Protecting Fate Read Online Free

without climbing up onto the mattress with her. It was unprofessional in the extreme, and a terrible idea in the mix, but he found himself doing just that. She was temptation personified, lying on the bed, her pale body framed by red sheets, her golden hair a tangle around her, her legs spread in open invitation.
    Not an invitation for me . He had to remember that. She was a body to guard, not a woman he could touch. But Z found himself running his hand from her shoulder to her wrist, marveling at how soft her skin was, and then reached for the cuff. He closed the Velcro around her and tugged on it. “Too tight?”
    “Just right.” A flush spread across her chest, and she seemed to be breathing a little faster.
    He should get off the bed and move away. He knew it. But instead he sat onto the mattress next to her, letting himself look his full. “He’s a lucky man.”
    “That goes without saying.” She watched his face, frowning as if she couldn’t quite work something out. “I have a question for you, Z.”
    He dropped his gaze to the scrap of cloth covering the dip between her thighs. He could swear it was damp from her desire. His control fractured a little more. “What?”
    “Do you want me?” Her voice seduced him as thoroughly as the sight of her body. “I can feel your eyes on me. Do you want to touch me?”
    Yes. Fuck, yes. He was actually reaching out to do just that when he caught himself. What the fuck was he doing? Not only was she his charge, but she was Garrett’s little sister. He should have put a stop to this the second she took off her clothes instead of letting her coax him closer, until he was actually considering taking her up on the offer that blazed from her eyes. Z snatched his hand back and pushed off the bed so fast, it was only his quick reflexes that kept him from tripping.
    Those blue eyes gave no mercy. “Maybe you’re more of a watcher. Would you like to sit there on that chair and watch me touch myself?”
    Yes . He gritted his teeth. “No.”
    “Liar.”
    It dawned on him that this woman was trained by the same man who trained Garrett. She could read his interest, even as he tried to hide it. Shit. Z turned away, closing his eyes, but it did no good. The sight of a half-naked Sara Reaver would be imprinted in his mind from now until kingdom come.
    “You need to be protected,” he said.
    “You’re more than welcome to stay.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “I like an audience.”
    He couldn’t be sure of his reactions if he did stay. He had no claim on this woman, but the thought of sitting and watching another man touch her… Z couldn’t do it. So he walked to the door, keeping his back to her. “I’ll be at your apartment tomorrow at seven. Be ready.”
    Then he fled. There was no other word for it. He could comfort himself with calling it a tactical retreat, but the truth was he hustled out of there as if there were hounds of hell on his heels.

Chapter Three
    Sara huffed out a breath. She’d only meant to poke at Z, but the sheer want in his eyes when he looked at her had been unexpected, to say the least. And she’d responded. Of course she’d responded—she’d have to be dead not to. The man was tempting in a way she never would have expected from hearing stories about him. He’d looked at her like he was the big bad wolf, and if she made a wrong move, he’d be only too happy to gobble her up.
    There had been men who’d wanted her—she was attractive enough that she never had to worry about her dance card being empty—but it was like the difference between a puppy and a junkyard dog. If she had half a brain in her head, she’d chalk this up to temporary insanity and pretend it never happened.
    She dropped back onto the pillows and sighed. Obviously it had been too much to ask for a night of hot sex with no strings attached before she was shipped off. She and Nolan weren’t anywhere near her three date/fuck limit, but now she couldn’t dredge