Nyght's Eve by Laurie Roma Read Free Book Online Page B

then...” She pushed the
bag of goodies toward him and their fingers brushed as he reached for it. Her
head came up and their gazes locked.
    Damn .
    Dare felt a visceral connection with her that
made him want to yank her across the counter and seal his lips over hers. He
bet she’d taste just as sweet as the pie. That thought made him frown. “Nope.
Not going to do it.”
    She blinked. “What?”
    “This—” He pointed a finger back and forth
between her and his own chest. “We have a problem.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Oh, I think you do. It’s not good. For
either of us. I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” Dare slowly got up
from his seat. He saw the way her blue eyes iced over and one of her eyebrows
lifted, making her disdainful glare almost regal. She had the fuck you stare down perfectly. He had to
admire that even if he was the focus of that nonverbal bitch-slap.
    “I don’t recall asking you for one. Take your
food, Dr. Nyght. Thank you for your help today. I’ll see you out.”
    She moved with economical grace, and Dare could
tell that he had fucked up. Again.
    Big time.
    He’d only wanted to be honest, but perhaps
saying that to a woman hadn’t been the best move. Shit, was he really that out
of practice when it came to women?
    Apparently, he was.

 
    Chapter Four
     
    The next day Dare considered avoiding Evie
and the rescue center completely, but the idea made him feel like a coward.
    After she had all but shoved him out the door
of her home yesterday, Dare had fought the urge to slam his head against
something hard on his walk back to the boarding house. What the hell had been
wrong with him? He knew better than to blurt something like that
out...especially to a woman. It was a surefire way to get her back up, telling
her that he didn’t want a relationship, like it was a foregone conclusion that
she wanted one.
    And with a woman like Evie, of course she had
felt insulted.
    Hell, he would have been offended, too.
    Dare wondered about his unusual reaction to
Evie all last night, trying not to feel guilty as he ate the food she had given
him. It was as if he lost his mind every time he was around her. He was usually
good with women. In the past, he had never had a problem getting any woman that
had caught his eye. He could be charming, courteous. But with Evie, he turned
into a brooding Neanderthal with a raging hard-on. It’s like he stopped being
able to think clearly around her.
    It was getting damned annoying.
    He steeled himself for another round of her
censured looks when he showed up at the rescue center, only to feel something
he tried to convince himself wasn’t disappointment when he was told she was out
on a search and rescue with Hunter and a few other team members. He should have
been relieved that she was gone, but he only felt bereft at not being able to
see her spectacular face, even if she was shooting daggers at him.
    Dare spent most of the day helping out around
the center again, feeding the dogs and cleaning the kennels. He liked the work.
It felt good using his muscles, and he also liked not having to speak to anyone
while doing the jobs he was given.
    Or so he had hoped.
    The problem was that no matter how much he
tried to put off a leave me the fuck alone vibe, people kept trying to talk to him. Staff members and even the volunteers started
chatting to him about anything and everything whenever they were near. And his
silence seemed to only encourage them to keep talking. One woman even commented
about what a good listener he was. He just gritted his teeth and tried to continue
working, until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
    It was mid-afternoon when he decided to take
off, leaving the rescue center to head into town. When he arrived, Dare parked
his bike on the street near the gym and sat there for a moment. On the drive he
had thought to stop into Fight Hard and work off some of his aggression, but seeing
the two buildings across the street made