Page 76 of Protect Me

He stares at me so long I think he’ll refuse. Finally, he says, “My father was a strategist for a covert unit that took orders from several high-level families. Problem was none of the families knew they weren’t his exclusive client. He traveled a lot, so I didn’t see him much growing up, but when I was eleven, my mom died. Instead of pawning me off on relatives, he brought me to work with him.”

I stare at him, trying to imagine the things he saw. “That must have been hard.”

“Actually, I fucking loved it. Mostly, we sat in conference rooms, playing war games. I was seventeen before he took me into the field, and by then, I was addicted. Not to the killing but to the psychological warfare of trapping my prey. I think my lion... well, I thrive on shit like that, I guess. Moved up in the ranks fairly quickly because of it too, and my old man was so fucking proud.”

“Sounds nice to have that connection with your dad. Where is he now?”

“One of the families got wind of the organization’s double-dipping. They felt like they’d been played, so they retaliated. He was hit by a sniper and died instantly.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“After that, the organization splintered. Half were put to death. The others went underground. Contract work. I began taking private jobs in order to gather intel about the sniper that took out my father. Took me five years of non-stop blood and death before I found him and put him in the ground.”

He shakes his head. “I probably wouldn’t have stopped either. I was in too far. Torturing and killing was all I knew. But then I met Killian.” He looks at me, and some of the bleakness and grief lifts. “He gave me someone else to live for. Damn, that sounds sappy as shit. Don’t tell him I said that.”

I smile. “I won’t.”

He studies me. “I’m not the good guy, Sway. In fact, I’ve made a career out of being the bad guy. You should know that before we—Before I—”

“I know everything I need to know,” I tell him softly. “And that is who you are and how big your heart is. You saved me. That first night when you scooped me off your doorstep. You didn’t have to do that, but you protected me even when you didn’t know me. That makes you the good guy in my book.”

“What if it’s not enough?” he asks.

“It’s enough for me,” I tell him. “And besides, earlier with Zaxby, you protected me. If you hadn’t done that—”

“I don’t even want to think about it,” he grumbles. “I was such a fucking idiot for letting you go in alone.” He drops his forehead to mine.

“I asked you to leave.”

“I never should have listened.” His hand snakes behind my head, and he buries his fingers in my hair, forcing my head back to expose my throat. Duncan lowers his head and caresses my hammering pulse with his lips. “I never should have let you leave your apartment this morning.”

“I didn’t want to be alone. I would have left—”

“You wouldn’t have been alone,” he replies. “You are so fucking gorgeous.” He grips my hip with a large hand and pulls me toward him. “Seeing you standing there naked this morning, knowing both of my brothers had already tasted what I so desperately crave—it undid me.”

And because I want to show him I want him too, even after everything he’s shared about himself, I pull back and drop to my knees. Duncan stares down at me, lips parting. I reach up and trace my hands over his ridged abdominal muscles, caressing every inch of flesh I can reach as I make my way to the waistband of his sweats.

“Sway—”

“Shhh,” I whisper.

His breathing turns ragged as I pull his sweats down and free his massive length. The throbbing inside me grows completely out of control, so I clench my legs together to ease the ache. “I can smell your arousal,” he growls, and when I look up at him, those hazel eyes have turned a deep gold, his predator shining through.

I lean forward and take his dick into my mouth. The flesh is velvet steel, and I have to wrap a hand around his shaft because there’s no way in hell he’s fitting all the way in. Gripping, I pull back and slam my mouth back down onto him.

Duncan maintains control with his hand in my hair, holding me to his cock as he begins to thrust against me. “Fuck, Sway. Fuck.” Duncan leans back against the counter as I continue sucking him off, tightening my grasp on the base of his shaft as I move.

“I can’t—” Duncan pulls me off of him and to my feet, crushing my mouth to his. His tongue plunges into my mouth, and I feel every hesitation melt away, his resolve finally fucking snapping. He pulls back and stares into my eyes. “I’m not gentle.”

“I don’t care.”

“Sway—”

I cup his face in my palms. “No, Duncan. I want you. However I can have you.”

“Once I start—”

“Don’t. Stop,” I reply.