“Hey,” he echoed, forehead resting against hers for a beat longer than necessary.
He shrugged out of his cut and draped it over a chair, eyes flicking past her to the dining table, then to the oven.His brow lifted slightly.
“Did I miss something?”he asked.“Anniversary I forgot?Holiday I don’t know about?”
She laughed softly and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
“I’ll tell you later,” she said, winking at him.
That earned her a suspicious look, but he let it go for now.They ate together at the table, the way they did most nights when schedules allowed.He told her about a long day at the compound, about a prospect who’d screwed up and learned the hard way.That King rode everyone’s asses over territory lines.
She told him about the ER, about a kid with a broken arm who’d tried to be brave and failed, about a woman who’d survived something she shouldn’t have.Their lives were different worlds stitched together by evenings like this.
Between bites, Elena watched him, the way his shoulders relaxed as he ate, the way he listened when she spoke like every word mattered.She thought about the first time she’d seen him.How scared she was of his cold eyes, tattoos, and scars.He looked born to commit violence.
She smiled faintly.What a lie that had been.He noticed her watching him and frowned slightly.
“You’re doing that thing again,” he pointed out.
“What thing?”she asked.
“That look.Like you’re somewhere else.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.“Just thinking,” she told him with reassurance.
He covered her hand with his larger one, using his thumb to brush her knuckles.
“About?”Reaper pressed.
“About how far we’ve come,” she said honestly.
He curved his lips upwards, just a little.“Yeah,” he said.
When the plates were cleared and the kitchen tidied, he leaned back in his chair and studied her again.This time, he didn’t let it slide.
“Okay,” he said.“Now you tell me.”
Her pulse jumped.
She took a breath.“Let’s sit.”
They moved to the living room, settling on the couch.Reaper stretched out, pulling her with him until she sat sideways on his lap, legs draped over the armrest.He wrapped his arms around her automatically, and his hands were warm and steady at her waist.
She leaned into his chest, listening to his heartbeat.The rhythm calmed her, even now.
“I love you,” she said softly.
His response was immediate.“I love you, too.”
She tilted her head back to look at him, memorizing the lines of his face, the scar at his brow, the ink creeping up his neck.This man who’d done so much for her and loved her with every fiber of his being.
“Reaper,” she began, then paused.“I need you to hear me all the way through, okay?”
His jaw tightened slightly.“You’re scaring me.”
She smiled nervously.“I hope you’ll think of this as good news,” she said.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and expectant.
