Practically jumping out of her skin, Ellena looked up. “Uh…yeah. I could eat.”
“Why don’t you sit down and relax.” Gabe headed for the small kitchen. “I’ll see what I can find for us in here.”
“Actually, I want to go through these files again.” She walked over to the couch and slid her bag from her shoulder. “I meant to look them over on the flight here, but I dozed off.”
“I’m not surprised,” he spoke from the kitchen. “You were pretty restless last night.
Of course, he’d noticed. Unfortunately, the small nap she took on the plane hadn’t done her much good, either.
She settled herself onto the couch. “Yeah, well. Apparently almost being shot can do that to you.”
“Trust me, I get it.” Gabe’s voice had turned low. Solemn.
Shifting herself sideways, Ellena rested her head against the back cushion and glanced toward the other room. A new aching sensation made its presence known, her heart hurting for all he’d been through over the years.
Ellena felt her eyes growing heavy.
Despite not knowing the specifics, she’d been there for him after each of his SEAL ops. Had kissed every single scrape and bruise until his pain became a memory and their passion all-consuming.
With no way of knowing what he’d gone through while working for R.I.S.C., she could only assume he’d suffered more of the same. Had there been someone else to kiss away his pain since her?
No. Do not go there.
Her subconscious was right. Thoughts like that would only bring about unnecessary heartache, and that was the last thing she needed on her plate.
Ellena had just closed her eyes when Gabe poked his head around the corner.
“Spaghetti sound okay?”
She offered him a polite smile. “Sure.”
Lips twitching, he nodded. “I’ll get the water started.”
As he vanished back into the kitchen, Ellena allowed her eyes to shut again.
Just for a minute.
Time slipped away until she heard Gabe’s soothing voice again.
“Welcome back.”
Sitting up straighter, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and frowned. “How long was I out?”
Standing between the fireplace and one of the room’s two windows, Gabe smiled down at her. “A couple hours.”
Ellena looked at the files still waiting to be looked over. “You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long.” Belatedly remembering the lunch he’d been preparing, she muttered a curse. “The spaghetti…”
“Is ready and waiting for you.” He slid his hands from his pockets and sauntered toward the kitchen. “I’ll go heat us up some.”
“Didn’t you already eat?”
“I was waiting for you.”
The wink he gave her as he walked past made her heart beat a little harder. Scooting to her feet, Ellena realized only then that, at some point while she’d been sleeping, he’d also covered her with a blanket.
The gesture was a small one. Simple. Yet to her, it meant so much.
Ignoring the sudden onset of burning in her eyes, she laid the blanket on the couch and went to see if he needed any help. Thirty minutes later, she and Gabe had finished their spaghetti lunch and had moved on to dessert.
