His to Protect (Secrets Series Book 4)

by LK Shaw

  He turned and directed his next words to Daniel. “Webber, I’ve got Miles here in charge of security. You’ll have a full detail until we can get O’Reilly. Miles will run surveillance during the day and two of my best men will split the evenings. It’s your choice, but I wouldn’t mention any of this to anyone in your department. We know for a fact that O’Reilly has several cops on his payroll. I believe he’s involved in the cover ups we discovered in that last case.”

  All four of them exchanged a look I couldn’t interpret, but clearly some type of communication passed between them. I was curious, but didn’t want to ask if front of them all. I’d wait and speak to Daniel after they all left. A ping came from Josie’s computer.

  “There it is. Damn, that was even faster than I expected. There is a hefty price on your head, Webber. I’m doing what I can to trace everything on O’Reilly, but it’s going to take some time, even with my skills.”

  “Just do what you can, Josie. In the meantime, Miles will be here as a safeguard.”

  Josie shut down her laptop and pulled Miles aside. They spoke in hushed tones in the kitchen, and it was clear they were saying goodbye. I averted my eyes when they embraced and shared a kiss. Then, she and Connor left, leaving Miles behind.

  “I’m gonna head outside and scope out the surroundings. Put up some surveillance equipment that Josie can hack into and keep an eye on things from her end. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

  Miles left Daniel and me alone as he picked up his duffel bag and went outside, closing the door softly behind him.

  “Wow, your friends are a little intense. Where did you meet them?”

  Daniel squirmed a little as though uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and gave a small cough. “I briefly met Black during a few cases I’d worked that he was involved with on the periphery. But, I also worked a case that involved Black’s wife. Although, she wasn’t his wife at the time.”

  Something in his tone had me studying him a little closer. I couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded like chagrin. “It sounds like there’s a story there.”

  I paused to see if he’d fill in the question I’d left hanging.

  “It’s nothing really.”

  I should have let it go at that, but for some reason, I just kept pushing. “It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

  Daniel sighed in defeat. “I had a slight interest in his wife, and it led me to briefly forgetting about the case to focus more on fucking with Black. We’re not on the best of terms on good days. His wife, who, like I said, wasn’t his wife at the time, along with her biological son were kidnapped and almost killed. And it was my fault.”

  I absorbed his words and irrational jealousy flowed through me. For the briefest moment, I hated this unknown woman because she’d captured Daniel’s interest. It didn’t matter if she’d returned his regard or not. It didn’t even matter that it had happened long before he’d ever met me.

  “Hey,” Daniel spoke softly as he reached for my hands that I now noticed were clenched in fists at my side. “I’m sorry.”

  Puzzled, I wasn’t sure what he meant. “For what?”

  “For lying to you. For telling you that I would bring you nothing but trouble. I’ve fucked up so much lately, and I don’t want to let you down.”

  My grip tightened on his hands, and I stared up in awe at this flawed man. “Daniel, there is no way you could let me down. I love you. That’s why I was so upset this morning. I know I didn’t come out and say it, but I do. I love everything about you. Your protectiveness. Your loyalty. The way you make me feel as though I’m the only woman for you.”

  Our eyes remained on each other, love flowing between us. I knew Daniel loved me. It was in his every touch, even from that first kiss the night Emmett was killed. His need to push me away because he didn’t think he was good enough for me spoke of his love.

  Daniel reached up, swept my hair away from my face, and cupped my cheek in his large but gentle hands. He rubbed his thumbs across my cheekbones as he bent to place a kiss on my parted lips, and although he didn’t say the words back to me, he put every ounce of his feelings into it.

  We broke apart; this time, hand in hand, I led Daniel down the hall to his room. After closing and locking the door, I slowly undressed him as he stood there, still as a statue. His body was perfection, and I couldn’t help but dip my head and suck the barbell in my mouth, my tongue flicking over it. I’d never really thought about how sexy a man with a pierced nipple would be, but for some reason, it fit Daniel. It and his tattoos only accentuated his beauty.

  I wanted him inside me more than I’d ever wanted anything else in my life. Feeling playful, I gave Daniel a soft push, and he plopped down on the edge of the bed. He leaned back on his elbows, his hooded eyes deceptively casual, observing me as I gave a slow tease while I got rid of my own clothes. Pride filled me as his arousal grew at the sight of more exposed skin.

  He took a shuddering breath as I peeled the last layer of clothing off to finally reveal my nudity. The minute I shucked my underwear, I didn’t hesitate climbing onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, draping myself over him as I began rubbing myself against his erect cock.

  “I want to feel everything this time,” I said as I stared into his eyes.

  His widened in surprise as my words sunk in. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded as I pushed my hair over one shoulder, pressed my breasts against his chest, and leaned into him. I initiated the kiss, using my slight leverage over him to control it. A boldness I forgot I had came over me. I kept my hands braced on his shoulders as I ground my pussy against him. I was already wet when we’d entered the room, but my juices flowed out of me as my arousal ratcheted up a few degrees now that we were skin to skin.

  I lifted up slightly, and reaching behind me, I clasped his throbbing cock in my hand and guided him to my pussy. Gently lowering myself, I closed my eyes as he filled me to overflowing.

  Slowly at first, I began to move up and down, controlling the pace. Daniel’s hands gripped my hips tightly, and he groaned in arousal. I kept a slow rhythm, but soon it wasn’t enough for either of us. My movements quickened, and my head fell back with every pounding push of his cock inside me. Daniel’s grip tightened on my hips, and I could feel him losing his tightly wound control.

  Daniel’s head dipped, and he took my ruched nipple in his mouth, laving the bud with his tongue, sending another spike of need deep into my core. My inner muscles clenched on his length, causing a groan to vibrate from his chest. A hand traced a path from my hip toward my center, and I gasped as Daniel’s finger added to the sensation of pleasure as he flicked it against my clit. He began drawing slow circles around it, the pressure increasing with each stroke.

  Between the finger at my nub and the wet heat of Daniel’s mouth surrounding my breast, it suddenly became too much, and the tightly coiled tension that had been building inside me exploded. My release hit, and I ground my pelvis against his while stars exploded behind my eyes. I screamed out Daniel’s name as I felt his length tighten, and then he was right behind me, his seed coating me inside. Tiny tremors tickled my spine as my body sagged against Daniel’s chest.

  Our heavy breathing sounded loud in the otherwise quiet room. Sweat beaded on my forehead and at the nape of my neck. I remained plastered against Daniel, his hands wrapped around my waist, our hearts beating in time with the other, and a feeling of tenderness and love washed over me.

  Slowly, I pulled away and could feel Daniel’s seed in me. I collapsed in an exhausted heap on the bed next to him, but moved over when he gave me a little nudge so he could lay beside me. I cuddled up to him as he wrapped his strong, loving arms around me. A woman could get used to this.

  Chapter 17

  Daniel

  “I love you.” The words escaped before I could stop them. But now that they’d taken root, there was no going back. Katie was it for me. She was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my mornings waking up to. Her face was th
e last thing I wanted to see before I went to sleep. I had no idea if I was ever going to be good enough for her, but she made me want to be a better person.

  Her beautiful ice blue eyes met mine, and a soft smile formed on her lips. “I’m glad you finally admitted it. I love you too, Daniel. Whatever happens, we’re in this together. I have faith in your friends and in you. O’Reilly is going down, one way or another. I know it.”

  “Connor and his team are the best at what they do. Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe Josie’s skills with the computer. If anyone can find the information to bring down O’Reilly, it’s her. In the meantime, it’s killing me to leave you alone, even with the guards that Black has assigned, but I have to head into work soon. I also need to check in with some of my friends at the precinct and see what they can give me on O’Reilly.”

  Katie nodded in understanding, her brown hair dancing against the pillow. My pillow. The place where she belonged. I untangled our limbs and rose from the bed.

  “I need to take a quick shower.”

  “Go ahead, I’m going to head into the kitchen and order food in. Is there anything special you’d like?”

  “Don’t worry about me; I’ll grab a quick bite on the way in.”

  She looked like she wanted to say something, but she turned and headed out of the room. Hurriedly, I jumped in the shower. I had just finished drying off when Katie came back into the bedroom carrying a cup of coffee.

  “Here, at least drink this. You didn’t get much sleep last night, and I don’t want you falling asleep at work. I wasn’t sure if you took anything in it.”

  She handed me the steaming brew, and I took a cautious sip. Black and delicious. Just the way I liked it. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  I quickly got dressed, my cock in a semi-hard state as Katie’s eyes roamed over my body while I put on my clothes. She was making it extremely difficult for me to want to leave the house.

  We walked hand in hand out to the living room. Katie made herself comfortable on the couch as she thumbed through various takeout menus I had. I stepped outside to find Miles after he’d made himself scarce earlier. Once I located him, I let him know to call me for anything, no matter how small. He shooed me off, clucking like a hen. I knew I was worrying for nothing, but I couldn’t shut it off. I knew how dangerous O’Reilly was.

  I stepped back inside and said my goodbyes. “Miles will be here for the rest of the night. He’ll introduce you to his replacement whenever he gets here. Trust them. If they think something is wrong, listen to them. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir.” Katie gave me a smart salute.

  “I’m serious.”

  She sobered at my tone. “Daniel, I understand. I’ll trust them because you do.”

  My hands cradled her head as I reached down to taste her lips. Our lips tangled, and I enjoyed her flavor longer than I should have. Reluctantly, I pulled away and forced myself to walk out the door.

  For four days we followed the same routine. Each night, when I got home, no matter that it was practically early morning, Katie and I made love. We slept for a few hours here and there. Then, in the afternoon, I went back to work. I’d spoken to some of the guys, but none of them had been able to find any kind of evidence on O’Reilly either. The man was excellent at making things—and people—disappear. There had been multiple charges brought up against him, from assault and battery to murder, but none of the charges had ever stuck.

  Miles and the other two guards, who I only knew as Fredericks and Jones, continued to switch shifts and watch the house. Josie had reported that no unusual activity had been seen from the surveillance equipment Miles had installed that first day. She did say she was close to pinning some things on O’Reilly. In the meantime, nothing had changed. No attempts had been made on our lives. No disruptions whatsoever. I knew O’Reilly wanted us to think he’d given up so we’d let our guard down, become complacent, but I knew that wasn’t the case. We’d royally pissed him off, and he wasn’t going to forget or forgive that.

  It was early morning on the fifth day that it finally happened. As much as we thought we were ready, we weren’t. It was the wee hours of the morning, and Jones had just taken over Fredericks shift. It was my day off so Katie and I were sleeping. I woke suddenly as though my subconscious knew something big was about to go down. I lay there, straining to hear any unusual sounds. It was too quiet. My head turned to look at the clock on my nightstand, but everything was black. The power was out. Or had been cut. I reached into the drawer next to me and pulled out my gun. I slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Katie.

  Quietly, I made my way down the hall on full alert. I’d just reached the end, where it opened into the living room, when I heard a groan of pain. In the moonlight, I spotted Jones on the floor in the kitchen. I crouched down next to him, still keeping my senses open to my surroundings. That’s when I noticed the blood pooling beneath him. He’d been bashed over the head with a blunt object and was just coming to.

  A soft click sounded behind me. “Put your gun on the floor and slide it across the floor. Then, take a step back and put your hands in the air, Detective.”

  Shit. I did as I was told. When I stood and moved away from the body, a light clicked on. In the living room, sitting on my couch, looking far too relaxed, was Francis O’Reilly. Standing next to him stood two of his guards. I’d learned through Josie that their names were Tony and Ricco. Ricco’s most distinguishing feature was the large scar across his face. Otherwise, he looked like your typical muscle for hire. Josie said he was brutal and relished making people hurt. He also had no qualms about killing when asked. Tony, on the other hand was an enigma. Josie couldn’t find anything on him. It was as though he didn’t exist.

  “You didn’t think I was going to forget you owe me, did you?” O’Reilly drawled, every word dripping with hatred.

  “Honestly, I expected you here a lot sooner. You’re slipping.”

  “You and your girlfriend have the same smart mouth, I see. You realize we have a problem, right?”

  “Get out of my house, and we’ll have less of a problem.”

  Tony chuckled, but stifled it when O’Reilly shot a glare at him. Clearly, someone didn’t appreciate my sense of humor. I had to keep O’Reilly talking until the cavalry arrived. I knew by now that Connor was on his way. It was just a matter of staying alive until he got here. Even now, it pissed me off that Black was, more than likely, going to have to rescue me. This was going to be one more thing for him to bust my balls about. Internally, I groaned. But, I continued to try and play it cool.

  “You’ve gotten away with Jackson’s murder. How are you going to explain away three more deaths?” I asked, continuing to stall the inevitable.

  O’Reilly settled himself even deeper into the couch. “Who says I need to explain anything? Nobody will connect me to your death. I’ve gotten away with far more crimes. Adding a few more to my total won’t make much difference.”

  “You yourself mentioned how industrious my friends are. I can guarantee they’re going to know you’re behind this.”

  “I’m not too worried about your friends. I have my own extremely powerful allies.”

  I heard a soft gasp behind me and knew our time was up. Katie stood at the entrance of the living room, sleep tousled hair falling over a single shoulder. I had the urge to run over and wrap my arms around her and tell her that nothing would harm her.

  “Ah, so glad the lovely Ms. Marsh could finally join us. Ricco, why don’t you escort the lady over to the chair over there? It’s important for her to have a front row seat.”

  My fists clenched in anger as I watched, helplessly, as O’Reilly’s man tried to take Katie’s arm. I silently applauded her, yet also cringed, when she jerked her arm away from the man and proudly walked to the chair of her own accord. I was proud of her pluck, even though I wanted to warn her to be careful. The slightest move could push O’Reilly’s patience past his breaking point. Eventually, he’d get there,
but right now it looked like he wanted to play games.

  Katie took her seat, but remained tense. Ricco remained standing next to her, although I saw Tony move a little closer to them, a flash of some unreadable emotion gracing his face before it became blank again. My gaze moved from them back to O’Reilly, who had begun to rise from his position on the couch. My eyes followed his as he slowly wandered around the room, studying everything including pictures I had hung on the wall or placed on various surfaces.

  “You have a beautiful family, Detective. Your sisters are gorgeous. Your mom as well.”

  I knew he was taunting me, but I still rose to his bait.

  “Stay the fuck away from my family.”

  He turned from his spot near the fireplace and addressed me. “You’re not really in a position to make demands. So, here’s the deal. Your Ms. Marsh signs over her entire inheritance to me and your family is safe.”

  “I already told you the money was yours,” Katie cried out from the other side of the room.

  “Oh, yes, I know. But, I haven’t finished my bargaining, yet. Also, Detective, you will turn over everything you think you have on me. Everything.”

  “You’re going to kill us anyway. Why should I give you what you want? Either way, we’re dead.”

  O’Reilly nodded at Ricco who, before I could blink, grabbed Katie’s hair, yanked her head back, and placed the knife I hadn’t seen him pull out at her throat. She screamed in pain as a small drop of blood trickled down her neck.

  “Uh uh uh,” O’Reilly barked as I made to lunge in their direction. I stopped short at his words. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Suddenly, everything happened at once. The front door burst open, and Connor and Miles barreled through, guns drawn, and Tony dove for Ricco, ripping the knife away from Katie’s neck just as I reached her. I pulled her into my arms, her sobs echoing in my ears.

  I heard Connor’s barked order of “put the gun down”, then several gunshots had my attention on the other side of the room where O’Reilly now lay on the ground, writhing in pain, a small gun at his side. Connor stepped over to him and, using a rag from his pocket to avoid fingerprints, picked up the pistol and laid it on the mantel. Seeing that O’Reilly was no longer a threat, I focused on Katie. I pulled slightly away from her as my eyes scanned her body, taking note of the trickle of blood still lightly falling from the shallow cut on her neck. It didn’t look deep, but I still wanted to kill the man who put it there.