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Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t forget, did you?”
“I love food too much to forget about a meal.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I’ve missed plenty of meals before during tough missions in the corp. I’ll survive.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a warzone, Alex. If I forget to feed you, speak up or please just help yourself. I sometimes focus so hard on a task that I forget everything else, but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer in silence. Please, say something in the future. I feel terrible now.”
“No need, Lizzy. I’m fine, really… but if it bothers you, I will say something next time.”
“Good. Now, let me cook us something, and then perhaps we can go visit James.”
Alex hesitated, looking torn. “We should really stay in the house…”
“I know it’s safer here, and I’m working on moving public appearances online, but we’re making an exception for visiting James,” Elizabeth said firmly. “He nearly died protecting me, the least I can do is visit him in the hospital. Besides, you need to see your brother, and you’re stuck with me.”
“You don’t need to take my needs into account. I’m your employ—”
“You’re a person, Alex, with your own wants and needs. I got into this line of work in part because I hate seeing people fall through the cracks. We’re in this together now, and we’ll need to find a way to work together and mesh our lives in a way that works for both of us.”
Elizabeth was concerned by Alex’s dismissal of her own needs. She clearly had some issues she needed to work through. At least she was open to the idea of seeing a therapist. Elizabeth could have James look into—no, she reminded herself. James was in the hospital and unable to look into anything. Maybe Ruth could research some good trauma therapists.
Their visit ended up being rather uneventful, as James was still unconscious. However, they did speak to his doctor, who was hopeful about his recovery. Apparently, the fact that he was still stable meant that he had a good chance of making it now.
The next week fell into a pattern. Elizabeth’s team set up a temporary office in her living room and they kept doing their work as best they could. Elizabeth did a number of online appearances, and while it was far from ideal, her numbers didn’t suffer as badly as she had feared.
In the evenings, she and Alex would have dinner together and talk. Alex told Elizabeth some more about her time with the Marines, and Elizabeth spoke about her long career in politics.
Elizabeth was quickly coming to cherish those quiet evenings with Alex. The more she got to know her, the more their growing friendship deepened.
Perhaps it was inevitable that their friendship was complicated by their mutual attraction.
It was an ordinary night. Elizabeth had made lasagna and the two of them had shared a glass of wine over dinner. They were watching TV on the couch. It was a chilly night, so Elizabeth had brought out a blanket. It wasn’t a huge blanket, which meant she and Alex needed to sit rather close together to ensure it covered both of them.
Elizabeth certainly wasn’t complaining about that. The warm press of Alex’s thigh against hers was pleasant and comforting. As the movie went on, Alex allowed the natural curve of the couch to shape her body to Elizabeth’s, leaning into her side.
“Do you think any of it is real?” She gestured to the screen, where the hero and heroine were kissing, triumphant in their happy ending. “Or is it all just a feel-good ploy by Hollywood?”
“For some people, it is,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I’ve never experienced true romantic love, but I’ve seen it. It’s a truly beautiful thing to witness, that kind of connection. Love makes everything I’m fighting for worth it, and romantic love is one of the strongest kinds of love there is.”
“Do you ever wish it was something you could have?”
Elizabeth sighed. “Sometimes, but I try not to dwell on that. It’s not in the cards for me.”
“For me either,” Alex said sadly.
“Why do you say that?”
“No one would want someone as damaged as me.”
“Alex, that’s not true.” Elizabeth tilted Alex’s head up so that they were looking at each other. Her blue eyes were earnest. “You are an amazing person, and any woman would be lucky to have you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Alex looked away and wouldn’t meet Elizabeth’s eyes.
“Don’t say that.” Elizabeth was struck for maybe the hundredth time by how beautiful Alex was. She had this incredible natural beauty, the masculine meshed with the feminine. It was enchanting and alluring. They were very close together and Elizabeth’s eyes were drawn to Alex’s lips.
She leaned in, pulled by an almost magnetic attraction. It was all too easy to press a gentle kiss to those beautiful lips.
