Page 32 of When He Defends

Screw it. He took the coat from her.

Emerson blinked.

He moved behind her. Put the coat on her shoulders.

“What is happening right now?” she whispered.

“You’re coming with me.” Gritted. Speech was nearly impossible. He put his arm around her shoulders. Pulled her against him. Took her out of that bar. His expression must have been helluva fierce because everyone got out of his way, immediately, and then he was outside.Theywere outside. The busy Atlanta street seemed to hum with energy. He turned to the left, his arm still around her shoulders. Gray guided Emerson away from the bar’s busy entrance. To the side of the building on a much quieter street. He turned. Pinned her between the building and his body. His hands flew up to cage her.

“I…probably should not have done that.”

There wasn’t much light on the side of the building. The darkness surrounded them. Pulled at him. “Yeah, you definitely shouldn’t have. Too late now, though.” He leaned closer. “Do it again.”

“Wh-what?”

“Do it…again.” He should not. Hell, no, he should not but… “Kiss me again.” Kissing her was not the way to stay platonic partners. He’d intended to keep his hands off her that night. Actually, his hands weren’t on her. They were flat against the brick wall behind her. It was his mouth that was about to be on her.

Jealousy seethed inside of him. Because when he’d gotten to that bar, Rylan had been sitting right beside her. Rylan’s arm had been brushing against hers. Rylan had been leaning into her, practically kissing her cheek.

Sonofabitch. I’m jealous of a green agent.And it sucked. It freaking sucked. He wanted Emerson, and he didn’t want to share her with anyone. Ever.

Her hands rose and pressed to Gray’s cheeks. A silken touch. He leaned toward her. She rose up. She. Kissed. Him.

They were alone. No prying eyes. No Feds at a nearby table. Just him. Just her. Just the darkness.

His mouth opened. Her lips parted. His tongue sank into the sweetness that waited for him, and every cell in his body seemed to become electrified. His dick was already saluting her. Need burned beneath his skin. A hungry desire to take and take and take.

To take until the desperate lust eased.

Until he stopped dreaming about her. Waking up at night, her name on his lips, the sheets tangled around his legs and his dick hard and aching for her.

You can’t go back from this.

Did he want to go back? Or did he want to grab tightly to her and never let go?

Danger. Serious fucking danger.

He hauled his mouth away. She cried out in protest. He wanted to put his mouth right back on hers and drink up every single sound she might make but… “Why the hell did you kiss me, in there?”

“Because it seemed like a really good idea at the time.” Husky. Sexy.

His back teeth clenched. “You know that we could have been seen,” Gray gritted out.

Soft laughter trickled from her. He was pretty sure that he might have stopped breathing.

I love the sound of her laughter.

“Being seen was the whole point,” Emerson confessed.

His hands pressed harder against the wall as he fought the impulse to touch her. To drag her close.

“Though the crowd did get thicker than I anticipated. Can’t be certain that wewereseen,” she mused. “I did try, though. Maybe an A for effort, am I right?”

She might drive him insane. And he might enjoy the ride. “Why did you want to be seen kissing me?”

“Because I wanted everyone to understand thatIwas the one pursuing you. You weren’t applying pressure, using your big, bad clout at the FBI to get impressionable me into bed.”

He snorted. Impressionable, his ass.