Free Guardian by Loribelle Hunt

look he swept over her was pleased and scorching hot, and her body responded against her will. He couldn’t miss the way her nipples hardened. He’d scent her sudden arousal too. But he didn’t say a word about them.  
    “I brought sandwiches. You should eat something, baby.”
    An hour ago the thought of food would have made her stomach roil, but now she found she was starving. She sat on the sofa in front of him and reached for one.  
    “What’s going on?”
    He snorted. “I’m not sure. They said something about hijacking a truck. Getting Jamie and Merilee out. Breaking into the computers at Stirling.”
    She interrupted when he started talking about hacking into files. “How does Gabe think he’s going to pull that off?”  
    Zach reached for a sandwich and shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea. You know Gabe, though. If anyone can do it, he can. He seems to think that card he cloned will help.”
    “I guess.” But she wasn’t so sure. Stirling was serious to the point of paranoia about security.  
    “You can’t go back there, Mallory,” he said softly, seriously. “And you need to take leave from the fire department too. It’s harder to protect you outside the compound and right now Brax needs those resources focusing on Stirling.”  
    So he thought he could just ease into taking over her life?  
    “I won’t quit my job.”
    “I know. I’m not asking you to.” He reached over and squeezed her hand when she would have protested. “Two weeks, baby. How long has it been since you took time off?”
    Judging by his expression, he knew she never had. Oh, she took a few days off from the department, but she used them to volunteer at the free clinic. She’d never taken that length of time for herself. Never even thought about it. She didn’t have any burning desire to go anywhere and she couldn’t face a week of silence in her condo. Two would be hell.  
    “And you need to stay inside the compound while we figure this out.”
    That ignited her temper as nothing else had. She jerked her hand away. “Think you’ve maneuvered me pretty well here, don’t you?” She stood. “My parents are gone right now. I’ll stay at their house.” It was a ridiculous suggestion, and she knew it. She’d been staying with him, but that was temporary, damn it. What he wanted… He wanted her to surrender and she refused to do it. Not on his terms.
    “We’d be more comfortable here. In our own space. But if you insist, fine. We’ll stay at your parents’,” he said calmly. Like he wasn’t trying to totally disrupt her world.
    Hell no. She shook her head. “One of my brothers can stay with me. Not that I need a babysitter,” she said scornfully.  
    “They have their own lives. Their own duties.”
    Oh, he was pushing his luck. “I’m a duty now?” she asked sweetly.  
    A look of confusion crossed his face. “I didn’t say that.”  
    “You implied it,” she snapped, and then cocked her head to one side and studied him. “Is that what I am, Zach? This sudden new interest of yours? A duty you haven’t been fulfilling?”  
    The idea hurt worse than she’d expected. Glaring, he stood and stalked towards her. He grabbed her shoulders when she went to whirl away, forcing her to look up at him. “That has got to be the most insulting thing you’ve ever said to me.”
    “Really?” She didn’t struggle, didn’t move an inch. “I’m sure I’ll do better next time.”
    The look that crossed his face was one part amusement, one part fury. “You plan to make a habit of insulting me?”
    “Why not? There’s a certain satisfaction in it.”
    His face lowered towards hers and she couldn’t make herself dodge him even if he hadn’t been holding her still. His lips brushed over her cheeks, her lowered eyelids. “You’ll have to stick around for that,” he whispered seconds before his mouth closed over hers.  
    And she was so screwed. She couldn’t stand to be separated from him