Her Thirsty Protector (Her Thirsty Older Man #3)

Chapter One

Brennan

The late-night silence of the rest stop is something I usually savor.

Just the distant hum of the highway and the occasional breeze rustling through the trees surrounding the parking lot.

My rig is parked at the far end of the lot, away from the few other travelers who have stopped for the night.

Inside the sleeper cab, the space is dim and warm, exactly how I like it.

I’m nursing a cup of coffee and finishing a chapter of a well-worn paperback. The words blur slightly after a fourteen-hour drive. I’ve hit my legal limit for the day, and this isolated spot in rural nowhere is as good a place as any to crash for the night.

Then I hear it. Raised male voices, slurring and loud, cutting through the quiet.

I ignore it at first. Rest stops are magnets for idiots. But then another sound slices through the night... a woman’s voice. It’s soft and hesitant, trying to maintain a polite tone while obviously distressed.

My instincts sharpen instantly. I close my book, set it aside, and swing my legs over the edge of the bunk.

I climb down from the cab, the chill night air hitting my face at the same time my boots hit the asphalt.

The voices are coming from near the vending machines, close to the rest stop building.

Four men, drunk and stumbling, are crowding around a young woman.

Her back is to me, so I can’t see her face yet, but her posture is tight with tension.

One of them leans in too close, and another blocks her path.

“Come on, sweetheart, we’re just trying to be friendly,” one of them says.

“I’m sorry, I’m just waiting for someone,” she replies, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt to sound firm. “My boyfriend is supposed to meet me here.”

The men laugh, and it’s an ugly, mocking sound. “Sure he is,” another one chimes in. “We know what girls like you get up to with men at deserted rest stops late at night.”

I’m moving before I fully register it. My stride eats up the distance between us. She’s trying to bluff her way out, trying to be polite, but I can hear the fear threaded through every word. She’s alone, stranded, and these predators know it. My hands curl into fists at my sides.

“There you are, babygirl. I was waiting for you, but I must have fallen asleep.”

My voice is calm and steady, cutting through their drunken slurring like a knife.

She spins around, her eyes wide with shock and fear. And that’s when I see her face.

Something inside me, something I didn’t even know was there, slams into place.

Hard. She’s beautiful. So goddamn beautiful that she takes my breath away.

Soft, blonde waves framing a face that’s pale with exhaustion, big blue eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion, and lips that are slightly parted.

A fierce, possessive heat floods my veins, so sudden and intense it almost staggers me. She’s mine.

I have no idea how I know that with such certainty. I just do.

Her gaze darts from my face to the men behind her, then back to me. A flicker of understanding crosses her features. She’s smart. She knows I’m helping her.

“Oh! I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t see your truck,” she stammers, playing along beautifully.

I close the distance between us and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush against my side.

Her body is trembling so hard I can feel it through my jacket.

I force myself to remain calm, to project an air of lazy indifference I’m far from feeling.

“New rig. Figured it was time for an upgrade.”

She slips her arm around my waist, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. Her touch is tentative, hesitant, but it sends a jolt straight through me. She fits against me perfectly, like she was made to be there.

The drunk who’d been leaning in before, a greasy-looking guy with a stained shirt, sneers. “She doesn’t look like your type, buddy.”

Another one, taller and lankier with a mean set to his jaw, puffs out his chest. “Yeah, what’s a big fella like you doing with a little thing like her? You paying for her company?”

My jaw tightens, but my voice stays level. “You’ve got about five seconds to get back in your car and drive away before I start breaking things. Starting with your teeth.”

I subtly shift my body, positioning myself completely between her and them.

The men exchange nervous glances. They’re drunk and stupid, but they’re not blind. They can see I’m not a man to be trifled with. My time in the military didn’t just teach me how to fight; it taught me how to project the very real threat of violence without even having to raise my voice.

“Freaking asshole,” one of them mutters, but he’s already backing away.

“Not worth it,” another adds, grabbing his friend’s arm and pulling him toward a pickup truck.

They continue their retreat, throwing insults over their shoulders. I don’t move until I hear the engine turn over and see their taillights disappear down the on-ramp. Only then do I allow my body to relax, just fractionally.

I turn my full attention to the woman now. Up close, the exhaustion on her face is even more apparent. Dark circles under those beautiful blue eyes, her skin pale, her hair slightly messy from the stress. She looks so fragile it makes my chest ache.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she says, her voice still shaky. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. My car… it broke down. And my phone is dead, so I couldn’t call anyone. I’ve just been sitting here trying to figure out what to do.”

Her gaze drops to the ground, as if she’s embarrassed. “Thank you for… for what you did. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t mention it,” I say, my voice softer now. “Are you really meeting a boyfriend here?”

She shakes her head, a flush creeping up her neck. “No. There’s no one. I was just… I was scared.”

Something inside me goes absolutely feral at that. At the thought of her out here alone, vulnerable, with no one coming for her. That she could have been… No. I can’t even let my mind go there. A wave of possessiveness so strong it makes me feel lightheaded washes over me.

Mine.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, unlocking it before I hand it to her. “Here you go. You can use this to call a relative or a friend, or whoever might be able to help you.”

My thumb brushes against her fingers when I give it to her, and her breath hitches, her eyes flying up to meet mine. The contact is electric, and I have to force myself not to pull her back against my body and never let go.

“Oh, I… thank you,” she stammers, her gaze dropping back to the phone.

She types in a number and hits the call button, holding the phone to her ear.

Her expression crumbles after a few seconds.

“Voicemail,” she whispers, looking even more lost than before.

She tries another number. Same result. “They must all be asleep.” She hands my phone back to me, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I’m so sorry to bother you.”

“Bother me? You’re not bothering me,” I say, my voice firm.

“Look, you can sleep in my truck. I’ll take the driver’s seat for the night.

And then in the morning, I’ll take you where you need to go.

I would do it now, but I’ve already reached my limit for driving today.

I’m Brennan, by the way.” I hold out my hand, needing an excuse to touch her again.

“Grace,” she says, her small hand disappearing into mine. Her skin is so soft it’s almost unreal. “But I can’t ask you to put yourself out like that. I’ll be fine sleeping in my car.”

“No,” I say, the word coming out sharper than I intend. I immediately soften my tone. “No. It’s going to get down near freezing tonight. You’ll be safer in here, and warmer. I insist.” My tone leaves no room for argument. I am not leaving her out here alone. Period.

She hesitates, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “Are… are you sure?”

“Positive,” I say, and my gaze sweeps over her again.

God, she’s so fucking beautiful. I want to wrap her in a blanket and feed her soup and then fuck her until she can’t walk straight.

My dick pulses inside my jeans at the thought, even though I know she’s far too young for me.

I’m almost 40, and I’ll be surprised if she’s more than half my age.

But now the image of her on her back with her legs spread wide for me is in my head, there’s nothing I can do to get rid of it.

God, I need to get a grip on myself. I want to help her, not scare her away because I can’t act any better than those drunks who were cornering her.

“Okay,” she finally agrees, her voice barely a whisper. “Thank you, Brennan.”

“This way,” I say, and I lead her back to my rig, my hand resting possessively on the small of her back. Her warmth seeps through the thin fabric of her dress, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to pull her closer so I can feel her body flush against mine.

I open the passenger door and gesture for her to climb in. “Watch your step.”

She places a hand on the running board to hoist herself up, and I move to help her, my hands instinctively going to her waist. My fingers close around her, and she stills for a fraction of a second, her breath catching in her throat.

Her body tenses under my touch, but then she relaxes, just a little, and lets me lift her inside.

A wave of something fierce and primal washes over me.

She fits perfectly in my hands. Like she was made for me.

And I’m almost certain she was.