Protecting Rose by Cheryl Yeko Page B

already wet for me.”
    A sudden sense of unease gripped her. Her heart jumped and her breath quickened.
    His mouth once again claimed hers with a savage intensity that washed away her anxiety, and replaced it with a hot carnal need. The sound of their passion filled the room as his hand moved to the spot between her legs that cried for him. He caressed her through her panties, increasing the gentle rhythm with her moans.
    With a groan of impatience, he slid his hand under the soft material to insert a finger into her warm, sweet spot. He gently caressed the flower that blossomed at her center, and a fire ignited within her.
    “Nate,’ she moaned.
    “Do you like that, Rose?” he asked in a husky voice, filled with passion.
    She stiffened. Those words, they were familiar, but somehow...different.
    The words filled her mind. Do you like that, bitch? She closed her eyes as terror washed over her. Images of a man flashed behind her eyelids and sent her into a state of panic. She became lost between past and present and pushed in desperation at the man that held her down.
    Rose screamed.
     
    Nate’s heart leaped from his chest when Rose began to struggle, then she screamed. For a moment, he was too stunned to react when she pushed him away and scrambled across the bed. But when she fell with a hard thud to the floor with panic-filled eyes and crab-walked away, he snapped out of his stupor.
    Sonofabitch !
    Rose was having a flashback. He’d seen post-traumatic stress enough times in Iraq to know the signs.
    He clenched his fists at his sides and a dark rage consumed him. Every cell in his body boiled with fury at the sight of her suffering. He wanted to kill the bastard that had caused it, wanted to hunt the motherfucker down and make him suffer a slow and painful death. Then he was going to kick his own ass for his part in her pain.
    You should have had better control, Stone. Anger and guilt sucker-punched him.
    Nate stood, took a deep breath to control his rage, and walked to where she lay curled on the floor and knelt down beside her. “Rose. You’re safe, sweetheart. No one’s going to hurt you.”
    His chest tightened with regret at her pain and the sound of her soft moans that filled the room. He leaned down, placed one arm under her legs and the other around her back, and lifted her into his arms. He settled into a chair by the fireplace and cradled her in his lap.
    “Everything’s all right now.” Her body trembled against him as waves of fury rolled over him. There was nothing to do but sit there and wait for her tremors to subside.
    Nate held her close and stroked her hair until her fear fell away. Whatever traumatic memory had pushed her to this state of panic had finally faded.
    “Rose,” he said gently. “Are you with me now?”
    She nodded against his chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
    “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
    “I’m not really sure what happened. One minute we were...we were,” she paused. A blush gave color back to her pale face. “You know.”
    He swept her hair back off her face to palm her cheek. “Yes, I know.” He kept his tone soft and soothing, although his anger percolated just below the surface. He assessed her for any further signs of distress.
    Rose took a deep breath and then continued. “One minute everything was wonderful...more than wonderful. And then...a man’s face flashed in my mind, and I...just panicked.” She shrugged. “I don’t remember much after that.”
    “Do you remember what this man looked like?”
    She shook her head. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
    Nate stroked her hair. “That’s okay. You’re better now?”
    “Yes, I’m fine.” She blushed and reached down and snapped her bra closed. “Besides feeling a little foolish,” she said with a shaky laugh.”
    Nate pushed her trembling fingers aside and buttoned her blouse. He leaned in