Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

My cock stirred at the thought. Shifting a hand down to her ass, I groaned as she rolled her hips against mine.

Unfortunately, at the same time, a man cleared his throat. Without tearing my mouth away from hers, I pried my eyes open and found Johnson standing in the doorway, his gaze aimed at the floor.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Jude,” Rhion protested on a whine as I stepped away.

She was following me forward, her hands clinging to my shoulders, trying to regain my mouth, when I rasped, “We got company.”

Her eyes popped open and her head swung to the side, her face morphing from sexual intoxication to flat-out anger in the span of a second.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when she bit out, “You are not standing in my apartment right now.”

Johnson didn’t look nearly as amused as I did as he arched an eyebrow and said, “I didn’t know I needed to knock.”

I caught her around her shoulders and guided her to my side. “That might be a good idea from here on out.”

Johnson glowered.

But both of our attentions were drawn back to Rhion as she repeated on an eerie whisper, “You are not standing in my apartment right now.”

“You hit the alarm—you better fucking believe I’m standing in your apartment right now,” he returned.

“The alarm,” she said, her anger fading as she wilted against me. Looping an arm around my hips, she breathed, “Oh, right.”

Johnson crossed his arms over his chest. “Though it seems like it might have been a wasted trip.”

She rested a hand on my abs and shook her head. “No. I’m glad you came.”

It was an act that Johnson didn’t miss. His jaw went hard, but his voice softened. “Now, tell me what’s going on in your head and I’ll get out of here.”

“Who’s Apollo?” I asked.

I ignored her hand spasming on my stomach and kept my sights trained on Johnson.

His expression remained unreadable as he asked her, “You gonna handle this, or am I?”

She groaned and reluctantly announced, “He’s my little brother. He’s crazy. My father didn’t leave him any money in his will.”

Fucking finally, we were getting somewhere.

“And this is why you use Guardian for protection?” I asked her but lifted my gaze to Johnson. “He a threat?”

“He’s complicated,” he replied.

“I’m gonna need more than that,” I told Johnson.

“And you’ll get it. When she’s ready to give it,” he replied curtly.

If that was not in the next five seconds, I was going to lose my mind. It was fair to assume that things were changing between Rhion and me. And, after that kiss and the promise it held for more, I refused to play the bullshit games anymore.

“Someone needs to start talking,” I demanded, my patience snapping. “If there’s a potential threat out there, this is not the time to keep secrets. I had my girl and my woman under the same roof tonight. I can’t protect anyone if I can’t recognize the target standing directly in front of me.”

“She’s your woman now?” Johnson challenged.

Shit.

I felt Rhion’s head crane back as she peered up at me, awaiting my reply.

She wasn’t my woman. But that didn’t mean the broken memories hadn’t convinced me she should be. And, with her body securely fitted against my side, her lips swollen from our kiss, and the sound of her moans still lingering in my ears, I had every intention of making her mine.

“That is not the part you need to be concerned with,” I grumbled. “You were not here tonight.” I stabbed a thumb at my chest. “I was. It took minutes for Alex to haul his ass down here and take care of something I could have handled in a matter of seconds.” I paused and turned my angry scowl on Rhion. “You and me, Butterfly—we’re gonna be spending more time together. And, if that is going to happen, this is shit I need to know.”

She screwed her eyes shut.

“Stop hiding shit from me.” I gave her hip a firm squeeze. “You’re embarrassed about whatever the fuck happened on Friday night. Fine. I’ll drop it. But I will not stand by being a part of your life all while being the only one in the goddamn dark.”

“You wanna be part of my life?” she whispered, shock almost painfully contorting her face.

I arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, Rhion. And you would know this if we’d actually talked before your mouth ended up on mine.”

She blinked, the pain fading from her face as full-on attitude replaced it. “I believe your mouth ended up on mine this time.”

I shook my head as another PSI deflated my chest. “Right.”

Rolling her eyes, she called out to Johnson, “Are they arresting Margaret?”

“Being a bitch isn’t illegal,” he replied. “But I saw the tape of her weaseling her way in. You want to file a report on that?”

“What tape?” I asked.

Not surprisingly, they both ignored me.

“Do you think she’s really going to see Apollo?” she asked.

“After all the bullshit she’s pulled? No fucking way he’s going to have anything to do with her.”

“That’s probably true,” she muttered. Sucking in a breath, she stepped out of my arms. “Okay. Then my head is good. You can go.”

“Rhion,” he warned.

Thankfully, her ignoring bit wasn’t limited to me. Breezing past him, she pulled the door open, saying, “I’m fine, Aidan.”

Secretly, I fucking hated the way she’d called him by his first name. Not so secretly, I fucking loved that she was asking him to leave.

Johnson whispered something in her ear, and then, with one last scowl in my direction, he left.

I stared at her back as she closed the door behind him, wondering where the magical line that divided her creamy-white skin stopped and the burst of vibrant colors on her arms started. And then wondering how long I’d have to wait to find out.

“Soo…” she drawled, turning toward me. “You…um…wanna sit down?”

“I want answers,” I replied.

She pried her heels off and dropped them to the floor. “And if I don’t want to give them?”

“Then we’re right back where we started: you hanging out on a ledge and me staring up at you, unable to help.”

That was probably more blunt than I’d needed to be. But I was done pretending to be okay with the unknown. If she was in any danger whatsoever, I needed to know. So maybe I could stop it this time before I had to watch her fall. Again.

“Oh God. I’m so—”

“Don’t say sorry. For fuck’s sake, between the two of us, Rhion, don’t you think we’ve done enough apologizing? Can we, for once, just…talk?”

Her tongue snaked out to dampen her lips, and then something miraculous happened. She began talking and her words actually contained information.

“Apollo’s my little brother.”