Protect Me (23 page)

As the warm August night under the star-filled sky and Nate’s warm body lure me towards sleep, I consider saying the words that are sitting on the tip of my tongue. Those three little words that I swore I would never say again. Never would I give my heart to someone. Never would I give someone the opportunity to destroy me. Even though I know that Nate and Garrett are as different as night and day, I can’t help but keep that little part of myself closed off.
 

Someday, maybe.  
 

Right now, I will just live in this moment with him, in his arms.
 

It’s the safest place in the world.
 

I had a hard time falling asleep last night. The night had been absolutely perfect. The wedding was great, sure, but my time with Lia after we left the reception was magical. Yeah, I said it. Magical.
 

I told her things - the truth - while I made love to her. I know it freaked her out - shit, it freaked me the hell out. It was written all over her face as she fought the emotions. She looked so happy and scared all at the same time. The tears gathering in her eyes almost gutted me. So, I didn’t say anything else for the rest of the night. I couldn’t. I was afraid I was going to declare my love and send her running for the hills. So I kept that shit to myself and just held her as tightly as I could while she slept. Besides, I can’t exactly tell her yet if I don’t know what it all means myself.
 

Lia stirs next to me. It was comfortable enough outside that I never moved us inside the tent. As long as we had the blanket to cover up with and our bodies were pressed against one another, we didn’t need the shelter. We only needed each other.
 

I run my hand down her naked side and around to the soft globe of her ass. Damn, I love her body. Lia
rubs her nose against my neck and grinds her core against my hip leaving a trail of wetness. Fuck yeah.
 

I not-so-gently pull her on top of my body so she’s straddling me. Her brown hair is wild from sleep and hanging down around her face and her makeup is a mess. She looks just as beautiful in the early morning light as she did last night under the stars. My cock is painfully hard as I watch her and memorize every part of her. Her face. Her smile. Her body. I want it all committed to memory where I can pull one out at the drop of a hat and be with her.
 

“Good morning,” she murmurs with a small smile.
 

“It will be in a few minutes,” I say with a cocky smile as I grip her hips and move her around on my rock hard dick.
 

“Hmmm, this is one hell of a way to wake a woman up,” she says as she rises up on her knees a little.
 

“You’re lucky I let you sleep for as long as I did,” I reply as I prepare to enter her again.
 

Lia reaches over and grabs my wallet, removing a little foil package from within. She makes quick work of sheathing me before positioning herself above me. She lowers herself down, taking me all the way in. The feel of my beautiful woman surrounding me, riding me to oblivion, is the last thought I process for the next twenty minutes.
 

My entire family is already at the house when we get up there from our little camping excursion. I take Lia’s hand in mine as I lead her towards the back door. When we enter, Mom, Avery, Josselyn, and Erin’s mom, Jane, are busily whipping up breakfast. I can smell sausage and bacon frying, as well as the sweet scent of waffles and maple syrup.
 

“Good morning,” Mom says as I place a gentle kiss on her check.
 

“Morning,” I reply as Lia offers her own, “Good morning.”
 

“We’re going to shower real quick,” I tell my mom as I lead Lia out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. The sounds of kids and male laughter is pouring from the family room. I do my best to not draw attention as we head up the stairs.
 

“About time you decided to join us, douche. Mom was going to send one of us down there to find you, but none of us wanted to risk seeing your lilywhite ass naked,” Jake thunders from the entryway of the family room with a cocky smile.
 

“My ass is perfection, Jake, or so I’m told,” I holler over my shoulder as I wink at Lia and continue to make our way up the stairs.
 

I enter the first room at the top of the stairs. “This is the nursery room for the babies,” I tell her. “It
was Avery’s old room and there’s a small bathroom right there,” I say as I point to the closed door. “You can take a shower in there. I’ll be across the hall in the guest room using the other bathroom.”
 

I take a quick shower in my old bathroom and head across the hall to check on Lia as soon as I’m dressed. I knock softly as I open the door. The sight before me is breathtaking. Lia is wearing a towel, standing next to the bed, and pulling out the clothes I packed for her. Her wet brown hair is combed through and hanging down her back. My fingers tingle to run through the wet locks.
 

“What?” she asks with a concerned look on her face.
 

“Nothing,” I reply and clear my throat. “You’re stunning.”
 

A small smile spreads over her lush lips. My legs move entirely on their own as I stalk towards her, taking her towel-clad body against my own.
 

“I’d give my left nut to be able to explore your body right now with my tongue,” I whisper against her ear.
 

Lia’s breath catches in her throat. The throat that I crave. I run my hands up the smooth column of her neck, longing to trace the path with my tongue. How is it humanly possible to want a woman as much as I want her?
 

“Later,” I say, mostly to myself. “Get dressed
quickly before I say screw it and rip that towel from your body.”  I step back, knowing that if I don’t let go of her in that instant, I never will let go of her. I quickly turn around, adjusting the tightness in my shorts, and walk towards the door.
 

As I reach the door, something hits me in the back. A towel.
 

I turn around just in time to see a flash of bare skin disappear through the bathroom doorway. The door closes with a definite latch as the lock engages.
 

Probably a good thing. Otherwise, we’d be very, very late for breakfast.
 

 My family is in jovial spirits as we all gather outside under the warm morning sun as Jake and Erin open gifts. Both are smiling from ear to ear and I’m assuming it has nothing to do with the presents on the table next to them. I want to tease him and ask him what happened to my cocky, bed-hopping brother I knew and loved. The one who swore he would never settle down and get married. But as I watch them steal glances and pass each other knowing smiles, I know exactly what happened. He fell in love. And Jake fell hard.
 

I link my fingers through Lia’s fingers as she sits next to me on the chaise lounge. My mind wanders to the vow I, myself, made all those years ago. Never
marry. No kids. I was always going to be the cool uncle, spoiling every single niece and nephew I got. When did my own plan blow up in my face like a ticking bomb?
 

Oh, that’s right. The day Lia knocked me on my ass with a pan to the skull.
 

I watch as Grant army crawls up to me. He’ll be one in just a couple of months and I can’t wait to give him the battery operated Mustang that I found online. His dad is going to hate it. I can’t wait.
 

I realize real quick that Grant isn’t climbing up on my lap like he usually does. No, Grant is pulling himself up on Lia. She reaches down and helps him up with a smile on her beautiful face. My nephew did the same thing repeatedly at the wedding reception last night. When did I become second fiddle?
 

I watch as Grant sits contently on Lia’s lap, watching as Jake and Erin dive into the pile of gifts. Bean is busy helping Jake open each present placed before him while Ryder continually grabs the discarded wrapping paper and sticks it in his mouth. Maddox digs more soggy paper out of his son’s mouth before pulling him back over to the bench he was sitting on with Avery. Travis and Josselyn are sitting under the big oak tree, stealing a moment together while Grant is distracted. Will sits over to the side, arms crossed over his chest, with a smile on his face as he watches Bean tear into another present. Mom and Dad are sitting on the two-person swing, their fingers linked contently together on
Mom’s lap, while watching all of their children and grandchildren.
 

This is my family. We fight, we laugh, we cry. Together.
 

I lift Lia’s fingers up to my lips and place a gentle kiss on her soft skin. Grant gives me the stink eye and says, “No.”
 

Seriously?
 

I give him my best stern, bad uncle look which doesn’t seem to faze him at all. He pulls on Lia’s hand, prying her linked fingers from my own.
 

Huh. Well, Mr. Grant Michael Stevens
used
to be my favorite nephew. Apparently, the fact that we share a middle name means nothing to the toddler.
 

“Thank you, everyone, for coming this morning. Mom and Jane, thank you for the delicious breakfast. And thank you for all of your help with the presents, Bean,” Jake says with a big grin to his niece. “The gifts are great. I’m sure Erin is excited to get back to the house and get them put away.”
 

“More excited about watching you help wash and dry, big boy,” Erin says with a sassy smile.
 

“But, there’s a game on this afternoon, darlin’,” Jake says with a helpless look on his face.
 

Erin just smiles, and watching Jake realize that he’s lost the fight before it’s even started is the best thing I’ve seen in forever. His face falls and he drops down to his chair with a pout.
 

“And so it begins, son,” Dad says with a big smile from the swing.
 

“Actually, we have something else,” Jake says as he stands back up, pulling Erin up with him this time. “We were going to save this for when we get back next week from the honeymoon, but I think some of you have already figured it out.”
 

I tense up a little as I wait for the words to come from my oldest brother’s mouth. Jake, the man who was never settling down, is about to confirm what we suspected last night.
 

“Erin and I are having a baby,” he says through a big, cheesy grin. His lips seek out his wife’s as the family around me erupts into cheers.
 

I stand up and get in line, preparing to shake the hand of my closest brother and kiss the cheek of my new sister-in-law. Lia hangs back a little, trying to give the family the space to celebrate. I link my fingers through hers again and gently tug her towards my family.
 

“Congratulations, brother,” I tell Jake as I shake his hand, pulling him in to give him the standard one-armed shoulder guy hug.
 

“Thank you,” he says, squeezing my shoulder tightly. “I still can’t fucking believe it,” he adds with a blinding smile.
 

“Mom, Uncle Jake said a bad word,” Brooklyn tattles from next to Jake.
 

“Jake,” Avery scolds, leaving the word hanging
open.
 

“Sorry,” Jake says with his trademarked cocky grin and wink.
 

“Congrats, sweetheart,” I tell Erin as I give her a big hug.
 

“Thank you,” she whispers as she holds on tight. It’s hard to picture this petite woman as anything other than the happy, loving woman she is. She had a rough childhood growing up as a military child, moving from place to place, but she’s finally found her roots. She’s found her home with my brother. And now I’ll have another niece or nephew.
 

“Hey, that’s my wife. Get your own,” Jake says behind me as he grabs my shirt. I throw a kiss on her flush cheek before Jake rips his wife completely from my grip.
 

“I hope you have triplet girls,” I throw over my shoulder at my instantly quiet brother. It takes a lot to make his big mouth zip it, but I think I’ve actually succeeded. I look over at Lia who has a genuine happy smile on her face. Those smiles are so few and far between. I see them when we’re alone, but not nearly enough when we’re with other people. She gives Erin a huge hug and whispers something into her ear. Erin squeezes back as they exchange hugs for several moments.
 

Lia has been alone in this world for too long. First, as an unwanted pregnancy to a teenage mother.
Then, to a prick of a man. Hell, he isn’t even a man. Any scum that thinks it is okay to knock around a woman deserves a slow, painful torture which leads to death. If I ever come face to face with Garrett Monahan, there’s no telling what I’ll do to him. It’ll be painful, I do know that.
 

I head inside the kitchen while the crowd starts to settle down. I grab a quick bottle of water from the fridge and pace. I don’t need the drink, but I feel like I need to do something. And this is a hell of a lot better than ripping the limbs off of someone right now.
 

After several minutes, I finally feel my blood pressure coming down. My breathing is returning to normal and my fists don’t feel the need to tighten like a boxer ready for his upcoming match. I walk over to the small window over the sink. Lia is standing by Josselyn and pushing Grant in one of the little swings. Grant is smiling from ear to ear and Lia seems to be just as happy.
 

“Have you told her yet?” Mom says from behind me. She has that stealthy Mom-mode that makes her unheard until the last possible second. That’s usually when she’s caught one of us into something we weren’t supposed to be into.