I Need a Hero

by Gary, Codi

  Okay, that one was on the crazy side, but a girl could dream, right?

  Once the sex and newness wore off, she’d still want the nice, normal, home-every-night guy, and eventually, their affair would crash and burn. It was inevitable and better to put the kibosh on it before it started.

  A knock on her door jolted her out of her head, and Eve bolted upright. Her friends knew how she spent every Sunday: catching up on shows and vegging out until dinner with her parents at six. And even if they needed something, they would have called first.

  Matilda jumped off the couch and scrambled into the other room as Eve stood up.

  “Who is it?” she called.

  “It’s your father, Evelyn, open the door.”

  “Shit,” she said aloud.

  “I heard that,” he said.

  Curse these cheap apartments and their thin doors.

  Glancing around her disastrous apartment, she started gathering last night’s take-out containers and rushing to the kitchen to throw them away. “Hang on.”

  “There is no need to clean up. I’ve been your father for twenty-five years,” he said. Eve could hear the amusement in his tone, but despite his words, she knew if she answered the door right now—in yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt, and her hair falling out of a messy ponytail—he wouldn’t be able to help commenting.

  “Evelyn, now,” he barked, making her feel like a six-year-old who didn’t want to leave the playground.

  “Fine, but I really don’t want to hear it, Dad,” she said.

  She opened the door, and her father stepped past her into the apartment. She watched his eyes shift around the room and knew what he was thinking as he took in her sink piled with dishes, her clothes thrown about the floor and furniture, and the dust gathered across every surface.

  “Eve—”

  “Bububububu . . . I don’t want to hear it,” she repeated.

  Her dad’s mouth thinned under his thick silver and black mustache. Eve wasn’t sure why mustaches and beards had started coming back the last few years, but she had to admit that the look fit her father’s tan, weathered face. Dressed in a collared shirt, jeans, and a cap with an American flag on the front, he looked like a laid-back man enjoying his day off, but Eve knew better. Her dad never relaxed.

  “So, what brings you by?” she asked.

  Her father walked over to her arm chair, flicking one of her bras off the back of it before sitting down. “You mother wanted me to come by and check on you. She was concerned when you called to say you weren’t coming over for dinner.”

  Eve refrained from rolling her eyes. When she had told her mother that she’d just needed a day to relax, her mom had been cool about it.

  Which meant her dad was here because he was worried about her. How sweet.

  “Do you want some coffee?” Eve asked. She’d gotten up this morning and been lazing on the couch, but if she was going to have a coherent conversation with her dad, she needed caffeine.

  “Do you have a mug that’s clean?” he asked.

  Eve slammed a cupboard and held up the black mug she kept just for him. “You just can’t help it, can you?”

  “No, I can’t. Not when you’re living in a pigsty and you look like—”

  “Let me stop you there,” Eve said. “My apartment might not look like a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but it is hardly a pigsty.” Pausing to start the coffeemaker, she turned and pinned him with a hard look. “And you should definitely know better than to insult a woman’s appearance.”

  “You’re still my daughter, and it’s my job to tell you that a man wants a woman who takes pride in her appearance,” he said.

  Eve’s skin prickled with heat as anger flashed through her body. “I am put together six days a week. If on my one day off I want to wear sweats and not brush my hair, then that is my right. A right I should thank you for, by the way.”

  “I did not fight for your right to look like a slob,” he barked.

  Eve took a breath, arched her back, and cracked her neck, attempting to banish the urge to tell her father to get out. “Dad, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here and stop pussyfooting around?”

  Surprisingly, her dad didn’t comment on her language and instead got right to the point. “How has Martinez been working out?”

  Eve hesitated. “Sergeant Martinez is good.”

  “Really? He hasn’t tried getting out of the fund-raiser at all?”

  “No, he’s been a big help,” Eve said. Suspicion overwhelmed her. “Was that your plan? For me to report back to you on this guy if he didn’t fall in line?”

  “I don’t have a plan, I was just asking a question,” he said casually.

  Too casually.

  “Why don’t I believe you?” she asked.

  “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t.”

  “I know that Oliver is the guy who kicked Hank’s ass a few weeks ago. This wouldn’t be about avenging the family honor or something stupid like that, would it?”

  Her dad watched her thoughtfully, and Eve squirmed. The last thing she wanted was for her dad to know she liked Oliver.

  Whoa, when did attraction turn to like?

  “I am not petty, Evelyn. Oliver was taken off MP active patrol because he was fighting with a civilian off base and I wanted to make an example of him.”

  Shit, he’d noticed she’d dropped Oliver’s name.

  Eve’s phone went off in the nick of time, blaring Meghan Trainor’s “All about That Bass.” She looked around for it and saw it on the coffee table next to her dad. Before she’d even taken a step, he picked it up and looked at the front.

  His expression was blank, but when he held the phone out to her, his tone was cutting. “Speak of the devil.”

  Eve nearly groaned out loud, then snatched the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Evelyn, it’s Oliver.”

  “Hi. You know, it’s really not a good time.”

  “I don’t want to keep you, I just wanted to apologize for last night. I was out of line and I just wanted to let you know that I will be on my best behavior from now on.”

  “That’s great, why don’t we go over those ideas later on today, okay?” She hoped to God her dad hadn’t heard Oliver’s apology; she definitely didn’t want him to start asking questions. Especially when it was nothing. Less than nothing.

  “Huh? You want to meet up today?” He sounded so adorably confused.

  “Yeah, I’ll text you the details in a bit, but I’ve got to go, okay?”

  “Okay—”

  Eve hung up and went back to preparing the coffee.

  “Evelyn,” her dad said behind her.

  “Yeah?” She turned and caught the deadly look on his face.

  “I’ve always thought you had a good head on your shoulders and, besides that one hiccup when you were a kid, were an excellent judge of character,” he said.

  That hiccup had been Andy Briggs when she was seventeen. Her father had never liked him, but she’d fallen hard for the blue-eyed army private, only to find out he was playing her. And once her father found out, he’d managed to have Andy transferred, but he’d never let Eve forget about it.

  “Thank you? Why do I hear a big ‘but’ coming?”

  “But, I am worried about Sergeant Martinez taking advantage of you—”

  “Let me stop you there,” Eve said, setting her cup down. “No one is going to take advantage of me, and there is nothing going on between me and Sergeant Martinez. We are just working together, that’s it.”

  “I just worry that he isn’t pulling his weight and is creating more work for you.”

  Eve finished doctoring her coffee and sat down on the couch. “Honestly, Dad, he has done everything I’ve asked and hasn’t shirked his responsibilities once. You might want to lighten up and give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I’ve seen Hank when he’s had a few, and I’ve been tempted to knock his ass out myself.”

  “I know exactly how difficult
your brother can be, but it doesn’t change anything. Sergeant Martinez should have known better.”

  Eve sighed. She wasn’t going to win an argument with her dad about her brother. He might say that he knew Hank’s faults, but her brother had always been able to get away with murder. Perks of being the baby and a boy, she supposed.

  “Fine. Is this why you dropped by? To ask about how Sergeant Martinez was doing? And don’t tell me it was because mom was worried, because I don’t buy it.”

  He had just finished taking a drink of his coffee and set his mug down on the coffee table before answering. “I just wanted to check in with you. It’s not as if we see each other anymore without family dinner, and when I learned you weren’t coming, I wanted to find out why. Now I know.”

  Man, he was a master of the guilt trip, but underneath that, she heard exactly what he was trying to say: I miss you. Despite their innate ability to drive each other nuts, they were close and she missed him, too.

  “I know I’ve been a little absent, but I just want to do a good job. It’s hard networking and getting a new business off the ground,” she said. “I promise, next Sunday I’ll be there and you can pump me for all the information you want about Sergeant Martinez or anything else.”

  “I’ll hold you to that,” her dad said. “Just be careful with Martinez. Still waters run deep with that one, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  Eve opened her mouth to defend Oliver but thought better of it. There was no point in fighting with her dad about a man she wouldn’t ever see again once the event was over. Nothing was going to happen between Oliver and her before or after, so why bother getting her dad bent out of shape?

  “I will. I promise.”

  Her dad nodded and stood up. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to clean up.”

  Eve rolled her eyes and followed her dad to the door. “You just had to get that last dig in, huh?”

  “I’m your father. It’s my job to encourage you.”

  OLIVER STOOD IN the middle of his living room, staring at the fluffy material that used to be inside his couch cushions and now blanketed the floor. Beast lifted his head from where he sat gnawing the side of his leather armchair, and when Oliver saw the white cotton caught in the dog’s lips and teeth, he lost it.

  “I was in the shower for twenty fucking minutes! How in the fuck did you do all this in twenty minutes?”

  Why in the hell had he listened to Sparks and Best? The two of them had told him that socialization and bonding were an important part of training and that he needed to take the monster dog home with him to do that. Now, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was all just a setup. Give him the defective, destructive dog and just sit back and laugh.

  Beast panted at him for a second before his wrinkly face scrunched up and he sneezed, sending stuffing and snot flying through the air. Oliver grabbed the leash, planning on taking the dog back to the facility, but instead, he found himself running after Beast as the dog grabbed one of the throw pillows and skidded out of the room.

  It wasn’t just the damage to his furniture that had Oliver ready to send Beast packing. When he’d left the dog in the backyard last night, Beast had howled for hours until Oliver had brought him inside and shut him in the crate he’d taken from the facility. But that was worse. Finally, Oliver had given up and let the dog out of the cage, leaving him to wander around Oliver’s bedroom. Oliver had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep and woke up spooning Beast in his bed.

  The day had progressed from there to this moment, chasing a dog through his house right before Eve was supposed to arrive.

  When she’d texted that she wanted to come by to iron out the event details, he’d picked up the place quickly before grabbing a shower. Now, he just wanted to tell her not to come, that they would have to plan for another day because he had a dog to annihilate.

  Beast barked at him as he bounded across the bed, a definite spring in the dog’s every bounce.

  “You think this is funny? I’m not playing with you, dude.”

  Beast barked again, and when Oliver lunged, Beast took off, letting out a howl as someone knocked on the door.

  “This isn’t over,” Oliver snapped. The dog launched himself on top of the ruined couch, barking out the window.

  “Get your ass down,” Oliver shouted as he threw the door open.

  Evelyn stood on the other side, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Her black-framed glasses were missing today, giving him an unobstructed view of her green eyes as they crinkled in amusement.

  “Bad timing?” she asked.

  “You could say that.” Oliver held the door open for her, and some of his anger dissolved as his gaze traveled over her white peasant blouse and flowing navy skirt. The top gave him a tantalizing view of her breasts, and the little tie on the front teased him, taunting him to pull it and spread the cotton open, exposing her to his eyes and lips.

  “Oh, wow, what happened here?” she asked.

  “That fucking dog happened,” he said, shooting that dog a murderous glare.

  “What did you do, leave him alone for hours?”

  “No,” he said, pointing around the room, “this happened while I was in the shower.”

  “Really?” Eve sounded like she didn’t believe him. Without another word, she dropped to her knees and held out her arms to Beast. “Come on, buddy. Come here.”

  The dog bounded to her, wiggling and licking wherever he could. She held her hand behind her, and Oliver gave her the leash. Once she had it hooked onto Beast’s collar, she stood up with a mischievous smile. “I don’t know why he gives you so much trouble.”

  “Oh, I’m sure Best put him up to it,” Oliver grumbled.

  “Ah, and he gets a kick out of messing with you, huh?”

  “That’s just because I’ve let it go until now, but the dude owes me a sofa and chair.”

  Eve laughed and held the leash out to him. “I wonder if maybe you two just got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps you should open your mind to the possibility that Beast has issues and this is his way of dealing with them.”

  Oliver took her advice with a healthy dose of skepticism. “What makes you think he has issues?”

  “Well, for starters, he came from the animal shelter, so he’s got to have some baggage. The question is was he turned in because he has behavioral problems and his previous owners just couldn’t deal? Or were the owners jackasses who just didn’t want him anymore?” Her tone was sad as she added, “If he was loved, it’s easy to assume that he is confused and misses it.”

  Oliver studied Eve. Her dreamy, sweet expression tugged at his heart, and he wondered who she was thinking about. A loved one she missed? A past lover? A bitter rush of jealousy churned in his stomach. He didn’t want to think about another man having even a sliver of Evelyn’s affections. Not when he wanted them all to himself.

  “How is it you seem to know so much about what he’s feeling? Are you an event planner by day and dog psychic by night?” He had been trying to make a joke, but one look at her face told him he’d insulted her.

  “I’m just making an observation,” she said curtly.

  “Hey.” He reached out and touched her arm, turning her toward him. “I was just teasing you.”

  She remained silent, and he took her chin in his hand, tilting her gaze up to meet his. “Why does it always seem like I can never say the right thing to you?”

  A small smile played across those bee-stung lips. “Maybe I make you nervous.”

  Oliver rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip, and her sharp, warm breath spread over his skin. “Oh, you definitely make me nervous.”

  “I do?” Her breathless question stirred his cock to life.

  “Yeah, you do. I can’t relax around you, not with the way you make me feel,” he said.

  “How is that?” Her tone was soft, and Oliver dipped his head, his mouth hovering over hers.

  “Like I’m standing in the sunshine every time I’m near you,” he
said.

  “Oh.”

  Oliver didn’t give her a chance to escape this time and covered her mouth with his, groaning as the sweet taste of her overwhelmed him. His hands slid back to cradle the back of her head, and he buried his fingers in her hair, loosening her ponytail. A tiny sigh escaped her, and he took advantage, slipping his tongue between her parted lips, coming undone when her tongue tangled with his. He felt her hands grip his waist, pulling him tighter against her body, and he wanted more. Never had he gotten so caught up in one kiss. And never had he ignored every warning bell for a woman, but with Evelyn, it was like common sense went out the window and was replaced by uncontrolled passion.

  Oliver felt something pushing between them and opened his eyes to look down at Beast, who was trying to use his giant head to separate them. Ignoring him, Oliver maneuvered them toward the couch, propelling Eve down onto the mangled leather.

  The kiss broke long enough for Eve’s eyes to pop open, and she giggled. “Somehow, I never imagined making out on a cloud of couch stuffing.”

  Oliver grinned down at her. “What can I say? I’m an original.”

  “You’re definitely different,” she said.

  “Is that a compliment?” His lips found the pulse point behind her ear and he felt her heart race against his mouth.

  “I think so.”

  “You don’t sound sure,” he murmured against her jaw.

  “Probably ’cause I can’t think while you’re kissing me,” she whispered.

  His mouth brushed hers. “Want me to stop?”

  “God, no.”

  Chapter Six

  EVE GRABBED OLIVER’S shoulders and held on as his kiss sent her head spinning. Everything that would have normally had her coming back to reality, telling her to slow down or she’d regret it, melted away with each stroke of his tongue.

  Oliver’s hand slid to her waist, then up under the fabric of her shirt, and the skin-to-skin contact was hot as he skimmed his palm up her side. She knew where he was headed, and her nipples pebbled in anticipation, gooseflesh spreading over her body.

  Suddenly, Oliver got heavier, and she pulled away, gasping for breath as she realized that Oliver was struggling above her and cursing.