Page 5
“Are those real rocks?” I asked, leaning over the railing to touch a small pile of snow on one nearly horizontal area the size of my arm. The cold, wet sensation made my fingertip sting as I stared at it in surprise.
“Yes. The snow is too. It’s kept the right temperature with some sort of additive.”
“Is it dangerous?” I asked, sniffing my freezing finger.
Austin laughed. “No. All part of the meteorologic tech that helped stabilize the environment seventy years ago. I thought you were a doctoral student, Ms. Sanchez?”
I glared at him, wiping my hand on my jeans. “I am. In anthropology, not meteorology or chemistry. And my name is Rosi.”
We stepped off the escalator, and Austin gestured to an enormous tube that looked like it was carved directly out of a block of ice. A closer look revealed a completely see-through, steadily moving ramp that led upward. I hesitated, glancing over at a second tube down the hall.
“It’s kind of a cross between an elevator and escalator. This way.” Austin gestured for me to go first.
Stepping inside, and finding no rail to hold on to, I folded my arms across the sasquatch art on my chest instead. It was my favorite T-shirt and read, “Bigfoot believes in me.”
The ramp rose smoothly at the perfect pace somewhere between “get me there already” and “take your time and enjoy the scenery.”
Austin spoke without looking at me. “Floor six.”
The entire tube lifted and angled itself in another direction, apparently readjusting so that it would let us out on the sixth floor. It was freaky flying through the air, but also smooth and somehow secure. I’d almost forgotten Austin was with me until he spoke.
“I hope you have a lovely stay, Rosi. I’ll be meeting with you next week to discuss the details of our excursion.”
If that wasn’t a dismissal, I wasn’t sure what was. For some reason, it irked me more than it should have, and I turned to focus on him, tugging on his arm to get him to look at me.
“Listen, Austin. This is going to be a really awkward experience unless we start over. I honestly didn’t mean what I said earlier. I have absolutely no interest in you in that way. What I do have an interest in is this once-in-a-lifetime chance to go out there and explore.” I stopped short of saying “search for things no one’s ever captured indisputable evidence of.” There was no point in sounding crazier than I already did today.
Austin tilted his head like he was looking at me for the first time. He opened his mouth, and the ramp beneath our feet jolted, knocking me off balance. He grabbed me so that we gripped each other’s arms and held me steady until I righted myself.
“What was that?” I asked, staring down through the nearly invisible material at the drop of at least four stories below us. I sincerely hoped no one on the resort had a fear of heights.
“I’m not sure. Are you okay?” Austin asked.
Maybe it was my imagination, but his voice felt kinder than it had so far, more personal.
“I am. Computer, why are we stopped?” I asked, letting go of his hold.
The lack of an answer amped up my anxiety, and I glanced at Austin, hoping he’d have an explanation.
“Computer,” Austin said in a voice so commanding it made me jump instead of feeling better.
About to full-on panic, I focused on the wall of rock and ice through the window to my left. Austin drew in a couple of deep breaths. I was about to make a joke about him climbing the rest of the way up and carrying me on his back when the ramp whirred and glided into motion as though nothing had happened.
When we reached the top moments later, I stepped out gratefully onto solid ground. “What do you think that was?” I asked when he paused in the hall, searching my face with his stormy-eyed gaze.
“I’m not sure, but I will let Nicole know. Do me a favor, and if anything else like that happens, tell me?”
Why would I tell him? Wasn’t he just the face of the resort, not the mechanic?
“Rosi?” he asked, his voice a low, rumbling tone that made my panties wet. Holy shit, he could say my name and I’d come running any day.
I nodded in agreement and swallowed back whatever damning words wanted to escape my lips. I’d just told him I wasn’t interested in him like that. He’d think I was psycho if he didn’t already. And if I wanted him to make this expedition more than just a show, I needed him to trust me.
“I’ll see you later then,” he said with a dazzling smile. But it was the fake one he’d used with the newsvids. My heart sunk.
“You said you’d take me to my room,” I said to stop him from leaving.
“I did.” He gestured to the double doors beside us. Six hundred was carved in the thick white ice in front. “You, uh, use your wristcom as a key,” he explained, waving his arm in front of me.
“Right.” The embarrassment had to have shown on my face as I lifted my own and waved it in front of the doors, which promptly slid open.
I watched him walk down the hall to the next of what must be enormous suites and disappear into his room with a wave that made me want to follow him like a puppy. Instead, I pressed my forehead into the icy surface of the entryway to cool me down. This was going to be a long vacation.
