Because in the next instant, he didn’t care about comfort. Need burst to life inside of him. Savage and wild and focused wholly on her. His tongue slid over her lips. Into her mouth. And he feasted.
A moan whispered from her throat, inflaming him more. Her breasts pushed at him, her nipples tight peaks. Her hands closed around his shoulders and she held on with a strong grip. She kissed him back, her mouth moving with a fierce desire to match.
Zero to sixty…fucking fast. Not about comfort. He was kissing her like a starving, wild man. Only about desire. Lust. White-hot. So hot that he didn’t feel the cold any longer. He could only feel her.
He wanted more.
He wanted everything that Sophie had to give.
And he’d be taking it.
Only…
Not here, not now.
He licked her lower lip. Lex lightly bit that plump temptation. Then he let her slide back down to the ground. Let those sexy heels of hers touch the concrete.
Her eyelashes slowly lifted as she stared up at him. Her eyes—they were darker, hot with lust.
Inside of him, the need built ever higher. I’ll be having her.
There were no more tears on her face. Her lips were redder, swollen now from his mouth. Her cheeks were flushed with color, and she was truly the sexiest thing that he’d ever seen in his life.
He wanted her naked.
He stepped away from her. “I’m not going to apologize for that kiss.”
She didn’t speak. She did lift her hand and touch her lips.
“I’d be lying,” he said, aware that his voice was gravel-rough, “if I told you that I hadn’t thought about kissing you before. See, I’ve been wanting to taste you from the first moment we met.” Back at the police station, weeks ago, when he’d been pretty sure she hated him.
And he’d known he wanted her.
“But I won’t do it again,” he said, making sure to keep his hands at his sides and not grab her again. “I won’t, unless you ask for my mouth. Because you can just be a client. I can just be your bodyguard.” Was that true? He didn’t even know, but he was trying—for her—to play by some kind of rules. A gentleman’s rules? Hell, he wasn’t sure about that. He’d certainly never been accused of being a gentleman.
A rough soldier? Yes.
A dangerous adversary? Hell, yes.
But—
Sophie turned away from him.
Not a good sign.
“I can be your bodyguard.” He had to say this to her. “I can be your lover. The choice is yours, but no matter what…” And he waited until she looked back at him. “I swear, you’ll be safe. No one will hurt you while I’m near. No one.” It was a promise he fully intended to keep.
***
Red blinded him…a furious red to match the rage building inside of him.
Sophie was in front of her home. That blond bastard—he’d been kissing her. Nearly devouring her right there. And Sophie had let him. Not just let him, she’d been on fire for the guy. Grabbing him. Rubbing her body against his. Nearly fucking him right there.
Why? Why couldn’t she learn? The fast fucks that she picked up…those men never cared about her.
They were just there to hurt her. To twist her up even more. To destroy the girl she’d been.
Now Sophie was walking back toward that too flashy car. He was with her. The blond. Holding open her door. Watching her with need plain to see on his face.
This won’t do.
Not at all. The blond wasn’t going to get in his way. The blond wouldn’t keep him from Sophie.
No one would keep him from her. Not ever again.
The blond bastard would have to go because he would not watch while another man tried to destroy his Sophie. Not again.
The blond was fucking in the way.
So he would be eliminated.
Chapter Three
“No, no, absolutely not,” Finn Scott said as he put his hands on his hips and glared at both Dev and Lex. “Hell, no, I haven’t been sneaking into Sophie’s house! And neither have my men!”
Lex narrowed his eyes on the guy. Finn was close to Lex’s height, but with a build that was a little thicker. The guy’s hair was black, his gaze a dark brown, and he wore jeans and a loose sweatshirt as he stood in the middle of his shop.
“Sophie hired me to do a job. I’ve been doing that job perfectly well. This is the first I’ve heard of any complaints.” Finn’s gaze darted between Dev and Lex. “I have my men thoroughly checked out. No one steals, no one—”
“I didn’t accuse you of stealing,” Lex said, keeping his voice expressionless. He’d wanted to come to this little chat himself, to get a feel for the guy. He knew Dev was doing his tech work and digging into Finn’s past, but sometimes, these up-close meetings could reveal so much more.
“Then what are you saying?” Finn blustered. “I don’t like accusations—”
“Who does?” Lex murmured. “But I’m going to need the name and address of every man who has worked at Sophie’s brownstone.”
For an instant, worry flickered in Finn’s gaze. “Not stealing…then what? Did something happen to Sophie?”
Ah, and there it was…exactly what Lex had thought he might find. Real emotion had been in Finn’s voice when he said Sophie’s name. Just like hers had changed when she mentioned this bozo. The guy wasn’t just some handyman she’d hired.
Finn took an aggressive step toward Lex. “Where is Sophie? I called today, checking on the job’s schedule, but she didn’t call me back.”
“She’s in court,” Lex said, his voice smooth. Finn obviously had a problem keeping his emotions under wraps, but Lex didn’t. Not right then, anyway. “And the thing that happened to her, well, someone broke in her house last night.”
Finn’s eyes widened.
“The jerk had a knife,” Lex continued as Dev remained silent at his side, “but Sophie got away from him.”
“She’s hurt?”
Again, emotion broke through his words.
“You sure seem very concerned about Sophie…” He and Dev shared a quick glance. Dev had been quiet, just observing—that was the way the guy usually worked.
“Of course I’m concerned,” Finn blasted at him. “I owe her far more than I could ever repay.”
Now Dev rolled his shoulders and nodded. “Because she got that not guilty verdict for you a few years back.” Dev had dug up that intel fast. “It looked like you were going to be facing fifteen years for that robbery, but—”
“But I didn’t do it,” Finn said as a muscle jerked in his jaw. “And Sophie knew it. She cleared me. I don’t steal. I never have, and I make absolutely sure no man on my crew does it, either.”
Before Lex had dropped Sophie off at court, he’d questioned her about the guy in charge of her repairs. She’d been adamant that Finn Scott couldn’t be involved, and now he was starting to see why. The two of them definitely had a personal relationship.
Sophie, why did you hold that back from me?
“I would do anything for Sophie,” Finn told them. “Anything.”
Lex gave the guy a grim smile. “Glad to hear you say that.” Even if the passion in the other man’s tone had Lex’s back teeth grinding together. “Because you can start that ‘anything’ by giving us the names of the men on your crew—names and addresses.” Just as he’d said before.
But suspicion flashed on Finn’s face. “I don’t even know who the hell you are. I mean, you bust in here, throwing Sophie’s name around, and you’re—”
“I’m the man who’s looking after Sophie’s interests. The man who is keeping her safe.”
Finn seemed to measure him. “I don’t remember seeing you with Sophie before…”
Lex opened his mouth to respond, but Dev beat him to the punch. “It’s not for you to remember. He’s been there. He was the man who pulled Sophie out of that death trap that Daniel Duvato left for her, and he’s the man who’s been with her since then.”
&nb
sp; Finn’s jaw jutted into the air.
“If you’ll do anything for her, then give us the names.” Lex held Finn’s stare. “I’m asking politely this time. If I have to ask again…” And he bared his teeth, the smile definitely the unfriendly variety. He’d been told by more than a few people that he had a fucking cold smile. A real killer. “It won’t be so politely.”
Finn swallowed. “I’ll get the names. For Sophie, got it?”
What the hell ever. He just wanted the list.
Finn turned away. Hurried to his desk. Lex followed behind him and when he got a look at the picture on the guy’s desk, the framed image of a smiling Sophie, Finn, and Ethan Barclay, his gut clenched.
That picture wasn’t new. It looked like Sophie was about eighteen. Smiling. Happy.
And she’d known Finn for that long?
Hell, that woman had to stop keeping secrets. If she wanted his help, she had to tell him everything.
Finn reached out and his fingers curled around the photo. “Didn’t know about that, did you?” Finn asked, his voice soft, carrying no farther than to Lex. “You might be her new lover, but I’ve been with her through the blood and tears.”
Blood and tears.
Lex could still taste her tears.
Finn’s grip tightened on the photo. “And I’ll be there, long after you’re gone. Sophie never keeps lovers long these days. You’re all expendable to her.” His lip twisted. “Same type. Jerks who like to threaten. Jerks who think they have so much power.” Then he laughed. “But when are you going to see? When it comes to Sophie, you have no power. You have nothing at all.”
***