Chapter 17 #2
“Someone has to be.” Gunnar nodded to the door, clearly expecting her to leave as he requested.
Jorja waited until they were almost to the apartment door before she asked, “Would you really shut down the power to the… what did you call it… war-room?”
“Yeah, war-room, and yes I would.” He opened the door, letting them in. “If I don’t, Remi will forget to sleep, then he’ll be like a cranky toddler by morning. I don’t have the stones to deal with that shit.”
“I’d murder you in your sleep if you shut off my systems while I was working. I’m surprised Remi hasn’t yet.”
Gunnar snorted. “Not from lack of trying. He’s been trying to take the oldest brother spot since the day he was born.” He opened the fridge and peered into it. “You hungry?”
“I could eat.”
“Grilled cheese and soup work?”
“You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I can make grilled cheese and packet soup.” Gunnar grinned. “I can make those two things and gelato and that’s it. Don’t tell anyone else.”
“Why?”
“They all think I have this huge stash of recipes.” He went about boiling some water and fetching the bread out of the box. “We have a competition thing when we have guests. If you can grill it, I’m good. If you can’t, then it’s sandwiches, soup, or gelato.”
“I’m going to have to try this gelato.” She couldn’t just sit here like a spare part while he did all the work. “Let me help.”
“Sure.” He handed her the knife and nudged the slices of bread toward her. “Mayo those up on the outside. I’ll grab the pan.”
After the chaos of the last few days, it was nice to be able to relax and do something normal for once.
She was more than digging this deal thing they had going on.
It didn’t hurt that Gunnar was not only an awesome host now he’d decided she wasn’t on the same bitch level as his ex-wife, but when he chilled out, he was pretty damn nice too.
“What do you want to watch on the box?” Gunnar slid the sandwiches onto plates while she spooned the soup into bowls. “If you don’t mind eating on the couch, that is?”
“Nope, the couch is fine. I’m not really a TV kinda person, so you pick. I have one but I rarely use it, unless it’s to check the news if some big art sale is coming up.”
“Okay.”
They brought their food into the living area and sat on either end of the couch. Jorja kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs in under her.
“I have no idea how that’s comfortable.” Gunnar half stood off the couch to reach the remote.
His phone chose right then to ring. “Every single time.” He pulled it out and checked it.
“It’s my mom. Remi probably called her, bitching that I threatened to cut him off.
” He nodded to her plate. “You start eating.” He waited for her to nod before turning his attention back to the phone. “Hey, Mom. Tell Remi… oh… um, nothing?”
Apparently, no matter how old or badass a man was, getting called out by his mother turned him into a little boy. Jorja bit into her sandwich and grinned when he blushed.
“Um, yes. She’s right here.”
The sandwich went down the wrong pipe and Jorja coughed hard enough to hack up a lung. How on earth did his mother know she was here?
“Crap. Yeah, I’ll tell her.” Gunnar winced. “No, Mom, I’m not telling you why she’s here.”
Jorja placed her plate on the coffee table and reached for Gunnar’s plate with her knife in her hand and made a cutting motion, silently asking if he wanted her to cut it into smaller pieces so he could eat it while he talked to his mom.
He smiled and mouthed, “Yes, please.”
She cut the sandwich and nudged the plate closer to him. He’d probably draw the line at her spooning soup into his mouth, so that would just have to wait until he finished his phone call. She knew her mom didn’t bat an eyelid if she was eating while they spoke on the phone.
Mom. Crap.
She tapped him on the thigh and whispered, “Did my mom call yours?”
“Yeah.”
Of course, she did. Why wouldn’t she? Jorja hadn’t told her she’d arrived safely. Her mom was probably losing her mind. More surprising was that she hadn’t called the police or the embassy to report her missing.
“One second, Mom.” Gunnar lowered the phone. “You have to call your mom or she’s reporting you missing at midnight.”
Wow. Thanks, Mom.
“I’ll call her just as soon as I find my phone. I promise.”
“Did you hear that, Mom?”
Lord, he’s like an adorable little boy when he’s been told off by his mother.
She heard his mom’s voice but couldn’t make out the words.
“I…ah… that’s none of your beeswax, Mom,” Gunnar said around a mouthful of sandwich. “If there’s something you need to know, I’m sure one of the boys will tell you before I do.”
Jorja zoned out and finished her food while Gunnar chatted with his mom.
It was all so freaking normal, or at least what she assumed was a normal couple thing to do.
She didn’t date much and had always preferred to eat out when dating someone.
But this was different; it wasn’t her space being invaded.
She wasn’t quite ready to admit that she wouldn’t mind Gunnar invading her space to eat dinner and… more.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” Gunnar’s question snapped her out of her musing. “What put that pretty blush on your face?”
He’s still a jerk-god.
“I need to call my mom.” That was a pretty good deflection, even if she was the only one who thought so. “Because she will call the cops like she told your mom. I’m so sorry she bothered her.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Gunnar went to the kitchen and opened a cupboard over the microwave which revealed a safe. “Remi gave it to me yesterday. I put it in here with my weapons so I didn’t leave it somewhere and forget it. I’m sorry, I didn’t think of having you call her either.”
“Hah, you were probably worried I’ll tell her you kidnapped me.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward, and he handed her the phone. “That too.”
She held her breath after she switched on her phone and the beeping of incoming messages started.
She winced, her eyes widening when she saw the number.
“Holy hell. Ninety-seven missed calls.” She tapped in her mom’s number from memory and hit call.
“Momma, it’s me.” She winced and pulled the phone away from her ear when her momma yelled at her, then burst into tears.
“I’m so sorry, my phone wasn’t working. I had to get it fixed.
” She figured the little white lie was better than telling her the McKinley brothers had kidnapped her.
Her mom would be in her battered old truck in five minutes flat to go knock on Mrs. McKinley’s door to inform her to forget about ever having grandchildren, as she was going to neuter every single one of her boys.
While she worked on calming her mom down and reassuring her she was okay, Gunnar poured them wine and brought her a glass.
She smiled in thanks as he tucked the lock of her hair which went into the corner of her mouth with the glass behind her ear.
By the time she was finished on the phone, their wine was finished, and she could barely keep her eyes open long enough to brush her teeth.
This time, when she woke in the middle of the night, she knew the sounds which hurt her heart were coming from Gunnar. Jorja threw back the covers. She hesitated at the door to the living room for a couple of minutes.
This is a terrible idea. He flipped out last time.
I can’t…
She opened the door and called his name softly as she walked into the room. “Gunnar? It’s me. Gunn, wake up.”
“Huh?” His head popped over the back of the couch. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She went closer. “Shh, you didn’t,” she lied. “Are you okay?”
When he reached for her, it wasn’t fast and deadly, but slowly and carefully, as if he was afraid he’d scare her. “Curl up with me?”
Somehow, she knew it cost him a lot to ask it of her. She nodded, and when he scooted over to make room, she settled in next to him on the couch. His arm heavy around her waist was oddly comforting, and she drifted back to sleep.