Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,35
uncertainly. Xavier was at the stove, just turning off the heat and lifting the last pot off the burner. His bulky utility belt was nowhere to be seen and he’d stripped off his long-sleeved camo shirt. Only a soft-looking, army-green T-shirt hugged the rippling muscles of his upper body. He still wore the camo pants, but the combat boots had been exchanged for flip-flops, of all things. She hid a smile as she took in the incongruous footwear.
“Just in time.” He turned to face her, stirring what looked like homemade spaghetti sauce.
A big serving dish of pasta was already waiting, steaming, on the table. Two place settings had been laid out, complete with tall glasses of ice water. They had stopped for lunch earlier in the day at a neighborhood deli. He’d probably seen then that she preferred water with her meals, and he’d remembered. His thoughtfulness, even over such a small thing, touched her deeply. It had been far too long since anyone had given thought to her preferences.
“I hope you like Italian cuisine.” He poured the sauce into a serving bowl and set it on the table.
“Love it.” She shot him a suspicious look. “As long as you’re not one of those guys who puts hot peppers in everything they eat.”
He pulled out her chair and seated her with courtly manners before sitting next to her at the small round kitchen table. “Hot peppers have their place”—he stated emphatically—“but they don’t belong in every dish. Certainly not in Italian-style marinara sauce.”
“Thank goodness we agree on that.” She laughed as she spread a napkin on her lap. It seemed strange to sit at a formal place setting in her robe and nothing else, but Xavier had a way of making the strangest situations seem commonplace. She’d already followed him into battle against a zombie. By contrast, being half-dressed at dinner was nothing at all to blink at.
“I bet you’re hungry.” Xavier served her a generous portion of pasta before serving himself. “I remember how it was when I woke up after the bite. I was sort of sick to my stomach at first, then my metabolism kicked into high gear. I noticed you didn’t eat much of your sandwich at lunch.” One eyebrow rose in question as she spooned just the right amount of sauce over her pasta.
“You’re right. I wasn’t very hungry. Everything tasted kind of bland and made me nauseous. Now, though, I’m starved.” She grabbed the shaker of Parmesan cheese and went to town. The sharp bite of the grated cheese was a flavor she couldn’t get enough of at the best of times. With hunger riding her, she doubled her usual allotment of the salty cheese.
“I figured as much. That’s why I made carbs. Fill up on pasta and your body will have enough energy to satisfy the craving. Then you’ll crash and sleep solid for the rest of the night. By tomorrow, you’ll be almost back to normal. That’s how it worked for me, at least.”
She rolled a wad of spaghetti on her fork, eyeing it hungrily. “Let’s hope you’re right.”
They ate in silence for a while. Sarah couldn’t get the food shoveled in fast enough and Xavier seemed not to mind her display of gluttony. After the initial rush to quell her hunger, she began thinking of the day’s events. She winced as she remembered her reaction when faced with that horrific creature in the basement.
She’d acted like a fool. An untrained idiot. And Xavier hadn’t said a word to correct her. Lord knows, her fellow cops wouldn’t have wasted a beat in correcting her behavior. Xavier, however, was letting her come to her own conclusions about her performance, and those conclusions were troubling, indeed.
She looked at him, stunned by the patient compassion in his expression. This man was one in a million and, no doubt, a gifted leader of men.
“I owe you an apology.” It wasn’t easy for her to say the words. She couldn’t look him in the eye after that initial contact, focusing instead on her plate. “I was no help at all in that basement. In fact, you would have been better off without me, much to my embarrassment. I’ll do better next time.”
“I know you will.”
His softly spoken words made her look up. The confidence in his tone was reflected in his eyes. His faith in her made her feel a lot better, though she still didn’t think it was deserved.