Elizabeth nodded, her eyes tightening.
“We have found a potential treatment,” Ava said quickly. She paused waiting for Dr. Mars’ acknowledgement, but the woman just wavedat her to proceed. “The virus can’t withstand a fever.”
Ava looked over at Elizabeth, she was the expert on these things, so Ava allowed Elizabeth to take over the conversation at this point. Elizabeth explained everything that they had learned so far, and the possible options for generating heat in the bodies of the patients without putting them at risk.
“Do it,” Doctor Mars said without any further discussion. Ava knew there was a lot of risk involved in the treatment options, but Dr. Mars looked exhausted and ready to try just about anything.
They opted to try their usual hypothermia protocol in combination with the antivirals. Hoping that it would raise their temperatures enough to kill off the virus while it was still dormant. As with the previous attempts at treatment, it would take time to see how well, or even if, it was working.
The rest of the day was spent poring over test results and observing the remaining patients. Their newest patient was a younger woman who worked with the CDC and had been on site helping to clean up where the pathogen originated, though she couldn’t say how she had managed to come in contact with the virus enough to have been infected. But Ava wasn’t surprised. If she had made a mistake or had not correctly put on her suit, she was unlikely to admit it. Sadly, though, she was in much worse shape than the other patients. The virus had been running rampant for a while in her body, probably for the same reason she had been unwilling to admit to making a mistake, and therefore unwilling to come in sooner.
It felt both like no time had passed and that they had been waiting forever on results when it was dark outside and Ava was struggling to keep her eyes open. She sat in the lab with Elizabeth, waiting for any update on the patients’ statuses, but so far there had not been much news. They had decided to keep the patients warm overnight, then in the morning they would check for any signs of the virus again. There was not much else they could do for the night.
Ava opened her mouth to say as much, but something held her voice. She wanted to invite Elizabeth back to her apartment for some rest, but she didn’t know how to bring it up.Her mind drifted to last night, how Elizabeth had felt against her, how she had tasted, her lips, her touch, her skin. Ava felt her body growing hot with the memory.
Elizabeth stood up from where they were sitting and stretched, yawning wide. “I think I’m going to head back to my room and get some sleep,” she said.
Ava nodded, but her heart started pounding in her chest. She knew that she needed to say something if she wanted to keep Elizabeth with her for another night. This all felt like some sort of fevered dream. She knew Elizabeth would probably disappear once the case was over, and the thought terrified her, but at the same time, she knew that there was nothing that could be done about it. She wouldn’t want to give up her home, and she very much doubted that Elizabeth would settle for a small-town life such as this one. Someone who is used to the hustle of a place like New York City must find Phoenix Ridge terribly boring. Still, she couldn’t let Elizabeth walk out the door.
“Elizabeth,” Ava called to her back as Elizabeth retreated toward the elevator.
Elizabeth turned and looked at her, her face almost hopeful, or at least that’s what Ava wanted her to be.
“Elizabeth I… uh, do you…” Ava struggled to find the words.
“Would you like to join me for some dinner?” Elizabeth asked, releasing Ava from her awkward torment.
Relief washed through Ava at the suggestion. “I would love to,” she said and stood up from her stool. Her legs had become stiff, so she took a moment to stretch before joining Elizabeth at the elevator.
“How’s the food at Lavender’s?” Elizabeth asked as the elevator doors closed.
Ava’s heart pounded at the suggestion of eating at the very place where Elizabeth was staying. Maybe she wasn’t projecting and Elizabeth wanted another night with her, too. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before answering, and she could swear Elizabeth was smirking at her. “It’s, it’s good! Lavender has some pretty fantastic chefs that work for her,” Ava finally managed to choke out.
Elizabeth nodded as the doors closed and Ava fought the urge to pull her close while they were in the confines of the elevator. Elizabeth’s cheeks seemed to be flushed, but Ava told herself that it was just her imagination.
They walked out of the hospital side by side, but neither of them spoke. Ava led them to her car, and they made the short drive to Lavender’s. The dinner shift was slowing down, it was getting late in the evening, but the hostess gladly found them a table where they ordered some tea and something for supper.
Ava had ordered a salad, but she was too nervous to really eat, and it seemed that Elizabeth was feeling the same way. She had ordered a salmon fillet, but she seemed to only pick at it. They carried on some light conversation, but Ava held back all the things she really wanted to say. She wanted to know if Elizabeth was feeling the same about their relationship as she was—but was it even a relationship? Ava definitely enjoyed Elizabeth’s company, and she couldn’t even begin to think about how they would stay in contact once Elizabeth was gone, but none of the words would form.
Finally, Ava suggested that they take their food to go, and the awkwardness of earlier that evening surfaced. Ava kicked herself, because she had just assumed that Elizabeth had wanted her to stay the night, but at no point in the evening had she said or even alluded to that.
Ava lingered near the stairwell as they looked at each other, hoping for a signal. Elizabeth turned her piercing eyes to her and Ava sucked in a breath.
“Coffee?” Elizabeth suggested, and Ava felt like her heart would burst. They were ten feet from a restaurant where coffee was served, so she knew the signal for what it was. She felt her cheeks heat as she nodded and followed Elizabeth up the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glance from Lavender, who happened to be working behind the front desk. Lavender lifted an eyebrow and smirked at her, which made Ava incredibly uncomfortable, but it’s not like this was the first time she’d been taken to a woman’s room in this place. She couldn’t help the feeling that it cheapened the moment somehow. She knew Lavender wasn’t judging her, but still.
Elizabeth didn’t seem to notice Ava’s spiraling thoughts as she unlocked the door to her room and stood aside to allow Ava through. Ava was surprised by the cleanliness of the room, though she felt she probably shouldn’t have been. Elizabeth was extremely meticulous about everything, and to be fair, she hadn’t spent much time in the room since she’d been here. The bed was perfectly made and all of Elizabeth’s personal items were put away and sorted. Elizabeth took Ava’s box from the restaurant and stacked it onto hers, placing both of them in the small refrigerator.
“I don’t really want coffee,” Ava said with a chuckle as Elizabeth turned back to face her.
“Good, neither did I,” Elizabeth said. She crossed the room and before Ava could think, Elizabeth had her pressed against the door, her lips covering Ava’s. Ava parted her lips, allowing access to Elizabeth’s probing tongue as heat flooded through her veins. Her hands flew to Elizabeth’s face and she buried her fingers in Elizabeth’s soft hair. Ava made quick work of the bobby pins and had Elizabeth’s hair curled in her fingers as they kissed.
Elizabeth’s hands found their way to Ava’s waist, tugging at her blouse to free it from her pants, and Ava moaned softly into Elizabeth’s mouth when her fingers made contact with Ava’s bare skin. She trailed her hand upward, pushing under Ava’s blouse and cupping her breast over Ava’s bra. Ava’s heart pounded and she cursed at the inhibiting clothing. She pulled a button loose on her blouse as she yanked it over her head and unclasped her bra before connecting with Elizabeth’s lips again.
Elizabeth’s hands roamed all over Ava’s skin. Her fingers were soft yet firm. She pushed Ava’s bra from her shoulders and started to kiss a trail down Ava’s jaw and onto her neck. Ava sucked in a breath as Elizabeth pinched at Ava’s peaked nipples. Her hands were still buried in Elizabeth’s hair as she worked her kisses down Ava’s chest and pulled one of her nipples into her mouth. Ava rolled her head against the door and moaned, the heat in her body reaching higher and higher.
Elizabeth made quick work of Ava’s pants, dropping them to the floor before hooking her fingers in the waist of Ava’s panties and pulling them down over her legs. Her lips trailed down Ava’s abdomen, and Ava’s mind started spinning. Elizabeth felt so amazing, so perfect. Elizabeth picked up one of Ava’s legs and hooked Ava’s thigh over her shoulder before turning her attention to Ava’s wanting pussy. She licked slowly, languidly, and Ava suddenly couldn’t get enough air. She pulsed her tongue against Ava’s opening, and Ava clenched her fists in Elizabeth’s hair.
“Please…” Ava gasped. “You feel so good.”
