Indirect Route Read Online Free PDF Page B

but she could see him glance at her occasionally.  She shook her head slightly and concentrated on her phone.  There was a reasonable hotel close to the center of town, but when she called the registration desk, she was shocked to find that the rooms were over two hundred dollars.  “It’s not the damn Ritz,” she complained to Aaron, covering the bottom of her phone with her palm.
    “I’ll pay, don’t worry about it.”
    “Absolutely not.  I’m covering expenses.  I’ll call around and see if I can find a cheaper place.”  Preparing to hang up, she stopped short when Aaron interrupted her.
    “Get one room, then.  I’ll sleep on in a chair.  Or on the floor.”
    Janie hesitated.  Aaron figured that the thinness of her wallet made her pause.  “Do you have any doubles available?’ She asked.
    By nine that evening, they were pulling into the Doubletree parking lot.  Aaron was exhausted, but he realized that Janie must feel just as bad.  “I’ll get your bags,” he said firmly when she tried to pull her largest suitcase from the trunk.  “
    Thanks.  I think I only need the small one for now.  I’ll get the rest in the morning.”
    Aaron nodded, too tired to argue.  Once they’d checked in at the front desk, they found their room on the 7 th floor and collapsed on the pair of navy blue-clad mattresses.
    “Did you want the bed by the window?” Aaron asked, chagrined.  He’d plopped down without asking him his preference.
    “I just want a bed with pillows.”  Janie stretched and put her hands behind her head.  In doing so, her t-shirt hitched up, revealing a stripe of flat stomach.  Aaron stared for a moment, before catching himself and sitting up with a jerk.
    “Right, well, I’m going to unpack and then freshen up a bit.” Janie nodded in response, her eyes still closed. 
    “Then I think I’ll hit the vending machine and see if they have any pretzels.”  Why was he still talking?  He realized that his nerves were making him ramble, but he was unable to stop himself.
    “Boy, you need some protein,” Janie said, opening her right eye and staring at him harshly. 
    “Peanuts, then.”
    “Better.”  He left and pulled the door closed behind him, lost in his thoughts.  And one hundred percent of those thoughts were focused on that two inch stripe of skin that had just burned itself into his retinas.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    JANIE
     
    The next morning, Janie woke with a start.  It took her a moment to realize that she’d been startled out of sleep by the sound of children screeching with delight as they ran down the hall outside their door.  She tried for a few minutes to go back to sleep, but it was too late.  Once she reached a certain level of consciousness, trying to doze again was hopeless.
    She turned her head and saw that Aaron was still asleep.  He was shirtless (when did that happen?), and was splayed on his back across the bed.  One arm was slung over his eyes, and the other was hanging over the side of the mattress.  She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he slept.  He didn’t snore, but she could hear the steady rhythm of his breathing over the low hum of the air conditioner.  His chest was covered with a light spattering of brown hair.  He was broader than he seemed, and that pleased her for some reason.  He seemed sturdy, and reliable, and kind.  Maybe not the most exciting qualities in a man, but ones she valued heavily, given her past.
    “Are you staring at me?” 
    Janie yelped, the sat up quickly, her hand covering her chest. His arm still covered his eyes.  She could have sworn he was asleep.
    “No!  I mean, I was looking in your direction, but I wasn’t staring at you.”  That sounded kind of lame.  “Sorry.”
    Aaron grinned and sat up, too.  “It was just a guess.  I couldn’t see you.”
    “Oh,” she said, feeling annoyed.  “Well, I wasn’t.  I mean, not really.”
    “It’s okay.  I stared at your last night when you