“He kissed you? You allowed him to pass on all those germs to you?” She fights another laugh. Germs were the last thing on my mind when I’d kissed Gabe.
“I actually kissed him.” Her mouth falls open. “Yeah, I was shocked too. It was the first time I’ve ever wanted to kiss someone so I went for it.”
“Oh. This is serious.” The smile on her face grows bigger. “You volunteered to swap germs.” She reaches toward my forehead to pretend to check for a fever. “You feeling okay?”
“I don’t know.”
“Relax. Don’t get lost in your head about this. Dating and sex should be fun. Isn’t this what you’ve been looking for?” she points out. Is it?
“I guess.” If I’m honest with myself I think I never thought I’d find someone I’d want to kiss, let alone do other things with. At my age I would have thought it would have happened by now.
“Don’t you want to know what it’s like?” She gives me a wicked smile. I do.
“He said he’s never done it either.”
Carrie bursts into laughter. “Did he really say that?”
“Why would I lie?”
“Why would he is the better question.”
“You think he’s lying?”
“If he’s as hot as I’m thinking he is and I’m guessing older than you, then yeah. I’d bet he’s lying.”
“I don’t understand why he would though.” There wasn’t a reason for him to lie.
“Does he know you haven’t been with anyone?” I nod my head. “He might be trying to make you feel better or…” She trails off.
“Or what?” I need all the advice I can get her.
“He wants to be your first, so he tells you a little white lie to get in there. Some men are into the virgin thing.” I purse my lips. There is nothing I hate more than a liar.
I’d also liked knowing he’s never done this before too. I guess the lie really did do the trick. Gah. I’m so naïve when it comes to men. I should have known. He was a jerk when I first met him.
But if he isn’t lying? There I go again wanting to believe what he told me. What has this man done to me? I’m not sure if I love it or hate it. I don’t think it matters. There is no turning back now. I’m already in deep.
Chapter 10
Gabe
“Your research not going well?” I ask. Catriona’s not a chatty person, but she’s not been this quiet since I first met her. Feels like that was a decade ago and not a few days. Since leaving the lab, she’s been chilly.
“It’s fine. We had a breakthrough.”
“Seems like that would be a good thing.”
“It is,” she replies tersely.
I slide a glance in Laura’s direction. She covers a smirk under the guise of coughing. No help from that quarter. I’m clearly on my own. I never lamented my lack of experience with women before. It didn’t hamper my ability to detect threats and protect clients, but now…now I’m wondering if I had dated in the past whether I’d be better able to read this situation. Is she pissed at me? At her work? I decide I’ll ask Laura when we get to the safe house. Until then, maybe I can lure Catriona to my good side with a bribe.
I clear my throat. “Need anything before we head out of town? Candy? Ice cream? We could make a run to the store.”
“The store?” Laura squawks.
Catriona turns in her seat to look at Laura in the back. “What’s wrong with a store?”
“It’s an unsecured location with too many exits and too many people, meaning there are too many probabilities which increases your danger.”
In the rearview mirror, I see Laura looking at me like I’m dizzy.
“I’d go in and get whatever she needs,” I suggest, but even as the words leave my mouth I know it’s a bad idea. If I’m absent that leaves Laura at the wheel having to serve as both driver and lookout. Not great.
“I don’t need anything,” Catriona says. She crosses her arms. “I’m not one of those people who is going to be selfish and put you guys in danger, too.”
Maybe she’s upset about being locked up. That’d be understandable and normal. I nod to myself. That must be it.
“Safe house it is,” I declare.
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it,” Catriona mutters.
“What?”
“I’d like a chocolate shake,” Laura intervenes hastily. “Let’s go through the drive thru.”
I don’t have the first clue what’s going on. My instincts say that there’s a threat inside the car, but I don’t know where it’s coming from. Is it Laura? I narrow my eyes in the rearview mirror. Should I replace her? But with whom?
“Don’t even think about it, Nelson,” Laura warns.
“What’s he thinking?” Catriona asks.
“He wants to replace me.”
“No way. If anyone should be replaced, it should be him.”