Page 123 of Unexpected Hero

He purses his lips, head sloping to one side like a curious puppy dog. “I’m not stalking you. I only want to make sure—”

I cut him off, finishing his sentence. “Make sure I’m safe. Yeah, yeah. Heard it before. The thing is, I’m startin’ to think the person I need protection from is you.”

His entire frame rocks backward like I drove the pointy tip of my shoe into his gut. “I’d never hurt you, Lettie. I’m looking after you. Your safety is my only concern. Believe me.”

“Believe you?” I bring my fists to my hips, noticing his eyes follow the movement. “Oh that’s rich coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

With barbed wire wrapped around my words, I demand, “Why did you lie to me, James?”

His face falls, eyes straying from mine. He tucks his hands into his rear pockets and mumbles, “About what?”

I chuckle humorlessly and move a step closer. “Are there so many things you’ve lied about that you’re unclear which one I’m referring to?”

He blows out a huge gush of air, muffling a groan, then tips his chin toward my room. “Get going, Lettie. It’s late and unsafe out here.”

Not this fucking shit again.

Like it usually does, his steady, commanding tone spurs me to comply. Involuntarily, I suck my lips into my mouth, aiming to silence my sarcastic retort. It doesn’t work to stop me from responding, but it does dial down my sass.

“James, I don’t need an escort to my room. Please don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I’m a capable adult. We’ve discussed this before.”

He rocks back on his heels, muttering under his breath like he did in the club last night.

Determined to get answers, I take yet another step closer. “Why did you lie to me about the club’s rules on dating? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

A glimpse of pain slips behind his eyes, weakening my resolve a smidgen. But I bottle that shit up and stick a cork in it. I’m not weak. He lied to me, and he damn well better tell me why.

“I deserve an answer. Your behavior is confusing and bizarre. You like me. You don’t like me. You want to kiss me. You don’t want to kiss me. You worry about my safety. You lie to get out of pursuing something with me. And now you show up here at three thirty in the damn morning? You’re giving me so much whiplash I’m gonna need a chiropractor to treat it, but my health insurance hasn’t kicked in yet.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Scoffing, I shake my head. “Try the truth. If you weren’t interested in me, why didn’t you just say so?” My hands fly to the sides of my head, and my fingers curve with tension. “But then why are you here if you’re not interested? It doesn’t make sense. Make it make sense.”

“I can’t make it make sense. I would if I could. Fuck. I want to, but I can’t.” His voice is wrought with barely restrained intensity. The flat, emotionless tone he often has is gone. He’s about to boil over with something. Something strong.

“You’re not responsible for me. I’m not a helpless kid in need of a savior.”

“A kid? Is that how you think I see you?”

My hands fall to my sides. “I don’t know what to think.”

He moves close, his chest brushing up against mine. I jut out my chin and refuse to back down.

In a deep, sultry voice, he grits out, “If you knew even half the thoughts I had about you, you’d know I don’t see you like a kid. Not at all.”

Gulp.

“Then why did you lie about the no-dating rule? Dammit. Why does everyone lie to me?” I stamp my foot, and it sends a jolt of pain from my broken toes all the way to my hip. “Oh, fuck. Ow. Ow. Ow.”

“You need to get off your feet. Go to your room, Lettie.”

My eyes threaten to bulge out of my skull. All thoughts of the pain evaporate in an instant. “Excuse me? Are you seriously telling me to go to my room like you’re my daddy or somethin’?”

He bends close, putting his face right in mind. “Go to your room on your own, or I’ll pick you up and put you there.”

The typical reaction I have to him — where I blindly do anything he asks — vanishes.

---