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

as we flew over the city. I had to pull out my phone and take pictures. This would probably be my only opportunity to see Tucson from a helicopter.

When Matthew announced that we were approaching Saguaro National Park, I looked over at Zeke with my eyes open wide, and he grinned back at me.

“What can I say? You said you wanted to see it, and this was the best way that didn’t require crutches and lots of walking,” he replied with that adorable grin that I was coming to love.

The views from the sky were amazing, and I was pretty sure the smile never left my face, even though I was still anxious about being in a helicopter. I got some amazing photos, and once I put my phone away, Zeke took my hand in his once again. Over an hour later, we were headed back to the airstrip.

Once the rotors had come to a stop, Zeke stepped down from the helicopter and lifted me to the ground. Then he handed me the crutches. With his hand once again on my back, we made our way back inside the building. After a very sincere thank you to Matthew, Zeke and I headed back to his car.

When we were back on the main road, I could not help exclaiming about what I was now considering an adventure. It had been amazing, even though I was grateful to be back on the ground once again. It had been a thrilling experience, and I could not contain my excitement.

Pulling out my phone, I looked back over the photos I had taken. I had even gotten one of Zeke with that adorable smile on his face. That would definitely be a photo that I treasured for a long time. In fact, it was my favorite out of all of them.

A little while later, I could tell that Zeke had a specific destination in mind. It seemed like we were heading back to the resort, but I was hoping that our time together wasn’t over already. When we pulled down the long drive to the resort, I tried to keep the disappointment from my face, but Zeke surprised me when he pulled up to the main building.

I glanced over at him, but he didn’t say anything. He just opened his door and came around to my side. When he helped me from the car, he stepped towards me and reached around my waist, pulling me against him.

His lips met mine, and I was lost all over again. All rational thought left me, and all I was aware of was his masculine scent, the warmth of his lips on mine, and the heat from his body enveloping me.

His tongue explored my mouth as if he were searching for treasure, and I met his intensity head on. I could not get enough of him or the taste of him. He had my insides turning to mush, and only he and I mattered in that moment.

When he leaned back, his hands tightened around my waist to steady me. A blissful sigh escaped me, and Zeke chuckled. My knees had gone weak, and that was a bad thing, especially considering that I only had one good leg to stand on to begin with. I was even more grateful for the crutches at that moment.

“I told you that I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you, and that means as many hours as you are willing to spend with me,” he said gently. I knew that he was being completely honest and that warmed me inside.

“I’d like that too. When I saw you were heading here to the resort, I thought you were bringing me back,” I admitted softly. He reached up and caressed my cheek, his eyes intently focused on mine. Someone help me, I was drowning again.

“I know you did. I could see it on your face. But actually, this resort has one of my favorite restaurants inside. Will you join me for lunch?” he asked tenderly.

“Of course, I will,” I managed to say on a shaky voice. He took a step back and I settled the crutches under my arms. With his hand once again on my back, we made our way inside the restaurant.

We were seated next to the window, and the view was amazing. The landscaping around the resort was all native plants from the area, and the mountains were a wonderful backdrop in the distance. It was breathtaking.

Once Zeke gave the waitress our order, we talked softly while we waited for our food. We were taking turns asking each other questions to get to know each other better. I’d asked Zeke to order for me since it was his favorite restaurant, and he knew what was good here. I liked pretty much everything.

When the waitress arrived at our table with the food, my eyes opened wide and I glanced over at Zeke. The waitress laid plate after plate on our table until the tray she carried was empty. There was enough food here to easily feed at least eight people.

“I figured this way you could try more. Whatever is left over we can take back to your room. I’m sure it will get eaten over the next few days,” he said with that adorable grin.

For some reason, those words settled me. This was all still new to me, and we had only known each other for two days. Maybe I just had a hard time trusting men in general. I definitely did not have a great track record where men were concerned.

Zeke took one of the two empty plates that the waitress had left on the table and put a little bit of everything on it. Then he set the plate in front of me and began filling the second plate. I took a bite of the pasta and garlic cream sauce and savored the flavor in my mouth.

“You weren’t kidding. This is excellent,” I told him. I could not wait