Read Online Copper by Iris Abbott - Free Book Online Page A

quietly as he could and peeked inside.  The bed was empty.
    The sound of running water from the shower droned on in the background.  It was another sound that got Copper moving however.  The wrenching sobs were loud enough to drown out everything else, even his common sense and decency. 
    He walked into the bathroom without hesitating. It only took a few seconds for him to scan the scene.  Steam hung heavy in the air and coated the large mirror hanging above the double sink.  The tortured sound grabbed ahold of his heart and squeezed hard.
    His eyes darted to the shower.  The squeeze became a twist at the sight that met his eyes.  Marla was slouched down on the floor, huddled into a ball in one corner of the shower. Her arms were loosely wrapped around her bent knees, which served as a resting place for her lowered head.
    Copper couldn’t stand it anymore, and he couldn’t just walk away.  This shower was over.  He pushed open the glass door.  The sobbing became even louder.  He scooped Marla into his arms. He tried to ignore the fact that she was completely naked, even though the water from her body seeped through his clothes, plastering them together.
    Startled, Marla flailed her arms and legs. “Let me go!” She demanded in a voice hoarse from several minutes of crying.  She shoved hard against her captor’s chest but got nowhere.
    Copper didn’t’ want either one of them to get hurt. He tightened his grip, trapping her between the tight hold of his arms and his much larger body. “It’s okay,” he tried to reassure her. “It’s me, Copper. I’ll let you go as soon as you stop fighting me.”
    She instantly stilled.  Marla refused to look at him.  Instead she buried her face in the side of his neck.  She took several ragged breaths and eventually managed to stifle the sobs.
    Copper murmured encouraging words to her.  He glanced around the bathroom, snagged the nearest bath towel, wrapped the cotton around her, and walked them over to his bed.  He quickly turned back the covers and gently eased her down onto the firm mattress.  He slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to provide physical support. 
    “That was one hell of an emotional outburst.  Anything you want to share or bounce off of me, just let me know,” he offered. He wasn’t much for small talk, but he needed a distraction. And he was damn sure Marla needed one too. 
    It might make him a horny bastard, but his sex was already growing hard from the feel of the warm, soft woman pressed against him.  Copper discreetly adjusted his erection so it wouldn’t be so obvious.  He was trying real hard not to be a bastard and take advantage of the situation.  If that meant urging her to bare her soul, so be it.
    Seemingly oblivious to the sexual tension that was coming off of him in waves, Marla finally lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were shiny from the tears. The deep and vivid brown color was mesmerizing to Copper. 
    “I’m sorry,” she said between breaths.  “I thought I could be strong.  You know, not let the bad memories engulf me and bring me down.  I guess I was wrong.”  Another sob followed by a jerky breath left her body.
    This was sorely testing Copper’s will, but he gritted his teeth.  He was determined to do the right thing.  “I’m no expert, but I would say there’s a lot more behind all that pent up emotion than being grazed by a bullet.”   
    “You could say that.”  Marla sniffed.  “The attack and the realization that my ex-boyfriend could be involved brought back all kinds of horrible memories and feelings.  I tried to wash off the dust from my fall in the parking lot and hurry out of the shower, but when I closed my eyes all I could see was Rob’s hateful face.” She shuddered. 
    “I scrubbed harder thinking the soap and water would symbolically wash away the bad memories, but it didn’t work.  Before I knew it, I was reliving the worst day of my life