Page 38 of Challenging Her Protector

The house was warm despite the brisk end-of-summer morning. Light was glowing golden through the bay windows and those over the sink. The door clicked shut behind them and Iron twisted the dead bolt before turning into her. His pupils were blown out, only leaving a glimpse of gray fringing the edges. His hands quivered as he reached out to touch her face. He stared at her for one moment, then two, before his mouth crashed down.

His lips moved against hers, their tongues colliding in a rush to get closer. Her breasts felt swollen and heavy, aching to be touched. He picked her up in one fell swoop and began carrying her past the living room and down the hall, reminding her how powerful he was and how much he’d worked to adapt to his prosthetic. Iron was so much stronger than he knew. He passed by the bedroom she’d been staying in and went straight to his, placing her down on the comforter.

Before joining her, he tore off his sweatshirt and T-shirt, revealing the tattoos etched over his scarred skin and the hard muscle beneath. His biceps bulged as he held his weight above her, kissing her breathless. Bracing against one forearm on the mattress, he used the other hand to caress her stomach and ribs. He pushed the material of her bra up over her breasts, not bothering to fully remove it. When his lips closed over one hard point, she arched toward him. A slow smile built on his lips as he continued to tease her, grazing his teeth over her tight, sensitive skin before soothing it with his tongue. He sucked hard, drawing her deep into his mouth. Heat flooded her body, and she could feel wetness coating her. He released her with a popping sound and turned his attention to her other breast. She couldn’t concentrate on anything but the way his tongue continued to flick and tease. She wriggled beneath him, trying to ease the uncomfortable ache between her legs.

His hand worked beneath the fabric of her jeans, pushing them down over her hips. She struggled to help him, drawing them down with her feet before kicking them off.

“Are you still with me?” he growled against her skin.

There was a fluttering sensation in her chest. “Yes.” As soon as the word was out of her mouth, he flipped them, so she was straddling his torso. She’d seen some of his scars the few times they’d gone into the ocean. Each gouge was a sharp reminder of how close he’d come to dying on his last mission. He’d lost his leg, but he’d suffered other terrible injuries in the blast. She leaned closer, breathing in the fresh scent of his skin. Her hair curtained around his sides as she kissed over every old scar. His breath was coming fast, and once again, he put his hands behind her knees and dragged her forward until she was in an intimate position where all he had to do was lift his head to taste her.

“Hands on the headboard.”

She gripped the wooden frame and closed her eyes. His hands found her breasts, then stroked down her body, and in between her thighs. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He stroked her gently, gathering moisture from her center and teasing it over her clit. “It’s more though. The way you brighten up every space you enter.” He urged her forward and lifted his head, replacing his fingers with his tongue.

“How easy you can make me laugh,” he murmured, his lips against the sensitive nerves at the apex of her thighs. He flicked and stroked his tongue over her until she was rocking against him, too far gone to think about anything other than the tremble in her thighs. Something built and grew inside her, suspending her over the edge of some insurmountable feeling, then snapped. She hung onto the headboard as her body shook and Iron drew out every ounce of pleasure crashing through her.

“Beautiful, Vee.”

Instead of feeling tired from all the goodness he’d just wrung out of her, she wanted more. Her bare skin dragged over the rough material of his jeans, as she worked her way down his body. His pants were tight, the zipper of his jeans pressed outward. She stroked her hands over the taunt material, trailing over his hard length before fumbling with the button and zipper.

He helped her push off his pants and boxers, and his cock sprang forward. She leaned down trailing the tips of her hair over the leaking tip. He hissed out a breath and she lowered her mouth, swiping her tongue over the swollen head. She smiled when his hands fisted the comforter as she took him deeper, loving the hint of salt on her tongue. He groaned when she dragged the flat of her tongue up his shaft and circled the sensitive tip.

“Vee. I’m never going to make it inside you.”

She smiled around his length, and he swore, then laughed as he hauled her up over his hips. He tugged open the nightstand drawer and ripped open a foil packet. “Tell me if you don’t want this, Vee. We can stop at any time.” He looked to her face for reassurance as he slid the condom down.

“I want you, Iron. Everything you’re willing to give.”

“I want you in control. Anything you want, sweetheart.” She positioned him at her opening, slowly taking him until he was buried to the base. Each time she rolled her hips, she felt him filling every hollow place inside her. His pubic bone ground against her clit as he massaged and stroked her breasts.

She rode him faster, her movements choppy and erratic as she fought for more pressure, more friction. Her breath was rushing in and out as the shivers stole over her body, bearing down, she hung on as the orgasm pulsed through her with blinding pleasure. She watched as the muscles in Iron’s neck corded. He gripped her hips and drove himself inside her over and over. His body went taunt as he arched his head back and stilled inside her. She collapsed on his chest, and she could feel the press of his heart beating rapidly against her cheek.

“That was…” She searched through her muddled brain trying to find a word to describe what they’d just shared.

“Everything,” he said stroking both hands over her hair.

Tears pricked her eyes, and three words were on the tip of her tongue but she bit them back.

“Everything,” she whispered back.

Chapter Fifteen

Fairy lights twinkledaround the white tent erected in Ransom and Brynn’s backyard and music pulsed out into the open air. The women and kids were out on the dance floor, and Iron couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face watching the two reunited sisters dancing. Even with Hannah’s leg in a full cast, she used her crutch to move around with Vee.

He didn’t make it into the shop until much later in the afternoon, and when he arrived home again, he found Vee back from her shopping trip and already wearing the dress she’d chosen.

He’d always thought the line about someone stealing your breath was just an expression, but in that moment, as she rushed up to hug him, the sweet pink dress fluttering around her calves, he understood it was more than a simple saying. It wasn’t just the dress that had him tongue-tied. It was the strength of the woman wearing it. She’d been brave enough to take what she wanted, setting the course of their relationship, then again when she went to pick out a dresssheliked—to hell with everyone else.

“You okay, man?” Branch had snuck up on him and was grinning as Collin pushed Jacob around the dance floor. “You look like you’ve been hit by lightning.”

“You could say that.” His eyes were still trained on Vee as he uncapped his bottle of water and took a sip.

“You and Vee, huh? Who didn’t see that one coming?” An easy chuckle escaped Branch.

He glanced over at Hannah’s boyfriend, trying to mask the surprise he felt from the man’s statement. “What made you think that?”

“Hannah called it in the hospital room. Said there was an undeniable connection between the two of you.” Branch rocked back on his heels and smiled.

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