Page 24 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 2

Fergus sucked my tongue into his mouth. My tongue slipped around the tip of his and then rubbed under it. The kiss would’ve gone on forever if I hadn’t attempted to shift more, feeling the stitches tug at my shoulder. I winced, and Fergus pulled his mouth from mine, catching my face softly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Fergus, I’m all right. Really.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not pawing you when you’re injured.”

I leaned forward, nipping his bottom lip before pulling back. “It takes two. And if you didn’t notice, I thoroughly enjoyed the hot pawing.”

He stood up with me cradled in his arms before kneeling and gently laying me on a sleeping bag. “You need sleep. In the morning, you can think about what you want to do next,” he told me. “Are you still hungry?”

I nodded. “A little.” My tummy growled.

He gave me a big strip of jerky and a bottle of water.

I drooled over the jerky as I took it. “What do you mean by what I’m going to do next?” I bit off a huge chunk and chewed quickly. I’d never been a big fan of beef jerky, but I was starving.

“You can stay here with my men and me, or I can have them take you to safety.”

While I was still chewing, my heart skipped a beat as I thought about being separated from him. Plus something else troubled me. Boyle could have killed me earlier. They all could have, in seconds, right before Cutter and Grant had stepped in.

So why didn’t they?

I wasn’t an imbecile. I recognized something else was going on, and by the look in Fergus’s eyes, I was right.

I took a huge swig of water. “Fergus, this isn’t about them killing me, is it?”

Fergus hesitated but then shook his head. “No.”

I clenched my hand around the bottle. “So if I get out of here, they’ll still keep coming after me?”

Anger clouded his eyes. “Yes, I’m certain they will.”

Resting the bottle beside me, I asked, “And would I ever see you again?” The thought of never seeing him again filled me with apprehension and desperation.

He reached out, gripping my hand tightly. “Likely not.”

I rubbed my thumb over his skin. “Then I’m staying.” I kept up a finger, quieting his protest. “And not because I’m helpless.”

“Trinity, no one ever implied you were helpless.”

“I can’t explain why, but something’s telling me it’ll be better if I stay by your side. So I’m going to buck common fucking sense and listen to my gut.”

“I can’t argue with that, darling,” Fergus muttered before kissing the crown of my head.

I smiled slightly. “Good, because you wouldn’t win.”

He chuckled. “Get some sleep. You’ll be safe.”

“I know.” I laid my head down, still holding Fergus’s hand, and in seconds, I was out.

Chapter 19

Fergus

I sat beside her,watching my dark beauty sleep as night fell around us. Glancing at her arm with the mark, I wondered when Taggert would get back to me with some information.

There was no doubt in my mind that Trinity’s parents were Protectors, and they had done something terrible to piss off the wolves, enough for them to hold a grudge for this long.

“Who are you, Trinity?” I asked quietly, pushing strands of hair away from her peaceful face.

Our kiss had been intense and had awoken feelings in me I hadn’t known existed.

My inner bear growled contentedly. The beast was becoming attached, and my human side was slowly following. Trinity was pulling me in more with every second I spent with her. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to handle not being near her.

Damn, this was a fucked-up and dangerous predicament.

Why the hell would fate finally bring me my fated mate, only to have her be a Protector?