A Forever Christmas(27)

Until then, they both had to remain patient—most of all, he had to remain patient because as far as he was concerned, it was up to him to set the pace for her.

So, reining in his curiosity, Gabe nodded and said, “Good. Something to build on later.” He emphasized the last word. “Now, would you like that cup of coffee?”

Angel looked at the bed again. “No, maybe you’re right,” she allowed. “Maybe I should try to get some more sleep.”

“Okay. Sounds good,” he agreed readily. Beginning to make his way toward the door, he said, “I’ll be just downstairs if you need me.” He pointed in the general direction of the door even as he started to walk out.

“Gabe?”

Something in her voice stopped him and he turned from the door. “Yes?”

“Would you…” She licked her lips, lips that suddenly seemed so very dry to her. “Would you…” She began again, only to have the words freeze in her throat. She felt awkward and uncomfortable about the request she wanted to make. A request to a man who’d virtually been a stranger to her less than a day ago.

She had no right to ask this of him, Angel told herself.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was trying to say, Gabe thought. He could remember a time, when he was a very young boy, when he had been afraid of the dark. In a way, this was a little like that.

“Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?” he asked kindly.

Relief instantly washed over her features. “Would you?”

He felt something stir inside of him. That protective streak he was trying to ignore. She just seemed to keep bringing it out.

“Sure.” As she lay down on the bed, Gabe sank down on the floor, his back against the bed. There was no chair in the room. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, anyway,” he told her.

She was more tired than she realized. And having him here allowed her to relax enough to sleep.

“Gabe?”

He could hear the drowsiness creeping into Angel’s voice. “Yes?”

“I’m glad you were the one who saved me.”

Her remark made him smile. “Yeah.” He laughed softly. “Considering that the alternative’s pretty gruesome.”

He didn’t understand again, Angel realized hazily. “No, I’m glad you were the one who saved me,” she repeated with fading emphasis.

Within a few moments, secure in Gabe’s presence that he would be there to ward off her demons, Angel fell asleep.

An enigmatic smile played on his lips as Gabe twisted around and looked at her for a long moment.

“Yeah,” he finally replied very quietly. “Me, too.”

For a second, he thought about getting up and going downstairs, now that she was asleep. But if she woke up again and found herself alone, she might feel anxious or even threatened. He didn’t want to chance that.

So, making himself as comfortable as he could, given the circumstances, Gabe rested his head against his raised knees, closed his eyes and waited for morning to come.

* * *

SOMETHING—A SCENT? aroma?—teased his senses, weaving its way into his consciousness.

With a start, Gabe woke up. It took him a second to orient himself. He was still on his bedroom floor, half leaning against the side of his bed. His limbs protested somewhat as he got to his feet. Falling asleep like that was definitely not the last word in comfort.

But that wasn’t what was bothering him.

His bed was empty.

So was the room, he discovered as he quickly looked around it.

“Angel?” he called out.

His voice echoed back to him. There was no other response.

Had she taken off for some reason? Had something more actually frightened her last night, something that she hadn’t for some reason elaborated on?

He needed to find her.

Already dressed, Gabe looked around for his boots amid the chaos on the bedroom floor until he remembered. His boots were still downstairs in the living room where he’d left them last night.

Hurrying down the stairs, Gabe became aware of the strong smell of coffee. Not just coffee but…bacon?

That was what had woken him up. The aroma of breakfast being made.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, the sense of urgency that had initially propelled him had abated. Instead, he followed the invisible, aromatic trail to the kitchen.

And found Angel. She was up—and apparently cooking breakfast.