Page 72 of Her Tempting Protector

“You’re not going to be there all by yourself, are you?”

She must have caught onto the worry in his voice, because she hitched her backpack higher up on her shoulder and straightened her spine.

“Cullen, I’m going to be fine. I’m a big girl. I’m going to go to Eugene and get my things. I know the things I put into place before I left probably aren’t there. Even if they were, I need time again before I can move forward. But you don’t need to worry, I’m fine.”

“You need to stay with someone. Maybe Peter?”

“No, I don’t.” She gave a bright fake smile.

“Yes, you do. You need to be with friends.”

He didn’t say she needed to be with him. But dammit, she did.

“Yeah, sure, that sounds good, I’ll call him.”

She was lying.

The crowd started to move.

“You have all my contact information. I need a call as soon as you land.”

“Absolutely, Cullen. I’ll call you. But I’m not like Shada and her family, you don’t need to worry about me. I don’t want to be one more burden to you.”

He would have pulled her into a hug, but the barriers kept them apart.

“Dammit, Carys, that’s not what this is. I want to see you when I get back to the states, I need to see you.”

She shook her head, denying what he was saying. She didn’t believe him.

Then the crowd swallowed her up.

Dammit!

* * *

A month, it had taken him an entire damn month. Cullen was so pissed as he walked up the path of two-story Craftsman style house with rhododendron and azalea bushes flourishing in the front yard. There was a trike with pink tassels coming out of the handlebars in the front yard, so there was at least one kid that Kane hadn’t told him about. How’d he miss that? He’d told Cullen all about Sarah Kyle who was Carys’ best friend and was now married to David Sloane. The couple had been with Carys all those years ago when she had been assaulted in Santa Flores, and Kane had tracked Carys down to their house here in Washington state.

He knocked on the front door. A pretty blonde answered. She looked him up and down and smiled.

“Honey, who is it?” A tall, lean man asked as he came up behind her.

Before Cullen could introduce himself, she answered.

“If I had to guess, this is Cullen Lyons. Am I right?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Cullen frowned. All of his Irish charm bullshit had flown out the window three weeks ago when Carys texted him that she wasn’t ready to face him, and that she would call him when she was ready. For eighteen days after that, there had been radio silence, then when she finally called, she said she would let him know where and when they could meet in a week.

Fuck that noise.

The man grinned. “I’m going to be barbequing tonight. Want to join us?”

“Is Carys here?”

“She’s out in the backyard playing with Tonya, our daughter. She’ll be eating dinner with us. Now do you want to say yes?” the blonde asked temptingly.

“Honey, have you introduced yourself?” The man who had to be Captain David Sloane asked.

She laughed. It was a pretty laugh. “Why don’t you come in, have some lemonade or sweet tea.”