Hot Protector(35)

But that wasn’t the reason her words ripped into him. No, it was the plaintive way in which she said that his mother sounded like home to her.

“I did eavesdrop.”

“What else did you hear, Sophie?”

She laughed softly. “You mean the year you had that girlfriend? Jane something. You didn’t put her on speaker, but I heard your half of the conversation. I might have learned some new words that summer.”

“You really do need a spanking,” he growled, and she laughed again.

“Maybe I do.”

“I hate to think of everything I said. Jane was the first girl I ever fucked—and believe me, all I wanted to do was get back home and fuck her some more. At that age, a boy’s brain cells are all focused on one thing.”

“I gathered that. I was fourteen. It was very scandalizing…”

“Hell.”

“For the record, I’d say you’re still quite fixated on that one topic. I think it’s a guy thing.”

He was fixated on it. And not because he couldn’t think of anything else—but right now she had his brain rattled with her black hair, sexy bun, and librarian glasses. He imagined stripping her, turning her around, and fucking her hard while, yeah, spanking her ass. It was a hell of a turn-on—and not what he needed right now.

He needed to be clearheaded, not in a perpetual state of arousal. He was beginning to wish he’d jerked off in the shower last night.

“For the record, you’re pushing it, Sophie.”

“Pushing it where?” She sounded way too sultry for comfort.

Chase whipped into the exit to the rest area they were about to pass and shot up the ramp before careening the car into a slot and turning to glare at her.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t fucking bait me, Sophie. If you’re acting, pretending to be something you’re not, then knock it off. And if you’re serious, then you’d better be prepared—because I am not tame, or safe—and I won’t stay within the lines.”





16


Sophie’s nipples were hard little points scraping against the lace of her bra. Her heart beat hard and her pulse skipped wildly. She was certain he could see it in her throat.

Cars rolled slowly past, pulling into the rest area where people got out and strolled into the facilities. Some people walked dogs, others loitered around the candy and soda machines near the entrance to the building.

She had been playing, and he’d called her on it. She hadn’t thought much of the act at first when she’d sunk into the character, but now she was thinking too much. Was she really sexy? Sultry? Or was it all a lie?

She licked her lips, tasting the cherry lip gloss she’d slicked over her lipstick as she tried to think of what to say. His gaze narrowed—and then he swore before reaching over and curling a hand behind her neck, tugging her toward him.

“I think you like playing with matches, Sophie,” he said, his lips a whisper away.

And then his mouth came down on hers.

It wasn’t the hard meeting she’d expected, but rather it was hot, tender, sweet. He sucked at her mouth, nipped her lips softly, and devastated her with how gentle he could be. As if he knew she didn’t have a ton of experience. As if he knew she needed to be stoked and teased before she burst into flame.

Oh dear heaven, it felt good. Somewhere in the back of her brain, a voice whispered that this was wrong, that it was illicit and forbidden, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t thinking about forever here. She was thinking about naked bodies and heated pleasure. About explosions of sensation and satisfaction so intense it stole her breath.

Her body ached for more. She wanted him to touch her, wanted him to cup her breasts and tease her taut nipples. And then she wanted him to free her breasts, lick them, suck them…

Oh…

He pushed her away suddenly but gently and leaned back in his seat, raking a hand through his hair.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, I… I liked it.”

He turned his head on the seat back to look at her. His mouth was red from her lipstick, and that made her stomach corkscrew. Mine, mine, mine…

“You’re too sweet, Sophie. You deserve something more than a quick fuck in the backseat of a car—and make no mistake, that’s where this was headed.”

Her heart thumped. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “No, you definitely don’t. You want romance. You want to be swept off your feet and wowed, not stripped and used hard and fast.”

Sophie’s stomach fell to her feet. She tugged in a deep breath even as anger twisted in her belly. “What makes you think you know what I want better than I do? You don’t know me!”