat. “Or this,” he whispered against her beating pulse. His mouth slipped over her collarbone and down to capture a nipple between his teeth.
For the next few moments, he nibbled, nipped and flicked that nipple.
Kate moaned softly and clutched the back of his head, her fingers digging into his scalp.
“Like that?” he asked.
“Yesss…” She leaned her head back and let him have his way with that nipple and then the other.
By the time he abandoned them, she was squirming on the back of the couch, ready for him to take it downward.
And he did.
Chuck dropped to his knees and dragged his lips over her ribs, one at a time. He dipped his tongue into her belly button and continued downward to the fluff of hair at the juncture of her thighs.
Kate widened her legs automatically, her breathing ragged, her pulse racing.
Parting her folds with his fingers, Chuck leaned in and blew a warm stream of air over that heated strip of flesh.
Kate gasped and applied pressure to the back of his head, urging him to do more.
With his tongue, he flicked her clit, sending a jolt of electricity racing across her body.
“Oh my,” she whispered.
He tapped that spot with the tip of his tongue, teasing her to the point she wanted to scream.
“Please,” she begged.
Chuckling, he ran his tongue across her sweet spot again and again until she dropped her hands to her knees, pulled back her legs and gave in to the orgasm that rocked her to her very soul.
Chuck curled one hand behind her to keep her from toppling over the back of the couch while the other spread her folds for the magic of his mouth.
For what felt like a lifetime and yet was so short it could only have been a length of a breath, Kate flew to the heavens and back, her body spasming, her hips rocking to the rhythm of Chuck’s tongue.
When she floated back to earth, she couldn’t have remembered her name, where she was from or the color of summer grass.
Chuck rose from his knees, stood her on her feet, then left her to gather their clothes from where they’d landed on the floor.
With care and kisses, he dressed her in her nightgown, guiding the fabric over her head, across her shoulders and down her torso, his hands touching her skin all the way.
Kate sighed and leaned into him, her legs like jelly, her body completely relaxed against his. “Wow.”
A warm chuckle reverberated between them. “I’ve never known a woman to come that completely undone.”
“I’ve never come so close to dying.” She lay her head against his chest, listening to the rapid beat of his heart. “I believe you’ve ruined me.”
“How so?”
“I don’t think anything can top that.”
“No?” He tipped back her head and brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“Not even ice cream,” she said, her brain fuzzy, her body still humming from her incredible experience.
Chuck laughed out loud, and then slapped his hand over his mouth. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Better than ice cream?”
“Mmm-hmmm.” She lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. They tasted of her. It made her tingle down there again. And if she didn’t step away soon, she’d beg him to do it all again.
A soft sound came from the bedroom down the hallway, pulling her out of the spell he’d cast on her.
Kate sighed. “I’ll check on Lyla.”
“I’ll make another round of the house,” Chuck said. “And then we need to get some sleep. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
Kate smiled. “You mean today.” She nodded toward a clock on the wall.
“Right.” He winced. “And children have a habit of getting up at the crack of dawn.”
Though she knew she needed to check on Lyla, Kate found it difficult to let go of Chuck. She had the feeling that once she did, everything would change. Things would go back to the way they were before. Him being the bodyguard, her being the client. Purely professional.
Oh, but they’d crossed that bridge and there was no going back. Not for Kate.
Chuck checked the windows and doors once again, even though he’d done it only minutes before. It gave him an excuse to step away from Kate. If he stood too close to her, he’d be too tempted to keep her in his arms and make love to her all over again.
They had been very lucky that Lyla hadn’t walked in on them while they were in the heat of passion. Witnessing people who aren’t her parents getting it on would be hard to comprehend at her age. And Chuck was certain Kate’s sister wouldn’t appreciate them exposing themselves to the little girl.
He ran a hand down his face. This lack of control wasn’t like him. Being focused was what he did, how he’d stayed alive on all the missions he’d conducted with the Navy SEALs and on special assignment with the FBI. He’d done whatever had to be done to accomplish his mission. Emotions and relationships couldn’t get in the way. People died when one lost focus.
Kate emerged from Lyla’s room and stood in the hallway. Her nightgown hung down to mid-thigh.
Chuck knew she wasn’t wearing underwear and vaguely wondered where she’d ditched them. But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t wearing any, and it made him hard all over again.
“Go to bed,” he said, his tone a lot sterner than he intended.
Kate nodded, as if she u
nderstood his struggle. She turned and walked barefooted to the master bedroom, her shoulders back, her head high.
God, she was beautiful.
With every ounce of self-control he could muster, Chuck resisted following Kate and making love to her for the rest of what was left of the night.
They didn’t need Lyla waking up to find them naked in bed together. They could do without that kind of trauma. The kid had enough stacked against her as it was.
He settled in the lounge chair and kicked up the footrest. Day One on the new job had seen him set up house with a beautiful woman and child, go to dinner with the old people of the town and make love to his client. It wasn’t a SEAL mission or busting a drug dealer, but it might be the most important mission of his life. He’d better get his shit together before someone got hurt.
He suspected it might be him. Already, his heart was on the line. After only one day.
Closing his eyes, he willed himself to catch some shuteye. He’d learned the skill of falling asleep quickly as a young Navy SEAL. He drew on that skill now to keep his body refreshed and ready to go should the need arise.
He must have slept, because when he opened his eyes again, sun shone around the curtains hanging in the windows and tiny footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Lyla stood in the middle of the hallway, her stuffed sloth clutched to her chest, her eyes wide, scared.
“Hey, Lyla,” Chuck called out softly. “It’s okay. You can come sit with me until…Mama wakes up.”
She stared at him for a long time.
Chuck sat up, folding the leg rest under him.
Lyla remained standing in the hallway, her bottom lip quivering.
His heart squeezed hard in his chest. “Oh, baby. It’s okay,” he tried to reassure her. “Did you have a bad dream?”
She nodded.
Chuck held out his arms. “Come here. Nothing can hurt you while you’re with me.”
Lyla took in a shaky breath, and then ran toward him.
He rose from his chair in time to catch her as she flung herself into his arms.
“Oh, sweetheart, you’re going to be just fine.” Chuck held her close, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other. “You’re in a new house, in a new place, and everything takes a little getting used to.”
