Page 17 of Her Intense Protector

Samantha nodded, once again smitten by his attentive nature.

Ezio opened her door and took her hand and waited for her foot to hit the running board, then he plucked her up by the waist and whirled her around so that she was now standing on the sidewalk, bypassing the wet grass. She was out of breath, and not because of the slight twirl, nope, it was the feel of his hands on her body. She’d liked that. She’d liked that a lot.

More please.

He locked the Jeep.

“Let me hold your hand, the sidewalk isn’t well-lit.”

“Okay.”

Yippee!

“Thanks for going out to dinner with me tonight. I really enjoyed it.”

“So, did I, Ezio.”

By the time they got to her door, she felt tingles surging all through her body, just from the connection of their hands.

Holy hotness, Batman. The first kiss had to be good, right?

He took the keys from her hand—which was not, thank God, trembling—and unlocked her door. He stepped a half-step closer to her so that she could see the emerald green depths of his eyes. “I’d really like to kiss you, is that all right?”

“I’d like that too.” Her voice didn’t sound like it belonged to her—it was all breathy.

He stroked the side of her jaw, then tilted her chin up, his gaze straying to her lips. She waited in awed wonder as he lowered his mouth to meet hers. It was a slow glide against her lips, barely touching. Back and forth, he teased, he tantalized.

What is he doing?

Then as if her body had a life of its own, she started to follow his lips, asking for more of his taste, more pressure… just more. She felt him smile against her mouth. His lips parted against hers, then his tongue slid against her closed lips and she moaned. He took immediate advantage, slipping inside, seducing a startled reaction from her as he stroked her tongue with a slow caress.

Her hands moved to the luxuriant curls of his hair that she would have killed for growing up. They felt so silky to her touch. Her fingers dug into his scalp and he growled against her lips. The sexy sound had her nipples hardening against the lace of her bra, making them ache.

Samantha felt like she was in the eye of a hurricane, the wind whipping around her, buffeting her from all sides, trying to suck her in, and Ezio was her only anchor so she had to hold tight. His hand in the middle of her back pressed her tighter, and she arched her needy breasts against his chest as she reveled in the strength of his kiss.

When Sam felt his other hand began to trail lower, then hesitate at the top of her butt she gasped, waiting to see what he would do next. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

“It’s too soon isn’t it?” he asked with a regretful smile.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his chest. He’d read her right. It was too soon.

She sighed with pleasure as his hand stroked through the strands of her unbound hair. Safe, he made her feel safe. And wanted. Raising her head, she smiled up at him.

“Too soon,” she agreed.

“Go out with me again?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s get you into your apartment. Let me just do a quick check.”

“Huh?”

He pushed opened the door and had her stand in the small foyer while he checked the rooms and the windows, ensuring everything was locked. She’d be confused if she hadn’t seen Asher do the same darn thing every darn time at his house. Eden said it was a SEAL thing.

“Isn’t this kind of overboard?” She asked when he came back to her.

“Nope. Your lock is stock, and you don’t have a security system. Trust me, this is necessary. Did you know you had your bedroom window open?”