Page 3 of Hero Mine

He stepped toward her, and her pulse kicked up.

“You ready?” he asked, voice low.

“For what?”

“To walk home.”

To combust.

“Yeah.” She grabbed her bag and followed him out into the cold night. Bear always walked her home when they worked together. Only, tonight, the air between them was different.

Buzzing.

She skipped ahead of him, practically vibrating. “You always walk this slow?”

“Pretty sure you’re the one skipping.”

She twirled in the streetlight’s glow, arms out, laughing. “I’m in a good mood.”

He grinned. “You’ve been in a good mood since you were born. I remember you skipping through town when you were ten. Running down Main Street barefoot, scaring tourists.”

“I’ve evolved. Now, I wear shoes.”

“Still wild.”

She spun in a slow circle on the sidewalk. “You like wild.”

When they reached her porch, she didn’t stop to think. She just grabbed his shirt, tugged him down, and kissed him.

Hot. Hard. Everything she’d been waiting for. It wasn’t their first kiss overall, but it was their first kiss in this new stage of their relationship.

He groaned, pressing her against the door, hands braced on either side of her head. His mouth moved over hers like he’d been starving for it. When they finally broke apart, her lips were swollen, her body humming.

“I want to invite you in,” she whispered, breathless. “God, I want to. But Sloane’s there, and?—”

Bear kissed her again, slower this time, stealing the rest of her thoughts.

Then he pulled back, his voice low. “Your time without me is almost up, Bug.”

She sagged against the door, grinning like an idiot. “That supposed to be a threat?”

He stepped back, giving her one last wink before turning. “No. Promise.”

She watched him walk away, heat curling in her belly, heart pounding. Damn that man. Sexy as hell and finally hers.

She turned the key in the lock and slipped inside, not knowing this would be the last few hours she’d ever feel this carefree.

This whole.

This untouched.

Not knowing her whole life was about to shatter.

Chapter1

One month later

Joy plastered a bright smile on her face as she wove through the crowded Eagle’s Nest. The Friday night rush was once again in full swing, the room alive with the clatter of plates, the hum of conversation, and the occasional burst of laughter.