Page 39 of Hero Unbound

She grimaced. “Uh, I mean, you know, in a bed in a house. Rather than a hotel.”

“Yeah, I’m sure hotel life gets tedious.”

She shook her head like the thought disgusted her then reached her arms up and draped them over his shoulders. “I need to tell you something, Theo Lindstrom.”

He placed his hands loosely on her hips. “And what is that, Eva Dempsey?”

“I want to kiss you some more,” she said in an exaggerated stage whisper before touching his lips with her finger. “As a matter of pact, I want to do more than just kiss you. Why don’t you come inside?”

Theo breathed in a steadying breath, reminding himself there was a special place in hell for men who took advantage of drunk women. But he couldn’t stop his fingers from tightening slightly on her trim hips.

He leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers. “I’d like to do more than just kiss you too. But not tonight.”

“Why not?” Her pout was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. “Don’t you want me?”

He wanted her so much that despite his honor, a small part of his brain was calculating whether he had enough time to get Eva inside, naked, and crying out his name before Becky and whatever was left of the posse made it back here.

Hell. You’re going straight to hell, Lindstrom.

He pulled it together. This wasn’t happening. Not tonight. For multiple reasons. But none of those reasons included him not wanting her.

“Because, as a matter ofpact”—he repeated her misuse of the word—“you’re pretty drunk, and when we do more than kiss, I want to make sure you experience and remember every bit of it.”

Her eyes grew wide as she nodded against his head. “Me too. Because you’ll be gentle, right? And slow?”

Shit. There was a story behind those words. Someone who hadn’t been gentle. Hadn’t been slow. He could push right now, and she would probably tell him some of those many secrets she kept. But that wouldn’t be much better than having Linc run her through his software.

Theo wanted Eva to share her secrets of her own free will.

He shifted his head so he could press his lips softly against hers. “Slow. Gentle. Everything you want.”

“I want to be on top.”

He swallowed his groan at the thought of Eva riding him at whatever speed and angle she wanted. There was nothing else on the planet he wanted as much as that.

Not even oxygen.

“You can be on top whenever you want. However you want.”

She cupped his cheeks in her small hands and kissed him. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be so good.”

After another kiss, she turned and moved quickly up the rest of the porch steps to the door, somehow getting the key in the lock on the first try.

She turned back to him before opening the door and gave him a dazzling smile. “These boots are lucky for me too. And for you.”

13

Eva spent the next two and a half days ignoring Theo. Although ignoring wasn’t the right word for it. The right word for it was running-out-in-a-complete-panic-every-time-he-entered-the-same-room-she-was-in.

But ignoring rolled off the tongue a little easier.

I want to be on top.

“Ughhhhhh.” She buried her face in Wildfire’s neck. “Damn those Tokyo Teas. I can’t believe I said that to him.”

Slow. Gentle. However you want.

He’d said that to her, right? Part of her wanted to pretend like he hadn’t, but she knew he had.

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