Her Daring Protector (Her Protector Alpha Male Military Romance Book 3) (2 page)

Rory chuckled softly. "You're going to wake up the building."

Dana didn't care. She spread her legs, pressing her feet on the corners of the tub, bracing up against him, offering herself to his treatment with the showerhead. He pressed it at her center, twirling it as he worked his tongue in her ear. She came apart in seconds, shooting outside of herself, hearing her cries bounce off the tile in the bathroom. She was so pleasure-wracked, she groaned.

"Ok," he whispered sweetly. "Sleep."

She was ready for sleep before they got in the shower, thought Dana. She never met anyone who could make her so completely ready for sex without notice. But he could and did. Though she was pretty sure, she needed a breather for at least a day. She was sated.

They dried off and crawled under covers. Dana was big on comfort and her bed was covered with a feather bolster that all the more enjoyable with him next to her. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to have him sleep next to her. The lights were out and she was almost when she heard him say, "Damn it!"

"What is it?"

"My sister. I missed a call. I have to go."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She went to stay at the dorm on campus because she felt safer there. I guess she changed her mind. I don't usually…do this…" He gestured to the bed and her.

Suddenly it hit Dana like a ton of bricks. She indeed may have been just tail, like her husband said. Her face got very tight. "What ‘this'?"

"You know sleepovers."

"Ah." Dana said shortly.

"Are you annoyed I am going to go home to be with her?" Rory replied in kind.

"Of course not. I actually like you better that you are going. I wouldn't enjoy your company knowing she was home and frightened."

"Oh good."

Something was sinking in the pit of her stomach and everything that was said after that just pushed it down further. First of all he wasn't his usual affectionate reassuring self. He was feeling more like a guy distancing himself after he got his. Oh, Dana thought, she let him spank her. Oh. And then he said the thing that was for Dana the nail in the coffin.

"I'll call you." Dana watched almost uninterestedly as he slid his shirt over his chiseled torso.

"K." she replied. "Can you just make sure the front door is locked on your way out? I'd see you out but I really am that tired."

"Of course," he said. She listened as he left the apartment.

It was her plan to hit the pillow and sleep. But that was all screwed up. She was wired and tired at the same time. She got up, climbed the counter again, this time successfully and in the other cabinet pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels that she'd bought at the same time as the collection of sex toys, figuring she'd need something to relax her before offering to try new things. Things with her ex had exploded before she got a chance, and with Rory, she'd never needed anything except him to make her wild. But now, alone again, a strong drink seemed like an excellent idea.

Dana liked the idea that she didn't have to share the liquor. She had been working so hard to not be about a guy and while she had the very best time with Rory, she hated that she was screwed up about him. That she lost any sleep over him. She took her bottle, her fabulous feather comforter and went to the sofa in the living room to watch TV. She searched the guide for ‘Cary Grant' and settled in. She did once good swallow of Jack Daniels, to sip as needed thereafter. After a couple of drinks, she vowed that while Rory was fun, sexy and protective, but she didn't want or need the headache or the heartache. There was no point falling for another man who was going to just leave her without a second thought. As she drank, the idea of cutting ties with him completely looked better and better. She wasn't going to tell him that, she was just going to ignore him. And to help her stick to her resolution, she thought it would be a good idea to break her cell phone. She could contact her clients via email. Dana ran her phone under water and then put it in the garbage disposal. As soon as she hit the switch the garbage disposal made such a God awful sound, she lunged for the power switched and sent the Jack Daniels crashing to the floor. She had clearly had too much to drink. In a moment of clarity she thought better of cleaning it up. Now she could let go and go to sleep. Staggering, she filled the glass of water she drank from earlier, took it to the couch, left the TV on for company and went to sleep.

*

It was about six pm when Dana awoke, with spikes of agony coming from thoughts Rory and the overwhelming smell of bourbon. She took a deep breath to address the pain and got a broom for the broken bottle. Not before stepping on a missed sliver and making a mess.

Rory was only a couple-of-days thing, she assured herself. She gave herself a week tops and it wouldn't sting. It wouldn't even matter. She emailed the police captain that she was going to go out of town a few days on business even though she wasn't. She couldn't. She had no money. She checked in with all of her clients and planned to bury herself with work since it turned out getting blind drunk was not such a good idea after all. Her hangover was manageable but feeling sick or heartbroken was major inconvenience especially when she was still, after a year, trying to get her life back on track after her failed relationship.

And then in a stroke of luck, the one client who paid his bills with direct deposits contacted her. Her account had been frozen and his payment bounced back. She made arrangements for him to pay her through Paypal. Dana had cash flow again. She could actually buy things if she wanted. Or better yet, check herself in to the Mandarin in the District for a couple of days and treat herself to a steam and massage. That was now the plan. Dana threw a few things into her duffle bag and headed out for the metro, a little sick to her stomach from the night before. It didn't matter. The little bit of positive occurrence of having her cash situation temporarily resolved was really good medicine. She was just going to move on and not even give Rory, his magnificent body, his wonderful cock, beautiful face, syrupy voice, or intense personality a second thought.

Dana smiled. She had lied to the police captain about being out of town for a few days, and it suddenly it was true. Now she really was out of touch, at a heavenly room just five miles from her home address that felt like another universe. Putting Rory out of her head was going to be a moment-by-moment thing she realized this because the first thing she thought of when she stepped into the lushly furnished hotel room was this would be a great room to have a lot of sex in with a hot, beautiful man, who knew just how to partner with her in bed. Someone who would be open to what she wanted to take as well as give. Playful. Built like a bull. Tender. Rory. He was the best candidate for her to make a wreck of the beautiful hotel room and he wasn't with her.

The only cure for this problem was total distraction, to princess out, as she called it. Treat herself like spoiled royalty. Thanks to her client's random deposit, she could bankroll herself here for about a week. The first thing she did was order a plate of fresh fruit, extra strawberries and took a swim in the heated pool. She came back to her room and slept. When she woke she hit gym, took a long, hot shower and ordered more fruit, water, a bucket of ice.

As she lounged on her bed, her muscles still hot from the shower, she hit the remote and watched a romantic comedy. She took her mini-vacay ordained by Providence when she found her favorite movie of all time, the one with the Australian and the French actress, was playing. And again she was bombarded with thoughts of Rory.

The way he masterfully corralled her body, spread her legs, went down on her. Dana stirred. She placed her hand on herself, worked up moisture from her body and played every still from every moment she could conjure that she shared with Rory. She fused the idea of him to herself, let his presence envelope her and she played, massaging her clit in pressures circles to exorcise the ache and need that Rory raised in her.

Dana was on the climb, rocking her hips up against her fingers that focused on her G spot while her other hand felt the smooth skin on her ribs and her breasts. Dana was really happy with her body now. After gaining and losing weight for years based on her emotional state, she'd finally come to rest in a good place. Her body was soft and curvy in all the right places, but toned, too. A narrow waist and a mostly flat stomach looked great in and out of clothes, and her full, natural breasts were still quite perky even without a bra. She took them in her hand before playing with her nipples. Her orgasm, though, because of all the recent attention her body received in the past few days, was a little elusive, was moments away. Her core was livened, wet, and aching readying to burst with pleasure. And then it hit. Dana mewled with its pinnacle the way she had become accustomed to with Rory except he wasn't there. And though the waves of her climax were sweet as they washed through her, her self-pleasure was pale compared to the orgasms she shared with her Marine. Even remembering that ridiculous nickname, Big Dog, wasn't enough to quench her desire for him.

It was early yet. She knew was too agitated to sleep and drinking was not going to be her option this time. She phoned room service to see if there was a masseuse available. Dana ordered a Swedish massage she said because she had a lot of demons to work out. After about a two-hour rub down, she floated back to her room in her undies and a hotel robe. Once inside the door she had just let the robe dropped when she jumped out of her skin. Instinctively, she covered her breasts. There in her room was a very furious Rory Wilson.

"What the hell are you doing in my room, Marine?" She demanded once she recovered.

"What the hell are
you
doing in this room?" he retorted.

"I don't answer to you."

"Oh are we going to do this again? Are you going to tell me you don't want to see me and am I going to have to back track and figure out which thing tripped you up? It shouldn't be too hard, you're kind of obvious."

Dana was speechless. "You're mean when you're pissed, Rory. Please leave."

"Did you come into some money, Dana?"

"What the fuck business is that of yours?"

"Do not talk to me that way."

"Or what? I'll get another spanking?" she mocked.

Rory's expression was ice cold. "Whatever. I'm here because the cops found out some information on your ex, but couldn't find you. Seems the girl he's fucking now is quite the little criminal. They've been working together, using her city contacts and database to do some really grimy shit, including laundering money for local drug dealers. Do you have a client who pays you electronically?"

Dana sat down. The weight of reality draining her ability to stand because she had a sinking feeling about what he was going to tell her. "Yes."

"Did you get paid today?"

"Yes," she was shaking.

"Why?"

Dana thought about it. Why did she get paid? Rory's words played in her head about how cons were obvious in retrospect but subtle while in the process. "I don't know. I… it didn't even occur to me. I was just so happy to have access to money again while I wait for my new credit cards."

"But you spent it, didn't you?"

Dana lashed out. "I deserved a break. I needed to get away, to think or to not think."

"I don't disagree with that. But to say that you should have let someone know is a major understatement."

"I don't answer to you."

Rory started to charge but froze. Dana took a step back.

He nearly snarled at her. "How the fuck dare you? We went looking for you because there have been developments. You weren't answering either phone. Imagine how it felt to find broken glass, blood, and your cell phone busted up when I went to your apartment. I don't care what your problem is right now, but I didn't deserve to have the shit scared out of me thinking that asshole or one of his criminal cronies got the better of you. We don't know how deep he's in with these guys, but they're very bad people who wouldn't think twice about hurting you or worse, and he's clearly a scumbag who'll do anything to save his own ass. He's a bad guy. I'm not. And apparently, he doesn't like you very much. Especially now that we're on to him."

"He never liked me. I can live with that."

"Well I'm going to see to it that you do," Rory retorted after a lengthy pause. "
Live
, that is. You're coming home with me."

"I can stay here courtesy of my ex, if he really did send that money instead of my client. I kinda like it that I am taking a vacation on his dime."

"You can't spend any more of the money. It's evidence."

"You know, where are the police?" Dana asked defensively. "You're cute when you're bossy and all but I would rather let the police tell me what to do."

"I am the police Dana. I am a fed. And his crimes are federal crimes. Money laundering, arms dealing, racketeering, et cetera, et cetera. You want me to make you my business officially? Play hide the key to the handcuffs? We can take turns," he said coldly.

Dana blithered trying to make sense of everything. "How did purse snatching turn into racketeering?"

"The purse snatching stuff is just small-time activity by the low level guys. They keep the cash, hand over IDs and shit up the chain. It's all the same animal. Come. You have to check out."

"I can't move," she said. "I know you've had it with me. But I am really a wreck for so many reasons right now and you're one of them by the way. Don't mean to be obvious." Dana could nothing but dissolve into heavy sobs.

"That's okay beautiful. I kinda like that about you."

Rory gathered up her belongings. He pulled out fresh clothes and began to dress her. She lay passively and let him. He splayed his powerful hand on the flat of her abdomen. "Have you lost weight? What have you been eating?" Dana rolled her eyes. "Don't give me attitude Dana. When is the last time you ate?

"This morning and it was fresh fruit. I've been eating lots but just salads and fruits and it wasn't like I ate much the two days before that," she said bitingly. Rory slid a skirt on her. "Wait," she said. "I gotta shower before I get dressed. Thanks for your help. I have oil all over me." Rory's expression was indicting. "I had a massage," she retorted. "All recent activity to the contrary, hooking up with random men really isn't in my repertoire."