His to Protect

by Karen Rock

  “I’m your judge and your jury.” She pointed a swizzle stick at him. “But since that was sort of funny, I’ll let you slide with a seven point five.”

  “I’ll take it.” With his mood, he would have scored himself a lot lower, although the night didn’t seem half as dark with Cassie across the table from him. “Is your next category about money?”

  “You think that’s all women care about?” She glanced over her shoulder as she said the words, her gaze taking in the men waving green bills at the bartender. “The size of your wallet?”

  “That and the size of our—”

  “Regardless,” she interrupted. “I was thinking the next category would be class.”

  Another sip of soda polished off his drink. He should leave, but with the alluring, teasing woman beside him, he was no longer sure he wanted to escape. “What’s my number?”

  “An eight. You lose two for not offering me a cocktail as soon as I sat down.” Her impish grin reappeared and his body tightened at the small, sexy space between her front teeth. “You must have known I was nervous.”

  He wondered why a beautiful woman would be nervous about sharing his table, but she seemed relaxed enough now. He didn’t want that smile of hers to fade.

  “I hope it’s not too late to fix that.” He waved over the waitress hovering on the edge of the crowd. “A drink for the lady.”

  Cassie frowned. “I wasn’t going to drink any more tonight. But maybe just one.” Glancing up at the server, she quizzed her on the tequila choices before deciding. “Margarita on the rocks, salt not sugar.”

  “Not sweet, then?” he teased once they were alone again, enjoying this time with the woman keeping him on his toes and out of his dark thoughts.

  “Sweetness doesn’t get you far in life, I’ve learned.” Shadows crossed through her blue gaze for a moment, but then she blinked and the look disappeared. “I’m cultivating a tart side.”

  “You’ll need that if you decide to spend much time at Mayday’s.” He didn’t like thinking about her here without him, though. He changed topics fast. “Next category?”

  “Power.” Her lips pursed as she considered him, the move making him uncomfortably aware of the fullness of her mouth. “You’re a ten.”

  His pulse slugged hard, this flirtation ratcheting up the heat in a hurry.

  “A perfect score.”

  She biffed his bicep. “Really? Like you don’t notice the waitresses falling over themselves to obey your every command?”

  As if to underscore her words, the server hustled back with the beverage.

  “Would you?” he asked once they were alone again, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them.

  She sucked slowly on a lime wedge, each second of silence building the tension between them. “That remains to be seen,” she said at last.

  Which was definitely not a no. Damn but she was keeping him guessing.

  “Depending on...?” He balled his hands on his thighs then forced his fingers to relax. Why push this? He had every intention of leaving. With his drink finished, he was out of excuses to dawdle with this tempting woman. He blamed his mouth. Always open one sentence too long.

  “How you score in the rest of my categories,” she countered, leaning closer. The move outlined full breasts beneath the gauzy fabric of her dress as her long, silky legs appeared and disappeared when she uncrossed them.

  He looked away, beating back the sexual attraction firing through him. He hadn’t expected this tonight. Definitely not from a woman like Cassie.

  “And how many more are there?” A throaty growl had entered his voice, an impatient sound, a hunger he couldn’t hide behind some teasing word game.

  “Just one.”

  He kept his eyes on the bouncers setting up a row of chairs on the emptying dance floor. Forced his focus off her tongue as she swiped at the salt on the rim of her glass.

  “You’ve got me on the edge of my seat here,” he admitted, thinking more time with Cassie could make the hours between now and the next mission disappear.

  Better yet, she might make those hours better than just bearable. He hadn’t allowed himself that kind of pleasure since...

  A stab of pain behind his eyes reminded him exactly how long it had been. To the day. The hour.

  She reached out a hand and covered his wrist.

  “You okay?” The flirtatious look had vanished, making him realize he’d be an ass to walk away from this chance to exorcise a few demons tonight.

  “I could be better,” he started, ready to detail exactly how.

  But just then the damn DJ stepped forward and the crowd hushed. “Ladies, it’s time to grab a partner for our lap dance contest. The longer you keep from touching your male dancer, the longer the couple stays in. The woman with the most—er—control, takes home this magnum of champagne...and your man.”

  The guy hefted a bottle larger than his head.

  Cassie lifted her eyebrows in question. Almost as if to ask him if that kind of game was a possibility. Something about her expression made his lower abs contract with swift, fierce need. Was she teasing him? He had a sudden urge to discover where she drew the line with this flirtation.

  While the crowd responded to the DJ’s provocation, he flipped his hand so he was holding Cassie’s.

  “So what’s that last category?” he pressed.

  He squinted at her until her cheeks pinked and she squirmed. He wanted to haul her out of the bar and back to his room, where he could lose himself in that incredible body and mind-numbing sex.

  But even if he was the type for casual hookups, something about her didn’t speak of one-night stands...despite her flirting. Maybe it was the pain tucked in the corners of her laughing eyes, the way her smiles slid off her face too fast, as if they rarely stuck. He was having a tough time reading her.

  “It’s one I’m not prepared to judge just yet.” Her words were breathless.

  He could feel the thrum of her pulse where he held her hand, the pace a rapid tattoo of nerves or excitement. Or something more.

  “Now I’m even more curious.” He slid a thumb along the heart of her palm and imagined himself touching other parts of her that same way. With slow, lazy circles. “You can at least tell me what you would be critiquing.”

  Her blues met and held his. No innocence there now. Only heat and daring.

  “Sexual prowess.” She drew out the words like a long caress.

  His whole body hardened like new-forged steel and just as hot.

  They stared at each other across the table, the noisy world of the bar full of lap dancers not even a blip on his radar. He breathed in when Cassie exhaled, their shared air as hot as any kiss he’d ever tasted.

  “You ready to cut out of here?” he asked, his voice low and his restraint disappearing.

  He wanted nothing more than to drive her wild and fill her head with enough sexy dreams to satisfy her for the rest of the night. He tossed bills on the table, never taking his eyes off her.

  She squeezed his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  2

  LIVE A LITTLE?

  Cassie cursed herself as she followed the tall, gorgeous stranger through the bar and out a side door that led onto the beach. Surely this was going too far, playing teasing games with a man she hardly knew after inviting herself to share his table. “Live a little” didn’t mean she should allow some alien consciousness to inhabit her body and make her say crazy, sexually charged things. Where the hell was her sense? Her reliable Midwestern restraint? The second-guessing?

  But as she gripped Mark’s hand and allowed the warmth of his touch to seep into her skin, she couldn’t deny that he inspired something hot and raw inside her. An edgy, hungry feeling she’d never experienced before. What was it abou
t him that made her take risks? Flirt wildly? Follow him out onto the beach...alone.

  The funny part was, she trusted him more than she trusted herself. He hadn’t consumed any alcohol, for one thing, so she was certain he had his head screwed on straight. For another, she knew he had to be a military guy and that inspired a certain level of confidence. Especially here, in a town full of his peers. Plus, he hadn’t dragged her out onto the dance floor for the obvious bump and grind that some couples engaged in. All they’d done was talk, even when she’d been thinking wickedly explicit things about him back in that bar...

  “It’s beautiful here,” Mark observed suddenly, face turned up to stargaze. They passed sweat-slicked men engrossed in a volleyball game under a flickering fluorescent lamp.

  “And so warm.” She shivered as she said it, savoring the kiss of the Gulf breeze on her skin.

  “You want to go for a walk?” He dropped his gaze back to her and she appreciated that he hadn’t simply shuttled her off to a hotel room after their suggestive game.

  She needed to catch her breath.

  “I’d like that.” Her heart beat a strange tempo when he slid his fingers from her chin and along her cheek, tracing the sensitive skin there, his gaze never leaving hers.

  There was a brief silence, interrupted by the cry of gulls hovering over them. Mark looked at her for a few drawn-out seconds, the heat in his eyes making her shiver. Then he reached out a hand. “Let’s go this way.”

  His fingers twined with hers and goose bumps rose on her arms as they strolled to the water.

  Ahead of them the surf pulsed, rushing and foaming on the sand. Beach roses lined their path down to the shore, the smell faint and sweet in the salty air. She looked up at the sky. So many stars, it seemed like a celebration, a fireworks display just for them.

  She slid a sideways glance at him, taking in his chiseled profile. Noted the firm set of his jaw, his straight nose and strong brow. Features that exuded authority. Confidence. Security. The kind of face you’d want to see if you needed rescuing.

  Her grief for Jeff fell away under the solid presence of Mark walking beside her. And she needed that tonight. Something about him made her feel different. Stronger. Sexier.

  If she scurried back to her hotel room, she knew exactly what to expect. Nothing. Yet out here, with the wind gusting off the water, seabirds calling, salt water misting her face, a deep hunger stirred inside her. A wild thirst for the unknown.

  Crazy or not, this was what her brother had wanted for her. To experience life on a large scale, well beyond the neat world she’d organized for herself back in Idaho.

  Suddenly, warm water rushed across her feet and over her ankles. She gasped and stepped closer to shore then stopped when Mark’s arm came around her. He turned her toward him. Her hands landed on his lean waist, her fingers grazing his contracting stomach muscles beneath the crisp cotton of his T-shirt.

  “I didn’t think the water came up this far.”

  “The tide’s rising.” His voice was thick, distracted, as heat flared in his eyes.

  “Oh,” she mumbled, her mouth dry, her body warm.

  He reached out and stroked her hair, his gaze full of promise and something more. “Are you sure you want to keep going?”

  She understood what he was asking her. Appreciated that he’d given her some time to think. To be certain about the attraction and where it was headed.

  But even with the fresh air to clear her thoughts, she still wanted him. Still craved the chance to feel all that warm male strength around her before she embarked on the most dangerous adventure of her life.

  “Absolutely.” She slid her hand up his abdomen, teasing the hard ridges that moved and shifted beneath her touch. His chest rose sharply when her fingers rested on his pecs. Exhilaration forked through her.

  “Cassie,” he groaned, stepping closer so that her feet brushed his in the shifting sand.

  She rose on her toes and cupped her hands around the base of his neck, pulling his mouth to hers.

  Bodies fusing at the same moment as their lips, nerve endings fired faster than the incoming tide. Hip to hip, breast to chest, her body curved into his, molding around all that hard, hot muscle. Pleasure tingled along her nerve endings, making her wriggle closer and sigh into his kiss.

  She felt a low groan vibrate through his chest, but she didn’t hear it, the rush of waves drowning out everything else. Her breath caught at the back of her throat, her senses heightened. Every facet of the kiss imprinted itself on her consciousness, burrowing into her memory as if it would never leave.

  He placed his hands on either side of her temples and kissed her gently, easing back ever so slightly. He traced her lips slowly with his tongue, then sucked on her lower lip in a way that made tension coil between her thighs. She wanted him. Wanted this.

  But they were still too close to the bar.

  Breaking the kiss, she whispered against his mouth, “Should we find somewhere more private?” Her dress rode up where she leaned into him, the denim on his thighs caressing her bare legs in a way that made her ache.

  “Definitely.” Turning, he peered into the dark and pointed toward a sandy mound covered in sea oats with a shadowed area at the base.

  There were no buildings. No lights.

  “Let’s check it out.” She was already pulling him across the beach, calculating how fast she could have him all to herself. And then another thought occurred to her.

  “Wait.” She stopped, kicking up sand as she spun. Her hand caught him midchest, halting him, too.

  “I’m going to honor your wishes, no matter.” He sucked in a deep breath. “But I gotta say, I’d hoped we passed the ‘wait’ stage a while ago.”

  “Me, too.” She licked her lips. “But I don’t have anything—that is, protectionwise—with me.”

  “No worries.” His teeth flashed white in the darkness. “I’ve got that covered.”

  Giddy relief lit her up inside and her smile matched his. A laugh bubbled up and she dragged him toward the sandy dunes. They reached the privacy of the sheltered area, where he stifled her laughter with hungry kisses, his hands entwined in her hair, his mouth warm on her lips. She kissed him back hard, not hesitating even when they heard voices from a boat out on the water, the dunes and sea oats hiding them from view. The space provided a private, intimate hideaway.

  Closing her eyes, she tunneled her hands under his shirt, giving in to the insistent rush of pleasure that had started with the first accidental brush of their bodies. Now she could touch him. Taste him.

  Their kisses grew deeper, more urgent. She wanted to feel his bare skin against hers, so she dragged his shirt up and off his broad shoulders. She opened her eyes to see what she’d unveiled.

  So. Fine.

  Her hands moved to his waist, resting on the band of his jeans, ready for more. But then he stepped into her, his kiss hotter. Harder. She could feel how much he wanted her and she shifted her hips to cradle that hard length against her softness. Things were escalating fast and that’s just what she wanted. More. Faster.

  Mark.

  * * *

  THE FEEL OF Cassie’s hips pressed to his wiped his brain of any last remnant of thought. There was only him, her and the heat of this longing.

  If he didn’t take her soon, he would explode. He broke off, his hands on her face, and saw her eyes, heavy with longing. Her lips parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He cupped the back of her head, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before easing her down onto the warm sand.

  “Mark,” she gasped, reaching for him. But he knew having her hands on him would only drive him faster. And she deserved better than a tumble in the dark.

  He lay on his side instead and undid the button at the top of her dress. He worked his way down that trail of fastenings, forci
ng himself to take his time. His fingers fumbled, unsteady, when he reached the final enclosure at her hem and parted the material. He drew it off her shoulders and down her arms, tugging her hands free so that she lay on top of the dress, naked except for a lace bra and panties.

  His muscles twisted. Pulsed.

  She was incredible.

  The lush curves of her breasts rose and fell beneath her bra, her nipples straining against the fabric. Electricity sparked through his veins as he traced one nipple, then the other, a sigh whispering in the air as she arched into his hand. His mouth went dry then flooded with moisture. Desire ran rampant through his body, filming it in a light sheen.

  He flicked open the front clasp of her bra and the sight of her full, round breasts knocked the air from his lungs. Made his chest burn. Need and craving pounded through him. He groaned as he palmed their satisfying weight and filled his large hands with their petal-soft flesh. When he lowered his mouth and circled her nipples with his tongue, tugging lightly on the hard buds, Cassie whimpered. She tasted of spun sugar, and her honey-and-vanilla scent, combined with the fresh sea air, scrambled his thoughts.

  There was no denying she was as turned on as he was. He could read it in the hungry glow of her eyes, the flush of her skin and the way she squirmed beneath his touch. She undulated her hips, ribs and spine as if urging him to explore. And he didn’t need the encouragement. The grip on his control slipped further still, her effect on him devastating and bone deep. He kissed her with greater urgency, murmuring her name.

  He traced her slender rib cage hungrily, the inward turn of her waist and the delicate flare of her hips before drawing an invisible line down her quivering abdomen. At the lacy top of her panties he paused, then slid his hand slowly beneath the material.

  Her head tipped back and her eyes closed as she groaned again, her response jolting him with pleasure. His hand cupped her sex, lingering over its wet warmth. Dampness flooded his fingers as he stroked her hot, silken flesh. The metal teeth of his zipper bit into his straining erection. Blood rushed to his groin and made him light-headed.