rubbed her feet, kneading the soles. Holy crap. Sighing, she closed her eyes, her toes curling as tingles flowed up her legs.
"...authorities say it's too early to speak of a motive, but the business in question, known to those in the neighborhood as The Place, is owned by alleged mob boss Roberto Barsanti..."
Gabriella's eyes reopened when she heard that, her gaze going straight to Dante. She'd learned about the incident at work. They'd treated a couple of the patients at her hospital. Gunshot wounds, burns, and a bit of smoke inhalation, for the most part. Nothing yet fatal, but one or two were critical. It had made for a long night in the ICU.
Dante stared at the screen, listening intently, rubbing expertly. The man had a way with his hands.
"Are you, uh...?" She paused, not sure how to ask, her voice tentative when she continued. "You're okay, right? You don't have any injuries or anything?"
His brow furrowed as he turned to her, like he didn't quite understand the question, but it seemed to click. His expression went slack, trepidation in his eyes as they scanned her face. He licked his lips, opening and closing his mouth. He was trying to find a way to explain something, like she'd asked him questions he was afraid to answer.
Her heart sank. Oh God.
"I'm not asking," she said before he forced out any words he might regret. "I'm just making sure you're not hurt."
"I'm fine."
"No boo-boos that need bandages?"
"None."
"Good." Her eyes closed again as he continued to rub her feet. "If you keep this up, I'm going to fall asleep."
"Go ahead."
"Are you tired?"
"Very."
"Have you eaten?"
"I had dinner last night with Amaro."
Her eyes popped back open. Whoa. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Dante reached over and picked up the remote, pressing the button to turn the television off. "You ask a lot of questions."
"Sue me," she said. "I'm curious."
"Something to do." He shrugged. "We ate, had a few drinks, and that was that."
"So... like a date? I'm kind of jealous."
"Don't worry, I didn't even kiss him." Dante made a face as he shuddered. "Oh, ugh, just the thought of that makes me want to drink cyanide."
"Kissing Gavin?"
He shuddered. Again.
Laughing, Gabriella sat up, pulling her feet away from him. "Anyway, I should probably do that."
She went to stand, but Dante grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the couch with him. "Do what?"
"Eat something," she said.
"Jesus fuck, Gabriella, I thought you meant kissing Amaro."
"What? Oh God, no! He's my cousin!" Now she shuddered, shoving him. "That's gross!"
"Tell me about it." He ran his hand down his face as he stood. "Just relax and I'll find you something to eat. It's the least I can do after breaking in again."
"You're going to cook?"
"Maybe."
"Do you know how to cook?"
"Not really."
He headed into the kitchen, and Gabriella sat there, listening as he banged around. He talked to himself, words she couldn't decipher, as something slammed against the counter.
Just a few minutes later, he walked back in, and Gabriella laughed at the blue plastic container he carried. Easy-Mac. She took it from him, not even mad. Macaroni was always a good choice, as far as she was concerned.
"I'll take you out," he said, sitting down beside her as she ate. "On a date, I mean. Whenever you get some time off. I'll do it right. I won't even break in. I'll knock."
"Yeah, please stop breaking in," she said. "The neighbors might catch you and call the police."
"I promise to wait until you open the door for now on."
"Or," she said, blowing into the bowl, "I could give you a key."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know, but really, be honest, when you're not here, where do you go?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't. Where did he go? Everywhere. Nowhere. He was homeless.
"It's a benefit," she said. "A friendship benefit. A boyfriend benefit. I mean, you're here, and I'm here, and there's no reason you shouldn't have a key so when I'm not here you can still be here."
He stared at her. "Do you realize what you're suggesting sounds a hell of a lot like me moving in?"
"Does it?"
"Yep."
"Huh."
She continued to eat her macaroni in silence.
Dante leaned back on the couch, draping his arm around her, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, finishing her last few bites.
"If you want to give me a key," he said, "I'll happily use it."
"Good." She smiled, trying to ignore those butterflies flapping away in her stomach. Lovesick fool. "So do I get any say on where we