Devoted Protector

Devoted Protector Book 2 in the Fierce Protectors Series Jade Dollston Contents Copyright Prologue 1. Waylon 2. Bristol 3. Waylon 4. Bristol 5. Bristol 6. Waylon 7. Bristol 8. Bristol 9. Waylon 10. Bristol 11. Bristol 12. Waylon 13. Bristol 14. Waylon 15. Bristol 16. Waylon 17. Bristol 18. Bristol 19. Waylon 20. Bristol 21. Waylon 22. Bristol 23. Bristol 24. Waylon 25. Bristol 26. Waylon 27. Bristol 28. Waylon 29. Bristol 30. Waylon 31. Bristol 32. Bristol 33. Waylon 34. Waylon 35. Bristol 36. Waylon 37. Bristol 38. Bristol 39. Waylon 40. Bristol 41. Waylon 42. Bristol 43. Waylon 44. Bristol 45. Bristol 46. Waylon 47. Waylon 48. Bristol 49. Bristol 50. Waylon 51. Bristol 52. Waylon 53. Waylon 54. Bristol 55. Waylon 56. Bristol 57. Waylon 58. Bristol 59. Waylon 60. Bristol 61. Bristol 62. Waylon 63. Bristol 64. Bristol Also By Jade Playlist Acknowledgments About Author Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Jade Dollston All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Short quotes for book reviews are acceptable. For permissions, contact: [email protected] Cover Design by Sammi Bee Designs Cover Photo by FuriousFotog/Golden Czermak Cover Model: Maverick Willett Editing and proofreading by Chrisandra's Corrections This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses and locations are either products of the writer's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT AND PROFANITY. READERS 18+ ONLY. TW: Death of a loved one. Prologue Bristol - Three Years Ago Regina closed the door quietly behind her, and I sat tentatively on the edge of Jared’s bed, careful not to jostle or touch his body. God, it hurt me to look at him, but I did it anyway. He was my Jared. The love of my life. The nurse had given me some Vick’s to smear under my nose to help with the horrible smell of burnt flesh and hair that hung in the air, though I still had to fight to swallow down the bile that was threatening to choke me. Jared’s vocal cords had been severely damaged in the industrial fire, so he couldn’t speak, but his left hand was uninjured, allowing him to give rudimentary hand signals like a thumbs up or a weak squeeze. Gently taking his uninjured hand, I spoke softly to him. “Jare, can you hear me, baby?” His fingers tapped faintly against the back of my hand. “I’m here. Right here, my sweetheart.” A wheezing sound scraped up from his lungs, and he winced. “Don’t try to talk, baby. Just squeeze my hand. I love you so much.” Don’t cry, Bristol. Dammit, don’t cry. He needs you to be strong. He tightened his hand on mine, and I smiled. “Does that mean you love me, too?” A harder squeeze. I noticed his lips moving, just opening and closing a few times before they formed a word. “What.” Holding his hand between both of mine, I asked, “You want to know what happened?” His head bobbed imperceptibly. “There was an explosion at work. You got burned, Jare. It’s… it’s pretty bad.” The beeps and tings from the machines were interrupted only by the ragged sounds of Jared’s breathing for a while, and I thought he had drifted off to sleep. Then his raw, bloodied lips tried to form another word. “I’m sorry, Jared. I don’t know what you’re saying.” He tried again, and the word was clear this time. “Die.” I clenched my jaw against the pain clawing my chest and ripping my heart out. My voice trembled when I was finally able to speak. “Are you asking if you’re going to die?” He tapped my hand, and I leaned my head down and kissed his knuckles. “That’s what the doctors are saying, but you’re strong, baby. You can pull through this, and I’ll be with you every single step of the way.” Jared shook his head and pulled his hand away from mine, pointing at his chest. “Die,” he mouthed. Then he nodded his head. Oh, Jesus. He was saying he wanted to die, and the agony I knew he must be going through threatened to kill me right where I sat. “Okay, sweetheart. I understand.” A violent sob wrenched from my throat, and I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. “I don’t want you to go, Jared. Oh, God, but I don’t want you to suffer either. I can’t stand to see you in pain. I love you so damned much,” I cried, weeping hysterically and unable to control it anymore. I was losing him. I was losing my whole heart. The top half of his head was covered entirely by bandages, so he couldn’t see, and he tried to lift his arm blindly toward my face, a pitiful moan dripping from his lips from the pain. I dipped my head down so he could easily touch my cheek, and he swiped my tears away with his thumb. Jared was the one dying, and here he was, comforting me. I needed to suck it up and be brave for him. I took a minute to rub my cheek against his palm because damn, that felt good. I loved Jared’s strong hands, the way he touched my face when he kissed me or made love to me. Turning my head a little, I pressed my lips against his palm as I drew on strength I didn’t even know I had. “I love you with all my heart, Jared. You know that. I can’t bear to lose you, but I promise I’ll be okay. You just… just… you do what you need to do, baby.” He rubbed his fingers softly up and down my cheek, his chest visibly relaxing. “Mom,” he mouthed. “You want to talk to your mom?” I asked. Regina had spent time with him just