“Dead fish,” Krieger interjected. “We hear you, loud and clear.”
“Good. The last thing I need is you two giving me a coronary.” I gave a dry smile. “My life is weird and freaky enough.”
Lux or Erebus or even friggin’ Davin could show up at any moment, and that was terrifying enough for me.
Three
Ryann
“Ryann?” Adam knocked on the door again, softer this time. “Is everything okay?”
Finch had vanished through the chalk door, but I needed a moment to catch my breath. If Adam saw me flustered, he’d wonder what on earth was going on.
“All good! Just throwing on a sweater. I still haven’t worked out the heating in this place.” What are you saying?! This was San Diego, not Alaska. I was more likely to sweat buckets than shiver. But I’d said it now. So, I sprinted into my bedroom, yanked a sweater from my closet, and pulled it on.
Crossing to the door and taking a moment to get myself together, I could’ve smacked myself on the forehead for my stupidity. How could I have forgotten Adam was coming by? I’d had it in my diary and everything, but that diary had gotten somewhat convoluted lately. I had to remember other things—things that weren’t written down: the lies I’d had to tell Adam because of magical rules, the dates of important projects I couldn’t leave out for anyone to see, and the worrying business with Finch and his mission for Erebus. Mistakes were bound to happen, since I’d been hiding so much from Adam.
With a sharp inhale, I opened the door at last. “Sorry about that.”
Adam stood in the hallway, good-looking and sexy as hell, with his sweet smile focused solely on me. I hadn’t just forgotten he was coming by—I’d forgotten how much I adored that face. He wore jeans and a gray t-shirt but somehow looked like he’d dressed for a photoshoot. Adam had that effect on pretty much anything he wore.
“I’ve missed you.” He leaned down and kissed me, taking me by surprise. It took a second to remember that I needed to kiss him back, or I’d just be standing there like a mannequin. But it came back to me quickly enough. Kissing him felt as natural as breathing, as sappy as that sounded. As he broke away, he cradled my cheek and lightly brushed his thumb across my skin. It tingled in the best kind of way.
“I’ve missed you, too.” I meant it.
“How come your hair isn’t wet? I thought you said you were in the shower.” He looked at me, puzzled.
“Oh, it was just a body shower. I couldn’t be bothered to wash my hair,” I lied.
He smiled wider. “You had me worried for a second. You sure you’re not hiding somebody in there? Should I start checking behind the curtains?” He did a jokey charade of peering over my shoulder into the apartment.
My stomach clenched. “No guy, just a bunch of paperwork keeping me company. And now you, obviously. You’re the only guy here. Well, you will be, when you come inside.”
Why was I freaking out so much? It wasn’t like Finch and I had been up to anything sordid. Sifting through books didn’t a torrid love affair make. I’m sure, if I explained, Adam wouldn’t even mind that much that Finch had been here. He was a family friend.
“Good thing I brought takeout to feed that overworked mind of yours, then. I don’t know how you do it, working all these hours. I thought I had it bad at the hospital, but you make me look like a part-timer.” Adam lifted a brown paper bag with the name of our favorite Thai spot printed on the side. He grinned. “And I wouldn’t be much of a lunch date if I didn’t actually bring the lunch, would I?”
“My hero.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him again. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
He chuckled. “It may be too late for the spring rolls. They flatlined while you were putting your sweater on.”
“Have no fear, I’ve got a microwave and I’m not afraid to use it. We’ll bring those spring rolls back to life in no time.” I settled into a sense of calm as I led him through the apartment. Adam had that effect on me. In fact, he had that effect on most people. It made him the ideal pediatrician; the kids he treated loved him more than I did. Their moms and some of the nurses, too. Good thing I wasn’t the jealous type.
My calm died a sudden death when I registered the second mug on the coffee table. Crap! I’d been so worried about getting the books out of the way, I’d forgotten about it. Trying to keep up a façade of cool, I put myself between Adam and his view of the coffee table—no easy feat, considering he towered over me.
“Why don’t you get plates and silverware from the kitchen?” I suggested. “I’ll deal with the papers and stuff I’ve been working on. You know, NDAs and all that.”
He laughed. “Sure.”
Once he left, I dove for the mug, only to stand there with no idea where to put it. Rattled, I sprinted for the armchair and stuffed the full mug of coffee behind it. For half a second, I wondered why Finch hadn’t drunk any of it, but that was the least of my worries.
Get it together, Ryann! I scolded myself. I was legitimately acting like I did have a guy in the curtains. Taking a steadying breath, I made my way back to the couch and sat down. I scanned the room just to be sure I hadn’t missed anything else and sighed in relief when I found no further evidence of Finch Merlin ever being here.
Adam returned, sitting beside me. He took the reins, letting me relax while he laid out the plates and started serving. He moved deftly with those healing hands, no movement wasted. The scent of pad thai and jasmine rice made my mouth water, and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. I’d been running on caffeine and little else. And the coffee wasn’t good. It dawned on me why Finch’s mug was still full. I didn’t blame him for avoiding it.
Why am I thinking about him again? Finch had been making his way into my head frequently, and I couldn’t understand why. Melody had pointed out that I was, potentially, not being honest with myself. But how could I be honest with myself when I didn’t know what my brain was doing? I loved Adam. I really did. So, how could Finch keep creeping into my thoughts?
“You’re drooling.” Adam gave me a laughing nudge.
“Am I?” I wiped my mouth frantically, almost punching him in the face. “Gah, sorry! I’m all over the place today. Dad would call me butterfingers.”
He lifted his hands to my face, steadying me. “You’re working too hard. I know this government internship means a lot to you, but you need to take some time for yourself, or you’ll burn out before you even make it to becoming president of the United States.” He flashed a knowing smile. “Are you even sleeping?”
“Do I look that bad?” I sighed, running a hand through my oh so dry hair. A reminder of the huge fib I’d told about a body shower. I returned my hands to my lap with awkward stiffness. This lying business didn’t suit me one bit.
“Don’t be silly; you never look bad. You’re always beautiful. It’s just that you’re so busy with work, and I don’t want you making yourself sick.” He kissed me gently, but I was too distracted to really enjoy it.
I broke away. “It’s temporary, while I’m finding my feet in this job. I need to make a good impression.”