Page 7 of Tour Wars
He tried to focus, but it was impossible. He imagined running his fingers through her hair and kissing her everywhere until she moaned in ecstasy. As his body reacted, he let out a groan.
Time for a long, hot shower. Otherwise, he’d be distracted all night.
* * *
The breakfast buffetat the conference was set up in one of the hotel’s ballrooms, spread out over dozens of tables. TJ searched for a familiar face until he spotted his colleague Olivia Sanchez. He’d met her on a dig in Cyprus a year and a half ago, and they’d stayed friends ever since. Upon getting her doctorate last spring, she’d snagged a primo teaching gig at UC Santa Barbara, which was basically the dream. When he’d first learned about it, he’d had a hard time controlling his jealousy, but if anyone deserved a great job, it was Olivia.
After setting down his plate and coffee mug, he plopped into the seat across from her. “Good morning, Olivia.”
Clad in a t-shirt and sweats, her curly hair pulled into a messy ponytail, she looked like she’d rolled out of bed. “Morning, TJ. Nice tie. Glad to see you’re more polished than I am.”
He smoothed a hand over his tie. The maroon shade was a nod to the school colors of the University of Chicago, where his father had taught for years before succumbing to pancreatic cancer when TJ was eleven. “Thanks. Did you just get up?”
She grinned. “Busted. Since I’m not presenting until eleven thirty, I figured I might as well sleep in. I have plenty of time to go back to my room and change.”
“It must be nice to be so relaxed.” He added cream to his coffee, then took a sip.Blech. Hotel coffee was the worst, matched only by the weak-ass Nescafé he’d had on some of his digs.
“Don’t forget, I went through this circus at last year’s conference,” she said. “Nine interviews in two days. It really sucked. I’m just glad it ended well.”
“For you, maybe, but the listings are pathetic this year. I’m not holding my breath.”
“Where’s the self-confident TJ I know so well? The guy who said, ‘Seriously bro, I’m connected,’ back when we were in Cyprus?”
He cringed. Younger TJ had been such an ass. “I was an idiot. I don’t know how you put up with me. Even if I’ve got Harvard connections, they only go so far.”
“Did someone mention Harvard? That must mean TJ has joined the chat.” Olivia’s boyfriend, Rick Langston, sat next to them, carrying a plate laden with eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, and a stack of pancakes.
“That’s quite a breakfast,” TJ said.
“Hey, it’s free food. You take it where you can get it.” Rick popped a piece of bacon into his mouth. “You ready to rock those interviews?”
“No,” TJ muttered. “I’m having a crisis of confidence.”
“If nothing comes through in academia, you can hit me up,” Rick said. “There’s so much construction going on in Ventura County that the CRM firm I work with is stretched thin. We don’t have enough archaeologists on staff to manage all our projects. Salvage archaeology might not be glamorous, but it pays the bills, and you still get your hands dirty.”
TJ managed a half-hearted smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m still holding out for a teaching job or something at a museum. I just wish the field wasn’t so competitive. It doesn’t help that Emilia…” He trailed off as he caught a knowing smirk between Rick and Olivia.
“So…you and Emilia, huh?” Olivia asked. “I thought you couldn’t stand each other. But last night, I could have sworn I saw you leave the hotel bar together.”
Rick grinned. “You two looked pretty tight.”
Fuck. “You…you were there?” TJ swallowed quickly, then coughed as a chunk of waffle lodged in his throat.
“We were in the back, with a group from UCLA,” Olivia said. “But no judgment. A conference like this is the perfect place to let off a little steam.”
“Nothing happened. Really.” TJ’s forehead prickled with sweat. “She had too much to drink, so I was helping her get to her room. I wasn’t taking advantage of her.”
Until she kissed me passionately, and I kissed her right back.
He wiped his brow with his napkin only to realize it was sticky with syrup. “Please don’t mention this to Em. She didn’t even want my help, but I…um…I…” How could he explain his actions? He wasn’t even sure why he’d helped her in the first place.
“We were just teasing,” Rick said. “If you and Emilia want to keep things quiet, it’s totally cool. What happens at conference stays at conference.”
“Damn right,” Olivia said, giving Rick a fist bump. “We won’t breathe a word.”
“Thanks.” TJ could only imagine how furious Emilia would be if she learned she’d been the subject of gossip. Pushing aside his plate, he stood up. Right now, the thought of food—even waffles doused in syrup—made his stomach churn. “I’m going outside. I need a dose of fresh air before my first interview.”
“Knock ’em dead,” Rick said. “Don’t forget we’re doing a bar crawl at eight with a group from the old Cyprus crew.”
