Above All Else: A Bad Boy Military Romance (Easy Team Book 2) by Gemma Hart

beer. One thing I made sure the house was always stocked with was beer and water. Just the essentials.
                  I looked at Sofia who stood awkwardly in the hallway next to the kitchen. She looked a little pale, I realized suddenly. Being so excited about coming back home, I hadn’t realized just how pale Sofia suddenly looked.
                  I reached out with the water. “Here, have some water,” I said, casually while I studied her. Her face so pale made her dark sleep deprived circles even darker. She almost looked sick. I was just about to ask her if she wanted to sit down when she suddenly shook her head.
                  “No, this won’t do,” she said in almost a mumble. My denim jacket slung over her made her look even tinier in comparison. “This won’t do at all. It took us nearly an hour and a half to get from the airport to here. That is much too far away. And when I saw the departure boards at the airport here, there was only one flight going to Europe from that entire airport. One!” She gave me a look as if to demand who could possibly live in a town with only one departing flight to Europe.
                  I gave her an understanding although a slightly exasperated look. “The more remote we are, the safer you are. That is the whole point, after all,” I said. “And—”
                  “No, no,” Sofia interrupted, shaking her head. I thought I detected a sudden shudder run through her slim frame. I took a step towards her in concern but she suddenly jerked back, as if wanting to keep away.
                  “I refuse to stay here! I’m heading back on the next flight to Los Angeles right now, whether you approve or not!” she cried out as she whirled on her heel and headed back down the hall towards the front door.
                  “Sofia! Wait!” I called out, not wanting to physically overpower her again. With how pale and tired she looked, I really just wanted her to give in of her own will.
                  I followed after her but before Sofia could take one step out onto the front porch, she collapsed suddenly and gracefully like a dying swan.

Chapter Five
Sofia
                  I groaned, blinking slowly. My head felt like it was swimming. I tried to rub my eyes but found my arms trapped against me with something warm and fuzzy keeping me still.
                  “There she is,” a deep voice murmured above me. “Welcome back.”
                  I peeked open one eye and looked up to see the rugged jawline of Xander Vaughn. His caramel brown eyes looked down at me with gentle exasperation. “It’s no wonder you passed out,” he admonished. “You went nearly three days without a scrap of food no matter how many times I told you to eat.”
                  I looked down and saw that he was holding me in his lap. I was wrapped up in a soft flannel blanket like a burrito and held close to his chest. The way he held me with such ease made it feel as if I weighed no more than a pillow. I felt a flush bloom in my cheeks as I realized just how close I was to his body.
                  Xander reached over me towards the coffee table to pick up a large mug. “I bet you don’t eat until a palace maid literally throws food down your gullet, huh? I bet you’ve passed out before from not eating haven’t you? What’s your record? A month?”
                  I knew he was teasing but I answered without thinking. “Five days.”
                  Xander’s hand paused halfway in the air, mug held aloft. He stared down at me in surprise. “Five days? What do you mean, five days?”
                  “Five days is my record without eating.” I shifted a little in the blanket. “And I do not have a gullet,” I reproached, eyes narrowed.
                  Xander stared at me