Unchained Hearts (Baxter Family Saga) Read Free Page B

as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers. She found a seat and relaxed a bit. Not long after, her green-eyed doorman sat next to her. 
    “I’m not following you,” he said, grinning at the look of surprise on her face. “This is just the only seat which seems to be left.”
    “Don’t worry. I didn’t think you were following me.”
    “Why not? Aren’t you worth following?” He flashed Virgilia a devastating smile which made her blush. Before she could even think of an answer, the lights dimmed.
    He leaned into her. “We will continue this discussion later.” Her stomach shivered as she cleared her throat and focused on the screen.
    Throughout the movie, the audience’s reaction just heightened the tension of the scenes. Virgilia had no idea how big this shark was, but she knew the next time she decided to go to the beach, she would definitely rethink it.
    A couple of times, the movie made her jump, much to the amusement of her doorman.
    “Don’t worry, Precious,” he whispered. “I’ll protect you.”
    The pit of Virgilia’s stomach fluttered when he called her “precious.” If it were any other man, she would have been offended, even threatened. With him, it felt natural to hear him call her that and she didn’t even know his name. 
    When the movie ended, she stared at the screen, reading the credits. When she turned to glance at him, he was gone. Virgilia experienced a pang of disappointment.
    As she exited the theater, she sensed a presence behind her. She turned to see him smiling at her.
    “You never did answer my question. Don’t you think you’re worth following?”
    “I will only answer questions from men whose names I know.”
    “Fair enough,” he said, extending his hand. “My friends call me Cass.”
    “I’m Virgilia,” she replied, shaking his hand.
    “That’s quite a name. I think I’ll call you ‘Lila’ for short.”
    Normally, she hated it when people called her by some modification of her name, but this one seemed different. “Do you often change the name of the people you meet to suit yourself?”
    “Only the special ones.”
    Virgilia’s cheeks got hot and her stomach did backflips. No stranger had ever made her feel so at ease.
    For his part, Cass was fascinated by this vision he saw before him. There was something about this woman, a light, a fire which drew him in and made him want to lose himself in those gorgeous brown eyes. He’d never felt anything like it before and was not going to let this opportunity pass him by.
    “Yes,” Virgilia said, suddenly.
    “Yes, to Lila?”
    “That too, but I meant the answer to your question.” Cass looked a little lost and then she said, “I am worth following.”
    Cass heart flipped as he grinned. “Shall we?” he said, offering his arm. 
    They walked around and talked for what seemed like minutes, but turned out to be hours as evening turned to dusk. Virgilia’s face hurt from smiling so much; she couldn’t recall the last time she’d had so much fun by herself or with anyone.
    Cass found her smart and witty and even more beautiful than when he’d opened the door for her. He had met some stunning women in his life, but tonight, they seemed merely passable compared to Lila.
    “It’s getting late,” she said. “I had better get home.”
    “I’ll walk you,” he announced.
    “No, I don’t live too far from here.”
    He held his hand up. “I’m not letting any woman walk alone at night anywhere, no matter how close she lives.”
    They’d only just met, but the look on his face said he wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. She thought better of starting an argument as they slowly made it to the gate of her house.
    “Well, this is me,” she said.
    He nodded and looked at the house. It was small, modest, and held a bit of charm with the low white fence separating it from the house next door.
    “Cass, I had a wonderful time.”
    “So did I,” Cass said as his gaze moved from her eyes to