Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
His gruffness hadn’t done anything to dim my desire, either. Instead, it had only made me more fascinated by the man—something I hadn’t been able to hide from Cat. But she’d refused to answer any of my questions about him. She’d just grinned as she eyed the vest Link had ordered me to wear before telling me that I’d see for myself what he was like soon enough. I highly doubted she was right since the man seemed determined to hide from me even though he was supposed to be responsible for my safety. He hadn’t shown up for dinner—which I’d helped Cat make—and he hadn’t joined any of the guys at the bar before I’d headed to bed.
After taking a shower that left me smelling like Link since I’d used his shampoo and soap, I’d fallen onto his mattress in an exhausted heap. I’d briefly considered looking for him, but my drive across several states had left me with no energy. Shortly after my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep. It normally took an awful lot to wake me up, but being in a strange place under even stranger circumstances—not to mention my erotic dreams—left me more aware of my surroundings than usual. And as soon as a hard body slid into bed with me, I reacted.
All the training Huntley had insisted on kicked in. When a muscular arm started to wrap around the front of my body, I levered up on my forearm that had been tucked under the pillow beneath my head and threw my other arm backward to nail the person in their ribs with my elbow. When the hold on me loosened, I aimed a punch between their legs before rolling forward to get away. I didn’t get far, though. But the scream I’d been about to let out died in my lungs when I realized the object of my fantasies was the one who’d climbed into bed with me.
“Calm down, angel. It’s just me,” Link grunted as he flipped me onto my back and pressed me into the mattress.
“What are you doing in my bed?” I hissed, my heart still racing over the scare he’d given me.
“This is my room and my bed.” He lifted a little, his gaze running down my body as though it was his, too. And damn if it didn’t react as though he was right.
With how he’d avoided me, I probably should’ve pushed him off me or tried to nail him in the balls again—especially since he’d climbed into bed with me in nothing other than his boxer briefs. But that would’ve been like cutting off my nose to spite my face when having him this close made me feel as though my panties were going to burst into flames. “I didn’t hurt your...um”—my cheeks heated as I stumbled over which word to use and finally decided to go with being vague when a deep chuckle rumbled up his chest—“you, did I?”
“You did your best, but luckily, your aim was off by a couple of inches.” He dropped down again, his hips wedging between my thighs, and I felt the proof of exactly how okay he was as his hard length nudged my drenched core.
“Sorry,” I whispered with a shiver, trying my best not to wrap my legs around his waist and rub myself against him. “I guess striking out is a reflex when I’m startled.”
He flashed me a sexy grin. “Never would’ve guessed from looking at you that you’d have self-defense moves like that.”
“Yeah, my brother made sure I knew how to hold my own. And when he enlisted, he took it up a notch because he didn’t like the idea of not being around to protect me.” My explanation trailed off as I lost the battle to stop myself from moving. I wiggled my hips, and he sank deeper into the apex of my thighs.
“It’s good he sent you to me to keep you safe now,” Link murmured, his hands gliding up my arms and neck to cup my cheeks.
His thumb brushed across my bottom lip as I whispered, “Pretty sure he thought he was sending me to Cat and Scout, not you.”
“Maybe not,” he conceded, his blue eyes darkening with desire. “But his intentions don’t change the outcome. I’m the one protecting you, up close and personal.”
I raised my knees and squeezed his waist with my inner thighs. “You couldn’t get much closer than this.”
He rocked his hips forward. “Trust me, angel. I’m gonna get a fuck of a lot closer.”
Holy crap, his confidence was sexy. If my panties hadn’t already melted off my body, his declaration would’ve been enough to do it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to respond when my lips parted, but it didn’t matter because Link didn’t give me the chance to say anything before he lowered his mouth to mine.