Her 24-Hour Protector(49)

Or was she just turning to him now because he was in the right place at her time of need? Maybe once things calmed down she’d scoff at what she’d done, tire of her blue-collar federal agent. Move on. To bigger and brighter things. To men who moved easily in her social sphere.

Lex swore softly. He was a freaking nut job to think Jenna Rothchild was going to want the kind of life he could offer. What was he doing thinking of commitment, anyway? Most men he knew would sleep with the woman and be done with it.

Besides, he reminded himself, he’d tried this road before. The orphan in him had craved family—a real one of his own. But he’d chosen the wrong woman, a high-maintenance social climber who had zero time or respect for his charity and volunteer commitments. Toss in a life-consuming law enforcement career, and that was a recipe for disaster Lex had no intention of repeating again.

He snorted, took another swig of beer, feeling the soft explosion of bubbles in his mouth. He was a pretty big flake to even think of trying to make a family again. It was probably the furthest thing from Jenna’s mind.

He drained his bottle, got up, paused as he heard something rustling in the foliage along the boundary of his yard. Lex narrowed his eyes, peering into dark shadows, the interplay of moonlight and shrubbery and soft wind toying with his mind. He couldn’t see anything, yet he felt an uneasy sensation. He went inside, slid the glass door shut and locked it. Then he went upstairs to check on Jenna.



Jenna blinked into the darkness as she felt Lex enter the bedroom. The room was full of moving shadows shaped by pale beams of moonlight streaming through the slats of the blinds, the wind in the tree outside his bedroom window. He came to the bedside, sat beside her, his bare torso a powerful silhouette in the surreal interplay of light.

She felt his hand, warm, strong and gentle as he brushed her sleep-tangled hair back from her forehead. She was hot, had tossed the sheet off, her evening dress slipping off her breasts again. But she didn’t move to cover herself up. She wanted him to see her.

Jenna closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of his touch, his care. Because that’s what she felt—care. It was what she’d glimpsed, briefly, in his eyes. And all Jenna was certain of right now was that she wanted him. All of him. All the time.

He was the first real thing she’d ever truly known in her strange whacked-up life. Lex was putting her in touch with the self she’d lost so many years ago, and Jenna was finding that she wanted something deeper than her shallow, glittering existence.

She was prepared to give it up for a shot at making it work with Lex. A gamble, yes, but this was Vegas. And the odds were that if she won, it would be worth it.

He caressed the side of her face, his thumb gentle against her bruise. A small shiver tightened her nipples and angled down into her belly. Jenna ached to wrap her hot body around his hard one.

“You okay?” he whispered.

Jenna swallowed, almost hurting with need, exquisitely conscious of every part of her body. She sat up, slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders so that the shimmering fabric fell to her waist, her breasts feeling suddenly heavy, swollen under his scrutiny. “You tell me—” Jenna whispered, reaching for his hand “—if I’m okay.” She guided his hand to her breast. Lex inhaled sharply as his skin connected with hers. He cupped her roughly, drawing her closer.

Kissing her hard, he opened her mouth, his tongue hungry, aggressive. Jenna’s world spun. She grabbed his hand, moved it down her abdomen, sliding it beneath her dress so he could feel the small silk triangle of her G-string. He groaned softly, moved closer, kissing her deeper, the sensation of his hand more urgent, more firm. Jenna parted her legs. He moved the fabric of her G-string aside, and she felt his finger on bare skin. Hot. Delicious. She opened her legs wider.

“Jenna—” his voice was hoarse “—this is…”

But she held his hand firmly between her legs, parting her thighs, drawing his body down on top of hers, as she sunk back on the bed. “I want you, Lex…” she murmured against his lips, her mind blind to anything but the sensation of his weight on top of her, his hand against her.

He gave in with a small moan as he thrust his finger up into her. Jenna arched her hips up desperate for more.

He began to move his hand, sliding another finger into her, teasing her sensitive swollen nub with his thumb until a pressure began to build low in her chest, screaming for release. And Lex lost any last shred of control. His breathing ragged, he yanked her dress down over her hips, tearing her scrap of G-string aside as she fumbled urgently with his zipper, her tongue slicking and tangling with his.