Page 24 of Protecting Clove (Loved by the SEAL #5)

C love was thankful Bud was there to hold her as she slept.

When she jerked awake in the middle of the night, him pulling her closer and holding her tight kept her from falling apart.

When she’d realized Neo had been taken, she’d thought her heart would stop.

The one person who meant the world to her had been harmed by Keith.

She hated that man and hoped something awful happened to him.

It might make her a bad person to wish harm on him, but he’d hurt Neo.

The next morning, she woke when Bud’s alarm went off. He told her she could sleep longer, but her mind was working overtime, and there was no way she would get back to sleep.

“I’ll be back after work.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

After his shower, he was in the kitchen when Clove came in. He pulled her close before kissing her softly. “If we get called out on a mission, I don’t think you should do shopping.”

She nodded. “I won’t. I’ve been looking at my finances. I think if I’m really careful, I won’t have to do that again.”

“When is your lease up?”

“It was a year lease. So not for a while.”

“Maybe you can break it and move in with me.”

She leaned back and met his gaze. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Yesterday, when that happened, I realized you both are way too important to me. I was fooling myself to think I wasn’t committed to you.

I am. And I want you in my life. I’ve fallen for you.

Maybe it’s too fast, but I have feelings for you that go beyond liking. I’m falling in love with you.”

She reached up and cupped the side of his face. “I have deep feelings for you, too. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. I’m yours.”

His lips found hers, and they melted together. She clung to him, needing to feel him. But he had to get to work, so she ended the kiss and stepped back.

“Tonight,” she whispered.

He nodded. “Yes. Tonight.”

After he left, she cleaned the kitchen, though it didn’t need much done, and then started on the bathrooms. She was surprised Neo slept late. Her daughter seemed fine, but when the doorbell rang, she ran to the downstairs bathroom to hide.

Clove went into the bathroom and pulled up the security camera, seeing it was police. “It’s okay, honey. It’s just the police.”

Neo nodded but didn’t leave the bathroom.

She felt terrible for her daughter. Keith had ruined everything.

The officers were just checking in. She called Neo out of the bathroom, but she reluctantly came.

She hung back, looking afraid, and that broke Clove’s heart.

She didn’t want Neo to be too afraid to live in their house.

She needed to do something to get Neo to feel better and fast.

The officers left, and she asked Neo if she wanted to read together.

Neo nodded, then crawled onto Clove’s lap when she sat on the couch.

It had been a while since Neo had climbed onto her lap, making her chest squeeze hard.

She loved Neo at this stage but sometimes missed those tender younger years.

Clove read to Neo for almost an hour. Then they ate lunch, and Neo played for a bit before coming back to sit on her lap. Neo played with Clove’s hair, which was a sure sign she was going to start asking questions. After a moment, Neo started talking.

“Why did he take me?”

“He isn’t a good person. I’m sorry he was able to get to you. I want to protect you, but I wasn’t prepared for him to show up like that.”

“It’s okay, Mommy. It isn’t your fault.”

But she felt like it was her fault. She never should have gotten involved with Keith, but then she wouldn’t have Neo. Examining the truth of the situation brought up weird feelings. If she hadn’t met Keith, she wouldn’t have Neo. Still, what Keith had put them through was horrible.

“Did he ever know me?”

Clove shook her head. “No, baby. He left before you were born.”

“Why were you with him?”

“Sometimes people don’t show you who they really are until you’ve known them for a while.”

“You trust Bud?”

“He’s different. And yes, I do trust him.”

“He’s good. I like him.”

When Bud arrived home, Clove felt better. She also noticed that Neo relaxed a little once Bud was there. She understood. It was better having Bud home, but he couldn’t stay with them all day and night.

After Neo went to bed, they headed to her room, and she stripped down, ready to show Bud how much she loved him. He didn’t waste any time getting her hot and wet. His tongue on her felt amazing. She came hard and fast since she’d been waiting for this all day.

He kissed his way up her body, making sure to pay enough attention to her breasts.

The way he knew exactly what she needed made her feel even more special.

His gaze held hers as he slid into her. Whatever connection they had before was dwarfed by what she felt now.

It was like her soul came alive and combined with his.

They weren’t just sharing their bodies, they were sharing their souls.

The way he made love to her was deep and slow. He’d gotten her to come before he slid in, and he was pushing her higher, bringing her closer to another orgasm.

“Clove, my love, I want you forever.”

“Yes,” she cried out as he shoved in, taking her even higher. Pure pleasure flowed through her. It was enough to drive her crazy. He covered her mouth with his own as she cried out, coming around his dick. He was right behind her with his orgasm.

They lay together, both of them clinging to each other. She had never felt so fulfilled in her life. With Bud, she would be safe. They just had to make sure Keith never found where she lived.

Bud couldn’t believe making love with Clove was so good. Being inside her was better than anything he’d ever felt before. They had a connection now that was deeper than he’d ever experienced with anyone. He wanted forever with Clove.

“We should tell Neo we’re together.”

Clove nodded. “I agree. I think she needs to understand why you’re around so much.”

“I think you should go ahead and move in with me.”

“What about my things?”

“We could rent a storage container, or we could sell some stuff.”

Clove met his gaze. “This is serious. I like my couch better than yours.”

He laughed. “Yeah, yours is better than mine, but my bed is better.”

“We should check that out.”

“We should. It will take a while to get everything moved and settled. How do you think Neo will take moving to my place?”

Clove shrugged. “She will probably be excited. She likes you.”

“I love her. She’s amazing.”

Clove chuckled. “She is. But she’s still a child and can be annoying. Some days, she drives me crazy. She’s a good kid, but she isn’t perfect.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure you’ll help me through it.”

“I will.”

He would. He wouldn’t ever abandon Clove and Neo. If anything happened between them, he would still keep his vow to protect and take care of them for as long as they needed. He wouldn’t walk away, ever.