He stepped back. “No rush.”
Disappointing him made her insides squeeze tight, but she needed to regroup, as she didn’t want to say something she’d regret later. Once they both dressed, she nodded to the path. “Jog back?”
The exercise would take her mind off how much she’d enjoyed his touch. Falling in love, though, was something she could ill afford. It was too soon to know exactly what this jittery feeling was called, but she hoped it was just lust.
She let Jay lead, in part because she liked watching his ass. He was a strong runner and she had to work to keep up.
When they reached the parking lot, Jay faced her. “You hungry?”
“Starving.” As he held open her car door, his cell rang. She looked up at him. “You can answer it. It’s probably important.”
He pulled out his phone. “It’s Riley,” he said to her. “Yeah? What’s up?” Jay stepped away from her car and kept his back to her. That couldn’t be good. After a short conversation, he walked back to her, his cell still against his ear. “Are you okay with pizza?”
That wasn’t what she expected him to ask. “Sure. I’m not picky.”
“Pizza’s good with Sarah. Okay, see you soon,” he said to Riley before disconnecting.
“Is Riley joining us?”
“Yes, but at the motel. He’s picking up dinner for us.”
She was sure that wasn’t the only reason Riley had called. “What else did he say?”
“Statler’s up to no good.”
She raised her brows. “That’s not news.”
“You’re right about that. Let’s go.”
She wanted more details but decided not to ask—yet. Not prying had kept her alive this far. “I’ll follow you back.”
During the entire trip, Sarah was a bit miffed that Jay hadn’t told her what was going on, but she would deal. Right now, she wanted this mess to end so she could figure out what she was going to do about Riley and Jay.
Chapter Sixteen
Sarah paced the motel room. “Are you sure Riley is meeting us back here?”
“Yes. Relax. He’s with Connolly, so it may take time.” Jay was sprawled out on the bed looking way too calm.
Clearly, he knew something, and she couldn’t hold her question in any longer. “What exactly did Riley say?”
He blew out a breath. “Statler contacted Dr. Elkhart and wants you to check out the facility to see if it will be sufficient to help the ladies.”
That wasn’t too earth shattering, but the request seemed odd. “He trusted Elkhart to run his lab, so why change now?”
“Excellent question. Perhaps Elkhart is bilking him for a lot of money and Statler wants some assurance the fee is warranted.”
She shrugged. “It’s not like Statler has a lot of options for treatment. He can’t take the women to the local hospital.”
Before they could discuss their boss’s strange reaction, a car door slammed and a few seconds later Riley came in carrying a large pizza box and a bag of what she suspected held the drinks. “Sorry I’m late. I had to speak with Trax and Dante.”
“Who’re they?” She’d met Clay and Dirk but hadn’t interacted with them because their shift came after hers.
“They were the ones who set up the security system at the warehouse.”
“Ah. I saw them but we never spoke. Are they your people?”
He smiled. “Hardly mine, though they do work for the General.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she let it slide in part because her stomach was growling and she needed food. Between Clay, Dirk, Riley, and now this Trax and Dante team, the General should have enough people to take down one evil shifter. Sarah followed Riley over to the table. He opened the box and offered her a slice.
“Thanks.” In seconds, she wolfed it down.
Riley laughed. “Jay, you sly dog. You tired her out.”
Heat raced to her face and she spun around. Jay had a shit-eating grin on his face. “You told him?” she asked.
“Sweetheart, when it comes to our mate, we have no secrets. In this case, though, he can tell we had sex.”
They’d washed. “Because you’d said something to him.”
“No, it’s the look of total satisfaction on your face that gave it away.”
She laughed at his smugness. “You wish, Romeo.”
Look of satisfaction, indeed. That was bullshit. Or was it? While she was a bit upset over the fact the two men liked to keep her in the dark over what was happening, she had been content, or rather elated after each lovemaking session. Hell, she probably did glow, but that could have been from the chill of the icy water.