Heartless Hero (Crowne Point 1)

Theo used to get in fights when we were kids. It was a weekly occurrence. He was the wild dog I’d let into our china shop, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to be outmatched. He’d give a good fight, but he always got his ass kicked.

I’d always had to clean him up. He’d never understood why it hurt me so much, but then, I’d never understood why he had to fight. I’d always had people talk shit about me.

He forced them to their knees with a yelp of pain. “Apologize.”

“Theo, it’s okay—” I attempted, hoping to stave off the moment it changed and Theo was thrown to the ground.

“Apologize,” his command caught on a growl.

They met my eyes, their own burning with hate. “Sorry,” they gritted out at the same time.

I barely had a moment to register shock before Theo had thrown them both down. They laid their hands out just in time to stop from smacking their heads against the marble.

“Let’s go,” Theo said.

He gripped my wrist, stepping over them like they were dog shit and dragging me with him.

I looked over my shoulder at Alaric and Geoff, still prone, then back at Theo, at his grip, firm yet unbruising on my wrist.

When had Theo become someone who could not only hold his own but take on Alaric and Geoff? And what the hell did it mean that he’d asked them to apologize to me?

Nothing.

It had to mean nothing.

The alternative was too damning.

Ten

ABIGAIL

I barely slept, tossing and turning all night. Yellow-gold morning light lit up my room and warmed my bed. Tomorrow is our annual Fourth of July party, and maybe my last chance to gain my mother’s approval.

Even still, my mind isn’t on Mom.

It’s on Theo.

I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m supposed to be above him. He’s my bodyguard, but my strings are attached to him. In public, he stands behind me. In private…

In private my heart beats for him.

With a groan, I banged my head against my pillow. I can’t give him that power. This is just lust. I’m over-the-top horny, and once I have a clear head, he won’t have any power.

I rolled over, fixed on my gilded-ivory crown molding, sliding my hand beneath my silky white sheets and pushing down my panties, sliding my hand between my thighs.

Theo means nothing. Once I take care of myself, I’ll stop thinking about him.

I closed my eyes and spread myself, sliding two fingers up and down, slowly finding the right rhythm.

If I moved these aside, would I find my answer?

Theo popped into my head. I couldn’t help it. With my eyes closed, his piercing green eyes and cocksure voice consumed me. If I opened my eyes, I could probably banish him, but just imagining his thick, sure fingers between my legs had my body heating, my breath short, and the ache between my legs growing. Theo was a flurry of agonizingly sweet juxtapositions. Rough but silky, gentle and firm.

He’d left me hanging, but maybe I could force his mirage to finish.

Do you know what would really get her attention? Fucking your bodyguard.

His voice was in my ear now. Low and quiet, but never unsure. Almost infuriatingly confident. Like how he’d commanded Alaric and Geoff. That rough, grating growl I only heard when he was consumed with emotion—so Theo. No one ever stood up for me like that—no one.