deep breath. He hadn’t seen her do her breathing exercises in years.
“How is he?” It could have been me.
“Nothing’s broken. Bruised ribs and a concussion. He swears he’s fine, but the doctors want to keep him at the hospital until he fully heals. I’m flying out there, but I wanted to call you and let you know.” She shook her head and exhaled a shaky breath. “Police are questioning him but the investigators suspect insurance fraud from the building owners. They’re guessing Anthony being there to double-check the building may have led them to believe the deal would fall through.”
He stared at his friend, watching for cracks in her facade. She put up a good front, but Bull suspected the fear of losing someone close would resurrect memories from a darker time.
“Bull…”
“I know.”
“If his tablet charger hadn’t stopped working, he wouldn’t have needed to print out your report. If he hadn’t forgotten that report in the car, he wouldn’t have had to go back to pick it up. If he hadn’t parked in the lot across the street, he wouldn’t have…”
“You’re going to get stressed out playing the what-if game.”
“I’m pissed.”
“I know.”
“Really pissed.”
A smile twitched the corner of his mouth, thankful she veered into a different emotional response. “I know.” He could deal with an angry Rachel far better than a scared or grieving one.
“I’m destroying that tablet.”
“He loves that tablet.”
“I don’t care. He’s printing everything out from now on.”
“So you’re going to destroy trees as well?”
She pushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. He hadn’t missed the negligible tremble in her hand.
“Rach?” He waited for her to make eye contact. “Breathe. You talked to him. He’s okay.”
She stared at him as she blew out a deep breath, first one, then another. Her eyes welled with unshed tears. “I can’t lose you guys.”
“We’re still here.”
She nodded. “I’m spoiling him when he gets back.”
“And he’s going to get a kick out of rubbing my face in the fact that he’s your favorite.”
The beaming smile at him was worth the tease. “You’re my favorite.”
The laughter bubbled up his throat. “I’m sure you will tell him the same thing when it’s just the two of you.” He smiled, enjoying the sound of her laughing along with him.
They said their goodbyes and ended the video call. He closed his laptop and grabbed his keys on the way out the door, feeling a sudden urge to wrap his arms around Ben and hold him tight.
= ♥ =
Something wasn’t right. The hairs at the back of Ben’s neck had been prickling for the last hour. Maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe it was as simple as the frustration of not being able to figure out the missing ingredient to the new icing recipe he was testing. He mixed in another tablespoon of sugar and beat the mixture. After a few seconds, he turned off the blender and tasted the icing.
Ugh. He grabbed the bottle of water and drank, nearly chugging half its contents. Sugar definitely hadn’t been the missing ingredient. He grabbed the mixing bowl and spatula and dumped the contents into the trash bin, realizing nothing could salvage this particular mix. He glanced up and spotted Gabriel, arms crossed, leaning against the entryway to the front of the bakery.
His breath hitched and his pulse spiked, just as it always did when Gabriel stared at him that way. His eyes were expressive, revealing the thoughts flashing through his mind. Love, need…and something else. Ben straightened and set the bowl on the table. The hairs at the back of his neck prickled again.
Ben untied his apron and pulled it off over his head as he was swept into an embrace strong enough to lift him off his feet. He pitched the apron onto the table and wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck, holding him close. He ran his fingers along Gabriel’s back, hoping to soothe the tension in the tight muscles. He refused to release Gabriel even after his feet landed back on the ground.
Gabriel didn’t resist. They held each other a little while longer until they finally stepped back from the embrace.
“What happened?” he signed. He reached out and cupped Gabriel’s face for a moment, then touched his shoulders, arms, and chest. Touching, squeezing…checking to make sure everything was as it should be.
“I’m fine,” Gabriel signed, a small smile quirking his lips. “But I won’t complain if you want to keep touching me like that.”
Ben playfully slapped Gabriel’s chest. He narrowed his eyes and crossed