Page 53 of Smoky Lake

24

“Do you think he’d tell us more if I did date him?” Ani asked with a yawn when they were both back in the old truck. Through bleary, exhausted eyes, she watched a few summer students meander by in hoodies with backpacks slung over one shoulder. One kid cruised past on a skateboard.

The university campus sprawled atop a rise that overlooked the city of Fairbanks, which spread in low buildings through a valley and across a wide river. There had to be a safe place to stay somewhere down there.

Gil answered with nothing more than a growl. A very satisfying growl, if you asked her. Then he changed the subject.

“How can you have the antibodies if you haven’t been infected?”

“I might have gotten a very mild case, maybe from Victor.” She yawned again. “I haven’t felt sick, but it’s been a very busy couple of weeks since then.”

“Forget all that,” said Gil. “Let’s find a place to stay. You can have a nap while I check Victor’s place.”

The thought of separating made her uneasy, but on the other hand, a nap sounded wonderful. “Do you think it’s safe?”

“I’ll be careful. I can move faster alone anyway.” He winced as soon as those words came out. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right. If there’s anyone watching his place, you’re better equipped to deal with it. Just…” She hesitated.

“What?”

“Be safe. If something happened to you, I’d be…” Biting her lip, she shifted course. “I don’t even know how to drive a manual transmission. I’d be stranded here.”

“That’s it. Driving lessons after your nap.” He grinned at her, but she got the sense he knew what she really wanted to say.

If anything happened to him, she’d be heartbroken.

They checked into a small hotel that catered to fishermen, call the Reel Inn. It offered a full breakfast, along with laundry facilities and an extensive DVD collection. The desk clerk didn’t seem to mind that Gil paid cash. She barely glanced at his ID, and didn’t ask for Ani’s at all. He requested a room with a view of the parking lot.

“The only one available has a king bed and no smoking.”

“Perfect.”

“Do you really think anyone still wants to follow us?” she whispered as they made their way to their room.

“I have no idea, but if they are, I want to be able to see them.”

He did a quick check of the room, which was about as simple as a hotel room could get—small bathroom with a shower, a king-size bed, a wall-mounted TV, and two nightstands. Instead of a Bible, the nightstand held a fishing guide.

Ani checked the bed linens and bounced the mattress with her hand. She yawned again.

“That’s it. Into bed with you.” Gil physically picked her up and plopped her onto the bed.

“My shoes…”

“I’ll get them.” He untied her low-heeled boots and slid them off her feet. She’d bought them for looks, not actual hiking, and her feet ached after covering so much ground. Also, did her feet stink? She wouldn’t be surprised.

But Gil didn’t seem to mind. Sitting on the bed next to her, he pulled off her socks and ran a strong thumb along the tendon that stretched along the inner curve of her left foot.

She gave a loud moan. “Oh my God. That feels incredible.”

He smiled and adjusted his position so both of her feet were in his lap. He massaged her heels, chasing away her aches with skilled, knowing fingers. She sprawled across the bed like a rag doll, unable to do anything except let out a moan now and then. Medically, she knew that serotonin was flooding her brain. But that didn’t account for the pure magic he was conjuring with his hands on her feet.

It was the way he touched her. He was tender. But oh so strong. Sensitive. But forceful too. No hidden knot of tension was safe from him. Those hands of his found it and worked it until it was no more.

“How did you learn to do that?” she murmured helplessly.

“They teach it in Secret Service school, right between surveillance techniques and weapons handling.”

---