Page 3 of Broken Soul

Carrying her inside, I take the mysterious woman to my office in the back and carefully lay her down on the couch. I grab a clean washcloth and dampen it with cool water before placing it on her forehead. Kneeling down in front of the couch, I take her pulse, relieved when it’s well within normal range. She needswater and a good meal and I intend to provide both for her when she wakes up.

2

ODETTE

Every limb feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and my head is throbbing painfully in time with the beat of my heart. My body aches as I try to move it, though I don’t open my eyes just yet. How can I face reality when my life is crumbling apart? How can the world just… move on while I’m desperately clinging to any sign of hope for my future?

“Take your time,” someone says to my right, their voice deep and gravelly, yet somehow soft at the same time. It sounds familiar…

I open one eye and then the other, squinting against the fluorescent lights in the room I’m in.Where am I? How did I get here? Am I in danger?

“You’re safe here, sweetheart,” the voice assures me. “You passed out on me and I brought you back to my office.”

Blinking a few more times, the room comes into focus as I try to get my bearings. I turn my head, finally getting my first look at the man sitting in a chair next to me. My automatic response is to curl in on myself and jerk away from him, but he holds his hands up, palms out, in a sign of surrender. Something about that jogs a memory…

“My car,” I squeak out. I recognize the man from the mechanic shop. He startled me when he knocked on my window and gave the same hand motion of surrender to let me know he meant no harm.

I turn to face him, sitting up slowly as I take him in. He’s massive, from his broad shoulders to his tree trunk thighs, the man is a solid slab of muscle. Usually, I would avoid men like him. The longer I look at this man, however, the more I want to trust him.

“We can worry about the car later,” he says softly. I can tell he’s trying to be gentle with me, and I appreciate it more than he knows. I’m feeling pretty damn fragile right now. I have no plan, no destination, and as of a few hours ago, no vehicle to get me anywhere even if I figured out where I want to be.

“But–”

“Here, drink up.” He hands me a bottle of water with the cap sealed so I know he hasn’t tampered with it. I may be young and naive in a lot of ways, but I’m not stupid. I know not to trust men, especially strangers.

When he hands me a tray with two ham and cheese sandwiches, a pile of chips, a cup of mixed nuts, three slices of cantaloupe, and a giant chocolate bar, however, I can’t help but crack a smile. I pick up the chocolate bar and raise an eyebrow in amusement. The giant of a man looks away briefly, rubbing the back of his neck as his ears turn red.Is he blushing?

“I just wanted to make sure all the major food groups were covered,” he finally says. His adorable response has me giggling, despite my efforts to remain unaffected by this man.

His dark green eyes light up and a smile tugs at his lips, softening everything about his otherwise hard, chiseled features. The man grins and looks at me eagerly, waiting for me to dig in.

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely. I can’t remember the last time someone made a meal for me.

I set the chocolate to the side and go for one of the sandwiches. Even as I take my first bite of real sustenance in days, my mother’s voice echoes in my head.Carbs? Really, Odette? You don’t need carbs. In fact, you could stand to skip a few more meals.

Shame washes over me, making the food in my mouth taste bitter.

“You need to eat more than that,” the man says, encouraging me to keep going. I take another bite, the hunger outweighing any embarrassment I feel about eating in front of someone so clearly fit and rippling with muscle.

After a few more bites, he must sense my anxiety. The man gets up from his seat and shuffles a stack of papers from one side of his desk to the other, though he keeps peering at me over his shoulder. When I take another bite of the sandwich, followed by a handful of chips, he nods his head in approval.

Something about that sends a shiver down my spine, but not out of fear. No, this feeling is something else entirely. Something I’ve never experienced before. Excitement? Attraction? Whatever it is, my body is buzzing with electricity, my nerve endings sparking and sending tingles from head to toe.I want to please him.

I don't even know his name, but he puts me at ease while also making me feel nervous. Not out of fear, but more out of anticipation for what's going to come next.What is that about?Maybe the lack of food and water scrambled my brain. I’ll be better after I eat and sleep.

“So, let’s discuss where you’ll be staying while you get back on your feet,” he says, still busying himself with rearranging his desk to give me space to finish my meal.

"Oh, that's okay. I, um… I'll be okay." My voice cracks on the last word, but I shove a handful of chips into my mouth and start crunching loudly in hopes he doesn't hear it.

No luck. The man frowns, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.For me?

“From what I’ve gathered, you’re on your way to start a new life. Is that accurate?”

I don’t say anything or move a muscle at first, not sure how much of my story I want him to know. In the end, those deep emerald eyes tug at my heart, begging me to let him in. Just a little bit.

I nod and then attack the bowl of mixed nuts with a fury. My appetite has returned with a vengeance after one sandwich and some chips.

“So, why not start over here? With me?” I blink at him a few times, not sure I heard him correctly. “I mean, notwithme, with me. Just, like, I’ll be there. If you need me. We’ll both be here and…”

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