Page 45 of Recipes for Life

The relief and love I saw there once he set his yes on me immediately started to trigger full body tremors and I felt the hotness of tears pool at the corners of my eyes but I tampered that all down as I made my way to him.

“Odette.” I saw his mouth move in what must have been a whisper, and I picked up my pace to him.

How’d he know I was even here?

He had ducked under the officer’s arms and was running to me. I slowed my pace; the huffing was definitely hurting my ribs, and I couldn’t help but wince in pain.

Murphy reached for me, reached for my face and pulled me softly to him. He wasn’t bothering to hide his emotions or his tears. “You’re safe,” he managed to get out.

“I’m safe.” I held his wrists since his hands were set firmly on my cheeks as his eyes bored into mine. There was so much love and relief in them that I found myself crying.

“I’m safe,” I whispered again.

He grabbed my hand and put it over his heart, and I could feel how hard it was thundering,

“I breathe for you, Odette. My heart only beats for you. I can’t…I can’t lose you,” he choked out.

“I breathe for you, baby,” he whispered again, his tone filled with reverence and unmistaken love.

His lips met my forehead as he breathed me in.

And I let him, needing him just as much as he needed me.

Chapter 30

Odette

It was easy to tune the world and chaos out when I had Murphy holding me, looking at me like I was his reason for living. Once he had convinced himself that I was real and I was okay, he started his perusal of my body, teeth clenching when he noticed all the blood on my scrub top and pants.

“A lot of it’s not mine,” I whispered, trying my best to keep whatever composure I had left. Pushing thoughts of those I tried to help but the damage was too great, or those I sent off, not knowing how they were doing.

“But some of it is.” Despair and frantic energy seeped from his words.

He was trying to lift my top to assess the damage; clearly, he was on the verge of losing his mind, forgetting there was a swarm of people around us.

“Murphy, not here. I still need to help.”

He grumbled, “No, I need to take you to the hospital… You need to be checked out.”

“Murph, please. I need to be here.”

His gaze met mine, and I saw his clenched jaw and I could have sworn I heard the grinding of his teeth. I just tilted my head at him, wondering how this was going to go; there was a goodchance he was going to throw me over his shoulder and take me, anyway.

“Fine, but I stay nextto you.”

If he could have had steam coming out of his ears, he would have. I had to contain my smile, knowing it would only poke the bear that I was getting my way.

Turning around and heading back into the wreckage, I filled up the first aid bag I was given at the tents they had set up for triage and evacuation, with a large shadow following me. His arms were crossed and a serious expression was on his face, as if daring anyone to take me away from him.

I made my way into the lines of cars. Murphy grabbed my bag from me with a somewhat menacing glare, as if daring me to question it. I went back to turning my mind off to the devastation and let my training take over like a well-oiled machine. I could only imagine I was out here for hours before they started sending the first responders back so they could get things cleared away.

“Odette, please, let me take you to get checked out,” he begged me. I knew he had reached the end of his rope. The last hour or so I had kept wincing every time I reached for supplies, and I could have sworn Murphy’s head was about to explode in stress. Part of mehatedthat I was doing that to him, but I alsolovedit.

“Okay, Murph, you win.”

Wasting no time, he grabbed my hand and slowly started leading me to wherever he had his car parked, but once he saw I was moving rather slowly, he swooped me up bridal style. I started to protest, but he cut me off before I could plead my case that I was okay to walk.

“Please, Odette. I let you do what you needed to do, now please, let me,” he whispered into my hair, not bothering to hide the desperation in his voice. Sighing, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse him, and he understood that I was giving in to his demands.

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