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Finally, Irene breaks the silence. “We’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. This is so much worse than I originally thought.”
Charlie gasps. “You knew?”
There’s a sigh, and I can tell it was from Irene. “The day she showed up looking for a job, she had bruises around her neck. It looked like she’d been choked. I could tell she was a woman with secrets she didn’t want known, but I knew she was a woman who needed a new start, so I didn’t hesitate to help give her one. That’s all I knew until recently,” Irene states.
“Dammit, Irene. Why didn’t you say anything?” Jack demands.
Charlie scoffs, and I immediately picture how she’s standing because it’s the same every time she makes that noise. All her weight on her straight left leg, that left hip popped out while the other leg is bent at the knee. One hand on her hip, and the other in the air like she’s holding a platter.
“Yeah, Irene! We could have helped herforeverago!”
“It wasn’t my story to tell, child. I wouldneverbetray someone like that, an abused woman in need.” Irene whisper-yells.
“Look, it doesn’t matter now. Our priority now is to figure out how to get her out of this. That’s it,” Jack says resolutely.
With the irritability calming in the room, my body starts to give in. I finally fade from consciousness, too tired to fight it anymore. The only thing I’m aware of is when Jack picks me up again and moves down the hall. I try to sit up, pushing against his chest.
“I can walk,” I mumble.
“Shhh, go back to sleep,” he says softly.
Next thing I know, he places me down on the softest, fluffiest bed I have ever felt before pulling the covers over me. The weight on the bed shifts as his hands press into it while leaning over me. A warm breath brushes my face with a feathery touch before a kiss that matches is placed on my forehead.
I can’t be sure, because sleep is already pulling me back under, but I think I hear him whisper the faintest, “I got you,” to me before I fall into a dreamless sleep.
I groan as I wake the next morning. My body aches, and my lungs still burn from the fire, causing me to cough several times as I wake. I’m disoriented, unable to remember where I am.
My eyes blink open, and I find the room bathed in sunlight. I’m tucked into a king-sized bed with a fluffy down comforter, and the most comfortable pillows I’ve ever felt. The room is decorated in warm dark tones, similar to the living room. It’s more about comfort than style.
I inhale deeply as I close my eyes and drink in Jack’s woodsy scent. I feel like a weirdo, but it calms me immediately, so I don’t question it. My nose also picks up another scent. Wait, what is that? Is something burning?
I jump out of bed, terrified there’s another fire. I run down the hall and burst into the living room. Jack stands in the kitchen that’s off to the right of the living room. He’s in nothing but tight faded blue jeans that hug his behind in all the right places. I stop for a second, shock rendering me immobile as I take in the sight of his bare back, rippling with muscles. He stands at the stove, cursing.
Obviously, there’s no fire, but Jack seems to being having some issues with… breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Hell, I have no idea how long I slept or what time it is.
What I do know is that I am one hundred percent here for this show. I stand there like a creeper, mesmerized by this man’s beauty. I also know I shouldn’t be ogling his backside when he saved me from a fire and offered up his home as a safe place to stay.
Those thoughts snap me out of my stalker vibe and have me moving into the kitchen.
“Good morning.”
He turns around at my entry. “Mornin’. I don’t know how you like your eggs, but at this point, I think you’re getting ‘em scrambled either way,” he says with a remorseful look at the egg pan.
“It doesn’t matter. I like eggs in whatever way they’re cooked,” I say earnestly. “I’ll also have some burnt toast.”
He laughs at that, clearly just as uncomfortable in the kitchen as me.What a pair we make, I think as I laugh to myself.
“What’s so funny, huh?” He looks over his shoulder at me, taking in my disheveled state.
I tossed and turned for hours, unable to fully succumb to sleep. Every time I drifted into a deep sleep, I smelled the smoke and felt the heat from the fire jolting me awake and back inside Jack’s room. I’m unsure where he slept, but from the bags under his eyes, I don’t think he faired any better than I did.
“I was thinking it’s a shame that neither one of us knows how to cook,” I say as I move to stand next to him. I slide up on the counter to sit. He looks over at me, smiling at that.
“Charlie said she could teach me. Maybe I’ll get better at it,” I say as I swing my bare feet back and forth.
Needing something to do, I reach over and snag some grapes he has sitting out on the counter. I pop one in my mouth as we exist in silence for a few moments.
I watch as he finishes up the eggs. He glances my way several times out of the corner of his eye. I’m unsure what he’s looking for. I keep popping grapes in my mouth.
