Page 15 of Relentless
“Ethan?” His name came out a little louder this time. And it was followed by the squeak of a floorboard, then a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.
Rather than roll onto his back and give her a display of morning male biology, he remained curled on his side and looked over his shoulder at her. She stood beside the bed, a cup of coffee in hand and a look of concern on her face.
“You don’t usually sleep this late, and I was starting to worry. Are you okay?” she asked again. His gaze flickered to the clock. It was close to ten.
“I’m fine,” he said. Then, rolling to his back, he pulled himself into a sitting position and strategically pooled the blankets at his waist. “Just a late night.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, wiping the sleep away, then looked at Kara. His chest was bare, and her gaze was avidly scoping out his body. She’d seen him shirtless plenty of times in the past week, but this felt different. Maybe it was the bed. Or maybe it was something else. But it was as if she was allowing herself to see him as aman. Not her patient. Not her brother-in-law’s cousin. Not herfriend.
And her attention puffed up more than his ego.
The blankets shifted at his waist and her gaze jerked up. “Late night?” she asked.
He inclined his head and leaned back against the squeaky headboard. How Josh and Sofia stood the damn thing was beyond him. If it had been his bed, he would have tossed it out ages ago.
“Just some HICC work I wanted to get done.”
Her eyes darted from his chest to the laptop sitting on the opposite bedside table. “Everything okay?”
He nodded but didn’t say more. He didn’t want to give her any cause to worry if his suspicions turned out to be nothing. If they turned out to be something, though, he’d tell her right away.
“You want some coffee?” she asked. Questions lurked in her eyes, but he was grateful she didn’t pursue them.
He shot her a chagrined look. “Bathroom first, then coffee.”
Fifteen minutes later, he was perched on a barstool at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in hand. Kara stood at the sink filling a water bottle, and the makings of a sandwich sat on the counter.
“Are you heading out today?” he asked.
“I was thinking about it,” she replied. “Chad called this morning and said he wanted to come over and talk through some HICC stuff with you. I thought I’d take the opportunity to hit one of those hikes we talked about.”
With her words, several emotions hit Ethan at once. The first, and strongest, was guilt. She’d had plans when she’d come to Mystery Lake. Plans that hadn’t involved taking care of him. And getting to know the hiking trails in the area had been one of them. She’d traveled to a lot of dangerous places in her time with the aid agency. She wanted—and deserved—the opportunity to get outside without fear of insurgents or epidemics or warlords.
The second emotion swirling inside him—fear—was only a fraction less strong than his guilt. With the two unexplained deaths of her colleagues, the idea of her being on the trails alone sat like a stone in his stomach. He recognized the sentiment might not be rational. The deaths could have reasonable explanations. And even if they didn’t, it was August. She’d see more people on the trails than she would downtown. Still, the idea had the space between his shoulder blades twitching.
Disappointment was the last emotion coursing through his body. He wanted to walk those trails with her. He wanted to show her his favorite hikes and his favorite spots. He wanted to see them anew through her eyes. And he wanted to share his love of his hometown with her. His injury came with pros and cons. Not being able to explore the area with her fell solidly into the “con” category.
The guilt and disappointment were demons he’d have to wrestle on his own. The fear, he could do something about, though.
“Are you going alone?” he asked.
She made a face. “I was planning on it.”
He smiled. “Why the face?”
She huffed a laugh and came to join him on one of the other stools. “When I was working, I was surrounded by people all the time. The hospitals and camps we worked at were often crowded. And then, for safety reasons, when we had time off, we rarely did anything alone. When I made plans to come up here, I envisioned basking in the luxury of being able to be on my own. I think I built it up in my head a little bit. Images of me walking serenely through the woods, being one with nature, and all that…”
“But?” he prompted, realizing his scheme might be easier to implement than anticipated.
“While I’m sure I’ll appreciate the hike on my own, I wouldn’t mind having someone to share it with. I don’tneedsomeone around all the time. But now that I’m here, I’m realizing some things are more fun when done with the right person. Or persons. And I suspect hiking is one of them.”
He smiled, her response exactly what he’d been hoping for. “Why don’t you call your sister and see if she can join you?” He’d rather one of the operatives go along, but Sabina was trained as well. She may spend most of her time behind a computer, but she didn’t skip workouts or sparring days. And she spent her fair share of time at the shooting range, too.
“It’s a weekday. She’s working.”
“She’s also the boss. And you two haven’t seen much of each other since you arrived because you’ve been taking care of me.” Chad and Sabina had come by for dinner a few times, but the sisters hadn’t had any time together on their own.
Kara sighed then set her mug down and hopped off her stool. “I’ll think about it. I’m not going to leave for an hour or so. I have a little time before I’d need to call her. I’m going to start some laundry, need anything done?”
