Free Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down by Lisa Olsen

Instead, he took a step backwards, his face schooled into a solemn expression. 
    “I think… I think you should give Bishop another shot.”
    I had to have heard him wrong.  “You can’t be serious.  Me and Bishop?”
    “He can offer you protection I can’t.”
    “I don’t see how.”
    “Long as you’re spoken for, Jakob won’t press his claim.”
    Was that all?  “He won’t press it now.  Not really.  His claiming me, it’s all for show.  He doesn’t expect me to actually be his while we’re in private.”
    “If you believe that, you’re not half as smart as you think you are.”
    I could see his point, but I couldn’t do that to Bishop, it would be the worst kind of cruelty to give him false hope if he did indeed want to get back together and wasn’t pining for Carys.  “If it’s all the same to you I’d rather not hide behind Bishop.  It’s not fair to any of us.”
    “Fair don’t enter into it. This is about keeping you safe, pure and simple.”
    “There’s nothing simple about using a man’s feelings for my own benefit.  If he even has feelings for me.  At this point I’m half convinced he thought it was Carys in there with him tonight.”
    “Best not to listen to a man when he’s in his cups,” he allowed with a half smile.
    “ Or has an ulterior motive.”
    “My only motive is to keep you safe.”
    “Surely not your only motive…” I leaned closer, one ear listening for Jakob’s step in the hall, the other distracted by the beat of his heart. 
    “Look at you, flirting with danger.”  His lips twisted into an admiring grin and I slid my hands up his chest, pressing perilously close.
    “I thought I was flirting with you.”
    “They’re one and the same.”
    “Then I guess I’m a danger junkie, because I can’t seem to stay away from you.”  It was like we were magnets, the field around us pushing us together until our bodies collided, our mouths crashing together in a desperate kiss.  Until Rob grabbed my elbows to pull us apart, his chest heaving from the effort it cost him.
    “Anja…” he hissed, eyes pressing tightly closed as he fought to regain his self control.
    “I’m sorry,” I squeaked.  I knew it was a bad idea, I wasn’t a total moron.  But my self control was practically nil once I got too close to him.  “It’s just hard, you know?”
    “Intimately.”  His eyes darted down and I followed them to the bulge in his pants.
    “I can help you with that.  It seems only fair seeing as how it’s my fault, right?”
    “The things you say…”  His lips covered mine again, matching my hunger.  But when my hand snaked down between us, he caught it deftly, holding me loosely by the wrist.  “We can’t, not here.”
    “We’re all alone,” I pouted, craving his touch.  The air crackled between us, the heat of his body making me tingle all the way down to my toes.
    “Not… here…” he bit out, holding his breath.  I did the same, trying to adopt his technique to cool off.  It honestly didn’t do a thing for me.  Then again, it wasn’t like I actually needed to breathe, so the physiology probably wasn’t the same. 
    “Where then?” I asked when it got a smidge easier to think straight.
    “I’ll think of something.” 
    “Promise?”
    I could see the war within him between safety and desire before the longing won out.  “Yes, I’ll find a way,” he pledged.  “In the meantime, go on with you, off to bed.  It’s been a long night.” 
    I let go of him, but didn’t move more than a foot away.  “I hate to lose these few minutes of privacy.”
    “Better to be far away from you when he finally comes in.  Best not to give him any reason to suspect you’re looking on me with anything but friendship.”  He crossed the room, holding open my bedroom door expectantly.  With a single nod, I shuffled to the bedroom, stifling a yawn as the day started to catch up with me. 
    “Goodnight, miss.” His gravelly