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“That’s gotta be the weirdest job referral ever.”
“Yeah, and look where it got me.” She pushed off the door and folded her plate in half. “All kinds of alarms were going off in my head after I spoke to Dr. Arnoff, but I ignored every last one of them. I just wanted to see patients, treat people. I allowed that desire to override my common sense.”
“I get it, Ava.”
“You would.” She buzzed around the napkins and packets of cheese, ending her confessional.
He did get it—and her. No wonder Tempest had targeted them both.
He forced his heavy limbs off the bed and helped her clean up. “Do you want the rest of the pizza?”
“We can have it for breakfast.”
“My kinda girl.”
He just wished he didn’t mean that so literally. He’d always looked forward to seeing Ava at the clinic, and spending this time with her under dire conditions had strengthened that attraction even more for some crazy reason.
He coughed. “Do you want to use the bathroom first?”
“Sure.”
While Ava was in the bathroom, he dropped a couple of pillows on the floor and found an extra blanket in the closet. He’d set up a serviceable place to sleep by the time she finished brushing her teeth.
She exited the bathroom with a hitch in her step. “What’s that?”
“My bed for the night.”
Her gaze shifted to the real bed. “You can have the bed. You were just complaining about a headache. You take it. That blanket isn’t even going to cover your feet.”
“I’ve slept on a lot worse.”
“I’m sure you have, Max, but that’s not the point.” She stuffed her clothes in her suitcase and perched on the edge of the bed in the long cotton T-shirt she’d bought for a nightgown. “If you won’t trade, then just join me. This bed is big enough for the two of us.”
His pulse thudded thickly in his throat. “I don’t want to crowd you.”
“I don’t take up a lot of room, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing you were on the hard floor.”
“It’s not that bad.” He tapped his foot on the blanket.
“Max.”
“Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm. Pick your side and I’ll hit the bathroom.”
After he brushed his teeth, he braced his hands on the sink and leaned into the mirror. He had no intention of making a move on Ava, but sleeping next to her just might drive him crazier than the lack of T-101. With any luck, she’d be sound asleep by the time he made it back to the bedroom.
He stripped to his boxers and then considered putting his T-shirt back on. He could always sleep on top of the covers with that blanket he’d found in the closet.
He turned off the light and eased open the door to the room. He could barely discern Ava’s small frame on the far side of the bed, lying on her side, the covers pulled up to her nose.
The lamp on his side of the bed still burned, and he crept across the carpeted floor and placed his folded clothes on top of his bag. On his way to the bed, he snatched up the blanket and pillows from the floor and settled on top of the covers, wrapping the blanket around his body.
Ava couldn’t be sleeping over there with that shallow breathing, but her pretense was probably a good thing.
He closed his eyes and tried to block out the images that always marched across his mind at night. He had no way of knowing which ones were real or fake anyway.
A sliver of pain lanced his temple. He’d hoped to put off taking a pill until morning, since that would mean progress.
A bead of sweat rolled down his face, and he licked his dry lips. He’d left the tin of pills on the nightstand and tried to raise his arm to reach them, but the familiar numbness invaded his limbs.
The pictures in his head flashed like a slide show across his vision, and his hands curled into fists. The blood. The carnage. The destruction.
A strangled cry rose from his throat. A surge of adrenaline reanimated him. He clawed the blanket from his body.
He had to make them stop. He reached for the form next to him and sank his fingers into the soft skin.
Chapter Nine
Max’s hand grabbed the back of her neck. Already on alert, she twisted away from him and shouted his name.
