Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  “You look fucking amazing,” I whispered.

  She giggled and then pulled back, looking deeply into my eyes. Something in my chest felt like electricity, and I diverted my attention, shaking the feeling away. I ran my hand down her arm as we swayed to the music. I wondered what her name was. She had to have a sexy name, something that screamed confidence but at the same time, showed a vulnerability for a handsome man in a club.

  “What’s your name beautiful?”

  “Josie,” she whispered. “You?”

  “Blaine,” I said, smiling.

  “Well, Blaine,” she said, slapping my chest with both hands. “I need some air. Walk me outside?”

  I shook my head and took her by the hand, leading her through the crowd and out the door. She stumbled slightly, and I grabbed her arm, watching as she leaned down and took her heels off. She leaned her head back and took in a deep breath of air, still clasping my arm. I pulled her along, looking at her mischievously as we crossed the street and walked into the sand. She struggled to get through the cool, sinking grains, so I turned and scooped her into my arms, cradling her as we walked toward the crashing waves. She laughed loudly as I ran toward the ocean, pretending that I was going to throw her in. I set her down on her feet and looked down in her eyes. She was fucking stunning.

  I wanted to waste no time getting things going, knowing that I was tired from a long day, and this girl right was definitely the cure. I leaned down and pressed my mouth against hers, happy to feel her immediately melt into my kiss. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, opening her lips and allowing my tongue to slip inside. She tasted amazing, and I couldn’t help but give myself a mental high-five. She was the first girl I saw, and I got her out of that bar in record time. Talk about getting lucky.

  2

  Josie

  The bar was bumping, and all I could think about was how freaking lucky I just happened to get that night. There was this guy, who seemingly came out of nowhere, with perfectly done blonde hair, ice blue eyes, muscles that made me swoon, and the most charming smile I had ever seen on a man, and he was dancing with me. I didn’t know what I would have thought sober, but through my beer goggles, he was attractive, smart, successful, and seemed to be a pretty nice guy.

  He bought my girl, Jane, the bride-to-be, an extremely expensive bottle of champagne and just told me how good I looked. He seemed like fucking Prince Charming compared to the guys that I met on a daily basis in West Palm Beach. He definitely seemed like he was not from the area, and I assumed he was from the ritzy part of Palm Beach, at least that was what his designer clothes were telling me.

  I had drunk a serious amount of alcohol, the most I had drunk since I was in college. The shots they gave us were fruity and sweet and went down like water, but damn did they ever pack a punch. Either way, this hot and steamy blonde boy was making the room spin, holding me closely and dancing. Well, unless that was the booze spinning the room, but either way, it was definitely shaping up to be a top night for me. I could feel the heat of the bar starting to make me slightly dizzy.

  “Well, Blaine,” I said after finding out his name. “I need some air. Walk me outside?”

  He shook his head and grabbed my hand gently, pulling me through the crowd and out the door. As soon as the cool ocean breeze hit my face, I started to feel better, but apparently, my legs didn’t get that memo because I stumbled forward, grabbing onto Blaine’s arm. I reached down and took my heels off, destined to break my leg in the damn things. I leaned my head back and took in a deep breath, hoping it would help to sober me up just a little bit. Before I could open my eyes, I felt him tugging on my arm, and I started walking with him across the street and down onto the beach. The sand was cold, and my feet sunk right in, taking full advantage of my alcoholic knees. Blaine turned toward me and scooped me into his arms, running toward the ocean. I laughed loudly as he swayed my body over the waves before setting me down and looking at me with his gorgeous blue eyes.

  He leaned forward and kissed my lips, and I immediately fell into him, letting my lips meld into his. It was this incredibly handsome man, kissing me on the beach as the waves washed over my feet and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. I don’t know what happened, but it was just like some ridiculous romantic movie.

  The feel of his lips and the way the world spun around me with my eyes closed, buckled me at the knees. I hollered as my legs gave way, but Blaine reached out and grabbed me, lifting me back to my feet and holding me upright. He laughed as I swayed in his arms, looking up at his gorgeous face. This guy better freaking take me home because I wanted to see what he looked like naked.

  “Whoa there,” he said, chuckling. “Careful. It doesn’t look like you’ve got your sea legs quite yet.”

  “That’s okay,” I said, grinning. “I have this handsome sailor to hold me up.”

  Well, at least that’s what went through my mind to say, but I was pretty sure the words were way more slurred than that. I could feel his strong hands around my body, his fingertips grazing the side of my breast. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again, and I couldn’t stop smiling like a complete idiot. This guy needed to get a move on because this beach and I were not getting along. However, his eyes went from mischievous to careful very quickly, and I could see his mood swiftly change. I hoped I hadn’t done anything wrong, but from the looks of it, his agenda had completely changed. Damn the alcohol, and damn the irresponsible taking of shots. This guy was a ten, or he might have even broken the scale.

  “I should get you home,” he said, chuckling. “You seem to have had too much fun already tonight.”

  He grabbed my hand and led me across the beach to the parking lot next to the club. He pulled out his keys and beeped the shiny new sports car sitting in the front. In my drunkenness, I was impressed, so I knew in my sober life, I would have drooled all over his car, though drool wasn’t entirely out of the picture as drunk as I was. When I got in the car, I crossed my arms and pouted, telling him my address to put in his GPS.

  “This sucks,” I said. “I never get to go out. I’m always too busy teaching at school and taking care of my father. Why do I always have to be the girl that does the right thing?”

  He looked over at me and laughed kindheartedly, hearing me but still determined to take my drunk ass home. I sat there for a moment, looking over his body, and I took a deep breath, letting my very low inhibitions take control. I reached across the car and ran my hand across his leg, grabbing his cock in my hand through his pants. My eyes widened slightly at the size of his dick, and he smiled, his eyes on the road. Before it could get fully erect though, he reached down and pulled my hand away, looking over and smiling at me.

  “You have to stop,” he said. “I can’t concentrate on the road with you doing that.”

  My smirk turned into a frown, and I sat back in the seat until we pulled up in front of my house. Before I could even fully get out of the car, I could feel a drunken sleep attempting to pull me under. Blaine’s strong arms grabbed me, and he walked me to the door, turning me toward him and kissing my lips softly. Immediately, that soft kiss got stronger, and before either of us realized, we were in a full out embrace, our tongues wrapped around each other’s and our hands all over our bodies. The heat and lust were too much for me to forget, so I opened the door and seductively looked back at him as he followed me inside.

  When we got to my room, I turned and wrapped my arms around him, feeling his lips pressed hard against mine. My nerves shot through my stomach, and I wondered if I would be good enough for him. It had been quite a while since I had a man in my bed, and I was more than drunk. I wanted him to enjoy himself and really feel my body.

  We backed up toward the bed but stopped as I unbuttoned his shirt, threw it on the chair, and took his pants off. As I slid his jeans down, his huge erection bounced back and forth, now only restrained by his boxers. I stood up and looked at him as he pulled my dress up over my head and ran his palms over my naked bre
asts. My nipples were erect, and I could feel the heat between my legs as he pushed me down on the bed and pulled my panties off.

  I laid down on the bed as he sat on his knees, spreading my legs apart and running his fingers through my folds. His fingers were warm, and my pussy was wet, and feelings of pleasure pulsated through me. I reached my hands over my head and sighed as he pushed two fingers inside of me and slid them in and out, making the heat in my stomach ignite into flames. I pulled my legs up and lifted my pelvis, moaning low as he caressed my pulsing nub. I looked up to find his eyes fixated on my face, the lust covering every inch of his skin. He began to move his fingers faster and faster, pushing me out of my own mind and into the ecstasy of it all. I grabbed onto the sheets above my head and took in a deep breath, already feeling the orgasm in my stomach begging for release. I had never felt something so amazing in my life. As his thumb circled around my clit, I arched my back and held my breath, feeling the explosion in my belly take over my whole body. I twisted and writhed against his hand, my body shaking from the feelings pulsing through my muscles.

  Immediately, he pulled his fingers out and scooted forward, leaning back to grab his pants and pull a condom from his wallet. He tore the top of it off and pushed the condom over his cock, before turning back and lifting my ass in the air. He grasped his shaft at the base and pushed forward, groaning as he entered me. I could feel him slowly glide forward, filling me fully as he touched down into my skin. Our bodies collided, sending lust deep into my chest. I ground my hips hard against his, lifting my body up off the bed. He groaned as he grabbed my body and pushed and pulled with it, sinking his cock deep inside of me.

  He pulled out and flipped me over on my stomach, bringing me to my knees before guiding his cock back into me. He grabbed my hips and slammed his body against mine, fueling the fire within us both. I reached out and grabbed the headboard, trying to steady the bed since it was making a lot of noise. He began to slow his movements, grasping my ass and digging his fingers into me. I could feel his cock bulging inside of me, and I slipped my fingers between my legs and began to rub my clit. At first, I moved with his rhythm, but as the heat in my belly increased, my fingers began to tap faster against my hard nub. As if that were a sign, he picked up his pace once again, this time fast, but not as hard. I could feel him become needier as he pushed deep into me, grasping my sides with every thrust. I spread my legs wider apart and rubbed my pussy in circles, gently grazing his shaft as it moved up and down inside of me.

  Suddenly, as my legs began to shake, he turned me back over on my chest and put his hands on mine, moving my fingers as it caressed through the wetness. The way he moved his cock was unbelievable, and I could see the muscles in his arms and chest begin to tense as I moaned out, not caring how loud I was at that point. My body began to convulse, waves of the second orgasm flowing wildly through my body. As my juices exploded onto him, he grabbed my hips and dove deep inside of me, holding it there and closing his eyes. A low growl escaped his throat as his cock pulsed back at my pussy and exploded with his seed. His hips moved just slightly as he pushed into me, feeling the pleasure of coming mirror my orgasm.

  For several moments, we were stuck in that position, unable to even breath from the ecstasy in our bodies. As our muscles began to relax, he let out a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking down at me in wonder. From the look on his face, I did a good job, and from the feeling in my chest, I hoped this was not just a one-night occurrence.

  3

  Blaine

  I woke up in my bed the next morning, wishing I was still lying next to Josie. I couldn’t get her off my mind, and after she walked me out and kissed me sweetly, I was pretty much done for. She had been so absolutely adorable while drunk, with her cute little quirks and the funny way that she pointed at me when she talked. She was completely different than any girl I’d ever hooked up with.

  Normally, I went for the blonde bimbo with too much makeup and too much silicone. Josie was a natural beauty, with curves in all the right places, big beautiful natural breasts, and even after a drunken night and some really crazy sex, she looked hot as hell. I could still see her standing at her front door with messy hair and a sleepy face, leaning against the doorframe and smiling as I walked away. She was so different and so far out of my normal range of women, I couldn’t help but go against my normal routine and give her my number. I couldn’t bring myself to treat her like one of my normal hookups.

  I sat up in the bed and ran my hands over my face, exhausted from how little sleep I’d gotten. However, after several hours of lying there, thinking about Josie, I figured I might as well get up and start my day. This girl was sweet, almost too sweet, and was the purest form of a woman I had met in a really long time, probably since my mother passed away. There was no way that I could put her in the same category as the other woman I’d been with. Josie was something special.

  At the same time, I knew that I should make every effort to avoid her because I could already tell she was a threat to my normal, purposefully chaotic, lifestyle. She brought an order to things, just due to her presence. I sat there on the bed, thinking about how hot our sex had been, like we had known each other our whole lives. I read her body, and she read mine so easily. In fact, it had to have been one of the best orgasms I’d had in a really long time.

  I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to move past this girl unless I just threw caution to the wind and went and saw her. I jumped out of bed and showered, knowing if I didn’t just go do it, I would lose the nerve and talk myself out of it. Besides, it could have seriously been the whiskey and the atmosphere. There was a very good chance that I would get there and realize it was a fluke, and that in the light of day, my interest dwindled quickly. Sadly, it wasn’t the fear of walking away that was bothering me. It was the fear of not being able to let go.

  I got ready as fast as possible and jumped in my car, replaying the GPS from the night before. As I crossed over into West Palm, I could immediately see how different everything was. Instead of bodegas and fancy shops were convenience stores and specialty shops. The houses were smaller, the yards were minuscule, and the public transportation seemed to be moving triple the speed that it did on my side of town. When I pulled into her neighborhood, I could really see the difference in where I grew up versus here. The houses were tiny, and the yards were littered with cars and mowers that had been abandoned because they were broken and useless, not because they were showpieces like my car at my father’s old estate.

  Several people were walking out to get their mail, and others sat quietly on their porch, sipping their coffee. All of them waved or smiled at me as I passed. I nodded back to them, pleasantly surprised by the warmth of this community.

  Where I grew up, nobody sat outside, and the people were so rich, they felt as if the world owed them something. They would never go out of their way to greet someone from the other side, and at best, their hospitality was cold and condescending. I now understood why people from West Palm didn’t venture off to Palm Beach very often. The looks on the old, rich women’s faces would be enough to keep me away.

  I pulled up in front of Josie’s house, which looked a bit more worn down than I remembered from the night before. I could only hope I didn’t have the same thoughts about Josie when I saw her. I parked the car and slowly walked through the overgrown yard to the front door. I knocked hard, stepping to the side as heavy footsteps approached. The door opened, and I stared at an older man, wearing a wife beater and shorts, round in the middle, with barely any white hair left on his head.

  “Hi, my name is Blaine,” I said. “I am here to see Josie.”

  I reached my hand out and waited for his response. He looked at me strangely and peered down at my hand, finally taking it and shaking.

  “Right,” he grumbled. “Carl, my name is Carl. I’ll go get her for you.”

  I looked around the neighborhood for a second, watching as Carl shuffled toward the back of the house, leaving
the front door wide open. I felt slightly awkward not understanding Josie’s father or what role he played in her life. I did remember her mentioning that she had to take care of him, so I figured there was something wrong with him. Most men his age, that I knew, were pushing just as hard as they had at the beginning of their career and not even thinking about retiring yet. I made sure to take notice but not pass judgment, as I didn’t really know the whole story. Anything could have happened, and I could be making assumptions that would really hurt my chances with Josie.

  I stood there for a second, staring at the open door before shrugging and walking inside. I assumed that he had left the door open to invite me in. I took a few steps inside and turned, closing the door. I looked around the room, trying to piece together a bit more about Josie. The place was small but cozy, and I could tell it had something of a woman’s touch. The couch was new, the television was relatively new, and the computer on the desk in the back corner had all the bells and whistles. As far as aesthetics, the floors were clean, but I could tell the carpet had been there a long time. To the right was a doorway into the kitchen, and I could see the off-white and gold tile on the edges. There was definitely some seventies influence in everything, and I assumed the large gold painted frame holding a velvet picture of Elvis was Carl’s influence, more than it was hers.

  In all reality, I didn’t care what the place looked like as long as Josie was here, safe, and happy to see me. I knew I was probably intruding, not having called or texted before I just showed up. My mother had always taught me not to do that, but I didn’t really think about it until I had pulled up out front. Her father walked back out but didn’t even look at me. He sat down at the old desk and waved the mouse around on the surface. On the screen was some sort of online poker game, and he looked pretty gruff. I could hear the fake shuffle of the cards, and then I jumped. Her old man let out a loud growl and a few choice curse words at the screen, and I assumed that he had found himself with a bad hand. I never quite understood how the online poker thing worked, but I knew that if I were going to play a game, I much preferred the casino. Maybe, if Josie and I saw each other more than once, I could take her father out to the casinos, and we could have a little bonding time. I still wasn’t sure how all that worked, since I had stayed relatively single for many years now.