Page 11 of Thrilled By Her Protector

She wished she could’ve responded with some snide remark or slapped him across the face. Unfortunately, the only thing that happened was her panties got wet and the damn beast of a man growled at the scent of her arousal wafting in the air. So much for keeping her continued desire for him a secret.

Well, fuck.

ChapterFour

He knew he shouldn’t do this. Under no circumstances should Zircon ever touch her. At least, not if he wanted to be able to sleep that night. But what was he supposed to do when she challenged him like that?

“That’s right, Conny. I am my own person and I belong to no one.”

As soon as the words penetrated his brain, his Wyvern snarled and scratched across his skin. Fuck that. She belonged to him. All rational thought flew out the fucking window and he blurred across the space and had her body pressed to his in seconds flat.

“Wrong, baby, you belong to me.”

Then he crushed her mouth under his and the rest, as they said, was history. Zircon was like one giant pulsating need. And what he needed was her. Their kiss began as something rough and wild, like he had something to prove. Maybe he did.

Years of waiting, longing, of needing her more than he needed air. She’d been pushing him away for so long, he was braced for the slap, only. It didn’t come. Instead, she touched him. Jennifer, his sweet Jennifer, just reached out with her small hands and wrapped them around his neck, and all the tension left his body.

Zircon melted into her then, and their kiss became something combustible. Any second now, he was going to go up in flames just from the constant pressure of her lips against his. Once her tongue pressed inside his mouth, oh, he was a fucking goner. All thoughts of doing anything else besides this right there did not even exist.

Jennifer took up all the space in his brain, his heart, his very soul. She was everything to him, and so much more. He would do anything she wanted, anything at all. He’d waited years for any sign she wanted him too, and finally, he thought they’d crossed the last bridge, leaped over the final hurdle, but she’d pushed him away all over again. And it was like dying.

He might not be the brightest of his brothers, or, hell, not even the strongest, but no one was more steadfast than he was for this woman. And right then, he existed purely for that moment right there. Nothing was better than kissing Jennifer.

But all too soon, she eased back. Zircon cursed his own headstrong response, but what was he supposed to do? The woman owned him body, heart, and soul. That she rejected him time and again didn’t seem to matter to the stupid piece of muscle. It just kept beating away, pining for the female who had more power than any other being should over him.

“When are you going to stop building walls, Jenn?” he asked, eyes closed on the anguish he felt when she pressed against his chest.

“I can’t,” she whispered, and fuck, the sadness in her voice nearly tore him apart.

He moved away, granting her space, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. Pain lanced through him with every step he took away from her. But he continued on until the whole length of the room divided them. If only that were the only hurdle in his path to happiness. Something was wrong. Something he was not privy to.

Jennifer ducked her head, placing papers and her laptop inside her bag. She wouldn’t even look at him, and that hurt more than her pushing him away.

“This isn’t going to just go away, Jenn. I’m not going to just go away,” he began.

Frustration lent itself to anger, and Zircon’s growl reverberated inside the small room. Shit. He didn’t want it to be this way, but she was so damn frustrating. How was he supposed to prove his love if she didn’t even give him a chance?

“Conny, look, I’m sorry about what just happened. I think, um, maybe coming here was a mistake. Do you want me to talk to Mother, try to get them to find a different place for all of us? I could ask him to put someone else in charge of the assimilation project. I don’t know, maybe I could go investigate the missing Shifters or something?” she asked.

“No! I mean, no. Fuck Jenn, I don’t want you in danger.”

“Oh, please. I am a professional. I can do my job.”

“Hunting down kidnappers isn’t your job,” he growled, noting the fury in her gaze. “Fuck. Okay. Look, I apologize. You are excellent at your job. Just, you know this is important, too. And Caro and Kim need you. I know you know what you are to me, Jenn, and how I’ve been keeping a leash on it,” he murmured.

“I know, Conny, but I can’t,” she whispered, and closed her eyes as if she was in pain.

Fuck.

Yes, she knew. He’d said it a dozen times or more that one glorious night he had with her. It was killing him that she refused to acknowledge it. Even so, he felt the bonds they’d started to form that night pulsing between them. So small and fragile, but it was there.

Bonds were like seeds that way. They needed love and light to grow, otherwise they’d shrivel. Zircon believed in their bond. He just needed to prove it to Jennifer, but she was holding out on him. Like she didn’t trust him with the truth and try as he might not to let that hurt, it did. A fuck ton.

Fuck. Please don’t kill us before we have our chance, Jenn,his heat seemed to whisper.

Jennifer turned her back on him, but he felt her pain and sadness radiating off her in waves. Such a different feeling from the calm, confident, and always in charge Jennifer he knew so well. But he didn’t care. He loved her still. Any way she came. Her vulnerability made her that much more real, and his heart squeezed with wanting her.

“Look, um, I have work to do. I can’t get into this now, Conny,” she murmured and rushed out of the room.

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