The Protection

Thirty-Eight

A week had passed since I buried the bunny in a nice, shallow grave on a patch of land outside of the park with beautiful sunshine and a big oak tree. A place that was quiet. I hadn't heard from Kyler, and I was unsure if I ever would again. I could only guess he had taken my advice and left again, this time for good. I pretended like it didn't bother me, that I had meant my words and not just been angry and hurt, but even I couldn't fool myself. As independent as I aspired to be, I knew deep down I needed Kyler. And not only for his Protection.

I tried to fill his Brown Eyed void with quality time with Beth, but no amount of partying or dancing on bars had given me solace. The blue recycling basin in our kitchen was overflowing with empty red wine bottles and candles that were burned to their metallic bases. Every night this week we sat on our couch, charcoal beauty masks adorning our faces, nervously munching on kettle corn as the horror movie marathon raged on. Beth's favorite. She had seen practically every film, even laughing in the scariest moments. I, on the other hand, never really appreciated horror flicks much. They made me feel jumpy and uneasy and the marathon was no different. Every character hacked to death reminded me of the bunny, but I snuggled closer to Beth, feeling safe.

We finally ventured out of the apartment on Friday night to the local country bar where we did a lot of dancing and even more drinking. Beth disappeared a few hours after we arrived with some random good-looking guy who resembled her typical movie star type, Scott be damned. Meanwhile, I was forced to stumble home alone, an idiotic idea on my part since the rabbit killer was still on the loose and I still felt on edge from all the scary movies. I fumbled with my keys, then fell into the living room around eleven thirty, throwing my shoes into each corner. My denim dress clung to my hips as I staggered down the hallway.

"Kiss me in the dark," I shrieked as I sashayed and slammed open my bedroom door with a flourish of my arms, like I was the female lead in a racy country music video. I shimmied and twirled to the music in my mind before I stumbled over a pile of laundry in my doorway. I grunted and flipped my hair back, kicking at the infamous black t-shirt that had tripped me. I carefully stood up and grabbed my phone, blasting the Texas Country station, wiggling my hips and turning in circles as Randy Rogers' smooth voice filled the room. Suddenly, a familiar large hand clutched my waist, spinning me around so I was face to face with the most mesmerizing pair of golden Brown Eyes.

"Hi." He breathed.

"Hi." I responded, feeling breathless to be back in those strong arms again. Our last conversation all but forgotten in an instant.

He spun me around, dodging landmines of laundry until he pulled me flush against his chest so I could feel his rhythmic heartbeat, two stepping to the music. Nothing about Kyler should surprise me any longer, but I still threw my head back and howled with laughter as he dipped me grandly. I felt so high when I was in his presence.

"I didn't know you knew how to dance too," I teased.

"I spent a summer as a Protector in west Texas, outside of Amarillo, when I was sixteen," Kyler yelled over the music. "My first assignment. A rich cattle farmer with quite a few enemies. Who knew cattle could be so deadly?" His smile was stunning, but I felt mine fade away as the word Protector crossed his perfect lips. I pulled away from him and turned off the music, slumping down onto my bed. The elation I felt moments ago had popped like a lead filled balloon. No amount of smooth dance moves or dazzling smiles changed our difficult situation. He was a Protector who was engaged and in love with someone else.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I wrapped my long hair around my fingers and tugged at the ends. He sat down slowly next to me.

"You deserve an explanation," he admitted. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"There's a first time for everything," I snickered, but he ignored me, reaching out to unwrap my fingers from my hair.

"The night you saw me with Alana, we weren't getting back together. We were breaking up." My eyebrows rose all the way to my hairline. "I told her I needed some space, and that I couldn't marry her until I figured out some things," he continued. I shook my head, feeling the cheap tequila swirling around. This couldn't be real. "Ideally, I don't want to marry her at all, but that is an entirely different conversation, one in which I would have to include the entire Protection. Breaking a promised marriage is rare and extremely messy for everyone involved." He took my hand, and I looked down at our fingers intertwined. The fiery connection coursed through me. "Plus, I missed you. You pushed me away, and said you didn't need me, even though someone was after you. Despite you not thinking I can protect you, I promise I would never let anything happen to you. The idea of anyone hurting you makes me insane with anger, like I want to rip their head off." I fought back my smile despite his homicidal honesty. "I think the worst part though was when you said you were just a job to me." His brown eyes searched mine, the hurt in them evident. "You are so much more than just a job to me Perry. Can't you see that? You are everything." My breath caught somewhere deep in my lungs. This was better than even my best bathtub fantasy.

"You're everything to me too." I breathed watching his eyes light up, an electric shade of honey. "Which is why I broke up with Ben," I admitted as he pushed some of the hair away from my face. "And I know you would protect me, at any cost, but you've been keeping things from me. You still haven't explained my father's role in any of these threats," I prodded, searching his eyes.

"I know, and I promise I will. You deserve answers. Just not tonight." He shook his head. I was about to demand further until he placed both his large hands on my face and kissed me. Deeply. Making my toes curl inside of my cowboy boots. His lips moved quickly against mine, his tongue so hungry to taste me again. My cheeks lit up beneath his finger tips. My lips betrayed me, burning fire with each kiss. My whole body was aflame. I climbed onto his lap, unable to contain myself anymore, my legs straddling his lap, grinding my hips on him as we kissed. We broke apart, his eyes questioning mine. I bit my lip and nodded as he pulled my dress zipper down my side, his fingertips leaving goose bumps in their wake. His words from the library lingered in the air.

"I want you," I whispered again.

"I want you too," he growled as his lips conquered mine again. We fell back onto my bed, his mouth exploring me until I was gasping for air. Electrocutions of pleasure sparked throughout my entire body. My hands gripped his hair as his head disappeared below my sheets. His mouth moved in ways I had never felt before, expertly, until I couldn't take anymore, crying out against my pillow. Satisfied, he leisurely kissed up my stomach and across my chest before his lips found mine again.

"We should stop," he whispered. I raked my fingers through his hair, shaking my head. Stop?! Why would we do that?! Not. Again. He'd broken off his engagement, and we could finally be together. He put a finger to my lips and pulled my head onto his chest. "I only have a few more minutes until midnight, and I'm on duty tomorrow. The Protection will be able to see all of this, and I don't want to share you with them. I want you all to myself."

"Why can't they see this now?" I asked, lifting my head.

"Because today is my day off. They believe in at least a little privacy and don't track us while we're off duty." He made the tracking sound positive and normal, but I still found the thought of that procedure extremely bizarre and intrusive. He smiled, his perfect white teeth glowing in the dark, and I crawled on top of him once more unable to control myself.

"If that's the case, let's stop talking." I had craved this for so long, and now I couldn't imagine not having him. Kissing him felt like breathing to me. Our mouths moved slowly, passionately, our hands exploring one another until he flipped me onto my back again, breathless.

"You are making this self control thing really hard," he said, and I smiled against his lips.

"I can tell how hard it is," I said, sliding a hand beneath his shorts. He closed his eyes and gripped onto my wrist as he pulled my hand back. "Okay, okay Cinderella," I teased. "We'll just have to pick up where we left off." He smiled again and held me close. I traced a finger down his strong chest. I noticed on the left side, under his arm, sat three thin black lines, each one about an inch long. I traced the tattoo with my fingers. How had I not noticed this before?

"My mark. All Protectors have one. They are given to us at graduation. Three lines signifying protecting ourselves, protecting each other, and protecting those who are unable to protect themselves." I smiled at him as I fingered the last line. The one that meant he would always protect me.