She wrung her hands nervously together and shot out, "Why were you crying?"
The man whipped his head up in surprise, a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her in humiliation. Sophie dropped her jaw in astonishment. "You're a woman! I thought you were a man."
"Just forget you saw me. I'm sorry about your neighbor," she whispered, turning around abruptly to leave.
Sophie grabbed her arm gently, surprised by her own bravery. "Don't go. Please, talk to me."
The woman turned back towards Sophie, glancing at the hand resting on her. "Let me go before I hit you with this tire iron," the woman said in a low voice as she raised the tire iron, the intent clear in her eyes.
Sophie swiftly let go, taking a step back. "I don't wish to be hit. I've been hit enough times in my life, thank you." Why that came out, Sophie couldn't explain. She always held herself in check, even with Austin. She found herself slipping in his presence, but she always managed to pull it back in before the words fully left her mouth. She saw something in the woman's eyes. A kindred spirit, an understanding, a pain as fresh as Sophie's. Perhaps that's why the words fell from her lips.
The woman's eyes bulged at that omission, and then quickly pulled the emotion out of her face. "I don't want to hurt you. Why didn't you just call the cops?"
Sophie gave a strangled laugh. "Last time they came, they handcuffed me for your crime. The time before that, they threatened to lock me up when my boyfriend hit me, claiming I was lying and hit myself. I'm not exactly a fan of the cops. I don't generally trust people. It's taken me a while to trust Austin, but I do. I don't appreciate you stealing from him. I won't call the police on you because I don't like them. But you shouldn't steal. Why were you crying?"
"Why do you care?"
"I have no idea, to be honest with you. I guess I see a wounded soul like myself. Nobody was ever there for me. Is there anyone there for you?"
"There's never been someone there for me. I don't trust easily either. Why should I trust you?"
Sophie shrugged. "I think you must a little otherwise you would have run by now. Who says I didn't call the cops?"
The woman burrowed her eyebrows in contemplation as her blue piercing eyes dug deep into Sophie. "Two wounded souls, huh? Is that what we are?"
"Yeah, I guess. I've never stolen before. What brings you to a point where you need to?"
The woman glanced away, the shame evident in her posture. "When you have nowhere to go, no one to turn to, no food to eat, no place to sleep, you do what you have to. I don't like stealing, but I—never mind. I had a job, but I refuse to do that anymore. I'd rather steal."
"Well, if that's the problem, we can fix that. I have a spare room and I have food, but you'd have to find a job," Sophie said before she could stop the words.
She shouldn't trust this woman, and yet, she did. She left with no help, with no hope, and with no guarantee everything would work out well. Maybe all this woman needed was a little something she never had.
The woman turned her ocean blue eyes back to her. "Why? Why would you help me after I stole from your neighbor? Or just tried stealing from you? What's in it for you?"
Sophie sighed, wondering the same exact thing. "Because no one was there to help me and I wished every day a savior would swoop in and help me. But no one ever did and I had to save myself. I'm not saying I can save you, but I'm offering a gesture of help. Sometimes, one small gesture of help will make all the difference. Take it or leave it. But please, don't steal from Austin or myself because next time I will call the police."
Suddenly Sophie felt drained. The idiocy of it all, sinking in, making her realize how truly stupid she was being. Even as that horrible feeling washed over her, she waited for the woman to respond. When she didn't, but kept continuing to stare at Sophie as if she had horns on the top of her head, Sophie turned around and walked back to the house.
She opened the kitchen door, locked it quickly, and stood in the middle of the kitchen. She wouldn't call the police, but if that woman tried stealing again, she wouldn't hesitate. Would Austin understand why she didn't call the police? Or would he be mad at her?
Sophie was in no mood to cook anymore, thinking she would suggest ordering a pizza to Austin, when a tentative knock sounded on her back door. Sophie pulled the curtain back a little and saw the woman standing with apprehension on her steps. Releasing a small breath to blow away the absurdity of her actions, she opened the door.
Sophie glanced at the woman's hand. The tire iron was gone.
"I hid it." The woman shifted uneasily on her feet. "I'm Deja. I've never met someone who would so easily overlook my indiscretions and give me a chance. I've been alone, lost, and scared for so long that I'm even frightened right now to trust you. But I do. I guess we are two wounded souls. I would like to accept your offer of help and maybe become a friend."
Sophie smiled lightly. "I'm Sophie. I can't say I'm not upset by what you did because I am. If you stay here, I have to tell Austin and you have to pay him back. It's only right. I would very much like to be friends."
Sophie stepped back and gestured her inside. It was the right thing to do to make her pay Austin back. If she couldn't accept the terms, it was her choice to leave right now. To Sophie's satisfaction, Deja stepped inside looking around. Axel immediately jumped on her begging for a loving head rub.
Deja chuckled, obliging Axel as Sophie closed the door.
"That's Axel. He's Austin's dog. He's a real sweetheart," Sophie said, a bit wistfully.
"Which one? The dog or Austin?" Deja asked with a wry smirk.
Sophie cleared her throat and walked to the fridge. "Well, if you must know, both of them. Would you like something to drink? I have iced tea."
Deja glanced around, took a seat at the table, and nodded.
Sophie grabbed the jug of tea, snatched two glasses from the cupboard, filling them up quickly, and walked over to Deja. "Do you have any belongings?"
"I have what I'm wearing. I had a ton of clothes at one time, make-up, little treasures that meant something to me. Now all I have is my tire iron and my wits."
"Okay, well, we look to be the same size. You can borrow some of my clothes for now. No more stealing, though. You have to find a real job," Sophie said, taking a sip of tea.
"You're not going to pry into my life? Ask what happened to me?" Deja asked confused.
"No. Just as I expect the same courtesy. We may be two wounded souls living in this house, but it doesn't mean I wish to share it with you. I don't like talking about it. I don't know why I said anything. Austin says it would be good for me, but it's hard."
Deja raised an eyebrow when she said Austin's name again. "You must really like this Austin, especially since you have his dog. Is he gone on a trip or something?"
Sophie blushed. Was she that obvious? Did that mean it was obvious to him? Nothing but trouble would come out of him learning she liked him. "He's my neighbor, my friend. Axel left his farm the day of the burglary and came home here. He hurt his paw on the glass. Austin was worried he'd run home again, thinking he was coming here to me and asked if I would take him during the day while he worked. I don't mind. I like Axel. He's good company."
"He's a cute dog. I'm sorry for breaking into his house. I needed money for food. I didn't see Axel in the house. I'm sorry he got hurt."
"He's okay now. But thank you for the apology. I was thinking of ordering a pizza when Austin got here later, but if you're hungry now, I can whip something up," Sophie said, standing up from the table.
"I can wait. A shower would be nice. I imagine I smell. Not something I'm proud of," Deja said, hanging her head down.
"Of course, I can show you the bathroom upstairs."
Deja smiled warmly as she got up and followed Sophie out of the kitchen to the stairs. "So, I guess you want me to apologize to Austin when he gets here tonight?"
Sophie stopped, turning around on the bottom step. "He'll understand. He's a good man. And if he doesn't, I've los
t all hope in men forever."
Sophie continued up the stairs, wondering where that answer came from. Probably deep down in the pit of her heart, she was nervous Austin would finally show his true colors, like every man always did. Or maybe she was just dumb for trusting someone who broke into his house, stole from him, and tried stealing from her. He probably wouldn't understand the more she thought about it. She held that small amount of hope he would see Deja for what she was. A woman in need of a friend, just as she had been in need of one. He happily became Sophie's friend. Why not Deja, too?
Chapter 7
Austin pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing a heavy sigh. "Sophie, please explain to me one more time why you have a woman in your house that broke into my home, stole from me, and tried stealing from you? Why am I not calling Ava to have her arrested? She could've hurt you today."
Sophie wrapped her arms around her stomach as the brisk wind whipped around them on her porch. She had stepped outside the moment he knocked and explained the situation. He wanted to take comfort that she didn't hesitate once to lay a gentle hand on him when he wanted to burst into the house to confront the woman. But he couldn't because he still wanted to bust inside the house.
"But she didn't hurt me because she's not like that. She'll pay you back for the broken window and the two hundred dollars she took. She will, or she needs to leave. That was part of the deal."
Austin whipped his hand towards the door. "You can't let her stay here. You don't know her. Maybe this is what she does and she's going to rob you while you sleep or...or worse! Kill you in your sleep."
"She won't hurt me. She—"
"Sophie, you don't know that. You don't know her. How can you possibly trust her when you just met her? You barely trust me and you've known me longer than an hour," Austin said painfully.
"I trust you. If I didn't, I would've never told you about her. I was hoping you'd understand. What do you see when you look at me?" she asked with a tremor.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused, yet shocked to hear the words I trust you uttered from her mouth.
"What do you see when you look at me? What impression do you get? I want an honest answer."
"Why? What does that matter?"
"It matters," she said defiantly, pulling her arms tighter around her.
Austin raked a hand through his hair, frustrated his early night off was going horribly from the onset. "I see a strong, courageous woman who has had to fight through life struggling. I don't know with what, obviously, because you won't share it with me. But I see the fight in you. I see the strength. You shy away from me, your space is important. I imagine it's because you—" He muttered under his breath, trying to find the right words. There weren't any.
"You were abused. Abused by the hands of a man, which is why you don't trust any and why you don't like them. It's why you back away when I get near and jump at the slightest noise or tremble at certain words. You said you had to escape or die and I took that literally. I'm telling you right now, Sophie, if I knew who put one hurtful hand on you, I'd make him see the error in his ways. I can't stand to think of anyone hurting you. I won't let anyone hurt you, especially that woman inside."
"Is it that obvious?" she whispered.
Austin took a step towards her as she instinctively took a step back without thought. He gave a small laugh in defeat. "Yeah, it's obvious. I still can't step towards you without you stepping back. Those other times you let me touch you must have been a fluke. You just said you trusted me. Do you honestly trust me?"
Sophie glanced at her feet, then glanced back at him. He couldn't keep the hurt out of his eyes. Maybe that's why she took a few steps forward, barely an inch between them when she finally stopped. "Yes, I trust you. I don't give it lightly either. When I saw her today, I can't describe to you what I felt because I can't explain it to myself. But when I look in her eyes, I see me. You knew I needed a friend and have willingly taken the time to be my friend. I know I haven't made it easy. She needs one now. I know how it feels to be alone and scared. She feels bad for what she did. Please, give her a chance, Austin. I told myself not to trust you. That all men are the same. You're not like any other man I've ever met. You're different and despite my frequent hesitations, I trust you. Don't make me see how dumb I've been for trusting you because that's how I will feel."
Austin had to clench his teeth from grabbing her mouth to his. Just a breath away, the temptation to wrap her up in a desired frenzy, swirled around him like the night wind. He ignored all that as he muttered, "Fine. I won't have her arrested and I'll let her pay me back. She took two hundred dollars and it cost two hundred to fix the window. Just how is she going to pay me back?"
Sophie shivered. Whether it was from their close proximity or from the wind, Austin couldn't be sure.
"She's going to find a job. I can help her get back on her feet. I have no clue how. I know this is stupid, but I have to try. I...I am dumb."
Austin put a warm hand on her cheek. "You're not dumb. You're a kind-hearted woman who wants to help another lost soul. I get it. I'll give her a chance, but we have to protect ourselves here before we fully trust her. I don't want her in this house with you."
"She has nowhere to go. That's the whole point here, Austin. I'm trying to help her."
"Stay with me."
"I can't stay with you."
She tried to take a step back, but he moved his hand from her cheek to her waist, stopping her movement with one gentle touch. No protest hit her lips.
"I may have dug myself a hole when I first met you, Sophie, but I'm going to attempt to dig myself out right now. I don't do relationships. I enjoy women and they enjoy me. We have an agreement upfront what kind of guy I am. I do this because I was hurt one time and I never wanted to feel that way again."
"I will not be one of your women, Austin," Sophie said, offended.
"I'm not doing a very good job of digging myself out right now. The damn dirt is suffocating me," he groaned, as he pulled her firmly against his body, cradling her perfectly to fit his frame in every delicious corner.
"I don't want you to be one of my women. I would never put you in that category. Never. You are special, so special. I can't even describe it correctly. I never touch a woman who has marriage written all over her and you shine brightly with that. The problem I have now is, I want to try the whole relationship thing, and I want to try it with you. I told myself to take it slow with you because I know you have trouble trusting. I don't know what the hell I'm doing because I don't do relationships. This is totally new territory for me. I have no clue how to act with you or what to say. I asked you to give me a chance to be your friend and what I really wanted to ask was for a chance to be your man. What are my chances here?"
"But I'm not—"
Austin put a finger to her lips, rubbing it softly back and forth, loving the way a sharp quivering sensation jolted throughout his body. He felt himself getting harder each second he held her. "If you're about to say something I'm not gonna like, stop right now. I won't have you belittling yourself, damn it. You're beautiful. You make me come undone with the littlest thing. Just a sweet, tentative smile from your face makes me happy. I love your smile. Do I enjoy sex? Hell, yes. Do I want that with you? Of course, but I wouldn't necessarily call it sex with you, more like making love. Would I be happy just holding you like this all night? Definitely. What I feel for you goes beyond the physical stuff. That's why I want to try a relationship with you because you make me feel things I've never felt before. I'd be dumb not to see if we could work. I only hope you see that, too."
"You keep swearing you know. You shouldn't swear."
"Fanuzeling just doesn't have the same ring to it as the other words, but for you I'll try harder to remember next time," he said with a sly grin. "You're ignoring everything I just said. I'm pouring my heart out here, Sophie, and this is why I hate doing this sort of thing. You're probably—"
Sophie cut him off by pressing her lips hes
itantly onto his. Austin needed no further response as he kissed her back, edging his tongue to make her open further. As soon as she did, he dove in fiercely, tangling with her in sweet delight. She moaned as she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him with desperation. He grabbed her tighter, trying to seep in as much pleasure from her as he could. He loved feeling her in his arms. Even if it crossed his mind to compare her to another woman, which he wouldn't, he could never compare her.
One of a kind. No woman would ever match his beautiful Sophie.
She was his. He wasn't letting her go without a fight. She was giving in to him now, but he had his doubts, knowing she would pull away again with fright. Patience was his new middle name.
His hand slid to her bottom, pressing her gently into him, even as he did, knowing he needed to slow down. But he had difficulty pulling away as she felt more delectable in his arms than he ever imagined. When he felt himself wanting to reach higher for her breast, he finally pulled away. "Sophie, we need to take it inside. But later. We do have other pressing issues at hand. I want you so bad, you have no idea."
Her heavy breaths took a while to slow down as she adjusted her senses back to the problem they were discussing. "Right. You're right. I can't stay with you."
"Damn it, Sophie! I won't—"
"You're swearing," she said with a smile. God, he loved her smile.
"Well, when you talk such nonsense, my memory of not swearing flies out the door. I said I would give this woman a chance, but I refuse to let you stay alone in this house with someone you just met an hour ago. She could hurt you."
"You're not my keeper, Austin. I will not allow a man to run my life any longer, including you."
He inhaled a patient breath, knowing this is where he needed to tread lightly with her. "I'm not trying to run it, or tell you what to do."
"That's exactly what you're doing. You just said you refuse to let me stay alone in this house. It's my house. You have no say."
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