For Her Protection: An Alpha Romance by Amber Bardan Page B

chest in a way that made silly sound a crap-load more like sexy .
    His gaze flicked up to hers. She gasped and then his mouth was on hers, his tongue stroking inside her lips. She grabbed his skull, drawing him closer. The nearness wasn’t enough; she wanted him to crush her, make her feel everything. He ran his hands over her body, over her back. His touch burned skin.
    He coaxed her to open her mouth wider, to give him full access and showed her he knew how to use his tongue—made her long to really have him use it on her. Her chest squeezed but this time the ache was sweet. He threw the covers aside and rolled on top of her, then drew her knee to his waist and gave her a glimpse of the restrained hunger lying under his sweet kiss. She fidgeted, impatient, wanting the harder bite of his desire.
    Wanted his fist in her hair, and that threadbare control that made her feel like the sexiest women alive no matter what anyone said.
    She pushed his shoulders, used enough strength to break the kiss. He gazed at her, hesitation palpable in the way he held himself still. She fought the urge to bite him. To provoke him to lose control. The appeal of polite sex disintegrated at about the same time Conner showed her exactly what else there was on offer. She wanted what she’d tasted in her office. But when he looked at her like this, as if he feared he might crush her in his hands—she felt as if she were made of glass.
    Words jammed in her throat. “I thought you said you were going to prove you want to do a lot more than kiss me?”
    His eyes flashed, his jaw clenched and his body turned to steel above her. Her core responded, flooding with need.
    He grasped her thighs, jerked her hips higher then grabbed her pajama pants at the hips, and tugged. Her breath hitched but her pussy throbbed in anticipation. He dragged the pants down and off her legs.
    Her hips arched. Yes this was it, this was the Connor she needed. The Connor who would shake her out and let her come apart.
    The faint tinkle of music cut through the room. Connor paused. The bad-boys ringtone stripped the focus from his features.
    Not going to happen. She needed him now and nothing was going to distract him. Charlie raised her hand and slammed her palm into the side of his cheek. His head didn’t turn but his eyes shut briefly. When they opened she questioned her impulsiveness.
    His eyes raged lust. In an explosion of movement he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. His erection grazed her pussy through his shorts. The ringtone grew louder and he panted above her, his temples ticking.
    Connor squeezed her wrists. “You stay right here and get ready. You’re in serious trouble.” He released her wrists, drew his phone out of his back pocket and stared at the screen. “I won’t be long.”
    He climbed out of her bed and pressed the phone to his ear, strolling to the door. The door shut behind him and all she could do was stare a hole through it.
    “You’re in serious trouble.”
    She grinned. Hopefully he’d hold her down.
    She sat up and noticed he’d laid the throw from the end of her bed across the floor to cover the broken glass. Shit, she really had freaked out. She ran her fingers over her face. Her chest still ached with tightness, her head still buzzed. An icy sensation crept through her.
    She’d felt this sneaking up on her over the last months, the panicky feeling that continued to build no matter how deep she buried it. She rolled over and opened her side table drawer and pulled out a small bottle. The label said one but she took two. She had to hold it together a little longer.
    No way she’d let herself break.
    She swallowed the pills out of her palm. They grazed their way down her throat but she couldn’t be bothered to go get water. She lay back against her pillows, shut her eyes and waited.
    ***
    Connor paced the guest bathroom, giving focus to his conversation. His raging cock would have to wait a god-damn moment before