Page 29 of Shielding his Legacy
“Yes, you do. Please tell me. Why did you sleep with a man you just met instead of the one who wanted to share his life with you?”
What did she have to lose by telling him? It wasn’t like he was in love with her, and what she had to say wouldn’t change that. He didn’t care about her, and he never had. She was embarrassed by that, and grateful to have even a piece of him.
It was pathetic, really.
It was also the truth, and she knew all too well that at the end of the day, all she really had to call her own was her integrity. Gavin could have the truth, and he could do with it whatever he chose.
But she would not lie.
“Because,” she said, her fear of his reaction nearlyparalyzing her throat, and she worked to clear it. “I never wanted him the way I wanted you.”
The muscles of her body tightened with stress, a pinch of shame, and something that felt a lot like excitement. She could feel the intensity of his stare fixed on her in the darkness, and it made her brave. She went on, “You changed my tire, and you were standing there with your thumb hooked into the front pocket of your jeans, and I was downright panicked at the thought of you walking away. I couldn’t let you get back on your motorcycle and ride straight out of my life.”
He didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t seem to breathe. She wanted him to agree with her, to tell her that he, too, couldn’t bear the thought of her walking away that fateful afternoon, but he said nothing.
When she couldn’t take it any longer, she faced forward and stared out the windshield, her mouth growing dry. She may as well tell him everything. Then at least when he pushed her away, he’d have a good, solid grip on her shoulders. He would know exactly who she was, how she felt about him, and everything he was refusing to reciprocate. “You felt like home,” she said quietly.
The words hung in the air, seeming to fill the cabin of the truck with their awkward, pointy shape, preventing her from taking a full breath. Eva slowly let her eyes close, wallowing in the piercing discomfort and hiding in the darkness as sure as if she were hiding behind a tree.
He wasn’t going to answer her.
A new understanding was taking hold, an uncomfortable realization she didn’t want to believe, but had little choice but to accept.
Gavin DeGrey wasn’t her home, he wasn’t her love, he wasn’t her lover. He wasn’t even in her life by choice, but bysome twist of fate that exploited their brief connection and landed her beside him in the cab of his truck.
She was just a foolish young woman who’d been swept away by a river.
Tears threatened, but this time, she refused to let a single drop cross her lashes. It was high time her self-respect became more important than her feelings.
16
Gavin had never been so hard in his life.
He was right back on the side of that road, staring at Evie for the first time, soaking her up like a rock in the sun. There was a type of heat that could own you, that could pull you in tightly against it until you screamed out with equal parts pleasure and pain, a willingness to burn alive as if you knew death would almost be better than watching this woman walk away.
And she’d felt it, too.
You felt like home.
The chemistry between them had been so intense, she’d crossed the line into intimacy with him that she hadn’t even crossed with the man who wanted her to be his wife. She’d felt every last goddamn thing that he’d felt from the first moment he’d set eyes on her.
He wanted her again, right now. Right here in his truck. Because the pull between them was strong enough to make the whole goddamn world fall away, and the only thing that mattered was finding his way back inside her again.
She deserved better than the bench seat of his F-150, butthat alone wasn’t what was stopping him from showing her exactly how good home could feel. It was his keen awareness that he had no condoms. After what happened the last time, there was no way he would take a chance on making love to her again without one.
Just one little touch.
Just one kiss.
He licked his lips. “Jesus Christ, Evie.”
“Please, just drive,” she said.
He furrowed his brow, shocked by her tone. “What’s wrong?”
“I just want to get there already.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
