When he’d walked out earlier, Matt hadn’t even acted like he could stand to look at her. Now he was offering to cook her a steak?
As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he spoke while she gathered the items needed for a ham sandwich.
“Listen, Kat. I had a lot of time to think while you were sleeping, and I realized I owe you an apology.”
“No. You don’t.”
Hands full with a package of deli meat, sliced cheese, and a jar of mayonnaise, Kat sat the food down onto the counter. Assuming the bread was in the longer cabinet on the other side of the fridge, she looked there first, pleased to see she was right.
“I do. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. It was unprofessional, and—”
“Matt, stop. Okay?” Kat set the bread down with the other items and turned to him. “If anything, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”
“For what?”
“Everything.” Her shoulders fell with a huge sigh. “Ten years ago. Today.” Kat shook her head, then winced. Damn headache. “After finding my apartment had been broken into, I got really scared. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to my dad’s. He called a guy he knows at Homeland, and that man sent me to you. Well, notyou. R.I.S.C. I didn’t realize you worked there until I saw you. I know you don’t believe that, but—”
“I believe you.”
Her eyes met his. “You do?”
Matt nodded. “I shouldn’t have said that about not being able to trust you. I also shouldn’t have said what I did at the office. I was pissed, and…” He sighed. “I don’t know. This just wasn’t how I expected my day to go, I guess.”
“Me, neither.” Out of habit, Kat took the hair tie she kept on her wrist and threw her hair up into a messy bun to keep it from getting into her food. “Of course, this whole week hasn’t really gone as planned for me, so—”
“What the hell?” A dark scowl crossed over his face.
Kat froze, her hands holding her hair on the top of her head. “What?”
He started toward her. Her mind raced to figure out what she’d said that could’ve possibly upset him, and then she realized his eyes were focused on the left side of her forehead.
“You said you weren’t hurt in the explosion. That looks like more than a couple bruises to me.”
Oh. That.
Kat quickly plucked a few strands from the bun to make some long bangs. Running her fingers through the tangled cluster, she worked to smooth them out and cover the stitches she’d forgotten about.
“It’s nothing.”
“You have stitches in your forehead, Katherine. That’s not nothing.”
In the past, he only used her full name when he wanted her to know he was being serious. Add to that, the concerned look in his eye and tone of voice, and Kat found herself feeling thoroughly confused.
“I told you, I hit my head on the floor when I landed.”
In a surprising move, Matt reached up and brushed the newly arranged strands aside for a better look. “Does it hurt?”
Kat’s pulse spiked from his gentle touch. “It’s tender, but nothing I can’t handle.”
His eyes dropped to hers. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. Seeing your colleagues hurt and not being able to help them… shit like that can mess with you.”
She had a feeling he was speaking from experience. “I see it every time I close my eyes,” she admitted quietly.
With a sympathetic expression, Matt said, “I bet you do.”
Maybe he really does still care.
Memories of being this close to him for a whole other reason threatened to take over. It was almost enough to make her do something stupid like lean up and kiss him.
