Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(2)

I turned my head to see what had caused his reaction and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the gorgeous man walking towards us. He was tall, even taller than Matt, with broad shoulders and biceps that would probably rip the sleeves of his shirt if he were to flex at all. He was wearing black dress pants and a gray polo shirt, making him look both stylish and sophisticated.

He had beautiful ebony skin and full lips and his eyes were…his eyes were zeroed in on Matt and the look he was giving Matt could only be described as…hungry. I quickly looked at Matt and saw that his attention was still focused on the man. The look in Matt’s eyes was a mixture of heat and confusion and something else that I wasn’t quite sure of, but if I had to guess, I’d have to say…guilt?

My stomach knotted as I continued to watch the two men. There was an electric charge in the air that I’d felt on a few other occasions, but now it seemed stronger and I wasn’t sure if it was coming from the two of them or if it was my own reaction.

Just as the stranger was about to reach us, he turned his eyes on me and those warm brown eyes widened just a fraction and then heated further. I could feel my body starting to respond to him, which surprised me because I had only ever reacted that way to one other man. His eyes bounced back and forth between Matt and me and he looked just as confused as I felt. When he was standing in front of us he spoke and his voice was rich and deep and it caused goose bumps to break out across my skin.

“Which one of you is Matt?” he asked.

“I am,” Matt answered gruffly and then cleared his throat. He looked nervous and I could see sweat beading above Matt’s brow. The stranger moved his head and my legs turned to jelly as I became the focus of his attention.

“Then you must be Isaac.” He smiled, showing a row of perfectly straight teeth. It was a friendly smile, warm and inviting and my instincts kicked in, letting me know that he was safe.

“Yes,” I said weakly. I tried to think of something else to add, but the synapses in my brain were too busy misfiring.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” he said, sticking his hand out to shake first Matt’s hand and then mine.

He stared at Matt as they shook hands, but Matt pulled away quickly, looking down at his hand as if he’d been shocked. He looked back up at the stranger in confusion. He shook mine next and I watched as his large hand engulfed my smaller one. It was warm and soft and I felt a current of electricity that traveled from my hand all the way up the back of my neck and out the top of my head. I looked at him in surprise and he was staring back at me, his head tilted to the side and I could see the questions behind those eyes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any answers as to what was going on.

I looked to Matt, because he’d always been the one I turned to, but his eyes were going back and forth between the stranger and me. He paused on me and when he looked at me, it was as if he were seeing me for the first time. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and I felt a stirring in my groin. That wasn’t anything new, but the way he was looking at me was. I felt off kilter and I wasn’t sure what was going on with me or with Matt who had always been the strong and steady one of the two of us. Who was this man and what did he want?

“What’s your name?” I asked. His brown eyes turned to me and my skin heated under his gaze.

“My name is Hudson.”





I punched the button on the coffee maker for the hundredth time, but no amount of begging, pleading, or cursing was going to get the thing to turn on. I groaned as I unplugged it from the wall and tossed it into the trash can, making a mental note to pick up a new one as I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hopefully, the water would be enough to wipe the remnants of sleep from my mind until I could make it into work and get a cup of coffee.

I showered quickly then wrapped the towel around my waist before walking out to my bedroom. I stood in front of my closet, deciding which outfit to wear. I chose something quickly and began getting dressed then I took the sheets off the futon that I used as a bed and folded it back into a couch position. I placed the sheets on the shelf in the closet then glanced around, making sure everything had been put away. Not that I ever had company, but I took pride in my home and I liked to keep it neat and organized.

My apartment was nothing fancy by any stretch of the imagination. It was tiny and cramped, with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all in one space. The only room that was separate was the small bathroom. There were holes in the walls left by the previous tenants, the heat didn’t work properly in the winter and I was constantly having to clean up the white dust that would fall from the plaster ceiling whenever the neighbors above me walked through their apartment. I knew most people would consider it deplorable living conditions, but to me, it was safe, it was home, and it was mine. It was filled with things that I had earned on my own, working a job I loved, and no one could take that away from me.

I checked the time on my watch, knowing I needed to get a move on if I didn’t want to be late for work. I slid my phone and wallet into my pants pockets and locked the door behind me then raced down the stairs and out the front door. I got to the L train just as it pulled up and quickly paid and climbed on, the doors swooshing closed behind me.

As the train began to pull away from the station, I slid my phone out and brought up my reading app. I’d argued with Matt when he’d given me the phone, telling him that I didn’t need anything that fancy and that I had a prepaid phone if he needed to get ahold of me. However, he’d insisted, saying that with the new center, I was going to be taking on a lot more responsibility and that I would practically be able to run the entire office with my new phone. He’d explained that it was a business expense and had already been accounted for through the funds that Lachlan had set up.