Page 19 of One Kind Soul

Christian regarded the clothes in his hand now. Nicole had picked these out for him, thinking about his comfort. Tessa and Donovan had both described Nicole as sassy, and while Christian did see that, he also saw someone who was sweet and maybe a little shy.

No. Shy wasn’t the right word. More like not confident in her beauty and worth. He wanted her to know she should have all the confidence in the world when it came to those two things. He’d only known her for a couple of hours, but that was all it had taken for him to realize Nicole Travers was someone he wanted to know better.

He slipped into the sweats and T-shirt and lounged on the bed, flipping on the TV for some background noise. A few minutes later, a knock came from the adjoining door.

“Are you dressed?” Nicole asked.

“What happens if I say no?”

“Then I eat all the snacks.”

Christian laughed. “Well played, Nicki. I’m dressed. Get in here.”

The door didn’t open all the way. Did she thinking he wasn’t being truthful about his attire?

“I swear I’m dressed,” he called.

The door opened slowly and Nicole peeked in. When she found him on the bed—clothed—she pushed the door open wider and entered. She’d changed out of her sweater, T-shirt, and jeans and now wore a pair of dark gray leggings with a sweatshirt. She looked soft and cuddly and her hair was wet from showering too. When she came closer to the bed with a brown shopping bag, a soapy fragrance swirled and Christian drew in a deep breath. He fought the urge to rumble out his approval, figuring that might send her back to her room.

“That’s a sizable bag there, Nicki.” He gestured to the brown bag she’d set on the bed.

She pulled one of the tan armchairs over, choosing not to join him on the bed. “They say never to shop for food when you’re hungry.” She opened the bag and Christian shifted over on the bed so she had somewhere to put the contents. “Cheese curls and red licorice.” She set those two on the bed, but she held up a finger. “I figured if I was hungry, you must be too, so I did pick up some sandwiches. You want one.”

“Gimme.” Christian wiggled his fingers and she handed him one. “I’m famished.” He plucked at the sweatpants he wore. “Thanks for these. Way more comfortable than torn and bloody jeans.”

Nicole gave him a small smile. “I would have let you borrow something from my suitcase, but I’m not sure you’d like my selection of dresses.”

“I gave up wearing dresses about three years ago.” He unwrapped his sandwich, enjoying Nicole’s laughter.

She pulled out two cans of ginger ale and set them on the bedside table. Drawing in a deep breath, she slumped her shoulders as she looked at him. “I’m sorry picking me up turned into such an ordeal.”

“None of the events that transpired today are your fault,” he said. “I’d love to get my hands on that van driver though.”

“The only thing I can come up with to explain driving like that is day drinking.”

“For real. I’ve never seen driving like that except in movies.”

“And you saw more than I did.”

“Right because I smashed you up against a wall, didn’t I?” He rubbed his forehead. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I was nearly inside your truck when that van appeared. If you hadn’t used force or been so fast, I would have been that van’s new hood ornament.”

“How is your head?”

“Totally fine. It stung a little when I washed my hair, but no fresh blood.”

“Let me see.” He motioned for her to bend her head toward him so she did. A small cut showed under her dark hair at the crown of her head. “Mental note for me to be fast, but ease up on the force next time.”

Nicole opened her soda and held the can up to him. “Here’s to hoping there isn’t a next time.”

He tapped his can to hers, opened it, and they both chugged. They ate quietly for a few moments, but Christian didn’t like the silence.

“This is a good sandwich.” He held up the last half of his.

“Not as good as whatever Tessa was going to feed me tonight though.” Nicole picked up her remaining half. “I miss her cooking for me when we lived together. I mean, she’s no gourmet cook, but it was always better than whatever I made us.”

“Did you get a new roommate after Donovan stole Tessa?”