Page 28 of Her Faithful Protector

“Enough! I’m in charge.”

Camilla saw Maria wince. She would have liked to see El Jefe backhand the woman like he was prone to do, but no such luck. Of course, she would probably just get up and hit him back.

“No! Don’t lay her down, she sits. There’s not enough room for her to lie down in the Jeep.” It was the kicker talking. Camilla was dizzy and she felt like she was going to throw up. She found herself in the backseat of a dirty Jeep, then Jan was sitting next to her. The girl wasn’t even conscious; how had she been walking?

Jan sank forward and then started sliding off the seat. Camilla made a grab for her with her left hand, but Paul was there before Camilla could get a good hold.

“I’ve got her,” he said. Gently, he propped her into the seat and did up her seatbelt.

“Doctor Ross, you need to put on your seatbelt too,” Travis said.

Hell, I’d forgotten all about the kid.

Camilla turned to look at him and immediately regretted it as the pain sliced through her neck. “Thanks for your help,” she gasped out.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said. She blinked back tears.

Camilla struggled with the seatbelt and hissed in a breath when it tightened across her breasts. The pain…

The driver swung into his seat then glared at Travis and Paul. “Get back in line, we’re moving out.

The Jeep rumbled to life, and with the first up and down thrust over the non-existent road the seatbelt bit into her breasts and she moaned. She tried to stay conscious. Tried to think of anything good in her life. Any good memory that would get her through this hell.

Camilla looked up at Nic in frustration. How could he not budge on this issue? It made no sense.

“I should never have told you about those scholarships.”

“Yes, you should have. We agreed to always be honest with one another, remember?”

“Admit it; before I told you about MIT and Harvard, you were considering marrying me before you joined the Navy.”

He didn’t meet her eyes.

She was cuddled on his lap in his small apartment. She reached up and cupped his cheek, turning his face so he was forced to look at her.

“You were going to ask me to marry you, weren’t you?”

His hazel eyes darkened. He nodded.

“Baby, I’ve got it figured out. Marry me, and ask to be stationed in Virginia. I have a full ride waiting for me at William and Mary College. It’s only an hour away from Little Creek, Virginia. We can make this work.”

“And what about if I’m assigned to Coronado?” he asked.

“That makes it even easier, I go to San Diego State University. This is doable.”

She watched as he hesitated. It was time for the big guns. Camilla started to unbutton the front of her sundress. Where before Nic’s eyes had darkened, now they shot sparks of gold as he watched her undo each button—past her bra, past her waist, past her panties, until it was wide open.

He sucked in his breath.

Camilla didn’t have to wait long for his hand to cover her stomach, he felt so hot. His other hand tangled in her hair and he bent down to kiss her. A mere brush of his lips against hers, a tantalizing taste as his breath wafted across her lips. He smelled like mint. He came back and brushed his lips against hers again, this time with a little more force, and she moved her face, trying to prolong their kiss, but he moved too quickly.

The third time he went to tease her, she grabbed his head and sifted his shaggy hair through her fingers. She bit into his scalp with her nails, anything to keep his lips on hers so that she could have his mouth the way she wanted it. She needed him, his taste, his breath. She could feel his smile as he parted his lips against hers and she flowered open, taking his tongue inside her mouth, moaning in appreciation.

His strong fingers massaged her scalp. It felt so good, but not as good as the spicy taste of Nic Hale as he stroked his tongue against hers. She could have wept with relief at the beauty of this kiss. She sucked on his tongue, and he moved back and nipped at her bottom lip and gave a small tug. Camilla felt her body start to go liquid at the evocative caress. She needed him to move his hand.

“Please, Nic.”