“With pleasure, sweetheart.”
An undercurrent of guilt churns in my stomach as I fasten the clasp. I didn’t lie to her. I do want her to have something to hold on to from this night. From whatever this is we’re sharing. But I can’t get her words out of my head. “Talk to me, Austin. What’s haunting you?”
She thinks I’m a good man. Maybe that’s true. Or could be. But I’m also a fucking coward who used a pretty thing to avoid answering a serious question.
Chapter Eight
Mikayla
Morning comes too soon. I stayed out with Austin until close to eleven, and when we got back to the hotel, we retreated to a corner of the bar and talked until the staff kicked us out.
Before he said goodnight, he pressed me up against the wall and kissed me so thoroughly, I felt it down to my toes. And I was so wet, I ached to touch myself. Then, he featured in every single one of my dreams. Well, at least his face andverywell-muscled chest.
But for all the hours we spent together, I still don’t feel like I know the man. We danced around all the deep topics. His brother’s death, his injury, the haunted look in his eyes.
Every time I asked him a serious question, he deflected. Maybe it’s his military training, but I think there’s more to it. Not that I was much better. I don’t have a lot of experience to draw from, and ever since James the Jerk dumped meaftertalking me into bed, I’ve been too afraid to trust anyone with my body—or my heart.
Yet, when Austin and I kiss…it’s like he understands me in a way no one else ever has. And he never once pressured me for more than I was willing to give. When we finally managed to step away from each other very early this morning and he had to go back to his room? The way he was walking looked very,veryuncomfortable.
In the lobby, I fill my travel mug with coffee from the breakfast bar and wait for my students. But ten minutes after they’re supposed to meet me, Li’s the only one here.
“Where are Isaiah and Corey?” I ask.
Rolling her eyes, then dropping her gaze to the floor, she sighs. “Corey talked Isaiah into going out to a bar in town. Drinks and karaoke. I told them there was no way I was staying out as late as they wanted.” Her voice drops to a whisper, “And Isaiah didn’t come to my room last night.”
Whoa. They insisted on separate rooms when we booked this hotel, but Li’s staying next to me—on the opposite side from Austin—and the walls here? They’re pretty thin. I’ve heard him sneaking into her room every night.
“I can go knock on their doors,” she says quietly.
“I’ll do it. Theyknewwe had to get an early start today so we could hit up Sites OneandFour.” Frustration edges my tone, and I blow out a breath. “Sorry. I shouldn’t take this out on you.”
“No. You’re right. They were irresponsible. Corey said he wanted to blow off some steam. I’ll load up the bags.” Li extends the handle for the rolling suitcase containing our laptops and waits for me to pass her my backpack before flashing me a shy smile. “This way, I can pick the music.”
“Oh, that’s sneaky. You’re learning,” I say before rushing back to the elevator. My sports bra feels too tight across my ribs, which means I need to slow down. Staying up late two nights in a row and getting up at six isn’t smart, and if I’m not careful, I won’t be able to get more than halfway through the day without needing my rescue inhaler.
Breathe, Mik. If you have an attack, you’re going to feel like crap when you see Austin tonight.
Except if we find evidence of pesticide use, or if we have to wait another day to take samples, I’ll feel like crap anyway. Knocking on Isaiah’s door, I force myself to breathe slowly and put on my sternest “Ph.D boss” face.
The shuffling from inside only spurs my frustration on, but I wait, hands on my hips, until he cracks the door. “Isaiah. Crap. What happened to you?” He looks like death—if death had gotten into a bar fight and spent the night in a gutter. And the smell. I cover my mouth and nose and take a step back. “Oh, God. Open a window or something.”
“Sorry, Dr. Mik,” he croaks. “I…food poisoning.” He turns, racing for the bathroom, and the distinct sound of vomiting makes my stomach do backflips and sends nausea crawling up the back of my throat. I can’t handle other people throwing up. It’s a sure-fire way to activate my own gag reflex.
“Isaiah?” I call when the sound fades and the toilet flushes.
He braces his hand on the wall as he makes his way back to the door. “We went to this bar. And fuck. I’ve been up…all night. I can’t go more than,” he swallows hard, his skin turning greener and a sheen of sweat breaking out over his brow, “a few minutes without the bathroom.”
“Do you need a doctor? Or to go to the hospital?”
“No. Just…shit.” He tries to laugh, but then his face twists into a grimace and he doubles over and holds his stomach. “We’ll get…to Site One tomorrow… Oh God.” Isaiah shuts the door in my face, and a few seconds later, I can hear him throwing up yet again.
Corey looks marginally better, and his room doesn’t smell, but when he tries to tell me he’ll be okay in an hour, I wave him off. “No. Rest. Li and I can handle some of the analysis from yesterday’s samples and head out to Site Four on our regular rotation. Just…don’t ever do that again, okay? We only have a few more days to finish up all of our experiments—and that’s onlyifthe sites are clean. We can’t afford another delay.”
He nods, and the look on his face is one of pure and complete shame. He knows he screwed up, and I soften my tone. “Lots of water. Call down and have the restaurant send up some apples and toast. Nothing else. At all. And check on Isaiah. He’s in a lot worse shape than you are.”
“I’m so sorry, Dr. Mik,” Corey says as he starts to shut the door. “For everything.”
The trekto Site Four only takes twenty minutes. Unlike the previous two days, the weather on the mountain is pleasant, with thin sunshine streaming through the clouds. Li opens the collection kit and spreads it out on a small tarp. “Root and leaf samples today, Dr. Mik?”
