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Therin’s smile emerged slowly. His light stare was dangerously probing as he regarded Winton. “What does that tell you?”
Winton waited as their breakfast orders arrived. He glanced toward his colleagues then. “That tells me you’ve been charmed as totally and as easily as every other man who meets her.”
Therin smiled, looking down at his platter, but didn’t dig in. “You’re chalking my concern up to momentary fascination,” he told Winton.
“No man is momentarily fascinated with Key,” Khan said after washing down his food with a mouthful of juice.
“She hasn’t had a serious relationship in a few years…that’s why,” Winton said. “Every man who meets her realizes she’s no momentary fascination. Unfortunately, that condition of hers rears its ugly head sooner or later and she has to choose between being happy and being alive.”
“But dammit, that’s not a choice she has to make,” Therin snapped.
“It’s not just about taking a pill,” Khan said. “It’s what the pills represent for her. She thinks of them as a badge of shame. She’s been tied to them her entire life. She’s a strong-willed person and to be…dependent on them is probably harder on her than the illness itself.”
“Christ.” Therin pushed away his untouched plate, nodding toward Cube when he requested permission to dive in.
For the next five minutes, Therin watched them passing salt and sharing food. He studied them each closely and eventually realization dawned.
“You’re waiting her out, aren’t you?”
“If it seems like a cop out, it is.” Brody spoke up then. “I’m not happy about it one damn bit, but to argue with her over it would aggravate things more than they already have been.” He bowed his head and massaged the area where his Afro tapered at the neck. “It terrifies me to think about her off of her medication.”
The clatter of silverware and glasses slowly diminished as the rest of the guys stilled. Before now, none of them had heard Brody voice that particular concern.
“I told her we’d be watching her like a hawk…if something happened, I’d insist on her forgetting this foolishness and begin her regimen again. I’m confident she’ll take them if she needs them. I have to be.”
Therin cursed and buried his face in his hands as he inhaled deeply to cool his temper. The others seemed to lose their appetites as well.
Khan was first to stand. “I’ll get the check. Catch you guys later. Mr. Rucker.” He nodded a goodbye.
“Yeah, I’m outta here, too. Got some stuff to do.” Cube followed next. “Rucker,” he bid.
“Good seeing you again, Rucker.” Winton extended a hand to shake.
“Give us a minute, man,” Brody said when the waiter came to collect dishes. “Have you two slept together?” he asked once the young waiter had walked on.
Therin propped a sneaker-shod foot to the chair Winton had vacated. Bracing a fist to his forehead, the resigned smile he gave was confirmation enough.
“How was she when you left her?” Brody asked.
A muscle danced along Therin’s jaw as it tightened. “She was sleeping, woke up before I left. Said she wanted to make me breakfast.” He smiled briefly on the memory.
Brody picked at his bacon. “Did she tell you about her condition before or after you…?”
“Before.”
“And I suppose you figured you could…keep yourself in check around her?”
“The hell with you, doc.” Therin’s fist landed on the table. “I didn’t jump on her the second I met her. Hell, I didn’t even want to risk it—”
“Exactly.” Brody straightened in his chair. “May I speak frankly?”
Therin’s laughter drew a fair amount of attention. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”
Brody grinned. “Khan was right. What he said about not being able to tell her what to do. She’s got a way…an almost undetectable way of working things in her favor.”
“That passion of hers?” Brody waited for Therin’s nod. “It’s evident in all she does. All, Mr. Ambassador.”
The muscle began its wicked dance along Therin’s jaw again. “Are you speaking from experience, then?”
“No. Not mine—others.” Brody ran his hand across the low afro. “Key’s last relationship was over three years ago. Things didn’t move nearly as fast there as they have with the two of you but they made progress. The first night they slept together, she wound up in the ER.”
Therin went cold beneath his tan hoody.
