Chapter 10 #2
“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.
She pulled the babydoll nightgown over her head and wrapped her hair in a towel to soak up the moisture.
A quick glance in the mirror confirmed what she’d suspected.
The beaded tips of her nipples poked through the fabric, announcing her nakedness beneath.
The nightgown was a little more sheer than she’d expected.
Maybe she should wear one of the shirts instead, or put the bra on beneath the nightgown.
No. She’d sleep more comfortably in the nightgown.
All she had to do was get to the bed and pull up the covers.
Thankfully, the shower had washed away the tears, and her eyes weren’t terribly red-rimmed from her bout of self-pity.
More in control of her emotions, she gathered her bags and extra clothes and stepped out of the bathroom.
Crusher had pulled off the shirt he’d worn and dumped the contents of his purchases across his bed. He turned when she emerged, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. “Better?”
She nodded and fought the urge to cry all over again. She wasn’t a crier, damn it. “The bathroom’s all yours.”
His glance swept past the bags she clutched to her chest and down to take in her bare legs. Was that her imagination? Had his eyes flared at the sight of her legs?
Her pulse quickened, and she held her breath as she eased around him and backed up to the bed furthest from the door.
Crusher’s gaze followed her. As if he realized he was staring, his head jerked back to the items on the bed. He grabbed the boxer briefs, shorts and a shaving kit and dove into the bathroom.
Warmth spread through Marta. Maybe her skimpy nightgown had struck a chord with Crusher. That, along with the blazing kiss on the airplane to Mexico City, had to mean something.
But what?
She’d spent her entire adult life buried in science.
She wasn’t a virgin, having had awkward sex with one of her classmates in college three times.
He’d asked for her help with Calculus and repaid her mathematical knowledge with carnal knowledge.
She’d gone along with him, calling it a scientific experiment—at least in her mind.
All the other students were well-versed and found sex satisfying, leading to the hypothesis that intercourse was enjoyable and had significant physical benefits.
Marta wanted to know why and to prove her hypothesis.
After the first time, she hadn’t seen what all the fuss was about.
There was no chemical reaction. No tingling.
No desire to cry out in ecstasy. Just pain and fumbling with body parts.
She’d figured more experimentation might give her enough experience to draw concrete conclusions.
Apparently, the young man had found her sexual abilities sadly lacking. The third round had been his last with Marta. He’d moved on to a girl known for sleeping around with a number of the guys in his fraternity, a more experienced partner.
After graduating, she’d dated a few times, kissed a couple of men, but none of them had inspired her to jump back in bed for more awkward sex.
She’d concluded that either her body wasn’t equipped with the proper genetics to enjoy intercourse, or she hadn’t met the person with the right chemistry to trigger her satisfaction.
Until Crusher.
She grimaced. Why did she think she could do it now? She knew so little about the act. A man like Crusher had to have a rich knowledge of sensual pursuits. He’d be like her experiment with dating in college and find her sadly lacking.
Marta sank deeper under the blanket, pulled the towel off her head and grabbed her hairbrush. As she worked through the tangles until all the knots were released, she chastised herself.
Who was she kidding? She couldn’t initiate intercourse. She didn’t even know how to flirt.
Now, if Crusher initiated...
Her pulse sped, and heat coiled at her core. Holy shit. This was the chemistry she’d missed in college. The adrenaline rush, the pulse-pounding reaction to a man who inspired in her...
Lust.
Marta gasped.
At that very moment of realization, and perhaps because of her audible gasp, the bathroom door sprang open, and the object of her inner turmoil and burgeoning desire stepped out wearing only gym shorts, his chest naked and sparkling with drops of water.
He was rubbing his head with a towel, making his sandy blond hair stand on end.
His gaze went immediately to her. “Are you okay?”
Marta’s cheeks flamed, and her mouth went dry. She swept her tongue across her lips and stared, uncontrollably. Incapable of forming a coherent vocal response, she nodded.
His glance swept the room, coming back to land on her. “I thought I heard something.” His brow dipped. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded again and then shook her head, her mind warring between her logical scientific self and this stranger within, urging her to take a step on the wild and insane side.
Crusher tossed the towel onto a chair and crossed to Marta’s bed. “What’s wrong?” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “You’re flushed. Your cheeks are warm. You could have a fever.” He started to take his hand away.
Without thinking a logical thought, Marta covered his hand with hers and pressed her cheek into his palm. Her mouth opened, and she spoke the first thing that came into her mind. “I want to have sex with you.”
Crusher froze, his eyes wide. “Say again?”
Her gaze shot to his. Had she really blurted out that she wanted to have sex with him? Desperately backpaddling, she stammered. “Did I say something?”
With a slow nod, Crusher held her gaze. His thumb brushed her cheek and moved lower to skim across her lips. His eyes followed his thumb. “You said you want to have sex with me.”
“I did, didn’t I?” The way he looked at her gave her the courage to own what she was feeling.
Marta lifted her chin and continued in a rush.
“I find you attractive in a very primal rush of my senses. I mean, we kissed on the plane. I could be wrong, but I think you enjoyed it as much as I did, and this is our last night together.”