The Protective Dominant by Jan Irving Read Free Book Online Page A

time she’d seen him.
    And just like that she wanted him again. Wanted to run her hands over his bare, smooth oh-my-God muscled chest, wanted to suck on the nipples she could see poking through the cotton.
    Her breathing picked up, part needing, part apprehension.
    He cocked his head, studying her as he came and sat next to her on the swing.
    A car passed. Taz used his bare feet to launch the swing into gentle rocking.
    When he took her hand and squeezed, she knew he’d read her as effortlessly as he always had. He knew she wanted him. He knew she was scared.
    And his touch told her he was sorry for what he’d said, how he’d reacted earlier.
    “Get over here.”
    She put her head on his shoulder. Tucked her feet under her legs. “Do you think your friends will like me?”
    His lips quirked. “Of course. They’re not sexy bastards like me.”
    When she didn’t contradict him, he gave her an amused glance.
    “Hey, you said it,” she said, lifting a hand.
    “Yeah. And their women will love you, Dharma and Sian. They live to give me hell,” he grumped.
    “Go them.” She pursed her lips. “I think I know Sian a little. She’s pregnant, right? She was usually working when I went by. Plus she sold me that smoking calendar.”
    His ears heated. He was…blushing? Holy shit!
    “Jenny Ann Green, you do not have a nudie calendar.”
    She gave him a ‘get real’ look. “Hello, it’s not the nineteenth century.”
    “The way you dress, it might be.”
    She flushed and she saw a flash of something like ‘I’m sorry’in his eyes.
    And suddenly she was sick of wearing her dowdy dresses when she went out. Maybe, just maybe, Jenny Ann Green would wear something from her siren stash tonight. Just to show Taz he didn’t know everything.
    “There are three nudes of you in the charity calendar. I keep it in my bedside drawer.”
    There could be only one reason to do that.
    She saw awareness in his eyes and more color burn his cheeks. Oh, so tough Taz could get embarrassed? She loved it.
    He looked straight into her eyes. “Let me know if you ever want to see the full monty in person.”
    And now she was blushing. And imagining.
    Damn Taz anyway.

Chapter Six
    Taz couldn’t believe his eyes.
    Jenny Ann Green had transformed herself sometime during his shift from Laura Ashley good girl into slinky goddess.
    The first thing he noticed was her legs. Her long, long legs wearing those sky-high blue heels he’d bought her on the trip to the mall. The next thing that staggered him was her little blue halter top. It was tied behind her neck and looked about as large as a handkerchief over her bountiful assets. And the little skirt with some kind of rippling hemline.
    Her hair was down, moving on her back like a fall of satin.
    Whoa, baby.
    “Uh, I hate to tell you this.” Makeup. She was actually wearing more than lip gloss and a bit of mascara. She’d outlined her eyes so she looked like a sexy ancient Egyptian queen, all ready to order her male slave—which would be Taz—to go down on her. Her mouth was the same color as the plums that would ripen soon in her backyard.
    “What?” Even her voice sounded different. Breathy. Like they’d already done something to speed up her heart rate.
    He hated to crush her. “You’re not dressed appropriately for helping out with this kind of building project.”
    Jenny hefted a gym bag triumphantly. “Yoga clothes!”
    Okay. He guessed they would do. “So why did you dress up like this if you were just going to change?”
    “Excuse me, but are you from the planet Krypton?”
    “Huh?” He was getting more lost. “You mean like Superman?”
    “Because asking a woman why she’d bother to dress up makes me think you must consider yourself invulnerable.”
    He laughed.
    “You look…great.”
    She nodded regally. “Thank you. It’s a special occasion.”
    “Yeah?” Had he lost track of her birthday or something?
    “I’m going back to my favorite coffee shop and I