Page 74 of Hero Unbound

Eva had fallen for the whole package way too easily.

He tilted his head to the side, offering her a pitiful smile, and held out his hands in front of him. “I know. I know. But I just wanted to see if I talked to you face-to-face if maybe I could change your mind. I’ve missed you so much, baby.”

She needed to get away from him right now. “No. Nothing has changed. You shouldn’t have come here.”

“I wanted to make sure you were really okay after the car fire and everything.”

She froze. “How did you know about that?”

“One of the ladies mentioned it while I was in the coffeehouse. That had to have been so scary for you. To lose everything like that? I heard most of your possessions were still in the trunk.”

Eva shook her head. It was possible word about that had gotten out around town. She couldn’t be sure. “Go home, Gareth.”

He took a step closer. She took a step back. “Home isn’t the same without you, baby.”

“Don’t call me that!”

He held a hand farther out toward her, and she flinched. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll do better. Just…let’s talk, okay?”

“I don’t want to talk. I just want you to leave me alone.”

“I’m not leaving until we talk.” His voice was firmer now. The one that was so much easier to obey than to argue with.

She shook her head but stopped moving. “I—I don’t want to.”

“But we need to. I think you’re confused about things again, Eva. Things are mixed up in your mind, but I can help you, b—” He stopped himself before using the endearment again.

He reached out to touch her, but Eva knew she couldn’t let that happen. Once he touched her, it wouldn’t take long before he talked her into sitting down with him. That was how it always happened.

She took another step back, except this time, there was no more sidewalk behind her. Her arms flailed as she fell off the curb. She hit the pavement with a jarring thud, feeling the fiery sting of the rough ground against her elbow.

“Are you okay?” Gareth asked. “Always so clumsy.”

He reached down toward her, but she slid back on her ass, not caring about the pain.She slid back until she was out of his reach then did the only thing she could.

She got up and ran.

23

“Hey Evie, you home?” Theo cracked the door of the big house open just a little and called inside. Even though this wasn’t technically her place, he didn’t want to just come barging in. He wanted her to feel comfortable here and stay as long as she wanted.

There was no response, but Spice and Sugar ran out to greet him at the door. “Hey, you two.” He patted both heads until they fell over and promptly offered him their bellies, so he crouched down so he could rub their soft fur. “Where’s your mama?”

“Hey, I’m here,” Eva called. “I’ve been waiting for you. Why don’t you leave the dogs outside?”

Theo smiled and shrugged at the pups. “Sorry, guys.”

He rubbed their bellies for a couple more seconds as their tailsthumped the front porch floor. They liked sitting out here in the sun, so it wasn’t any great hardship for them to be outside. Still, a little unusual for Eva.

So was walking in and finding her standing there completely naked.

A naked Eva pretty much lived rent-free in his head. After the week of nights they’d spent together, all the times they’d made love, he had every detail of her gorgeous body etched forever in his mind. Right now, her wavy dark hair was damp and falling down loose around her shoulders the way he liked it. He could see the freckles on her chest and the small birthmark on her right thigh.

And tried not to drool at the other parts in between.

“Wow,” he finally got out. “When you told me to meet you here this afternoon so we could talk, I have to admit, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”

The opposite, in fact. She’d been so wound up after talking to Sam last night that when they’d gotten back home, she’d curled up in a ball, and he’d just held her all night. She told Theo a little about their conversation—mostly that it was good to connect with her brother again—but Theo knew there was more.

---