He held her firmly, rubbing his thumb around her nipple, but never actually touching it because he knew how sensitive she was. His complete thoughtfulness made her even wetter. She wondered what she’d done to deserve a man like Kell.
The feel of his calloused hand on her was about to send her into overload when his movements slowed, becoming even more teasing.
“Hold on to the headboard,” he murmured against her neck where he’d been kissing and raking his teeth across her skin.
“Okay.” She would do any damn thing he wanted right now if he brought her to orgasm.
As soon as she clutched onto it, his hand strayed right between her legs, cupping her mound in a completely possessive grip.
So damn slowly, he slid a finger inside her. Unable to stop herself, she rolled her hips, trying to force him to move faster, to give her more. Lord, she wanted more. Everything he could give her.
“I love how reactive you are,” he murmured against her breast as he licked the underside of it.
She was, but only for him. The man had the ability to turn her on like no one else. Unwilling to drag this out any longer, she removed her hands from the headboard and clutched his shoulders.
He looked up, his green eyes flashing. “I thought I said to hold onto the headboard.”
That dominating note in his voice sent a shiver streaking through her. But… “Not now. You can tease me all night, but now I just need you in me.” After the insanity of the night she felt almost desperate for that connection.
He must have read something on her face because he pushed off her and shoved his jeans off—commando underneath. Her gaze settled on his cock and her entire body tingled with the thought of him pushing deep inside her. Over and over until she was coming around him.
When he started to open the nightstand drawer she realized what he was doing and partially pushed up. “I’m on the pill.” And she hadn’t been with anyone since him. Something he knew.
His hand froze on the drawer, his eyes turning hot as he let his hand fall away. “I was serious when I said I hadn’t been with anyone since you.”
“I know.” She was starting to find that Kell didn’t lie about anything to her. He’d admitted he loved her after their first night of sex.
While he hadn’t said the words again, she understood why and she knew they’d come eventually. The fact that he hadn’t slept with anyone since her told her everything she needed to know. Kell was a one woman kind of man. And she was his woman.
Always.
At her words, another shudder went through him and before she could react, he was covering her again, his big body stretched out over hers like a warm embrace. His fingers slid into the curtain of her hair as his mouth crushed hers in that sexy, frenzied way she knew she’d never get enough of.
He held the back of her head gently even though she could feel the leashed power thrumming through him. He was holding back. For her. She was still freaked out after everything that had happened and he was trying to be gentle.
Wrapping her legs around him, she dug her heels into his ass and grinded against him, trying to force him inside her.
A deep rumble escaped him as he pulled his head back. “Greedy and impatient. It’s one of the hundred things I love about you.”
His softly spoken words speared her as he buried his cock in her in one smooth thrust. Her back arched at the welcome intrusion, her inner walls immediately adjusting and molding around his thick length. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to ground herself, but it was damn near impossible.
The love she saw shining in his gaze combined with the feel of his cock was almost too much.
When he started slowly thrusting, she reached for him, needing to feel his strength covering her. Needing to be reminded that she was alive and so was he. They were both here and had a second chance at a life together. One she was grabbing with both hands.
She slid her hands over his shoulders as his mouth met hers. He teased open the seam of her lips, lightly biting and kissing her with erotic flicks of his tongue and teeth. His strokes started out smooth but the longer he thrust into her, the more unsteady he became.
A wild tension bunched inside her as her lower abdomen tightened. Her inner walls clenched convulsively around him with each stroke as she pushed closer and closer to the edge. But it wasn’t enough. She needed a little extra stimulation.
As if he read exactly what she wanted, he reached between their bodies and tweaked her clit. He pressed down, rubbing in tight little circles that drove her crazy. Her orgasm punched into her, taking over all her senses as the pleasure ricocheted to all her nerve endings. It completely shattered her from the inside out.
While she was riding through her climax, his hit with more intensity. Tearing his mouth from hers, he buried his face against her neck, his shout primal as he emptied himself inside her in long, hard thrusts.
She wasn’t sure how long they lay there like that, with her arms and legs wrapped around him and his face buried in her neck, but eventually he pushed up, his pale eyes a shade darker. “I love you, Charlotte.”
His words washed over her, bathing her in the truth of them. Her heart seized to hear them from him again. “I love you too.” It was one of the few things in her life she was absolutely sure of.
He dropped a soft kiss on her lips before leaning over to the nightstand. Considering they’d just made love without a condom she couldn’t imagine what he was doing. But when he pulled out a small, red box the reality slammed into her. He…couldn’t be, could he?
Still half-hard inside her, he laid the box on her chest and flipped it open to reveal a very shiny emerald cut diamond ring. She wasn’t an expert but it looked to be at least a carat and a half and it was nearly colorless. Swallowing hard, she looked up into his eyes to find that vulnerable look there.
The one she never wanted to see on his face again. “Maybe I should have waited, but—”
“Yes.” Okay, he hadn’t actually asked, but his cock was inside her and he’d placed an engagement ring on her naked body. Close enough.
His lips quirked up as all worry fled his gaze. “I didn’t ask anything yet.”
She frowned but before she could formulate a response, he lifted her left hand and slid the ring on her ring finger. It was a perfect fit. Tears filled her eyes but as he kissed her, they immediately dried. Now wasn’t the time for any more tears. Now was the time for new beginnings, the start of a life together as a family.
Charlotte held Reece close to her chest as she sat on one of the cushioned lounge chairs in her and Kell’s backyard. The pool was pristine and glistening, though unused because of the cool weather. None of the many people at the barbeque cared though, everyone was eating, drinking and having a good time. There were at least twenty people who had showed up, most of whom she’d met by now.
It had only been a week since her kidnapping, but she’d already started making changes to the house, including buying actual patio furniture for the massive backyard. He was a little annoyed that she was using her own money, but that wasn’t an argument he’d ever win. Besides, they’d be joining their accounts in the next year anyway once they got married.
She was pretty sure that deep down Kell didn’t actually care what she did as long as she was in his bed every night. And sometimes during the day. She flushed as she remembered how he’d taken her on the living room floor that morning while their son had still been sleeping.
Noel, Travis’s fiancé, sat on the edge of the lounge chair next to Charlotte and held out her hands with a pleading look. “Just for a few more minutes?”
Smiling, she handed the other woman a cooing Reece who just blinked those big green eyes adoringly at the other woman. Charlotte had barely gotten a chance to hold her own son all day because everyone at the barbeque had wanted to. Not that she was complaining. Everyone was so gentle with him and he was completely eating up all the attention.
“So when are you going to come by my coffee shop?” Noel asked as she gently rocked Reece—who was trying to pull her dangly hoop earrings.
“Now that we’re finally getting into a normal routine, probably next week. And I promise to bring Reece,” she said before the other woman could say anything.
Grinning, Noel leaned back in the chair and cuddled him closer. “I could just eat him up. I love the way babies smell and feel and…” A soft, private smile crossed her features for just a second, but Charlotte knew what she’d seen.
“Oh my…are you pregnant?” she whispered.
Noel looked startled for a moment, then nodded, her grin huge. “Yes, but don’t tell anyone. I’m only six weeks along and we don’t want to announce it until after the wedding. My brothers will freak otherwise. And you better be coming.”
“I will.” It was in two weeks, which seemed like very good timing if Noel wanted to fit into her wedding dress.
Charlotte had already asked her parents to babysit. With her sister out of the house and in rehab for a while, her parents had really stepped up with Reece and she was letting them spend as much time with their grandson as they wanted. Once her sister was finally discharged from the expensive rehab center, Charlotte would have to make a decision about letting her be around Reece when he was at her parents but that was a future worry.
“Who’s that?” Charlotte asked quietly as her gaze strayed to an older man talking to Lana Gonzalez—who thankfully had given her the volunteer position despite the kidnapping craziness.
Noel turned around then snickered. “That’s Keith Caldwell, the father of the Caldwell brothers and majority owner in Red Stone Security. He almost never comes to these things. I bet he’s glad he decided to now. Gah, look at the man.”
Charlotte silently agreed as she watched Lana work her magic on the older man. Lana was in her forties and she guessed Caldwell was close to sixty, but sparks were flying between them.
Kell appeared from the throng of people eating, drinking and enjoying themselves and pulled her to her feet. “We need to talk,” he murmured.
Travis sat down next to Noel and immediately took Reece from her. Charlotte wanted to take him, but Kell tugged her along the stones lining the pool until they were on the far side and relatively alone. “Reece will be fine,” he murmured when she looked over her shoulder.
She knew he would be, but she still got a little nervous if he was out of her sight for too long. She figured that would probably be standard for a while after her terrifying brush with death. When his hands settled protectively on her hips and he pulled her close, she looked back at him. “What’s going on?”
For the first time in a week Kell finally looked as if he was relaxing. That definitely had to be a good sign.
“Carlson let Harrison know that the rumor on the street is Renaldo Diaz has left the country. Likely gone back to Mexico. If he was going to make a move on us, he’d have done it by now.”
Charlotte let out a shaky breath, feeling a ton of pressure lift from her chest. Even though the man she’d seen killing Cecil had let her go, she’d still been looking over her shoulder everywhere she went. “That’s great news.”
“Well, I’ve got even more good news. After Monique was arrested, her fingerprints were matched to an unsolved fire a few years ago. Turns out she tried to burn down her ex-boyfriend’s house while he was still in it. She’ll do some time but it sounds like the DA might push to have her institutionalized. Either way, she’s not our problem anymore either.”
At the news that the woman who had trashed her car would be going away too, Charlotte wrapped her arms around Kell’s neck and kissed him hard. Living with him the past week had been an easier transition than she’d imagined, but there had been those dark clouds hanging over their lives. As they lifted, she realized she’d never been happier in her life. With the son and man she loved more than anything, she finally felt at peace with the world. She was going to start her volunteer schedule next week and planned to stay with it until Reece was old enough for school. Then she would return to teaching—unless of course they had another baby in the meantime. Something Kell had mentioned last night, but she was quite happy the way things were. Who knew, though?
When someone let out an obnoxious catcall—she was guessing Vincent—she grudgingly pulled back from Kell.
His fingers just tightened on her hips. “I say we kick everyone out and see if Noel wants to babysit Reece for an hour…or two.”
Biting back a smile, she shook her head. “Think again.”
He grumbled good-naturedly, but she knew he would never kick any of these people out of his house. Not after they’d helped protect and save her life. Friends and family were the most important things in the world, and after these few past hellish days, Charlotte was more aware of that than ever. Now she had a brand new start with Kell and Reece and she intended to savor every moment of it.
Thank you for reading His to Protect. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books!
His to Protect is the fifth story in my Red Stone Security series. If you liked this one and would like to read more, turn the page for a sneak peek of No One to Trust and Miami, Mistletoe & Murder.