Nyght's Eve (21 page)

Dare turned to look
at her, then did a double take when he saw the tears streaming down her face.
He cursed as he jerked the vehicle to the side of the road. He shoved the
gearshift into park, then stabbed at the button to put the hazard lights on.
Reaching out, he undid her seatbelt and jerked her into his arms. “We don’t
know that. We won’t know anything until we have the test results, so there’s no
use worrying about any of that yet.”

“I’m scared, Daryk.
I’m so fucking terrified that I just kept putting it off. Finding ways to
justify delaying just because I didn’t want to deal with it. Didn’t want to
think about it. I’m just...my aunt Colleen died of breast cancer—”

“Christ! No wonder
why you were so freaked out.” Dare kissed the top of her head as he stroked her
hair. He held her against his chest as she tried to muffle a sob. God, her
tears killed him. “Shh, baby, don’t cry. Everything is going to be okay. You’re
dealing with it now.”

“Because you made
me. I would’ve done it eventually, but I’m glad you made me do it now. I know
waiting would only make it worse.”

He pulled her head
up, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her gently as he wiped her tears
away with his thumbs. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. You’re not alone
in this, Eve.”

Evie’s heart filled
with such love for him, her chest actually hurt. “Thank you for coming with me.”

Dare pressed his
lips against her forehead. He fastened her seatbelt once again, then put the
car back into drive and pulled back onto the road. “Perhaps now would be a good
time to tell you we’ll be staying in Houston for the night.”

“Oh, but—”

“Don’t argue with
me on this. You are so hell bent on taking care of everyone else that you never
take the time to focus on yourself. I had Francesca pack a bag for you. It’s in
the trunk. You’re going to damn well rest and relax tonight if I have to tie
you down to ensure it.”

“That’s...sweet. A
little extreme, but sweet.”

He grunted and went
back to staring out at the road. “You matter, Eve. My foot’s not out the door.
The sooner you realize that, the better.”

“All right.”

Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it.

This time, she smiled
as she looked out the window, and tried not to worry about what was to come.

Chapter Twelve

Dare listened to the sound of the shower in
the bedroom as he paced the length of the living room in the hotel suite, and
tried not to worry. He had gone with Evie to her appointment, helplessly
waiting as she had gone in with the doctor. No matter how much time he’d spent
at hospitals, this was different. Sure, he cared for his patients, but he was
usually so damn busy he didn’t have time to think about anything except the
person he was working on. But this was Eve...his Eve, and despite what he had
told her in the car on the way to Houston, he was worried.

Hell, he had been scared shitless.

While he had been waiting, Dare thought good
and hard about what Evie had said to him in the car. She hadn’t been completely
wrong about him not leaving a trace of himself at her house. He hadn’t meant to
do it. Christ, he hadn’t even realized he had done it until she mentioned it.
It was his go-bag—ready for him to take with him on a moment’s notice.

To her, it had been a sign that he was ready
to leave her.

But that was the complete opposite of what he
wanted.

He was damaged. There was no mistaking that.
He was a surgeon that didn’t know if he could still function in an operating
room. He was a soldier that didn’t know if he could kill, and he was a man who
had no clue how to have a normal relationship. Overall, he wasn’t a good bet,
but none of that really mattered. He wanted Evie. Somehow, he had even come to
need her.

Desperately.
 

There was a connection between them that was
undeniable. Being with her healed some part of him. Filled an empty place
inside his soul that he didn’t even know he’d had. She had a goodness about
her, that driving need to take care of others that reminded him of why he had
wanted to become a doctor all those years ago.

Her life had been touched by darkness. She
had suffered loss, but she had used that to focus on dedicating her life to
helping others, but she ran the risk of losing a part of herself if she wasn’t
careful. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said she needed a keeper. Someone to
make sure she took care of herself and took a break when her tank was empty.

 
And he
was the perfect man for the job.

Dare had been furious when he’d heard that
phone call. She had put her health at risk by putting off getting checked out.
If he were honest with himself, the real reason he had been so damn angry was
because she hadn’t told him that she could be sick. The thought of losing her
was like a fucking knife straight through his heart. He couldn’t imagine it. Didn’t
even want to consider that possibility, but he had to as he’d sat in that
waiting room.

Leave her? Hell fucking no, he wouldn’t leave
her.

He would stay by her side as long as she
allowed him to, and even then he would fight like hell if she ever wanted to
end things between them.

When Evie was done with the doctor and had
come out of the examination room, her smile had made his breath catch. The
doctor had done a fine needle aspiration of the lump and the results had been
promising. The fluid that had come out of the lump was clear, indicating it was
a cyst with a very low chance of being cancerous. A pathologist would still run
tests on the fluid to make sure the cells were benign, but the news had made
his knees go weak with relief.

Dare had wanted to demand to see Evie’s
chart, but he knew there was no way the doctor would have allowed that. They
had left the hospital in much better spirits then they had entered, but Evie
was still a little nervous. Dare understood she wouldn’t feel better until all
the test results were back.

Since the lump was located deeper into her
tissue, the doctor had used a local anesthetic. By the time Dare drove them to
the hotel they were staying at, she started to feel the soreness around the
extraction site. As he checked them in, Evie ordered a bottle of wine to be
sent up immediately. Dare had frowned at the request, since she hadn’t eaten
anything yet. She’d been too nervous before they’d left her house.

The wine was delivered moments after they had
stepped inside their suite, and Evie opened it, pouring herself a big glass,
almost emptying half the bottle.

“Eve...”

“I’m going to take a long, hot bath, and this
is coming with me. Consider it the ultimate girl relaxation program. Care to
join me?”

Of course he wanted to join her, but he
thought she should have a little time to relax by herself. If he got naked with
her they would end up having sex, and he wanted her resting after the day she
had. “Go ahead. I’ll order us up some food.”

Evie had shrugged, then sequestered herself
in the large bathroom. He’d placed the order for their food and had it set out
in the small dining area when it arrived. She had been soaking for a half an
hour when he heard the shower turn on. It had given him a lot of time to brood.
Shit, he wanted to pamper her. To take care of her, but he didn’t know how.

Maybe she should take a nap before they ate.

Maybe he should get a fucking grip!

His breath left his lungs in a rush as she
stepped out of the bathroom wearing the thick, white hotel robe. Her skin was
flushed from the heat of her shower, and her blonde hair hung in wet ropes down
her back. She smiled at him and his pulse sped up.

God, she was so fucking beautiful she made
him ache.

He noticed her glass was empty, and he met
her halfway as she started into the living room. Evie tried to protest when he
lifted her into his arms, but she settled down and wrapped her arms around his
neck when he carried her over to the bed.

“Is this the next phase of my relaxation
program?” she asked as she kissed his neck.

Christ, the woman undid him. A shiver raced
down his spine and his cock surged to life, pressing tight against the confines
of his jeans. She didn’t need to deal with his lust right now. What she needed
was to be taken care of, and he would.

Starting now.

He sat her down on the bed, then pulled away
from her, walking into the bathroom. When he came back, he saw she was frowning
at him. He held the towel in his hand up and sat on the edge of the bed. “Turn
around. We can’t have you running around with wet hair.”

She grinned at him, then did as he asked. He
gently rubbed the towel over her head until it was mostly dry. He loved the
feel of the silky strands, and set aside the towel to run his fingers through
her locks, combing it out with slow, careful movements.

“I had a lot to think about while I was in
the bath, and I realized something.”

“Hmm,” he murmured as he went about his task.

“I’ve been afraid of so many things, and none
of them really mattered. Not really. Today made me open my eyes, so to speak.
If I was sick—if I am sick, then I’ll handle it. I shouldn’t have waited to
make the appointment.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Dare snapped.

Evie’s back was toward him so she felt safe
rolling her eyes. “I know. Back to my point. There are things I can’t change,
things that are beyond my control. But that shouldn’t stop me from living my
life, or moving forward.” She turned around so she was looking him in the eye.
“So, I wanted to tell you that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

His eyes widened comically, then they
narrowed until they were shards of dark-grey glaring at her. “You’re drunk.”

“I might be a little buzzed, but I’m
certainly not drunk,” she said primly.

“I...you...”

Offended to the core by the almost appalled
look on his face, she frowned at him. “I’m not asking you for anything, so get
that look off your face. I may love you, and I would like it if you loved me
back, but I can live without you.”

“Eve,” Dare blew out a breath. “I...care
about you. More than I have any other woman. Hell, more than any other person
in my life. I just don’t know if I’m capable of loving—”

Evie gave no thought to her actions, simply
reacting to his words. Using her foot, she shoved at him so he fell off the bed
onto his ass.

Hard.

“What the fuck?”

She tossed her hair out of her face so she
could glare down at him over the edge of the bed. “That is the biggest bunch of
bullshit I’ve ever heard! I’m not even going to count that colossally
ridiculous statement as your stupid male mistake of the day, because that would
just insult your entire gender.”

“Jesus, Eve,” he growled. “What the hell is
wrong with you?”

“What is that tattoo on your arm if not proof
of the love you have for your patients? Yes, Niki told me what it means. Don’t you
glare at me. There is no such thing as tattoo artist, patient confidentiality. Be
glad she didn’t tell me you fainted in her chair like this guy did last month.
She laughed about that for weeks.”

“That woman is a fucking menace.”

“She is, but I love her anyways.” She slid
off the bed, losing her balance at the last second so she fell on top of him,
making him grunt. “Ooops, sorry.”

Dare tried to shift her off of his lap before
she felt his erection, but she swung her leg over him so she was straddling him
while his back was pressed up against the bed. In her tumble, her robe had
parted, tempting him with the sight of the creamy, pale skin of her breasts.

“Eve,” he groaned when she moved against him.
He pulled her robe closed, then gripped her shoulders, holding her still. “Stop
fucking with me.”

Evie stopped moving as stared at him, her
ardor cooling under his watchful gaze and forceful tone. She leaned in to press
her lips against his lightly. “I’m not. I love you, Daryk. If you don’t feel
the same, that’s one thing. But don’t try to tell me you don’t know how to
love. You show how capable you are in everything you do. You love the patients
you lost by honoring their memory. You love the animals in the shelter that
you’ve cared for. You even love Shane. I can see it in the way you interact
with him.”

She put her finger over his mouth to stop his
protest. “When I say I love you, I mean it. It’s a gift, Dare. This isn’t a
trap. Life is too short for me not to tell you how I feel. I know we haven’t
known each other very long, but you’re it for me. I didn’t think I could love
someone the way I love you. It’s like I’ve been waiting for you. I don’t mean
to pressure you. I think you may come to love me someday, but I need to know
you believe in love. That one day—when you feel it— you can say the words back
to me. I deserve to hear the man I love say those words back to me.”

When she shifted to get off of him, his hold
on her tightened so much so that it was almost painful. “Are you done?”