Page 34 of Too Guarded to Love

Stay with my sister. Keep her safe.

That commitment expired the minute he’d delivered Olivia to headquarters in one piece, but why did visions of punching her weenie ex-boyfriend sound satisfying? And why was he jealous that Edgar got to walk her back to her room?

And earlier, when she’d passed out, he’d wanted to sweep her in his arms and carry her to bed. That move would have earned him another jab to his face. If Kane wasn’t the one to deliver it, he’d punch himself. A super soldier should have the strength to combat possessiveness he had no business feeling.

Olivia’s door opened. As she stepped out, he forgot about the reasons he should keep his distance.

If he didn’t possess a super leg made from unyielding steel, he’d be the one on his knees right now. She’d changed from the baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt. Now faded jeans hung low on her hips. Her worn brown boots peeked from beneath her pant legs. The hem of her dark-pink T-shirt stopped a half inch above her waistband, offering a glimpse of smooth, taut skin. A denim jacket in a lighter pink that matched the blush in her cheeks completed the casual, sexy look.

And now he knew how many shades of blonde and brown mingled in the thick curls that hung past her shoulders.

Her mouth dropped in a sexy O as she spotted him. His cock remembered the last time she’d opened those lips on his behalf.

Adjusting his stance, he nodded to her feet. “Feel better with your boots on?”

She clicked her heels. “Yes.”

The movement exposed another inch of her belly. His cock jerked its appreciation again. He willed his body to relax and snapped his gaze to her face.

So much for calming down. Her blue eyes sparkled with life and energy, resilience and excitement, and so many other emotions he couldn’t define.

She hooked her thumbs into her front pockets. “Let’s get this meeting over with so I can sit with Gran and convince her to wake up.” She walked down the hall.

He cradled her elbow and nudged her in the other direction. “The elevators are this way.”

“Oh, I’ve been so tired since I got here, I haven’t paid attention to my bearings.”

He guided her past Patience’s office and around the corner. The scent of flowers and rain tickled his nostrils. “And you aren’t tired any longer?” She seemed ready to hit a honky-tonk.

“No, remember Edgar said that Patience had something special for me?” She stopped and faced him. “It was a shot of some special healing concoction. She didn’t share details, and I didn’t ask.” She patted her backside. “I just let her shoot me up and now I feel so much better.”

Great. Now Patience was back on his list of people he was jealous of who got to spend time with Olivia. He scratched his neck. It didn’t buzz, but maybe he could claw out the hold Olivia held on him with his steel.

Olivia slowed her steps. “Are you okay?”

He placed his hand on the small of her back and nudged her through the exit and to the elevators. Smooth skin met his fingers. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure? I’ve noticed that you rub the back of your neck a lot, and you seem to do it when you’re mad or anxious.” She stopped walking. “Look, I’m really sorry for not telling you who I was, but I saw this arm and I wanted to touch it and examine how it worked, and…”

She ran her fingers over his steel bicep. The heat traveled through his T-shirt and into his veins. Curiosity, anger, and unadulterated desire boiled to near breaking. He needed answers, and so much more.

Now.

He tugged her into a vacant office and spun her to face him. With a kick, the door slammed at his back. “And what, Olivia?”

She looked over his shoulder. “Isn’t Edgar expecting us?”

“He can wait.” If the president were here, he’d have to wait too. “What were you thinking when you realized who I was?”

He held his breath as he waited for her answer, half praying for a response that would please him, half hoping she’d say something to send him running.

“I wasn’t thinking at first.” Slowly, she grazed her fingers down his arm. “Curiosity and amazement kidnapped me.”

He sucked in a breath as she detoured to his abs.

“And then I saw these, and…” She traced each ridge under his shirt with her nail.

His cock screamed to forget his fears born from past mistakes. To forget she was Kane’s sister. Right now, he just wanted her to be the wild sirena from the ocean he could try to tame. “And then you discovered something south and helped yourself.”