Free Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey Page B

my apartment.”
    He barked out a laugh. “Baby, I’m not sure I can make it five more minutes.”
    Ginger’s mouth dropped open, her wide eyes dropping briefly to the bulge pressing against his sweatpants. “Derek, I’m serious about this. I’m not going to be your live-in booty call.”
    The hot mist from the unused shower had slowly begun filling the room, making the air around them warm and sticky. Water pelting the bathtub and glass shower door created a constant drumming noise, muting their voices to anyone but each other. It felt incredibly intimate, being half-dressed with her in his bathroom. Seeing her among his things. Hearing the soft hum of her voice through the curling steam.
    Her hair, dry when he’d entered the bathroom, had begun curling in the humidity, sticking to her neck and chest, which rose and fell in a shuddering breath upon seeing the look in his eyes. Unerringly, his gaze landed on her taut, pink nipples, visible to him through her clinging nightshirt.
    Derek stepped toward Ginger, forcing her back with his body. He kept walking until she sat on the counter once more. Placing his hips between her parted legs, Derek ran his hands slowly up her calves and circled her knees slowly, before gripping her bare thighs.
    He spoke directly into her ear. “I don’t give a fuck about blurring the lines. You won’t see my men at the bar anymore, but that’s the only one of your rules I’ll concede.” She started to argue, but he squeezed her thighs tightly to keep her silent. “I’m not a total bastard, Ginger. I’d already decided tonight wasn’t going to happen before I came in here. Otherwise, I’d be pounding an orgasm out of you right now.”
    Her breath caught and she started squirming restlessly on the counter. Derek knew if he kept talking and pushed a little harder, he could have her here and now. But he wouldn’t allow it. She’d hate him afterward for taking advantage of her emotional state and back off permanently. One time with her would not be enough, so that didn’t work for him.
    But God, her naked body was driving him insane. Derek made the mistake of burying his face in her neck to catch her wildflower scent. Her head dropped back, begging him for more contact, and before he knew it, his mouth opened to kiss and suck her damp skin. Ginger moaned, sliding to the very end of the counter. His survival instincts told him to move back, away from her, but his body ignored reason and moved closer. Naked thighs came up to circle his hips, and then her core was pressing and moving against his erection.
    “Sweet fucking hell,” he gritted. The thin panties she wore provided almost no barrier between them. He could reach down, rip them off, and be inside her within seconds. He allowed himself one hard thrust against her, startling a cry from her lips, before stepping away. The physical pain he experienced looking at Ginger, half-naked and willing, while in his aroused state nearly broke him.
    “Derek, don’t do this to me again.”
    Placing his hands on either side of her waist, his head dropped forward. She was right. He couldn’t leave her like this. Not a second time. Even if it might kill him.
    Derek roughly pulled Ginger off the counter and turned her around to face the mirror. He yanked her back against his body so she could feel his need for her, then brought her hands up around the back of his neck. The position stretched her body, leaving her completely vulnerable to him.
    Derek’s hands dropped to the hem of her T-shirt, skimming up and over her rib cage before taking her naked breasts in his hands. His fingers pulled lightly on her nipples before soothing them in circles with his palms. She seemed to love that. Her head turned toward him, seeking his mouth for a kiss, and Derek obliged. He kissed her the way he sensed she wanted it—thorough and dirty. He licked at her until she protested, then punished her mouth for daring to ask for more.
    “Derek, please. Please