Page 90 of Unguarded

I’m in heaven, tasting her skin and feeling the way her thigh muscles tighten on top of me. The song changes to “Breathe” by Faith Hill.

She pulls my head back, eyes searching mine in the dark.

“I need a minute. I need—” She’s panting, her lips slightly quivering and swollen from my kiss.

I lick my lips, and her eyes follow the movement.

“What is it, Princess? What do you need?” My voice is scratchy with desire.

Her eyelashes flutter, and she looks down. “I need you to tell me what is going on in your head right now.”

I lean back against my seat, loving the view of her spread out on my lap, tits on display and knowing no one could possibly see us with the storm around us. I shift my weight, trying to remind her that most of my blood is between my legs so that’s where my thoughts are. She seems like she needs to say something, so I try to redirect my thoughts and focus my eyes on her face.

“Talk to me.” I trail a finger around her belly button.

“I just need to know. After the picture and the online rumors about us, are you still going to finish the tour?”

The romantic tune plays around us. I know she has no idea what I realized earlier today about how deep my feelings for her go or that I’ve never feltthisemotion before with a woman. I’ve successfully kept them all at arm’s length my entire life, never letting my heart get involved where my dick has already been. I’m twenty-eight years old, and this is the first time I’ve actually been scared to have thewhat the future holdstalk with a woman.

“I don’t think online rumors should determine whether or not I continue to protect you.”

She sighs in relief, reaching her fingers up to trace along my jawline. “Okay. Then, I just need to know one more thing.”

“What’s that?” I lean down, planting a kiss on her shoulder.

She tilts her head to the side, staring into my eyes. “Is this just physical for you?”

Here goes. Man up and tell her the truth.

My fingers move up to her face. I cup her cheek, brushing my thumb over it. “From the moment I laid eyes on you at the Sundance Pavilion, I’ve been attracted to you. I don’t know a man who’s alive and breathing right now who isn’t, including my shithead younger brother. But we aren’t living in the same reality. Your life, your career, your fan base … it’s a lot. My life goals don’t go beyond these fence lines. You’re used to penthouse suites, room service, screaming fans, and red carpets. I literally spend my days covered in cow shit and as far away from other people as I can possibly get.”

Her face falls. Tears begin to well in her eyes, and my heart splinters open.

“But”—I wipe away her tears with my thumb—“the way I’m feeling right now is unfamiliar territory for me. I don’t do relationships and commitment. I keep my distance from people. I’ve tried to do that with you for more reasons than just because I’m your bodyguard.” I clench my jaw, debating how much more to say, knowing it’s still not going to be what she wants to hear. “But you’ve opened up a part of me that I kept buried for a long time.”

I stop before telling her it was my mother’s death that caused me to start ignoring my emotional side. Being raised by an alcoholic father after that didn’t hurt the process either. I resist the urge to tell her more, to spill my guts to her. It’ll just complicate things further.

She studies my face, leaning back against my steering wheel. “You’re not the only one with a less-than-perfect past and the inability to feel all the emotions normal people have. I—I don’t have anyone. I used to think there was Ember and Fidel for me to count on, but with everything that’shappened, I don’t know who to trust. My mother barely speaks to me, unless it’s to ask for money or talk about herself. The last time I saw my father, I was in diapers. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember that I exist or he’s dead. I have … I have no one. Everyone wants a piece of me. No one wants the broken, lonely little girl who was abandoned by her dad and just an inconvenience to her mom. I have a big, empty house that doesn’t even feel like a home. It never has.”

I shift my weight under her, wishing my boner would go down since we’re entering into emotional, vulnerable territory and not messing around anymore. I cup her face with my hand.

“You have me now. You’ll never have to wonder whose side I’m on—got it? I’m Team Blue, always. You have all of us. Dolly and Rosie are as real of friends as they get. Redford Ranch is always open to you, no matter what. You have a place here when you need it.”

She peers up at me with glassy eyes. She leans forward, pressing a kiss to my lips before climbing off my lap. I feel a mild sense of disappointment at the loss of her body heat, but I want to make sure she’s okay emotionally before we take it further physically. Her fingers move to work on undoing my pants.

“You don’t need to do that, baby. We can just eat chicken and head back.”

She smirks up at me. “Do you know how much tongue work I’ve had to do in voice lessons?”

I lean my head back against the seat rest. “I’ve never thought about it.”

“Well, you’re about to.”

33

MONROE

Driving Cash wild with my mouth has been on my bucket list for a while now, ever since I started fantasizing about the calluses on his fingertips.

---