Free The Protector by Marliss Melton Page A

it on the woodstove, went outside for the hose, cranked it on, and dragged it through the house to fill the cauldron, kinking the line so water wouldn’t dribble across the hardwood floor.
     
    The tremulous smile Eryn sent him eased his irritation.  
     
    But thirty minutes later, as she dawdled in the bathtub, he regretted warming her bathwater because now he was sitting on the couch getting hot and bothered as he pictured her lolling in his tub. The scent of his soap stole out from under the closed door. The haunting tune she hummed reminded him of a mermaid’s enchantment, luring sailors foolish enough to listen to their deaths.
     
    Shaking off his trance, Ike ordered himself to get up and walk the dog.
     
    Half way to the door, he heard Eryn pull the plug. The mental image of her rising from the water, her nymph-like body wet and gleaming, assailed him. She’d be reaching for the extra towel he’d located, nipples hardening in the colder air, goose bumps playing tag across her thighs and ass.  
     
    “Winston, come,” he called. She’d awakened his dormant desires the minute he’d laid eyes on her. So what? There were lots of things Ike craved that he did fine without—aged whiskey, a hot tub, a big old horse to ride. Eryn would be just one more thing that he denied himself.
     
     
     
    **
     
     
     
    Jackson balanced the file he was perusing on his left arm so he could reach for his buzzing phone with his right. “Maddox,” he answered, recognizing his supervisor’s number.  
     
    “She’s moving,” said Caine , who got to enjoy breakfast at a local bakery while Jackson and Ringo searched the records at Town Hall. “Finish up over there and come get me.”   
     
    “Yes, sir.” Jackson put his phone away and closed the file. “ Ringo ,” he said, jerking his head toward the door. “Ma’am, we’ll need to borrow these.” Tucking the files under his arms he started walking briskly past the secretary.  
     
    “Oh, no you don’t.” She jumped up and wrestled the files from him. “These originals don’t go anywhere,” she exclaimed. “If you’ll just sit tight, I’ll make you some copies.”
     
    With a rueful smile, Jackson nodded and motioned Ringo to wait. Even in the civilian sector, there were hoops to jump through.    
     
     
     
    **
     
     
     
    “Thank you,” Eryn said, as Ike reversed direction and pointed the Durango down the mountain. Winston strained against the back seat, content and quiet whereas, moments before, he’d set up such a ruckus that she had begged Ike to bring him along. Ike might be armed with a pistol under his denim jacket and a rifle on the floor behind his seat, but the dog was her security blanket.
     
    “Welcome,” he muttered, negotiating the sharp turn that put them on the steeply descending driveway.  
     
    The lofty view, even more impressive when viewed from the front seat, made up for his less-than-friendly tone. The valley below boasted tiny toy houses, barns, and pastel-colored fruit trees. Nothing bad could possibly happen out there, she told herself.
     

     
    Ike’s set profile told her otherwise.
     
    Her gaze slid to his competent grip on the steering wheel, and her stomach flip-flopped as she imagined how it would feel to have those large, dexterous-looking hands touching her. Were hands that ruthless-looking capable of giving pleasure? Something told her yes, absolutely. He’d warmed her bathwater for her, hadn’t he? Obviously, he knew how to show consideration.
     
    “Are you originally from here?” she asked, letting her curiosity show.     
     
    “No,” he said. “Ohio.”
     
    “What made you settle in Virginia?”  
     
    He shrugged, kept his eyes straight ahead, said nothing.  
     
    As the silence thickened, she heaved an inner sigh. She was going to have to stay here with him for how long? The man’s communication skills were one step above Winston’s.
     
    Just as she’d reconciled herself to