By the time we reached the hotel, the day had wound down into sunset and the city seemed to swallow us whole. We’d have more time to take in some of the sights and local culture after I had a shower. The day was as sticky as the candy that would be passed out at the end of the month.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Michael opened the hotel door with his keycard, causing a blast of cool air to hit my face. Hurrah. The cream-colored walls and burgundy comforters were almost as inviting as that air conditioning so I shuffled inside with my suitcase and kicked the door shut. Michael gravitated to the queen-sized bed closest to the door as he was technically my angelic bodyguard so I dumped my stuff on the other mattress before collapsing face-first onto it. Michael let out a faint groan as well before silence enveloped us both. Once the sweat coating my spine dried, I rolled over and kicked off my Reeboks.
“How far is the place from here?” I asked.
“Ten minutes, or so MapQuest says.”
“Good. Means we won’t have to roll out of bed until noon or so tomorrow.” The socks came off next. I wiggled my toes on the fuzzy white carpet and sat up on the edge of the bed. Michael was sprawled on his back with his long legs trailing onto the floor. The urge to giggle rose in my throat. When he wore khakis, he looked like an enormous brunette stork.
“Sounds like a plan. Might give us some time to take in the sights, too.”
A frown tugged at my lips. “This isn’t a vacation, y’know.”
He shrugged, raking the hair out of his eyes so he could meet my gaze. “I know. But it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.”
I spared him a sarcastic smirk. “Yeah, because we all know what that idea was.”
The archangel rolled his eyes. “One day you’ll appreciate the sacrifices I make for you.”
“Sure, I will. Dibs on the shower.” He groaned as I unzipped my bag to get out my clothes.
“Oh, c’mon, I drove for four hours. The least you could do is let me shower first.”
“I offered to drive and you declined.”
Michael finally sat up, scowling at me. “I’m a guy. We have things about driving.”
“Well, too bad. Ladies first.” Having gathered my clothes, I headed towards the bathroom, but he called to me before I got there.
“I thought you said you weren’t a lady.”
I stopped and glared at him. The archangel had the most infuriating smirk on his face. I contemplated taking another shot at his shin.
“I am when it suits me.”
The accursed smirk widened. “And when is that?”
I flashed him a very mean smile. “You’ll never see it.”
Before he could supply another snappy comeback, I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. A few weeks ago, he might have talked me out of taking my shower first but I’d caught on to his methods by now. Sure, Gabriel was the most eloquent of the archangels that I had met, but Michael had a strangely compelling way of arguing. Hell, that was how he’d ended up accompanying me in the first place.
The hot shower left me in a much better mood than before. Maybe I had just needed the alone time. Michael was great and all, but I hadn’t been close with an attractive male aside from Gabriel in a while. It took some getting used to.
I redressed in comfortable clothes—a plum-colored t-shirt and black Capris. It took nearly an entire minute of adjusting my hair before I realized I was preening. What the hell. I shot myself an annoyed glare in the mirror before stomping out of the bathroom in a huff.
Michael had stripped down to a white tank top, proof that he too felt a little hot under the collar. His eyes tracked my movement across the room, but he didn’t say anything. That was a first.
The television spouted information about the weather and current events, which didn’t surprise me. Michael would want to know what kind of environment we’d traveled into and if it was any better or worse than Albany. If we were lucky, though, we’d only be here for a few days. It all depended on whether the psychiatric hospital had held onto the full records of my mother’s stay. I had called ahead and requested patient information but they needed me to bring legal documentation—in my case, a copy of my birth certificate—to confirm that I was her daughter in order to access the files.
“Shower’s all yours,” I said unnecessarily. Some part of me enjoyed pushing Michael’s buttons and I couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing. He stood, tossed me the remote, and began searching through his duffel bag for clothing.
“What’s the plan for the rest of the night?”
I shrugged, eyes locked on the TV screen. Ooh, Castle rerun. Nice. “Order a pizza and sleep?”
His back was facing me but I could hear the smile in his voice. “Great. Something new and different for us.”
Wonder if I could set his head on fire with my mind. Nah. “What would you suggest then, Mr. O’Brien?”
“We’re in a new city. The least we can do is have dinner somewhere.”
I paused. “Why does that sound like a date?”
Michael turned and arched an eyebrow at me. “Is there something you need to tell me, Jordan?”
I spared him a cold look. “Ha-ha.”
He flashed me that million-dollar smile and I snorted, waving in the direction of the bathroom. “Stop flirting with me and go take a shower, pretty boy.”
His soft chuckle lingered even after he disappeared into the bathroom. Stupid sexy angel.