Page 262 of Unexpected Heroine

I pull into the parking lot and circle the building once before getting into the drive-thru line. We’re in and out without issue and driving onto the shelter property a few minutes later. Testing their lock down protocols, I approach the employee gate and swipe my badge at the access pad. Instead of turning green, it flashes red.

“Sorry,” a male voice calls from the guard shack. He exits the structure and comes over. “I’ll need to see your ID today.”

Excellent.

Since I’m not an employee of the shelter, it takes a few minutes, but we’re eventually cleared to enter. Before proceeding through the lot, we wait for Sawyer to be granted access.

As soon as I pull into a space, Lettie grabs the handle, preparing to exit. Her bag of food in the other hand.

“Hang on,” I caution her. “I’m gonna walk you inside.”

She squints both eyes at me. “Duh.”

“Watch your mouth, young lady,” I snap on reflex, my inner Dom taking over in response to her bratty side.

Her tongue dabs at her lower lip. “What are you gonna do if I don’t?”

“Teach it a lesson.”

Releasing the handle, she inches closer toward the center of the car. “How are you gonna do that?” Her challenging words come out in a wispy purr.

I mirror her movement, bending until I’m an inch from her face. “Lettie, invite me up to your room, and I’ll show you.”

“We’re on lockdown.” She closes the distance between us, grazing the tip of her nose against mine. “I doubt they’ll let you in.”

My lips move over hers, barely touching. “I have some pull here.”

“Interesting choice of words.”

One side of my face pinches with a grin. “Why is that?”

“I was just thinking about pulling something.”

Closing my eyes, I inhale her sweet scent. As much as I want to, I don’t kiss her. Not until she begs for it.

“What do you want to pull, sugar bear?”

With a slight wobble to her head, she drags her lips back and forth over mine at an achingly slow pace. “I don’t think you deserve to know.” She pulls back, batting her lashes at me. “If you really wanted to know, you’d be honest with me.”

“I am being honest with you. I swear.”

For a heavy few seconds, she studies my expression, her gaze sweeping over every inch of my face. She takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders back. “Come open the door, please. I want to go inside now.”

Dutifully, I exit the vehicle. As I circle to her side, I keep my head on a swivel. Sawyer parked a row behind us. Standing in front of his vehicle, he searches the lot for danger.

By the time I get around the car, he’s started walking toward the entrance.

When I open the door, she springs out instantly. Determination wafting off her, she presses her chest to mine and flashes a stern glare at me. Her voice drips with disappointment as she says, “Twice on this drive, I asked you something personal. And you deflected the questions both times. For a year, you evaded the truth. I’m done letting it slide. If you want me, then be the man who deserves me. Not the man who lost me.”

With that decree, she sidesteps me, making a beeline toward the front entrance. A gust of wind comes off the Gulf, replacing the spot she occupied a second earlier. It’s as if her departure created a vacuum effect.

Her words cut deep, opening me up and leaving me raw from the salty sea air abrading the wounds.

Recovering quickly, I close the door and double-time it to her side.

While we wait for the doors to open, her words sprint through my mind.

This is what she wants from me. Vulnerability. All of me. The good and the bad. The strong and the weak.

---