Page 34 of Shadowing You

She’d acted offended, but its little face was so cute. “I wish I could swing through the trees like a monkey.”

She could still hear his laugh.

She missed Renshu. She missed her parents. Would she ever see them again?

Ethan took her hand and spun the rings on her finger, his gaze finding hers.

She would always long for her first family, but Ethan was her family now. He was still the man she’d married, the man she loved. And he said he loved her too. Hopefully, they’d live long enough to find a way back to each other.

The driver pulled to the curb on a busy street in front of a huge hotel. “This is it.”

Ethan handed him a stack of bills. “There’s extra there. Please keep our conversation—and destination—quiet.”

“That’s my job.”

“Thanks.” Ethan exited onto a sidewalk.

She followed. The air smelled fresh from a recent rain, tinged with exhaust. Her legs were wobbly and sore from their dash through Changsha that morning.

She was embarrassingly weak.

Ethan shouldered the backpack and put an arm around her waist to usher her inside.

They were going to be alone again. If she could keep her eyes open long enough, she might finally get some answers.

The hotel clerk barely looked up when Ethan pocketed the key cards after checking in. “We’re going to get lunch.”

The woman nodded as if she’d understood, but Mei Lin guessed her English didn’t extend much past the vocabulary she needed for her job.

Mei Lin added, “We haven’t eaten since breakfast, and this one”—she nudged Ethan—“is always hungry.”

“Ah, yes.” The woman’s face lit up as she responded in Mandarin. She looked Ethan up and down, taking in his tall form and clearly appreciating it. “A man like that must need to be fed often, eh?” She wagged her eyebrows, then named a few nearby restaurants. “Big portions for a big man.”

“Perfect.” Mei Lin trapped a laugh as they exited the hotel.

“What was that all about?” Ethan asked once they were back on the sidewalk.

“I think, if you tire of me, she would be interested.”

His expression, all shock and horror, had her laugh escaping.

He shook his head, but his lips twitched.

The afternoon sun had broken through, warming the top of Mei Lin’s head despite the chilly mountain air. Ethan took her hand and headed down the sidewalk.

After a block, she stifled a yawn. “I hope we’re not going far.”

He shot her a look—chin lowered, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

He didn’t respond, but his meaning was clear. Apparently, the woman who’d done little besides sleep for the last twenty-four hours probably ought not to claim exhaustion. But she was exhausted. “Let’s not get too far from the hotel.”

“We’re not staying there.” He kept his voice low. “Just laying a trail.”

She glanced back at the hotel. “Oh. Then where⁠—?”

“It’s not far. We’re eating first.”