Guardian Bears: Lucas (6 page)

Their mouths met in a passionate kiss as he held her still, enjoying the joint feeling and letting her get used to his size. Lucas could feel Emily's heart pounding, and her breath came in quick gasps. Little tremors ran through her body with every breath, and he growled a low and hungry sound. He'd never imagined that anything could feel so good.

Mine.
The thought emerged from the bear inside him, filling him with an immense satisfaction and joy. He couldn't imagine ever letting her go. Not after this, not when they were so perfect together. Lucas didn't know why, or where the feeling came from. But it didn't matter. His bear was sure that she was the one, and he couldn't argue. He'd keep her safe, protect her from whatever menaced her.

Ours,
he agreed, growling in unison with the bear within.
Our mate, our one.

Even thinking it made him quiver inside her, arousal growing. Emily moaned, feeling him swelling in her, and she moved, withdrawing slightly and then pulling herself back against him. Both of them gasped as their bodies met again. Lucas felt his body shake as a tremor of pleasure flashed through him, driving him wild.

As she pulled back, he did too, lifting himself for a moment and then thrusting into her as she pulled him down. They met with a gasp, and breathless passion drove them on. Faster and faster they came together, their bodies shaking as they moved. Lucas gave up control quickly, pleasure overwhelming him and driving him to thrust harder, faster.

Emily's gasps became shouts, each thrust making her hold on tighter and cry out louder, her body tensing around him and gripping him tight. His own body responded, and he felt himself swell inside her, tensing.

Nothing in his life had prepared Lucas for an experience like this. He'd been through a lot of incredible experiences, but nothing so powerful, so wonderful, so awe-inspiring. Pulling Emily to him, he kissed her hard, and as he did he felt her tighten around him. Her body pressed against his, her hands gripped his shoulders hard, and her orgasm took her. She cried out, muffled by his kiss, and tightened around him as she came.

That was all he needed to push him over the edge, the sensation pushing him into his own release, and he came powerfully inside her. Together, they cried out, her nails digging into him as he thrust a final time, burying himself hard inside her. All thought fled his mind as the powerful orgasm filled him.

At last, the pleasure ebbed, and he looked down at his mate, feeling the joy that filled her as though it were his own. She was panting for breath, looking up at him with a smile that showed her happiness and her exhaustion. It was a smile he wanted to see for the rest of his life, and he would
hurt
anyone who took it from her.

That thought brought back some of the reality of the situation to him. She might be his mate, but right now, she was supposed to be his client, and as happy as she looked in the moment, what would she think of her bodyguard when the afterglow faded?

E
mily looked
up at him and smiled. That had been the most amazing sex she could possibly imagine. Just thinking back to it made her heart flutter again. But Lucas looked so serious above her, now that it was over.

She reached up to stroke his rough cheek and sighed happily.

"That was amazing," she told him, blushing to hear how raw her voice was. Hopefully the neighbors hadn't heard her shouting, that would be really embarrassing.

His grim face lightened a little, but there was something hidden behind his stoic expression. Sadness, or guilt? She wasn't sure.

"Hey, don't look so down," she told him. He pulled himself over to sit beside her on the couch, and she snuggled into the warm, solid, muscular bulk of his body happily. "Didn't you enjoy that?"

He laughed, as she'd hoped he would. "Of course I did, couldn't you tell?"

"Well, then, what's the problem? We both needed that, didn't we?"

"Yeah." He still sounded pensive, and she didn't know what to make of that. His arm wrapped around her and squeezed her to him, holding her tight, and she realized that for the first time since this had all begun, she'd forgotten to be afraid. Lucas made her feel safe in a way she hadn't thought she ever would again. There was something about him – something beyond his size and strength and skills – which made her believe that she was in safe hands.

She found herself smiling happily as she rested her head on his chest, his slow powerful heartbeat loud in her ears.

But they couldn't stay like that forever. Eventually he groaned and moved, bending down to kiss her. Lifting her off him, he set her back on the sofa and heaved himself to his feet.

"I should get myself cleaned up," he said, a note of regret in his rough voice.

And with that, he strode out of the living room and into the bathroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

What was I thinking?
She stared up at the ceiling, trying to get a handle on what had happened. Lucas was her bodyguard, not her lover, and it this wasn't a very professional way for either of them to behave.

The answer, of course, was that she hadn't been thinking, not really. Her attraction to Lucas was overwhelming, overpowering, and he made her feel safe in that way that no one else ever had. And she'd needed the release.

But is that all it was?
A little voice inside her didn't believe it. There was more to the connection between them than she understood, but there
was
a connection, more than just two people in lust. She was sure of it. But would it survive the end of their contract? She didn't know.

What would it cost to extend the contract forever?
She shook her head at the silliness of the question and tried to stop thinking about it.

Lucas' return interrupted her thoughts. He was still naked, skin glistening wet from the shower, and he was gorgeous. Before, she hadn't had a chance to get a good look at him, but now she had the distance to see all of him at once and she stared. She couldn't help it.

Standing in the doorway, he let her look him over, a small smile on his face. She let her eyes roam over him, trying not to let her embarrassment overwhelm her as she looked at his nakedness and admired every inch of him.

No part of him wasn't worth lingering on. His muscular limbs, his washboard abs, his rugged face. And between his legs, his perfect… Emily felt her cheeks heat and glanced away, to Lucas' evident amusement.

"You can look if you want to, you know," he told her, striding into the room and over to the large bag he'd brought in the night before. She watched him move, admiring his grace as he bent and pulled out fresh clothes for himself. If she'd not seen it, she wouldn't have believed a man so large could move so elegantly. There was no wasted motion, and certainly no shyness about her seeing him naked.

It was almost a disappointment when he covered himself, though the t-shirt he pulled on was tight enough that she could still see his muscles move as he stood and looked down at her. It was only then that she realized the state she was in, and her blush reasserted itself.

Lucas offered her his hand and pulled her up from the sofa, and she wordlessly scampered off to the bathroom herself.

* * *

L
ucas started
to unpack as he waited for Emily to return from her shower. His bag held a couple of changes of clothes, but more importantly, it was full of personal protection equipment. Perhaps he should have set that up the night before, but back then he hadn't been sure that there was anything to protect Emily
from
.

That thought made him feel a little guilty. He should have taken her fears seriously from the start, even if he didn't know whether they were based on fact. But he could make that right, at least.

By the time she emerged, wearing a robe and a towel wrapped around her hair, he was at work at the door, fitting a portable alarm. He looked around and was amazed at the effect seeing her had on him. Fresh from the shower, she made him want to get dirty with her again.
Maybe we should have showered together? Then again, we'd never have left the bathroom if we had.

"What are you doing?" she asked, folding her arms and looking at him.

"Installing a security system. Part of the package," he told her. "This will call me if the door opens unexpectedly. The alarm fob I gave you will switch it off, but if someone without one comes in this way, I'll know about it."

"Do I need that? I mean, won't you be here anyway?" She sounded a little confused, and a little worried. Did she think he was going to leave now?

Frowning, he nodded. "You need it. I'm going to be here to look after you, but that doesn't mean I can pay attention to the door all the time. I'll have to sleep, or go to the bathroom. And if we're somewhere else when someone breaks in, I'll want to know about it right away, rather than finding out when we get back here."

Emily's eyes were starting to fill with fear, and he cursed under his breath.

This is meant to make her feel safe, not afraid,
he thought, annoyed at himself.

"Look, it probably won't be needed. I just don't want to take any chances with your safety, okay? Not now, and not ever."

"Okay," she said, not sounding entirely reassured. "Well, I'm going to make dinner then.
Somebody's
given me quite an appetite."

Lucas grinned at that. "Great."

As he finished up his work on the door, the apartment filled with smells of cooking. He added similar alarms to the windows in the living room and the bedroom. As he finished activating the last one, he saw Emily's laptop on the bedside table and frowned. It looked like a high-end machine, not the kind of thing that he'd expect a waitress to own. It had to be something she'd brought with her from her previous life. And he remembered that she'd grabbed it when she'd fled.

Nothing else, not even a jacket: the laptop in its bag had been the only possession she'd stopped to collect on her way out of the window.

Looking at it more carefully, he saw that it was quite new. He reached out for it and paused.
Emily wouldn't like me poking at this,
he thought.
But I have to know what trouble she's in if I'm going to keep her safe.

After a moment's pause, he made his decision and opened the laptop. The screen came on instantly, but just to ask for a password. Lucas grimaced.

So much for that.
He quietly closed the screen, still curious about what she was hiding. The login screen hadn't looked like a standard one – it had a corporate logo on it, as though it were a company computer rather than a personal one.

TannerTech, never heard of that one
, he thought, making a note to look it up later. Where had Emily picked it up and why?

His thoughts were interrupted by Emily calling him through, and he hurried to the kitchen. She wasn't the only one who'd worked up an appetite, and the delicious smells filling the apartment were making his stomach growl.

She was setting the small table when he came in, a large bowl of stir-fry sitting in the middle of it. The chair creaked under him as he sat down, and she joined him at the table almost hesitantly. It looked like her fears were reasserting themselves.

Lucas shook his head, unwilling to wait, and took up the serving spoons to fill up her plate and his.

"Oh no, that's enough for me," Emily protested after the first spoonful. Lucas laughed and added a second anyway.

"You have to keep up your strength," he told her, taking an equally large portion for himself. There was still plenty in the serving bowl. "Anyway, you cooked enough to have twice that much."

"I thought you'd be hungry," she protested with a little blush. "And whatever's left over will keep till tomorrow."

Lucas laughed again. "You've as much reason to have an appetite as I do."

With that, he dug into his own plate. Biting down on the first mouthful he paused, surprised, and then chewed with relish.

"This is delicious," he exclaimed as he readied another forkful. "My god, Emily, you should be cooking at a restaurant not waiting at a diner!"

Her blush deepened and she shook her head. "I can't really do much, but this is a recipe that my mother taught me and it's my favorite. I couldn't handle cooking it for a roomful of people, though."

"Maybe that's just as well," Lucas said, shaking his head in admiration. "I'd be jealous of anyone else eating this."

He enjoyed her pleased blush and turned his concentration to the food again, not looking up until he'd finished. Despite her protestations, he saw that she had nearly cleared her plate too. Taking a sip of his drink, he sat back and smiled happily.

"Now that was a meal worth having," he told her. "I can't believe you made that in this tiny little kitchen."

She shrugged, embarrassed. "I told you, it's an old recipe. I can make it anywhere. But I'm glad you liked it."

Now that they were no longer eating, the silences felt tense, like empty space waiting to be filled with words. After a minute, Lucas sighed. There was no point in putting off the difficult conversation any further.

"We have to talk about what you're running away from, Emily."

She stood abruptly, picking up their bowls and moving to the sink to clean them. "I don't want to talk about it. Isn't it enough that I need protection?"

"No," Lucas said, standing in turn and stepping over to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension in her neck. The muscles felt like corded steel. "You know I can't work like that. If I don't know what you're in danger from, I don't know what to look for."

He tried to keep his frustration out of his voice, but knew he hadn't quite managed it. She tensed even more under his hand and scrubbed unhappily at the bowl she held. "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."

He sighed and took a step backward, leaning against the table. "Why don't you try me? You have to trust someone, and I promise you can trust me. Who are you running from?"

"I don't know!" Emily almost shouted the words, dropping the bowl to clatter in the sink and throwing up her hands. "I don't know who it is, okay, just that they are after me."

"Tell me as much as you do know, alright? I can't help otherwise."

Lucas felt anger coursing through him as he spoke. The idea that someone had made Emily – had made
his mate
– so afraid that she couldn't talk about it… that was enough to make him want to tear someone apart limb from limb. The bear inside him wanted it too, rumbling a low and angry growl that carried into his words.

Emily turned to face him, looking up, and he could see the tears in her eyes. Instantly, he regretted asking her about it. Whatever it was, it was too scary for her to think about, and he didn't want to make her feel any worse. The last thing he ever wanted to do was bring her pain.

"Look, okay, you don't have to tell me anything –" he started, but she held up a hand.

"No, you're right," she admitted, her voice small and scared but determined. "I'll tell you some of it, alright? So you know what I'm afraid of?"

He nodded, reaching out to take her hand. She seemed to draw strength from him, looking up and smiling through her tears.

"I was working on web development for a small company, okay? It all seemed pretty normal at first, but the money was… well, it didn't make much sense. Sam Tanner, that was the owner, he always said not to worry, he had some friends who were helping out, but it all looked pretty shifty. I wasn't involved in anything, but there were always these big guys hanging around. I think they were some kind of gang."

Lucas felt his frown deepen, but he didn't want to interrupt. Nodding encouragingly, he waited for her to go on.

"I'm not sure, but I think they were money laundering. And that Sam, he always wanted his software to be the next big thing. Like he thought he'd be the next Google or something." She shook her head, but didn't stop talking. It was as though the barriers inside her had broken, and the words were pouring out in a flood.

"One day the other guys, the big ones, they were angry. There was a lot of shouting, and then they stormed out. It scared a lot of us, but Sam told us it was all going to be fine, he'd set things straight with the investors. And I figured that was going to be that."