Page 54 of Jenna's Protector
And that’s enough for me.
We settle into bed. To my delight, Jenna curls against my side, her head on my chest. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close, marveling at how perfectly she fits against me. The scent of her shampoo, something floral and sweet, fills my senses, making my head spin.
We lie there in the darkness, the silence broken only by the sound of our breathing. Jenna’s body slowly relaxes, the tension draining out of her as sleep claims her. I press a soft kiss to the top of her head, my heart aching with the need to protect her, to keep her safe from the horrors of the world.
I marvel at the peace that settles over her features. She looksyounger and softer, the weight of the world temporarily lifted from her shoulders.
Then, with a whispered goodnight, I close my eyes, letting her steady breathing lull me into slumber. It’s going to be a long night, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
NINETEEN
Carter
Morning comes too soon.The first rays of sunlight filter through the curtains, and dust motes dance in the air as I slowly wake from a fitful sleep. Jenna’s nightmares seem nonstop. Other than holding her through the worst of them, I’m at a loss.
I feel guilty.
If not for me, her traumatic past would’ve remained in the past, right where she locked it up and shoved it in the deepest recesses of her mind.
I’m the asshole who asked her to unpack all that darkness to help me solve a case.
Guilty is the operative word.
Fortunately, I know exactly what I can do to help out.
I slip out of bed, careful not to wake Jenna, and make my way to the kitchen. Max, my traitorous four-footed companion, stays right by Jenna’s side.
The two of them are quickly developing a tight bond, and if he can’t be bothered to get out of bed, I can’t be bothered to take him outside.
Normally, he’s my priority in the morning, but Max doesn’tseem interested in heading outside. He groans, stretches, and opens one sleepy eye as I pad out of the bedroom and head to the kitchen.
My small gesture of comfort is to make breakfast.
It doesn’t take long to familiarize myself with her kitchen, and she has everything I need to whip up a killer breakfast. Before long, the decadent aroma of coffee percolates through the air, and the sizzling goodness of bacon provides a soothing backdrop to my racing thoughts.
I’m lost in my head, trying to piece together the fragments of the case, when a prickle of awareness runs down my spine. My muscles tense, and instinct kicks in. Spinning around, my gaze locks on Jenna, standing in the hallway in her thin pajamas.
Her hair, tousled from sleep, tumbles over her shoulders, drawing my eyes to the way her chest rises and falls with each breath. Her wide eyes, soft and vulnerable, register shock at my abrupt turn, but then the brightest smile fills her face.
My lord, the woman is stunning. My heart trips and stumbles, finally picking up the beat after a moment of madness.
I take her in, drinking in her beauty. Most notably, and devasting for me, her thin pajamas fail to hide any of her curves. She’s model-thin but has curves in all the right places. Simply stunning doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of my attraction for her.
“Morning.” I point to the skillet with the bacon. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving. It smells amazing.” Her smile, a small, tentative curve of her lips, sends a jolt of electricity straight through my chest, where it hijacks my heart and settles in with an odd buzzing sensation.
She moves closer, her bare feet padding softly on the tiled floor. I turn back to the stove, flipping the bacon, trying to ignore the heat of her body so close to mine.
“Thank you.” Her hand comes to rest on my arm. “For staying last night. For being here.”
“You don’t have to…”
Her delicate arms wrap around my waist, and she gently rests her chin on the middle of my back. The fabric of her pajamas issoft, but the warmth of her body seeps through, capturing my senses and sending them on a perilous journey I may not be able to stop.
To make matters worse, her silken hair sweeps against my skin, sending tiny bursts of electricity racing down my spine. I curl my lower lip and suppress a moan.
When her hands move down to my waist, I lose the battle to remain unaffected. My body wakes with vicious hunger, eager to take, claim, and slake my thirst.