She’d set up fruit juice spritzers on a tray before their arrival and served both men as soon as they seated themselves.
Her dad had taken an armchair kitty-corner to where she sat. He reached for the drink. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“You’re welcome. How did it go at work?”
“Sandor did an excellent job keeping everything running smooth. There wasn’t much for me to do.”
“There was enough to keep you there four hours,” she said with a wry smile as she offered Sandor his drink.
He’d folded his six-foot-four-inch frame onto the cushion beside her. He took the drink and winked. “He had to check everything I had done to make sure I had not messed anything up too badly.”
“Baloney. I knew you’d handled everything fine, Sandor, but there are always things that simply cannot be delegated. No matter how savvy the delegate.”
Ellie sat back down, keeping as much distance as she could between her and Sandor. “How are you feeling,” she couldn’t help asking him.
“Surely that is a question for your father.”
“Dad looks healthier than I’ve seen him in a long time, you on the other hand are almost gray with fatigue.”
“It has been a long week, but I survived it.”
“You need more rest, Sandor.”
He merely shrugged.
She frowned. “You aren’t going back to the office after lunch, are you?”
“There are things I could take care of.”
“Let them wait.”
His dark eyes widened.
Her dad laughed. “She’s getting bossy. That’s got to be a good sign. With her mother it indicated she felt possessive of me.”
Heat climbed into Ellie’s cheeks. “Even if we are no longer dating, I still consider Sandor a friend. I don’t feel possessive of him, but I care about him. As a friend.”
It was a huge understatement, not to mention a lie. She did feel possessive toward him, but to admit it would imply he had rights over her and that she would not do. She loved him and one thing she’d realized over the last week was that love, no matter how battered took a lot to die. Hers was bruised and maybe even bleeding, but still very much alive inside her.
For both of the men now looking at her so speculatively.
“I would be happy to stay out of my office if you would agree to spend the afternoon and evening with me,” Sandor said.
“I have things to do this afternoon.”
“Like what?” her dad asked.
“I’m expecting a call from Hawk on the search for my sister. And I need to do some laundry and clean my apartment. I haven’t been home much lately.”
“I would be happy to help you do your laundry.”
That made her laugh out loud. “I can just see that.”
Sandor shrugged. “My mother and I had very little disposable income when we arrived in America. I can sort and fold clothing with professional efficiency, I assure you.”
The thought of having him in her small apartment with her for several hours was nothing short of terrifying. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Sandor laid his hand on her thigh. “We need to talk, Ellie.”
“I don’t want to talk,” she admitted in a low voice, wishing her dad was not there with them, overhearing their conversation.
“Please, Ellie…”
She closed her eyes against the appeal in his but nothing could stop the warm, rich tone repeating in her head. “I don’t want to be hurt anymore, Sandor. Please don’t push me.”
She hated saying the words in front of her dad, but both men knew they’d hurt her. She wondered if they realized how much. She was working toward a relationship with her dad again, but she didn’t know if she could ever give Sandor another chance. Not after learning she was nothing more than a business pawn for him.
Sandor sighed. “I won’t push younow, pethi mou .”
He wondered if she noticed the emphasis he put on the word, now. He knew she couldn’t be aware of how damned fragile she looked. She needed rest as much as she claimed he did. So, he would not push her today, but soon, he and his Ellie were going to talk out their relationship. And she was going to give him another chance. She was too damned gentle and kind not to.
Besides, she’d said she loved him. He knew she’d meant it. If she was capable of turning off her emotions, she would have stopped loving her father a long time ago. She never had and it gave Sandor hope.
Hawk called the next morning with the news that he’d found Ellie’s sister. She went by the name Amber Taylor and she was staying on Miguel Menendez’s yacht with him. They’d just come into port after spending more than a week at sea.