Page 76 of Where There's Smoke

“Hey!”

“What? It’s true.”

“Whatever.”

The two of them bantered as they always did, all the way to the elevator and up to the second floor, where she got off. Jesse and I both had rooms on the sixth floor, so we stayed in the elevator, which was conspicuously—and more than a little uncomfortably—silent now that Ranya was gone.

We stood almost an arm’s length apart, facing forward. I kept my gaze fixed on the numbers above the door, and guessed he did the same. As the doors closed, faint music filled the silence.

The elevator started upward, and Jesse said, “Think they have cameras in here?”

I furrowed my brow. “Yeah, probably.”

“Damn.” The note of playfulness in his voice hinted at what he had in mind, and set my teeth on edge.

“I certainly wouldn’t gamble with my campaign to find out.” I looked at him. “And either way, didn’t we agree—”

“We did.” He kept his eyes focused above the door.

“Then…?”

The ghost of a smile played at his lips, and he shook his head, dropping his gaze. “Sorry. Never mind.”

I resisted the urge to curse aloud. There were few things that irritated me more than a damned tease. “Jesse, I’m serious. We—”

“So am I.” His head snapped toward me, and the vague smile was long gone. His voice unsteady with desperation, he whispered, “Anthony, I’m going out of my damned mind.”

I swallowed, closing my fingers at my sides just to keep from reaching for him. “You’re not the only one. But you said yourself we can’t do this.”

“I know. And…I know we shouldn’t. But my God…” He exhaled. “That was before I figured out what it was like tonotdo this.”

“So what do we do?”

Before he could answer, the elevator stopped. As the doors slid open, he lowered his voice to a nearly inaudible whisper. “You tell me.”

We locked eyes, and he backed up his words with even deeper desperation than what was in his voice a moment ago.

You tell me.

Please. Tell me which way this should go.

Tell me, Anthony.

The elevator doors started to close. I grabbed one side, and as they yielded and reopened, I said, “Whatever we do, it won’t be in here. Come on.”

We stepped out of the elevator in silence. Since Simone was in town tonight, and would be in their room at some point if she wasn’t there already, I stopped in front of my own room. Jesse stopped too, sending my pulse soaring.

Neither of us spoke as I pulled my card key out of my pocket. Theclick-beepof the card reader echoed down the silent, almost deserted hallway, and theclankof the door handle sent a surge of panic through me. Christ, could they have made the doors any louder? Everyone in the hotel must have heard. And if they heard, then they knew, and they would—

Fuck it. I don’t even care.

I gestured for Jesse to go ahead, and after he’d disappeared into my room, I glanced up and down the hall just in case anyone had seen us. There was no one around, so I followed him in and closed the door behind us.

And with no cameras and no prying eyes, we stared at each other. Fumbling blindly, I felt around on the door until I found the deadbolt. I turned it. Jesse gulped.

So what do we do?

You tell me.

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