“Maybe we should find Andreas and go get those kebabs,” he said.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to think Papantonis didn’t actually exist,” Theo said, obviously trying to change the subject.
“You saw his journal this morning. How can you say he didn’t exist?”
“I’m not saying the journal wasn’t real. But the person? There’s so little about him outside of his own texts. Maybe he was the alter ego of some other person. Maybe Theseus. Like he didn’t want people to know it was him.”
“Or maybe that’s what Papantonis wanted people to think,” Dani said, excited by the prospect.
“Huh?” Theo’s confusion couldn’t be masked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Dani’s shoulders deflated. No, it didn’t.
“Imustbe getting hungry. And all these Greek letters are turning my brain into Greek alphabet soup.”
Theo snickered. “Yeah, it’s time for food.”
He turned his back to put the room back in order, but as Dani got up from the chair, something caught her eye. The corner of a book peeking out from the top of the shelf. Something pulled Dani toward that book. It beckoned her. Teased her with its teensy little corner peeking out over the edge. Daring her to go for it.
Dani was never one to pick truth when it came to truth or dare. Besides, that book would niggle at her mind if she left it now. Murphy’s Law, and all that.
She brushed past Theo and placed both her hands on the shelf, tugging at it to check its stability.
“Juicy, what are you doing?” he asked in a hushed, cautioning tone, glancing over his shoulder at her to make sure no one could see them from out the window.
“I see something,” she said, placing her hand on the shelves.
“Leave it,” he commanded.
“It will take two seconds,” she said, lifting herself up the shelving like it was a ladder.
The wood creaked as her weight shifted.Steady. Steady.
Her shoe slipped and a tiny “ope” slipped out of her mouth as she braced herself to crash on her ass. But instead of the feel of the hard floor, two large hands propped up her butt. She glanced behind her, seeing Theo holding her up.
“Hey, watch where you’re putting those things,” she said, smiling.
“I can let go if you want.” He winked.
No, she didn’t want. She liked the way his hands molded around her curves. How strong they were as he cupped her. Or how they might feel without this barrier of clothing. How dangerously close they were to the other sensitive spots of her body. But now wasn’t the time for her imagination to run wild, despite how badly her body wanted to run buck wild.
“Give me a boost,” she said.
He raised her up as she climbed the shelving. Only a few more inches. She stretched to reach the book, her fingers grazing the edge so that they accidentally pushed the book back farther onto the shelf. She didn’t need the help anymore, but Theo held her by the hips now, steadying her body as she reached.
“Juicy…” he said, his voice low and warning.
“Just a sec,” she said, grunting and biting on her lip as she stretched.
Almost. There.
“Juicy…they’re here.”
“Who’s what?” she said, looking down to find Theo staring out the window at something.
She glanced toward the direction of his gaze down the hallway outside of the room. No, not something.
