Claim & Protect Page 13

  “Then I’d say you’re smart to go with your instincts, keep an eye out and be ready for whatever he throws down.”

  A scratchy knot worked its way up the back of her throat and her heart squeezed. “But what if he wins Levi away from me? He can give him things I can’t. Can use gadgets and toys to make his life with me seem dull.”

  Trevor smiled softly and cupped the side of her face. “Darlin’, your ex could throw every penny he’s got at Levi, and he’d still come up on the short end. Your kid loves you. There’s not enough money or trash talk in the world to change how a boy feels for his momma, especially when the mom in question is you.” His smile dimmed and his eyes narrowed as though to add more emphasis to his words. “And I’ll repeat. Whatever Wyatt brings, you’ll be ready.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and blurred his image until they spilled down her cheeks. Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, the surge of emotion behind her words nearly too powerful to contain. “You believe me.”

  His fingers tightened. “Yeah, babe. I believe you.”

  A sob ripped free, the force behind it so strong her shoulders shook with embarrassing ferocity. In the space of a second, it was as if every beleaguered feeling she’d stuffed for countless years surged front and center, purged by Trevor’s simple testament.

  Before she could dampen her outburst or escape to her room, Trevor banded his arms around her and pulled her close, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. He didn’t shush or try to calm her, only smoothed one hand up and down her spine while the other kept a steady hold at the back of her neck.

  A part of her insisted she push away. That she wrap her pride around her and keep the blistering pain private, but another far more vulnerable part of her burrowed closer, instinctively accepting what he offered as though he’d been born to give it. The tears fell faster, his comforting presence and his unyielding strength creating a silent haven for her release. A refuge to unleash all the terror and fear she acknowledged only in the darkest hours of too many sleepless nights.

  Countless whimpers and hitched breaths passed, his manly scent permeating her lungs while his heat thawed her from the inside out. When was the last time she’d felt this safe? This protected and cherished? For God only knew how long, he simply held her and silently offered one of the greatest gifts she’d ever received.

  She hiccupped and eased away from his neck. Wet splotches from her tears dotted his shirt and the once-crisp fabric was wrinkled from the way she’d curled against him. She smoothed one particularly nasty crease and sniffled. “I ruined your shirt.”

  “Darlin’, if it means I get you curled up next to me, you can ruin all my shirts.” He grinned and tucked her hair behind one ear, seemingly nonplussed by her crying jag. “Feel better?”

  Ducking her chin a bit, she nodded. “Embarrassed though.” She sniffed again and brushed the last of her tears off her cheeks. “I never break down like that.”

  “Then I’d say you were overdue.” He nudged her face upward with gentle fingers beneath her chin and leaned in close. The chunk of hair that had escaped his ponytail fell forward to his jawline. “Nothing for you to be embarrassed about. If anything, I’m honored you trusted me to hold you through it.”

  Such a simple claim, but it rattled her whole world, righting all the misshapen ideals she’d let Wyatt warp and destroy. Holding her was an honor. Not a burden. Not a disappointment or a task to be endured. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “No need to thank me when I was where I wanted to be.” His warm minty breath ghosted against her face, his lips achingly close and flooding her with the memory of how firm and talented they’d felt against her own.

  Without conscious thought, she traced the lower one.

  His arms flexed around her. “Careful, Nat.”

  The barely contained growl behind his broken voice dragged her attention from his lips to his heated blue eyes. She gasped and snatched her hand away, clenching it against her chest. “I’m sorry. I just—”

  “Don’t.” He shifted just enough so his hold on her went from one of comfort to domination, and he palmed the back of her head so she couldn’t look away. “Whatever you do, you don’t apologize for touching me. Ever.” He scanned her face and his inhalations deepened, so much intensity radiating from his body her own tingled in response. “I don’t want you to mistake why I’m here. That line you’re dancing close to right now is one you and I are definitely going to cross, but not at the expense of you doubting my motives tonight.”

  So honest and open. Completely transparent. In fact, the more time she spent around Trevor, the more she realized her mother was right. He wasn’t Wyatt. Not even close. There was honor in the way he operated. A stability and confidence that grounded his life, even to the point of clearly stating his intent. Now if she could just figure out how much she was willing to risk from a man who’d openly stated he wasn’t the relationship type. “I believe you.”

  Holding his gaze, she softly traced the line of buttons on his shirt, letting her fingertips dip below the starched placket where the buttons parted and splaying her palm against his hot skin. His heart thrummed strong and steady, a strong and sexy lure that sent her own pulse racing.

  “Nat?”

  She swallowed, need and desperation warring with safety and common sense. She could either walk away, or lean in and press her mouth to his. She licked her lip instead.

  A sexy rumble vibrated from his chest, and he dipped close, running his nose along the side of hers. “This what you want?”

  His scent and touch filled her. Intoxicated her until her body hummed on sensation alone, all reason cast aside in favor of the here and now. She mustered what was left of her courage. “One night.”

  “Not going to agree to that.” He teased his lips against hers, touching only enough to build a desperate ache before he pulled away. “I’ve had your mouth. Felt the way you moved against me.” He pulled away only enough to meet her eyes head-on. “No way I’ll get enough of you in one night.”

  Her sex clenched, and a sweet, decadent flutter swirled low in her belly. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for more than one. Not without screwing things up.”

  “We’ll keep it light.” He dragged his thumb along her cheekbone, his gaze roving her every feature as though mapping details to explore. “Only what feels good for as long as both of us are into it. No one else but the two of us so long as we’re exploring.”

  Light. No strings beyond exclusivity, and no expectations. It sounded so simple, and her body practically begged her to accept. “If I want to stop?”

  “Then we stop. No questions.” Mimicking the touch she’d given him before, he slid the pad of his finger along her lower lip.

  On instinct, her mouth parted and her tongue flicked against it.

  “Fuck, that’s hot.” His hips flexed against her and he exhaled rough and ragged. “Say yes. Tell me you want this.” A command and a question all rolled up into one.

  She could do this. It might hurt like hell in the end, but for one small slice of time she could feel and luxuriate in the moment. Live and revel in the simplicity of white-hot passion. She slid her hands up around his neck and speared her fingers into his thick hair, slightly loosening the tie that held it in place. She dragged in a solidifying breath and whispered, “Yes.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Best. Fucking. Answer. Ever.

  Trevor straightened on the couch, lifting Natalie along with him, and guiding her legs around his hips. Before she could get her bearings or settle in, he slipped one hand beneath her ass and stood, hugging her lush body tight to his with the other.

  “Trevor,” she whisper-scolded as she glanced toward her mother’s room. “What are you doing?”

  “Not gonna play with you on the couch like a sixteen-year-old boy when I can lay you out and take my t
ime on a bed not twenty feet away.” He hefted her higher and gave her butt a meaningful squeeze. “Wrap me up, darlin’. Gonna make sure you sleep so hard tonight, you won’t even know your first name when you wake up.”

  She gasped, studied his face for all of a second, then giggled as she locked her ankles at the small of his back.

  Damn, but he liked the sound of her laugh. Lighthearted and sweet like the rest of her, but a sound she didn’t make nearly enough. He’d give her that too, if she let him. Right after he made her moan and scream loud enough to make her mother blush.

  He shut the door behind them and pressed her back against it, resting his forehead on hers and savoring the press of her body against his. He’d been with beautiful women. Fit, shapely women who turned heads even when they strolled out of the house in sweats and T-shirts, but none of them felt like Natalie. Everywhere he was solid, she was soft, molding against him in the most welcoming grasp of his life. Christ, he hadn’t even kissed her yet and his cock was hard enough to be a skyscraper’s cornerstone.

  “Trevor?” She tightened her arms around his neck and her fingers tangled in the band that kept his hair back. “You okay?”

  Perfect. Outstanding on a scale he didn’t dare pause to evaluate. “Left okay way behind when you opened your front door in your pajamas.” Just the idea of her tooling around without a bra on had given him a semi and all kinds of sly ideas on how to cop a feel. Feeling her natural and unbound next to him on the couch had been a sick but delicious torture.

  Sliding his hands out from under her ass, he gripped her hips and eased her feet to the floor. “Only get once to have you the first time. Not gonna screw it up by rushing through it.” Keeping his body close to hers so she couldn’t slip away, he smoothed his hands up her arms and let out a slow breath. Only the barest glow from the parking lot lights trickled through the dark room, leaving her tiny form mostly in shadows. “I want to see you.”

  Her muscles tightened, and her breath caught. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea to start with.”

  Like hell it wasn’t. He toyed with the thin, soft straps holding her top in place, sorely tempted to tug them down and fill his palms with her breasts. “Imagined you, Nat.” He skimmed his fingertips beneath the straps and down along the edge that covered her chest. “Felt you against me that night and filled in the blanks with so damned many dirty scenarios you’d blush for weeks if you ever saw them.”

  She hesitated and her fingertips dug into his shoulders. “I’ve had a kid. It does things to a woman. I doubt I’m anywhere near what you’re used to.”

  “You trust me?”

  Another pause, this one ending with a cautious “Yes.”

  “I want to build on that. Want you to see with your own eyes what your body does to me. Kinda hard for you to mark my appreciation in the dark.” He cupped the back of her neck and let his fingers tangle in her hair. Fuck if it wasn’t as soft and slick as the sexy pajamas she had on. “It make you feel better if I go first?”

  A shiver moved through her, and her voice came out thick and raspy. “Okay.”

  Damn, but he liked that sound almost as much as he liked her acquiescence. Come to think of it, the only words he’d like hearing more were yes, sir and harder.

  He forced himself back a step, circled her wrist with his fingers, and pulled her against him the same as he would for a casual two-step. “Then relax. We’re just going to play and have fun. Only what feels good, remember?”

  She splayed her hands high on his chest and angled her face to his, easily following his lead as he slow-danced her toward the bed. “Easy for you to say. You’ve done this in the last few years.”

  Meaning she hadn’t, and fuck if that knowledge didn’t make him want to knock tonight out of the park even more. The backs of her knees hit the mattress, and he lifted her onto the bed. “Sweetheart, you might think you’re rusty, but the way you kiss, you were born for this.” With one hand holding him propped above her and his knees caging her on each side, he dipped low and teased her lips with his. “Now give me your mouth, darlin’. Time to get you back in the saddle.”

  “You’re bad,” she muttered, a little playful but a whole lot breathy.

  He palmed the back of her head. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.” He slanted his mouth over hers, swallowing her gasp and savoring the press of her plump lips against his. God, he loved the taste of her—honey-sweet yet unique to her alone. Loved the way she opened for him and tangled her tongue with his, as easy and natural as breathing.

  She whimpered and dug her fingers into his shoulders, urging him to close the distance he kept between them.

  “Easy,” he murmured against her jaw, licking and kissing his way down the line of her neck. “Got all night to give you what you need.”

  She angled her neck for better access and fisted his shirt. “How about if we do a quick run the first time and explore later?”

  He chuckled and nuzzled the sweet spot behind her ear. “The only thing quick happening tonight is me getting my mouth on your pussy.”

  Rolling her hips, she moaned and speared her fingers in his hair. “Trevor.”

  Fuuuck. The only thing better than a sexy firecracker like Natalie when it came to fooling around was a sexy firecracker who got off on dirty talk. Damned if her response didn’t leave him cranked and ready to muddy the waters. He grinned against the delicate skin of her neck, slid his hand down her spine and gave her butt a quick squeeze. “Now slide higher up the bed and let me shuck my clothes. I’ve got work to do.”

  “Ugh.” She dropped her hands to the bed with a melodramatic flair. “You ever heard the term cruel and unusual punishment?”

  Oh, yeah. Playful Natalie was going to be a whole lot of fun. He rolled away from her, perched on the edge of the bed and toed off his boots. “I’m not much into pain, but if that’s a sly way of you asking me to spank your sweet ass, I’m game.”

  Her soft giggle sounded behind him and the bed shifted, but instead of scooting back toward the pillows like he’d asked, she moved in behind him, snagged his ponytail holder and pulled it free.

  He smiled into the darkness and tugged his socks off. Outside of the tentative touch she’d started their little dance with on the couch, it was the most aggressive move she’d ever made with him. He liked it. A hell of a lot. He stood, tossed his billfold on the nightstand and switched on the bedside lamp. “Feelin’ frisky, are you?”

  For a second, she blinked against the sudden light, then zeroed in on his hands working the buttons on his shirt. She bit her lower lip. “Maybe.”

  Maybe his ass. More like way past go and ready to pounce if the gleam in her eyes was any indication. He peeled his shirt free, tossed it aside, and crawled onto the bed. Stretching out beside her, he tucked his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles. “You want to play, then do your worst.”

  Her lips parted and her eyes got huge, their focus rooted to his left side. “You’ve got a tattoo.”

  “That surprise you?”

  “Yes.” She frowned and studied the richly detailed phoenix spanning his ribs. “I mean, no. I mean...it looks right on you. I just never imagined...” Her gaze shot to his and she snapped her mouth shut. “Sorry, that sounds bad.”

  He grinned. “Darlin’, if you’ve been trying to imagine what I look like naked, that is anything but bad. Now are you gonna put your creativity to work, or make us both suffer longer?”

  She cocked her head to one side. “I can do anything?”

  “Make me hurt. Whatever moves you. Just remember, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

  Slow as molasses in winter, her gaze slid down his torso. Rolling to her knees beside him, she lifted the dog tags he’d worn damn near every day of his life for the last ten years away from his chest and cradled them in her palm. Unlike standard-issue m
ilitary tags, they were heavy platinum and etched in black with the Haven symbol Jace had designed eons ago. “What are these?”

  “A gift from my brothers.”

  She ran her thumb along the image and shifted her gaze back to his tattoo. “You worked them into the design.” Releasing the tags, she traced her fingertip along the subtle Haven details he’d incorporated in the bird’s belly. “You’re the phoenix and they’re a part of you.”

  His stomach clenched, the simple torture of her touch and the piercing accuracy of her assessment knocking him off center. Less than five minutes she’d seen the reminder he’d had inked on his skin, and she’d zeroed in on its meaning. The only people who’d understood before had been his brothers. “Something like that.”

  Emboldened, she rose higher and straddled his hips. “You don’t want to talk about it?”

  He fisted his hands to keep them behind his head and swallowed hard. “Don’t mind sharing. Just having a hard time focusing on anything except you getting your hands and mouth on my body.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He truly craved the contact as much as he needed air, but in one simple observation she’d cut so close to the heart of him it was hard to breathe. If he didn’t get them back on a lighthearted track, shit was going to get way more explosive than was good for either of them.

  Her mouth quirked to one side, a mix of a smile and a cute mew that spelled all kinds of inspired trouble. “I seem to remember wanting you to get on with business not five minutes ago, and you turned me down.”

  “Wasn’t turning you down, darlin’. Was seeing to logistics.” He uncrossed his ankles and bent his knees.

  The movement shifted her off balance and she caught herself with hands on his pecs.

  “The sooner you get my jeans off,” he grumbled low, “the sooner I can get you off.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes slid shut and she wiggled her hips, grinding her sex over his engorged cock. “Hard to argue with logistics.”

  He growled and gripped her hips. “Baby, you don’t take control and get us going, I’m taking over and paying you back times twenty.”