Page 20 of Ferocious Protector

“Good lord, you were dry,” PJ says.

“The sun was out and even after it went down it’s still dry and windy. I’m good now,” he says, taking the plate Patti heated up for him and eating while he stands. Once he leaves the ladies settle in for more movies. I engineer a yawn, using the back of my hand to cover my deceit before making a lame excuse about being exhausted before heading to a makeshift room here in the lower level. All in hopes that all of them will follow suit so I can sneak out and do exactly what I want to do.

I lie in bed silently fuming, wishing the ladies would hurry up and go to bed. But they just talk and talk and talk.

The fourth time Lacy says goodnight and then just starts up another conversation causes me to punch my pillow in frustration. Hurry up, or he’s going to be in the barn and already asleep by the time I get there, and I know I’m not going to have the heart to wake him. That right there should tell me that I don’t just want to snuggle into him.

My eyes pop wide open when finally, the doors down here all close and after a little bit of shuffling around, there’s not a sound at all.

I slip into my tennis shoes and grab a hoodie to cover up my braless state and sneak up the stairs wearing a pair of sweats and a cami. Not the sexiest of attire but it will suit my purposes just right.

A quick look in both directions and I don’t see either Garrett or Cole. I make a dash to the stables hoping that no one catches me but surprisingly getting caught doesn’t weigh that heavily on my mind. Getting to Blake, to hold him in my arms, that does.

I open the door and creep into the stables, holding my phone for a source of light and scanning it across the back of the largest stable. A hand goes over my mouth and an arm goes against my waist drawing me to a very muscled body that I would know anywhere by now. “Looks like I have you right where I want you.”

My face breaks into a grin as he draws me back into the night. His mouth kisses my neck, teasing and caressing that sensitive skin. “You like being my captive.”

I reach around to draw him to me, kissing him with abandon and a recklessness that I’ve never felt before. “I want you so much. I could barely stand it.” Blake doesn’t need a bit of encouragement. He has my hoodie and cami off, unbuckling himself and caressing my bare skin before sliding my sweats to the ground. He lifts me and slides into me in one long thrust, hitting the end of me to join us as one and give me exactly what I need.

19

Blake

Night after night we fall into the same comfortable routine. Beckett and I on point, guarding and making sure the house is protected until getting a break from Damian and Dereck. Spending nights with Patti Ann rolling around in the hay and holding her close, talking with her like I’ve never opened up to another person before.

I know Beckett and Mason are anxious to get married, but there’s a part of me that just wants to slow time down, because once they get married, who knows where the Larussios will send us.

The alarm on my phone buzzes against me. I watch Patti Ann sleep for a precious few moments longer than I should. I kiss her gently on the lips. “Wake up, love.”

Her eyes flutter and then open. “Morning,” she whispers.

“It’s early but I need to get back to the point. I’m going to walk you back to the house first.” She starts to protest just like every morning for the last week, but I stop it with another kiss. “I’ll walk you.”

She smiles. “That control thing. It’s not all bad.” I smack her playfully on her beautiful ass. “I want you where I know you’re safe when I’m not around.”

Patti Ann doesn’t argue and helps me roll up the sleeping bag. I reach over and brush the hay off her clothes, letting it fall back to the stall floor before brushing myself off and giving her a kiss. “I’ll see you after the wedding this afternoon or at latest tonight. Send me a few pics of you in that pretty little dress I know you’ll be wearing.”

She blushes and I swear it goes straight to my crotch. How this woman has gotten to me in just about a week is beyond me but she’s all I think about now. The horses whinny as we leave the stable. I put my arm around Patti Ann and walk her back to Cole’s place. She turns as we get to the door and reaches up on her tiptoes to give me a kiss. “Text me when you get back to your spot and you’re safe.”

Well damn if that doesn’t cause my chest to clench every morning she says that. She’s the first person to be worried about me as I head off to battle. Except of course my sister, but that hardly counts.

Although what I have to do is clear, I have so much more on my mind because I’ve never wanted one damn thing in my life the way I want Patti Ann, and I don’t just want her for a week, I want to make her mine. For good.

Damian and Dereck turn as I sneak back up to the point right before nine. “You guys want to go get a few hours of sleep before the wedding?”

Damian squints. “I was going to say yes, but let’s see what’s coming in the distance.” He doesn’t need to say another word.

I see the glints of sun striking steel before grabbing my rifle and looking through the sights. “More motorcycles but no SUVs this time.”

Dereck laughs. “Guess the Chicago boys didn’t want to lose any more of their fancy rides, but they don’t mind sending in their MC clubs to take a beating.”

“What do you say we end this before it starts?” I ask, far less concerned with repercussions of explanation than wanting them to get anywhere close to the house or to Patti Ann.

Damian nods. “Let me check with Tommy. See if he has a crew nearby. We’re going to have to make this fast. It’s broad daylight and it’s going to look like an unprovoked attack.”

He gets on the phone, but something doesn’t feel right. Beckett and I have had that same feeling a few times in our lives, and our intuition hasn’t served us wrong. “Stay here. I’m going to double back to the other side of the house. Once you get the go ahead, take the fuckers out.”

“Hold up,” Dereck says. “We should get the clearance before we split up. So the others know where we are.”