Adele, Claire - Guardian of Her Heart (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Claire Adele

  She didn’t realize how close to the truth her dream had come. Mike snuggled her closer. “It was only a bad dream. No one’s going to hurt you. I’ll stay right here with you.”

  “I’m afraid to go back to sleep. I don’t want to dream about them again.” Her hand smoothed over his waist and moved upward to stroke his chest.

  Already high and engorged, Mike’s cock responded in earnest. She was too much temptation. The damn condom was in his wallet across the room.

  “Melissa…”

  “Kiss me, Mike. Please, give me something nice to think about.”

  He smiled at the sleepy sound of her voice. Turning on his side, he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. Her hand smoothed over his shoulder and her fingers slipped through his hair. Her touch enchanted him. He deepened the kiss.

  She moaned softly and draped one leg over his. His cock leaped. Her warm scent teased him. If he didn’t get control of this situation, he’d lose it and sink clear to his balls inside her, condom or not.

  He gently pushed her down on her back. Placing soft kisses over her face, he brushed his fingers over her breasts. Her nipples firmed as she sighed softly. Her hand on the back of his head urged him closer. Kissing him hard, her lips and tongue sparred with his.

  He chuckled softly. She was a tiger when she wanted something.

  She broke the kiss. “What’s so funny?”

  “You.” He chuckled harder. “When you’re after something, you go for it.”

  “I want to make wild love with you. Maybe then I’ll forget the nightmare.”

  Mike swallowed hard at the vision she offered—wild, reckless lovemaking. His wolf side wanted to break the human bonds of responsibility and thrust deep in her. Fill her with his straining cock over and over until the animalistic need was sated. But the human in him couldn’t let that happen to this gentle creature he protected.

  “You’d better sleep. I’m here.”

  * * * *

  The clock radio blasted Melissa out of her dream. She sat up and took in the rumpled sheets thrown back on the opposite side of the bed. The noise of pots clanging in the cupboards came from the kitchen. Mike must be making breakfast. What a sweetheart.

  She rose and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed in her jeans and a cotton, short-sleeved shirt, normal everyday wear for her work at the center.

  “Good morning.” She entered the kitchen. Mike’s back was to her as he flipped eggs in the frying pan. Bacon drained on a paper towel. The table was set for two.

  “Morning.” He sounded wide awake and ready for the day. “You want orange juice and coffee?”

  Melissa inhaled the fragrance of perfectly brewed coffee. “Yes, both. I’ll get them. How about you?”

  “Yeah, both.”

  She set the glasses on the table and filled a couple mugs with coffee. Placing the coffeepot back on the coffeemaker, she moved closer to Mike to see how the eggs were doing. He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close for a quick kiss.

  “Did you get some sleep?” he asked.

  “Yes, I slept fine.”

  He gave her a sexy smile. Turning back to the eggs, he gathered up the frying pan and served the eggs and bacon. She took a seat and he joined her.

  They ate in silence. Melissa looked him over while his food held his attention. He looked great in the morning. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could both take the day off?

  His cell phone rang.

  “Yeah. Just a minute.” Mike looked at her, a question on his face. “Derek wants to know if he and Juan can come talk to us about the guys who attacked you. He wants to discuss our plan of action.”

  Although the prospect wasn’t a pleasant one, the problem needed to be taken care of. “Yes, that’s fine.”

  They’d cleared the dishes when the doorbell rang. Mike answered the door. Melissa took a deep, steadying breath and followed.

  They all took seats in the living room. She waited for the men to say what was on their minds.

  Tall, lanky Derek swiped his fingers through the sandy-colored hair that reached his jawline. He wore a blue plaid shirt, jeans, and boots. “We have a plan to catch those guys. We want to run it by you two. If you don’t like it, we’ll figure out something else.”

  Melissa nodded and waited for him to continue as she glanced at their friend Juan. He was of medium build and height, and his long black hair reached his shoulders, but today, he had it secured with a piece of leather lacing. He wore a black, short-sleeved knit shirt, jeans, and boots.

  Derek glanced at Juan. “We think Tito Gonzalez will try again.”

  “His son and wife are staying at the shelter,” she offered. He’s furious with me for preventing him from dragging them home with him. As far as I’m concerned, they can stay until they find a better situation.”

  Derek nodded. “What we want to do is hang near the shelter and keep an eye out for Tito. If you’ll go about your usual schedule, we’re sure he’ll show up again soon. When he does, we’ll nab him.”

  “I don’t like it,” Mike protested. “It puts Melissa in too much danger. Why not keep an eye on the shelter and send out a bulletin to everyone to look for their car? Let the police take care of it.”

  “We think our way will work faster.”

  “I agree,” Melissa said. “The sooner he’s off the streets, the better for his wife and son and everyone else. I’ll be safe at the shelter with my security guard and Angie watching the security cameras. After all, he didn’t try to kidnap me there.”

  Mike shook his head. “There’s no telling what he’ll do next. But if that’s what you want,”—he gave Melissa a questioning look—“that’s what we’ll do. But I insist on staying close to you.”

  “Just so you don’t scare him off,” Juan said.

  “I’ll do my damnedest to stay hidden,” Mike assured them.

  Derek rose from his seat. “Good, then we have a plan. It’ll be best if you go about your normal routine, Melissa.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” she said.

  Mike gave a sound of doubt.

  Melissa couldn’t help it if Mike didn’t like it. She couldn’t allow Tito Gonzalez to threaten the crisis center.

  * * * *

  Mike pulled out of his driveway on the hill to pick up Melissa. He could see the front lawn of Melissa’s Haven, her child crisis center, a few blocks away. Derek and Juan sat in their car, watching from across the street.

  After they’d arrived that afternoon to take their turn watching, Mike left the shelter to change clothes and catch up on his business.

  He had plenty of clients, but always in the back of his mind was the desperate need to know who supplied his mother the drugs and the overdose that caused her death. He’d find the damned monster responsible for selling her drugs and see him convicted for maximum prison time.

  From now on, he’d follow Melissa home every night and stay with her. No sense in taking chances.

  He parked the Jag a block from the shelter. Walking toward the front door, he signaled to Derek and Juan across the street. Juan’s dark green Grand Prix rumbled to life, and they took off.

  Mike’s cell rang. He took it from his jeans pocket. “Yeah?”

  “Didn’t see hide nor hair of Tito or his friends,” Derek said.

  “Thanks. I’ll keep tabs now and take a walk around the area.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Aren’t I always?” Mike closed the cell and put it back in his pocket. Darkness had settled in. He headed for the front door and knocked. Angie Silva, Melissa’s assistant, answered the door and let him in. “How’s it going?”

  “Good,” Angie said. “No problems today, so far. I’ll get Melissa for you.”

  Mike nodded. Angie headed toward the hallway, her black mane contrasting sharply with her pale skin, white shirt, and light blue jeans. Angie had a cool head, and he trusted her to contact Juan and Derek in an emergency if she couldn’t reach him. />
  Mike glanced around the small, cheerfully painted front room that served as a waiting area for parents dropping off kids when necessary or picking them up when possible. He knew that some kids went home with one or the other of their parents on the weekends, and for that reason, Friday evenings could be the most difficult time at the shelter.

  The need for a child crisis center just showed how love died after a while in many marriages because of fighting. Just like his parents’ marriage. Sometimes the verbal fights turned dangerous with physical abuse from one or both partners. He’d caught his father hitting his mother more than once.

  With no moms or dads in the waiting room this evening, those living at the shelter remained quiet. Angie would help them make dinner and see that everyone, including the women there, headed for their beds early. Since Angie also slept at the shelter, she was a godsend for Melissa.

  Melissa breezed into the bright waiting room, a confident look on her face.

  “Hi,” Mike said, smiling at her. “I hear everything’s quiet so far.”

  “Yes, no problems today,” she said.

  “Good. Are you ready to head home?”

  “Give me a few more minutes to make sure everything is in order, and I’ll be ready.”

  “I’m going to have a look outside. Wait for me in here, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “You’re keeping the doors locked, right?”

  She gave him a disgusted smile. “Of course. Don’t we always?”

  “Just checking.” Mike stepped outside. Senses alert, he took in his surroundings. Jogging toward the side of the center, he headed around the back and along the opposite side street to the front. Everything looked normal.

  The familiar hum of an engine raised the hair on the back of his neck. That sound belonged to the sedan Tito’s friend drove last night.

  Mike ducked behind the thick shrubs hugging the front of the building. In the shadows behind the bushes, he shape-shifted to his wolf form. Every molecule in his body vibrated with electricity in the zing of change. Maybe a brush with a wolf would discourage those guys from coming around.

  The car stopped, and the sound of doors closing indicated Tito had at least one pack member with him. Their footsteps sounded on the sidewalk leading to the door.

  Mike sprang in front of Tito. At his surprised yell, his friend ran back to the car, slamming the door shut.

  Mike sensed chilling danger. “Why are you hanging around here?” Growling with menace, he slashed at Tito’s arms and legs.

  Tito spun, stumbled, regained his footing and ducked inside the car. His friend gunned the motor, and they sped away.

  Mike turned as the door of the shelter opened. Lunging for the shadows at the side of the house, he narrowly avoided being discovered. He shifted back to his human form. After checking to see his clothing was straight, he strode to the front door.

  Chapter Three

  “I thought I heard an argument out here,” Melissa said.

  Mike nodded. He hated lying to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. “Tito showed. Before I could snag him, a big dog chased him into his car. He and his friend took off. Wait inside. I’ll call Derek.”

  Melissa nodded and closed the door behind her.

  Mike made the call. “Derek, they stopped by just now but took off before I could do anything. They’re headin’ downtown. See if you can spot ’em.”

  Mike put away his cell and went inside. Melissa waited alone in the front room.

  “So, what happened?”

  “Nothing much. They’re gone now, but you need a bodyguard as well as your security man twenty-four-seven. Where is he?”

  “Paul? I asked him to make sure the back door was locked.”

  “Good, but you need someone up front at the same time.”

  “All right. How about you? I feel safer with you here anyway.”

  Mike feared spending that much time near Melissa would be torture. He ached to make her his. How could he keep his needs under control if he was around her every day and night?

  He couldn’t refuse her. “If you’re sure you want me?” Hell. He faced pure torture. “I have a cousin who makes a great bodyguard.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’d rather you took the job. That is, if you have time.”

  He smiled at her. “I have time. That’s no problem.” The problem was he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Wanted to bury himself deep in her slick heat.

  * * * *

  Melissa switched on the dishwasher. With Mike helping, it hadn’t taken any time to clean up the kitchen after dinner. She turned and smiled at him. Light playing in his eyes, he smiled back. He was the sexiest guy she’d ever known. She wanted him to make love to her, now.

  Why was that all she could think about when he was around? She knew his lovemaking would be beyond anything she’d experienced before. He’d already proven it by making her feel things she’d never felt with other men she’d kissed.

  This time, she wanted him inside her. He probably kept a condom in his wallet. His wallet was still in his jeans pocket, and his jeans hugged the tightest, sexiest butt. With that thought, her face heated.

  She looked into his topaz eyes and recognized the stark hunger there. He wanted her, too. She slid her hands around his hips and squeezed his firm butt. “Mike…”

  With his arms wrapped around her, he growled deep in his chest. Lowering his head, he looked into her eyes until their lips met. At the soft brush of his warm lips over hers, Melissa closed her eyes and hummed with pleasure.

  He reached to turn off the light. She was glad since she didn’t want her neighbors watching through the kitchen window. She breathed in, and his scent made her head spin.

  His kiss becoming more passion filled, he hugged her closer. Suddenly, he broke the kiss and swept her off her feet and into his arms. “Where would you like to go?” he asked.

  Melissa circled his neck with her arms and considered his question. Did it matter? “I don’t have any particular place in mind. How about you?”

  “Let’s start in the bedroom.” He headed down the hall to her room.

  The way he held her, so effortlessly, Melissa felt light as a feather. He set her on her feet in front of her dresser and stepped behind her. She watched him in the dresser mirror as he pulled his knit shirt off, baring his magnificent chest and torso. She couldn’t wait to run her hands over his golden skin.

  Should she unbutton her blouse?

  He swiped a hand through his black hair and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Do you want me to help you?”

  The thought of him undressing her sent a rush of aching desire to spread deep in her belly. “Yes.”

  He moved close enough behind her that his erection nudged between her hips. She hissed in a breath at the erotic sensation.

  His capable hands pulled her blouse from her jeans and unbuttoned the lower buttons. The touch of his fingers over her stomach made her shiver. She glanced in the mirror. His naked, broad shoulders and tapering torso framed her body. He worked his way up her blouse until all the buttons were undone. Parting the edges, he unhooked her bra. She shuddered as his fingers grazed the valley between her breasts. His hands spread open the garments and cupped her breasts, tweaking and flicking her nipples.

  The flesh between her thighs heated, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Beneath lowered lashes, she watched him in the mirror as he dipped his head and nuzzled her neck. He peeled her blouse and bra straps off her shoulders and brushed his mouth over her skin, licking before his teeth squeezed gently. She trembled. He looked dangerous, as though he would devour her. He tossed her clothing on the floor.

  His warm hands returned to her shoulders. One hand stroked upward along the sensitive skin of her neck. She tilted her head, and his lips trailed kisses over the side of her face while his gentle fingers teased her throat. She gasped as his other hand slid beneath her jeans and brushed over her swollen flesh.

  When his hands
suddenly left her, she wondered if her legs would hold her. She opened her eyes as he removed her shoes and eased her jeans down. After she stepped from them, he tossed her jeans to the floor. He stood and turned her. Gathering her close, he ravished her mouth with his. She moaned in pleasure. He deepened the kiss even more while she tangled her tongue with his.

  Groping for his waistband, she unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his hips with his boxers. He broke the kiss, stepped back, pulled off his boots, and shucked his clothes. He left them on the floor. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her so close she could feel every heated inch of his sculpted body. Skin to skin felt incredible.

  The length of his erection pressed into her stomach. Suddenly, he broke the embrace and turned her as he moved behind her, his hands sweeping over her breasts and lower. His fingers parted her swollen folds, titillating her flesh.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, pressing kisses to the side of her face.

  Melissa turned her head to kiss him as she reached back with her hands and gripped his butt cheeks. He gave a sharp moan, his erection jerking against her bottom. The erotic sensation increased her aching need. His long fingers gently probed, stoking the heated tension building inside her. When he slowly slid one finger within her slick sheath, she cried out and bucked.

  “Hold on to the edge of the dresser,” he commanded, his tone thready, urgent.

  She glanced at him in the mirror. He stared at her, his eyes dark and hooded. She did as he said just as his other hand cupped her breast. His deft fingers teased the puckered nipple with intense pleasure that shot pulses to her wet opening. God, this was heaven.

  Suddenly, he left her. Weak from sensations, she turned, wondering what he intended. He grabbed his jeans and removed a condom from his wallet. Anticipation stopped her breath. Dropping everything else, he tore open the wrapping and rolled the condom over his erection.

  “Spread your legs for me, baby,” he urged, moving close behind her again.

  She did as he asked, feeling open and vulnerable before him. Would her legs hold her? She didn’t think they would. His hands grasped her hips. She was wet and aching, hungry for him.