His to Protect - Em Petrova Page 0,40
I’ll grab the game from the closet.”
She didn’t move at first, and he noted how she stared at the bandage on his arm. A woman like Sloane took responsibility for her sister and for other young girls, so it made sense she saw his injury as her fault. Backing away so she didn’t see him as anything more than her bodyguard would be best. Could he?
He crossed the room and located the board game in the closet, along with some old fishing tackle and a rubber ball on the floor. After he returned with the box, Sloane sat cross-legged on the floor while he pulled off the lid. It took a few minutes to set up, and he reminded her of the rules as he sorted money.
They made two plays each before she spoke. “Do you play games with all your wards?”
He jerked his gaze up. Play games? What was she referring to? Peering at her closer, he attempted to read the meaning behind her words, though she gave nothing away. Not for the first time, he wondered how many of her responses were acts.
He decided honesty would be best. “I haven’t played Monopoly in years. The last time was right here, in this room. I was the shoe then too.” He dropped her a wink.
She rolled the dice and moved her scotty dog five spaces.
“Actually, I haven’t been in the field on a mission for a while.”
Her attention centered on him. Fuck, sometimes he forgot how stunning she was—especially when she looked at him like that.
“This is my first mission I’ve taken in months.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I was out with an injury, and then I guess I let myself get comfortable behind a desk.”
“What happened? Does the scar on your stomach have anything to do with it?”
He nodded. “My leg too. A situation got out of hand. I took a bullet in the stomach and one shattered my leg.”
She issued a soft breath. “That must have been scary.”
“I wasn’t scared on my own behalf, Sloane. I only feared for the ward I was protecting.”
She leaned forward, listening intently. “You have no regard for your own life, do you?”
He considered the question. “Of course I do. I just come further down the line.”
Her reddish brows shot up. “If your ward is first, who is second?”
“My brothers and sisters in the agency.” He reached for the dice. “I took an oath.”
Leaning her spine against the sofa, she seemed to mull over this statement for a minute. At last, she said, “I’m sorry for asking for your help with Lauren. I shouldn’t have—”
He tensed. “I never would have let you go alone. And I never will again.”
A shiver ran through her, visibly snaking from her neck to the base of her spine.
“What I mean to say is”—she drew a deep breath—“I need to get through this movie disruption before I go off to find my sister. I won’t be looking for her or rescuing others for a while.”
He simply stared at her. “Is this your whole ‘trying to protect me’ thing?”
She issued a low chuckle. “As if you need protection.” She reached for the dice even though he’d only rolled and hadn’t moved yet.
Resting a hand over hers, he stopped her. As soon as their gazes met, a shock of awareness zapped through him, nearly sending him tumbling backward. Immediately, he withdrew his hand and focused on the gameboard.
“I didn’t move yet,” he rumbled.
“Take your turn.” She attempted a light tone. Nothing was light between them, though. Every look felt loaded, each touch oozing with innuendo.
He seriously fucked up with this case. Now he knew no choice but to back off and hope they sorted out what balance was left between them.
* * * * *
Sloane laid a hand against the frame of the door leading to North’s bedroom. Through the darkness, she made out his large form on the bed. Coming to him in the night—again—was probably an even bigger mistake, though she couldn’t stop her feet from carrying her forward across the worn hardwood. As she reached the bed, a board squeaked. She went dead still, but not quick enough.
North heaved upward and snagged an arm around her. He ripped her off her feet and flattened her to the bed. The breath whooshed out of her lungs as pure terror hit her system.
“North! It’s me!”
His eyes were glazed over, dark and burning with an intensity she only saw once before, after he shot that man in the parking lot.
Shudders washed over