Page 37 of Unexpected Heroine

With one foot inside the house and the other on the front porch, all I can do is nibble my lip, waiting for him to turn around. Paralyzed with indecision and fear.

You know what? Today, I’m giving myself a pass to be a chicken shit.

My vision catches on James’s back and the curve of his shoulders. Lord, his posture is so defeated that I fear he might have lost his job over me.

Once he turns around, I’m hit with a fervent need to comfort him. He looks as broken as I feel.

“James, are you okay?”

He clears his throat and offers a plastic grin, which doesn’t fool me. “I’m fine, sugar bear.”

Once his legs eat up the few feet between us, my hand reaches out instinctively. He takes it as soon as he’s within reach, immediately pulling me into the safety of his chest. His arms surround me, holding me close and swaddling me in love. Fuck the temperature out here; I’d gladly get heatstroke to stay like this forever.

“You sure you’re all right?” I ask, my voice muffled by his shirt.

He kisses the top of my head. “Everything is good. Let’s go inside.”

Loosening my hold, I keep his hand in mine before heading back inside, never straying more than a foot from him. When we flop down on the couch, I crawl onto his lap.

And I wait him out.

“Want to finish the movie?” he tosses, voice monotone and emotionless.

“Forget the movie. Talk to me.”

The cracks in his facade begin showing, second by second. I break through it the rest of the way when I join our lips for a chaste kiss. Pulling back, I search his face and finger-comb his hair at the sides.

“Sugar, they brought some resources for you. Gave me shit about not telling them before getting you out. Let me know a little about what they’re doing to find the people involved. That’s about it.”

“You sure?”

He folds his lips inward, lowering his forehead in a slow nod. “They’re sending a bodyguard over to provide some backup. Extra protection for you.”

My muscles tighten with a sharp flinch.

He slopes his head at an angle, eyes warming. “On the outside of the house only.”

A nervous laugh bubbles up my throat. “Oh sure. No problem. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool.”

“Very convincing,” he teases with only a hint of sarcasm.

“I promise I’ll be back to normal eventually,” I volunteer, unsure if my words are true.

Dammit. I want them to be, though. That’s gotta count for something.

Chapter 8

Another day, another visitor

LETTIE

Day by day, the panic recedes. My chaotic mind rambling has dialed back a few degrees. And like a big girl, I now let James about five feet away from me without wanting to chase after him and super glue him to my side.

Best of all, this morning, I woke up without launching immediately into fight-or-flight mode. It only took a few days of freedom to feel partially human again. Woohoo!

At this point, I’m taking the wins where I can get them.

My body aches also seem to be lessening, thanks to James. He’s been giving me ibuprofen and acetaminophen on an alternating schedule without prompting. And every few hours, he rubs my back and legs with that wonder cream. I’d make a joke about how rich I’d be if I could bottle that stuff, but that’s dumb since someone else has already cracked the code to prosperity by doing that.

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