Phantom pulled into a drive-thru and ordered for all four of them. The meals arrived quickly, and then they were on their way to the hotel.
Marta sipped her milkshake and munched on the fries while scanning the crowded roads for any signs of trouble. If she hadn’t already gone through what she had, driving around with the three men, the smell of hamburgers and fries filling the car would have felt like hanging out with the frat boys from college. Something she’d never done in her life. She kind of liked it.
When they checked into the hotel, Marta was glad to find that she and Crusher would share a room, and the other two SOS agents would be in the room across the hallway.
They took their purchases up to their rooms. Phantom checked Crusher’s and Marta’s room first before he let them enter. Drago inspected the room he’d share with Phantom.
Both men gave the all clear, and they moved into their respective rooms.
Their room had two queen-sized beds. A strange disappointment stabbed Marta in the chest. After the kiss on the plane, she’d hoped... Well, never mind. At least Crusher wouldn’t insist on sleeping on the floor with two beds in the room.
Finally alone with Crusher, Marta dropped her bags on a chair. She wasn’t ready to face her rescuer in the small space. After being just the two of them while escaping through the jungle, in Liza’s guest room, and on the plane from Costa Rica to Mexico City, she should have felt more comfortable around him. She almost wished they were back in the jungle, where all they had to worry about was surviving.
It felt as if the looming handoff had created a wall between them, forcing distance. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to hear from him. All she could come up with was, “Let’s eat first and sort things after.”
“Good idea,” Crusher said as he tossed his clothes bags onto the bed closest to the door and carried the bag of food and the two milkshakes to the table in the corner. He pulled out the burgers and fries and held a chair for Marta.
Squaring her shoulders, she sank into the chair with a fake smile on the outside, while inside, her chest hurt. More than it should have. The thought of their pending split made her anxious, sad, and...heartbroken?
No way. Falling in love took time. They hadn’t even known each other for a week. Though the few days she’d spent in his company felt like a lifetime of experiences together that had forged a bond she felt to the very core of her being. But that didn’t mean it was love. Surely, love took longer. She shook her head.
Crusher frowned. “What’s wrong? Did we get the wrong kind of burger?”
“No.” She forced herself to open the wrapper and stare down at the food she’d insisted on having for her first meal back in the States. Maybe the milkshake and fries she’d nibbled on during the drive had been enough to satisfy her appetite. “It looks great,” she lied.
Crusher reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “Don’t worry. Marsh will get you to a lab where you can work your magic.”
She almost laughed at his words and at herself, when she realized how unimportant her feelings were in the face of a potential pandemic that could decimate the human species. What kind of scientist was she that she couldn’t put the real issues first in her thoughts?
“You’re right. Worrying is a waste of energy.” She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, meeting his gaze. “It’s just hard to wait when I need to be working to stop the virus’s spread.”
Crusher gently squeezed her hand. “Fuel your body now. Sleep to recharge your batteries, and tomorrow, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.” He withdrew his hand and lifted his hamburger in a toast. “Here’s to saving the world.”
Marta raised her burger. “To saving the world.” She really hoped she could. Recreating an antiviral could take weeks, months or years of experimenting. The timeline was impossibly tight. Marta went through the motions, eating most of the burger and half the fries before she gave up and asked, “Do you mind if I shower first?”
“Not at all.” Crusher had finished his burger and fries and sat back with his milkshake. “Do you have everything you need?”
She nodded, gathered the bag of toiletries and clothes and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. For a long moment, she leaned against the door, her eyes filling with tears she couldn’t hold back.
The world needed saving, but she dreaded the moment she had to say goodbye to Crusher.
Hot tears burned their way down her cheeks, and a sob rose up her throat and escaped before she could clap her hand over her mouth to muffle it.
A soft knock sounded on the door. “Everything all right in there?” Crusher asked, his muffled voice full of concern.
Marta swallowed hard before answering. “Yes.” She pushed away from the door and laid the bags on the counter. “Everything’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” he persisted, his kindness bringing more tears. “Do you need me to work the shower for you?”
“No,” she said a little too quickly. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her eyes all red and puffy. She couldn’t explain away the tears without revealing they were for him. “I can figure it out.” She had to figure it out before the handoff. What was it Crusher had said?
I don’t do tears.
She was a scientist. Not a teenage girl with a crush on the cute guy. To him, she was the job. Marta pressed her hand to her chest, where her heart ached. Well, she wouldn’t die of pain. Her life would go on, with or without Crusher.
Quickly stripping out of the yoga pants and shirt Liza had given her, Marta kicked off her shoes and turned on the shower. Her first step in the experiment of figuring it out was a success. With a determined lift of her chin, she stepped beneath the spray and let it run over her face, washing away the tears. No more crying over something that wasn’t meant to be.
Using the shampoo and conditioner she’d purchased, she scrubbed her hair and body, then shaved her legs with the razor she’d added to her purchases. When she was completely clean and rinsed, she turned off the shower, dried off, and pulled on a pair of the sexy panties. Too bad she was just the job for Crusher. The panties were pretty and made her freshly shaved legs look longer.
