Protecting Summer Read online

  “Okay, Mozart. Thank you.” Summer knew she should be protesting his Alpha tendencies, but she couldn’t.

  “Don’t thank me, Sunshine. This is all on me.”

  “What is?” Summer was confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Go on, get in the shower. We’ll talk when I get back.”

  “God, you’re annoying,” Summer huffed, finally showing some backbone, as she tried to pull out of his arms to do as he’d demanded.

  Mozart laughed and whispered, “I’m sure I’ll annoy you more as we get to know each other, but just remember I always have your best interests in mind.”

  “Whatever,” was all Summer could come up with as a comeback. It was lame, but the shower was calling her name and she really was freezing.

  Mozart let go of Summer and watched as she walked into the little bathroom and shut the door behind her. He blew out a breath and put both hands up into his hair and raked his hands over his head. Jesus, all this time she’d been living in a hovel and he’d been making excuses as to why he shouldn’t come back up here. Mozart should’ve thought more about her situation that night when he’d taken her to dinner. All the signs had been there, but he’d ignored them. Some observant Navy SEAL he was. God, he was a fucking idiot.

  He was here now and he’d fix this. Mozart would make sure she wasn’t hungry or cold again. He wasn’t sure she was going to like his solution, but he didn’t give a damn. She was his, dammit. She was vulnerable, yet spicy at the same time. She wasn’t a young naïve woman in her early twenties, she was like him. Seasoned. The combination was intriguing to Mozart. He hadn’t thought twice about her being his. She just was. As soon as he’d seen her trying to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary with her living in a shack and telling him she had no expectation for his return, he’d known.

  Mozart walked out to his truck and grabbed his bag along with a bottle of soda he’d forgotten to drink on his way up to the lake. He re-entered the cabin and remembered to crank up the heat in the room before he did anything else. The overly warm room might make him uncomfortable, but he’d bet Summer would appreciate the added warmth. Mozart smiled at hearing the shower running. He could imagine Summer standing under the spray of water naked as the day she was born. He willed his erection to go down as he pulled a T-shirt out of his bag. Usually he didn’t wear any underwear so he didn’t have a pair of boxers she could wear, not that they’d have fit her anyway.

  He dug some more and came up with a pair of shorts that he usually ran in. He knew they’d be huge on her, but he also didn’t want her to feel vulnerable without something covering her lower half. Mozart went over to the bathroom door and eased it open. Steam rolled out the door and he couldn’t help but smile again. He knew he’d told Summer he’d leave the clothes outside the door, but he couldn’t resist going into the bathroom if his life depended on it.

  “Sunshine? I’m leaving a shirt and stuff on the sink. I brought in a soda as well. Drink it. The sugar will do you good.” When she didn’t immediately answer, he called out, “You okay?”

  He heard a muffled shriek and watched as she stuck her head around the shower curtain. She obviously hadn’t heard him when he’d opened the door to talk to her.

  “Mozart? Get out of here!”

  “Okay, I’m going. I just wanted to make sure you were all right before I headed out. There’s clothes on the sink, and drink the soda I left for you.”

  “All right. Just go!”

  Summer heard Mozart laugh as he shut the bathroom door. She should’ve been more upset at him, but she couldn’t be. She hadn’t been able to take a lazy shower in what seemed like forever, and it felt heavenly. Summer grabbed the cheap little shampoo she’d left in the room earlier that day, and washed her hair twice, using the bubbles from the lather to scrub her skin as best she could. She conditioned her hair and rinsed that out as well.

  Then, cranking the knob so the water was even hotter, Summer sat down and let the stream beat on her back as she huddled in the bottom of the tub. She moaned as the water hit her shoulder blades and massaged her muscles.

  Not knowing how much time had passed, Summer finally reached behind her and turned off the water, but sat still for a moment or two. The bathroom was completely filled with steam, she could barely see an inch in front of her face. She’d been cold for so long the heat felt heavenly. Finally, she stood up, wobbling from both the heat and hunger, and peered out the shower curtain, making sure she was alone.

  Seeing the door was still shut, she pulled back the curtain and reached for one of the towels. It was small and scratchy, but Summer didn’t care. Once she was dry, she pulled Mozart’s T-shirt over her head and laughed as it fell mid-thigh on her. She tried putting the shorts on, but knew immediately there would be no way they’d work. They were miles too big and she had no way to keep them up. She left them sitting on the counter and prayed Mozart was as much of a gentleman as he’d been so far. Summer didn’t want to be completely naked under the shirt, so she pulled her panties back on.

  Seeing the soft drink sitting on the counter, her mouth immediately started watering. She wasn’t much of a soda drinker, but at that moment, she thought she’d die if she didn’t drink it right that second. She twisted the top off, enjoying the hiss of the carbonation as it rushed out of the bottle. Summer tipped it up and guzzled the fuzzy drink down. It was slightly warm, but it tasted so good. She finished the bottle and sighed happily. Her sigh was immediately followed by a gigantic burp. She blushed, hoping like hell Mozart wasn’t sitting out in the room laughing.

  Summer cracked open the bathroom door, watching how the steam rushed out of the bathroom as she pushed it all the way open, and walked into the small motel room. Mozart wasn’t back from wherever he’d gone yet, so, avoiding the bed, she wandered over to the easy chair in the corner and pulled her knees up to her chest as she stretched the huge T-shirt over her knees so she was covered from neck to toes.

  She knew Mozart had questions and wasn’t happy with how he’d found her. Summer hadn’t done anything wrong, but knew he’d want to talk to her about it. She just had to figure out how much she was going to tell him. Summer didn’t usually blurt out her entire sad life history to just anyone. She wanted to trust Mozart, but she also remembered how much he’d hurt her by promising to be back, and then not showing up until now.

  Summer cocked her head to the side as she thought about Mozart. He had come back. He’d never said how long it’d be before he returned; only that he would. So technically, he hadn’t broken any promises to her. Summer sighed. She’d play it by ear and see what he wanted when he got back. Maybe Mozart just wanted her to be warm for the night. He was a SEAL after all; it was ingrained in him to rescue people. Maybe he wasn’t back for anything, other than to fulfill his promise or to go hiking some more.

  She hated waiting. Mozart would return soon enough. Lying her head against the side of the chair, she quickly drifted off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that, for the moment at least, she was safe and warm.

  Chapter Seven

  Mozart juggled the bags in his hands as he opened the door to his motel room. He’d driven into town to find some food. He knew Summer would never admit it, but she had to be hungry. He hadn’t seen any food in the damn storage building she’d been living in, and of course, he remembered how she’d enjoyed the steak when they’d gone out two months ago.

  The room was dark, except for the light coming from the open bathroom door. Mozart looked around and found Summer curled up in the chair in the corner of the room. He silently put the bags of food down and went over to where she slept. Mozart kneeled down in front of the chair and put one hand on her knee, still covered by his shirt, and the other on the arm of the chair. He rubbed her knee softly, trying to bring her out of sleep slowly so she wouldn’t be scared.

  “Summer? Wake up, Sunshine.” Mozart grinned as she grunted in her sleep, and turned her face deeper into the side of the chair. “Come on, wake up.”r />
  Summer squinted at Mozart, then closed her eyes again. “Do I have to?” she sighed, sounding much whinier than she wanted to.

  Mozart grinned. God, she was cute. “No, not really, but I did go and find a twenty four hour grocery store, and I brought back food.”

  Summer’s eyes popped open comically. “Food? What kind of food?”

  Mozart ran his hand down the side of her cheek. He wanted to find her actions funny, but he couldn’t. Most women he knew would’ve been perfectly happy to fall back asleep, but he knew first-hand when your body was craving calories, food always came before sleep.

  “Sit up and see for yourself, Sunshine.”

  Summer shifted upward and straightened her knees. The shirt rose up and off her knees, but luckily still covered her adequately. Mozart hadn’t moved from her side and his hand was now resting on her bare knee. They stared at each other for a moment.

  “Your scar looks better,” she said quietly as she brought her hand up and fingered the worst of the scars on his face.

  Mozart grunted. “Yeah, Ice insisted on me rubbing some crappy cream on it every night. I keep telling her it doesn’t matter, but she won’t give it up. I do it just to shut her up.”

  “Well, it seems like she knows what she’s talking about. It really does look better, Mozart.” Suddenly thinking he might think it mattered to her, Summer quickly backpedaled. “Not that it looked bad…”

  “Shhhh, it’s fine.” Mozart put his fingers across her lips stopping her from saying anything else that might make her feel she was digging herself into a hole. “I know what you meant. I give Ice crap, but the cream does actually make it feel better.” At the look of relief on Summer’s face Mozart continued, “Now, come on, get up and see what I got for us. I didn’t stop on my way up here, so I got a bit of everything.” Summer would never know he was lying about not stopping to eat, but he didn’t want her to feel bad about all the stuff he’d bought.

  Summer stood up and would have fallen over if Mozart hadn’t been there to steady her. “Whoa, take your time. I’m sure the heat of the shower made you woozy. Let me help.”

  Summer was too embarrassed to say anything else, and if she was honest with herself, she was just too damn hungry to care too much. She let Mozart lead her over to the bed.

  “Here, sit, while I go through the bags.”

  Summer sat and watched Mozart bend over and grab the bags with one hand. He sat sideways next to her on the bed with one knee bent and the other foot propping himself up on the floor. He reached into the bags and pulled out a loaf of bread, a small jar of peanut butter, a six pack of V8 juice, a jar of dill pickles, two cans of corn, green beans, and carrots, two boxes of granola bars, a package of provolone cheese, sliced turkey, a salad in a bag, a small bottle of ranch dressing, and a bag of green apples and oranges.

  Mozart looked up sheepishly at all the food scattered around them on the bed. Summer threw back her head and laughed. “Jesus, Mozart, I thought you just went out to get a snack?”

  Summer wasn’t ready for Mozart to lean over and put his hands next to her hips. He kept coming forward until Summer had no choice but to lean back and put her weight on her hands behind her, or let him run right into her. Mozart had a serious look on his face. She thought he’d laugh with her about the food, but apparently she’d read him wrong.

  “You aren’t eating enough. You’re even thinner than you were when I held you in my arms a couple of months ago. I don’t like it. I bought what I thought would last without being refrigerated. Except for the salad and the cheese and turkey, everything will keep in that damn hut you’re living in. You need more protein. I don’t like that you get dizzy when you stand up, and I certainly don’t like that your only bed is a broken cot with a sleeping bag in a building that has holes in it. And I really don’t like the fact that your only source of heat is a scary looking heater that’s this far from burning down the entire structure.” Mozart held his thumb and index finger about an inch apart in order to punctuate his last thought, then leaned forward again. “I don’t know why I care so much, but I do. I can’t explain it any more than I think you can, Sunshine. I made a mistake in not coming for you sooner, but I’m here now, and you can bet I see you now. I don’t mean to freak you out, but I’m not going anywhere.”

  Summer could only watch with wide eyes. She should’ve been freaking out at his words. She was an independent woman who could take care of herself, but she wasn’t doing a very good job of it lately, and she was tired. She wanted nothing more than to let this man take care of her. If that meant she was weak, so be it. Summer was hungry, tired, and cold. At the moment, Mozart was offering to lighten all three of those burdens. She’d take what she could get and hope for the best. Summer said the only thing she could at the moment. The only thing she was thinking. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Mozart looked confused.

  “Okay.”

  A smile slowly came over Mozart’s face and he shook his head as he leaned back, allowing her some space. “You’re gonna keep me on my toes aren’t you, Sunshine?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “Now, what do you want to eat?”

  Summer sat up looked down at all the food surrounding them. “The salad.” She’d eaten so much crap over the last few months and her body was craving the vegetables. “And a can of green beans. Then an orange for dessert.”

  “You got it. Sit still, I’ll get it ready for you.” Mozart moved off the bed, but not before running his large hand over her head and pushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. He then turned his attention to the food and used some tool he’d pulled from his belt to open the can of green beans. He handed it to Summer with a plastic fork, before opening the bag of lettuce. Mozart watched out of the corner of his eye as Summer dug into the can. Once again, he saw how she tried to control herself and not inhale the food, but she had a little less control tonight than she’d had when they’d gone out to eat.

  Mozart dumped the lettuce in a big plastic bowl he’d also picked up at the store and opened the cheese and turkey as well. He tore off pieces of the meat and cheese and included it in with the lettuce. He stirred in more dressing than she’d probably normally use, but she needed the calories.

  Mozart handed her the doctored lettuce and another plastic fork and sat down on the bed next to her, peeling an orange as she ate. They didn’t say anything, just enjoyed each other’s company in silence. Mozart couldn’t help but feel a little cavemanish. He’d gone out and gotten food for his woman. He was providing her with food, warmth, and a safe place to sleep, everything psychologists said was vital for a person’s wellbeing.

  Summer put aside the bowl of salad she’d practically inhaled and sighed. She was full, but she still craved the sweetness of the orange, its smell now permeating the air around them. She reached for the fruit only to have Mozart hold it out of her reach.

  “Open,” he demanded in a low harsh voice.

  Summer looked up only to see a look of determination and desire on his face. “I can do it, Mozart.”

  “I know you can, but I want to. Now open.”

  Summer looked in Mozart’s eyes and saw he wasn’t going to budge on this. She opened her mouth and moaned as she bit into the first slice of the orange Mozart put into her mouth. She opened her eyes and blushed. Mozart’s erection couldn’t have been more obvious, but he wasn’t hiding it from her in any way. His legs were spread, and he was sitting sideways on the bed again.

  Seeing where Summer’s eyes had strayed, Mozart smiled at her. “I can’t help it, Sunshine. The noises that come out of your mouth are sexy as hell. But I’m a patient man. I’ll wait as long as it takes you to be comfortable with me. But be forewarned, that doesn’t mean I won’t be pushing you and trying to make you comfortable with me sooner rather than later.”

  He held out another piece of orange to her. Instead of answering his conceited remarks, Summer leaned forward and grabbed Mozart’s wrist. She held on to it without breaking eye contact w
ith him and took the piece of orange into her mouth. She shifted it to the side and suckled his finger into her mouth at the same time. She licked around his knuckle and nipped at the tip before drawing backward and letting go of his wrist. “I’m not sure why you think it’s going to take a while for me to be comfortable with you, Mozart. I feel more at ease with you than I did with my ex, who I’d been married to for ten years.”

  Summer watched fascinated as a muscle ticked in Mozart’s jaw. One hand was clenched in a fist so tight his knuckles were white. She watched as he brought the finger she’d just had in her mouth up to his lips and sucked it into his own mouth. Without breaking eye contact with her he unclenched his other fist and brought it up to the back of her neck, drawing her closer to him. Summer loved when Mozart did that, granted he’d only done it once before, but she hadn’t forgotten the feeling. It was controlling as hell, but it comforted her, without a doubt.

  “Are you finished eating, Sunshine?”

  Summer nodded in the confines of his pseudo-embrace.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to put the food away and you’re going to climb under the covers. I’ll get changed and come back to you. We aren’t going to make love tonight, but you’ll sleep in my arms. We’ll get to know each other better and when we both know it’s right, I’m going to take you so hard you won’t remember anyone else and you’ll certainly never think of having anyone else. Got it?”

  Summer shivered in delight and answered him in a whisper, “Got it.”

  “Jesus, Sunshine. I gotta know before I let you go. You wearing anything under my shirt?”

  Summer giggled and shook her head. “The shorts were too big, but yeah, I put my undies back on.”

  “God. Okay, I’m getting up now, scoot yourself up and climb in. I get the right side; it’s closer to the door.”

  Summer did as Mozart directed, not taking her eyes off him the entire time. She watched as he gathered up the food and put it on the dresser. He went into the bathroom and she heard the toilet flush and him brushing his teeth. Finally, Mozart cut the light off and the room went dark. She felt Mozart climb into the bed beside her. Summer hadn’t thought about his statement about taking the side of the bed closer to the door when he’d made it, but now, lying in the dark, knowing he was between her and anyone that might try to get in, made goose bumps break out all over her body. No one had ever done that sort of thing before. Her ex wasn’t into protecting her in any way, figuring she could do it herself.