Annie woke to the feel of something tickling her leg. She jerked and opened her eyes. Tyler sat propped on one elbow, his fingers tracing the inside of her thigh.

“Good morning.”

She smiled and arched her back in a stretch. “Good morning.” The blanket shifted below her collarbone, her breasts ready to pop over the top of the cover.

“You move like that again, and I’ll be having you for breakfast.” He kissed down her neck, across her collarbone, and placed a finger on the top of the sheet, staring back at her with puppy dog eyes.

“You look like you’ve seen a treat.”

“Oh, I have.”

He kissed her skin where the top of the blanket lay; her toes tingled in delight. Last night, she’d made love for the first time. Her body burned for Tyler in such a way she would have jumped inside of him completely if given the choice. Now, as his lips graced her skin, the tingling shot from her toes to her core, her insides begging and burning for another round.

He lowered the blanket, trailing more kisses down the top of her breast, seeking the center.

She squirmed in delight then pushed his head away. “Don’t you want breakfast first?”

“Nope.” He ripped the blanket off her completely. “I want dessert.”

She giggled and reached an arm around his neck. Just as she pulled him toward her, Alfred let out a wail of barks.

“What’s he howling at?”

Tyler ran a hand over her stomach and down her thigh. “Who cares?” He lowered his head to her center just as a voice boomed from outside.

“Knock, knock.”

“Ahh!” She yanked the covers back up.

She could see the shadow of Alfred jumping as the dog wailed at the intruder. Al’s tail bumped the side of the tent in delight.

“Steele, damn you, man. What the hell do you want?” Tyler yelled at the tent’s door.

The only thing separating her—naked—from Steele was a thin sheet, and a thin zippered doorway. Tyler protectively covered her with his body.

“I see your sleeping arrangements have worked out nicely. You’re welcome.” The cocky Guardian sounded as if he snickered.

Tyler pressed more of his weight on her. “Again, what the hell do you want?”

“I’m supposed to tell you breakfast is ready. Sandi’s making dirty eggs.”

“Yeah, thanks. Got it. We’ll be there in a minute.”

“Take your time, man. Sorry to interrupt your morning slumber. Come on, Alfred. Let’s leave the lovebirds alone.” His and the dog’s footsteps grew quieter.

She trailed her fingers through Tyler’s hair. “I think we’ve been found out.”

“Well, they did make sure nearly every obstacle was seen to.” He leaned into her caress. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“No.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “But I’m not in the mood for eggs.”

“You’re not?”

“No, I think I’d like to give sausage a try.”

“I thought you didn’t like pork.”

“I wasn’t talking about a pig.”

“Mercy.”

While she never wanted to experience the pain Duke put her through again, she’d never imagined something so cruel and dangerous could lead her to a place of total bliss and love. Tyler had her heart and soul, and in him, she found her purpose. A place she never wanted to lose again.

“I love you, Tyler.”

“I love you, more.”

His eyes glistened as he lowered his lips back to her collarbone and kissed every part of her into sheer oblivion.

So, this was love.

* * *

Annie placed her head on Tank’s chest, making lazy circles over his stomach with her finger. Never in his life had he felt he could care for someone so strong, so powerfully. She held his soul in her tiny palm.

“I wish we could stay this way forever,” she said, mirroring his exact thoughts.

“Me, too.” He squeezed her closer to his chest. “But there’s been a stick jabbed in my ass for the past hour. I wouldn’t mind a bed.”

She let out a giggle that made having a stick up his ass worth it.

“My mom, she’s coming to town tomorrow. You’ll meet her, won’t you?”

“Of course. Does she know about me?”

“A little. I haven’t told her much. I didn’t know what to tell her, really. I was scared. Scared my feelings were one sided.”

“I don’t think your feelings have ever been one sided.” She reached up and tapped him on the nose.

He squeezed Annie tighter. Not only did his love run deep, but also his desire to protect her from harm. Any harm. Especially Duke. An image of the two of them together caused his stomach to churn. How did she wind up with a guy like him?

“Annie, I have to ask you something.”

“Sure. What?”

“Why Duke? What about him made you fall for him?”

She sighed and lay back on his chest, using her fingers to make lazy circles again over his stomach. “I guess it was his charm. When we met, I had just moved back to town from finishing college in Austin. I wanted to stay closer to Mom, but figured I might have a better shot of getting a job here. Smaller town, less competition than a big city, also the cost of living is much cheaper in Black Widow. Besides, I had fond memories of Black Widow, despite the pain from my parents’ accident. I figured being here might make me feel closer to my dad’s spirit somehow.”

He wrapped a protective arm around her, drawing her closer, wishing he could pull in her pain, take the load from her.

“I took a job at the diner until I could find something more substantial, and that’s where I met Duke. He came in the restaurant and swept me off my feet immediately. It was Christmas time, and he asked what my plans were. When I let him know I didn’t have any, he made sure I lacked for nothing that Christmas. We spent every day of his vacation together. We visited my mom, and then he took me to the Bahamas for a few days. Gave me everything I could have ever wanted…I thought.” She turned her head and glanced up at him. “For a girl who was low on funds, and had college loans to pay back, he seemed like a dream come true. Little did I know the nightmare that was about to begin.”

While his nightmares were at night, he could wake up from them, try and shake them off. Beauty, on the other hand, had walked in one daily just like he did as a child.

His childhood fears lurched in his stomach.

Never again.

For either of us.

“You didn’t know Duke from school? Didn’t he grow up here?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and pushed off his chest to rest on her forearms. “He did, but we are a few years apart, and I rode the bus. I didn’t participate in after school activities like he did, so I never really knew him in school. The only really good friend I had here moved away. When I came back, it was like I was new all over again.”

“So, you had no idea about his behavior.”

“No, and as far as I can tell, no one else really did either. Besides, Sandi. I suppose she saw through his act. Looking back, she dropped hints here and there, but I was so enamored with him, I never noticed. On Valentine’s Day, Duke proposed.” She raised her gaze to the ceiling. “It all felt like a fairy tale.” She shook her head and stared back at him. “I can’t believe that was only a little over four months ago. He came from money and influence, and he adored me. What more could a girl ask for? But after I said yes, everything changed.”

“Changed how?” He propped on an elbow and rubbed a hand through her hair.

She stared into her hands. “His family started pressuring him to campaign for Sherriff. He started drinking more. A lot more. He stopped taking his medicine altogether. Little by little, his anger escalated…until a couple weeks after proposing he began hitting me. After the first time, he apologized profusely. Sent me flowers three days in a row, and swore he’d never do it again. I figured I could forgive him. I mean, he loved me after all, or so he said. But the more his dad pressured him about revving up his political campaign, the more he drank, and the less he took his medicine.”

“Medicine for what?”

She refocused her gaze back on him. “He never would say exactly, but when I looked up the prescription, it was for bipolar disorder. Sometimes there would be another prescription he would take. I think that one was for depression. Problem was, he didn’t stick to them for very long. When he did while he was courting me, he seemed to think clearer, act more normal. Maybe it was all a ruse. I don’t know.” She shrugged her bare shoulder.

Damn him.

“A little over a month ago, I realized there was no escape for me. His money, his resources were all too vast and too wide for me to get out of his grasp. And it all happened so fast it almost gives me whiplash thinking back on it all. From being completely independent to completely dependent on him in the matter of months. It’s crazy, but it’s true, and I have no idea how I let myself get so wrapped up in it all.”

“It’s the abuser behavior, Annie.” He scooted closer, their bodies flush, hoping to offer a shred of comfort in his touch. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re safe now.”

“I know, but what I really can’t believe is I’ve been hiding under his nose the past couple of weeks, and he hasn’t figured it out. It’s only a matter of time, though, and I’m tired of hiding.”

“I won’t let him hurt you.” No way in hell. Her rubbed her bare shoulder.

“I know, but like I’ve said before, I’m not going to keep hiding. I’m going to talk to Sandi today. I want back on the schedule, and I want the Guardians to stop babysitting me. It’s Independence Day after all. I want mine back.”

Her green eyes pleaded with him, and pulled his heartstrings as well as his groin. Everything she did got under his skin.

He wanted her to have what she wanted. Hell, he wanted to give her what she wanted, but what she wanted was dangerous. Duke was still telling everyone he and Annie were getting married. How were they going to resolve that issue…safely?

“Annie, I can’t always be with you. What if our work shifts don’t coordinate? Besides, I have to work the next four weekends in a row to make up for taking this one off.”

“I thought about that, and I’m sure Sandi will work with me as much as she can. But what if we take my money and get an alarm system at the house?”

“An alarm system.” He trailed his palm down the center of her back. “That may work, but I’d still rather have someone there with you.”

“I know you would, but Tyler, I need to live life again.”

“Ugh,” he groaned. His Beauty was tired of being locked in the wooden tower. He couldn’t blame her. She deserved so much more than what she was getting.

“You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re going back to work, in town, with Duke and everyone else able to see you.”

“Yes, I am, and I would like your blessing on this. I need to be me again.”

He could give this to her. He would give her the leeway. She wasn’t his possession, and she could do as she pleased. He was the lucky one getting the privilege of her company, and he did enjoy her company. Too much. He’d be damn sure she was kept safe. Every Guardian would know to keep their eyes and ears open when it came to his woman.

 “All right, and we’ll get an alarm system. But.” He placed a quick peck to her forehead. “You’re not paying for it.”

“I’ve lived with you rent-free for two weeks. Let me take care of this.”

“Nope.” He pecked her head again. “I pick the system, and I pay.”

“You’re stubborn, you know that?”

“Tossing my own words back at me, I see.”

“Well, let me repay you somehow.”

“You want to repay me?” He raised an eyebrow.

 “Of course I do.”

He flipped her over and settled his body over hers. “I can think of a way.” He nudged her legs open with his hand as he dipped his head to her bellybutton.

“Tyler.” She giggled “What are you doing?”

“Partaking in the dessert you made for me.” He lowered his lips to her hip, his face hovering above her warmth.

“That doesn’t seem like I’m repaying you for anything.”

“Your pleasure is plenty payment for me, babe. Now, relax, while I enjoy.”

He lapped her pleasure point until her body wiggled, and she panted his name in sheer joy.

Definitely payment enough.