Under His Protection

by Katie Reus

  Just as quickly, he fell over that edge with her, groaning her name like a prayer as he thrust, over and over, his thickness the most wonderful feeling she’d ever experienced. As her orgasm started to ebb she managed to open her eyes a fraction, watching as Ivan stared down at her, pure ecstasy on his face as he lost himself inside her.

  It was impossible to look away from the stark beauty of his face as he was at his most vulnerable. She wasn’t sure how much time passed but eventually his thrusts slowed, his release warm inside her.

  He cupped her cheek with his calloused palm, gently stroking over her skin with his thumb. “I’m grateful every fucking day that I met you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  She sucked in a breath at his words, the sincerity in them touching her bone-deep. He might have told her that he loved her, but this felt like more, a deeper confession somehow. The truth was, she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it either.

  Reaching around him, she hugged him close, loving the skin to skin contact. “Good, because I’m not going anywhere.” She didn’t know what the future held for them but she knew what she wanted with him; the whole package.

  Epilogue

  Two and a half months later

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Julieta murmured, going up on her toes to kiss Ivan.

  “Like what?” Probably like he wanted to devour her right there—because he did. But getting naked and having his way with her on one of the lounge chairs next to her parents’ pool at their big New Year’s party would be inappropriate. And get him an ass kicking by her brothers—and her cousins.

  “You know what.” Her voice was a seductive whisper as she leaned into him.

  They were surrounded by about fifty people, mostly her family, but some friends as well, for the big party. For the past couple months they’d been practically living together, switching back and forth between both their places. But he wanted so much more from her.

  He wanted forever. Damn it, he’d planned to wait until midnight and do a big romantic gesture, but Jules staring at him with those big brown eyes in that formfitting gold dress that wrapped around her delicious body like a second skin—he couldn’t stand it anymore. He needed his ring on her finger and he didn’t care how caveman that made him. He wanted the entire world to know she was his. Hell, he wanted her to know how much she meant to him.

  At one time the thought of marriage would have terrified him but the thought of not having Julieta in his life was far more terrifying. Without pause he went down on one knee, taking her left hand in his. Out of respect he’d already talked to her parents to let them know his intentions. Technically he’d asked for permission but the truth was, if they’d said no, he’d have asked her to marry him anyway. Julieta was his.

  Her pretty lips parted in surprise as she stared at him, wide-eyed. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

  Pulling the small box from his pants’ pocket, he wasn’t surprised that his hands were rock steady. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life. Around them he was vaguely aware of everyone going silent and the sound of the music dimming, but all his focus was on the woman he loved more than anything.

  He held the blue box in his hand, but still hadn’t opened it. “I wanted to wait until midnight—”

  “Yes!” she shouted, taking him by surprise.

  Relief slammed into him, the small insecure part of him that had been worried she’d say no, soothed in the best way possible. His mouth curved into a grin. “I don’t think I asked a question yet,” he murmured low enough for only her to hear.

  In response she held out her hand expectantly, her grin wicked and her eyes shimmering with tears. “You better put that ring on my finger right now, Mr. Mitchell.”

  At that, his cock hardened instantly. She only ever called him Mr. Mitchell playfully in the bedroom. Thankfully his bent leg hid his response from their onlookers. Without waiting another second, he opened the box and slid the marquis cut diamond onto her finger. Oh yeah, he loved the way it looked.

  She let out a gasp at the sight of the ring before she bent and threw her arms around his neck, practically tackling him. Catching her in his arms, he stood, pulling her with him as he captured her mouth with his. She tasted sweet, like the wine she’d been drinking earlier. Cheers and the sound of champagne bottles popping sounded around them, but he had eyes only for her.

  Though it pained him to pull away, he did, looking down into the eyes of the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with, to have children with. Growing up as an only child and with a father who was gone all the time, he’d craved having a family of his own his whole life, even if he’d never admitted it to himself. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Her voice was a scratchy whisper, the joy and love in her eyes shining through as they were bombarded by people wishing them congratulations. Glasses of champagne were pushed into their hands and her brothers immediately started giving toasts, mostly threatening to kick his ass if he ever hurt their sister.

  Ivan wrapped an arm around Julieta’s shoulders and pulled her in tight to his side. That was one thing he’d never do. Julieta was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn’t wait to start their lives together.

  Thank you for reading Under His Protection. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you’ll consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books.

  If you liked Under His Protection and would like to read more, turn the page for a sneak peek of some of my other books. And if you don’t want to miss any future releases, please feel free to join my newsletter. I only send out a newsletter for new releases or sale news. Direct link: http://eepurl.com/jEABv

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  Sneak Peek of

  Bound to Danger

  Deadly Ops Series

  Copyright © 2014 Katie Reus

  Forcing her body to obey her when all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry until she passed out, she got up. Cool air rushed over her exposed back and backside as her feet hit the chilly linoleum floor. She wasn’t wearing any panties and the hospital gown wasn’t covering much of her. She didn’t care.

  Right now she didn’t care about much at all.

  Sometime when she’d been asleep her dirty, rumpled gown had been removed from the room. And someone had left a small bag of clothes on the bench by the window. No doubt Nash had brought her something to wear. He’d been in to see her a few times, but she’d asked him to leave each time. She felt like a complete bitch because she knew he just wanted to help, but she didn’t care. Nothing could help, and being alone with her pain was the only way she could cope right now.

  Feeling as if she were a hundred years old, she’d started unzipping the small brown leather bag when the door opened. As she turned to look over her shoulder, she found Nash, a uniformed police officer, and another really tall, thuggish-looking man entering.

  Her eyes widened in recognition. The tattoos were new, but the thug was Cade O’Reilly. He’d served in the Marines with her brother. They’d been best friends and her brother, Riel, named after her father, had even brought him home a few times. But that was years ago. Eight to be exact. It was hard to forget the man who’d completely cut her out of his life after her brother died, as if she meant nothing to him.

  Cade towered over Nash—who was pretty tall himself—and had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm and a couple on the other. His jet-black hair was almost shaved, the skull trim close to his head, just like the last time she’d seen him. He was…intimidating. Always had been. And startlingly handsome in that bad-boy way she was sure had made plenty of women… Yeah, she wasn’t even going there.

  She swiveled quickly, putting her back to the window so she wasn’t flashing them. Reaching around to her back, she clasped the hospital gown together. “You can’t knock?” she practically shouted, her voice raspy from crying, not su
re whom she was directing the question to.

  “I told them you weren’t to be bothered, but—”

  The police officer cut Nash off, his gaze kind but direct. “Ms. Cervantes, this man is from the NSA and needs to ask you some questions. As soon as you’re done, the doctors will release you.”

  “I know who he is.” She bit the words out angrily, earning a surprised look from Nash and a controlled look from Cade.

  She might know Cade, or she had at one time, but she hadn’t known he worked for the NSA. After her brother’s death he’d stopped communicating with her. Her brother had brought him home during one of their short leaves, and she and Cade had become friends. Good friends. They’d e-mailed all the time, for almost a year straight. Right near the end of their long correspondence, things had shifted between them, had been heading into more than friendly territory. Then after Riel died, it was as if Cade had too. It had cut her so deep to lose him on top of her brother. And now he showed up in the hospital room after her mom’s death and wanted to talk to her? Hell no.

  She’d been harassing the nurses to find a doctor who would discharge her, and now she knew why they’d been putting her off. They’d done a dozen tests and she didn’t have a brain injury. She wasn’t exhibiting any signs of having a concussion except for the memory loss, but the doctors were convinced that this was because of shock and trauma at what she’d apparently witnessed.

  Nash started to argue, but the cop hauled him away, talking in low undertones, shutting the door behind them. Leaving her alone with this giant of a man.

  Feeling raw and vulnerable, Maria wrapped her arms around herself. The sun had almost set, so even standing by the window didn’t warm her up. She just felt so damn cold. Because of the room and probably grief. And now to be faced with a dark reminder of her past was too much.

  Sneak Peek of

  Sinful Seduction

  Red Stone Security Series

  Copyright © 2014 Katie Reus

  Mina threw her elbow back, ignoring the pain as she connected with the man’s ribs. He grunted, but barely seemed affected. Another shot of raw fear slammed through her as his grip tightened. She started thrashing around and the man in front of her began to advance but suddenly froze, his eyes growing wide as he growled a curse. Then he raced past them and suddenly she was falling. Scrambling to hold on to something, anything to stabilize her, her fingers skimmed the nearby car before she fell onto the cobblestone road.

  Despite the pain that ricocheted up her spine, she rolled over and pushed up, expecting to have to defend herself. Instead she saw one huge man fighting with three—three!—in the middle of the quiet road. He slammed his fist against the jaw of the man who’d covered her mouth. Even from this distance she could hear the crack. The man with the knife lunged at him but he kicked out at him like some sort of ninja, throwing her would-be attacker back a couple feet. Though it felt like forever, she knew only seconds had passed as they fought.

  And she had to get help.

  Scrambling back in between the cars toward the sidewalk, relief punched through her when she saw her purse near a wooden privacy fence that lined this side of the alley. Half of her belongings were strewn across the pavement, including her cell phone. Snagging it off the ground, she started to dial 9-1-1 when the sound of squealing tires made her head jerk up. A dark SUV with tinted windows was racing out the other end of the alley, thankfully in the opposite direction. But the big man who’d come to her rescue was lying on the ground.

  Phone in hand she raced down the sidewalk, fighting panic that he’d been injured or worse. Maybe the guy with the knife had stabbed him… As she reached him, he groaned and shoved up to a sitting position.

  “Are you okay?” he rasped out as he glanced around, diligently taking in their surroundings.

  “I should be asking you that.” Kneeling next to him, she reached out to touch his temple. “Thank you so much for what you did…” A small trickle of blood trailed down the side of his face. “Crap, you’re bleeding.”

  “It’s nothing,” he muttered, swiping it clean, but didn’t move away from her.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” She scanned him, taking in the casual pants and loose T-shirt. That was when she saw the gun peeking out from underneath his shirt which had been shoved up. It was secured to the side of his pants by a small holster. Mina jerked to a halt at the sight of the weapon. Her throat constricted, but before she could move, he pushed up to a standing position and held out a hand for her.

  “I have a permit and I’m fine, but we need to call the police. Whoever those guys were, they weren’t just out to mug you. They shot me with a fucking bean bag round.” He groaned as he pulled her to her feet.

  At five feet eleven, she was taller than a lot of people so she was surprised when she stood in front of him and realized he had to be well over six feet. And he was really broad too. There couldn’t be an inch of fat on the guy. And why was she noticing that anyway? Maybe she had hit her head. “Wait, what?” His words finally registered as she tore her gaze from his wide chest to his concerned face. “A bean bag? What are you talking about?” And why had he even jumped in to help her like that? She wanted to ask but was struggling to remain calm.

  He nodded at the ground and stepped past her. She watched as he bent down and when he came back up with something in his hand she was even more confused at what she saw.

  He held it up for her to inspect. “They shot this at me using a shotgun with some sort of modifier on it. I’ve never seen something like that before. I barely heard the release.”

  “You mean they shot you with something police use in riot controls?” That was beyond weird. But also deadly. She’d read an article about the kind of damage those things could do if they hit someone in the head or ribs. “Where did they hit you?”

  “Barely clipped my shoulder. Trust me, I’m fine,” he said as he scanned her from head to foot. “Did they hurt you? Did they say anything?”

  A shiver raced through her as the reality of what could have happened slammed into her all at once. “They didn’t hurt me, but they would have.” As thoughts of how truly horrific tonight could have gone settled in her mind, another shiver took hold and soon she was full-on shaking, her teeth chattering even as she tried to speak. There had been three of them. She hadn’t even seen the third until that fight. And there’d been a driver, so that was four.

  “Shit,” he muttered, pulling her into a tight embrace. The sudden hold should have shocked her but she was barely hanging on after what had just happened. “You’re okay.” A big, surprisingly gentle hand, soothingly stroked down her back, helping steady out her breathing and slow her heart rate.

  Acknowledgments

  A great big thank you to Kari Walker for her insight with this book! I also owe thanks to Joan Turner for her copy editing skills and Jaycee with Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs for the beautiful cover. For my readers, the ninth book in the Red Stone Security series is here because of you. Thank you for reading this series. Every day I’m humbled that you love this world as much as me. I wouldn’t get to write so much without a supportive husband so as always, thank you. Last but not least, I’m thankful to God.

  Complete Booklist

  Red Stone Security Series

  No One to Trust

  Danger Next Door

  Fatal Deception

  Miami, Mistletoe & Murder

  His to Protect

  Breaking Her Rules

  Protecting His Witness

  Sinful Seduction

  Under His Protection

  The Serafina: Sin City Series

  First Surrender

  Sensual Surrender

  Sweetest Surrender

  Deadly Ops Series

  Targeted

  Bound to Danger

  Non-series Romantic Suspense

  Running From the Past

  Everything to Lose

  Dangerous Deception

  Dangerous Secrets

  Kil
ler Secrets

  Deadly Obsession

  Danger in Paradise

  His Secret Past

  Paranormal Romance

  Destined Mate

  Protector’s Mate

  A Jaguar’s Kiss

  Tempting the Jaguar

  Enemy Mine

  Heart of the Jaguar

  Moon Shifter Series (paranormal romance)

  Alpha Instinct

  Lover’s Instinct (novella)

  Primal Possession

  Mating Instinct

  His Untamed Desire (novella)

  Avenger’s Heat

  Hunter Reborn (2015)

  Darkness Series

  Darkness Awakened

  Taste of Darkness

  About the Author

  Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

  However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. For more information on Katie please visit her website: www.katiereus.com. Also find her on Twitter @katiereus or visit her on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/katiereusauthor. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please join her newsletter. Direct link: http://eepurl.com/jEABv