His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

suddenly become my whole world, but there were still some things that I needed to discover about her. There were too many unanswered questions, and I intended to fill in those blanks for her.

Once she fell asleep, I slowly made my way from the bed. Reaching for my jeans, I pulled out my cellphone. I sent a text to Brady asking him to look into Chelsea’s birth mother, Marissa Feldman.

I needed to know who she was and why Chelsea could heal like a shifter. After I sent Brady everything that I knew, I crawled back into the bed and pulled Chelsea into my arms. With her head on my shoulder, and my arm around her back, I closed my eyes.

Chapter 9

Chelsea

When I woke the next morning, the first thing I became aware of was the heat coming from the body beside me. My eyes flew open in alarm, but then I saw Zeke. He was still asleep, so I held completely still and studied him closely.

Last night had been the most amazing night of my life. I could feel my pussy getting wet just thinking about it. My fingers itched to reach out and touch him, but I didn’t want to disturb him just yet. My eyes roamed over his pecs, and I was sure that I had never seen more muscular ones.

His biceps were large enough that it looked like he was flexing in his sleep. It was clear why his security company was so successful. I felt small next to him. I knew my body was fit, but my 5’8” had nothing on his height and build.

“Do you like what you see?” Zeke asked, his eyes still closed. I chuckled.

“How do you know what I am looking at if your eyes are closed?” I asked him. Now that he was awake, I reached out and spread my hand out over his chest. Wow! Holy moly, the muscles in this man. I had felt all of them last night, but in the daylight, he was even more impressive.

“You must do some heavy lifting. Do you have a home gym?” I asked him, and he laughed. Then he opened his eyes and turned on his side and looked at me.

He reached his hand up to my cheek, his thumb rubbing over my lips. I sighed at his tenderness. I really didn’t know this man, but it seemed like I was tied to him somehow. His next words surprised me.

“No regrets?” he asked me, and I studied his eyes for a moment. Then I shook my head.

“No regrets,” I whispered back. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. That touch warmed my insides, and then he leaned back.

“Are you ready to see Tucson?” he asked next, surprising me at the sudden change of topic. I must have given him a funny look because he laughed again.

“I told you that I was going to show you the town, and I have already made plans for us. Let me take a look at that ankle first,” he said, and I reluctantly agreed.

He threw the covers off both of us, and goosebumps instantly covered my skin. It was cold in the room, but the heated look that Zeke gave me as his eyes roamed my body sent a wave of heat through me. He sat up and moved to the end of the bed and gently lifted my foot.

His fingers pressed all around the formerly extremely painful and swollen ankle, but there were only a few places that were still tender. He looked down at me and his eyes met mine.

“Does that hurt at all?” he asked me with a look of concern.

“It’s a bit tender in some places, but it doesn’t hurt like before,” I assured him.

I had always healed quickly, especially from bruises. Sure, it was something that was unnatural for everyone else, but I had just always been that way. When he stood from the bed and reached for my hand, I put my hand in his and let him help me up.

“You might be off those crutches even sooner than we thought,” he said with a smile, helping me to sit up.

It was about an hour later that Zeke held the door open and we headed to his car. It had surprised me when I had been able to put some weight on my right foot without much pain. Maybe Zeke had been right, and the sprain wasn’t as bad as we thought it had been. However, he had insisted that I use the crutches today to be safe.

Once we left the resort, we drove for about fifteen minutes and I studied our surroundings out the window. It was so beautiful here. When he pulled into a little café, he parked the car. Then he got out and came around and helped me from the car. We made our way inside.

“I figured we’d start with breakfast today,” Zeke told me when we had been seated. “I have a busy few days planned if you think you are up to it,” he continued with that adorable smile on his lips.

It took me a minute to reply, and when my eyes met Zeke’s, he gave me a concerned look. I reached across the table and laid my hand over his. He turned his hand and laced our fingers together.

“I am up for whatever you have planned, as long as it isn’t a lot of walking,” I finally said. The adorable smile spread across his face once again. His smile made my stomach do flip flops.

“I could always carry you,” he said in an amused tone, and I laughed. But then his expression turned serious again.

“There’s something more though, isn’t there?” he asked.

I squeezed his hand, not wanting to let go. Somehow, he had learned to read me well in the short time that we had spent together, and it surprised me. He seemed more in tune to my emotions than any boyfriend of mine in the past had ever been.