After the Storm(61)
“Who’s Charlotte?” Cammie asked.
Donovan smiled down at her. “She’s my niece. She reminds me a lot of you, actually. You’re about the same age. You’ll meet her. Would you like that?”
Cammie nodded vigorously. “Does she have dolls to play with?”
Donovan’s heart ached as he looked at the hopeful look on Cammie’s face. The things that Charlotte took for granted were things this child knew nothing of. Something as simple as a doll or toys to play with. Charlotte was spoiled by all her aunts and uncles, not to mention her own mother and father. Who spoiled Cammie? It was obvious that Eve and Travis were too busy trying to keep food on their table to worry over things like toys.
“As a matter of fact, I have a few of Charlotte’s toys here for when she visits. I babysit from time to time, so I keep stuff here for her to play with. She won’t mind a bit if you play with them too. How about after you eat, I see what I can dig up?”
Cammie nodded solemnly. “I’d like that.”
“Now if you’ll all excuse me for just a few minutes, I need to call Maren. Joe and Swanny are cooking up something for you to eat and I need to see about getting something for you all to change into. Travis, I have some clothes that will likely fit you okay. They might be a little big on you, but we’re about the same height. Will a pair of sweats and a T-shirt be okay?”
Travis nodded.
Then Donovan turned his attention to Eve. “I’ll have one of my sisters-in-law bring over something for you to wear, but until then, you can wear a pair of sweats and one of my shirts. You need to get out of those wet things. I have a few changes of Charlotte’s clothes and some of her PJs. I’ll show you both into the bedroom where you’ll be staying so you can get her changed and change yourself.”
Eve looked poleaxed, but Donovan didn’t give her time to ponder the fact that he had presumed that she would be staying here. If he gave her any time at all, she’d probably bolt like a scared rabbit. And that was not happening. So while it might make him a flaming asshole, he was going to barge forward and keep her off balance.
Acting as though she’d already agreed with his plan, he scooped Cammie up and then extended his free hand down to help Eve to her feet. He watched her closely for signs of pain, frowning when she winced as she struggled up from the couch. He put a hand to her back, steadying her and hovering close as he guided them toward one of the guest rooms.
“The house has five bedrooms,” he explained as they en-tered the room next to his. “But I’ve only gotten beds in three of them so far. You and Cammie can share this one and Travis can have the one down the hall. Cammie would probably feel better with you anyway.”
As he watched Eve take in the bedroom—and the bed—he didn’t miss the longing look she cast toward the queen-size bed. What surprised him more was the swift urge that overtook him. The thought that what he really wanted was her in his bed. His bedroom. His space. Her in his arms.
He shook his head in consternation. Where the hell had that come from? She was a mission. Like so many others. Never before had he had such a strong emotional reaction. Yes, his emotions were always involved but not on such a personal level. Maybe he was losing his mind.
But the thought remained. The fantasy of having Eve in his bed, him wrapped solidly around her, a barrier to the outside world and to anything that sought to harm her.
How easy it was to slip into the fantasy that this was his family. That they belonged to him. That Eve belonged to him. His woman.
Whoa. He needed to snap out of it quick and get control over his wayward thoughts. The very last thing Eve needed was to be blindsided by his desire. She was fragile and to her breaking point. Hell, maybe she was already there. She’d been poised to run. From him. And that ate at him. That she didn’t trust him. He couldn’t take it personally. She didn’t trust anyone. And he couldn’t fault her for that. She had a brother and sister to protect, and in her shoes, he wouldn’t be lining up to trust anyone either.