Her Secretive Protector (Her Protector Alpha Male Military Romance Book 4) (2 page)

"You like it when I fuck you don't you?"

"Oh, yes I do," her eyes rolled back into her head. "I love everything about it. I cannot get enough of your perfect cock!" she shrieked. He squeezed her thighs and hammered. She tried to reach under or to stroke him but he was in control taking from her what he needed, making her drunk with the thought of it.

So Dana just watched him. Watched him move his beautiful body, watched the face that he made as he transform, learning the tell-tale signs. His whole upper body constricted, his face pulled up and then it hit. He pumped furiously as Dana watched with a smile as an exquisite orgasm wash through him. He nodded slightly; resting his head on hers as he recovered from what she found to be a glorious episode in their string of amazing experiences. This could not just be the hormones talking, thought Dana, could it?

He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead as he moved from her, adjusting his clothes. He helped her off the washer. "Put these on." He reached for some folded clothing on a shelf above the washer and dry, "and help me hang these up on the line. It's going to be warm again."

Well if that wasn't avoiding the elephant in the room…well, that was avoiding the elephant in the room. But Dana complied. Whose clothes were these? She was awfully leggy who ever she was. Dana had to roll the cuffs of her pants twice just to expose her heels. He stopped and regarded her but didn't say anything. There was something of a mix between a smile and sadness on his face.

She trailed Rory through his basement which was expansive. Just around a painted brick column was an indoor line strung with damp quilts. "Let's hang these outside. They should be good by dinner time." Once again he sensed what was going on with her. "Be patient," he whispered. And don't cry, Dana thought to herself.

They dressed the line with two quilts he said his grandmother made. He had washed them by hand. The winter weather with its flip flops from warm to cold to warm, sort of like Rory and her, would safely dry them. His back yard was rich with thick grass still green and dotted with just a few stray leaves and some green orbs, obviously something that dropped from the trees. Rory bent down to pick one up. "Help me pick these up, sweet." His tone was somber, almost sad and it left Dana just so confused and feeling very vulnerable. They had just had wonderful sex and he was withdrawn.

"What are these?"

"Walnuts," he winked, tossing one up and catching it. Okay he liked her.

Dana and Rory gathered up as many walnuts as they could carry in the pouches made with their shirts and took them up on to bucket on his deck. "Are we going to eat these?"

Rory laughed softly. "Not today." He put them into a bucket of gravel and stirred.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking their hulls off. These will be good to go in about two weeks."

"Oh," Dana said meekly.

"But there are some that are ready in the kitchen. In a pie. You ready for some more coffee?"

"You made walnut pie?"

He smiled but it was muted by a definite veil of sadness. Something was weighing on him. It couldn't be her, she didn't think. "And coffee," he added with another wink. Dana was definitely liking those.

Affection for him balled up in her, making her want to burst at the seams. She definitely could fall head long into love with this guy. She wanted to tell him to stop being so damn nice to her. It wasn't nice. Because she was falling. Fast.

They entered the house through the wooden French doors off the deck. It had been unseasonably warm outside for December but there was a slight touch of dampness in the air. Dana though those quilts might be better off in the basement after all. Stepping into the house caused a chill to run through her. "Do you have the air conditioning on?"

"No. I don't have anything on," he said. He and Dana paused and smiled. Usually a remark would have been fodder for play but there was definitely a pall over them. Maybe the session on the washer was their last hoorah. "Here." He walked over to the hearth and turned a key. "This should help keep you warm." The fireplace was lit instantly.

"Okay now that surprise me. I thought for sure you would be the conventional log kinda guy," she said wading through their small talk.

"That's for outside. Did you see the fire pit, the big thing that looked like a grill?"

"Yep."

"That's for outside fire. We can do one tonight if you like. It's great." She accidently grazed him with a light touch and he recoiled. Dana wanted to die. "Coffee," he said making an excuse to move away from her quickly.

Dana plopped on the couch. They were right back where they were that morning, only on speaking terms.

She examined the room, taking an inventory of it. There was only one personal photograph in the room, actually, in the whole house from what she'd seen. A picture of a smiling girl with long dark hair and bright, shining eyes – the sister, she assumed. Everything was in its place and nearly perfect. Like a movie set. Up above the mantle at the far end away from the photo of the girl were a row of dark bottles, one she recognized right off the bat as Jack Daniels. Rory's alcohol. After her recent episode, Dana swore off drinking but the atmosphere was so awkward and uncomfortable, she was going to break that vow, she was indulging. As soon as he set the coffee before her she stood up.

"I'm going to add a little something to mine. Do you mind?" Dana felt her playful spirit liven a little. She honed in on the familiar liquor bottle and brought it back to the coffee table. "Want some?"

Rory looked at his watch. "No thanks."

"Marine I gotta tell you, I'm seriously starting to think you are really boring," she said with a playful smile before tipping the bottle to her mug.

"Easy beautiful," he admonished.

"I am only having one piece of pie," she quipped.

"Wait!" he ordered and he dashed over to the refrigerator. "Ice cream," he announced and dumped a dollop on top of her pie. "Now you're ready."

Dana bit. "Mmmm," she said. Then she sipped her hot coffee loaded with bourbon. "Oh man!" she cried. "This is better than sex."

"Thanks," Rory shook his head.

"Come here Marine," Dana loaded up her fork and took her mug by the handle. "Taste."

"No that's okay."

"Taste."

"I have my own, Dana."

He was almost snippy with her and it stung but she persisted. "I am not asking. You either take a bite or I'm give you a spanking." That didn't even make him crack a smile but he opened his mouth to appease her. She watched as his face morphed. She was victorious. "Delicious, hah! Do you want me to fix your coffee?" He didn't answer her. In fact he evaded her. "What?"

"I'm good. Why don't you go over there and finish up now."

"Yeah," she said with frustration. She knocked back her coffee. She took her dish shoved a few bites in her mouth and took it to the sink.

"Dana…"

"I don't like being here Rory. It was fabulous the first 48 hours and now I don't even know if I like you. And maybe you're going through the same thing. But I want to go. And so I am."

"You can't. We don't know what your boyfriend and his buddies might have planned for you."

"My ex-boyfriend. I don't care about him. I just want my life back. I am going back to my apartment, back to spinsterhood. I'll get in touch with the captain. But this back and forth, hot and cold thing we're doing? That I can't take. Thanks for all of your help, but we're done."

"No. Look, if you don't want to be around me that's fine, but you need to stay here. No one can find you here," he said.

"No, bite me. It's no longer cute for you tell me what to do. I no longer find it hot. Please stop it."

Finally, Rory smiled. "You thought it was hot that I told you what to do?"

Dana just ignored him. She went into the guest room to get her purse. He was already in the hall way, blocking her. "I don't want to do any drama," she said plainly. "I realize we have - had - a lot of chemistry and drama was part of it. But it's time to go our separate ways."

"It is, is it?" He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her. There was that mix of slight smile and pain. "If I promise to have some booze with you will you stay?"

She shook her head. "I don't like this anymore."

"Got it. But I know and you know that you can't go. So I will shelve the attitude and we'll make nice. I just…" he paused and looked away from her. "I can't have sex with you anymore."

"I kinda figured that one out. But that goes both ways. I am so glad you decided to go for a final round this morning so you got it out of your system. One last one to hold you over for the rest of your life, I guess."

"It wasn't like that."

"The hell it wasn't. Now get out of my way before I make this really ugly."

"Ok you are freakin' adorable. And you aren't going anywhere with those clothes on."

"You gave them to me to wear!"

"I know but…"

"But what!"

"They're my wife's," he said reluctantly.

Dana was livid. Her head felt like it was going to explode. "What are your wife's clothes doing in your house still?"

"She didn't really have any choice."

"Oh, do you boss her around too?"

"No, I can't."

"That makes two of us."

Rory took hold of Dana and looked her straight in the eye. "No, I can't boss her around Dana because she's dead." Dana was stunned. "And that's why I've been weird this morning. It just kinda knocked the wind of my sails to see them on you. I haven't touched her stuff really since she died. And then you needed clothes. I thought it would be okay but I guess I wasn't ready."

Dana moved towards the couch so Rory released her from his grip. She poured straight bourbon in her empty cup.

"Pour me one too," he said. Rory slid his cup over. He couldn't help it. He put his hands in head for a second. Dana heard him sniff. She took a swig of bourbon and rushed him.

"Come here."

"Dana…"

She cut him off with a kiss before he could finish. His tongue was hot, laced with alcohol which she could taste even having had her own. She kissed him for minutes before coming up for air. "Talk, Marine."

Rory buried her face in the crook of her neck and sobbed. Without lifting his head he swung her up across his lap so she was straddling him and clung to her with everything he had. She let him until she thought she couldn't breathe.

"Okay sweet. You gotta let me up."

Rory released her and quickly wiped his face. He laughed. "Sorry, beautiful." He took a quick drink from his coffee. "This was actually a very good idea."

Dana was filling her mug again. "I know." Her speech was slurring.

"Okay, sailor," he grinned. He took her mug and his. "Let me fix these. You shift as bartender is over."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"
What
?" he mocked her, slurring his speech. Dana heard him fill the cups with coffee and watched. He dotted them with ice cream. He sat next to her on the couch, picked up her feet as she stretched out. "Are you a light weight or have you been guzzling this stuff?"

"Both."

"Come here before you pass out." He picked her up like a she was a rag doll. "I am sorry I pushed you away today."

"K. Can we talk about your wife?"

"We definitely will. But how about when you haven't had so much…coffee." She could feel him smile. "Right now I want to hold you if that is okay with you."

Dana nodded.

And without expectation, thunder shook the house, spasm of lightening. Rory practically tossed Dana off of him. "Uh-oh. The laundry."

"Gosh you are really serious about your house work, aren't you?"

Dana followed him through the wooden doors, outside, into the suddenly poor rain. It was a deluge. She sobered up enough to help him protect the precious quilts. "Take them to the tub for now." She held the train of the quilt, keeping pace with him into the house, through the living room and into the bathroom. She helped Rory dumped the quilts into the bathtub.

When she released the quilt he just blinked at her. "My goodness," he said. "You are just a wreck aren't you?" his voice took on a decidedly sultry. The tone went right to her nipples.

"Oh my gosh, how do you do that?" she asked, staggering a little.

"Oh beautiful," he chuckled. "You are toasted." She pressed against him. "And soaking wet."

"Always for you Big Dog."

"That is so good to know but I am talking clothes. We both are. Come. Let's go get naked in front of the fire," he lowered his mouth on to hers and devoured her. He lifted her off of her feet, carrying her by clasping her with one arm and feeling the walls as he walked to wind safely around the corner.

Dana could feel the heat of the fireplace against her calves so she knew they were near. He set her down and stripped the shirt from her.

He laid it on the hearth. "Look at you," he murmured.

Dana looked down at herself, in her push up bra, wet skin glistening in the fire.

"You really are a beautiful woman."

Dana was sober but drunk with arousal and affection for him. "You're a beautiful man, Marine." Together they skinned of his shirt. She couldn't wait to run her hands over the broad expanse of huge muscles that almost popped off his frame. She kissed him as though she could not take enough from him. They shed the rest of their wet clothes. In a strategic move, he swept her off her feet and they lowered to the floor on to the rug that spread before the hearth.

"You have a lot of furry rugs, Big Dog. Is this animal?"

"It's lamb's wool."

"It's very soft and fluffy."

"Does it feel good?" he asked which was a question that struck her erotically. She instinctively responded by spreading her body against his which was now over hers, poised to enter her. She could feel his rigid cock searching.

"Amazing," she replied as they gazed into each other's eyes.

Rory entered her. He moved inside her very slowly, every once in a while pushing and grinding her as deeply as he could go. He mixed up his rhythm a little, moving in short strides this way and then that way agitating her in such a sweet and agonizing way. He made her so wet. She responded to his showmanship by tightening her body at will, and moved in her own pulsing rhythm.