Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
It was up to him to protect her.
And this jerk was a complete asshole.
He pulled into her driveway, glancing over at where she was slumped with her eyes closed. He could tell from the stiff way she held herself that she wasn’t asleep.
Climbing out, he jogged around to open her door and undid her seatbelt. It was strange how good it made him feel to look after her. He’d spent most of his life barely able to take care of himself. So he’d never imagined himself doing things like this.
But he wanted this. And more.
Carefully, he lifted her into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Carrying you inside. Darn it. I should have unlocked the door first.” He set her down again. “Stay here.”
She was shivering. It was cold today, but he knew it was likely due to her migraine. Quickly, he rushed to the door to unlock it. When he turned back, she was stumbling her way up the footpath.
Moving back to her, he wrapped an arm around her. “Sweetie, you should have waited for me.” He tried to keep his tone soft and gentle, but she must have heard the scolding tone.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Don’t want to be a burden.”
God, her grandparents and her ex had a lot to answer for. That she could ever think of herself as a burden killed him . . . she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he’d tell her that as often as she needed to hear it.
After leading her inside, he shut the door and helped her to her bedroom. She lay down on the bed.
“Curtains,” she whispered.
He nodded and got to work darkening the room. Then he found her meds and grabbed her a bottle of water, figuring it would be easier for her to drink from it than a glass. Helping to prop her up, he held the bottle for her as she drank it. Laying her back down, he slid off her sneakers.
It still made him sad seeing her wearing baggy, dark clothing. And she always covered up her scars. Even in front of him. He needed her to know how beautiful she was to him. Her scars were just a part of her.
“Do you want to take your clothes off?” he asked.
“No . . . too hard.”
Standing, he grabbed a blanket from her closet and laid it over her.
“Go to sleep, sweetie. I’ll guard your dreams for you.”
10
She woke up feeling groggy and exhausted.
Why was she lying in bed in her clothes in the middle of the day? She lay there for a moment. Then she realized she must have had a migraine, because nothing else left her feeling quite this yucky.
Memories trickled back. Her hero. Brad acting odd. Virus. Brody.
Holy heck. Had he really driven her home? That must have been so stressful for him. She glanced around, but didn’t see him in the bedroom. She hoped he hadn’t left, but she wouldn’t blame him if he had. He had to go to work, after all. He couldn’t spend all his time babysitting her.
Getting up, she stumbled into the bathroom to pee and wash her face.
Okay, she felt half-human now. Walking out, she realized she could hear noises coming from her kitchen. She froze, her heart racing.
It’s just Brody.
She hoped.
She tiptoed to the doorway. Relief made her legs go weak as she spotted him at the stove. She had to smile when she saw that he was wearing one of her frilly aprons. This one was pale blue with a white lace frill and had picture of two dogs smooching on the front of it.
“You’re cooking?” she asked.
He let out a squeal, jumping in the air then spinning with his hand on his chest. She winced.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re like a mouse.” He took a deep breath. “Crap. I nearly peed myself.”
“Sorry. What are you making?” She moved over to the island and sat on a stool.
“Oh, well, um, I’m not really. I found some soup in your cupboard. There’s not much else in there.”
“I’ll put a grocery order in.” Brody hadn’t been around much lately, so she hadn’t bothered restocking her pantry.
“Have you been eating?” he asked.
She blinked, surprised by the question. “Yes.”
He studied her. “What?”
“Uh, takeout and leftovers. Plus, there were some Lucky Charms in my pantry. I finished them off yesterday. What’s with the inquisition?”
“I just want to make sure you’re looking after yourself,” he muttered as he poured the soup into two bowls.
Yum, potato and leek. Her favorite.
Her stomach growled in anticipation and he sent her a look.
Shoot.
“It’s been a long time since breakfast,” she huffed, not wanting him to know that breakfast had only consisted of coffee. Darn man. He was getting so bossy.
And you like it.
He buttered some toast, then brought it over, followed by two bowls of soup. Then he sat next to her at the counter. She stirred her soup.