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“I won’t be your problem.” Her words shook as they came out. She suddenly pulled away and dried her cheeks, taking a deep breath.
“You’re not a problem, Ivy.” I watched her try to pull herself together. She lifted her chin, but I stood my ground. “You forget what I do for a living, sweetheart. I’ll outlast your stubbornness.”
“I’m so tired,” she confessed and dropped her guard. “I just want to close my eyes and not be scared.”
I walked over to her massive bed and pulled back the blankets. I waited for her to think about it for a moment, then she slipped her robe off and draped it at the end of the bed. She sat then swung her legs around, lay on her side with her legs pulled up, and settled in. I reached back, pulled my shirt off, undid my belt, kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my boxers.
“What are you doing?”
“You need sleep, so I’m helping with that.” I swung my leg over hers and spooned her sexy body. I pulled the blankets over the two of us and clicked off the light.
“Don’t talk, just sleep.” I ordered.
The wind howled at the hidden moon, and the lightening fought with the thunder. All the while, the rain beat the windows in one wicked battle of who was the strongest. After a few moments, Ivy rolled onto her back as a crack of thunder hit close by, and her breathing gave a little hitch. I reached over and rested my hand on her cool thigh. The room lit up, and her hand slid over mine.
“I’m so scared,” she whispered, and I could tell she was barely hanging on.
“Come here, baby.” I pulled her back against my chest and curled once again around her body. My arm slipped under her pillow while she pulled my other hand to cup her breast. “I got you.” I kissed her neck. “Nothing’s getting through me.” She nodded and held my arm. If time could have stopped just then and I could have lived in that moment for the rest of my life, I would have welcomed it.
The position of my head was such that I could see her eyes were open. She stared at the flickering flames, and I wondered what was going through her head.
“Who hit you?” I asked softly. “Was it him?” Him had no name, but I needed to piece her story together.
“No.” She sniffed.
“Is the person somehow connected to him?”
“Yes.”
“I hate half stories.” I closed my eyes and wanted to scream.
“I hate them, too.” A tear hit my arm, and I tried not to push.
She lifted my arm and rolled to face me. Her bare leg slipped between mine, and her gorgeous breasts nearly spilled out of her teddy as they pressed into my chest. I brushed her hair away from her face and caught a tear as it escaped from under her lashes.
Her finger traced down my chain to my dog tags, and she lip read the scrap of metal I wore around my neck so they could identify me when I died. Sounded bleak, but it was reality, and up until that moment they’d been my good luck charms.
“Thank you for staying with me.”
I lifted her chin to look at me. “You’re welcome.” I took in her beauty; how could I not? Ivy was everything I didn’t know I wanted. Whether this thing between us would fizzle out or not, I wanted to be here in bed with her. She moved her gaze to my lips then back up to my eyes. I inched my hand up from her hip under her teddy to feel her lacy panties underneath. Seriously? I wanted to cry at how sexy they felt. She tugged on my tags, and I rolled into her, thrusting a hand into her hair. My thumb brushed softly against her pink cheek.
“I thought I’d seen just about every level of cruelty this world has to offer, but I was wrong.” I kept my voice soft, and she searched my face for something. “How could anyone hurt someone like you?” I stared down at her, and she shook her head.
“It’s why I came here,” she huffed through her shaky breath, “and now…”
“Now look,” I brushed her cheek, “you’re on a mountain surrounded by hundreds of armed soldiers, in a safehouse, in a ridiculously sexy nighty, next to man who won’t let you ten feet from his sight.” I smirked, and she rolled her eyes, but a smile broke free.
“My very own alpha wolf,” she teased. I could see her fear. It was just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to attack again, and I respected her effort to control it.
“Mmhm,” I grunted, “and I protect my own.” I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. I pulled back then just slightly, unsure of her reaction. I didn’t want to bring sex into play. I wanted her to see it was more than that. That I’d heard her cry for help and understood it. That I was here for her and wanted nothing else in return. “You should get some sleep.”
She studied my face for a moment, and I saw acceptance in her eyes.
“Goodnight, Ty.” She leaned up and kissed me back.
“Night.” I caught her lips again and kissed gently for a moment longer. She tasted so good. Her tongue touched mine. My body ached for her, and I wanted to sink myself deep inside, if only for a moment. No. Somehow, I found the will to pull away. It didn’t help that her breasts spilled from that damn teddy. “Roll over.” I ordered, and she did. I tucked her back to my front again, and I held her close to my chest. “Go to sleep.” I tucked my nose into her hair and allowed myself to relax. The last thing I remembered was the sound of her even breathing while the rain and winds fought the good fight outside the window.
My mouth was dry as cotton when I woke with a start from my own hell. Brown’s face fizzled away as I took in my surroundings. The fire was still going and provided enough light for me to see that Ivy was next to me, her body turned toward mine.
