Bait & Switch (Alphas Undone #1)(51)

“I know. And I’ve never felt safer. Being here with you, knowing that you’ll protect me at all costs . . .”

“Damn right I will. You’re my woman now.”

I couldn’t help the smirk tugging on my lips. The man who was so deathly afraid of commitment was now openly professing his love. Well, almost anyway; we hadn’t quite gotten to those three little words yet. But I knew he was aware how I felt about him after what I’d said last night. God, last night already seemed so far away.

“So, what are we going to do today?” I asked. Lord knew I didn’t particularly want to be up at this ungodly hour.

“We have a lot of lost ground to make up for. Real dates. I want to take you to dinner, to meet my mom. Maybe we can visit the ranch where I grew up . . .”

“Whoa. Slow down there.” I patted his chest. “I was thinking more like sex, a shower, and coffee. In that order.”

A slow smile uncurled on his mouth. And then he pounced. Bringing his hands to my jaw, Nolan pulled me in for a tender kiss, his body moving over mine. He lay down beside me and drew me into his arms. The warm expanse of his bare chest against mine felt like perfection.

I pushed my hands inside his shorts and found him already hot, hard, and ready in my palm.

“You’re mine now. You understand that, right?” he grunted.

“As long as you understand you’re mine.” I gave him a little squeeze.

A masculine purr rumbled in his throat. “Damn straight, baby.” He kissed me passionately, as if his lips and tongue were communicating what words could not. His hot mouth dominated mine, possessive and hungry. “God, if anything had happened to you . . .”

“I’m here. I’m yours.”

“Mine.”

He grunted again as my hand continued leisurely stroking up and down his generous length. One hand gripped my hip as the other curled between my thighs, lightly teasing, rubbing. Before I could get totally lost in the sensation, I heard a slight wheeze.

I shot a glance over to Sutton, who sat perched at the end of the bed. “Is he going to watch us?”

“Is that a problem?” Nolan smirked.

An elbow to his ribs said yes, it is. I was an animal lover too, but sheesh, this was ridiculous.

With a sigh, Nolan got up and shooed Sutton out of the room. “Out you go, buddy.” Then he shut the door and returned to where I was waiting, naked, on the bed.

His body was mine to explore now, and I cupped his smooth balls with one hand and stroked his heavy cock with the other, loving his little grunts of pleasure, those male sounds of appreciation rising in Nolan’s throat.

“Damn, sweetheart, your hands feel really f*cking good,” he said on a groan.

I was so happy we’d waited to make love until all the secrets between us had been aired and Daniella was out of his life. It felt bigger, more important, more special now than if we’d given in to our desires before. Now, we weren’t just surrendering to our bodies, but making a conscious effort to choose each other, to be together.

Easing one finger into me, Nolan began pushing me toward orgasm almost immediately.

“Make love to me,” I murmured.

With a final kiss on my lips, he reached over to his nightstand for a condom.

“I’m clean and I’m on the pill,” I blurted.

I wasn’t even sure why I’d said it. I guess because I didn’t want anything between us, and because I was curious about his status too . . . and whether he’d used them with her.

“I’ve never been inside a woman without one. Are you sure?” he asked.

It was everything I wanted to hear. We could share something new together.

“Very,” I said, my voice growing husky with desire.

“Damn, sweetheart.” He groaned again.

And then Nolan’s lips were on mine and his hands were in my hair, and his cock was pushing inside me so hot and hard that I lost myself to the blinding pleasure.

Skin to skin. Heart to heart.

? ? ?

I spent the next two days in Nolan’s bed. He fed me comfort food until I was sure I’d gained five pounds, tended to my bruises as they faded, and made sure I was safe, happy, and comfortable.

My dad had flown in for a brief twenty-four-hour stay. He was busy with work, but he needed to see me with his own eyes, hug me, and make sure I was really okay. And as worried as Nolan had been about dating his boss’s daughter, Dad made it crystal clear that he supported us, shaking Nolan’s hand and telling him to take good care of me. It was due in large part to what an admirable man Nolan was—my dad seemed to idolize him—but also because of my poor choices in past boyfriends. Nolan was a good man, and there was no arguing that.

We’d also gone over every detail of my ordeal. My dad and Nolan listened while I covered my experience with the kidnappers, recounting everything I could remember. As I spoke, Nolan typed it all into his laptop. He wanted to make sure I had it all down clearly and wouldn’t forget crucial details for my testimony, since the trial wouldn’t be for a long time. Then we went and gave my statement to the police too, so it was all on official record.

My dad also seemed to ease up a little—letting go of the reins and understanding that this was my life now. I told him I was staying in Texas, and he’d merely nodded.

And now Dad was gone, and Nolan and I both had to return to work in the morning, and back to reality. As good as it had been to stay here with him, I needed to get back to my apartment, back into my life. I didn’t want to hide in Nolan’s shadow. That was the entire reason I’d come here—I wanted to live, not to cower in fear.