Object of His Protection

by Brenda Jackson

  He pressed her back in the bedcovers and stretched out beside her, allowing his mouth to discover the same areas his fingers had earlier. He tongued her throat, down her neck before moving lower to her breasts. She was aware of the throbbing of her pulse the moment he captured one hardened nipple between his teeth, lavishing it and torturing it all at the same time. And then she felt him ease his hand between her legs and she shivered at his touch. When he began to stroke it with the pad of his thumb, the sensations were so intense that her hips rose off the bed. It had to be the most erotic thing she had ever felt in her life.

  She heard a moan and realized it came from deep within her throat, but Drey kept his mouth on her breast while his hand continued to fondle her between the legs.

  “Drey.”

  His name came forth from her lips on a breathless sigh and she had no idea why she was calling it. She didn’t want him to stop, but she wasn’t sure she could handle the pleasure overtaking her, gripping her in a way she had never experienced before.

  He raised his head up to whisper, “Relax, Charlene, and let me take you on a pleasurable journey. There are parts of your body that are more sensitive than others. I plan on touching and tasting every one of them. There is a Chinese way of lovemaking that increases one’s sexual pleasure while at the same time stimulating one’s mind. I want to use several demonstrations of it tonight. Is that all right?”

  “Yes.” Somehow she had managed to get the single word past her lips while a ripple of fierce excitement passed through her. He began caressing her body again with his fingertips, and she could feel the heat gather beneath his hand. When it reached her thighs, she felt herself getting wet.

  He shifted positions and his mouth took over for his hand. She released a small whimper the moment his tongue touched her there and she reached out, at first to pull his head away but then to hold it there while his mouth did some scandalous things to her womanly core, devouring it as if it was something he had to have. And then she felt a mirage of sensations overtake her, making her entire body appear to be coming apart and exploding in several pieces. She felt as if she were falling into a sea of pleasure that was destined to drown her.

  “Drey!”

  She screamed his name when an orgasm struck her, flinging her into mindless bliss and intense satisfaction. Shivers rammed through her and she heard herself moan over and over again. Moments later, when the last quake had subsided, Drey lifted his head, licked his lips and then leaned upward and kissed her, letting her taste the essence of her off his mouth.

  He pulled back enough to put on a condom, and then he was covering her body with his. She met his gaze, wanting to warn him that this was the first time she had ever been intimate with a man, but afraid if she did so he wouldn’t finish what he started. And she would die if he didn’t. Her body felt too alive and sensitized for him not to carry this to completion.

  She felt him ease her thighs apart just moments before the tip of his manhood touched the entry of her femininity. It felt huge, engorged and hot. It was as if it needed to be inside her to cool off. And then she felt him slowly easing inside her, stretching her and going so far and not being able to go any farther.

  Their gazes held and she felt him place his hands beneath her hips just before he leaned forward to kiss her again. Then suddenly, she cried out in his mouth the moment he pushed forward in a hard thrust, going inside her to the hilt. Pain came and went, yet he paused to give her body time to adjust to him and his size. It felt as if he was locked inside her, had completely taken over her lower body.

  And then he began moving, slowly, in and out, demonstrating his power and skill with every thrust he made, while at the same time building pleasure within her yet again. Over and over he brought her to the brink of a mind-blowing orgasm, only to snatch it back and make the sensations ripple through her once more. She wondered why he was torturing her this way. She heard her own pleas for release from the tension he was steadily building inside her.

  And then it seemed to peak and she screamed at the same time her body exploded, actually broke into a million fragmented pieces, melted into liquid. But he kept moving on top of her, thrusting rapidly, deeply, and on the heels of one orgasm she felt another. And then another. It was as if he was determined to see how many she could have.

  Then she felt his body buck on top of her. Heard her name forced from his lips between gritted teeth. She felt him explode inside her. And then as if he had some sort of control over her body, she felt sensations flow between them that triggered more pleasure deep within her, and she felt herself drowning in ecstasy all over again.

  He had warned her that he would make her come all night, but she hadn’t accepted the truth of his words until now.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning Drey woke up to find a soft body wrapped around him. He remembered the events of last night and felt his heartbeat kick up a notch.

  Charlene Anderson had not only turned out to be a surprising lover; she had been totally different from any woman he’d ever been with. She had been a virgin—something he was definitely curious about—yet she had managed to pull passion and desire out of him that he’d never felt before. And he had kept his promise. He had taken their lovemaking to the max and had made her come not only once, but all through the night. He couldn’t remember the last time he had made love to a woman all night long.

  She had to be totally exhausted. Chances were she would sleep most of the day. The only time they had taken a break was after that first time when he had discovered she was a virgin. He had taken her into the bathroom and placed her in a tub of warm, sudsy water and had joined her there and held her in his arms. Then after drying them both off, he had taken her back to bed and made love to her again, over and over.

  Knowing if he didn’t get up he would be tempted to make love to her again, he eased out of bed. As much as he enjoyed being with her, inside her, tasting her, he had work that needed to be done. And the first thing on his list was to go over those autopsy reports they had taken from the coroner’s office last night. He would use the time she slept to do so while enjoying a cup of coffee.

  But when she woke up…

  He felt his body get hard just thinking of how their day might end up. They were lovers now and he couldn’t see them going back to business associates or friends. He couldn’t bear the thought of not making love to her again. There was so much he wanted to teach her, share with her. Last night proved she was a willing student, and as he had told her before, she was a very passionate woman. He knew the degree of that passion had astounded even her last night. She had wanted more and he had delivered each and every time.

  After slipping back into his pajama bottoms he remembered he had a meeting with the Braddocks later today. He intended to tell them everything he knew about the case so far. Well, almost everything. He still wasn’t ready to tell them that he knew the identity of Daiyu Longwei and more specifically, her relationship to Harmon Braddock as well as to him.

  A half hour later he was in his office concentrating on the autopsy reports. A ripple of pain went through him while reading about the extent of Harmon’s injuries, the man who was his biological father. That he had been murdered caused anger to mix with that pain.

  He then compared the original autopsy report on Joe Dennis to the new one. Among numerous inconsistencies was one constant—neither report mentioned a key.

  The only living relative Joe Dennis had was a nephew who lived in Dallas. Drey had contacted the man by phone and according to him, he and his uncle had not been close and there wasn’t much the man could share with him about any friends Dennis might have had.

  Typically if a death was ruled a homicide, the police would question neighbors who’d been home at the time. But since, thanks to Nate Ganders, Dennis’s death would not be ruled a homicide, no one would be asking questions. At least no one but him. It was time for him to start sniffing around as of today. He would get access to Dennis’s home and poke aroun
d and see what he could find.

  “Drey?”

  He didn’t have to look up to know Charlene had entered the room. He felt her presence immediately, in every part of him, especially in his shaft. It hardened immediately.

  She was standing in the doorway, wearing only his T-shirt which she had evidently taken out of his drawers. That she had gone through his stuff to find the T-shirt didn’t bother him. In fact, the thought that she was wearing something of his over her naked skin sent a surge of excitement through him. Mainly because it was skin he knew the taste of, skin that he had rubbed against his own and touched all over.

  He started to stand and decided not to. The last thing he wanted her to see was the size of his erection. No telling what she would think if she saw it. Besides, although she had willingly participated in last night’s activities, today was the morning after and he wasn’t sure what her attitude might be. For all he knew, she might have regrets about last night. So he would sit right there and follow her lead and hope it was positive. He wasn’t sure how he would handle things if it wasn’t. He couldn’t tell from her expression how things would go. And that made him nervous.

  “Charlene, you’re awake,” he said in a gravelly cautious tone.

  “Yes, sorry about that. I should have awakened sooner,” she said, still standing in the same spot. He tried to keep his eyes focused on her face and not allow them to travel down the length of her to see beyond where his T-shirt stopped midthigh. She had a nice pair of legs—long and smooth—and he could distinctly recall how he’d felt being between them. The memory made his shaft grow another notch.

  “No, you needed your rest,” he heard himself say. He leaned back in his chair. Again he tried to keep his gaze on her face but found it straying downward. He cleared his throat when he felt his pulse rate increase. “What are your plans for today?” he asked.

  She shrugged her beautiful shoulders. He knew for a fact that they were beautiful because he had seen them last night, bare. “Don’t know. It depends on you,” she said softly.

  He smiled at her, although uncertainty was still eating away at him. “In what way?”

  She stepped closer into the room, and he couldn’t help it when his gaze lowered and feasted not only on her legs but her hips, thighs, ankles and feet. Seeing the parts of her that he had come into intimate contact with the night before sent a stirring of deep pleasure through him, aroused him even more. “In how do you feel the morning after?” she asked.

  That was the same concern that he had for her. Did she hold the came uncertainty that he did? Did she honestly think he would regret what they had shared the night before? “How do you think I should feel?” he decided to ask.

  She took another step into the room and he watched her, getting more aroused by the second. “Not sure. I can only go by what I was told,” she said.

  Now he really was confused. “What exactly were you told and by whom?”

  “His name was Carlos and he said that most men had a problem with overaged virgins.”

  He lifted a brow. “I thought we already covered the fact that I’m not like most men. Besides, you’re no longer a virgin. But even if you would have confessed to being one before we made love last night, that would not have stopped me.”

  Her expression seemed unsure. “It wouldn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  He couldn’t believe she was asking him that, but from the look on her face, he could tell she really needed to know. “Mainly because I wanted to make love to you. Knowing beforehand that you were a virgin only meant I needed to handle you another way. I would have known to be gentler. But make no mistake about it, Charlene. I would not have changed anything else. I would still have taken you as many times as I did and made love to you using those same various positions. Knowing you were inexperienced didn’t dull the sensations of being inside you. Last night’s sex was good between us and I have no doubt in my mind that it will only get better.”

  He stood. “Come here and let me show you what I mean.”

  She didn’t hesitate in crossing the room to him but was surprised when he pulled her down in his lap facing him. She felt his body part beneath her, hard and throbbing beneath her naked bottom.

  In one swift movement he pulled his T-shirt over her head, and before she could make a startled gasp, his mouth latched on to her breast. Each pull by his mouth triggered an arousal deep in her stomach. He was stirring up desires deep within her, primitive needs and wants.

  And then he stood with her in his arms and, placing her on her feet, worked the pajama bottoms from his body, leaving them both totally naked. He lifted her onto his desk, widening her legs to stand between them and aiming his shaft straight for her feminine core. He eased her closer to it and when she felt it there at the entrance, she met his gaze.

  Her heart began pounding as he began easing inside her, gripping her hips to hold her in place and accept his entry. She threw her head back when sensations began building inside of her and she closed her eyes.

  “No. Open your eyes and look at me. Watch me bring you pleasure.”

  She did.

  He wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her in. Over and over again he thrust inside her, making pleasure so intense overtake her.

  Then suddenly he went still.

  She met his gaze and saw shock in them when he said, “I forgot about a condom.”

  She fully understood what he was saying. “I’m on the pill to regulate my periods,” she whispered. “Now, please…” Her body was in a feverish pitch and needed release.

  He began moving again, and each thrust into her went deeper, faster, until she couldn’t take any more. She screamed out his name as her body exploded and she felt his release, thick and hot, shoot inside her, at the same time.

  One orgasm led to another and another and some time later she lay spent on top of his desk with his throbbing member still buried deep inside her. “I think we need to take this to the bedroom now,” he whispered, lifting her body in a way that kept them connected.

  She wrapped her arms around him thinking she had to be dreaming. Nothing could be this perfect, this sensual, this earth-shatteringly blissful. But she knew once they got to the bedroom, Drey would proceed to show her that it could.

  “Let’s get dressed. I have somewhere to go and I want you to go with me,” Drey said, gently rubbing his hand along her thighs. He’d never been possessive when it came to a woman, not even the least tiny bit. But for some reason he was with her and unashamedly so.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, leaning over to nibble his ear.

  He knew if he didn’t stop her she would take her newfound sexual confidence to a level of no return for them and she would find herself flat on her back beneath him yet again. They had made love most of the morning and then had showered together only to end up making love again after their shower.

  He stood and placed her on her feet. “We’re going to meet the Braddocks.”

  Chapter 13

  Charlene knew all eyes were on her when she walked into Malcolm Braddock’s office by Drey’s side. She knew Malcolm by both name and face since he was currently embroiled in a heated campaign with a man by the name of Clint Hardy. Both were vying for the congressional seat left vacated as a result of Harmon Braddock’s death. The special election was to be held at the end of the month and if the recent polls were reliable, Malcolm had a substantial lead.

  Malcolm, the oldest at thirty-two, was tall, with coffee-brown eyes and dark brown hair. Charlene thought he was a very handsome man and from what she’d read in the papers a few months ago, he was engaged to marry Congressman Braddock’s former executive assistant, Gloria Kingsley. There would be a Christmas wedding at the family estate.

  Although she did not know the others, Drey had filled her in as to who would be attending the meeting. Shondra Braddock, the late congressman’s daughter, and Tyson Braddock, the late congressman’s younger son.


  Like Malcolm, Shondra was tall, with long dark hair and dark brown eyes. An attorney, she always had it together and from what Charlene had heard, she was not only beautiful, but highly intelligent. According to Drey, Shondra was so convinced her father’s death hadn’t been an accident that she followed up on a lead by going so far as to go work for the company where Harmon’s last phone call was placed. She met the CEO’s son, Connor Stewart, a former jet-setting bachelor. The two eventually fell in love and according to Houston’s society’s column, Shondra and Connor were Houston’s hottest couple.

  The middle child, Tyson resembled his siblings. On the drive over Drey had told her that Tyson and his wife had been on the verge of getting a divorce but were now back together and expecting their first child.

  Drey quickly made introductions, explaining who she was and why she was there. Malcolm was the first to ask a question. “So, Ms. Anderson, you actually saw this key?”

  Charlene nodded and said to the three, “Yes, and I’m Charlene, please. Drey and I were able to get a copy of my boss’s first autopsy report indicating trauma to the body before he was able to destroy it.”

  “And you have no idea why he changed it?” It was Shondra who asked.

  It was Drey who answered. “No, although I have my suspicions. I have a strong feeling that Nate Ganders is being blackmailed. Otherwise, why would he warn Charlene off and suggest to her that she take time away from the job? It’s apparent he didn’t want to get her involved and seems to be doing everything he can to keep her out of it. She’s moved in with me for a while for protection.”

  Tyson leaned against the edge of his brother’s desk. “So you’re operating on the theory that whoever killed our father is paying a lot of money to keep it covered?”