Ah, well… I’m sure it’s not the first bra he’s ever seen.
Dragging my focus away from the thoughts that came with that, I nonchalantly checked the state of the rest of my room. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad—or at least, there wasn’t anything else particularly embarrassing lying around. The bed was rumpled, my strappy sandals still lay where I’d kicked them off, and my dirty clothes were heaped in a pile next to my suitcase.
Then, of course, there was the closet door, which stood slightly ajar, revealing a dark sliver of shadow like something out of a horror movie.
Noah walked straight to the closet and pulled it open without hesitation. He peered inside, moving the hangers out of the way, and turned back to me. “Nothing in here.”
“Are you sure? It was closed when I fell asleep. Whatever woke me up must have opened the door.”
He gave me a look. “Check for yourself.”
I didn’t want to, but I’d definitely feel better if I confirmed it was safe with my own eyes. And it was better to do that while he was still here.
He stepped aside, and I padded across to look behind him.
And aside from a few dust bunnies, there was nothing there.
While I tried to force my eyes to accept what they were seeing, Noah crossed back to the bed and crouched down, checking under there as well. At that point, I forgot about the mystery of the open closet door and found myself staring at the curve of his shoulders, the bunching and flexing of his muscles. He bent down a little lower, baring a hint of smooth pale skin just above the waistband of his sweats.
I cleared my throat and looked away.
“No ghosts,” he announced, standing up and brushing his hands together like he’d just completed a thorough investigation.
I tucked my hands inside my jacket pockets, feeling pretty foolish but ignoring the warmth creeping up my neck. Was it possible I’d opened the closet earlier and just forgotten?
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
“No problem.” He headed for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “Sure you don’t want that drink?”
“I probably shouldn’t.” This time I felt compelled to add an excuse. “Big day ahead, you know?” I laughed a little.
I wasn’t even lying. Because, on this tour, every day was a big day.
He rolled his lips together, staring at the floor. Anyone else and I would have thought he looked disappointed. But then he looked up at me again, his eyes more blue than gray in the low light of my room.
And suddenly, I was acutely aware that the two of us were standing alone, by my bed. In my hotel room.
He tilted his head. He was going to say something…
I was practically holding my breath.
“It’s just that…” He pulled on the back of his neck.
“What?”
“It’s smart, you know. To be cautious.”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
“There aren’t a lot of women who are brave enough to travel alone. But here you are, ghosts and all.”
I laughed a little at that. “You aren’t afraid of them.”
“Yeah, no.” He let out a slow breath, dropping his hand to his side and wincing. “It’s the real stuff that gets to me, things that don’t go away when you turn on the lights.”
His words shook me a little. I’d bet my favorite knife this had something to do with his job. But when he looked at me, I realized that he wasn’t ready to go there.
“I’m not brave,” I said, pretending to straighten the blankets even though I was going to mess them up again in about five minutes. “Not even close.” He’d think differently if he knew how terrified I’d been to come on this trip. I must’ve hidden it better than I thought.
