Elle James - Beneath the Texas Moon

Where Eve stood, the houses lining the street were dark. With no moon and no other lights available, Eve hesitated in the gloom debating her next move.

A low rumbling stirred the air. Too near for thunder and too much like a growl.

Straining her eyes, Eve stared into the shadows, clutching her son tighter. Nothing. No movement, no eyes staring back. Then the rumbling sounded again, deeper and more drawn out.

The second repetition was enough. Eve spun on her heel to race back to the Community Center. But she hadn’t gone two steps when she plowed into a brick wall with sufficient force to jolt Joey awake. Eve sucked in enough breath to fill her lungs twice and opened her mouth to scream.

Mac staggered back a step to absorb the full impact of Eve, armed with Joey, barreling into his chest. He grabbed Eve’s shoulders to steady her as she stumbled backward.

Her mouth opened, but she looked up into his face and the scream died before it was born. “Oh, thank God.” She collapsed against him.

Squashed between the two adults, Joey whimpered and glanced around, blinking. When he spied Mac, he reached out.

Mac tucked him against his side, holding on with one arm. The other wrapped around Eve’s shoulders and pulled her close.

Beneath his fingers, he could feel tremors shaking her body. He pressed her face to his shoulder, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. Shh. I’ve got you now. Everything will be okay.”

She didn’t pull away, but rested her cheek against his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

Almost as shaky as Eve, Mac willed his heart to slow to a normal pace. When he’d exited the Community Center and she hadn’t been there, he’d had the closest thing to a panic attack he’d ever admit to. The same gut instinct that told him he and his men were walking into a trap hit him with enough force to knock him back a few steps before he could get his feet moving in the right direction. He couldn’t be too late this time. He couldn’t let Eve and Joey down like he had his troops.

When she’d walked right into his arms, all he could do was press his face against her soft hair, inhaling the scent of herbal shampoo. She smelled like spring, a sharp contrast to the dry, sandy heat of Fallujah. Thank God she was all right.

As soon as his heart returned to normal, his protective instinct warred with past experience. What right did he have to hold this woman and promise her things would be fine? Though he’d found her unscathed, hadn’t he proven he couldn’t take care of those he loved?

Without opening his eyes, Joey nestled his face into Mac’s neck and fell asleep, his head tucked beneath Mac’s chin.

Eventually Eve stopped shaking and rested in the circle of his arm. She lifted her face and smiled, her bottom lip trembling. “I’m sorry. It’s just…” She stared down at her fingers knotted in his shirt. A moment later she released her grip and stepped back. “The stories, your warning… I don’t know. I started hearing things and the next thing you know, I’m running back the way I came.”

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