Barrel

9

Barrel felt a flush of self-consciousness move through him but forced himself into action.

“You can take the bed,” he said sternly. “I’ll take the floor. You can also use the shower first if you want.”

Eva nodded, then began fiddling with her fingers.

Barrel raised his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Are you sure you can trust him?” Eva said, motioning toward the bedroom door.

Barrel had the urge to smile but didn’t want to appear condescending.

“I saved Ahmed and his wife along with their daughter’s lives on a few occasions. We can trust him, don’t worry.”

His words didn’t seem to reassure Eva much as she continued to stand still with her hands wringing together.

“Okay,” she replied. “I’m going to wash off.”

Eva went into the bathroom without another word, and Barrel let out a long breath. He raised his hands to his face and rubbed hard, feeling obscenely confused.

Why the hell was this woman making him feel this way? Somewhere in the chambers of his heart, there was a reality that Barrel wasn’t yet willing to face.

He listened to the sound of the water running, trying to avoid the image of the streams of water running down Eva’s luxuriously naked form. He sat by the window, telling himself he needed to stay on point for the mission.

When Eva returned, she was wearing a baggy T-shirt and tights Ahmed’s wife must have left for her. It was difficult not to take a quick gander at her sleek, plump ass, but Barrel managed to avoid it.

She climbed into bed without a word, curling in a defensive ball. Barrel went into the bathroom himself, hoping that a quick spray of cold water would wake him from his lovesick slumber.

But all it did was encouraged the erotic thoughts even more. His c**k rose a few times when he thought about Eva in the bedroom, curling up behind her and spooning her until she was wet with desire. He had to get out fast, repeating the goals of the mission like a mantra.

He returned to the bedroom and found Eva had placed a pillow and a blanket on the floor for him. He bit his lip, gazing at her dozing body in the bed.

He was in more danger than just being on the run from Sergie’s men. Eva meant something to him, more than just some woman he was required to save for his freedom.

Barrel didn’t want to need her, or want her, as all of the women in his life beyond his sister had let him down. He lay on the floor and tried to sleep but found little solace.

EVA

Eva was acting on instinct alone as she moved through the forest and went into Barrel’s friend's home. She was exhausted, with twinges of edginess shooting through her body, making her wary of every person she encountered … including Barrel himself.

He was a tall, thick man who could probably pick her up and toss her like a feather. He had a stoic way about him, like he had seen many more terrible things than Eva could ever imagine.

When Ahmed woke them the next day, she wondered if Barrel had been in the shifter prison her aunt ran. The thoughts dominated her mind until nightfall, when it was time to move again.

They went out into the night with clothing, food, and water. Eva tried to remain as polite and cordial as she could, given the circumstance. It meant a lot to her parents to always be nice, but her body was weak from fear, and she had barely gotten a wink of sleep in the past few days.

She followed Barrel through the dark of the forest. He used a faint flashlight to lead the way, and she trailed behind him, doing her best to gather her thoughts into one single line.

She wanted to follow Christina’s advice to try new things and feel good about doing it. But when she told herself to get out there, to leap out of her comfort zone, she didn’t think it meant being kidnapped into a s*x trafficking ring.

She felt lucky that nothing bad had happened to her. She still felt a sting in her chest when she thought about the woman in the room, the one she wished she could have saved.

Barrel led the way, taking glances back at her every few minutes like an owner walking their dog. She felt the inclination to speak to him, to get to know him, but she wasn’t exactly at her most sociable.

“How are you feeling?” Barrel asked, his voice cutting through the dark.

Eva felt she couldn’t be completely honest. After all, the man was saving her, which was what she had internally wished for. But she didn’t want to be a damsel in distress, even if it meant being taken in the sexy man’s arms.

“As good as I can be, I suppose,” she replied, strolling next to him.

It wasn’t entirely easy to keep up with Barrel. His strides were long, and he was in way better shape than she was. Her legs felt like noodles, and her bones ached when she tried to step long like him.

He nodded, glancing down at her.

“That must have been an ordeal,” he said. “Being taken like that.”

Eva nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how her body looked. She felt anxious about making eye contact with him. Even in the dark, his hazel eyes glowed with a pinpoint of amber.

“It was,” she whispered, then looked away.

They continued onward without saying much for the next hour. Eva kept wanting to ask him about himself, to figure out if he was indeed from the Supermax Prison, but her attraction made her breath hitch in her throat.

She began falling behind hiking through a wooded area, and Barrel stopped abruptly. She nearly ran into him and felt her cheeks flush from being so close to him. He grinned slightly, which set her heart fluttering like a lost bird.

“We can rest here for a bit,” he said.

Eva was thankful, not realizing that she was breathing heavily. Her T-shirt was stained with sweat from her armpits to her crotch. Barrel removed his backpack and handed her a water. She drank it ravenously, nearly draining the entire bottle.