Only because it wasn’t my place to interfere, nor do I care to get in deep with how her family justifies a rightful punishment, did I keep quiet as she battled it out with her family. I don’t care to know how they go about finding whoever is behind this. I want them gone and away from Justice. Although their reaction was a lot more even-tempered than I imagined them to be. Then again, so is mine, but somewhere along the way she’s taken my trust and tossed it over her shoulder.

The woman I see before me as I help load the last pot of pink flowers into the back of the SUV is hiding how scared she is from this sick person who dares threaten what’s mine.

I’m nothing but a football player without her. With her, I’m a man. A man who has been given a second chance at love, and as much as I love football, I love her more. She’s deep inside of me, and there is no way anyone will remove her without reducing me to a pile of nothing. I’m a man who will go to the core of the earth to protect her.

“You keep your head on straight, Liam. Focus on you and her, and let us handle this.” Cain speaks loud enough for me to get his meaning, yet soft enough Justice doesn’t hear.

“I’ll do my best.” I won’t promise him or anyone something I can’t one hundred percent commit to.

I look down at my shaky hands after saying good-bye to everyone. They were steady a bit ago while running them along the smoothness of her legs in those scrap of jeans that a moment ago made me feel so alive yet peaceful at the same time. I wanted to leave my hands on her, to let her beauty and softness penetrate me. To be able to run my tongue up her long legs and watch her melt into my mouth. I wanted to continue my survey of her body, and now the thought of something happening to her mixed with knowing I can’t fuck up whoever threatened her kills me.

The dark, sleek SUV pulls away, leaving us alone once again on the porch. I’m able to process the situation in its entirety. My temper flares to the point it nears uncontrollable.

The fuck, we take one step forward and three back. I drag my hands through my hair fighting for balance. To think I was raked over the coals for trust and now to have this tossed in my face. Are we destined to ruin each other no matter how much the love we feel for one another?

“Even troubled, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’m pissed off at you, yet I’m having a hard time coming up with the words to yell.” I take a step back, not wanting my damn temper to ruin this conversation we need to have right now.

Justice drops her head. “I know. I kept it from you to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection from anyone. I need and want trust. What the hell happened to that? Did you think about telling me after our last big blow-up?”

“No, I did not, because the point was to protect you,” she says with confidence.

“Christ, do you not hear what I’m saying? Whoever is doing this is not after me. They’re going after the woman I love. The woman I plan on spending my life with. And keeping secrets from me as dangerous as this is not how I want us to be. How do you think I would feel if this prick got his hands on you? Did you happen to think how unleashed I’d become? I’d kill the fucker. Make him pay. There’s no doubt I’d be blindsided with rage. People are crazy fuckers, Justice.”

She throws her arms up into the air, tears welling in her eyes. “That is why I didn’t tell you, Liam. You can’t get involved in this. It will taint you, don’t you see that? I can’t take anything else right now. I didn’t ask for this.”

“Taint what? My reputation? I don’t give a shit about that. If you're involved, then so am I. Football is a career, Justice. That’s all it is. You’re my goddamn life!” I need to settle down, let it go and take her in my arms. This is a job for her family, not me. I’ll protect her in other ways, the ways her dad asked me to. “Come here, please.” She’s right where she belongs when she shuffles to me and melts into my chest. I run my hand through her hair, palm her head, and tilt it until she’s looking right at me. “No, you didn’t ask for this. That’s still no excuse, and you know it. Baby, you can’t tell me to trust you and then turn around and not trust me. We walk hand and hand on equal ground, together. I get we are from different worlds, but there comes a time in this relationship where we’re one and the same. That starts with trust.”

“I’m scared. So damn scared. I wanted to avoid it. I was planning on telling everyone after he sent the first two plants. Then I thought about it. You need your head in the game, not on me.” Fuck. It’s not me who will be tainted; it’s her. The love she has for pink flowers is ruined. I can see it in her eyes.

“You are always in my head, whether I’m on the field or not. You can’t pull that kind of shit on me again. I knew you were hiding something. You received the lingerie when I found you shaken up in your car, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Son of a bitch. I should have kept on her about my nagging feeling and not given up as easily. Wanted to talk to her the night we got into it over Carson and forgot about it. Mistake on my part. One that won’t happen again.

“Come on, let me take you inside and put this behind us for the night.”  I bend, lift, and cradle her in my arms. When we reach the door, she pulls it open, and I guide our bodies through it. Twist us around and let her punch in the security code.

Might not be the right move for us to do, but making love to her is what I need right now. I need the connection. Need to have her under me and show her how much I love her.

“I’m sorry,” she tells me when we enter her bedroom. I set her on the floor, grab the hem of her shirt, and lift it over her head. Mine follows, along with everything else until I’m kneeling in front her, my fingers inside the holes of her jeans. In one solid yank, they rip. Can’t decide if the tear of the worn jeans was louder or her gasp.

“I know you are. I’m not sorry about making these into shorts.” I stand, undo the button, and watch her wiggle her fine ass out of them.

I’m on her before either one of us says another word. My mouth is all over her slender, graceful neck. My hands are in her hair. My cock is pressing into her heat.

“You’re my life, too, Liam.” My name coming from her mouth captivates me. The way she says it is better than any announcer. I trail up her jawline and hover my lips over her ear, wanting to utter those words I want to say for the rest of my life.

“I meant what I said. I want a life with you. I love you so damn much,” I express.

“I love you. I want that, too, Liam. I do.”

I consume her mouth, and my hands are everywhere. Flicking, licking, and worshipping her the same way she is me. “I need you, Justice, do you get me? Need. You are a necessity to me. Nothing else. Just you.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” she whispers and slips between us to grip my cock. I moan, dip my head down to her chest, and pull a nipple into my mouth, hands sliding under her to grip her bare ass. My cock is throbbing against her hot pussy. Damn.

I drag my face from her breast, lift up, and line my dick to her heat. She glances up at me, causing something to clang in my chest. She is everything to me.

I sink slowly inside of her, halt, and when she lifts her ass up, I move.

“I love you,” I repeat those words over and over until she finally falls asleep in my arms. Under my protection.