Chapter Seven #2
In another time or place, she’d be my perfect woman. But nothing can change the fact that I am a man always in dangerous situations, rarely home, and she is a woman who deserves commitment. A man who’ll be there for her at the end of the day.
Of course, she doesn’t want that kind of relationship. What was it she said?
With love comes inevitable loss. I’d like to minimize any more pain in my life. I keep my relationships light.
I can relate to the sentiment…even if, looking at her, I wish things were different. For both of us.
I shouldn’t be surprised I went from another chance to sleep with this woman to thinking such serious thoughts.
This is Talia, after all. The girl I had a thing for when I was too young and stupid to know what to do with her, how to take care of her better.
I know now. And no matter how fast my heart beats around her, no matter how much I enjoy her or want her in my life, that is a lesson I learned.
How to put others before myself. How to put her first.
So I’ll get her to her professor friend, figure out how to keep her formula safe, and go back to the life I know. I have no business considering relationships. At all. No matter how much a part of me wants to.
* * *
Talia
Dinner in the downstairs restaurant consists of the most delicious steak meal I’ve ever had. A juicy filet, creamed spinach, a baked potato loaded with sour cream, and I am in food heaven.
Shane is alert and wary, but he also relaxes enough to enjoy both my company and the food.
“Dessert,” a waiter says, placing the cheesecake I ordered in front of me.
I cut a piece and taste it immediately, groaning at the flavor as it melts in my mouth. “This is so good.”
Shane eyes me, an amused smile on his face.
“What?” I ask, laughing. “I worked up an appetite earlier.” I pointedly refer to our session in the shower. And in the bed.
His eyes heat at the reminder. “I just enjoy watching you eat.”
“Want a bite?” I scoop a piece onto my fork and hold it out for him.
He shakes his head. “No sweets for me.” He pauses, a killer smile edging his lips. “Except for you. Then I’ll let myself indulge.”
I laugh, as amused as I am secretly thrilled by his comment. “I see. So that’s how you keep that killer body.” I nod in approval.
At the compliment, he sits up a little straighter in his chair. “Are you trying to get me to drag you back to the room again?”
I twirl the fork in my hand. “I wouldn’t object,” I murmur, only partly teasing.
He glances up, his gaze catching the waiter’s.
“Check, please.”
* * *
Shane
I walk by Talia’s side, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious-looking…
but I don’t see anything to alert me. Which doesn’t mean I let my guard down.
Although her locket seems like the obvious choice for a bug, that is almost too easy.
My gut doesn’t like the odds that we lost the people following her or their ability to track Talia.
Once back in the room, I double-lock the door and put a finger over my lips, indicating she shouldn’t talk just yet. I head straight for my bag and begin a thorough scan of the room and all likely places a bug could have been placed while we are at dinner.
Large pharmaceutical companies have big money at their disposal. A maid or a front desk clerk could be bribed to let someone into the room and search for the formula…which we kept with us during dinner.
While Talia watches, bottom lip pulled between her teeth, I work my way around the room. When I reach the bed, I run the wand around the headboard, and damned if I don’t get a loud beep when I scan the main piece.
I pat behind the wooden board and find the sucker, pinned to the back. Fuck. I hold up the small bug and place a hand over my mouth, indicating she should be quiet.
So it wasn’t the locket, I think in frustration. She dumped the memento for no reason, and it is my fault. Guilt grips me hard, but I need to handle this situation before I can deal with our emotions.
I leave the offending bug on the dresser, grab Talia’s hand, and lead her to the bathroom, where I run the shower for extra noise.
“Don’t panic,” I say, looking into her wide eyes as I speak in hushed tones.
“They broke into our room while we were at dinner?” she asks, appalled.
“Probably paid someone to let them in,” I say. “But that doesn’t explain how they keep finding us.” I scowl, frustrated that they’ve gotten the better of me at every turn.
She shrugs. “I’m at a loss, too. But it wasn’t the locket,” she whispers, sad at the memory of what she had to leave behind.
My gut twists as realization dawns for her that she threw away her last link to her mother for no reason. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Let’s just focus on what we can control. What do we do now?” I ask about the bug.
“I have an idea.”
She straightens her shoulders, bucking up as she always does, and I am so damned proud of her in this moment.
“I’m listening.”
I speak in a low whisper. “We’re going to go back out there and lay out our plans for tomorrow, except we’re going to lead them somewhere else completely.”
I pull out my cell and begin to search hospital names in the area. “We don’t want them near Dr. Goodwin, so you’re going to mention that we’re meeting him here.” I show her the name of a medical center on the other side of town.
I’m not convinced the ruse will take care of the problem, however, because these assholes have managed to catch up with us every time.
She blinks in surprise. “What if they follow us anyway?” she asks, her brain following the same line as mine.
“We’re going to specifically mention that you don’t have the whole formula, the man you’re meeting does, but it won’t be with him.” I don’t want to set Goodwin up as an immediate target, either.
Hopefully, the plan will buy us time to meet with the good doctor, drive to the cabin, get our hands on the rest of the cure, and turn it over to Dr. Goodwin’s ex-wife.
“Once we have a location where your mentor lives, I’ll call Ian, and he’ll send a team to have our backs. Just in case.”
She visibly swallows hard. “Okay.”
I grasp her forearms in a sign of reassurance. “Ready?”
She nods.
Grabbing her hand, I lead her back to the bedroom, standing by the bug. “You’re sure there’s no way to contact your mentor faster?” I ask. I give a squeeze of her palm to let her know to answer.
“I can’t. He’s eccentric. He already knows to meet us at Providence Portland Medical Center, where he has an office. Hopefully, he has the rest of the formula with him there.”
I wink at her, mouthing, good job. I deliberately give a loud yawn. “I want to turn in early. I’m exhausted. You wore me out,” I say with a laugh.
She narrows her gaze.
I place a finger over my mouth and gesture to the bathroom again, where we can talk in private.
She follows me into the room and turns on the shower.
“What’s going on?” she asks in a whisper.
“I don’t want to sleep in here. We’ll get another room and come back in the morning to shower before we head out. No reason to be aware of a bug all night. We’ll be up tossing and turning. Let’s just go back out there, make some noise, and pretend to go to sleep. Then we’ll sneak out again.”
She nods, eyes lit up at my plan. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
Acting on impulse, I lean over and press a kiss on her lips.
Just because I want to.