any strawberries,” she warned.
“Not even one?” I mimicked her pout before taking a sip of the champagne and setting the flute on the nightstand beside the bed.
“Maybe one. I’ll think about it.” She vanished back into the bathroom.
For a long moment, I stared at the closed door, listening to Evelyn splash, keenly aware of her invitation. Any other man probably would have accepted. With her sultry voice, the sprinkling of freckles over her nose, and her rich auburn hair, she was already a rung above most other women. Add in her toned body, which she had gone out of her way to make sure I got a good look at on more than one occasion, and I felt the fool for rejecting her advances.
If I wanted her, all I had to do was ask, and that bothered me almost as much as my awareness of what I was missing with my refusals. Lust was not a solid foundation for a relationship of any sort.
I sighed and dialed a number before holding my cell to my ear.
“Smith.” My friend’s voice rumbled in what I recognized as annoyance.
I bet he thought I was a telemarketer, which made me grin. “Zachary, it’s Jackson. I need a favor.” If the captain of a cruise ship operating a Miami to Canada line couldn’t get me up north, no one could.
There was a long pause. “Huh. Never thought a dead man would call me. That’s a new one. Rumor has it you got blasted to bits courtesy of a flubbed op, Boss.” Zachary’s tone deepened, and I couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed at my survival. One day I’d figure him out.
“I’d like to keep it that way. A young lady and I need a ride to Canada. Are you still running those cruises up to Potato Land?”
“Potato Land?” My friend burst into laughter. “Sure am, Boss. Next cruise out of Miami leaves port on Wednesday morning. What kind of suites do you need?” I heard the clacking of a keyboard in the background.
Wednesday was as ideal as I could hope for. We’d have to hole up in the suite for a day, checking out late at night fringing on early morning, long after sane people had gone to bed. “Best you have.”
“Two cabins?”
“One.”
The typing stopped. “One?”
“One,” I confirmed in a firm voice.
“You and a young lady will be sharing a suite?” The curiosity in Zachary’s voice made me wince. I reached for my champagne, taking a sip as I considered how best to address his question.
“Your reaction is the exact reason we will be sharing a suite. I want to make it to Canada without anyone knowing we’ve made the trip,” I replied, somehow managing to keep my tone even. If my friend sensed any discomfort on my part, he’d never let it lie. He would haunt me until my dying day, ready and willing to tease me over my unwillingness to spend extended time with most women. “No one would believe I’d share a room with anyone, let alone a woman.”
“It’s been five years, Jackson. Suzanne wouldn’t want you to be alone like this. She wouldn’t care if you started seeing someone.”
“I care,” I whispered.
“I know you do. That’s part of why I like you. If she’s interested, let this young lady of yours have her way with you. It’ll do you some good.” Zachary’s voice lightened with his laughter. “I have you booked into a suite. Good job not getting yourself killed, by the way. I don’t know how you pulled it off, but whatever you did, it was pretty damned convincing.”
I glanced at my hand, which was healing far better than I thought possible. While there were scabs, and lots of them, it no longer looked like I had been subjected to a cheese grater. “I’ll tell you in person,” I promised.
While Zachary was a part of the Inquisition, he was a Normal. His parents had been witches, and much to their relief, none of their children had developed any powers. It made my friend perfect for my needs. He knew I was involved and wouldn’t say a word to anyone.
It kept us both alive and off the Inquisition’s radar, for the
“Not even one?” I mimicked her pout before taking a sip of the champagne and setting the flute on the nightstand beside the bed.
“Maybe one. I’ll think about it.” She vanished back into the bathroom.
For a long moment, I stared at the closed door, listening to Evelyn splash, keenly aware of her invitation. Any other man probably would have accepted. With her sultry voice, the sprinkling of freckles over her nose, and her rich auburn hair, she was already a rung above most other women. Add in her toned body, which she had gone out of her way to make sure I got a good look at on more than one occasion, and I felt the fool for rejecting her advances.
If I wanted her, all I had to do was ask, and that bothered me almost as much as my awareness of what I was missing with my refusals. Lust was not a solid foundation for a relationship of any sort.
I sighed and dialed a number before holding my cell to my ear.
“Smith.” My friend’s voice rumbled in what I recognized as annoyance.
I bet he thought I was a telemarketer, which made me grin. “Zachary, it’s Jackson. I need a favor.” If the captain of a cruise ship operating a Miami to Canada line couldn’t get me up north, no one could.
There was a long pause. “Huh. Never thought a dead man would call me. That’s a new one. Rumor has it you got blasted to bits courtesy of a flubbed op, Boss.” Zachary’s tone deepened, and I couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed at my survival. One day I’d figure him out.
“I’d like to keep it that way. A young lady and I need a ride to Canada. Are you still running those cruises up to Potato Land?”
“Potato Land?” My friend burst into laughter. “Sure am, Boss. Next cruise out of Miami leaves port on Wednesday morning. What kind of suites do you need?” I heard the clacking of a keyboard in the background.
Wednesday was as ideal as I could hope for. We’d have to hole up in the suite for a day, checking out late at night fringing on early morning, long after sane people had gone to bed. “Best you have.”
“Two cabins?”
“One.”
The typing stopped. “One?”
“One,” I confirmed in a firm voice.
“You and a young lady will be sharing a suite?” The curiosity in Zachary’s voice made me wince. I reached for my champagne, taking a sip as I considered how best to address his question.
“Your reaction is the exact reason we will be sharing a suite. I want to make it to Canada without anyone knowing we’ve made the trip,” I replied, somehow managing to keep my tone even. If my friend sensed any discomfort on my part, he’d never let it lie. He would haunt me until my dying day, ready and willing to tease me over my unwillingness to spend extended time with most women. “No one would believe I’d share a room with anyone, let alone a woman.”
“It’s been five years, Jackson. Suzanne wouldn’t want you to be alone like this. She wouldn’t care if you started seeing someone.”
“I care,” I whispered.
“I know you do. That’s part of why I like you. If she’s interested, let this young lady of yours have her way with you. It’ll do you some good.” Zachary’s voice lightened with his laughter. “I have you booked into a suite. Good job not getting yourself killed, by the way. I don’t know how you pulled it off, but whatever you did, it was pretty damned convincing.”
I glanced at my hand, which was healing far better than I thought possible. While there were scabs, and lots of them, it no longer looked like I had been subjected to a cheese grater. “I’ll tell you in person,” I promised.
While Zachary was a part of the Inquisition, he was a Normal. His parents had been witches, and much to their relief, none of their children had developed any powers. It made my friend perfect for my needs. He knew I was involved and wouldn’t say a word to anyone.
It kept us both alive and off the Inquisition’s radar, for the
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