Page 2 of Tempting Her Grumpy Protector (Kindred Tales Spicy Shorts #7)

There had been a sickening crunching sound and then a dying hiss from the spider creature—followed by a horrified gasp from the locals all around them.

They found out rather quickly that the arachnid was called a hsh-thnk and was considered a holy animal which lived only in the ancient temple and must never be touched or harmed.

In fact, the Fargians apparently allowed the hairy things to crawl all over their bodies and faces if they so desired.

It was considered good luck for one to crawl on you—and a horrible blasphemy to kill one.

Greer really couldn’t blame Sunny for being upset by the “holy spider”—he knew a lot of females didn’t like insects or arachnids. But once more, they’d had to make a quick escape from the angry and offended natives of the planet where they had formerly been regarded as honored guests.

The Sunny Effect again, Greer thought to himself.

It was incredibly fucking irritating, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to be angry with the gorgeous little Elite .

She never meant to cause any harm—it was like chaos just followed her around like a dark cloud, ready to rain crazy on the unsuspecting heads of anyone who came too near her.

And since Greer was her Protector , he was always right in the middle of the downpour.

It seemed that Commander Sylvan might be thinking of the past incidents as well because he eyed Sunny uncertainly as he continued their pre-mission briefing.

“Er… I hope you won’t have any more accidents like the one you had during this mission to Integra Centra . That was quite a dangerous situation—at least if what I read in Commander Greer’s report was accurate.”

“Yes, it was!” Sunny’s eyes went wide. “ I was bitten by a venomous gimlet bat. If Commander Greer hadn’t had the presence of mind to suck out the poison, I might not be here right now!

” She gave Greer a look of pure admiration that made his heart pound in his chest for some fucking reason.

“ He’s so quick thinking—and so strong and fast, too!

I don’t think anyone has a better Protector than Greer — I feel so lucky you chose him for me. ”

For a moment their eyes met and held and Greer felt like his heart might actually pound right out of his chest. He couldn’t help remembering the bat incident in detail, though he had tried to put it out of his mind.

The bat hadn’t bitten Sunny on the arm or the neck—no, the fucking thing had flown right up her skirt and bitten her inner thigh!

Greer had laid her down right on the forest floor—the had been attending an outdoor Joining ceremony so Sunny could take notes—and had pushed up her dress and spread her thighs to suck out the poison.

There had been a whole ring of people standing around watching with wide eyes, but Greer hadn’t given a damn—he’d been completely lost in the curvy little Elite .

The sweet flavor of her blood, the soft little moans and gasps she was making as he sucked at her thigh, the warm scent of her pussy, which was so close to his face and only covered by a thin, wispy pair of lace panties…

The whole situation had been like something straight out of the forbidden fantasies he had of his Ward —fantasies he tried not to dwell on.

Afterwards Sunny had blushed and thanked him, cheeks stained bright pink with embarrassment.

“You…you saved me again, Greer ,” she’d said in that soft, sweet voice of hers that he often heard in his dreams. “ I … I can’t thank you enough.”

Greer had wanted to gather her into his arms and ravage her soft little bow of a mouth—he wanted to taste those sweet, plump lips and then go on to taste other things as well—but he knew he couldn’t. So he had only grunted something about how it was his duty and she didn’t have to thank him.

Why did she have to be so fucking adorable, he wondered now?

She wasn’t like the other human scientists he’d met—cold academics who seemed only interested in their research.

No , Sunny was different—she was sweet and kind and constantly giving compliments to everyone.

But the thing was, they were sincerely meant—you only had to look in her warm brown eyes to know that.

It reminded Greer of the very first time he’d laid eyes on her, before he had even taken the assignment to be her Protector .

It had been at an informal Last Meal in the Common Area of the Mother Ship —a place where rows of shops and restaurants surrounded the open parkland and the Sacred Grove , which was at the very heart of the huge spaceship.

The meal had been at Commander Sylvan’s request.

“Just go and meet Dr . Craythorn ,” he’d said. “ I really think you’ll like her. Well …as much as you like anyone,” he’d added, clearly seeing Greer’s dour expression.

“All right— I’ll share a single meal with her and then let you know,” Greer had agreed.

He had been reluctant to leave his post in the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps to become a Protector , but he felt he had to at least meet his potential future Ward and have a meal with her before he formally turned the position down.

Which he was certain was what he would be doing.

And then Sunny had arrived—ten minutes late, (which was actually early for her, since she was perpetually tardy as he found out later.) She’d been wearing a diaphanous yellow gown that seemed to float around her curvy body and her cheeks had been flushed from hurrying to get to the restaurant.

Greer remembered how the yellow dress had hugged her curves while the sleeves had fanned out around her like a butterfly’s wings.

The color suited her perfectly, enhancing the golden color of her skin and making her look like a vision of the Goddess herself coming to speak to him.

At least, that was what Greer had thought.

He had been struck by her unconscious beauty—she clearly didn’t know how gorgeous she was. Even he had to acknowledge it, though he generally ignored and avoided females.

Later, during their dinner and the long, rambling walk they took in the grassy lands surrounding the Sacred Grove afterwards, he was surprised by her interest in everything and her vibrant enjoyment of life. She also seemed fascinated by Greer himself.

She was interested in every detail of his life—she asked him about his family history, how he had come to the Mother Ship , what he wanted to do in the future, why he wasn’t Joined or “married” as the humans called it.

Some of her questions, Greer refused to answer. But she never seemed offended and she somehow kept him talking. She had gotten more conversation out of him in three hours than anyone else had in the previous three years .

At the end of their “dinner date,” as Sunny called it, Greer had found himself kneeling at her feet and pledging his oath to protect her and keep her safe, even at the cost of his own life.

Becoming her Protector hadn’t been his plan, but somehow Sunny subverted all plans around her—it was like she had a gravitational field that sucked everyone in.

That was the best way Greer could describe it, anyway.

“My body shall be your shield, my shoulders will bear your sorrows, my ears will hear your truths, my lips will keep your secrets, and my heart will beat only for you,” he swore as he knelt before her.

( Despite the fact that he was kneeling, he was so much taller than the curvy little Elite , they were still nearly eye-to-eye.) “ Not a drop of your blood shall be shed unless all of mine is first poured out upon the ground. As the Goddess is my witness, I swear this oath to you, my Lady Sunny .”

Sunny had put a hand to her heart, her brown eyes wide and shining.

“Oh, Greer …what a beautiful oath,” she had breathed.

And then, to his surprise, she had taken his face in her hands and looked into his eyes.

“ And you have a beautiful soul too— I can see that. Even though everyone told me you were rough and mean and scary, I can see what you’re hiding— I can see your heart . ”

Greer hadn’t known how to answer. No one had ever said such a thing to him before.

In fact, most people he met were scared of him, due to his rough appearance and deep, gravely voice.

He avoided women but to be honest, he didn’t have to try very hard because they also avoided him.

Most of them looked at him like he was a monster—possibly because of his pale gray eyes which were almost white or the jagged scar that ran down the left side of his face.

But Sunny didn’t seem to see any of that—she saw past it somehow.

He told himself then and there that he ought to back out—that looking into those warm brown eyes was dangerous. But somehow, he hadn’t been able to stop himself and now he was about to go on his fifth and final mission with the irritating, fascinating little Elite and there was no backing out.

Just fucking hope she didn’t bring her self-pleasuring device on this trip! he thought to himself in irritation.

Sunny had what he believed the human females called a “bildo”—a cylindrical, device shaped like a phallus that hummed and buzzed and vibrated which gave females extreme pleasure when it was applied to their sensitive areas. His Ward had one of these devices which she took with her everywhere .

Greer could tell she was trying to be quiet when she used it. But even when they were in separate sleeping chambers, he could hear the buzzing of the bildo and the soft gasps and muffled cries as Sunny gave herself pleasure.

It was almost more than he could fucking stand, lying there listening to her getting off and wishing that he was the one drawing those sweet sounds from her throat.

He could just imagine kneeling between her deliciously thick thighs, licking her soft little pussy until she moaned his name, sucking her juices?—