“Fine.” Mick takes the card and puts it back in his wallet. “We good?” he asks me.
I nod. I don’t know why knowing his name is making me unable to speak. His real name is Mikhail. Why did I not know that? A shiver goes up my spine. It’s the kind of shiver that usually comes right before I start taking clothes off. My face turns red at the idea.
Mick walks out of the lobby with me clicking alongside him in my heels, acting like nothing’s up.
I try very hard to mimic his cool exterior. “So,” I say as we walk back to the car. “Alissa and I will take room two-oh-eight and you and Colin can have two-ten.” Breathe. Breathe. You can do this. Just because he asked for two rooms it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He’s just being generous, probably.
He doesn’t say anything, and I feel the need to fill up the silence. “So, did you get some good recon for us at the club?”
“Yep.”
I look over, but his face is turned the other direction. I can’t read his expression when I can’t see it. Dammit. We get to the car before he turns back, and by then I have to get our passengers up and out or it’ll go all awkward between us again.
I open the driver’s side door and lean in. “Come on, sleeping beauty, time to go inside and go nighty-night. Get your bag.” I push the seat forward and jiggle Alissa’s knee. “Come on, round girl. Bed time.”
She’s in a fog all the way to the room. Colin carries her bag for her and I walk with her using my shoulder for her support. I’m afraid she’s so tired she’s going to trip in the parking lot and break her water or something, and that will definitely not do. I have a best friend to save tomorrow as soon as we get back. Hopefully Mick came up with the goods tonight.
Mick grabs the key from me as I’m trying to put it in the door. “I’ll get it for ya.” He pushes the door open and holds it there so I can get Alissa inside.
I sit down with her on the end of the bed and remove her arm from my shoulders, letting her drop back onto the mattress. Her belly is sticking up like a small mountain over the top of her, and it does not look comfortable. I roll her onto her side and she curls up into a ball.
Colin throws her bag inside and stays out in the hallway. The sound of it hitting the floor jerks my attention in their direction in time for me to see Mick yank the key out of the door and hand it to Colin. Colin looks down at it in confusion.
Mick strides into the room and holds out his hand for me.
I just look at it.
“Say goodbye,” he says.
“Oh.” I use his hand to stand up. “Goodbye, Mick. Thanks for all your help. You can tell us what you learned tomorrow over breakfast, I guess.” I feel a little deflated knowing I’m not even going to get a goodnight kiss. I’d been so sure that was doing to happen. I’m terrible at reading him. Beyond terrible.
I try to shake his hand, but I can’t because he lets it go too fast. And then he’s bending over and sticking his head under my arm.
“What the…”
I have no time to react. One second, the floor and ceiling are where they’re supposed to be, and the next they’re all switched around. Everything is spinning, spinning, spinning until I’m on his shoulder with my hair hanging down towards the floor and his butt in my face.
“Mick! What are you doing?! Put me down!” I beat on his back with my fists, but he doesn’t listen. “Your spleen! Your surgery!”
“See you tomorrow,” Mick says to his brother as he walks by with me hanging over his shoulder. “Don’t wake us up too early.” His strong arm is clamped over my legs, keeping them in place. I try to kick but get nowhere with it.
“Oh, no, man! Come on! Don’t leave me alone in here with her!” I catch a glimpse of Colin’s stricken expression as Mick walks outside the room and spins me around so he can put the second key in the other door.
I kick my legs from the knee down back and forth, halfway laughing and halfway screaming. “Put me down you neanderthal!”
A sharp crack on my butt cheek from his free hand makes me scream louder. And then I laugh. I cannot believe the balls on this guy. I am so going to put him in a figure-four when he lets me go. No way in hell is this going to go down like he thinks it is.
Aw, poop. Who am I kidding? It’s so going to go down like he thinks it is. Squeeee!
I’m loving every second. I don’t struggle nearly as hard as I could.
“Jesus, Mick. Keep it down.” Colin leaves the hallway and walks into the other room, shaking his head the whole way. The door closes behind him with a soft click. I don’t hear any sounds of complaint coming from Alissa, and I’m sure she has nothing to worry about. Colin will probably sleep in the bathroom he’s so afraid of her.