Page 38 of Unexpected

I wanted to cross the foot or two of space between us, wrap my arms around her and hold her until all the pain disappeared. It was especially taunting since she smelled like my body wash that I had also thrown in the guest bathroom. But I refrained, knowing any comfort I could give her would likely only be welcome in the form of staying the fuck away.

“Good night,” I murmured as I let Sadie lead us out and closed the door.

“Wait.” Hazel hurried to the door just before I closed it completely and pulled it open once again. “Seriously, thank you.” She was so close I could smell her mint toothpaste and almost feel how clean her skin was.

“Anytime, Angel,” I said.

Much to my surprise, Hazel pressed up on her toes as high as she could go and brushed her lips against my cheek, just above my beard. She lingered there for a moment, and I clenched my fists at my sides in an attempt not to ambush her with affection.

“Good night,” she whispered against my skin, and I stepped back so she could close the door.

SEVENTEEN

Hazel

I sleptno more than an hour that night with Sadie curled in the crook of my legs. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Michael, eyes filled with rage, hurling a fist toward my face. I even heard the crack and felt the spray of blood. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t closemy eyes and push through the terrible memories. Sleep finally washed over me in the early hours of the morning, and when I awoke no more than an hour later, I was covered in a thin layer of sweat with my heart racing.

The sheets were drenched around me, and the lingering scent of Luke’s body wash was gone and replaced by my own body odor.

For a moment, I felt the panic start to set in once again. It started low in my stomach as a clenching, tightening, then clawed its way up until I could feel the sobs sitting at the base of my throat. I knew if I let it, the panic would overwhelm all my senses, and I’d be lost.

So instead of letting it in, letting it win, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom.

The hot water running over me felt like it was doing more than washing my skin; it was ridding my body of the memories of my nightmares and the sweaty remnants of them as well. I lathered the Luke-scented soap in my hands and let it wash it all away.

I couldn’t pinpoint when it happened, but at some point in the past few weeks, Luke’s presence morphed from annoying the ever-loving shit out of me to something else entirely. He made me feel safe and calm, but along with his words and actions, I’d come to find the way he smelled—all manly and a little rough—calming, too.It was a little bit of everything.

After I stood in the shower for longer than I should have, smelling the body wash, I realized I had fallen off the crazy train and hurried to rinse off and finish up before all the hot water was gone.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, my mouth immediately began watering at the smell of fresh coffee. With only a few hours of sleep, coffee was the only thing on my mind as I tossed my old, sweaty clothes onto my duffel bag and urged Sadie—who was still curled up at the foot of the bed—to get moving.

She hurried down the hallway in front of me. And I forgot in my haste that Josh also lived there. I stopped at the end of the hallway when I saw him on the couch. Luke was nowhere in sight, but my hand reflexively reached for one of my eyes as I remembered the bruising beneath them. I glanced quickly in the mirror earlier in the bathroom, and upon finding the beginning of two bruises beneath my eyes, I recoiled from the sight. Seeing the bruises—the physical manifestation of Michael’s abuse—made it too real.

Before I had time to slither back down the hallway, Josh turned from the TV to me.

“Good morn—” he began but stopped as he took in the state of my face. He jumped from the couch and hurried to me with arms outstretched. “What the hell happened? Whose ass am I beating? Luke!”

His eyes combed over my face as he put his hands on each of my shoulders. I tried not to flinch when he touched me. At least he didn’t grab me like it appeared he might, and his eyes were kind and brimming with concern.

“Josh, give her some room.” Luke’s voice came from behind me, and I turned just enough to see him walking down the hallway from his bedroom. His hair was still wet from what I assumed was his morning shower, and he was wearing his dark-blue scrubs that hugged his arms, chest, thighs, and other areas…

“Dude, you told me she was here, but look at her,” Josh said over my head. “Seriously,” he continued, now speaking to me, “tell me whose ass I need to kick, and no questions asked, we will do it.”

As he spoke, his grip became tighter, and I could feel each of his fingers individually as they began digging into my arms through my long-sleeve T-shirt. Luke stopped to my right; the opening of the hallway was just barely large enough to fit us both.

I could feel his eyes on me, also appraising the damage in the new light of the morning. I wanted to look up at him and meet his soft-green eyes, but I was too focused on not screaming at Josh to please stop touching me.

“Josh, take a breather.” Luke’s voice held an authority that conveyed to Josh it was absolutely not a request but an order.

After glancing between Luke and me, Josh dropped his hands, fingers brushing down my arms as he apologized. He continued talking and asking questions about what happened, but I didn’t pay him any attention. Especially not when Luke’s fingers gently ran down the length of my spine and goose bumps erupted over my skin. Silently I breathed in a sharp breath that would have been imperceptible if Luke hadn’t been watching me, gauging my reaction so intently. When my chest expanded slightly, he flattened his hand on my lower back in a purposefully steadying way.

Standing so close, I realized his body wash smelled so much better on him.

“I would ask you how you slept, but I’m assuming you didn’t,” he said only loud enough for me to hear. I shook my head.

“Coffee then?”

I nodded enthusiastically, and he chuckled. I couldn’t help but try to return his smile when the sound of his laugh seemed to lighten the sinking feeling I couldn’t otherwise shake.

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