Chapter 35
35
“Sisco, you can't sleep on my sofa.”
Sisco looked at Lenore and lifted a brow. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. After discovering that Sam Johnson may have worked with Raul, Sisco wanted to find him immediately. He couldn't even pretend that it wasn't personal. He was frustrated but unsurprised when Logan put the kibosh on Sisco's going rogue intentions.
In fact, Everett made Logan and all the Keepers promise not to do anything. “I know this fucks with your sense of justice, but this case has to be handled right. The Bureau and the DEA want these guys. And if it turns out that Sam is involved, but only on the lower echelon of what the cartel is doing, we can't tip him off until we get Raul and whoever else is in on it. No one can do anything as we continue to investigate.”
The other Keepers had easily agreed, fully understanding the mission and the need for law enforcement to dot all i's and cross all t's. Everyone's gazes finally settled on Sisco, who'd remained silent. Lenore had sat next to him, and in order to protect her from seeing the rage flowing through his veins like lava, he'd asked her to go check on Evie.
Her eyes had narrowed as she'd huffed. “This involves my daughter's safety, and if you think you're getting rid of me so easily, you can forget that Sisco Aguilar!”
As angry as he'd been, he had to fight his lips from twitching upward. Hearing his full name from her showed that she was unconsciously using her mommy voice. Her delicate hand then landed on his back, and she soothed him in a way that he'd seen her tend to Evie.
“I'm angry, too, Sisco. And I love that you… all of you, are angry for us. But I agree that I want things done right so that we can get as many of these guys as possible.”
Her calm voice and soft touch reached inside Sisco, easing his ire. He'd nodded his acquiescence to Everett, then turned to Logan. “If it's okay with you, Evie and Lenore should stay here tonight since Evie's already asleep. I really don't want to disturb her.”
Vivian, within hearing distance from the kitchen, had walked over and placed her hand on Logan's shoulder, her gaze warm on Lenore and Sisco. “Absolutely. They, and you, are welcome in our home anytime.”
Logan had turned to look up at Vivian, smiling at his wife. In the time that Sisco had known Logan with Vivian, his former teammate was never afraid to show love. Sisco understood how his boss felt.
“Tomorrow, Evie and I need to go back to our home because we have school on Monday. This is just too far for us to commute in the mornings,” Lenore had pointed out. She'd turned to Sisco and added, “I'm sorry, but that's the same for your house. It's closer than the compound, but still would make it difficult for Evie to get up that early and have the longer car ride just to get to school.”
Sisco had looked at Logan and said, “As far as I'm concerned, I'll be spending the nights at Lenore's house. I'll make sure they get to school, and then I'll drive back here for work.”
Logan had nodded. “Agreed. This is a full mission for us. You do what you need to do, and we'll work on everything when you're here.”
That night, he slept on Logan's sofa again, and now, twenty-four hours later, he was getting ready to sleep on Lenore's sofa. He tossed the pillow on the end, but before he could unfold the sheet, she walked over and tried to snatch it out of his hands.
“Sisco, you can't sleep on my sofa. It's too small.”
He held on, and they ended up in a one-sided tug-of-war with the linens. He could have easily taken it, but he didn't want her to fall while pulling with all her force.
Instead, he pulled on the sheet slowly, hand over hand, until she was so close that only the wad of cotton material was between them. She looked up, holding his gaze.
He cupped her cheek, memorizing the softness and, for the first time, hating that his fingers were calloused from years of firing weapons and handling rough terrain. “You're beautiful.”
Her eyes moved back and forth as her gaze darted over his face and then landed on his lips. She lifted on her toes, and he bent slightly to make her destination less difficult. The kiss was light—soft and gentle—before she settled back on her heels. She let go of the sheet but planted her palms on his chest.
“There's no reason for you to sleep out here.”
“Babe,” he whispered. “I love that you want me with you, but Evie?—”
Lenore's brow furrowed, and her shoulders slumped. She dropped her hands from his chest and moved past him to sit on the sofa. Surprised, and a little concerned, he placed the wadded sheet on the pillow still resting on the arm of the sofa and stepped around the coffee table to sit next to her. She pressed her lips together, rubbing them back and forth, but her hands were down in her lap, now clasped. And her gaze was also down, keeping him from seeing her thoughts.
“Talk to me,” he ordered gently.
“What are we doing?”
The question was asked so softly he had to focus to hear the simple four words. He pulled in his bottom lip and bit down slightly as he tried to understand the meaning behind her question. Quickly deciding that guessing would lead to misunderstandings, something he wasn't willing to risk, he placed his hand on her cheek and guided her head to turn gently so she was now facing him. “What are you really asking, Lenore?”
Her eyes were luminous, with wells of emotions pooling in them. As much time as they'd spent together, it was still too early in their relationship to divine her thoughts when her face gave nothing else away.
Her chest heaved with a heavy sigh. “What are we doing? You and me? We've been thrown together because of this… this…” Her face started to crumble, then she sucked in a deep breath and smoothed the lines in her face, once more appearing calm. “This case has completely taken over our lives. And I get it… believe me, after being kidnapped, I get it.” Taking another deep breath, she leaned her cheek into his palm and closed her eyes for a moment.
He waited, loving the feel of her trust in his hands, willing to wait until the right words came.
Finally, she opened her eyes. “But, we've gotten close.” She huffed. “God, that sounds ridiculous. We've had sex. I haven't had sex since my marriage imploded. I certainly haven't brought men around Evie. While you would be close to Evie because of our circumstances, you've become important to her. And to me.” She shifted in her seat to face him more fully. “Sisco, I'm a big girl. I've told you before that I've dealt with my daughter's cancer, so there's nothing I can't handle after that other than losing her. So, if we're just together because we've been thrown together… then I really need to know that's the situation. And if that's the case, you are more than welcome to sleep on my sofa.”
He continued to listen, but his gaze dropped to her mouth, and her tongue swiped over her bottom lip. A lip he wanted to capture and kiss until she understood exactly what she was to him.
“But,” she continued, “if we're more. More of what I hope we are, which is a couple destined to become even closer after all this madness is over, then there's no reason for you to sleep on the sofa. It's not like we'd have loud, wild-monkey sex with Evie in the room across the hall. Nor would we sleep in the nude with the door open.” She snorted and shook her head. “I'm so tired right now, all I want to do is sleep anyway. But it would be nice to sleep cuddled up with you… if you're someone who plans on staying in our lives.”
He didn't realize he'd held his breath until he suddenly felt a rush of air leave his lips. “Babe, if I haven't let you know down to the marrow of your bones that you mean something to me… that you are already here—” He patted the left side of his chest over his heart and immediately felt her body relax. But he wasn't finished. “If I haven't let you know that you and Evie feel like a part of me, then I haven't done a good enough job telling or showing you.”
Her chin quivered slightly, but he pushed on through. “Yes, we met in an unusual way, but we both felt a connection just by our gazes meeting across the hospital cafeteria. And what happened after that was the stuff in action movies, but nonetheless real for us. And yes, you need protection, but you are mine to protect. That's not a duty but an honor. That's not a job but a deep-seated need that I feel to my core. Evie is a child that I want to protect and see grow up. Being with you is what I want more than anything. But I don't want to push when you're vulnerable. I don't want you to wake up and feel taken advantage of. I don't want you to look back and feel manipulated when you were caught up in the middle of this case.”
Her eyes sparkled as they stared back at him. “Do I seem like a woman who doesn't know what she wants?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No. You are the most capable woman I've ever met. You handle what's thrown at you and keep going, not with your head down in defeat but with your head up, marching forward.”
Her smile widened until it was blinding. “I love that description.” They were silent for a moment, then she said, “So, I'll say it again. You don't need to sleep on the sofa. I usually sleep with the door closed. Evie sleeps deeply, but she'll have me if she wakes or needs me. And the bonus is that she'll have you, too. And for me… sleeping by my side is right where I want you to be.”
He was sure he'd just heard the best words ever uttered to him.