Page 54 of Hero Unbound

Any other time, he would find that sexy as hell. And Jesus, if she’d been truly offering herself with a wicked grin and knowledge in her eye that she was going to make him lose control as fast as possible, he would’ve sprinted over to the bed and slammed into her as fast as he could.

But it hadn’t been that way at all. The look she’d given him over her shoulder had been one of resolve. Like she’d been steeling herself to handle whatever happened next.

Like she’d been conditioned that this was what sex was and what was expected of her.

Not many things caught Theo completely off guard, but that had.

His erection had faded, and he’d stared at her, unsure what to do at all. He wanted the soft, sexy Eva he’d had in his arms a few minutes before. Not this one who looked more prepared for battle than interested in lovemaking.

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to find the words to explain what he was feeling, so he’d focused back on what sweet, tipsy Eva had said to him during her girls’ night out—that she wanted to be on top. Thank God that offer had spun the moment back into normal reality from whatever sick reality they’d slid into for a minute.

And the rest had been amazing.

But holding Eva in his arms now, feeling her body move in the deep breaths of sleep, he was back to being unsure about so damned much.

About Eva and what she might have gone through.

About him and what he could or should do to help her.

And about the fact that Eva might be mentally and emotionally unsteady.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he removed his arm from Eva’s waist to grab it. It was a text from his mom.

Call me when you can. No crisis.

He had no idea why Ray was up at four o’clock in the morning, but she was definitely the person he wanted to talk to most right now. He slid away from Eva, thankful she was so worn out that she didn’t even come close to waking. He took his phone and walked through the kitchen and out the side door to sit on the porch. Sugar and Spice padded after him, so he let them out.

The storm was gone. Sunrise in a couple hours would show how much damage they had to deal with, but for right now, the worst had passed.

At least when it came to Mother Nature.

He pressed the button to dial his mother’s number. She answered before the first ring went through.

“What are you doing up in the middle of the night?” he asked before she could say anything.

“I could ask you the same thing. Everything okay?”

“All the buildings seem to still be intact. I’ll know more once we have daylight. But I’m not worried about it. These buildings were made to handle our weather.”

“I wasn’t actually talking about the Linear Tactical property when I asked if you were okay. I woke up with you on my mind.”

Ray wasn’t his biological mother, but she was his mother in every other possible way—including intuition about when something was going on with him.

“Eva Dempsey is here with me.”

“With youwith you, or caring for animals with you?”

“A little of both, but mostly with me. She’s sleeping right now.”

His mom was quiet for a moment, but Theo wasn’t concerned. Ray was never one to waste words. But neither was she one to pass judgment on her kids’ personal choices. She’d raised Theo and his sisters to make good decisions—and to know how to get themselves out of trouble if they made bad ones.

“If there’s a woman in your bed, why are you calling me back when you know it’s not an emergency?”

Because there was no one else in the world he’d rather talk to about Eva than his mother. Ray Lindstrom had battled more emotional demons than anyone else he knew.

“I think Eva might have some mental health issues, Mom.”

“Dangerous ones?”

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