Page 5 of Her Protector (Ember Heart Ridge Search and Rescue #4)

Chapter Five

ABBY

The carved steps are narrow and worn smooth by decades of mountain weather, but they're solid.

“Careful,” Marcus says behind me, his hand hovering near my back as we descend. “Some of these look loose.”

I'm halfway down when I hear the most beautiful sound in the world: Risky's excited barking echoing from above. Within minutes, he comes bounding down the carved steps like he's done this a thousand times, his tail wagging furiously.

“You’re a brave boy,” I pat his head when he reaches us. “Do you think he scared those men off?”

Marcus leans down and scratches Risky’s ears. “This boy can be plenty fierce when he wants to be. Hopefully he’s given us some time to get out of here without them following.”

He woofs, looking proud of himself.

The steps lead to a hidden trail that winds down through dense forest. We arrive at a clearing, where we find the fourth marker. My heart falls. It’s pointing in the direction of a valley which is completely blocked by fallen rocks.

Marcus takes my hand. “We can’t go that way. Come on, we’ll come up with a new plan.”

He leads us back onto the trail, which eventually connects to the main path we took this morning. By the time we reach his truck, my legs are shaking from adrenaline and exhaustion, and the sun is getting low in the sky.

“We were so close. What if those men find the marker?” I can’t keep the despair from my voice.

Marcus reaches over and takes my hand, sending a wave of warmth up my arm.

“They won’t. The landslide makes it impossible. Anyway, they’d need the map to know what they’re looking for. And they’d need you to give it to them first.”

“I’m not doing that.” I cross my arms.

“We’re going back to the cabin. I want to check that nobody's been there while we’ve been gone. I’m not leaving you, Abby.” His commanding tone makes heat pool low in my belly.

The drive back passes in charged silence. At the cabin, Marcus insists on checking every room and window before he'll let me enter. Watching him move through my space with that quiet, protective competence does things to my insides.

“All clear,” he says, finally settling onto the couch beside me. “But I'm calling Logan.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes. It’s time they know about Darrell Varjek.” Marcus pulls out his phone, his expression grim.

He makes the call, giving Logan a concise rundown of the day's events. Professional, calm, thorough. But when he gets to the part about Varjek tracking us through the forest, his jaw tightens and his free hand clenches into a fist.

“Yeah, I'll stay with her tonight,” he says into the phone, and my heart flutters in my chest. “We'll figure out next steps in the morning.”

When he hangs up, I'm staring at him. “You'll stay with me tonight?”

“If that's okay. Varjek probably knows where you live, and he doesn’t seem the type to give up easily.” Marcus runs a hand through his hair, and I can see the tension in every line of his body. “There's something else I need to tell you. About Varjek, about the treasure, about... everything.”

“Okay.” I curl up on the couch facing him, tucking my legs underneath me. “Tell me.”

He's quiet for a long moment, like he's trying to figure out where to start. “I've been protecting your family for years, Abby. Protecting your grandfather's research, keeping treasure hunters away from him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I've been actively misdirecting people like Varjek. Creating false geological surveys, planting fake leads online, sending them to the wrong parts of the mountain.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Your grandfather never knew. I made sure of that.”

“Why?”

“Because Jasper Brooks spent his whole life looking for that treasure.

Because it meant everything to him, and I couldn't stand the thought of some asshole with a metal detector and no respect for the mountain taking that away from him.” Marcus's voice gets rough.

“And after he died, because I was protecting you, too.”

My throat is tight. “Marcus…”

“I've been tracking Darrell Varjek specifically for years. He's gotten close before, but I've always managed to throw him off the scent. This time…” He shakes his head. “This time he figured out my interference. Somehow he got hold of real information, and now he's here.”

I stare at him, trying to process what he's telling me. All those years I thought Grandpa was just lucky that no one else was interested in the treasure. All those years I assumed the legends had died out, that modern treasure hunters had moved on to other mountains, other mysteries.

Marcus was protecting us the whole time.

“You've been my guardian angel.”

“I've been in love with you,” he says. “For a long, long time.” His voice drops, becomes rougher.

“Since high school. I was going to say something when we were both back in town.

And I've been hating myself for years for letting you go. For listening to Josh when he told me to stay away from you, for thinking he was right that you deserved better than small-town life with me.”

“Wait… my brother told you to stay away from me ?”

“He said we couldn’t be friends if I had feelings for you.

That you had big dreams, a future waiting for you in the city.

That you were destined for bigger things than Ember Heart.

When you got that job offer from the magazine, I thought it was a sign.

That Josh was right. So I encouraged you to take it, even though every fiber of my being wanted to beg you to stay. ”

“I would have turned down the job if you'd just told me how you felt.”

He shakes his head. “Back then I thought I was doing the right thing. For you. For Josh. For everyone except myself.”

I can barely breathe. He's looking at me like he's waiting for me to run, like he expects me to tell him he's crazy for carrying a torch for someone who left town without saying goodbye.

Instead, I move across the couch and kiss him.

This time, there's no hesitation, no holding back. He responds immediately, his arms coming around me and pulling me closer until I'm practically in his lap.

“Abby,” he murmurs against my lips.

His hands tangle in my hair, and there’s desperation in his touch, like he's afraid I might disappear if he lets go. I move closer, straddling his thighs, and the sound he makes when my hips settle against his is pure need.

“Are you sure?” he asks, his voice rough.

I frame his face with my hands. “I want you, Marcus. I want this.”

He kisses me again, deeper this time, his hands roaming over my back and sides like he's memorizing every curve. When he stands, lifting me with him, I wrap my legs around his waist and let him carry me to the bedroom.

The late afternoon light filters through the windows, casting everything in gold. Marcus sets me down on the bed, his hands gentle as he carefully undoes the buttons of my shirt.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs as the fabric falls away, his eyes drinking in the sight of my lace bra.

I reach for his shirt in return, my fingers fumbling with the buttons.

He helps me, and when his chest is finally bare, I run my hands over the hard planes of muscle, marveling at how broad and strong he's become.

“I want you.” I say, pressing kisses to his collarbone. “I’ve wanted this for so long…”

“So have I.” His hands find the clasp of my bra, and as my breasts fall free, he cups them in his big hands. “God, you're perfect.”

His thumbs brush over my nipples, and I arch into his touch with a gasp. The sensation shoots straight through me, pooling wet heat between my thighs.

I moan as he trails hot kisses down my throat. When his lips close around one nipple, I cry out, my hands fisting in his hair. He licks and sucks each nipple in turn, rolling his tongue over each peak until I'm trembling with need, then slowly kisses his way down my stomach.

His hands make quick work of my hiking shorts and panties, and when I'm finally naked beneath him, he sits back on his heels to look at me.

“You're so gorgeous,” he growls. “I want to taste every inch of you.”

I smile. “Every square inch?”

Marcus arches a dark eyebrow. “I’m well known for being thorough in my research.”

He starts with my ankles, pressing soft kisses to each one before working his way up my calves, my thighs. When he reaches the top of my legs, my pussy is slick with wetness.

“Please,” I beg and he doesn't make me wait.

The first touch of his tongue against my clit has me arching off the bed with a cry. He takes his time, learning what makes me gasp and moan, what makes my thighs tremble around his head. When he slides one finger inside me, then two, I'm lost.

“That's it,” he murmurs against my sensitive flesh. “Make all the noise you want. Let me hear you, Trouble.”

The combination of his mouth and fingers drives me higher and higher until I'm sobbing his name, every muscle in my body tight. When I come, it crashes over me like a wave and I see stars behind my closed eyelids.

He works me through it with gentle strokes, then kisses his way back up my body while I try to remember how to breathe.

“My turn,” I say when I can finally speak, and I push him onto his back.

I take my time removing his remaining clothes, pressing kisses to each new expanse of skin I reveal.

When his jeans and boxers finally hit the floor, I take a moment to appreciate the sight of him.

He's magnificent; all hard muscle and golden skin, his cock thick and ready for me, pre-cum leaking from the tip .

He groans when I wrap my hand around him, stroking slowly from base to tip.

“I want to taste you too,” I murmur, and the sound he makes when I take him into my mouth is pure heaven. I use my tongue and lips to drive him to the edge, loving the way his hands tangle in my hair, the way his hips buck beneath me. When he tries to pull me away, I resist.

“I'm going to come if you keep doing that,” he warns.

“Good,” I say against his skin, and his laugh turns into a groan.

But he's stronger than me, and he pulls me up for a kiss that tastes like both of us. “I want to be inside you when I come.”

When he settles between my thighs, the tip of him pressing against my entrance, we both go still. He’s pushing inside me, slow and careful, filling me up completely.

We both groan. He's big, stretching me in the most perfect way. He starts to move, slow and deep, each thrust hitting something inside me that makes me see stars again. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, and we find a rhythm that's been years in the making.

“Harder,” I pant, and he responds immediately. The sound of skin against skin fills the room, punctuated by our breathless moans. Another orgasm builds inside me, even stronger than the first, and I cling to his shoulders as he drives me toward it.

His groans push me over the edge, and I cry out his name as waves of pleasure crash over me. My pussy clenches around him, and with a final deep thrust, he follows me over, his body shuddering as he comes inside me.

We collapse together, breathing hard, our bodies hot. Afterwards, we lie tangled together in the growing darkness, my head on his chest and his fingers trailing lazy patterns on my back. His heartbeat is steady and strong.

I smile against his chest, then frown. I start worrying about Mom's medical bills and the treasure and all the reasons this should be complicated. But lying here in Marcus's arms, it all feels far away.

“Go to sleep. I’m here to protect you.”

“I like the sound of that,” I say.

“Good. Because I'm never letting you go again.”