Page 8 of Relentless
She shot him a quelling look. “You know exactly what it means. You’re tired, hungry, definitely in pain, and pissed off that you’re benched from work for at least six weeks. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, Warwick. Let me get the car into the garage and the alarm off so that when you do get out, you can head straight to bed. I’ll even bring you some food once you’re settled. I think your mom dropped something by earlier when she and Chad brought your clothes over.”
His eyes studied her then he grimaced. “I hate this.”
“I know.”
“It’s not just about me,” he continued. “It’s also the fact that this isn’t what you were looking for when you decided to spend two months here. I don’t like that you agreed to look after me when all you really wanted was some quiet time to…figure things out. I should have said no. I could have stayed at the HICC headquarters. They have elevators and dorms.”
Kara flashed him a half smile. “I didn’t let you say no,” she reminded him. “And truly, despite the juvenile reactions from your entire family—your father included—it’s going to be fine,” she said. Then, after a beat, she chuckled. Michael Warwick had not held back when she’d made her suggestion. In fact, with his eyebrow waggling and comments, he’d been almost as bad as his son and nephew.
“I’ll try to stay out of your way,” Ethan said.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it,” she replied. “This house is about ten times bigger than any place I’ve lived in nearly twenty years. I don’t think it’s going to be hard to find space if either of us needs it. We’re hardly going to be on top of each other.”
The minute the words were out of her mouth she knew what would come next.
“Unless we want to be, of course,” Ethan said, shooting her an over-the-top hopeful grin.
“Aanndd he’s back, ladies and gentlemen,” Kara said on a laugh. “On that note, stay put for three minutes, and then we can go inside.”
She didn’t give him a chance to respond before slipping from the car and heading to the side of the garage. Typing in the code Sofia had given her, she waited as the door rose. Once she could duck under, she headed to the entrance of the house, disarmed the alarm, and turned a few lights on. When she returned to the car, she found Ethan staring out the window.
“You okay?” she asked as she pulled into the garage.
“Fine,” he replied. He clearly wasn’t, but she didn’t pry. Had they both not been so tired and hungry, she would have. But nothing good could come of pushing now.
Once parked, she helped him out of the car, up the three steps into the house, and then to the main bedroom. He maneuvered on his crutches with a familiarity that suggested he’d used them a time or two. Even so, the way he closed his eyes and exhaled when his head hit the pillow on the king-size bed told her more about his pain level than he ever would.
“You up for some food?” she asked softly.
His eyes popped open, and he managed a smile. “I feel like I could sleep for days, but I probably do need to eat first.”
She smiled back. “Give me fifteen minutes to sort out what your mom left. I’ll be right back.” Along with food, she’d bring him more Advil.
When she returned with a big plate of carnitas tacos, he barely managed to pry his eyes open. Hopping up on the bed beside him, she handed him the pills and a glass of water. After he swallowed both and set the glass on the bedside table, she placed the plate between them and handed him a napkin.
They ate together, mostly in silence, but he did manage to catch her up on some Mystery Lake news. Bun Times Bakery had added a new muffin to the menu, Angelica from the Dirty Boom had finished her communications degree, and Joey and Charley’s new outfitter business was doing better than even they’d anticipated.
By the time they’d finished eating, the Advil had kicked in and, with her help, he made it to the bathroom. When she ushered him back to bed, she tried not to stare too much as she removed his shorts so that he could sleep in his boxers. She was pretty sure she chanted “he’s just a patient” in her head at least a dozen times, though.
“I’ll be upstairs and might not hear you if you shout, so call if you need anything,” she said, plugging his phone in and setting it on the bedside table.
“I feel bad about taking this room,” Ethan said, fatigue slowing the cadence of his voice.
“Don’t,” she said. “I prefer smaller spaces. The guest rooms upstairs are plenty big enough. And after Josh and Sofia did the renovation earlier this summer, I even have a lovely balcony with a gorgeous view of the lake.” Had Ethan not been with her, she would have taken the suite on the main floor. But now that he was, she found herself looking forward to the smaller, cozier rooms upstairs. And being on the second floor, she’d feel comfortable sleeping with the sliding door open. She’d been in enough challenging locations that she never took fresh air for granted. Especially not crisp, cool mountain air.
He shot her a doubtful look but dropped the subject. “I’ll probably sleep in tomorrow. But if you go out, will you text and let me know?”
She wasn’t planning on leaving in the morning, but she nodded. “As long as you promise not to get up without calling me.”
His eyes narrowed as he shifted a little onto his side. Then he froze and clenched his jaw against the pain. After a beat, he slowly completed the movement and snuggled down onto the pillows. That is, if a six-foot-one former navy officer and security operative “snuggled.”
“It was almost like you planned that,” he said, his eyes drifting closed. If he hadn’t been in so much discomfort, she would have smiled. No doubt, he’d been about to protest her demand to call. But the pain had been a stark reminder that perhaps he shouldn’t try too much on his own. The tendon nick wasn’t bad as far as injuries went. When coupled with the two lacerations affecting his muscles, though, he was going to be sore for a good long while.
“I’d never wish pain on you,” she said. He cocked a brow but didn’t open his eyes. “But I’m not above pointing out the fact that your mouth and body are saying two different things. Listen to the latter and call me.”
He huffed out a quiet chuckle, then managed some semblance of a salute. Her gaze lingered on his face, and she watched the strain fade away as he drifted off to sleep. When she was certain he slept as comfortably as he could, she turned and left him for the night.
It was past one when she finally crawled into bed after tidying the kitchen and unpacking her bags. Looking forward to the quiet darkness, she reached for the switch on the bedside lamp then hesitated. She’d left her phone in her purse. Downstairs.
