"Bricker," Jo breathed. Everybody called him Bricker and she'd actually forgotten his first name.
"Yeah, Justin Bricker, that's him," Gina said. "What a cutie. He wants me to call if you come home, so come home soon, 'kay? 'Cause he's hot and I want the excuse to call him."
"Yeah," Jo muttered. "I'm glad you're okay, Gina. I have to go now."
She hung up before Gina could ask anything else, and then simply sat there. Gina didn't seem to remember anything about the incident that afternoon. Jo recalled the blank look that had been on the other woman's face when she'd opened the door and first seen her in the hall with Bad-Breath Boy holding her arm. The memory made her frown. It was the same look that had been on the desk clerk's face earlier when they'd checked in. Like there was no one home and they were being controlled, she thought.
That was crazy thinking, Jo told herself silently. Nicholas had probably slipped the man some money without her seeing to make him more amenable, and Gina had probably been drugged to make her more quiescent. The drug had probably affected her memory, Jo assured herself, and then glanced to Charlie as he suddenly laid his head in her lap.
Jo smiled and petted him, her gaze sliding to the empty chicken bucket on the table. The sight made her remember that she was hungry and had planned to order a pizza.
Sighing, she pulled out the phone book and quickly looked up area pizza places. Jo ordered a large two-for-one special just in case Nicholas and Charlie were hungry by the time it arrived. She then pulled her wallet out of her back pocket. A quick check showed that a run to an ATM was in order. The shower was still going and she wouldn't be long, so Jo grabbed the room card again, patted Charlie reassuringly, and headed out of the room. This time she took the elevator, and was happy to be able to do so. Her legs still ached a little from the walk back up.
There was a little convenience store on the main floor of the hotel. Spotting the ATM sign in the window, Jo nipped in, made a withdrawal, and then purchased a couple of pops before heading back upstairs.
The shower had finally shut off in the bathroom when she reentered. Jo passed the door, set down the pops, and had grabbed up the ice bucket when the bathroom door opened and Nicholas came out.
"Finally, I was starting to think you'd drowned yourself in the tub," she teased as she took the clear plastic bag out of the bucket and opened it to set it back in. She then headed for the door. "I'll be right back."
Nicholas caught her arm as she made to pass him, concern on his face. "Where are you going?"
"To get ice," she said, raising the bucket slightly.
"I'll get it." He took both the bucket and card key from her, but when he turned to the door it was her turn to catch his arm.
"You might want to cover that magnificent chest of yours before you go, stud. You wouldn't want the maids fainting from the excitement of seeing you like that."
Nicholas glanced down at himself, smiling wryly when he saw he'd been about to head out in only his jeans. He glanced to her, his eyebrows rising when he took in the fact that she was wearing his shirt.
"You tore mine off," Jo reminded him with a shrug and then reached for the hem as if about to tug it up and off and asked, "Do you want this one back?"
"No!" Nicholas caught at her hands, stopping her, and then patted her arm and moved past her into the room, muttering, "I have another."
Jo leaned in the bathroom doorway, smiling with amusement as she watched him move to the duffel bag he'd brought up from the van. Nicholas looked a bit agitated as he quickly opened it to retrieve a clean T-shirt. He was definitely avoiding looking at her, and she suspected she'd definitely embarrassed him with her teasing.
"Sorry about your shirt," he muttered, tugging the fresh T-shirt on. "You can keep that one, of course."
"Thank you," Jo murmured, her eyes eating him up as he turned and headed back toward the door.
Nicholas paused as he came abreast of her, and for a minute Jo thought he was going to kiss her. But after hesitating a moment, his gaze on her lips, he turned his face away and continued on to the door, saying, "There's a brush in my bag if you want it."
Jo's eyebrows flew up at the comment as he slipped out of the room and then she turned into the bathroom and squawked as she caught a glimpse of her foggy outline. The mirror was covered with a film of mist from Nicholas's prolonged shower, but she could see herself well enough to note that her hair was a curly mess around her head. It was only then she recalled towel drying her hair and hurrying out of the room to jump Nicholas, only he'd gone running into the bathroom and she hadn't had a mirror to check herself before rushing Charlie outside so he could take care of his business.