Gem freed her hand and slapped it to Austin’s chest, keeping two feet of distance between them. “Ground rules. You are not to say anything provocative, suggestive, or seductive for the rest of the afternoon.”

Austin’s smile widened. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m trying to maintain some degree of maturity and decorum. And every time you flirt with me, all I can think about is being in bed with you.”

“Would that being-in-bed be past tense, present, or future?”

“All of the above.” Gem was breathing quickly, her palms were slightly damp, and desire churned in her middle. Austin was the sexiest woman she’d ever seen and just being near her scalded her, inside and out. Some ferocious, all-consuming lust had been released the night before and the short leash Gem’d kept it on all morning had snapped. She wanted to kiss Austin again, right here in the lab.

“I can read your thoughts,” Austin said softly.

“You cannot.” Gem closed her hand on the front of Austin’s shirt, tugged her a little closer. “At least, I sincerely hope you can’t.” She kissed Austin for the second time that afternoon, but this time it wasn’t light and it wasn’t fleeting. She nibbled Austin’s lower lip, sucked it lightly between her teeth, tasted her, probed and teased.

Austin groaned and gripped Gem’s hips, drawing her close until they were touching everywhere. She made a sound at the base of her throat, a soft growl, and Gem turned liquid inside. She wound her arms around Austin’s shoulders, angled her mouth to take her deeper, her fingers gliding through Austin’s hair, her breasts pressing hard to Austin’s.

Distantly, she heard a squeak and “Oops. Sorry.”

Gem peered over Austin’s shoulder. Emily stared wide-eyed from the doorway. Gem pulled away but kept her arms on Austin’s shoulders. “Hey, Em.”

Emily slid both hands into her back pockets, faint spots of color high on her cheeks, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement and undisguised interest. “Well, I’d say I’m sorry again, but really, I’m not. You could just carry on—”

Austin laughed and turned in Emily’s direction. “Hi. I’m a friend of Gem’s.”

“Oh, I figured that out,” Emily said lightly, holding out her hand. “Emily Costanzas.”

“Austin Germaine. Nice to meet you.”

Emily gave Gem a pointed look. “You are in so much trouble.”

Gem swept her hand down Austin’s back. “I know, I know.”

Emily backed out into the hall and waved. “Well, I’d love to continue the observation—I mean, conversation, but you know—”

“Bye, Em!” Gem called after her.

Laughter followed as Emily disappeared.

“Sorry about that,” Austin said.

“Really?”

Austin grinned. “No, not really. I’m sorry we were interrupted, though.”

“Ah, probably just as well.”

“It’s not a problem, is it?”

“What, Emily? No. We’re all adults, after all.”

Austin’s dark eyes trapped hers. “She’s not a special friend?”

“You mean girlfriend?”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“No, Emily’s a good friend, a colleague. But not an intimate friend.” Gem hesitated. “We didn’t talk about any of that last night. It didn’t seem that there was any reason to.”

“We both agreed what last night was,” Austin said. “Last night was a thing unto itself.”

“And today?”

Austin cupped her face, kissed her gently. “Today is a new day.”

“Then perhaps we should take that walk.”

“We should. Okay. But first, you were going to tell me what you do in this place.”

“Part of what I do is study the possible transmission of pathogens from wild to domestic birds.”

“Right, like bird flu.”

“Yes. So when I come across a sick or, occasionally, dying bird, I’ll do the necropsy in here and culture various organs, isolate blood specimens, and sample other biological tissues for organisms.”

“Like a mini morgue.”

“Yes.”

“That’s fascinating.”

“Sometimes it’s the most routine things that lead us to a breakthrough.” Gem rarely discussed the specifics of her work, and almost never that part of it. Most people, Kim being one of them, did not like to hear about the less picturesque side of things. Austin’s interest, however, was clearly genuine, and Gem warmed to the praise. “I enjoy the methodical routine of it all.”

“So the sanctuary is really your laboratory—not just this room, but all of it.”

“Yes, in a way. Would you like to see it?”

Austin grabbed Gem’s hand. “Very much.”

❖

Austin almost hadn’t come, but Eloise’s mandate had given her the excuse to see Gem again, and she wanted to. She’d wanted to see her as soon as she’d disappeared that morning. If she’d been able to banish the storm and cancel her job and abandon her responsibilities, she would’ve spent the day in bed with Gem, naked and absorbed in her. Exploring, savoring, reveling in the pure pleasure of being with her. Walking beside her down a narrow trail through knee-high marsh grass and evergreens dripping rainwater in tiny droplets fractured by sunlight into millions of miniscule rainbows was almost as satisfying as those moments she’d spent entwined with her. Gem’s enthusiasm, her clear love of nature and her work, suffused her with an ethereal beauty Austin itched to draw. She despaired at being able to capture the passion and energy in her eyes, but she ached to try. They spent an hour wandering through the marsh, with Gem pointing out where she’d set up cameras and planned to watch the birds as they arrived. They finally emerged on the far end of the island and walked back along the shore. Once or twice they passed sandy patches isolated with yellow caution tape.

“Nesting areas?” Austin asked.

“Yes, but not for the birds. Turtles.” Gem pointed to the screens covering sections of the beach. “Emily’s been busy already, setting screens to protect the buried clutches from predators. Once the babies emerge, most of them under unprotected conditions will never make it to the sea. They’ll be eaten by birds or crabs. Sometimes out of a clutch of a hundred and fifty eggs, not a single baby makes it to the sea.”

“No wonder they’re endangered.” Austin gazed out over the ocean. Right now, the rig was invisible, fifty miles out, but she could see it as clearly as if it floated just offshore. The sea was clear and calm with low waves breaking intimately against the beach and running in frothy rivulets back to the water’s edge. Despite the placid surf, the signs of yesterday’s storm were everywhere, with deep gullies cut into the sandy beach leaving nothing but chains of rocks in furrowed trenches. “It looks like this stretch took quite a beating.”

Gem pushed strands of hair away from her face as the wind picked up. The sky darkened and a bank of clouds drifted across the sun. “Yes, all along the coastline, really. If we get another round like yesterday, we’re going to lose a lot of this beach.”

“What about the turtles?”

“It depends on when they hatch. Once they get to the sea, they’ll head for deep water, and if a larger predator doesn’t get them, they’ll spend years alone, just growing to maturity before they mate. It’s late in the season, but a few species do hatch this time of year. If we get hit hard before they hatch, Emily’s going to be sitting out here with an umbrella, if I know her.”

“You’re kidding about that, right?” Austin frowned. “We’re talking about a big storm, Gem. Possible hurricane intensity, and projections have it headed right for you. All of you ought to vacate here.”

Gem frowned and gave her an odd look. “Don’t you mean all of us? You’re not planning on staying in town if things get bad, are you?”

Austin hedged. “I’m not sitting on a little spit of land with the ocean a couple hundred yards away.”

“I don’t think any of us will be leaving. We’ve ridden out plenty of storms here before.”

Austin took in the shoreline in both directions. The inland sanctuary areas Gem had shown her were only a few hundred yards away. An oil spill, if it reached this far, would endanger everything in the sanctuary. They couldn’t let that happen. She’d seen it now. She’d fulfilled Eloise’s orders. She had no reason to stay, and she’d already said too much to Gem. “I should let you get back to work.”

Gem studied her, as if trying to decipher the sudden distance. “You probably have work to do too.”

“I do.” Austin smiled, thinking about the work she truly enjoyed. “Ciri is about to wage an epic battle, and the future of the universe hinges on her vanquishing Charos.”

Gem laughed. “Oh really? And if she fails?”

“Then the door to the underworld will blow open, and Charos’s forces will pour forth to wreak havoc and terror on the unsuspecting populace.”

“And I don’t suppose we’ll find out the outcome of the battle in the next volume, will we?”

“Well…” Austin shrugged, grinning. The wind picked up more and she zipped her jacket against the chill. “That wouldn’t be the best marketing plan.”

“Do you storyboard it, or do you do one panel at a time?”

“You do know your graphic novels, don’t you?”

“I told you I was a fan.”

“Some brief sketches, but mostly I go panel by panel.”

“You still haven’t invited me up to see your…sketches yet.”

“Will you come?” Austin had no right to open these doors, but she couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop.

“Absolutely.”

“Then as soon as I can, I will.” She didn’t know when that might be or how she would manage it, but she would. She wanted to share that with Gem. She wanted Gem to see what mattered to her. “So I guess I should go.”

“How about something warm for the road? My cabin’s not too far.”

She didn’t have much time. The window of clear weather was closing and decisions had to be made. She had a bird to catch back out to the rig. She checked her watch. “If I told you I only had an hour—”