“Don’t be sorry. Never be sorry for caring.” He reached over and took her hands in his, giving them a squeeze. He didn’t have an answer for the rest of it, but he could listen. Until she was home safe, he was on her team.
From what he’d seen, Erbil was a thriving city. Kurdistan was a beautiful country trying to repair the damage done by years of war. There could be no easy solutions, and chances were whatever healed those wounds wouldn’t come from people like them.
“What are you doing after this job? Do you have somewhere your team has to be?” Erin searched his face, looking for something.
“We’re scheduled for a few days off, at least.” He hadn’t made plans since they so often got canceled in favor of whatever emergency they had crop up.
“What do you do on your days off?”
Riley squinted at the ceiling. It was a simple question and yet his palms grew sweaty trying to think of an answer that didn’t sound lame. The older he got, the less interesting shit he did. “Laundry?”
“That’s exciting.” She chuckled.
“Deadly is more like it. Shit.” At this rate he was going to have about a month’s worth of clothes to work through. That wasn’t something he wanted to be reminded of right now.
“This time next week, I’ll probably be in Miami.” She turned her hand in his until she was holding onto him.
There was a change in the atmosphere as though they were on the brink of a storm. Riley’s mouth went dry, and he stopped breathing.
“Ever been to Miami?” she asked.
Sweat broke out under his arms and suddenly it was too warm in the terminal. Was she asking him to come visit her? Was this a booty call? Or did she want more? Riley couldn’t offer her what she needed. He was never around enough, he’d disappoint her, at some point he’d cause her more grief than he was worth. But that was if she wanted more than he’d already offered. It wasn’t like either of them had made a mention of something other than fun.
“Couple hours in the airport count?” he asked to say something. She’d told him plainly that she didn’t want a relationship, which meant Riley was getting ahead of himself.
“No.” Erin snorted.
“Never had the pleasure then,” Riley replied. Erin had been through hell. In her shoes, he might want a friend around while he eased back into real life. That was something he could do. She wasn’t asking him for the moon, just some time.
“You should. The humidity might drown you.” She turned her head and studied Riley’s face.
“I’d have to pick your brain for good places to go.” He could get behind a whole weekend with Erin. Getting lost in Miami, hanging out at the beach. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a few days.
“I know all the best ones.” One side of her mouth hitched up and a mischievous light twinkled behind her eyes.
Riley glanced over Erin’s shoulder. Melody pinned him with a death glare and jerked her head toward the gate. He was going to get it from her once they were done with this, he just knew it.
“Here comes dinner, and it looks like we’re going to board soon.” He nodded behind her.
Erin turned and watched the others come their way. She squeezed his hand, then let go.
Riley hoped they were on the same page. He’d hate to disappoint her. He always left. It wasn’t going to change.
“I guess we should get ready for a long sit,” Erin said.
“It’s just three hours.” Riley stood and looped the laptop bag over his shoulder. He then offered her a hand up.
Erin took his hand, and he hauled her to her feet. She swayed, clutching onto him tightly. Despite the last two nights of rest she’d had, Erin was still running on fumes. It was going to catch up to her sooner rather than later.
“Come on, we’ll talk about Miami later.”
SUNDAY. HILTON GARDEN Inn, Frankfurt, Germany.
Erin’s whole body hurt. Each step jarred her poor muscles and she couldn’t take a breath without wincing in pain. And that was from three hours on a plane. What the hell was she going to do in eight hours when they got on their trans-Atlantic flight? Was there some way she could buy some muscle relaxers? Was booze the answer to her problems?
She’d worry about that later. Right now, it was one foot in front of the other. Soon she’d have somewhere to hide.
Erin squinted at Melody chatting with the concierge. What Erin would give for some sunglasses right about now. The posh, glistening lobby of the airport hotel was so bright it hurt. She needed water, for sure. Not drinking anything while in the air was a mistake she was paying for now.
Falling asleep on the plane was a terrible idea. Those seats were not made for comfort, much less sleeping. She didn’t know how Riley or the other guys did it with their sizes.
“Okay.” Melody approached their ragtag group and handed out room keys. “We are in two groups of rooms, half on the third floor, the rest on the fifth. Room service is sending up a meal for everyone. The wakeup call is in six hours, so spend your time wisely.”
Erin stared at the keys, watching the numbers Melody handed out until it got to Erin. She stared at the single key, a pang of loss jabbing her in the stomach. She’d half hoped that she might share with Melody and save herself from pining for Riley. They’d mended the
