Time to grab her bags and head to her hotel room, unpack, and maybe let herself soak in a nice hot tub.
And enjoy one of the many untoward items she had packed in her suitcase. After all, it would be a little awkward to have a good old-fashioned, one-night stand with Aiden if he was going to be hanging around outside her door for the entire rest of the mission.
And with him hovering, she wasn’t sure how she’d find someone else to do the deed for her.
Depending on the level of stress relief she was going to need over the next week or so, she would figure that out in due time.
4
The hotel wasn’t exactly anything fancy.
She’d naively hoped that the small Scottish town, conveniently situated on the ocean, would look picture-perfect, like any of the tourist postcards she’d seen back at the airport.
It wasn’t.
But the run-down accommodations were better than nothing, and when she climbed the stairs and unlocked the door, revealing a surprisingly nice, clean room with the crisp smell from a freshly vacuumed and sprayed room, Delilah had to admit she was a little relieved.
Agent Reyes, because she was trying to keep him slotted professionally in her head and refusing to think of him as Aiden anymore, huffed and puffed while dragging her luggage into the room. He noticeably sighed when setting it down on the floor. “What the fuck is in here?”
“Notebooks and clothes,” she said, not telling him about the number of thick scientific journals that she’d brought in case she had time for extra reading…and definitely not telling him about her personal items.
That answer didn’t please Agent Reyes. “Bullshit. There are not just some notebooks in there. This weighs more than what you’re supposed to have on a plane. How many overweight fees did you have to pay to get this onboard?”
It was about five and a half pounds heavier than what was standard, but a little lipstick and a smile usually was enough to let her sneak on a little extra weight in her bag.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.
She wasn’t going to admit to him that she didn’t follow the rules at all times.
Agent Reyes still didn’t look pleased by this, but that was fine; he could get over it.
“Are you sure you’re going to be protecting me if you have trouble with one little bag of luggage?”
“First of all, that’s not little. That’s massive, and secondly, yes, I absolutely can protect you. Just make sure I’m not carrying around a hundred-pound bag of rocks with me, and I should be good.”
Against her better judgment, Delilah smiled.
She got the impression he was just complaining and that he could have carried the bag up the stairs and into her room without a fuss. He wasn’t breathing heavily, and she detected no sweat anywhere on him. Yeah, he huffed and puffed just to put on a show up the stairs.
Why, she couldn’t figure out.
People were weird. Probably why she got along with the dead ones better. It was easier to figure out what was going on with them as opposed to the odd quirks of the living.
Fortunately, whatever odd game Agent Reyes was playing with her ended quickly, as he immediately went about his business checking every possible hiding spot in the room.
And there weren’t many.
He checked behind the heavy curtains, beneath both beds, then began looking in the bathroom.
Delilah was curious as to what exactly he was doing when he began checking the windows, opening and closing them before peeking his head out, but she didn’t ask.
She hoisted her bag up onto the second bed with a mild grunt before unzipping it.
Maybe it was a little heavier than she remembered. There were wheels on it, so paying attention to the weight wasn’t too much of a problem in an airport with smooth flooring.
She started unpacking, putting everything in neat and organized piles.
At some point, she realized Agent Reyes came to stand behind her, and he was looking at her books. “Anatomy, the autopsy process, decomposition…do you really need to read all that?”
She ignored the disgust in his voice. “It’s always good to keep refreshed on certain materials. I’m not going to fall behind on current information just because I’m on an overseas mission.”
Looking back at him, she was shocked at how her body reacted to his close proximity. His chest, a solid mass, exuded a strength that she wanted to reach out and touch. Were the muscles really that firm through his jacket and clothes? And would his skin underneath be smooth against her tongue?
Down, girl. Delilah glanced away quickly.
She needed that stress relief a little more than she first thought.
“Can you please back up a little? It’s uncomfortable having you so close.”
“Oh, sure thing, sorry about that.” He sounded like he really hadn’t noticed how close he’d come to her.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t playing a whole new kind of game.
“So, did you find what you were looking for?” she asked, grabbing her pens and notebooks next.
She needed a whole case of black gel pens, as well as a few red ones just to keep focused, not to mention the highlighters. Most of her notebooks were new as well. Fresh supplies for a fresh case.
It took her a moment to notice that Agent Reyes wasn’t answering her. He was looking at her, lost in thought.
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Well?”
He blinked and came out of his trance. “Obviously. No bugs or cameras, no one hiding in here either.”
As cool as she was trying to play it, she felt relieved when he confirmed it. If the killer—or killers—were involved with the FPU, then they would have access to plenty of surveillance items that would keep them apprised of what she was doing. And she didn’t like the idea of being watched.
“Thank you for everything. I can take care of myself from here.”
“You don’t need any help with anything?”
There was one area he could be very useful for, and despite the circumstances, Delilah buzzed with the interest and lust that pooled within her as he pretended to not know the innuendo his question contained.
But that would have to wait. Which was a shame.
“No. I want to review all the files again, make sure there isn’t something I missed.”
Agent Reyes nodded, agreeing a little too quickly for her liking. “Right, well, if you need anything, I’m in the room next door to yours. If you want to order food, let me know so I can collect it at the door.”
“Food, right. I should eat some real food. Let me figure out where in case you want some food from the same place.” She found the local restaurant guide on the desk and waved it in his direction.
What was wrong with her? First, she was disappointed that he wasn’t going to make an attempt to stick around after she dismissed him, and now she was bringing up meal options as though they were going to have a date or something.
She quickly settled on a restaurant and wrote down her request for a chicken Caesar salad and soda. Agent Reyes informed her that he’d share his extra large meat lovers pizza if she decided she wanted a slice. “I’ll have them come to my room to make the drop-off.”
Agent Reyes made his exit with a stiff nod and a reminder that she call for him the moment anything felt off. He also told her he would stay outside her door until he heard the deadbolt and the chain lock after he left.