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I threw the covers off and swung my legs over the edge of the mattress. Maybe a glass of water would help calm my thoughts.
Padding down the long hall, I noticed that a light was on in the kitchen. I approached quietly, not wanting to disturb, sticking as close to the wall as possible. Jesse was seated at the kitchen island with his laptop open. He was typing away, a pair of reading glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose. I liked the way they made him look. Distinguished. Intelligent. Charming.
I rubbed my knees together, shifting my weight from foot to foot. Seriously? What had gotten into me?
When Jesse moved to rub the back of his neck, I spotted several bruises running up the length of his forearm and bicep. They were large and red, purpling at the edges. My heart twisted in my chest, realizing that he must have gotten them in the fight. His knuckles were bruised, too, and his jaw was a little swollen from taking a punch or two to the face.
He was engrossed in whatever he was working on, typing for a good minute or so before he finally looked up and noticed me. “How long were you standing there?”
“Not long.”
“Need to get you a damn bell.”
“Sorry. Just wanted something to drink.”
He moved like he was about to get out of his seat, but I noticed the way he winced. Jesse must have been in more pain than he was letting on.
“Let me,” I insisted. “Where do you keep your glasses?”
He exhaled softly. “Cabinet above the sink.”
I moved swiftly, retrieving two glasses and filling them at the fridge’s water dispenser. “And your ibuprofen?”
He arched a concerned eyebrow. “Cabinet to your left there. Why? Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, retrieving the medicine and walking to him, tapping two small pills out onto my palm. I handed them directly to him. “They’re for you,” I explained.
I think he would have laughed if it didn’t hurt him to do so. He popped the pills into his mouth and drank his water greedily. I tried not to stare —and failed— at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he did.
“What are you doing up so early?” I whispered, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the morning air.
Jesse glanced at his wristwatch. “Oh. I haven’t gone to bed yet, actually.”
I gawked. “All this talk about eating tofu and being healthy, but you haven’t slept yet?”
“Lost track of time.”
“What are you working on?”
“Organizing a cleanup crew. I’m sending a couple of my guys to your apartment to see if they can find anything about the men who attacked you.”
“We already know they’re with the cartel.”
He nodded. “Yes, but I need to know more than that.”
I sat down next to him, barely a foot of space between us. Our elbows were almost touching as I leaned in to read what was on his screen. “Criminal record… Gun make and model… Registered vehicles?”
“Most of the time it’s a dead end because the police won’t release that information if an investigation is ongoing, but it doesn’t hurt to try. The more I know, the better I can do—”
“Your job,” I finished for him. “I know, you’ve said.”
The corner of his lip pulled up into a smirk. “Are you normally cheeky so early in the morning?”
“Definitely. But wait until I’ve had a cup of coffee. That’s when I unleash my true power.”
“Thank God I don’t have any coffee, then.”
My mouth dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”
