Heartthrob (The Bennett Brothers 3)

His eyes grow warm and his hold on me tightens. “I don’t want you to be exhausted.”

I wave my hand in the air flippantly. “I’m an old hat at this. My body is conditioned.”

“It means a lot you’d do that to be here with me.” He speaks in a husky voice, and I sense the mushiness seeping in.

“Don’t get any lovey-dovey ideas. I’m doing it for your protection.”

“My protection?” He crooks an eyebrow.

“Yes, I think one of my jobs is to keep you safe and protected. There are at least seven nurses lining up to get their hands on you, and after your emotional show of heroism today, they’re sharpening their claws. Lora was a second away from shoving me to the ground and latching onto you.”

The warmth in his gaze switches to humor, and he chuckles. “When you put it that way, maybe I do need protection.”

“Absolutely, and I’m willing to put myself into the line of fire.”

“That’s highly generous of you. How did I get so lucky?”

“I owe you.”

“Owe me for what?”

“Orgasms, lots and lots of orgasms.”

He grins smugly, rocking his hips to mine. “Guess I have to keep up those orgasms or my life may be in danger.”

“You have no idea.” Trying to keep a straight face fails, and I burst into giggles. Since our reconciliation, Mathis’s playful side has come out more. He goes head to head with me, and I’m always trying to find ways to banter back and forth.

“Claire?”

“Hmmm?” I try to get my laughter under control.

“Baby, you’re bouncing on my dick, and there’s no way to hide a hard-on in these scrubs.”

I wiggle free, sliding down his body and feeling the thickness beneath his pants. “This is a huge problem. If you don’t tame that thing, and any of your admirers see it, I’ll have a riot on my hands.”

“What do you recommend I do?” he teases, his lips twitching.

“I’m going to leave you here to get it under control.”

“Kiss me before you go.”

I put some space between us and point to his groin. “Is kissing me going to make your dick get soft? If so, we need to have a talk.”

I’ve finally shocked him and his head drops, shoulders shaking. “God, I love you.”

“I’m not going to kiss you for your own good. I’m going to go back to work, check on my patients, dig into the juicy gossip on the hot new guy, and look forward to dinner in a few hours.”

His head jerks up, laughter dying. “What new guy?”

“Don’t know, that’s what I have to find out. I’ve been hearing whispers, and it’s time I got in on the action.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Aww, are you afraid you’ll lose your status as Heartthrob Hottie?”

The ridiculous nickname doesn’t even warrant a lip twitch as his eyes flare. “I don’t give a shit about my status; I’m more concerned about who the fuck is going to be around you.”

The Bennett possessiveness rears its head, and I’m transfixed by the change in his stance. Tension rolls from his body, filling the small space between us. I can understand his actions when I went topless on the beach to prove a point, but this seems a bit overload.