Order of Protection

by Lexi Blake

  “See that it stays that way,” Henry grumbled. His hips flexed, rubbing his cock against her clitoris with a perfection that made her whimper. “I know he’s some badass ex–special forces dude, but I can be mean, too.”

  “I’ll make sure he knows we’re just friends.”

  It wasn’t like she had a ton of men begging to date her. Of course, the problem was she didn’t want anyone except Henry. Stubborn, irritating, sexy, and smart Henry Garrison.

  “See that you do.” He dragged her down, kissing her again, his tongue dancing against hers.

  He ground up against her, running that thick cock over her clit and making her moan.

  She let him take the lead, moving her body in time with his. They’d fought this for days and it had been stupid. He’d been right. Inevitable.

  It felt like it, but she knew things weren’t always as they seemed.

  “Don’t leave me,” he rasped against her lips. His hands slid under her jeans to find warm flesh. “Stay with me. Whatever you’re thinking about, it can wait. Stay here with me for a few hours.”

  She looked down into those clear blue eyes of his. “I’m going to be here for more than a few hours. I’m worried about it. I can’t stay away from you. How bad is it going to get if I’m here for months?”

  “This doesn’t feel bad.” He pressed up against her, his jaw tightening. “It feels pretty fucking good to me.”

  He was willfully misunderstanding her. “I’m crazy about you.”

  He went still for a moment and then she saw pure stubborn resolve light his eyes. “Good. There’s nothing wrong with that. That can work in our favor. It’s obvious there’s something between us. We need to be a happy couple for the press. Why can’t we make it work personally?”

  Not the most romantic thing a man had ever said, but then he wasn’t the most romantic of men. She had to be careful. “You could break my heart.”

  “Don’t give me a reason to,” he ground out. “Don’t lie to me again. Don’t go back to that world. Stay in mine. Stay with me, and we’ll be fine. It’s simple.”

  But it wasn’t. It was so complex because she had to deal with the fact that Henry had been burned before, and in a way that had wrecked his life. Maybe if they’d met at some other time he might have pushed past some of his fear, but her very name compounded the problem.

  She had to make a choice. He couldn’t keep her here. If she wanted to, she could pack up and be in her uncle’s home in fifteen minutes.

  And leave Henry all alone. He could be surrounded by people and still be alone. He could have all the friends in the world, but without someone who truly understood him, he was alone behind walls so high and strong she wasn’t sure anyone could get through them.

  He’d bent for her and not in some shallow way. He’d broken his number one rule, and didn’t that mean something?

  “I’ll stay with you.” She couldn’t stand the thought of Henry being alone with all his dark thoughts. He needed someone to force him into the light.

  She was in love with him and it was stupid and she was going to get so hurt, and she couldn’t stop herself.

  Inevitable.

  “You won’t regret it,” he whispered before taking her lips again. “I’ll take care of you. You won’t need anything else.”

  Oh, she would need so much more from him, but she wasn’t sure he was capable of giving it to her. Love. She wasn’t sure he would ever allow himself to do that again, but she had to take the chance. It was the most important gamble of her life.

  Because she was betting everything on him. Her heart. Her freedom. Her life. They were all in this man’s hands.

  “Take off those jeans. Do it now.” His voice had gone low and deep, all his patience dissolved.

  She scrambled off his lap and worked the fly of her jeans, watching him the whole time. His eyes were on her, his whole body and being seemingly wrapped up in what she was doing. Like a predator who had a nice, fluffy bunny in his sights. He was still, waiting for the moment when he would pounce.

  If she didn’t know how damn good it felt when he made a meal of her, she might have been wary. In this, she trusted him implicitly. She eased her jeans over her hips and drew her undies with them, finally standing naked in front of him.

  How could she feel so comfortable with him? She’d spent so much of her life struggling with her body. She’d come to peace with it, but sex was still hard. Not with him. “Somehow I know when you look at me you’re not judging me.”

  “I’m far too busy having my breath taken away,” he replied. “I don’t want to ever make you feel less than beautiful, sweetheart. That’s not our problem. Our problem is I think you’re too good to be true. I want you to be real. I want you to be everything you seem to be, but I can’t quite make myself believe. Make me believe, Win.”

  If she thought for a second he was truly asking her to prove herself to him, she could have walked away. But she heard the real plea under his words. Time. He needed time and intimacy. He needed her to stay. No words were going to prove anything to either one of them. They had to roll the dice and bet on each other.

  “I can’t make you believe anything as long as you’re wearing pants, babe.” For now this had to be the language of their love. He didn’t know how to say the words, but she could see his affection in his actions. He worked day and night on her case. He cared that she was innocent. He was willing to try.

  His eyes never left hers as he unbuckled his belt and undid the fly of his slacks. He reached into his pocket and came back with a small packet. “You’ve turned me into an optimist. Well, at least about one thing. I want to be ready to fuck you. I want to walk through my day thinking that at any moment I might be able to have you. I’ve gotten obsessed with the thought. You might not like what you’ve unleashed.”

  Oh, she liked what he’d just unleashed quite a bit. He sat back in his chair, stroking his cock. Her whole body was ready for him, needed to connect with him in the most intimate way possible. “Give it to me, Henry.”

  His eyes flashed and for a second she thought he would refuse her, but he passed her the condom and his whole body tightened as she dropped to her knees in front of him. She pressed in between his legs, taking his cock in her hand.

  “God, you make me crazy. I can’t . . . I can’t stay away. No more pretending. This isn’t for the freaking press. This is for us. You and me.”

  It was all she could ask from him right now. “You and me.”

  She stroked him, loving the silky feel of his skin. How could something so damn hard be soft against her skin? She couldn’t hold out. This wasn’t going to be some exploratory session. They’d been apart for far too long. But she wanted another taste.

  She heard him growl as she sucked the head of his cock, flattening her tongue against the bottom and drawing him inside.

  “Not long, Win,” he warned. “I’m too close and I don’t want to come in your mouth. Not this time.”

  He wanted them together and connected. She wanted the same. One long pass, and then two. She could feel how ready he was and she couldn’t wait another second. She opened the condom and rolled it on, stroking him and never giving him a moment to rest.

  “Come up here. Just like this,” he commanded, reaching out to help her up.

  He wasn’t moving. He wanted her to ride him, and the idea made her heart race. She got to her feet, and a thought occurred. “I’ll ruin those slacks.”

  He tugged on her hand. “Ride me. I don’t give a damn about the slacks. They can be cleaned, and I don’t care what the dry cleaner thinks any more than I care about the fact that your bodyguard is right outside that door. I want you. No one else fucking matters.”

  She had completely forgotten about Remy. “He could walk in at any minute.”

  Henry shook his head. “I assure you, he’ll be discreet. He’s not about
to walk in unless there’s some danger to you, and then he can shoot the bad guy and leave us alone again because no one is going to stop me from having you.”

  How was she supposed to respond to that? His single-minded will worked wonders on her inhibitions. No one had ever wanted her like Henry did. She gave in, letting him guide her down. The feel of his slacks against her naked skin reminded her that he was still dressed, still in his slacks and a button-down. Still looked like a proper lawyer except he had a woman about to ride his cock. A naked, wanton woman who no longer cared who heard her.

  She groaned at the feel of that big cock against her pussy. Slow. She eased down slowly, wanting the moment to last. Every inch of him was pure pleasure as he stretched her wide.

  “Look at me,” he demanded. “Tell me how it feels. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She brought her eyes to meet his, hoping her passion and pleasure showed through. “You only hurt me when you push me away. This doesn’t hurt. This is what I’ve needed for days. I needed it about two minutes after you left me.”

  He pressed up, forcing her to take more of him, his face contorting in pleasure. “That was a mistake. I should have made you come home with me. I would have found out and been mad, but the damage would have been done. I wouldn’t have kicked you out. I would have taken out all my anger on this pretty flesh and we would have been through this by now.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that. He made it sound easy. His issues were far more complex and wide-reaching than her mere name. She clutched at him as she started to move. “No more talk about the past. Be with me. Here and now.”

  He dragged her close and kissed her as she started to ride him in earnest.

  It was too good to last and before she was ready, she felt his cock slide over that place of pure perfection deep inside her and she shouted out his name. He clutched her, holding her tight as he pumped himself in over and over again. He shuddered as he held her, giving her everything he had.

  She slumped over, all energy gone. All the stress and worry had floated away. They would come back undoubtedly, but for now she could be at peace and she was taking it moment by moment.

  His arms tightened around her. “I’ll take care of you. You won’t regret being with me while the case is going on. You’ll see that it’s for the best.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. He would take care of her for now, but what about after? She let the thought go because thinking about the future had become a dangerous thing.

  TWELVE

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” David asked, sinking into the chair at the conference table. The table was set up for three, as Margarita was back in Texas for a few days.

  Henry looked up from the file he’d been studying. Trevor’s banking records were interesting, to say the least. He took out a whole lot of cash. “Are you commenting on the fact that I have an appointment with my ex-wife in thirty minutes and I haven’t gotten into my body armor yet?”

  David frowned his way. “I’m talking about the fact that you’re living with Win.”

  “I thought you were aware she was staying with me.”

  “Staying with you is one thing. Sleeping with you is another.”

  He sighed. “I’m not her attorney. You are.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it. Tell me you aren’t planning on micromanaging every single piece of this case.”

  He wasn’t going to bother to lie to his best friend. “Of course I am. I’m the lawyer with the most experience. It would be wrong if I didn’t oversee you. How many murder cases have you won, David?”

  The door came open and Noah stepped in. The kid was wearing a tailored suit, his hair slightly longer than it should be to be considered professional. He smiled, showing perfect, even white teeth. “Morning, guys. How was your evening? I had an interesting one.”

  He’d probably hit a club and trolled for women. Was that what Win should be doing? Not the trolling part, but going out and dancing. She’d spent the whole night curled up on the couch with him. She’d watched some silly TV show about doctors in love while he’d gone over his notes for today.

  When the time had come to call it a night, she’d kissed him without reservation and let him lead her to bed.

  David’s face flushed, but he held his ground. It was obvious that the inclusion of Noah wasn’t going to make him back down. “My experience with murder cases is not the problem and you know it.”

  Noah’s eyes went wide, but he sank into his chair anyway. Henry wanted to order the kid out, but Noah’s name was on the door, too. If David wanted to have this out in front of the partners, he could do it.

  “Noah, David has some issues with how I’m handling the Winston-Hughes case. So, David, what is the problem?” He didn’t see a problem at all. It had been five days since he and Win had given in, and his world seemed to work much better than it had before. He woke up every morning with her wrapped around him, and most mornings he got inside her and started the day right. She would make breakfast while he got ready for work and they would enjoy the morning together. She’d taken to kissing him before he got on the elevator. It had felt far too domestic that first day, but this morning when she’d gotten caught up in some book she was reading, he found her and demanded it.

  It was such an easy trap to fall into.

  “The problem is that the world now thinks you’re Win’s boyfriend,” David pointed out.

  “I thought we all agreed to that,” Noah said, confusion on his face. “We brought in a publicist and everything. It seems to be working. After the announcement Henry made and Alicia Kingman going on record saying she totally supported the both of you, we haven’t heard any other rumors. In fact, a lot of the tabloid crap has turned against Brie Westerhaven because a couple of people she tried to blackmail have come out to talk about her. What’s wrong?”

  David sent Noah a pointed look. “I’m not concerned about some tabloid. I’m pretty sure Win thinks Henry is serious about her, too.”

  “Well, that probably has to do with the fact that they’re fucking like rabbits,” Noah replied.

  Henry was going to try to ignore Noah. “Win knows what she’s doing. I haven’t lied to her about anything.” Well, almost anything. “I haven’t lied to her about anything personal. I have kept a few things about the case to myself, but she doesn’t need to worry until I’m sure.”

  Noah leaned in. “Is this about the nanny?”

  Maybe they could finally get around to some of the important points he needed to make this morning. “Yes, I’ve told her the hospital Mary Hannigan is supposed to be recuperating at is still dealing with the storm from three nights ago. There was a big one out on the island and their phone lines are having problems. The patients were evacuated to higher ground and Mary didn’t bring her cell phone with her. Win is worried, but her uncle assured her he’s talked to Mary via the hospital’s director and she’s fine. I’m feeling quite lucky that Win can’t leave Manhattan or she would be caught up in all this.”

  David frowned. “So she has no idea we can’t locate Mary Hannigan? Win doesn’t know that Noah went to the nursing home and there was no record of Mary Hannigan being there?”

  “That’s what I mean.” The woman seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. They could trace her through the emergency room she’d been taken to directly after the accident. They’d reset her hip in a noninvasive surgical procedure and then released her to the rehab/assisted living facility to heal for a few weeks.

  She’d never shown up.

  “Why is Bellamy Hughes lying about talking to her?” Noah asked.

  That was something he needed to figure out. “We don’t know that he’s lying about talking to her. He could know exactly where she is and be in touch with her. He comes back to New York tonight. I want a tail on him. I want to know everything that man does and everywhere he g
oes. I don’t like this. He’s hiding something and it has to do with Mary Hannigan.”

  “I agree,” David replied. “Win’s uncle is lying to her. So do you think she needs the added pressure of an impending breakup with the man who’s supposed to take care of her? Who’s supposed to have her best interests at heart? I think we should consider moving her out of your place. I understand that one of the investigators is a childhood friend of Win’s and has a place where she can stay. Getting some space might help her understand what kind of game you’re playing.”

  He sent David his most arctic stare. “My personal relationship with Win Hughes is none of your business, and I would advise you, for the sake of our friendship and this partnership, to stay out of it. She’s not going anywhere.”

  Noah sat back and David rolled his eyes.

  “Told you,” Noah said. “That’s twenty.”

  David pulled out his wallet and slid a twenty Noah’s way. “I don’t understand. He’s been my best friend for years. I thought I would know.”

  Henry bit back his irritation. “You thought you would know what? And I’d like an explanation of what you were betting on and when you turned into a frat boy, betting on your friend’s future.”

  Noah held up his hands. “Damn, man. You’ve got the angry-dad thing down. And, David, he might have been your friend for a long time, but I watched my oldest brother fight the love thing and then give in to it. At first it was all ‘Shelby’s just around for sex and the job we’re doing,’ and the next thing you know, bam, I’m standing around wearing the world’s most uncomfortable tuxedo and watching him marry the woman who was supposed to be around only for sex.”

  “I never said she was only around for sex.” Henry didn’t like them talking about his sex life, much less betting on it. “She’s also staying at my place for protection and because it makes it easier to work on the case when she’s close. I don’t have to worry about where she is or who’s got access to her.”