The urge to crush her against me and never let her go is so strong I have to grit my teeth.
“I don't know what will happen when they come. I'm really dreading it.”
The fact that she feels unsafe in this situation makes me furious.
“Here's what happens when they come, sweetheart. I deal with it. All of it. I'm your shield. Do you understand that? Anything comes your way now, I'm the wall between you and the world.”
Her eyes widen, the tears riding thick on the lashes. “Justice has defended me my whole life, but when I hear you say that, it feels totally different.”
I pull her into my arms. “We'd both put our lives on the line for you, honey. But between us, you get to be who you are, who you want to be. Not your brother's younger sister. You get to be the woman who chooses what she wants, who is respected and safe to unravel in my arms.”
The way her arms wrap around me has my throat in my heart. “I've got you now.”
“I'm worried about you too,” she says softly. “I want to protect you, Spence. Your job could be at stake... your friendship with Justice, too.”
“Things will be fine. I suspect the boss really did play a part in us being alone. And even if he fires me, it doesn't matter.”
She rests her cheek against my shoulder, nesting in my arms. “I just worry because you and Justice are just getting close again.”
“We are. And the call I got was from Justice. He wanted to make sure you were okay. That I was...” I pause, choosing my words carefully. “Treating you right.”
She leans back to look at me with concern. “What did you tell him?”
“Told him you're safe.”
Searching my expression, Liberty asks, “But you didn't tell him we're sharing a bed?”
“I'll have that conversation in person. Man-to-man.”
An anxious shiver tightens her shoulders.
It drives me crazy to have her so upset. I press a kiss to her forehead. “He loves you, Liberty, but you get to make your own choices.”
“What if he makes you choose? The job and your relationship with the team, or me?”
My answer is immediate. “Then I choose you. Every single time. They're my friends, my brothers. The job is good, but what we'll have together going forward is much more important.”
Her breath stalls as we look at each other. When I'm not sure if she's going to pull back, Liberty moves in, kissing me. Her touch desperate and sweet, her lips tasting like tears.
I respond instinctively, my hands sliding into her hair as I deepen the kiss, pouring everything I can't say into the connection between us.
“Come here,” I rasp, climbing onto the bed properly this time.
She watches me with wide eyes as I settle over her, bracing my weight on my forearms so I'm hovering above her without crushing her. Her hands come up to rest on my chest, fingers splaying over my heartbeat.
“Is this okay?” I ask, searching her face. “I think we both need this right now.”
“More than okay.”
I lower myself slowly, letting her feel my weight in increments, giving her every opportunity to tell me to stop. But she doesn't. Instead, her legs part slightly, making room for me between them, and I settle against her with a groan I can't suppress.
“You feel so good,” I murmur against her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses along her throat. “So delicate and soft below me.”
Her hands slide under my shirt, nails dragging lightly across my back, and I shudder. Every nerve ending in my body is firing, every cell focused on the woman beneath me.
I'm hard in an instant.
“I love your weight on top of me, feels perfect,” she breathes, arching and rocking below me, widening her knees to take me deeper against her.
