Read Online Under His Protection by Karen Erickson - Free Book Online Page B

wanted them damp from his
kisses instead.
    “Mason,” she whispered. The sound aching and
needy, it called to his achy and needy heart.
    Leaning in, he dipped his head, his mouth
hovering above hers. He shouldn’t do this. He shouldn’t kiss her,
because once his lips touched hers, there was no going back. He
didn’t think he’d be strong enough to stop.
    She slid her hands up his arms, her palms
lingering, softly stroking and he breathed deep, tried to gain some
sort of control. He had no idea her touch could affect him so
strongly. Had no idea she could affect him so strongly.
    This little bit of a woman, with the
troubled and vulnerable heart, was slowly squirming into is life.
And he didn’t want to stop her.
    Blake wrapped her arms around his neck,
buried her fingers in his hair. Her caresses felt good, so good. He
closed his eyes, his strength, his resistance slipping away with
every breath he took, every tender touch she gave him.
    And because he wasted too much time, Blake
took matters into her own hands. Tilting her head, she brushed her
mouth against his. It was as if a spark ignited between them. Harsh
and bright, burning so fast he was instantly consumed.
    Just like that. Overwhelmed with sensation,
with the fact he was actually kissing Blake.
    And as predicted, he didn’t want to
stop.

    Mason wrapped his arm around Blake, cradling
her close with such gentleness, she wanted to weep. He cupped her
cheek with his other hand, his fingers stroking, cherishing her,
touching her so gently she wanted to weep. Oh, and his mouth, firm
and strong and soft all at once. Coaxing her with delicious
persistence, her lips parted with his every stroke until finally,
his tongue touched the center of her bottom lip before it swept the
interior of her mouth.
    She wanted to die from bliss. Her dream had
finally come true. In Mason’s arms, his mouth locked on hers,
breathing his breath, touching him. His hair was silky soft,
curling around her fingers and she tunneled them into the thick
mass, clutching his head close.
    It was as if she couldn’t stop touching
him.
    She opened her mouth wider, letting him in,
and he took advantage. His tongue curled around hers, the kiss
turning instantly deep and hot. He clutched her face almost
desperately and she shifted closer, wanting to be next to him, on
top of him, all over him.
    As if reading her mind, he hauled her close
until she toppled over him. Their mouths still fused, she slid her
hands down, over his firm shoulders, his hard as granite arms.
Across his broad chest, she rested her palm against the center,
over his racing heart. It thundered against her hand, nearly as
fast as her own, and it thrilled her. She affected him just as much
as he did her.
    She wanted him naked. She wanted him inside
her. There was no need for foreplay, no need for the preamble that
usually came with sex. Her panties were soaked, her breasts full
and achy and her body tingled for more. They’d get to the good and
slow stuff later.
    Right now, she wanted it hard and fast.
    Straddling his hips, she pushed him against
the back of the couch, nipping at his lips with her teeth, her
hands fiddling with the hem of his T-shirt. She made contact with
bare, hot flesh and he shivered at her touch, making her smile.
    Making him break the kiss.
    Blake opened her eyes to find him staring at
her, his lips swollen and parted, his breathing accelerated, as if
he’d just run a long and exhausting race.
    She felt much the same way. Her heart beat
so hard, she was sure he could see it throb beneath her shirt and
she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat, trying to find
words.
    He found them first.
    “Blake.” The tone of his voice set off about
a thousand alarms, all of them clanging loudly, ringing in her
ears. “We...can’t.”
    Shaking her head, she rested a single finger
against his mouth, silencing him. She stroked his soft bottom lip
with the tip of her finger, learning the curve of it,