By the time he finished, his mind was in the right place. Now he could find Ellory.
She wasn’t in the spacious living room with the other ladies. As he passed a doorway, he heard bits of their conversation. From the snippets about diaper changing tables and cozy rocking chairs, he guessed they were planning Alyssa’s nursery décor.
He continued on in measured steps, but she wasn’t in the kitchen having a late dinner either. Nor in the little sitting room. She could only be in one other place.
He made a beeline for the tech lab.
When he found her, he had to grip the doorframe. The sight of her hit him square in the chest.
As he looked on, she twisted slightly in her seat to uncross her legs before crossing them the other direction.
Christ, he was starting to believe what Opal told him—Ellory was clueless about her appeal.
And of course she was working late, long after everyone else had wound down. She worked like it was personal.
He rapped once on the doorframe. When she swung her gaze to the door, the distance in her eyes faded as she realized it was him.
“Hi,” she said simply.
“You’re in here late.”
She waved at the screen. “Lots of work to do.”
People who worked long hours in close quarters bonded in ways that were hard to explain to outsiders. He and Ellory had only known each other a few days, but what he saw on her face wasn’t fatigue from too much screen time—or from him keeping her awake, gasping his name, the night before.
Something like sadness moved through her eyes before she stifled it.
He drifted in and leaned against the computer desk. She didn’t quite meet his gaze. After a moment, she turned back to the screen. “I have at least another hour before I wrap up for the night.”
He pitched his voice low. “If you’re avoiding going to bed because you don’t want to sleep with me again—”
“No.” She shook her head.
“—because if that’s the reason, I accept your decision. I won’t like it, but I’ll respect it.”
Her voice was just as quiet. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
He pulled a chair up next to her and dropped into it.
“Angelo, you were in the war room all day. You have to be exhausted.”
“You have to be exhausted too after staring at this stuff all day. I can help with whatever you’re doing. A second set of eyes and all that.”
“Suit yourself.” She returned to work, scrolling through line after line of business transactions and lists of expenses used as tax write-offs.
He didn’t ask her more about what was chewing at her. He was patient enough to wait until she was ready to share it.
Every few minutes, she darted a look at him. The third time it happened, he arched a brow. “Do you want to say something, Ellory?”
She spun to face him, exasperation rippling over her beautiful face. “Angelo, you don’t have to be here. You must have ten better things to do with your evening.”
He just stared at her. Waiting.
With a huff, she slammed the laptop closed.
The air between them grew charged.
“What aren’t you telling me, Ellory?”
