“Uh, yes, sir. Of course, sir,” she said. Once the Zoom meeting was over, she just stared at Clint, who still looked less than pleased at what had transpired. “Thank you.”
He stood, then gave her a cautious glance. “Don’t thank me yet. I still need to check out the venue myself, get more information about this event. I might still end up saying it’s not safe. And if it’s not, then that’s it—you’re not going.” He must have seen that she was ready to argue because he held up a hand. “I know it’s important to you. I want you to be able to go. I won’t call it off unless there’s just no way to make it safe. So if I tell you it’s not, I’ll need you to listen to me. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” she said instantly.
10
That night, Tara dug out a large box from the hall closet and set it on the living room floor in front of Ashley.
“What’s that?” Ashley asked, her blue eyes wide.
“This,” Tara said, sitting cross-legged beside the little girl on the large Persian rug, “is one of my favorite toys from when I was a kid.” She opened the box and pulled out a Lego set. “It’s a fairy castle. I thought you might like to put it together with me for a photo shoot, since it’s rainbow colored.”
“Yes!” Ashley clapped excitedly and looked over at her dad, who was busy working on his laptop on the sofa. “Look, Daddy! I’m going to build a castle!”
Clint glanced up and gave Tara a warning look. “That’s probably a mistake.”
“Huh?” She frowned. “Why? Because you’re anti-fun?”
“No.”
Ashley giggled and proceeded to dump the entire box of Legos out onto the floor. “Daddy’s anti-fun.”
“No. I’m not. I’m plenty fun.” With a sigh, Clint went back to work on his computer. “You’ll see.”
Tara wasn’t sure if he was talking about her and Ashley or himself, but whatever. She started sorting the bricks into the different colors to make it easier to put them together and encouraged Ashley to do the same. But about forty-five minutes into the project, it became clear that the little girl was struggling. Tara picked up the lid of the Lego box and looked down at the intended age for the thing, and could have kicked herself. She hadn’t really thought about it when she’d ordered it online. She’d built a similar one herself when she’d been little and had enjoyed it, so she’d thought it would be fun for Ashley. Except now that she watched Ashley getting frustrated, Tara realized she’d been about twice Ashley’s age when she’d put it together. Crap. Six-year-olds probably hadn’t developed the fine motor skills yet to put together a set this complex yet.
“None of these things fit right,” Ashley grumbled, tossing a couple bricks back on to the rug in frustration. “It doesn’t look like the picture on the box at all. Stupid castle.”
“Told you,” Clint said from behind her, his tone notching Tara’s annoyance higher. Not at Ashley, but at herself. She probably should have listened to him when he’d first warned her, but she wasn’t going to let him know that.
Instead, Tara gathered the small plastic bricks into a pile and pushed them away, reaching over to grab a pen and pad of paper off the coffee table she’d set there earlier. “Why don’t we forget about this thing for a while and you can help me think of ideas for more social media posts, since you did so well with the one today?”
Ashley’s scowl slowly transformed into a bright smile. “Yes! Okay.”
As the little girl rattled off an assortment of ideas, involving everything from composting to cake decorating, Tara scribbled them down, far too aware of Clint in the background. He’d set his computer aside now and moved down to the floor with them and was tinkering with the Legos they’d left behind. Those long, strong fingers of his had begun fitting those bricks together precisely and perfectly, making Tara wonder about just how perfectly and precisely he might use those same fingers on her body, stroking her and caressing her and making her cling to him as he brought her to orgasm over and over and…
“Did you do this stuff with your mom?” Ashley asked, taking the pad and pen from Tara’s hand to start scribbling a drawing on it.
It took Tara’s brain a second to shift attention from her erotic thoughts about Clint over to his daughter’s question. She blinked at Ashley a second, Clint’s steady gaze weighing heavily on her as she answered. “My mom?” Tara laughed derisively. “Involve me? Nope.”
Family playtime was something she’d only ever seen on TV. But as she sat there, brainstorming with Ashley, while Clint quietly put the castle together himself in the background, Tara had to admit it was nice. Having a family around, even if it was only temporary. Her chest ached a bit. Honestly, having them here only made the coldness of her own childhood stand out in stronger relief.
Sure, she’d never lacked for anything material. But love and affection? Well, both of those had been in short supply, unfortunately. Her father was a workaholic who was rarely home, while her mother had always been too busy with her political career to spend much time with Tara growing up. It had only served to reinforce to Tara that she wasn’t a priority and that in order to make herself valuable to someone else, she needed to be accomplishing something. It was probably why she always tried to stay busy these days, why she didn’t have time for dating or relationships. Because without a goal to achieve she wasn’t important.
When she looked up, Clint was watching her closely, his gaze far too insightful for her comfort. Heat prickled her cheeks and Tara looked away fast, concentrating on Ashley and the picture she was doodling on the paper. Just because Tara hadn’t had the love and affection she’d craved growing up, didn’t mean she couldn’t do her part to give this little girl the affection she needed, at least for a little while. She wrapped her arms around Ashley and gave her a hug, resting her chin on the little girl’s shoulder. “That is seriously the best unicorn princess I’ve ever seen!”
Ashley giggled and squirmed in her arms. “Her name’s Tara. Like you!”
“Aw.” Tara kissed her cheek and looked over at Clint, whose expression had shifted from unreadable to something close to gratitude. “I must be special. Having a unicorn named after me.”
His blue eyes twinkled with joy and a hint of heat. “You’re special all right.”
Tara’s toes curled a little at the slight huskiness in his teasing tone. She released Ashley and stood quickly, not entirely sure where this was headed and way too excited to find out. Honestly, she was almost scared. Clint seemed to bring out all sorts of emotions in her that she’d denied for far too long—longing, hope, happiness, lust. And she needed to watch herself because he was only here for the job. The sooner she remembered that the better. Now, if she could just get her traitorous body on board as well, she’d be all set.
Pulse thumping fast, she hurried to the kitchen. “What’s everyone want for dinner?”
* * *
Later that night, after they’d devoured the chicken tacos and salad Tara had made for supper, she finished cleaning up in the kitchen while Clint got Ashley ready for bed. She’d just put away the last of the dishes when Clint returned to the kitchen.
“Need any help?” he asked.
“No.” Tara put the last pan away then wiped her hands on a dish towel, casting him a side glance. “Aren’t you on water duty again tonight?”
Clint snorted. “No, surprisingly. Ashley’s in bed and sound asleep.”
“Really?” Tara set the towel aside and the two of them stepped into the living room and settled onto the sofa. “What changed?”
“Not sure.” He shrugged and stretched, then relaxed back into the cushions. “I think you wore her out today, with the photo shoots and the building and the brainstorming.”
“Huh.” She grinned. “If that’s all it takes, I’ll need to remember that for the future.”
“Me too.” Clint yawned and stretched again, drawing her attention to his torso beneath the blue T-shirt he wore entirely too well, darn him. Then he rolled his head to look over at he
r, his gaze narrowed. “I talked to the guys at the event venue. They’re sending me over details—the security measures they have in place, the layout of the venue, the number of guests expected.”
“Yeah?” She tucked her feet up underneath her, anxiety knotting inside her once more. Today had been so nice and relaxed—well, after the whole “cut wires” thing and the board meeting earlier—that she almost hated to bring reality back into it again. “How does it all look?”
“I’ll need to go over it all in more detail, and we’ll need to make some plans for how to handle your entrance and exit, along with some rules for during the event, but…at first glance, I’d say it looks good.”
Tara released her pent-up breath. Good. Okay. “That’s awesome.”
“Hmm.” Clint shifted slightly to face her. “I still have my reservations about it all, but I suppose if everything checks out, then we can attend the rally.”
She almost said that was good, since that’s what he’d told the board today, but bit that back. Fighting about it now wouldn’t help anything and she was so tired of fighting with him. So, instead, she said, “Okay. Oh, and I have an idea of how we might be able to make it safer.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” He leaned an elbow against the back cushions and rested his head in his hand, all graceful, gorgeous, relaxed alpha male and darn if her pesky libido didn’t perk right up again, her core tightening and warmth spreading out from her middle to her extremities.
“Well,” she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, suddenly shy as she stared down at her hands in her lap. “What if we make it a surprise appearance? No public announcement that I’ll be attending—only the event staff and the GGE crew will know. That way no one can plan an attack ahead of time, right? The rally’s invite only.”
Clint seemed to consider that a second. “Maybe. Let me sleep on it—we can decide in the morning.”
“Cool.” An awkward silence fell and Tara’s skin felt too tight for her body. Searching for something, anything, to fill the heavy quiet blanketing the space between them, she scooted off the sofa and down onto the rug again. “We never finished putting this castle together earlier.”
“No. We didn’t.” Clint joined her and started fitting bricks together again. Their positions put him closer to her than before, close enough that she could feel his warmth through her thin cotton top and jeans. Close enough she could smell the sandalwood of his aftershave and a hint of soap on his skin. Close enough for her to hear the softness of his breath and see the faint shadow of dark stubble on his jaw and wonder what that might feel like against her tongue if she licked him there…
“What would you normally be doing now?” he asked, jarring her attention back to the task at hand.
“You mean work-wise?” She finished putting together a turret and started on another. “I’d probably still be at my office, working away on the legislation or starting a new proposal. What about you?”
“Same.” He connected one wall of the castle to her turret and started on the second wall. “Except I’d be putting together security plans or hustling for new clients for SSoF.”
“It’s kind of nice having a break,” she admitted, handing him a third completed turret to fit into another corner of the castle. “And having company.” At the last admission, her cheeks heated again. “I mean, not that I’m lonely or anything. It’s just been fun having Ashley around today. And you, of course. I mean…”
She was stumbling over her words and didn’t seem to be able to stop talking. Gah!
Clint put together the last corner of the castle and glanced at her over his shoulder, his mouth curved into a small, sexy smile. “I know what you mean.”
“You do?” Her words emerged more breathless than she’d wanted.
He nodded and leaned back on his hands, putting them shoulder to shoulder as they admired the finished castle. “Yeah. It’s good to have another adult around. Makes things easier. Smoother.”
“Smoother,” she repeated, resting her weight against him more than was necessary, but damn. It felt so good to touch him she couldn’t seem to stop. “I like smoother.”
“Me too.” His voice was lower now, his breath stirring the hair near her temple.
As if drawn by an invisible cord, Tara found herself looking up at him, finding Clint’s lips right there, near enough that if she leaned in just a little, she could kiss him again. Electric sparks seemed to fill the tiny space between them and her blood felt on fire with need. Need to touch him and taste him and have him for herself, even if it was for just one night.
His blue gaze darkened, flicking from her eyes to mouth then back again. He waited, hesitating, as if giving her a chance to back away, but in the end, the choice had already been made, at least on Tara’s end. Then he brushed her lips with his and her brain stopped completely as she surrendered to the kiss, turning to slide her fingers into his hair and keep him right where he was, in case he had any ideas about ending things too soon.
11
Clint couldn’t quite believe he’d made a move on Tara, but now that he had, there was no stopping him. Especially since memories of their previous kiss had kept flooding his mind all day.
So yeah. He was tired of fighting it. Tired of battling for control of his world, his emotions. Tired of it all. For now, for tonight, he was giving in. She gasped softly and he took advantage, sliding his tongue between her lips to taste her once more. She was just as sweet as he remembered, with a hint of spice from their dinner.
Before he knew what was happening, she turned and clambered into his lap, straddling him. She seemed to want this as much as he did, but he wanted to be sure, had to be sure. With more effort than he cared to admit, Clint pulled back, licking his lips and tasting her there, resting his forehead against Tara’s and staring into the depths of her beautiful hazel eyes. “Are you sure about this? About us?”
For a moment she didn’t answer and his heart stumbled. If she didn’t want him, he’d end this, but damn, it would be hard. And speaking of hard, his cock ached against the fly of his jeans. If she walked away, he’d definitely need a cold shower, maybe two, to get himself back on track again.
Then a slow grin spread across Tara’s gorgeous face, setting his blood on fire like a lit match to gasoline and he knew before she said a word that yeah, this was on. Then she slid one of her hands from around his neck, down his chest, past his waistband, to cup him through his jeans and Clint damned near embarrassed himself right there on the floor. She stroked him so good through the denim that he bit back a groan. “Oh yeah,” Tara whispered. “I’m sure.”
From there, everything seemed to happen in a flurry of kisses and touches, their clothes coming off in a series of tugs and awkward pulls. They stretched out on the rug in the living room, careful not to knock over the castle they’d built or make too much noise for fear of waking Ashley. Beneath her top and jeans, she had on a matching set of pink lace undies. Delightful and decadent. Clint set about removing both of those garments with his teeth while Tara chuckled and tried to pull him away.
She removed his jeans slowly too, nuzzling him through the dark cotton of his boxer briefs, making him moan low in his throat as she traced the outline of his stiff cock with her tongue before tugging off his underwear completely. He took back control, though, after that, because yeah. Too much of that and he wouldn’t last.
Clint nuzzled his way down Tara’s neck to her chest, worshipping her amazing breasts with his lips and tongue. They were small, just the right size to fill his palms, and so sensitive. Every nip and lick of her nipples made her sigh and shiver and Clint feared he’d never get enough of her.
“Hey,” Tara said, pulling his face up to meet her gaze. “We could move this to my bedroom, if you want.”
Instead of answering her, he returned to her breasts, taking one nipple in his mouth to suck on its taut, pink peak. Tara writhed in his arms, arching and grinding against him. Distracted with desire, just like he wanted. He didn’t wan
t to move this to her bedroom because most likely after having sex with Tara, he’d be so blissed out he’d fall asleep there and he didn’t do that. Not with another person. Sleeping was when you were most vulnerable, and Clint couldn’t afford to let anyone in. He had to be “on” at all times. Keep his defences up and stay safe. That’s how it worked.
Besides, there was something about doing it right here in the living room that made it seem hotter. He kissed his way down her stomach, then spread her legs, admiring the treasure he’d uncovered. Tara rose up on her elbows and slid her nails against his scalp, making him shudder with sensation.
“Clint, you don’t have to—” she started, but he stopped her by leaning forward and tracing his tongue over her slick folds. “Oh, God. That feels so good.”
He did it again, positioning her legs over his shoulders and spreading her wider with his thumb and forefinger, exposing her most sensitive flesh. He licked and nuzzled and sucked her until she was breathless with need. Then he inserted first one, then two fingers inside her, preparing her for him.
“Oh, Clint.” Her fingers tightened in his hair as her body bucked beneath him. “I’m…Oh, God…I’m…”
“That’s it,” he whispered, kissing her inner thigh. “Come for me, baby.”
She came hard around his fingers, biting back her cries, her head back and her eyes closed. Clint nursed her through it, then kissed his way back up her body until he was stretched out beside her again. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes had gone dreamy and sated. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in all his life. To know he’d made that happen meant even more. He kissed her gently and cupped her face, running his thumb along her cheekbone. “Good?”
Protecting His Beautiful Lover: Southern Soldiers of Fortune Book Three Page 7