For Her Protection: An Alpha Romance (8 page)

Her heart rushed. He didn’t say that as he had the last time, this time there was a thread of something else—warm and almost like this was where he
wanted
to be.

“I could go with you.” She sucked in her breath.

His eyes went heavy lidded again, and something about the way his lashes lowered over his eyes made the rushing of her heart more of a flutter.

What was it about him that made her blurt things out before she’d finished thinking them through?

“If you wanted to visit your mother, I could go with you, like you came with me to my Dad’s today.” She broke away from his gaze and looked at hem of her pajama top.

“You want to come with me to see my mother?” His voice dropped low, and so rich it was like the vibration reached into her belly and hummed there.

“I mean this is just your job, but you’re a person with a life.” She picked up the edge of her top examining it at though it had come unstitched. “It’s not like I do much on weekends.”

Other than work.

“But, Charlie.” The rumbling texture of his words sucked her gaze back to his. “My mother lives in Leavenworth, I always stay at her house for the entire weekend.” His lips pressed together, hinting at more of a sense of humor than she’d given him credit for. “But if you want to come stay with me, I can make it happen. It’s quiet—secluded—intimate.” His lips twitched higher. “And since she spends most of her time in her button shop, it’s also private.”

Her lungs went tight and itchy, her pelvic region heavy. She had a moment of seeing just that—the two of them cloistered away in a picturesque retreat.

But this was reality, and a kind suggestion didn’t mean she’d gift wrap herself for someone who could very well be the enemy.

“What is a button shop?” She focused on the question. She’d never heard of one.

“A shop that sells buttons.” His attention fell to her pajama top. “Like these.” His index finger flicked over a button below her bust. “Unicorns…well she’d appreciate these. The two of you would get on fine.”

Her face flushed hot. She didn’t admit she’d bought the pink, pale blue, and purple pajama set she wore now, when she’d seen them online. Didn’t admit that is was the unicorn buttons that made them so irresistible.

She never expected for someone to see her in these.

“How does someone end up owning a button store in Leavenworth?”

He took a breath and held it for a while. “The only vacation we ever took was the Christmas we stayed in Leavenworth, and she was more excited about that than we were. She said in another life she’d have lived there.” He stared at the button on her ribs, brushing it again. “So when my sister moved out, I gave her a nudge and put a deposit on an empty store for the Button Shop she’d joked about.”

His hand slid from her button, and splayed on her ribs, but his expression had gone far away.

“She’s lucky, you know.”

He glanced up at her. “Who?”

“Your Mom, she’s lucky to have you for her son.”

His brow wrinkled, strangely defensive for a recipient of a compliment. “Just looking out for my mother.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Charlie rolled to her side, almost losing her nerve when they came eye-to-eye. “I don’t mean because you look out for her, or protect her physically, or financially, or however you think you’re supposed to.” She reached out and rest her hand on his chest. If she pressed her hand flat she’d probably feel his heartbeat. “I meant she’s lucky to have family who value her dreams.”

He frowned harder, staying silent. Seeming to think far too long about something so simple.

She fought not to look away. What was going through his head?

“What about your dreams. What are they?”

She took a quick breath. “I only have the sleeping kind of dreams.”

“Huh.” His attention focused deeper on her. “I’d have sworn you’d have said something to do with Halifax.”

It was her turn to frown. Why didn’t she say something like that? She swallowed. Maybe because it hadn’t been a dream, just the thing she’d always known she had to do. The path paved from the time her father first sat her beside him at his desk, like his mini-me.

“Pretend for a minute there’s no Halifax, what do you do, Charlie?”

Her mind flashed back to the last time she’d been free enough to play and pretend—and dream. “There’s nothing. Just silly things.”

“Like what?”

She stared at him, and wiggled her legs under the blanket. “It’s not even a thing, not really.”

“Then there’s no harm saying—if it’s not a thing.” He leveled her with a look that reminded her he’d once been a detective, that maybe he was far more crafty than she’d let herself believe.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath. “When I was a kid before my mom left, she’d sometimes take me to this French Café nearby called
Mon Petit Patisserie
, where they served miniature everything, and tea in actual china cups.” Her hands made the shape of teacup and for a moment she felt one hot in her palm. “When she left, Dad would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I’d say ‘CEO of Halifax like you, Dad’, and he’d pat my head. Then I’d hide in my room and pretend to work at
Mon Petit Patisserie
. I loved that place so hard, something strange still happens to me when I see tiny food.”

He smiled. Didn’t laugh but smiled.

“Told you it was silly.” She could practically see how red she must be in the back of her mind. Her cheeks might burst into flame.

“Not as silly, as these silly, silly, pajamas.” He touched her unicorn button again, his gaze running over her chest in a way that made silly sound a crap-load more like
sexy
.

His gaze flicked up to hers. She gasped and then his mouth was on hers, his tongue stroking inside her lips. She grabbed his skull, drawing him closer. The nearness wasn’t enough; she wanted him to crush her, make her feel everything. He ran his hands over her body, over her back. His touch burned skin.

He coaxed her to open her mouth wider, to give him full access and showed her he knew how to use his tongue—made her long to really have him use it on her. Her chest squeezed but this time the ache was sweet. He threw the covers aside and rolled on top of her, then drew her knee to his waist and gave her a glimpse of the restrained hunger lying under his sweet kiss. She fidgeted, impatient, wanting the harder bite of his desire.

Wanted his fist in her hair, and that threadbare control that made her feel like the sexiest women alive no matter what anyone said.

She pushed his shoulders, used enough strength to break the kiss. He gazed at her, hesitation palpable in the way he held himself still. She fought the urge to bite him. To provoke him to lose control. The appeal of polite sex disintegrated at about the same time Conner showed her exactly what else there was on offer. She wanted what she’d tasted in her office. But when he looked at her like this, as if he feared he might crush her in his hands—she felt as if she were made of glass.

Words jammed in her throat. “I thought you said you were going to prove you want to do a lot more than kiss me?”

His eyes flashed, his jaw clenched and his body turned to steel above her. Her core responded, flooding with need.

He grasped her thighs, jerked her hips higher then grabbed her pajama pants at the hips, and tugged. Her breath hitched but her pussy throbbed in anticipation. He dragged the pants down and off her legs.

Her hips arched. Yes this was it, this was the Connor she needed. The Connor who would shake her out and let her come apart.

The faint tinkle of music cut through the room. Connor paused. The bad-boys ringtone stripped the focus from his features.

Not going to happen. She needed him now and nothing was going to distract him. Charlie raised her hand and slammed her palm into the side of his cheek. His head didn’t turn but his eyes shut briefly. When they opened she questioned her impulsiveness.

His eyes raged lust. In an explosion of movement he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. His erection grazed her pussy through his shorts. The ringtone grew louder and he panted above her, his temples ticking.

Connor squeezed her wrists. “You stay right here and get ready. You’re in serious trouble.” He released her wrists, drew his phone out of his back pocket and stared at the screen. “I won’t be long.”

He climbed out of her bed and pressed the phone to his ear, strolling to the door. The door shut behind him and all she could do was stare a hole through it.

“You’re in serious trouble.”

She grinned. Hopefully he’d hold her down.

She sat up and noticed he’d laid the throw from the end of her bed across the floor to cover the broken glass. Shit, she really had freaked out. She ran her fingers over her face. Her chest still ached with tightness, her head still buzzed. An icy sensation crept through her.

She’d felt this sneaking up on her over the last months, the panicky feeling that continued to build no matter how deep she buried it. She rolled over and opened her side table drawer and pulled out a small bottle. The label said one but she took two. She had to hold it together a little longer.

No way she’d let herself break.

She swallowed the pills out of her palm. They grazed their way down her throat but she couldn’t be bothered to go get water. She lay back against her pillows, shut her eyes and waited.

***

Connor paced the guest bathroom, giving focus to his conversation. His raging cock would have to wait a god-damn moment before exploding.

“Sorry to call so late. I just got off duty.”

Connor paused his pacing. “No problem. What do you have?”

“I had another chat with your boys before letting them know Miss Halifax refused to press charges. I don’t think you have to worry about them trying anything again.”

“You don’t think, or you know?”

“Well I wouldn’t drop her security, but from what I gather they made a stupid impulsive decision, and were working alone.”

Stupid impulsive decision?

He remembered Charlie being dragged towards the truck. He’d prefer to ensure nothing like that ever happened again—his way.

“But next time, if there’s a next time, I’d appreciate it if we could do things by the book.”

Connor’s jaw tightened. The book and he had never been on the same page. The book is what caused him to never be able to look a person in the eye and tell them they were safe now.

That’s why he’d gone private.

But Mark had always been different. As much history as they had, he could only push him so far. “Agreed.”

“Good.” Mark released a breath. “But one more thing if you’re working for Charlize Halifax…”

He went straighter. “What?”

“The boys seem to be under the impression that Miss Halifax is personally accountable for every wrong-doing at the company. The attitude towards her isn’t exactly friendly. There’s a lot of people who don’t want to see her as CEO.”

Connor frowned. Even though he’d watched her deliver the press conferences, that information didn’t line up with anything he’d seen.

It sure as shit didn’t line up with the Charlie he knew.

The one who cared about the people in her employ. He’d bet the closures were killing her—that she’d be the one fighting it tooth and nail.

But it was a big company.

And in companies that size, rumors spread faster than truth. In this case, a rumor could be dangerous.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“Always,” Mark said, then hung up.

Connor stuffed the phone back into his pocket and went to the sink and scrubbed his face with cold water, then looked in the mirror. He looked like shit. The bristles on his face needed removing before they took a layer off Charlie’s skin.

The image of her chest, reddened with the marks of his face moving over her, conjured in his mind. Blood rushed back to his cock.
Shit
. He’d just about given himself some kind of repressive cock injury over the last few weeks. Hell, just being near Charlie drove him crazy but watching her come earlier, nearly killed him.

The way her neck arched, her lips parted, the look of complete ecstasy as he pushed her over the edge.

He’d reached his limit. He’d tried to give her time to catch up to where he was at. But she was the one asking to be kissed—begging him to prove it. Wickedly slapping his cheek, urging him to lose control.

She’d succeeded. He’d show her.
Right fucking now
. He stalked back to her room. She lay curled on her side, hands tucked under her cheek.

Sleeping like a freaking angel.

Glorious black hair cascaded over her shoulders. The throbbing sensation moved from his cock to his chest. He’d never in his wettest dreams pictured her like this—surrounded by a halo of soft, dark waves. Wearing her adorable fucking unicorn pajamas, her magnificent tits filling the front like a god-damn fantasy. Her pants were still on the floor. He could slide down her sheet, wake her with his cock. He would, if she didn’t need her rest. He’d have to wait but she’d pay for that later.