Broken Souls (7 page)

Daniel massaged her feet now.
“Tell me. I want to know how you lived.”

Sofia sighed.
“Wow, those were the days.” She looked at him. “You know those days where you don’t know they are the days till their gone?” At seeing he didn’t know anything about good days, Sofia continued loaning him her halfway normal child hood memories. “My dad made home-made root beer.”

“Yum.”

“Eww, I hated it. Everybody else loved it. But he also made Kool-Aid every single day in every single flavor. And he froze them in ice trays too. He cooked
amazing
food, breakfast lunch and supper.”

“Supper huh?”

“That’s how we called it. I remember one time for Easter, daddy bought a bunch of yellow baby chicks and put them on the back porch in a box. Oh my God, they were all soooo cute. And then daddy hid twelve dozen of Easter eggs for us to hunt.”

“Wow, he was a great dad.”

“He really was. He listened to old Rock and Roll and rolled his own cigarettes and studied William James and Sigmund Fraud while getting high.”

Daniel laughed. “Sounds like me and your old man would’ve really got along good.”

“Oh my God yes. Daddy got along with everybody. People came to our house every weekend, there was always a huge camp fire party with poker games, drinking, loud music and harmless fun. And he’d say ‘bye love you’ to all the company, no matter who they were.”

Daniel busted out laughing and looked at her with raised brows. “Bye
love
you?”

“Oh yes.
And despite the fact that he smoked pot and drank, he always reserved a space in our life for God.”

“Really.” Daniel sounded amazed and intrigued.

“We were catholic but not devout, well daddy was. He took the God thing serious. I slept with daddy cause we didn’t have enough beds to go around, well, I could’ve piled in with my sisters but I liked sleeping with daddy. I’d keep him awake talking his head off, asking questions about God and everything else I could think of.”

“
I bet you were adorable.” He was back to stroking her calves.

“
More like annoying. But dad was so patient, he never got on me about too many questions.” Sofia chuckled, circling the rim of her cup with a finger. “If I asked a God question he didn’t know, he’d always answer with, ‘it’s a mystery child.’ But he’d say it in such a way that made me think I was supposed to someday figure it all out.”

“And did you?”

Sofia glanced up at Daniel. “What, figure God out?”

“Yeah.”

She shrugged. Not really but…I like him.”

Daniel chuckled. “You like him?
”

“Yeah, I mean if all that I learned about him is true, then, yeah, I like him.”

“Even the bad stuff?”

Sofia s
miled. “Well I thought about that a long time. And I figured the bad stuff might not really be bad, maybe only seems bad. Cause we don’t always get all the details, you know?” She sipped her lukewarm coffee. “It just didn’t make sense any other way. I mean you’re either a good God or a bad God, you can’t be both. And since most things in life are good, it seemed smart to assume what looked bad was just me not getting all the details.” She met his gaze and found it perturbed looking. “It’s true,” she said defensively.

“You’re beautiful
, you know that?”

“Pffft.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled at the bubbly warmth inside her.

“Your dad sounds amazing. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet him.”

“Oh gosh, me too.” She eyed him for a few moments. “Don’t you have…
any
good memories?”

Daniel took a deep breath and looked toward the forest before them, lazily drawing his index finger up and down her shin.
“Once I found a bird nest. Out here in these woods. I was climbing a tree and came upon it. Three perfectly tan speckled eggs in it. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to touch them. Well, the momma came back while I was inspecting her goods and man did she attack me. I fell out of the tree, trying to avoid getting my eyes clawed out and it knocked the wind out of me. I finally sat up and noticed my arm was really crooked.” Daniel lifted his arm and demonstrated. “This part of my arm was going down, this part going up. Funny thing was, it didn’t hurt. So I ran to the house screaming like a girl the whole way, and my mom came running out of the cabin, that door right there. And…I’ll never forget the look of fear on her face and how she cried.” Daniel smiled then looked at Sofia. “I know it seems sadistic, but you know, I
knew
in that moment that I was loved. Truly loved. And I’ll never forget what that felt like.”

Sofia reached for his hand and took it. “She was so lucky to have you for a son.”

He nearly snorted. “I’m sure you must wonder why I did the perverted shit I did here. Since this place had a few fond memories.”

“I
t did
just
cross my mind, yes.”

“I’m pretty sure I did it
because I was pissed at her for dying. And leaving me.” Daniel sighed and set his cup down and pulled her legs closer. “What’s really sad is how I can’t even remember Seth through all of that.”

“He would’ve been what…a baby then?”

Daniel went silent, contemplating. “Oh shit.”

“What?”

He looked at her. “I do remember something. A baby in a play pen. Me staring at it through the mesh, watching it cry. Wow.”

Though it wasn’t a great memory, Daniel seemed ecstatic to remember it.

“Do you remember what you were thinking while watching him? Feeling?”

He thought about it. “I was
sad
for it.” He looked at her, light in his eyes at the angelic trait. “Wow. I was
sad
for it, I remember!”

Sofia reached and tousled his hair. “I bet you were the best big brother.”

He sat back and pshed, like that was highly unlikely. “Man, I’m so glad I remembered that, I was really feeling sick to think I’d block out the memory of my own brother just because I didn’t want to share.”

Sofia’s heart hurt. “
You were so deprived baby, it wasn’t your fault.”

He turned to her with a grin.
“And here I end up with the poor beautiful country girl with the finest ass in the world.”

Sofia smiled. “You’re the one with the fine ass. No, the fine everything. You realize I had posters up in my room of guys that looked like you? Dreaming of one day having one all for myself.
One that loved me and thought I was the most beautiful girl in the world.”

He grinned.
“I am that man. All of them.”

“Oh hell yes you surely are.”
She smiled coyly. “You know…I used to masturbate while looking at those posters.”

His cock jerked and his smile faded. “Tell me.”

Sofia pulled her knees up. “Or I could show you.” She smiled and let her legs fall open loving how Daniel’s tormented gaze riveted between her thighs.

“Yes, show me.”

Sofia handed him her cup of coffee and he set it on the table, nearly missing his mark as he watched her put one foot on the back of the swing and the other knee pulled back, leaving her wide open as she stroked softly over her wet folds with her fingers. “I’d always begin slowly, pretending that it was your fingers.” She bit her lower lip. “I’d tease the way I wanted you to tease me.”

Daniel gasped as she barely dipped her finger into the moist slit then slid it up to draw
extremely slow circles over her clit. “You would make me beg for it.”

“I love when you be
g. Oh shit, shit, stop.”

Sofia opened her eyes
at hearing the sudden panic in his voice. His gaze was no longer between her legs but behind her. Oh crap.

“Don’t panic. And don’t look. Do you understand me?”

He said the words rather loud. “Oh God, what? A spider? Oh God.”

He shook his head slowly. “When I count to three,
” he said loud again, “you’re going to run as fast as you can into the house. Do
not
fucking stop. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her heart racing
as she slowly took hold of her bunched up robe at her waist.

“One…two…
three.
”

She
shot toward the door like a mad woman catching a glimpse of a huge black
bear
moving horribly quick toward them. The deck shook as the thing bound up the steps and Sofia screamed as she ripped open the door. Daniel shoved her in, spun and hit the lock. They both jumped back as the bear went up on its hind legs and pawed the glass.

“Oh shit it’s going to break the glass.” Sofia clawed Daniel’s arm, ready to run again.

“No, it’s fine.” Daniel crept to the far end of the door and yanked the string that slid the beige curtain shut.

Sofia watched
the small space of glass at the bottom of the curtain where enormous paws moved in an erratic direction like he wasn’t sure what to do now. Then they disappeared. Sofia slowly approached the door where Daniel peeked out. “Is he gone?”

“He’s eating the rest of our breakfast.”

Sofia stared out at the enormous bear making a mess of their lovely fairytale event. “Oh my
God
that was
freaky.”
Daniel let out a sigh, seeming to breathe for the first time and Sofia noticed it. “You’re shaking.”

“Yeah, you think? The fucker could’ve killed you.”

Sofia held his arm with both hands needing to always touch him. “And that makes you nervous?”

He gasped a laugh and looked at her
, pulling her in his arms. “Just a little, yeah.”

She
grinned and laid her head on his chest. “What a rude bear, interrupting our little game.”

“I should shoot him.”

Sofia smiled at the tease in his tone. “And stuff him.”

“So what do you want to do now?” he whispered
, his touch sensual.

“Whatever you want doc.”

Chapter Seven

The way Sofia said
whatever you want doc
told Daniel she was in a therapeutic mood and that got Daniel instantly hard. Whatever he wanted. What he wanted most out of all his sick fantasies was to feel his cock buried deep in her ass. He could sacrifice the whole making it hurt part, but he’d found himself on countless occasions wanting to know what that would feel like while he did things to her. The
things
were countless and nearly all negotiable.

What if she was right about the whole tweaking the pain bits?
He’d been tweaking his issues to suit him for so long, but he had never had anybody that cared enough to consort with on other possibilities. Not that he’d have let them in. She was different, sweet and so damn innocent he never saw her slipping beyond his barrier until her lips were on his cock and he was lost. No, it was before that, it was on his couch, eating his food and turning him on. It was the cute joke she told and the innocent way she liked him and didn’t realize she was so transparent. But mostly, it was how much she really cared.

No, h
e hadn’t been able to think very far out of his sick little box but his sweet Sofia came along with her Google therapy treasures in tow. The hardest thing about all of this was how conflicted he was with her. What he thought he liked didn’t always come to fruition in the heat of the moment. It always felt like his entire sexual world was glitching right under his nose.

He suddenly d
idn’t want her thinking all he thought about was sex with her, even though it was true. Any and everything they did, sex came up in his mind in one form or another. “Would you like to watch TV?”

She seemed thrown by the suggestion.
“Do you want to watch TV?”

He shook his head.
“Not really.”

“What do you want to do?”

He stroked her face. “Whatever you want.”

She
looked up with a smile. “We could play a game.”

Daniel’s heart picked up speed at
her naughty expression. “Like what?”

Sofia squinted one eye. “Oh! Hide and seek!”

What an adorable woman
. “What do I get when I find you?”

“
If
you find me…” she smiled mischievously, “whatever you want.” She bit her lower lip and squeezed his ass.

“
Deal.” He wasn’t about to talk specifics, he preferred it very much open for misrepresentation. Except for, “In the nude.”

She giggled and quickly unzipped her robe and Daniel took a moment to appreciate her
perfect body that was all his. He slowly slid out of his robe, his heart racing at the hungry look on her face. It never failed to amaze him how much pleasure she got from making him feel good.

He closed his eyes. “One…two…three…” He peeked at her. “Better hurry, I’m only counting to twenty.”