Page 42 of Protected
“Had to try. I’m going to box up my files. The intruder only touched the top two drawers. The bottom two seem untouched. I’ll have to wait until they return my laptop to do a full inventory, but if he took something my guess is, he found it in the second drawer since he didn’t bother dumping the other two. I need to talk to Gage because the top to drawers had Club Exposure membership information in it. I think I’m going to be sick.”
He pulled her close. “This isn’t your fault, baby. Let’s get out of here while it’s clear. You can call Gage from the car.”
He helped her box up the files and loaded them into his car. On the way home, the storm picked up again. Bradley reached over and squeezed her hand as rain bounced off the windshield at a stoplight. He didn’t want to push her, but he wanted to know where her dislike of storms came from. Few people enjoyed bad weather, but he could tell Darci was legitimately afraid. For now, he would just be there for her and make her feel as safe as possible and hope she would open up to him one day.
Back in his apartment, Darci stifled a yawn.
“Someone is tired.”
“It’s been a long, wonderful day. I’m glad I got to show you some of the more touristy parts of the city. Your sunrise was pretty great too. Even if it was at an ungodly hour. I just love D.C.”
“Have you ever thought of moving out of the city?”
“Never! I’ve always been a city girl.”
“I grew up in Arkansas, where even the big cities are small town compared to here, but Dad was always traveling to D.C., so I got used to the hustle and bustle. I think sometimes I want to have a quiet place out of town, though.”
“I’ve never been to Arkansas. It sounds... quaint.”
He laughed. “I’ll take you sometime. It’s not so bad.” He could see that the suggestion of taking her to his parents freaked her out, so he changed the subject.
“Tell me more about growing up in D.C. Did you go to college in the area?”
Darci tensed and her face fell.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. We can talk about something else.”
“No. It’s OK. I went to college in Maryland. It just wasn’t a great time in my life, and I would rather not talk about it right now.”
“I understand. I won’t pry.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Can we watch something silly on TV?”
“Of course, baby girl. You know I like snuggling on the couch with you.”
Bradley opened another bottle of wine, and they settled onto the couch and turned on the TV.. Darci snuggled close to him on the sofa. He said nothing, just enjoyed the moment as he flipped channels.. They settled on a stand-up comic and spent the next hour laughing. As the credits rolled, he pulled her closer to him and she sighed.
“Thanks for tonight, Bradley.”
Looking down at her, he smiled.
“Of course.”
As she smiled up at him, he was once again struck by her angelic beauty. Her lips looked soft and kissable, and he couldn’t resist any longer.
He lowered his head to hers slowly, giving her time to adjust to the idea of him kissing her again. When she didn’t pull away, he continued until their lips met, and she moaned into his mouth. He took that opportunity to plunge his tongue between her lips and explore. She tasted of wine.
With a groan, he fisted his hands into her curls, tilting her head back to give him better access. She broke the kiss a moment later and stared at him. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that the entire show.”
“Let’s go to the bedroom and I’ll do it again.”
“Beds are overrated. I think the couch looks good.”
He quirked an eyebrow up. “You want me to fuck you on the couch, baby? I don’t know. You said vanilla dating. The couch might be too kinky.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and he tsked. “I’m starting to think you don’t want vanilla at all.
Her pretty blush went straight to his cock, and he pulled her into his lap. “Couch sex it is then.”
