Guardian by Kaitlyn O'Connor (ebook e reader txt) 📗

it would be …challenging,” she said, thinking about how hard it must be to getby financially until one made something that made money.

But that explained the job thing, sherealized. He must be living on money already made!

“I have a confession,” shesaid after she’d had a few more sips of wine.”

“Yeah? What kind ofconfession?”

She snickered. “I had this idea youwere an actor.”

He chuckled, but then it occurred tohim that she’d actually pegged him pretty closely. He’d spent yearsundercover as a galactic ranger and that had taken acting. It wasthe main reason, he supposed, they’d decided to place him as aguardian when they’d pulled him from the field because of the raidthat had gone down sideways.

The raid where his partner had beenkilled.

He dismissed it. He preferred not tothink about it. It was easier to deal with it that way.

You mean pretend it neverhappened, his therapist had asked?That’s not the way to handle grief.

And what the fuck did he know aboutit? Like he’d ever lost any damned body!

Besides, it wasn’t grief.He was pissed about it and he felt a lot of regret that things hadgone down like they had, but he hadn’t killed the bastard that hadmurdered his partner because he had. He’d killed the bastardbecause he’d been trying to kill him.

He downed his glass of wine in thehope of washing the thoughts from his head and refilled hisglass.

Then he discovered that Marilyn waslounging on the floor.

“You alright?”

She sat up. “Fine. Just tired. Guess Ishould go home.” She seemed to think for several moments. “Sorry. Ijust don’t handle alcohol very well. It makes me really sleepy orreally … uh … wild.”

“Really?” Jarrod askedwith interest. “Wild in what way?”

Self preservation kicked in as Marilynstudied him uneasily. “Uh … I don’t know.”

He chuckled. “Why did you say wild,then?”

Marilyn frowned, tempted to deny shehad. “Just … if I’m partying I keep partying, but if I get quiet Iget sleepy.”

He took her glass. “We can’t have thatthen! You done?”

Marilyn looked at her plate and washorrified to see how much she’d eaten. “Oh, yeah. That was enoughfor two days.”

He grinned at her and took both platesand headed into the kitchen. When he came back, Marilyn waspunching buttons on the transporter. “I can’t find a station,” shecomplained.

“Station?” he asked,catching her around the waist and swinging her away from themachine.

“Yeah. Thought I’d playsome music on your stereo.”

“Ah. You want music? Fastor slow?”

“Notparticular.”

He spoke to his computer. Musicfiltered to them in a matter of moments, slow, sensual music. Hepulled Marilyn close and began to move slowly around the room withher.

She felt good. It felt really nice tohold her, but his sense of tenderness gave way to desire fairlyquickly. He pulled her a little tighter, but that only fanned theflames. Finally, he stopped and moved her just far enough away tomake it possible to reach her mouth.

She responded to his search by liftingto meet him and offering her lips.

His chest tightened at the gesture ofdesire and trust.

It made him loathe to move as quicklyas his libido was urging him.

He did not want to risk frighteningher when he had waited so long to hold her.

Instead of immediately conquering hermouth, therefore, he merely brushed his lips back and forth againsthers teasingly until her lips parted. Then he delved the crevice,gathering a light taste of her and finally, when she sucked in aheavy breath laden with his own, he pressed deeper into the moistcavern to sample her heat and taste, to breathe her essence intohimself.

It was far more intoxicating than thetwo glasses of wine he’d drank.

It was enough to satisfy him for atime. He explored her mouth until he felt like he would pass outand then broke the kiss and explored her throat and ears and thenreturned to her mouth.

She grew heavier and heavier in hisarms until he began to suspect she might have passed out … or maybegone to sleep.

He broke the kiss to examine her facefor signs of life.

She lifted her eyes brows severaltimes and finally cracked her eyelids and licked her lips. “Wearen’t going to stop here, are we?”

“No ma’am,” Jarrodresponded, promptly scooping her into his arms and heading towardhis bedroom where he sprawled on the bed with her and startedtrying to ‘unwrap’ his prize and undress himself at the sametime.

Before he could lose his hard on andexplode with frustration it occurred to him that he only needed tobare one spot—on each of them.

He resumed the kiss when he saw he’daroused more awareness than sexual desire while he fumbled with theclothes, contenting himself with pulling her boobs through the neckof her shirt and then delving under it when he realized it was alot loser that way.

Her pants were easier to maneuver thanhe’d expected, too. They were loose and there was no zipper orfaster. All he had to do was jerk them down and shove his hand andarm down the front.

She was so hot and wet and ready bythe time he tested the crevice, he lost his mind for a fewmoments.

Fortunately for both of them he couldnot instantly plug the hole he found. He was forced to offer hermore love play while he struggled with logistics.

By the time he’d figured everythingout—maneuvered his cock out of his pants, parted her thighs andmade a spot, she was gasping and begging.

Frantic with his own needs, his handwas shaking so badly he thought he might need both hands to findthe spot and finally burrowed his face in the bedding to hold hisposition and found the spot with one hand and guided his cock withthe other.

He was convinced he had missed thehole at first when he dug holes in the bedding with his toes andmade no progress.

Gasping for air, he backed off andchecked again.

Right place.

Not enough lube.

He dragged his cock back and forththrough the moisture that had gathered along her cleft and thenplugged the head of his cock into the hole again. That time when hedug his toes in the bedding, he could feel a little bump andyielding. Heat baked the head of his cock instantly and he lost thelast of his wits.

Grabbing her in a bear hug,