Open Arms Read Online Free Page A

her pallor and circles under her eyes and the bruises. She’d just have to tough it out.
    She opened the door and screwed up her eyes against the sun and sky and snow. “Hi.”
    Rob stared down at her, taking her in. She looked awake, at least. “Hi.”
    “Are you bringing me some more groceries? ‘Cause I still have lots from yesterday.”
    “Nope.” He produced a brown paper bag. “I have lunch.”
    “You what?”
    “I have lunch, courtesy of Manny.”
    “Oh, Rob. Thank you, but I’m not hungry. And I have lots here.”
    “Let me at least bring it in for you, OK? I’ll plate it up, and maybe leave it on the counter to cool a bit.”
    Tammy looked at him, a bit exasperated. God, does this guy really not understand the meaning of the word ‘no’?
    “It’s freezing out here, Tammy. Let me in just for a minute. OK?”
    “OK, OK.” She swung the door open and Rob came in.
    He handed her the bag. “Take that for a sec.” He bent down and untied his boot laces, then hung up his coat. He took off his tie and undid his top button with a sigh of relief. He took the bag back from her. “Thanks.”
    She trailed behind him as he went to the kitchen. “So, what did Manny make, anyway?”
    “Pasta.” Rob found a plate and put it on the counter. “With chicken and sundried tomatoes and a bit of basil.”
    “Yeah?” That sounded pretty good, actually.
    “Yeah. It’s excellent.” Rob found a large serving spoon and fork and started to transfer the food from the container to the plate.
    Tammy stood and watched him. He had rolled up the sleeves on his crisp, white dress shirt and she saw golden hairs glinting on his muscular forearms. She saw some gold curls peeking through the top of the shirt, and she suddenly found herself wondering if he had golden hair all down his chest.
    Rob looked up at her, caught her eye. “So what do you think? You want to try a bit?”
    She blushed, thankful that he couldn’t tell what she’d just been thinking. “Yeah, OK.”
    He nodded and handed her the plate. “I’ll get you a glass of water. Go sit.”
    She went over to the dining room table and sat down. Huh. This was the first time she’d actually used this table. She looked down at the plate in front of her, and was surprised at how damn good it looked. She picked up the fork and dove in, feeling truly hungry for the first time in weeks.
    Rob watched her from the kitchen. She looked terrible, still. He was sure that she was barely sleeping, not showering. He remembered Christine in the weeks after her attack and he winced. She’d been terrified to close her eyes, scared of being naked in the shower. Both things had made her feel incredibly vulnerable, and she just couldn’t get past it. Not until Rob had shown her that she could be vulnerable but still safe.
    Tammy looked over at him. “Hey, are you having some too?”
    “Sure. I’ll join you.” He spooned up a bit, and walked over to the table. He sat across from her. “How is it?”
    “Great.” She had scarfed down about half of it already, she was shocked to see.
    Rob poured her a glass of water from the carafe and set it in front of her.
    “Thanks,” she said.
    “You’re welcome.”
    They gazed at each other for a second, and Rob noticed for the first time the unique color of her eyes: a startling light purple. In the pictures he’d seen of her, they looked blue. The violet looked gorgeous against that creamy skin and contrasted with all that black hair. The bruises on her cheeks and chin were almost the exact same color, but the ones around her eyes were a light green. He felt anger rising in his chest again, remembering what Christine had looked like after that asshole had finished beating her in that parking garage.
    He looked down first, focusing on his plate of food. He had no appetite now, but he forced himself to take a bite. He sensed her still looking at him and he kept his eyes down, not wanting to spook her.
    Tammy was watching him eat,