Mine to protect.
Mine to love.
Daylight makes its way through the dusty blinds as a new day begins to dawn. I attempt to blink the sleep from my eyes, smiling as memories of last night filter through my mind. There’s a delicious ache between my legs reminding me of the love this man gave me last night. Yesterday was hard. Harder than I anticipated. But having Justin by my side, protecting me, loving me, has made coming home easier to endure.
“Morning, baby.” His deep, groggy voice washes over me as his large hand fans my hip. If I’m not locked tight in his gaze, his hands are on me.
I can’t decide which I like more.
Flipping over to face him, I press a kiss to his chest, the coarse hair tickling my lips. “Morning.”
The hand on my hip moves to cup my cheek as I look into his soft blue eyes. “Sleep good?” he asks.
I nod, planting another kiss on his neck, inhaling his signature scent. Something very masculine and all him.
“What about you?”
Pressing his lips to my forehead, he pulls me in closer. “I didn’t fall asleep ’til about four.”
“Why not?”
“For one, I had a hard time taking my eyes off of you and two, this house has gone to shit, babe.”
“I kinda noticed that.”
“I think it might be a good idea to talk to him about coming to stay with us.”
I swallow hard. “With us?”
“Seeing how you just reconnected after all these years, I know you want to be close to him.”
“You would do that for me?”
“I would do anything for you. Anything to make you happy.” The conviction in his voice settles like a warm blanket around my heart.
“Being with you makes me happy.”
“I can promise you that as long as I’m breathing, you’ll always have that. I want to see this smile every day for the rest of my life. This sweet good morning smile. The one you give me when I say something funny. Or my personal favorite, the one you give me once I’m inside of you.”
I smile, unable to control myself.
“Fuck yes. And that one right there,” he says, claiming my upturned lips, rolling me over in the bed. He settles between my open thighs. “The one that punches me right in the chest. The one that tells me over and over again you know how much I love you.”
I cradle his cheek, eager to give him those same words back, but before I have a chance to say anything, a crash vibrates throughout the house and Teddy yelps in pain.
My heart sinks.
“Get dressed,” Justin orders, springing into action. He scrambles off the bed to pull on his jeans before reaching for his holstered gun sitting on the bedside table.
I quickly slip my dress over my head, forgoing my bra and panties. Once I’m ready, Justin cracks open the door, taking aim down the hall, nodding for me to follow.
We both creep downstairs, my heart pounding in my chest as we take each step toward the bottom. Justin stops, holding out his arm for me to do the same. There’s a rustling of sorts coming from the living room, I can’t make out the sound but then comes a long groan of agony and I know right away it’s Teddy.
“Jesus Christ,” Justin curses, tucking the gun into his jeans as we enter the living room and find Teddy lying on the floor, dust and sheetrock covering his body.
I quickly rush to his side but Justin stops me, giving a quick glance to the ceiling then me before he helps Teddy to his feet and over to the couch.
I take a seat next to him. “Oh my God, Teddy, are you all right?”
