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There’s something different about this little beauty in front of me. Everything in me strains with the need to wrap her up in my arms and shield her from the world, and she hasn’t even spoken a word or gotten out of the car.
How fucking strange.
Her voice is soft, and I strain to hear it over the latent rumble of the tow truck’s engine, “You helped him restore his car, right?”
I find myself smiling down at my little beauty as I nod. Her eyes widen before she gnaws on her lower lip nervously. She’s fucking adorable.
“That’s right,” I croon. “He called me to come out, give you a tow, and take your ride into my shop.”
“Oh, no,” she starts shaking her head, “I don’t want to be a bother. Ryder always says how busy you are at your garage. If you’ll tow it to my house, I can find someone to fix it from there.”
“No can do,” my voice is a little harder than I intend it to be, but the idea of anyone other than me touching her car has my body tightening as if readying for a fight. I want to be the one to take care of her. I force my voice to go soft, not wanting to scare her, “Ryder’s my friend and I can’t have his sister calling anyone else to fix her car. It would ruin my reputation.”
Her mouth curves into a soft smile, but she doesn’t argue with me. When I reach for the door handle, I find it locked. Pride fills me that she was making sure she was safe while out here all alone. When the door clicks, I swing it open and offer her my hand, willing her to take it.
The moment her delicate hand slips into mine, my entire body comes alive like I’m touching a live wire. I suck in a sharp breath as Sarah looks up at me with confusion-tinged wonder in her eyes. She’s guarded, it’s clear as fucking day, but for the first time in my life I want to break down someone’s walls.
I lead her to the passenger door of the cab without a word because I have a feeling that we both need a moment to get our shit together. She’s glancing at me with her eyebrows furrowed like she doesn’t understand what’s happening here. Considering I don’t understand it either, I’m of no fucking help.
Sarah is a little thing, maybe only 5’5” and it only has my protective instincts roaring louder. Then there’s the age thing—she’s got to be at least ten years younger than me—but I can’t force myself to care. She’s timid as well, it’s clear in the way she takes each step forward with caution, but I’m so damn proud of the fact that her wariness doesn’t stop her from taking the step. Whatever happened to her, whatever made her scared of the world around her, didn’t break her.
She glances at me when I open the door for her and whispers, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, little beauty,” I coo at her and watch her cheeks flush in the light of the dash.
It only takes me a few minutes to get her car in place and then I’m sliding into the driver’s seat. I take a deep breath, her gentle floral scent surrounding me and calming my soul in a way I’ve never experienced before. At first, I can’t get much out of her other than directions to her place, but the silence between us isn’t awkward.
The longer we drive, the more I can get her to share, but even then, it’s not much. She works at the Banks businesses watching the kids and by the way her whole being softens as she talks about them tells me how much she loves it. The thought of her round with my baby has my cock thickening in my jeans to uncomfortable proportions.
I find myself desperate to know everything about her.
The contentment I feel by being next to her is shocking and I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. Nor do I know what to do with the knowledge that I want more, so much more.
Fixing her car comes first, but then I’m going to make this woman mine. I need her.
CHAPTER 3
SARAH
“Sarah,” someone calls out to me, and I force myself out of the Theo haze I’ve been in for the last two days.
It doesn’t even make any damn sense how a man I spent so little time around has invaded my mind. I acted like a scared little kitten around him, but that’s how I act around everyone. It’s who I am.
Why did I wish I was so much more around him? Why did I wish I was brave?
Theo is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen, which is saying something considering the men in my family aren’t slouches in the looks department. There was just something about Theo I found drawing me in—something sensual and commanding, something I couldn’t ignore.
He looked at me with a softness in his blue eyes, but not the same kind that my family looks at me with. It wasn’t pity. It was tenderness and care.
It doesn’t make any sense and I can’t figure it out. Do I even want to?
My body is screaming yes along with my heart. They even have pom-poms going to try and get my brain on board. That’s the part which holds me back.
Men hurt. Don’t they? They use.
Sure, the men in my family are different, but that doesn’t mean I can discount the years I spent within the walls of The Community. There are men out there who hide behind sweet smiles and good looks. I don’t think Ryder would associate with a man like that though.
“Sarah,” Amelia’s voice calling me again has me shaking my head. I focus on her and find her grinning at me with a knowing look in her eyes. “You seem far away today, girlie.”
