Sheltering His Desire Read Online Free PDF Page B

Sara’s
tentative voice filled the room. “There’s a camera guy here?”
    Her already fractured thoughts shattered
further. “They’re back? What the hell? Can I go talk to them now?
This is my chance, right? I can set things straight.”
    Her chair spun and she found herself face to
face with Tate. He was half kneeling in front of her, gaze locked
on hers, forehead wrinkled in concern. He rested a hand on her neck
again, thumb stroking her cheek. She wanted to slap his arm away,
but the shock of his touch raced through her and filled in the
cracks in her thoughts with glue.
    When he leaned in and kissed her, lips soft
and tender, her entire world ground to a stop. Her tension was
still there, struggling in the back of her mind to be heard, but
she couldn’t focus on it. Her attention was on the rough fingers
against her skin, the tiny nips he laid along her bottom lip, the
way his tongue swirled around hers.
    She exhaled softly, when he broke away and
rested his forehead against hers.
    “Paying attention now?” The edge was gone
from his voice. Was he breathless? No, she wasn’t thinking
straight. He was just trying to keep that infuriating calm
demeanor.
    She wanted to lean in for another kiss.
Something more intense to chase the flutters through her veins like
the night before. Instead, she nodded.
    He bit his top lip for a moment, before
continuing. “Good. It’s Greg from the office. He’s going to take
video of the animals.”
    She swallowed, struggling with disappointment
and relief, but she wasn’t sure what the source of either feeling
was. “Right.”
    “I’ll hook him up with one of your
volunteers. You start making phone calls about this news thing.” He
finally pulled away, and as he stood, she swore his hand was
trembling.
    “Right. Press release from Sara, and call
Legal.”
    The moment the door closed behind him, the
borders protecting her compartmentalized thoughts disintegrated.
Had he really just kissed her? And why was she focused on that?
Because it was an easier question that what the hell she was going
to do about this possible media shitstorm. She took a few deep
breaths. They had a plan, and she would follow it.
    Her stomach lurched when she reached for her
phone, and she pushed aside the nausea. She could do this.

    *

    Tate couldn’t believe he’d kissed her. A
single night of no sleep and a little stress and he was letting
instinct and lust drive him? He was really off his game this week.
Her taste still lingered on his lips. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But
instinct had kicked in, and he’d needed to calm her down.
    It was nothing more than a distraction to
bring her nerves under control. Things were high stress right now.
He obliterated his doubt, left the cameraman in capable hands, and
pushed any tension or worry from his mind before he stepped back
into Alyssia’s office. He kicked the door shut behind him, only
half aware he was locking it, when he registered the sight in front
of him.
    She was pacing and muttering to herself, not
even looking up at the click of the latch. She raked trembling
fingers through her hair, her feet slapping hard against the floor
with each step. “I can’t do this. It’s not what I signed on for.”
Her tone grew louder and higher pitched with each word. “I can
confront the abusive jackasses. I’m prepared for that. But to have
to defend myself publicly, for something I didn’t do, against a man
who’s never even wondered what it might be like to not have so many
people responding to his every whim. I can’t do—”
    “Whoa.” Tate stepped in front of her, palms
on her cheeks, forcing her to look him in the eye. He couldn’t
watch this anymore. Her tension twisted every muscle in his body
until he was sure something inside might snap if he didn’t move,
and her near-hysteria added a layer of something unfamiliar. If he
had to name it, it was need. The need to wrap her up and protect
her. The need to hold her and comfort her and let