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“Yup. If I pin you next to me, you can’t toss and turn.”
“Fair enough.” He made it sound so easy. It wasn’t, of course, but right then, I wanted to believe.
Chapter Fourteen
Malik
I woke up alone, which I’d expected, but Avery was still in the room, which was more of a surprise. His hair was damp, reminding me how silky the strands had been under my fingers last night. Sitting on the edge of the other bed, he was dressed in an A-List T-shirt and similar canvas tactical pants as the day before as he put on his prosthesis.
Curious, I stayed still so I could watch. Some powder, then a compression sleeve, and finally the prosthesis itself, which was an impressive contraption. He had an anchor tattoo on his left arm, and the red metal of the prosthesis also had a pattern, giving a punk look to what was actually cutting-edge medical technology.
“This is where I turn into a cyborg.” Avery laughed, but there was uncertainty there, making my gut clench.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.” Sitting up, I tried to match his casual tone. “It’s neat how far prostheses have come. I’ve got a buddy who’s a double leg amputee, and his latest pair has computer chips and neuro-tech that give him more control.”
“Yeah, the newest versions are super pricey, and insurance hates covering them.” Avery made a sour face. “One instance where I’m glad for my folks’ money. My dad knows a couple of big-time orthopedists, and my mom came with me to a special clinic at UCLA to get fitted for this one. My first couple weren’t nearly this cool. Had to level up.”
“Glad you had their help.”
“Eh. Ended up needing to make an appearance at a deal for my dad’s friends so he could show my new tech off, but it was worth it because I can do so much more now. See?” He deftly tied his boots.
“Impressive.” I hefted myself out of bed, so I could try to catch up on getting ready.
“You sleep okay?” Avery’s head tilted, and his careful tone made it clear what he was really asking about was my PTSD, but unlike with others, I didn’t mind his concern as much.
“Like a rock.” I smiled and stretched. I was naked, so I enjoyed making his eyes go wide. “I’m not even sure I took my meds. Round two in the shower with you stole the last of my brain cells.”
“Sorry.” He flushed and busied himself straightening his bootlaces.
“I’m not. And the warm, squirmy heat-seeking missile next to me probably kept me asleep too.”
“Oh…” He inhaled sharply. “I’m glad. I mean, it was good. For me too.”
“This doesn’t have to be awkward.” I strode over to the dresser where I’d unpacked my stuff.
“I know.” He gave me a tight smile, none of that flirty grin he’d had last night. “Just two buds getting off, right? No biggie.”
“Exactly.” It was more than that, and we both knew it, but I’d let him pretend. “No need to be weird, and if we want to do it again—”
“Oh, I definitely want.” Well, that was a good sign.
“Excellent news.”
“I’d make you tell me more about rules for getting kinky, but we better hurry for the morning meeting. We don’t want to keep Keely, Tiffany, and the rest waiting.”
And that was not such a good sign that he’d been specifically thinking about the bubbly Tiffany. Sure enough, Avery marched right over to her as soon as we entered the diner. Having nothing better to do, I trailed after him
“Morning.” I didn’t miss how wide Avery’s smile had become. “Sleep okay?”
Huh. His smile might be bright, but his tone sounded fake to my ears, false cheer compared to the genuine concern he’d had for me. And I seriously needed to get a grip if I was micro-analyzing his every sentence.
“Actually, no.” Tiffany frowned, perfectly made-up mouth pouting. “My heater unit rattled all night. And maintenance was all shrug emoji when I called the front desk.”
“There’s a front desk?” Avery laughed. “I wasn’t aware there even was one of those. We got our keys right from Keely. But I can take a look later if you want. I come with my own power tools.” He waggled his prosthetic arm in her direction, and she predictably giggled.
“Would you? That would be awesome.” She beamed, and there went the last traces of my good mood. Not that I had a claim on Avery, but I wasn’t going to stick around and listen to him try to impress Tiffany.
“I’m going to find the coffee.”
“Two creams and no sugar,” Tiffany chirped, clearly used to having the help do her bidding.
“Avery?” I prompted. No need to reveal to him that I felt salty.
“Juice. But I’ll come with you, help you carry.”
Well, that was unexpected. “Thanks.”
“You want food?” he asked Tiffany, grin so eager he might as well be on the cover of Labrador Monthly.
