Page 3 of Lethal Bodyguard Summer

But I wanted him. I’d noticed him as soon as I sat down at the bar. Like not just because his size was hard to miss but because I’d been aware of him on some deeper level. It was…different. Almost like if I didn’t get my hands on him, even for a night, he’d be the one I never forgot.

I didn’t like wondering about those things, and I tried to avoid regret even though that hadn’t worked out so well for me lately. I’d made decisions today that I’d have to think about tomorrow, so I might as well add one more to the mix.

We’d left the town limits, and without the streetlights, the night sky lit up with a million twinkling lights and the lone arc from the lighthouse keeping watch over the sea. It was breathtaking. I turned down the radio, then lowered my window. The rhythmic sound of the surf reached me and immediately soothed my soul. For the first time in forever, that restless part of me was quiet.

The Jeep in front of me, the green one I was following, turned down a single lane. The houses were small but not too close together like they were in Allie’s neighborhood. Right on the beach, too.

I pulled in behind him, parked, and got out of my car. The back was piled high with bags. The trunk was full, too. The only thing I’d left behind was a plant I’d bought that I couldn’t keep alive but couldn’t bring myself to toss out. A shrink would say it was symbolic or something, and they’d probably be right. But tonight wasn’t for thinking.

I watched as the guy gracefully exited the Jeep. He exuded confidence and power, everything I wasn’t. Maybe that’s what drew me. A moth to a flame. A fly to a web. Fear spiked hot and fast before it disappeared, leaving only a single thought: He was going to consume me.

He walked over to where I stood. “Change your mind?”

“No.”

The word was barely out of my mouth when he swooped down and claimed my lips. He backed me up against my car, his tongue invading my mouth. The desire that slammed into me was a force all on its own. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe, and I sure as hell didn’t want it to end. His large hand was warm and firm at my waist, anchoring me to him. His fingertips pressed into me like he was holding back—measuring, controlled even now.

I didn’t want him to hold back. I wanted him as desperately needy as I was. A whimper escaped me as he ended the kiss, his hand slipping from my waist to take hold of mine and pull me after him toward the door.

“Inside. Now.” His voice was low. Gruff.

He keyed a code and pushed the door open, turning to me at the same time. “Brooks.”

“What?” I asked, my body throbbing with need.

“That’s the name I want to hear fall from your lips tonight.”

My pussy clenched at the thought, and I swallowed hard before whispering, “Aria.”

Brooks leaned in, bypassing my mouth and grazing along my throat. “I’ve wanted to do this since you whistled.”

“Whistled?” What was he talking about?

“At the bartender.” His firm lips found the outer shell of my ear and were doing things to it that made me crazy.

“Oh. Yeah.” I smiled. “Too much?”

“Just right.” Then he kissed me again, pushing me up against the door and sliding a knee between my legs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and speared my fingers into his sun-bleached hair, holding him to me. He pressed his thigh against my center, and I ground against it. I was going to come right there on his leg.

Before it could take me over the edge, he pulled back and unsnapped my shorts and yanked them down. I stepped out of them, breathing hard as his mouth left mine and ripped the shirt off me. His lips zeroed in on my nipples that had been bare beneath the shirt.

“Fuck, I can’t wait,” he muttered.

I pushed at his board shorts, and his cock sprang free. He nudged against my entrance, and I moaned, then hooked my legs around his hips. With one smooth, controlled thrust, he entered me. For a second, we stood there, our breaths harsh andmingling as he throbbed deep inside. I felt him all over. Hell, I even felt him in my teeth.

My nerves were on fire. The orgasm built inside me again, stronger than before. It burned me up like a shooting star, soaring for a moment before plummeting back to earth. He was right behind me, thrusting hard and quick, and then he pulled out, his cum shooting onto my belly.

His forehead pressed against mine, both our breaths fast and harsh. Finally he said, “That was to take the edge off.”

“There’s more?” I huffed out a laugh.

“Definitely more.”

Brooks lifted his head and looked down at me. His face was flushed, his hair was a mess, and his gaze was dark and full of hunger but still focused, still watching every reaction like he was cataloging them.

“Shower,” he said.

“What?” My brain hadn’t found its way out of the lust fog yet, and I wondered if it was even possible when he was around.