Page 73 of Too Guarded to Love

She’d thought his earlier words were the hottest she’d ever heard, but these melted her from the inside out. Still, she couldn’t let his alpha order go unnoticed. “I’ll let the ‘in charge’ comment slide on account of the remarkable orgasms you just gave me. I only thought two in one night were possible in books.”

“That’s one superpower I’m happy to demonstrate in great detail.”

With a soft kiss to her lips, he pulled her back into his chest and told her to go to sleep.

As she listened to his breathing, she sent up a prayer.

Please let Gran’s soulmate sense clear up soon.

A few hours after Nic had fallen asleep on the narrow bed with Olivia practically on top of him, he rode the elevator with Linc up to the helipad on the roof and rolled his tight shoulders. He’d happily sleep in a cramped space with Olivia every night if it meant feeling every curve against his body until the sun rose.

And in the daytime, he’d watch those curves as he kept her out of trouble.

The intel Ryan uncovered from Jonathan’s phone confirmed he’d been in contact with the Diablos for the last six months. Cartels and complicit exes aside, the woman had a knack for finding danger, whether it be at the beach or in a garage. She was still his responsibility, and he didn’t like not having eyes on her.

Linc drummed his fingers on the helmet in his hands. “So, you and Kane’s sister, huh?”

“No.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I know what your morning-after face looks like, and you look like you just got laid.” Linc laughed. “You are so fucked, bro. It’s hysterical that women all over this city kneel at your feet, yet you decide to get all googly-eyed over the last one you should be falling for.”

“I’m not googly-eyed.” At least he didn’t think he was. Unlike when he’d overlooked the signs of addiction in Natalie because his attention-starved teenage heart had clung to her friendship like a lifeline, his eyes were wide open.

But that was in the past. Right now, Olivia wasn’t pretending to be his friend. She’d never pretended to be anything she wasn’t. Sure, she’d deceived him at the beach, but he understood her reasons. She’d been spot-on about his fears, though.

If anyone or anything ever came between him and his brothers, he’d lose the life he’d worked so hard to build. And if anything happened to Olivia, he didn’t know what he’d lose, just that the loss would hurt.

“You are one hundred percent, certifiably, googly-eyed over Olivia. You know how I know?” Linc smirked. “Because I’ve watched Chris and Kane fall, and now I see you being pulled under. Congrats on succumbing the quickest. I’ll get you a trophy.”

Great. Now he was the romance trope Valentina said she wanted in their next book. Insta-love or something. “I’m not falling for Olivia.”

But what if he was?

Linc stepped toward the door as the elevator dinged their arrival. “That love shit ain’t ever happening to me.”

“Of course it isn’t. You scare women away because you’re a dickhead.”

Linc grinned. “Yup, and that’s the way I like it.”

“You planning on being a dickhead forever?”

Linc rubbed the VIPER ink under his tactical vest. “It’s easier than the alternative.”

Nic wasn’t surprised by the sudden melancholy in Linc’s tone. He’d always suspected there was more to the fighter pilot with the heart carved from an iceberg. If they had time, Nic would press him about it. He shouldn’t have to be the only one on this mission talking about his damn feelings.