She shook her head and squared her shoulders. “Nope.”
He dropped a manila file on the counter and buried his hands deep in his pockets. The action drove his jeans lower on his hips. Laura forced her glance back to his face.
“That’s great news, Laura. That means our experiment hasn’t failed.”
She plastered on a smile, not wanting him to know her true feelings. Of course it was good news, except for the fact that she now knew that he’d slept with her not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. She wasn’t naïve enough to pretend otherwise. His hormones had been leaping like Mexican jumping beans.
She suddenly felt very chilled. She wrapped her arms around herself to stave off a shiver. He must have sensed her sudden unease.
Jay narrowed his gaze and looked at her. “You’re exhausted, Laura. Let me take you home. You’ve been through enough tonight. A good night’s sleep will clear your mind and you’ll feel better.”
God, she needed to get away from him, to sort through her feelings. Carefully, she gathered up her vials, placed them inside the fridge, and fit it with a brand-new lock. Without turning back to face Jay, she tossed the words over her shoulder. “No, that’s okay. I can catch a lift with Erin, she’s going right by my place. We’ve done all we can do tonight anyway.”
“Let me at least walk you two to the car.”
She moved to the cabinet and pulled on the metal handles, double-checking the locks. “The police are still searching the perimeter. We’ll be fine.”
He walked over to her, reached out, and with gentle hands touched her cheek, drawing her attention to him. His thick muscles shifted with the easy movement. “Are you sure?”
Unable to find her voice, she nodded her assurance. Suddenly she found it most difficult to hold his stare.
“I’ll stop by in the morning to pick you up for the ball game and barbecue. Then we can just head back here afterwards,” he said.
“No, I’ll take my own car,” she rushed out. “I have a couple of errands to take care of in the morning.” Shoot! She hadn’t meant to sound so anxious. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she gave him a warm smile and said breezily, “I’ll see you there.”
“Okay. I’ll stay here and clean up the rest of this mess. I’d like to run some more tests on Bonnie and Clyde again anyway and see if the latest serum works on them before we try our hand at it tomorrow night.”
A shiver of unease slid down her spine. His words drummed in her head. How could she go through that again, especially after knowing what had caused his raging arousal? The reality was sobering.
Before she had time to protest, Erin jumped from the stool. “So that’s what you two were up to. You tried the experiment on each other and it failed.” She slapped her palm to her forehead and laughed. “That’s why you ended up sleeping together, because of the mix-up in vials.”
Jay opened his mouth, but Laura cut him off before he could make a sound. The last thing she wanted was to hear him confirm Erin’s suspicions.
“Good night, Jay,” she said, grabbing Erin by the elbow and practically dragging her out the door.
With Erin in tow, Laura pushed past the front security door and stepped outside. The cool night air helped wash away the stain of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She ushered her very astute, but very talkative assistant across the well-lit parking lot and didn’t let go of her arm until they reached the car. The horn sounded as Erin pressed the unlock button on her keypad and opened the doors. They both climbed into the front seat of her compact Honda.
As soon as the interior light clicked off and darkness enveloped them, Laura groaned and buried her face in her hands. How could she have been such a fool to believe Jay had wanted her? This was all so damn humiliating. How would she ever face him again?
“What have I gone and done?” she murmured into the palms of her hands.
“What’s the big deal anyway? So you slept with the guy. Didn’t you want to?” Erin slipped the keys into the ignition and started the car.
“Of course I wanted to. Who wouldn’t?” She pressed her hands against her eyes and shook her head from side to side.
“True. He does tend to have that effect on women, doesn’t he? I know if I had the opportunity, I’d jump his bones.” She made a small slurping noise.
Laura glared at her friend and frowned intently as she pictured Erin doing the horizontal mambo with Jay. A pang of jealousy ripped through her and tilted her off balance.
“The point is, Erin, he wouldn’t have slept with me if the vials hadn’t gotten mixed up. You said so yourself.”
Erin gave a quick shake of her head. “What makes you think he wouldn’t have slept with you otherwise?”
“Because hell hasn’t frozen over.”
Erin chuckled. “Seriously, Laura, what makes you think he doesn’t like you?”
“I’m not his type, Erin. You’ve seen the women he gravitates towards.”
Erin adjusted her rearview mirror. “Have you looked at yourself lately? You’re not in band camp anymore, Laura.”
“I’m a geek magnet.”
“I hardly think you’re a geek magnet.”
“Well, I am.”
“Then Jay is the hottest geek I’ve ever come across.”
“Just for the record, Erin, we didn’t sleep together, we just did everything else.”
Erin backed her car out of the parking space and maneuvered it onto the highway. “So, do you want to sleep with him, then? Finish what you started?”
Laura folded her hands on her lap and stared blankly at the road ahead. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” She rested her head against the cool glass window and sighed.
“Well, which is it, then?”
What would be the point in lying? Her expressions were so transparent. She lowered her voice. “Yes,” she admitted, knowing that another night with him would be emotional suicide. Not even body armor
