Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,3

yourself into.”

I just smile and shut the door, but I can’t help thinking, So do I.

I hear a noise behind me and a muttered, “Fuck.” I’m sure Mack ran into something. I fight the urge to run to him. Instead I stand by the front door and give myself a mental pep talk. You can do this, Jane. He’s just a man. Albeit a handsome one… with big shoulders and a beautiful face.

Shaking my head, I know I’m losing track here. C’mon, Jane, get it together.

Mack walks in the doorway between the living room and the entry way. His gaze is toward me and even though he can’t see me, his gaze penetrates me.

I don’t say anything. I can’t. I just stand here and take him all in.

His face is filled with sadness even though I know he’s trying to hide it from me. His shoulders are huge and it looks like his shirt is barely able to contain them. He is obviously in very good shape, looking at how his body leads into a v. His thighs are huge, though, the warn material of his jeans almost losing the fight of keeping him held in.

He takes a deep breath and I watch his chest rise before he lets it out. “You’re still here.”

There’s so much I can say to him. Something to reassure him. But all I say is, “Yes.”

The tension in the room is almost palpable. I’m holding my breath, hoping and praying he doesn’t throw me out of here, because even though he thinks he doesn’t need me… he does.

3

Mack

I need her. I know I do. But I just can’t handle this right now. I need to grieve. I need to check on April and make sure she’s all right.

I take another step into the entryway. I know she’s standing by the door. I know she ran off Terry. Which is good. He’s a good friend, but I hate for him to see me like this. Hell, I hate for her to see me like this.

I’m pretty sure, if it was under different circumstances, I would probably ask her out. I may be new to being blind, but I know when a woman’s interested. The electric charge I felt when she grabbed my hand tells me that I would be interested too. Even now, I can hear her unsteady breathing.

“I don’t need you here.” I mean to say it firmly, but instead it comes out like a question.

She walks closer to me. “You do though. I’m here for a week, maybe two, just long enough to teach you how to adjust to this way of life.”

“I don’t want to adjust.” I pull my hand through my hair roughly. “I want to get my eyesight back.”

She gets closer to me and I swear I can feel the heat coming off her body. I take a deep breath and her sweet, honey scent fills my nostrils. She grabs my forearm and squeezes it. “I know. And from what I’ve read in your file, there is some swelling that makes your MRI inconclusive. But I’ll tell you from experience, you can’t put all your attention on that right now. I need you to work with me. Next week, you will get more answers but there is nothing you can do now except work on taking care of yourself.”

I want to scream. I want to cuss. I want to punch a wall. I hate this feeling, but I know she’s right. If I don’t get my shit together, it’s going to consume me.

She releases my hand and touches me on the shoulder. “Trust me, Mack.”

I take a deep breath and nod my head at her, agreeing.

I can hear how happy that makes her by the way she claps her hands together. “Perfect! I read that you’d only had bed baths since the accident. So first things first… A shower. I know it’s one thing that always makes me feel better.”

Although the idea of her helping me in the shower is tempting, I’m still a stubborn ass. “I can bathe myself.”

She laughs and I swear the sound makes my stomach ripple. “Oh, I know you can. I’m just going to teach you a few things and then let you get started. So where’s your bathroom? And where is the cane?”

I grunt. Oh hell no. “I don’t need the cane. And the bathroom is down the hall. My room is the last door on the left and the bathroom is through there.”

Even though