“Welcome to my world. Anything in particular I need to know about the updated schedule? I don’t suppose I picked up a little more wiggle room?”
Eddie shook his head. “This schedule is a lot like your wardrobe. There is absolutely no wiggle room at all.”
…
Jeeeezus!
The scream pierced through layers of guitar, drums, and a phantom-voiced thug singing about his heathen friends.
Quinn.
Luke shucked the boxing gloves on the fly, lost his phone while hurdling free weights he still needed to rack, and slammed through the flimsy door separating the gym from the alcove to the shower. His momentum sent the door crashing against the wall and ricocheting back toward him. He blocked with his shoulder as his eyes scoured the small space for Quinn.
He found her huddled at the far end of the shower, her body pressed up against the glass wall behind her like if she got close enough, she might magically pass through to the leafy haven beyond. A white towel barely covered the essentials, which made inspecting her for injuries a job he accomplished in a matter of seconds. No visible blood. No signs of a struggle. But blue eyes wide with shock locked on him as if she couldn’t believe he stood there.
“What’s wrong?”
She pressed a hand to her chest and let out a self-conscious laugh.
Before he could storm into the shower and shake her for scaring the crap out of him, or pull her into his arms and hold her until the adrenaline subsided—possibly both—she pointed to one corner of the vestibule, just inside the archway where he stood. “Sorry. He caught me by surprise.”
He? Eyes trained on the corner, Luke stepped into the shower, and—
“Ugh. Jesus Christ. What the hell is that?” He had tile to his back before he even realized he’d retreated from the abomination of nature slung out along the cool porcelain. The blasted thing was the size of his forearm, but its dark scales blended into the gray tile.
“I don’t know. Some kind of snake, maybe?”
“Uh-uh. It’s not a snake. It has feet. A lizardly thing.”
“Luke?”
“What?” He answered without looking at her. Bugs, he could handle. The part of Texas where he’d grown up boasted some whoppers. Same for spiders, rodents, bats, and birds. But he was not cool with reptiles. Yes, it was a phobia more than a legit fear, but logic didn’t stop his heart from turning into a jackhammer in his chest. Caution dictated he keep all eyes on the footed snake.
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t want to wake it.”
“The eyes are open,” she added.
Open, and unblinking. “Who says it has eyelids?”
“Good question. You’re wearing shoes. Can you, like, kick it out of here?”
“Fuck no.” He looked at her now. “Not unless you’ve got a universal antivenom stashed somewhere on your person.”
She paled and her eyes darted back to the…thing. “Is it poisonous?”
“I don’t know.”
“Doesn’t Mother Nature usually decorate poisonous species with bright colors?”
“I. Don’t. Know.” But spending the evening in a standoff with a potentially lethal lizard held zero appeal. Time to man up. He advanced to the center of the shower, and extended an arm to Quinn. “Come on. Walk behind me, and straight out the door. It’s probably asleep.”
She inched away from the wall. “You think?”
“I’m sure it’s asleep.” He waved her forward in a SEAL Team Six signal for move-your-ass, but as soon as she’d taken a full step, the animal skittered toward them. Quinn’s shriek bounced off the walls, and the next thing he knew, he had a nearly naked woman climbing him like a jungle gym, and a surprisingly strong arm vised around his windpipe. He hefted her onto his back while retreating to the wall again. The bloodthirsty beast stopped about a foot away and stared God only knew where with its round, side-mounted eyes.
“Okay…okay. Quinn. Let me breathe.”