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From somewhere outside came the smash of glass breaking. I turned to Boston, feeling more naked and vulnerable than I ever had in this club. My heart pounded against my rib cage, and I wished it were only the protesters outside making me feel that way. The man I’d always known as my father had thrown me under the bus, knowing full well it would send me into a tailspin. He’d done it carelessly, no thought to my feelings. We’d never been close, but it hurt nonetheless. I couldn’t even begin to process the revelation of my biological father.
It was all too much.
I went to Boston’s side, and silently, without questions, he wrapped me in his arms. Again, I felt his strength and realized how right I felt when we were together. Nobody else did that for me. Nobody else had ever made me feel like their touch was all I needed to get through the worst thing that had ever happened to me.
“We’re gonna get out of here, okay?” he mumbled into my hair. “And then we can talk about whatever’s going on, or not. Whatever you want. But first we have to leave, we can’t be here alone.”
I nodded, letting him comfort me. I let him take control. I dropped all my guards, and for the first time in my life, I let a man in.
23
BOSTON
Ihustled Eve out the club’s back door and into my car before William Reed’s groupies out the front could realize we were leaving. I put my foot down, not caring that the back end of the car slid out as I took the turn too quickly with a screech of tires. In the rearview mirror, a few ran after the car, and all I could do was shake my head. Unbelievable. Didn’t these people have anything better to do? Richards would move them on quickly once he arrived with backup, but I was annoyed he’d have to bother at all.
Away from the chaos, my focus turned to the silent woman beside me. The color had completely drained from her face, but it had little to do with the mob of protesters. Something on that phone call had rocked her to her very core. I’d never seen Eve without a quick retort, full of fire and passion. But right now, she was completely broken. Small in an oversized hoodie, huddled into the seat.
I didn’t try to make her talk. I just drove her on autopilot back to my place, something deep inside me needing to take care of her. Protect her. She still hadn’t said a word when we pulled into my driveway, and I gently let her inside.
I tossed an empty pizza box in the trash as we passed through the kitchen. “Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t really expecting to have you here, or I would have cleaned up a bit.”
She tried smiling at me, but it didn’t reach eyes. “It’s fine. It’s really not messy at all.”
I guided her toward the stairs, and at the top we took a left into the main bathroom. Without even asking, I turned the water on, steaming up the small space quickly with a hot shower.
Eve just watched me, her big brown eyes glistening. Her sadness wrapped around my heart and squeezed. I just wanted to make her feel better. A shower probably wouldn’t help much, but until I knew more, it was all I could do. When the water was the perfect temperature, I turned to Eve and gently tugged her out of her clothes. But unlike last night, there was nothing sexual about it. She lifted her arms limply, letting me take off the hoodie. She wore nothing beneath it, and it was a quick job to remove the sweatpants tied tightly around her hips. Her body was just as amazing as it had been a few hours ago, but instead of drinking her in the way that I had then, now my gaze was fixed firmly to her face, my worry overshadowing my attraction to her.
But still, she didn’t offer up an explanation.
I put her in the shower, making no attempt to get in with her, and closed the curtain. “There’s shampoo and conditioner on the shelf if you want it. I’m going to get you some towels and clothes. I’ll leave them on the basin for you.”
I paused in the doorway, not wanting to leave, but also wanting to give her the space I thought she needed. When her tiny voice came back with a simple, “Thank you,” I knew I’d made the right decision.
I took a quick shower in my en suite, barely long enough to wash off the evidence of everything we’d gotten up to last night before stepping out and pulling on a pair of sweatpants. Then I perched nervously on the edge of the bed, listening to the water fall from the main bathroom. The second the water turned off, I jumped up and paced the hallway, waiting for her to reappear.
When she finally did, she was wearing my clothes, her hair wet and finger-combed, not an ounce of makeup on.
And once again, I was punched in the gut with how stunningly beautiful she was. It didn’t matter what she wore, whether she had a full face of makeup or her skin scrubbed clean, Eve Hawkins would never be anything but the woman of my dreams. I wrapped her in my arms once more, and she rested her head against my chest, returning the embrace.
“I’m worried about you,” I confessed.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
I led her into my bedroom and sat her down on the bed. I sat beside her, threading my fingers between hers. “What happened? Is everything okay? Nobody…”
“Died? No. Everybody is fine. My mother just dropped a bomb on me, that’s all. Actually, it was my father. Or… The man I thought was my father.”
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently he’s not actually my father. But guess who is?”
She didn’t give me time to respond.
“William Reed.”
I stared at her. “What the fuck?”
She laughed bitterly. “That was my response, too.”
