Mastered by Malone (Haven, Texas 6)

“You don’t have to do this, sunshine,” Mike said quietly. “We can leave. I can protect you.”

Mike was a warrior, a guardian, and it chafed not being able to look after her. Especially as this place and the man who owned it were unknowns to them both.

Alec Malone.

She liked his name. It was a strong name.

“I know you can,” she told him. Not for the world would she ever say she doubted his ability to keep her safe. But if anything happened to Mike while he was protecting her, she’d never forgive herself.

Oh, but it’s fine to put a stranger at risk?

“But we’d be running for the next two months trying to stay ahead of this hit man. This is a better solution.” I hope.

Mike reached over and took hold of her hand in his. Drat, she’d been tapping her fingers against her thigh. Something she only did when she was feeling nervous or scared. He gave her hand a squeeze. “If you hate it here, if you want to leave, if you need anything, you call me, and I’ll come.”

Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away before looking over at him. “I love you.” He was her everything. Her only family. She wouldn’t risk him for anything.

“Love you too, sunshine.” He gave her hand a final squeeze and let it go. Then he drove forward and opened the car window, reaching out with his hand to press down on the buzzer.

Here goes nothing.

“What the hell is Tanner doing?” Jardin asked.

Alec studied the dusty sedan making its way slowly up the driveway. It hit a pothole and bounced. It wasn’t made for country driving. Of course, he kept his driveway purposely rough in order to dissuade anyone from visiting—or returning. Tanner was sitting on the trunk, his arm resting along the roof.

“I sent him down to greet them.”

Jardin turned to give him a look. “You did what?”

“Someone had to go.”

“Yes, but Tanner? He doesn’t have a filter on his mouth. Polite isn’t in his vocabulary.”

Alec shrugged. “Figured she should know what she’s in for.”

“Or you were hoping she’d call things off and then you wouldn’t have to take her in,” Jardin muttered.

Alec sent him a look. “Either works.”

The sedan came to a stop. Yeah, it had probably been a dick move. Tanner wasn’t a jerk; he didn’t have a nasty bone in his body. But there was little he took seriously, and he was an incorrigible flirt.

He jumped off and raced over to open the passenger door to the car. That didn’t surprise Alec. His brothers didn’t have many manners, but they knew how to charm the pants off a woman. Fuck. Maybe he’d made a mistake in sending Tanner. Knowing his luck, the woman in the car wouldn’t take offense and refuse to stay, she’d fall in love and follow his brother around like a lovesick teenager.

Alec sighed. Then she stepped out and raised her hand to her face to shield her eyes as she stared up at Tanner. Her gaze dropped to the ground and his stomach clenched. Then she turned and looked up to where he and Jardin stood on the porch and it felt like he’d been sucker-punched.

She was gorgeous. Her long, wavy, red-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. If she were his, he’d want that hair down when they were playing. He’d wrap his hand around it and use it to control her movements as she went down on him.

Shit. He needed to stop thinking like that.

She was his responsibility for the next two months. Not his plaything. Getting involved with her would be a terrible idea. He’d warned his brothers away, he couldn’t turn around and invite her into his bed.

“You didn’t tell me she looked like that,” Alec grumbled. The photo he’d dug up on her background check had done her no justice at all.

A big bruiser of a man climbed out of the driver’s side. Her cousin. The cop. He couldn’t believe he was letting a cop onto his land voluntarily. It was a wonder lightning wasn’t striking him down. Every time Jake, Haven’s sheriff, came out to the ranch he got a case of acid reflux.

The man stared around him, his eyes not missing a thing, his body tense and ready. Tanner must have said something to him, because he turned to his brother with a glare hot enough to fry a lesser man. Tanner just grinned and sent him a salute.

“Like what?” Jardin asked innocently.