A yellow cab pulled to a halt beside the curb I looked inside, saw that it was Kade, and climbed into the back.
"You look tired," he said, pulling into the traffic with the brutal efficiency of a regular cab driver.
"That's because I am." I hesitated, sniffing the air, my taste buds suddenly watering at a tantalizingly familiar scent "Is that coffee I smell ?"
His gaze met mine in the mirror, a warm smile touching his lips "I thought you might need it after working all night."
He reached across to the seat next to him, then handed back not only a jumbo cup of coffee, but a burger as well. If he hadn't have been driving, I might have leaned forward and hugged him. Not only because he knew exactly what I needed right at that moment, but because he didn't give me any attitude about what I'd been doing.
He simply accepted. Or didn't care. Either way, it was nice.
I flipped open the lid of the coffee container. The thick, hazelnutty aroma curled to my nostrils, and I breathed deep, then smiled. Maybe I should just give men up and stick to coffee. It gave me pleasure without all the hassles.
"Thank you," I said to Kade, and took a sip.
His smile flashed via the mirror. "You know there's an ulterior motive."
"And here I was thinking you did it out of the goodness of your heart."
"Oh, that too."
I grinned. "It'll take more than coffee to get me into the sack right now."
"How about a spa filled with aromatherapy oils?"
"Depends what sort of aromatherapy oils we're talking about."
"Ah. There's a difference?"
"Some are definitely worth more bed time than others."
"What about a mix of lavender and ylang-ylang?"
"Nice. I think they'd earn you a couple of hours, at least."
"Done deal."
Kade did a sharp left, and coffee slopped threateningly around the rim of the cup. "Warn me next time," I chided. "Spilling my coffee will land you right out of my bed again." I hesitated, looking around. Unless this was a shortcut I wasn't aware of, we were now headed away from the Genoveve labs where Jack had set up shop. "Where are we going?"
"To get that bath."
I raised my eyebrows. "Doesn't Jack want us to report back ASAP?"
"Jack is busy," he replied, his gaze front and center as he wove the cab in and out of traffic and parked cars like a man on a mission. "And there's one rule in this game you should never forget."
"And what game and rule are we talking about?"
"This game. The investigative business." His gaze met mine briefly. "Never run yourself into the ground for them. They'll take and take until you have no more to give, then they'll cast you aside to find fresher meat."
"I'm not an investigator, and I'm not a guardian."
"Maybe not officially." His expression was grim as he swerved to avoid a parking car. "And that makes it worse. Think about it - ten days ago you were in a coma, and so badly smashed up no one in that center thought you were going to come out of it. Since then, you've been in the middle of investigations, have been attacked several times, and have taken little in the way of time out."
"We can't afford time-outs. Not if we want to catch these people off guard."
"Is catching these people off guard more important than your health? You look tired, and you've lost weight, even in the brief few days I've known you."
"Having someone attempting to kill you all the time does tend to halt the appetite, you know. And constant sex doesn't help, either."