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“Not a word.”
They sat down at the restaurant and she ordered a salad while Max stuck with a French dip sandwich. Just as she was about to dig into her salad, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out and smiled. “It’s Cody. He says he’s working on it.”
“That’s vague, but I’ll take it.”
“That’s a lot from Cody. He’s really trying to communicate.”
“Let’s hope he can nail this down for us.”
She crunched through her vegetables to avoid the question on her lips. What would happen if Cody couldn’t find them a lab? The formula and instructions for the antidote wouldn’t do her any good without the chemicals to cook it and a lab to cook it in.
Since Max had taken a huge bite of his sandwich, she had to assume he didn’t want to discuss it either.
He had two blue pills left, and he had to take one tonight. That didn’t leave them a lot of time until...
She grabbed her soda and slurped through the straw. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to let you hit the gym on your own. I’m going to take a nap. That massage made me feel like a limp noodle.”
“That’s okay. I’m not a very social gym rat. I’d rather listen to music than talk.”
She traced a bead of moisture on the outside of her glass. “I suppose talking’s a girl thing, huh?”
He crossed one finger over the other and held them in front of his face. “My mother taught me never to stereotype girls.”
“Smart woman, your mom.”
“Yeah. Smart and a little bit reckless.” He clinked his glass with hers. “Like someone else I know.”
“I’m not reckless. I just always end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Like in the men’s room at the bus stop with a poison pen clutched in your hand.”
“Okay, maybe a little reckless.”
Max paid the bill and Ava took a soda to go. When they returned to the room, Max retreated to the bathroom and changed into some basketball shorts and a tank.
“Just to be on the safe side, when I’m gone lock the dead bolt and don’t answer the door. I’m not going to send you room service or a special note or anything else. If it’s the housekeeping staff, it can wait. Okay?”
“Okay, but your words keep belying your assertion that we’re safe.”
“Ava.” He sat next to her on the bed. “We’re not going to be safe until this is over. You know that, right?”
She dipped her chin to her chest. “I do, but sometimes I just need to hang on to the illusion. Do you know what I mean?”
He curled a lock of her hair around his finger. “I know exactly what you mean. We can pretend everything’s normal once in a while.”
She parted her lips because she really, really wanted him to kiss her—and not one of those soft, gentle kisses he’d been bestowing on her as if she’d crack beneath any pressure from his lips. She wanted a real kiss—a hot, full-bodied, gasping-for-air kind of kiss.
He released her hair and stood up, reaching for his tablet on the bedside table. “You’re welcome to go through my library and read something if that’ll help you fall asleep.”
“I’m not sure I’ll need help. I’m pretty exhausted.”
“You have reason to be.” He peeled his card key from the credenza and pointed it at her. “Lock the dead bolt behind me.”
She bounded from the bed when he closed the door, knowing he’d be waiting to hear the dead bolt. After she flicked it into place, she smiled as she heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway.
So, no hot kiss. Maybe she wouldn’t get one until this was all over. He’d get so carried away when she shot him up with the antidote, he’d crush her into his strong arms and kiss her silly.
She snorted. She’d better hang on to that daydream because that was all it was. And did she really want a gratitude kiss?
She grabbed his tablet and fluffed a pillow behind her. Actually, she’d take anything he had to offer, motivated by anything.
She clicked the tablet, and his current book popped up. She scanned the text—one of Homer’s epic poems. Didn’t he say he wasn’t well-read? Maybe after missing the Caliban reference, he decided to get well-read—or he was using this as a sleep aid.
