Hodges switched cameras and shook his head. “I haven’t had a chance to go back, but there’s nothing out there now. It could have been anything. A deer. A raccoon. Let’s get back to the house and I’ll see.”
He was first out the door. Reese followed, and David nudged Mati along in his wake, sticking as close to them as possible, his head on a swivel. He didn’t breathe properly until they were all through the door into the house and it was locked behind them.
Hodges tapped his screen a few times and the alarm system lit up. “We’re locked in. Don’t try to open anything unless you want to blow out an eardrum or two. I’m going to go check the footage from the past hour and see if I see anything.”
They all nodded, but Mati and Reese kept their eyes on David.
Hodges looked between the three of them, rolled his eyes, and stomped out of the room.
Reese touched David’s arm. He took a step back, unsure,afraid, but he wasn’t sure of what. “I should go get dressed.”
Mati cupped his jaw, her thumb stroking his cheek. “We’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
At her urging, he bent so she could kiss him.
It was quick. Sweet and simple. Then she rubbed her cheek along his, breathing him in. Her curls tickled and soothed him.
His brain stopping spinning quite so fast.
When she let go, Reese drew David into another kiss.
“Go change,” he said softly.
David did, staggering upstairs on unsteady legs.
He didn’t understand what was wrong with him, but he should figure it the fuck out, because this was what he was here for. To protect them.
He needed to find his focus. Set his priorities in order. He should take some time and think it through.
But as he dashed into the bathroom with fresh clothes balled up in his fist, all he could think about was how much he wanted to get back to them.
Mati and Reese tugged on their clothes, only slightly worse for wear after spending an hour on the pool deck. They tossed their robes over the family room couch to return to the pool house later, and went into the kitchen. Mati sat at the table, but Reese could tell from her sighs that she wasn’t able to focus on the work scattered around her.
Reese hovered in the middle of the room, at loose ends. David had been upset, but Reese wasn’t sure why. Until he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop the itch under his skin. A splinter he ached to dig out.
David popped out of the back stairs into the kitchen far sooner than Reese expected, stopping to look them over, his hair wet and shirt clinging to his damp skin from what must have been a very quick shower. He appeared relieved to see them.
“I’m going to get started on dinner,” he announced, turning for the refrigerator.
Reese followed him, offering to help when David began ferrying ingredients from the fridge to the sink and countertop. David declined, not looking at him once, even when Reese rested a hip against the countertop a foot away from where David had set out the cutting board. David settled down to work, and Reese admired his deft knife handling, noting his determined focus.
Mati watched them from the table.
“What are you making?” Reese asked.
“Shrimp parmesan vegetable risotto.”
Reese shook his head in wonder. “I’m amazed I had those ingredients in the house.”
David smirked, but he still didn’t look at Reese.
Reese inched closer. David stopped himself before he moved away, but Reese caught his flinch.
“Thank you for cooking for us,” Reese said.
David nodded and quickly took the three steps to the sink, where the shrimp was thawing. He began peeling the ones that were ready.
Reese followed, leaning against the island behind David and enjoying the play of his shoulders under his thin henley.
