Tuesday morning Theo stood stirring a pot of stock in the restaurant’s kitchen. He came down to work early, figuring he could face Gabrielle if it was work related. He’d just survived two of the longest days of his life. Avoiding Gabrielle when they lived in the same building and were both off work had been harder than he expected. The main problem being he missed her. The thought irritated him enough to throw the spoon in the sink.
The back door opened bringing with it a blast of cold air. Turning to see who was coming in to work this early, Theo realized he must not have latched the door after going out to the dumpster earlier. Otherwise, the irritating man staring at him wouldn’t have been able to get in.
“I’m not in the mood, Kevin.”
“I don’t give a shit. You’re going to listen to me. You aren’t good enough for Gabrielle. You aren’t good enough for the Silver Lining. I want your sorry ass out of this restaurant and out of her life. If she’s hurt because of you, I’ll make sure you pay.”
“Why would I hurt Gabrielle?”
“That’s what men like you do. You use women then toss them away like yesterday’s trash.”
The man had no sense of self-preservation, Theo thought as his eyes narrowed. “I use women and toss them away like trash? What the hell did you do to her? She couldn’t get pregnant so you went out and slept with some young tart. Not me, buddy, you’re the one who hurt her. If you don’t get your head out of her business, I’m going to make damn sure you don’t get the chance again.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Kevin said. “It would be worth it to see you caught. Everyone would know it was you.”
A grin pulled at the side of Theo’s mouth. “Maybe. But don’t worry, you’ll get your wish. I’ve already told Gabrielle to look for a replacement. When she finds one, I’m gone,” he said, walking toward the man. He stopped a few steps from him. “But, if you were really worried about Gabrielle’s welfare, you shouldn’t have sicced that lecher on her.”
“What are you talking about?” Kevin asked, puffing his chest out.
Theo almost laughed at the man’s false bravado. He could take the flamboyant priss with one hand tied behind his back. The thought wiped any laughter from his attitude. See, Gabrielle, I told you. Violence is all I know. He forced himself back to the current conversation.
“I’m talking about the first time Gabrielle and I met. Your buddy Jason’s fist was headed for her face because she turned down his advances. I happened to walk in the door in time to stop it.”
“You’re lying. You’re trying to sell yourself off as some kind of hero.”
Theo shook his head. “I’m nobody’s hero. But feel free to ask Gabrielle about the day Jason walked out. She’ll tell you how she had him on his knees by bending his finger backwards. She would probably have handled him if I hadn’t walked in, but I’m glad we didn’t have to find out.”
“I’ll kill the little bastard.” Kevin’s nostrils flared and saliva sprayed from his mouth as he spoke.
“Guess I’m not the only violent one around here,” Theo said. He earned a hateful glare from Gabrielle’s ex before the man turned and stormed out of the kitchen.
Theo shook his head at the theatrics. He was glad Gabrielle wasn’t here to see it. She’d had to deal with enough chaos since he’d come on the scene. What the hell had ever made him think coming back to Colorado would be a good thing?
I always said you were stupid.
Theo’s jaw clenched. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. Impotent rage stormed through his entire body as a red haze filled his vision. He closed his eyes. The red painted the back of his lids, but he kept them closed. Focusing on his breath, he inhaled deep and slow then exhaled. Eventually, the red turned to blue. His racing heart settled into a normal rhythm.
He returned to the stock pot, lifted the lid and stirred it again. After turning down the heat he went to go through the deliveries more thoroughly. Work always calmed him. An hour later he had the specials planned. Soon others arrived and he started assigning chores. The hustle and bustle of the busy kitchen erased the last vestiges of frustration.
Gabrielle walked through the dining room toward the kitchen. A second before she hit the swinging doors a loud crash reached her ears.
“Where the hell is he?” an angry voice demanded.
Rushing through the doorway she saw all the staff staring wide-eyed toward the back door. Everyone except Theo. He was striding determinedly toward the door.
“Get the hell out of my kitchen!”
“It was my kitchen first, you bastard. And it wasn’t worth shit then. When I beat the crap out of you, it’ll be worth even less.”
“I’m right here,” Theo said stopping a few feet away. He held his hands out and waved him closer. “Come on.”
Jason shoved a young prep cook who’d been chopping vegetables and grabbed the knife from his hand. He swiped the knife at Theo. “You got me fired and now you’re going to pay.”
Gabrielle’s heart stopped when Theo didn’t even move back. “Stop it!” She screamed running toward the back. Theo’s arm came out holding her back. “He didn’t get you fired. You walked out.”
“Stay back,” Theo ordered.
“I will not,” she said, fighting against him.
Jason lunged and swung the knife again. This time Theo jumped back but not quite fast enough. Before Gabrielle went flying backward, she saw blood on Theo’s arm. Catching herself on the counter she started forward again.
“Damn it, I can’t concentrate on him with you fighting me too,” Theo yelled.
“I’ve got her,” Suzette called.
Gabrielle glared over her shoulder at her sous-chef, but didn’t fight her when she dragged her further back in the kitchen. She did dig her cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911. Her gaze never left the two men at the back of the kitchen while she talked.
Theo didn’t have time for a breath of relief when he heard Suzette’s call. Jason was already lunging toward him again. He dodged and grabbed for his arm, missing as the jerk jumped back. Of course, the bastard had to grab a knife. It made timing that much more important.
“You think you’re so smart. Whining to Kevin. You think getting me fired will make it better on this dump? It’s not Kevin’s call.”
“Then why are you without a job?” Theo asked, knocking the man’s knife hand away.
The man’s narrowed eyes were icy hot with hatred. “He came back earlier than I expected.”
Theo understood immediately. “So you were messing with his wife as well as his ex? That explains the busted lip. Man you are stupid. But coming back here was your biggest mistake, because you aren’t getting out of here without some serious damage.”
“You’re the one bleeding, not me,” Jason said, jabbing the knife at Theo’s stomach.
Theo didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted, and the knife fell to the ground. He kicked it away. Yanking Jason’s wrist high behind his back he pushed him to the floor as the back door burst open. Two cops stepped through with guns drawn.
“Let him go,” one ordered.
“When you cuff him, I’ll release him,” Theo replied.
“I said, let him go.”
Knowing it would be a mistake, but not given a choice, Theo pushed to a standing position holding his hands out to the side. Before he took another step, Jason scrambled for the knife on the floor and thrust it into Theo’s thigh.
“Ahh,” he groaned, grabbing his thigh as he fell from the force of Jason’s thrust. At the same time he heard Gabrielle scream. He saw the cops push Jason back to the ground and cuff him.
Theo couldn’t believe it when Gabrielle and the staff ran to his side. His head, which had bounced against the tile floor when he fell was lifted then rested on a cloth. Someone moved his hand from the wound and applied pressure. Opening his eyes, he lifted his head and saw Gabrielle.
She was ordering everyone around. Good, that meant she was okay, right? At least that’s what he figured though pain was pounding in his head obliterating the words. He reached for her. “Gabrielle,” he said, trying to sit up. “Are you all right?” He needed desperately to make sure she was okay.
When she turned to him she pressed her free hand to his shoulder. “Stay down,” she said, before yelling to someone else. “Get something under his feet. We need to slow the flow to his legs. Come on people.”
“Gabrielle, it’s okay,” he said, but his voice sounded weak even to him. His eyelids were getting really heavy. What the hell was the problem? It was just a nick.
Someone else appeared beside him. One of his prep cooks. He started tearing Theo’s pants. The pressure on his wound stopped for a minute then returned. The cook started yelling for napkins. Theo wondered what they needed napkins for right now. But everything was mixing together. He couldn’t make sense of any of it.
He turned his head and forced his eyes to open a little more. There, Gabrielle was still with him. Her hand cupped his cheek. He’d sure made a mess of her kitchen. Damn, he needed to stir the pumpkin stew he’d started or it was going to burn. He attempted to get his body to move. His limbs weren’t listening. The pounding in his head was getting louder. He knew he had to tell someone to take care of the stew until he could get to his feet, but his mouth wouldn’t work. One last time he forced his eyes open wider and saw the only thing that really mattered. “Gabrielle.”
“Theo? Theo, stay with me!”
He tried to hold onto her voice. Tried to lift his hand and touch her. But it all seemed too hard. Suddenly none of it seemed to matter.
# # #
Everything was quiet. Quiet and fuzzy. Fuzzy? Theo wondered about that. He didn’t do fuzzy. He had to admit it did feel pretty good.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
What? Why was the timer going off? Why was he sleeping in the kitchen?
The kitchen?
He bolted upright. A gong pounded in his head, but he forced himself to stay upright. His eyes grew wide as he searched the darkness. Where was Gabrielle? Where was . . . he saw someone to his right. His vision was a bit blurry but he could see enough to know it was her. Sleeping. Sleeping?
Theo looked around trying to figure out what was going on. The beeping sound drew his attention upward. He saw some kind of monitor flashing different colored lights. The beeping sound registered with one of the lines of light. Heart rate he thought. What was he doing hooked up to all these monitors?
“Theo?”
His gaze swung back to his right. Gabrielle now stood beside the bed. Bed? What the hell?
“It’s okay. Lay back. We don’t need any undo pressure on your leg.”
He looked down at his lap and wondered what she was talking about. Under blankets he felt his toes wiggle. Nothing wrong with my legs. He tried to turn his body toward her. Pain shot out from his leg through his groin. “Sonofa . . ..”
“It’s okay,” Gabrielle told him as she pried his fingers apart enough to slip hers inside his.
Theo dug his elbow into the mattress to avoid breaking her fingers. “What the hell?”
“You don’t remember what happened?”
Her softly voiced inquiry nudged his memory. Despite a headache pounding through his skull in time with the pulsating pain in his leg, he remembered. “Jason,” he said, squeezing his temples with his hand spread open over his eyes.
“He’s in custody, we don’t have to worry about him anymore. And don’t you worry, I reamed those cops for causing your injury. If they had just listened . . .”
Theo peeked through his fingers and watched her inhale deeply. He almost smiled. She really didn’t like getting mad at people. Even bad people.
“They were just doing their jobs,” he said, releasing his head and squeezing her hand on the bed’s railing. “It probably looked like I was going to kill him from their perspective. Not that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“Oh stop. You wouldn’t have killed him. But he would have killed you given half the chance. He kept screaming threats while they were taking him out.”
“I don’t remember much after he jabbed me. At least not about him. Did one of the cooks come over and start doing first aide? I seem to remember him tearing my pants and yelling at people giving them orders.”
“Yes, weren’t we lucky to have a prep cook who’s training to be an EMT?”
Theo looked at her, wondering if he really needed to answer. Deciding not to bother, he thought of a question of his own. “Who’s taking care of the restaurant? It’s late,” he said glancing toward the window. It was dark outside. “What are you doing here?”
“Excuse me? You were nearly killed. I was worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” He rubbed his head. When Gabrielle didn’t say anything he looked directly at her. “I am fine, right?” A tear trailed down her cheek, but she nodded. Theo reached out and wiped it away. “Then why are you crying?”
Gabrielle pulled away. “You are insufferable, you know?”
He grinned. “Yes, I know. Pretty much anyone who’s known me can tell you that.”
She swiped at the tears then crossed her arms. He leaned back on his pillows to watch the show. Gabrielle definitely was a joy to watch. Her moods were always intense.
“Why is it so wrong for someone to care about you? Will you tell me that?” She stood there staring at him tapping her foot on the tile floor.
“I guess I’m just not used to it. Plus right now you should be worrying about your business not me. Who is running things if both you and I are here? Obviously, I’m not going to be able to leave. With everything that’s been going on I’m not happy that no one will be there to protect you and the others.”
She kept shaking her head. “So, you’re allowed to care, worry, and protect, but the rest of us aren’t supposed to worry about you. Well, buddy,” she said, leaning over the bed rail. “Too bad. Everyone at the restaurant is just as concerned as me. Okay, maybe not quite as much, but concerned. And, they all wanted me to stay with you until you woke up. Plus, there’s nothing to worry about anymore. You agreed Kevin didn’t vandalize the restaurant. And Jason is in custody. Our two suspects are taken care of so no more need to worry.”
Something about her arguments bothered him. He didn’t think Kevin vandalized the restaurant. The man might want to ruin Gabrielle’s business but he wouldn’t risk her life. He still wanted her as well. And unless Jason could find a way to escape it was doubtful he’d be causing any trouble himself for a while anyway. But . . . the damned pounding in Theo’s head wouldn’t let him concentrate enough to figure out what was bothering him.
Closing his eyes he rubbed his temples again. Then Gabrielle pushed his hand away and replaced it with her own. He didn’t bother to open his eyes or tell her to stop, it felt too good. “You should still be at the restaurant, not here. I know Suzette can handle the kitchen, but--”
“But the front will be fine for a while longer without me. I have a good staff, Theo.”
Her fingers were magical. The throbbing in his head started to ease. Soon his neck and shoulder muscles began to relax as well. When her fingers stroked over the hair on the top of his head, he slowly opened his eyes. Her face was closer. Those beautiful gray green eyes were staring into his. Before he thought about it he reached a hand behind her head and pulled her toward him.
Her lips were warm. For a moment he kept the kiss soft, easy. He shouldn’t have even started, but resisting Gabrielle was becoming harder and harder. Then he couldn’t remember why he was resisting and deepened the kiss. When she opened to him, all thought of stopping disappeared.
The vague thought that she gave as good as she got popped into his head. He tried to pull her closer, wanting to touch more of her. A slight whimper made him break the kiss. “Did I hurt you?” God would he never learn he didn’t deserve--
“No, but this rail did.” She pulled out of his arms and lifted the bed’s rail then maneuvered it down.
When she met his gaze again, Theo saw the desire burning in him mirrored in her eyes. She climbed on the bed beside him. More on than beside, actually. One of her hands rested on his chest, the other stroked his forehead. His arm came around her, pulling her even closer. He wished she could stroke him somewhere else. Whoa.
“This is not a good idea,” he said, still staring into her eyes. Her smile said she disagreed.
“You keep saying that, but we keep ending up in similar positions. Maybe you should take the hint and accept the inevitable.”
He couldn’t hold back a grin. She was just so damned adorable. “Even if I were to accept it, here is not the place. Add to the fact that a nurse or doctor could walk in at any moment, my leg’s recent encounter with a knife, and it’s not the time either.”
She smiled, breaking the connection and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m good with just being close to you for now. I don’t think you have a clue how you scared me.”
Theo hugged her then rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I promise, I didn’t plan on getting hurt this bad. Since you weren’t sitting here with a rosary or your father giving me last rites, I’m assuming he didn’t hit my femoral artery. So, I’ll be back to work tomorrow.”
“No, you won’t. You’re on disability until the doctor clears you.”
“Gabrielle, it’s a little nick.”
She lifted her head. Her eyes were narrowed, but intense as ever. Theo was sent back in time to the rare moments his mother would be stern with him.
“It was a lot more than a little nick, Mister. And just for your information, I don’t have a rosary and my father isn’t a priest remember?. Come to think of it, if he were, he wouldn’t be my father. Priests can’t get married. But, I digress. Back to the main point of this discussion, your injury.
“If the doctor says you can come home tomorrow, fine. He won’t say you can come back to work quite that quickly. The knife may not have hit a major artery, but it did more damage than you realize, and you lost a lot of blood. We need to give the stitches time to do their thing and the tissue time to mend. You standing on your feet, rushing around the kitchen the way you do, for hours on end is not conducive to healing. Plus, I’m the boss and I say you are banned for at least a week, longer if I can find a way to tie you down.”
Theo shook his head. “I can’t sit around for a week. I’ll go insane.”
“We’ll find something to keep your mind busy, but you are on the sidelines when it comes to the kitchen.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I don’t want to watch you fall again. I don’t think I could handle it.”
Theo stroked her cheekbone. “Gabrielle, you really shouldn’t get too attached to me. I’m not the kind of man you want or need. I’ll end up hurting you, and I don’t want that.”
Her soft smile made him nervous. It usually meant she was going to say something he would regret or at the very least disagree with.
“I don’t think you have a clue what kind of man you are. Because the Theo DeLeon I know hasn’t let me or anyone else I know, down yet. But, don’t worry, I’m a big girl. Despite having an overly soft hearted father raise me, I’m tougher than I look.”
“No, you’re not, which is why I told you to find a replacement for me. Since I’m laid up anyway, you might as well start. I’m sure Suzette can handle things until you find someone.”
He knew it was mean. It was also the last thing he wanted. But it was necessary. He was getting way too accustomed to Gabrielle James in his arms. Far too comfortable being around her.
She jumped off the bed. “You ungrateful son of a . . . You signed a contract. I’m holding you to it. When the doctor clears you, you are going to work every single day you agreed to.”
Her eyes were filled with fire as she glared down at him. He nodded, but prayed it wouldn’t take that long for her to find someone. He feared he wouldn’t be able to fight the temptation if he had to continue to see her every day.
“I’ll be at the restaurant if you need anything,” she said before turning away and walking out the door.
A deep pain speared his chest as the door closed. He pressed against his ribcage with his hand trying to assuage the ache. Again he wondered if he was having a heart attack? He glanced up at the monitors to check.