Page 5 of Broken Bonds

“Ah, Dr. Pyrrhos, so nice of you to greet us,” he dryly says and he pushes his hood back and removes his eyewear.

“Charles,” I reply, inclining my head. He scowls. The moment I realized he hates being called Charles, it became the only thing I called him.

He releases an indignant huff and turns toward the newbie.

“Dr. Pyrrhos, allow me to introduce Dr. Samantha Reyes.”

My eyes widen slightly as I look toward my roommate – awoman. I’ve never had a woman living here before. Not that I don’t think women are perfectly capable of living out here, but they are often wary of living alone with a strange man. That makes me instantly curious about this one. She’s either brave, or crazy, and good money would bet on the latter.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Pyrrhos.” Her voice is sweet like honey. She pushes her hood back, revealing a mass of blonde hair that’s been pulled back into a messy bun. She removes her goggles next, and I’m caught off guard by just how stunning she is. Bright green eyes practically glow against her pale face. She has rose dusted cheeks, full lips, and a little pixie nose. How in the hell did this bombshell end up in the middle of this snowy wilderness?

I realize I haven’t actually said anything to her in response when she starts to giggle.

“I guess social skills really are the first to go in this kind of environment.”

Her soft jab jerks me out of the daze I’ve fallen into, and I swallow the weird lump that’s formed in my throat.

“Dr. Reyes. A pleasure.” I almost flinch at how gruff my voice sounds. I’m making a stellar first impression.

Wait…why do I care what kind of impression I’m making? I don’t! I don’t want her here, anyway. Let her think I’m an asshole.

Except, shockingly, my lack of manners doesn’t seem to faze her in the slightest.

“I’m looking forward to spending the next few months together,” she tells me. “I know you’re the type that likes to work alone, which I totally respect. I hope we can be friendly in our free time, at least.”

I furrow my brow at her. She’s confusing me, and I don’t think it’s just the lack of human interaction I’ve had lately.

“Okay,” I say slowly.

With a grin, she turns to Charlie. “Thank you for bringing me. I think I’ll be fine from here.”

Charlie glances at me, his skepticism obvious, and I honestly can’t really blame him.

“Are you sure?” he asks in a low voice, as if he’s trying to keep me from hearing him. Even if I didn’t have more sensitive hearing than a human, I still wouldn’t miss his stage-whisper.

Samantha nods. “Yes, absolutely. I’m sure Dr. Pyrrhos will be happy to show me around the facility. Won’t you, doctor?”

“Uh…yeah, sure,” I sputter, caught off guard by her question and those soul-searing eyes swinging back my way.

Charlie frowns, his gaze darting between me and Samantha. Then, for some annoying reason, his brows lift and his expression turns almost awestruck.

“You know, Dr. Reyes…I think you will be all right after all.” He looks at me with a smirk and I bare my teeth at him. “Play nice, Dr. Pyrrhos.”

“Bite me, Charles.”

For reasons I can’t fathom, the man doesn’t seem bothered by my surliness anymore. In fact, he’s grinning as he dons his hood and goggles and bids Samantha a final farewell. Turning, he opens the door once more and steps outside, slamming it shut again behind him.

Just like that, I’m all alone with the newbie.

She looks at me with that bright smile. “Well, shall we start the tour?”

I shrug. “I guess.”

Before I can push away from the wall to lead her down the passageway to the kitchen, she begins to shed her protective winter layers. I can’t help but watch, curious as to what the rest of her looks like. She reveals a lean, athletic looking body, and that lump is back in my throat. I jerk my gaze away from her as she puts her outerwear to the side, somehow feeling like a voyeur.

“All right, let’s do this,” she declares, forcing my attention back to her.

“You’re awfully excited about a place that’s hardly better than a college dorm hall,” I tell her.

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