Page 23 of Hero Unbound

She studied her empty plate.“I’m just clumsy. Every day, I’m always so clumsy.”

He froze at those words. Her voice was different as she said it—like something she’d memorized for a test.

“There’s nothing in what I saw tonight that would suggest you’re clumsy. The opposite, in fact.”

She looked up at him like she wasn’t quite sure what to believe, thenstood and grabbed their plates. “Thank you for breakfast.I’ll do dishes so you can get a shower.”

There wassomethingmore he should say here, but he wasn’t sure what. Instead, he stood and picked up their glasses, walking toward the sink behind her. “I can help with dishes too.”

The plate in her hand clattered against the sink. Shit. He’d startled her. “Sorry.”

Her smile was more a grimace. “See? Clumsy. Every day, I’m always so clumsy.”

The dogs were around her feet again, restless. Concerned for her. Theo backed away—being close seemed to make her and the pups nervous.

“Just leave the plates in the sink. I’ll get them later. But yeah, I’ll go grab a shower then take you over to your car.” He wasn’t sure why she’d left her car by the main office and walked all the way over to the Zoo, but she was looking so fragile now he wasn’t going to push.

“Okay. Thanks.”

Theo didn’t take his time in the shower the way he normally did. He was pretty convinced once he got out, Eva would be gone. His first glance as he walked out of the bathroom confirmed that theory. She wasn’t at the kitchen table, although the dishes she’d gathered had been washed and were sitting in the drying rack.

He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to make his way up to the loft when he saw her sitting on the couch, legs sprawled in front of her, snoring softly. Spice was at her feet, and Sugar was curled in her lap.

At least she was still here.

He took the clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer, then sat down next to her, careful not to disturb. Sugar opened his eyes, and his little tail gave a couple of thumps. Some sort of acceptance. Theo would take it.

Eva needed rest. He’d let her sleep for a few minutes before waking her so she could get back to her hotel and get some real sleep.

Right now, he just wanted to sit next to her and enjoy the soft sound of her snores. The urge to protect her was raging once again. At least here in his house he knew she was safe from whatever secrets those green eyes were constantly trying to keep hidden.

8

Theo’s first thought as he opened his eyes was that the heater in his cabin was on the fritz again. He normally didn’t keep it this warm.

It only took a few seconds for his mind to realize what had everything so toasty. It wasn’t the heater; it was Eva half sprawled on top of him, her head on his chest and their legs tangled at the other end of the couch. That and Sugar having wedged his small body between the two of them and Spice curled up on the couch at their feet.

Theo hadn’t known this many beings could fit on his couch but found he didn’t want to move.

He hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but evidently, his body hadn’t gotten that memo. Glancing at the windows, he could tell it was almost noon by how the sun hit the trees. They couldn’t stay here forever. Lilah and Tucker had handled all of this morning’s Linear duties, but Theo needed to get back out there.

But he couldn’t stop himself from touching a strand of her dark hair resting against his chest. He ran the soft curl between his fingers—it was dry now and silky.

Eva lifted her head, and green eyes blinked up at him. “Hi.”

He smiled. “Hi. I think we fell asleep.”

She wasn’t panicking, wasn’t jumping up to get away from him. She seemed, like him, content to stay where she was. “I was tired.”

“Can’t blame you there. It was a long night.”

“Your couch is comfortable.” She arched her back slightly, stretching.

He knew it wouldn’t be long until her walls went back up, but damn, he was enjoying sleepy, lazy Eva in his arms. “Thanks.”

“I should get going.” She stretched again, and he swallowed back a groan as her breasts pushed up against his chest. She wasn’t deliberately trying to be enticing, but that didn’t stop it from happening. “But I’m just so comfortable and warm.”

She made it sound like she hadn’t been that way in a while. “Then why don’t we give this just a few more minutes. You know, for the pups.”

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