Page 73 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

“Then I’ve got time to make you come twice. Let’s go.” He stood and held out his hand to me.

I took his hand and let him lead me to bed. But as I hit my climax, and as he curled his body around mine, I reminded myself it was only about sex. I couldn’t trust him with my heart.

29

Antigen

Antigen:A substance that induces an immune response in the body.

OLIVER

“Wait. You missed our exit.” Tessa turned her head to watch it roll by outside the window.

“No, I didn’t,” I said, trying not to sound smug.

“I’m pretty sure you did. The office is back there.”

“We’re not going to the office.”

“We’re not?” She cocked her head at me, a few of her freckles disappearing into her scrunched-up nose.

“The trials are going great. The results are strong. The team can handle it for a couple of days.”

Smirking, she rubbed her ear. “Wait. You must be a body-snatcher. Because the real Oliver wouldn’t trust something to the team. Not two weeks before we’re scheduled to wrap up the trial.”

Keeping both hands on the wheel, I shrugged. It felt performative, but if I focused on Tessa, I could keep my mind off work. Mostly. “It’s only going to get busier after this when we produce the final analysis and the regulatory approval submission. This is our last free weekend for a while, and work has been brutal. You deserve some relaxation.”

“So do you.” She reached across the console and squeezed my knee. The warmth of her touch radiated up my leg. Taking a short trip to spend time together and reconnect was a brilliant idea. True, we’d spent almost every night together for six weeks, but seeing her at work every day and having to pretend we weren’t together was hard on me. It had to be hard on her too. I could feel a brittle barrier forming between us like a snail’s shell.

Her hand slid up my leg, and the warmth turned into a tingle. The one place I didn’t feel that brittleness was in bed. I couldn’t get enough of her. And despite the fact that her best friends always asked before they hugged her, she couldn’t keep her hands off me either.

“Whoa,” I yelped as her fingers grazed my groin. “No feeling me up while I’m driving.”

“Spoilsport.” She moved her hand back to her side of the car.

“Distracted driving kills more people than plane and train crashes combined. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time for that at the spa.”

“We’re going to a spa? Like a day spa?”

“No, we’re staying through the weekend. I want you fully relaxed by Sunday.”

“But what about the girls? And I didn’t pack anything. This isn’t one of those nudist spas, is it?”

For once, I was the one reassuring her. “Savannah is taking care of the cats. Also, she packed you a bag. Though you can be as naked as you want in our room.”

“I guess you’ve thought of everything. As usual.” She leaned back in her seat. “Mind if I connect to your car audio? We need some tunes for a road trip.”

Tessa’s taste in music was a combination of ’90s emo rock, old-school hip hop, and more modern angry empowerment anthems, but I didn’t mind. My car had an entry for Tessa’s phone like we were a real couple. We were on our way to a relaxing getaway together. Maybe, if everything went well this weekend, she’d agree to an out-in-the-open relationship beyond her close circle of friends.

The spa was exactly like the photos on the website. The lobby was decorated in soothing beige and plum with white roses and purple lupine in vases. It smelled like sea sage even though we were a few miles from the beach. Sunlight filtered through a set of skylights, and something soothing and nonbiological, like wind or waves, played through hidden speakers.

“This is…” When Tessa’s voice trailed off, I held my breath. Did she hate it? Would she have preferred something in the city, wherever she normally went? Should I have gotten her a gift card instead? “…lovely.”

I breathed again and let go of her suitcase handle so I could tangle my fingers with hers. “Glad you like it. Let’s check in.”

After I gave our names to the woman at the desk, she said, “Ms. Wright, we understand you might be interested in some of our low-touch services. We offer a sauna, both traditional and infrared, light therapy, and ionic foot detox. We even have a float tank. We can also tailor our regular massage and body wrap services to fit with our clients’ sensitivities.”

Tessa blinked for a few seconds. I’d never known anything to stun Tessa into silence, but this did it. Then she whirled and kissed me hard on the lips. Finally, she turned back to the receptionist. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

---