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I think about all the steps between now and then—thousands of them—securing our funding, updating the technology so we can make faster progress, expanding our search. But it all starts with me using whatever advantages I can to change the mind of one very stubborn man. One very stubborn, chivalrous, sexy, fun man. Guilt comes over me about the text, but then I remind myself why I’m here and who’s going to get hurt if I can’t figure out a way to get this done. I picture Keenan puttering away in his garden, lonely and lacking any purpose. I picture myself staring at the dumpster outside my kitchen window until I’m fifty.
My mind wanders back to Ty and I can see his smile in my mind. “I’m so confused,” I say, even though there’s no one here to listen.
“About what?”
I start and turn, my heart pounding as I take in the sight of the man himself standing beside the pool wearing only swim trunks and a smirk. Oh. My. That is one manly man. Everything about him is sculpted to perfection and for lack of a better word—big.
“Mind if I join you?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, before I realize what his question actually was. “I mean, no. I don’t mind.” My face warms up with more than just the heat of the water.
He grins, then steps into the pool and sits down on the opposite side facing me. “Ahh, that’s nice.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” I ask, glad that he seems to have forgotten about me being confused. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d give this a try.”
He nods. “I tend not to sleep when I’m on the road.”
“At all?”
Glancing up, he says, “A few minutes here and there.”
“Sounds rough.”
“It’s one of the reasons I try not to travel much.”
I fill in the blank—it’s also because of his brother.
His eyes light up and he says, “What are you confused about?”
Damn. He remembered. “Umm … it’s one of those things that’s hard to explain.”
“Try me. I’ve got time and maybe I can help,” Ty says with an easy smile. When I don’t answer right away, he adds, “I’m going to be up all night anyway.”
Turning my attention to my fingernails, I try to quickly think of something that would be confusing because I can hardly say I’m talking to the night air about him, now can I? “I was just thinking about how … they get the caramel into the Caramilk bar.”
He lifts one eyebrow and that damn smirk is back. “Really? You’re an astrobiologist and you’re confused by that?”
“Yes,” I say, lifting my chin defiantly. “Total mystery.”
“Liar.”
“Maybe, but only because it’s none of your business. I wasn’t talking to you.”
He stares at me for a moment and honestly, the intensity of it is enough to melt the rocks surrounding the pool. He knows. He totally knows I was talking about him. It’s written all over my stupid face, isn’t it? “Can I guess?”
“What?”
“If I guess right, will you tell me?”
“That’s not a game I’m willing to play,” I say, my voice coming out breathier than I intend.
“Too bad. I have a feeling that would’ve been fun,” Ty says. “What game are you willing to play?”
The words hide the sausage pop into my mind. Newp! Not that. Boy, it’s hot in this hot spring. Like ridiculously hot. They shouldn’t make them so damn hot. Electing to ignore his question, I say, “Did you get your work done?”
A flash of guilt crosses his face, and I know it was just an excuse. “As much as I could without internet access.”
“So, approximately nothing?” I ask.
