Drake Sisters 04 - Dangerous Tides

with you. I need a break anyway." He reached her side, circled her neck with his arm and kissed her.
    Instead of his hard, hungry kisses, he was gentle, tender even, and it turned her heart over. "I like you in my lab."

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    She laughed. "Because I was such a big help to you."

    "Actually you have been. Remember when we talked about the plants in the rain forest of Peru and how many of them have a symbiotic relationship with insects or plants around them? I haven't been able to get that out of my mind."

    He followed her out of the basement, blinking a little in the light, reminding her of an owl. She smirked at him. "Just out of curiosity, Tyson, are you aware that owls see in black and white?"

    A slow grin spread across his face, wiping away the weariness. "Do I remind you of an owl?"

    "Just thought you might be interested—for future reference." She grinned back at him, almost daring him to come up with a matching fact.

    He scratched his head. "Owls' irises dilate and contract independently in the two eyes. Fascinating creatures. BioLab is working on a retina retainer drop. It will hold the retina's shape to stop eyesight from worsening. They're only a couple of years out before they'll have it ready for humans." He held out his hand. "Do you want to go home? Hopefully your sisters have food and drink around."

    Libby went with him out to her car and didn't protest when he produced the keys and slid into the driver's seat. He loved driving the Porsche and she loved giving him that small pleasure. "I thought you were totally oblivious to my presence, Ty."

    "I always know when you're in a room with me. I have Libby Drake radar. In college I could spot you walking clear across campus. I'm not going to miss you in the same room." He glanced at her and then back to the road. "I know I'm not very talkative when I work."

    She laughed. She couldn't help it. "You don't talk at all. Or you start to talk and forget and stop in the middle of it because you've thought of some great idea."

    There was a long silence as he handled the Porsche through several tight turns on the narrow highway.
    Libby rolled down her window to watch the scenery flashing by. Several miles went by before he spoke.

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    "I'm sorry. I'll try to get better."

    She glanced at him sharply, hearing the wariness in his voice. He thought he'd upset her, because he usually managed to upset the people around him with his tunnel vision. "Don't be sorry." She flashed him a reassuring smile. "When I'm at work, no one expects me to entertain them. I found it all very interesting.
    I know you're going to be able to figure out why the drug is reacting differently on the adolescent brain."

    He frowned. "That may take some time. I might be able to figure out how to stop it from happening, but the why of it is going to be more difficult."

    "That doesn't make sense. Don't you have to know why before you can fix it?"

    Tyson shook his head as he pulled into the Drakes' long drive. He waited until he parked the car and stopped the engine. "It doesn't always work that way, Libby. Research is often discovering something by accident."

    "Maybe, but you don't seem to do anything by accident." She got out of the car and walked with him up to the house. "Everything you do is careful, Tyson. You're thinking it through."

    "Harry was close, but he was just in too much of a hurry. He lets the marketing people pressure him."
    His grin looked a bit like a hungry shark. "They stay away from me."

    "I'll bet they do. You aren't at your most courteous when you're working."

    He frowned again, looking more rumpled than ever as he pushed his hands through his hair in agitation and genuine concern. "Was I rude to you, Libby?"

    She leaned into him and kissed his blue-shadowed jaw. "No, Ty, you weren't rude to me. Believe me, if you ever are, you'll hear about it."

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    His smile flashed, making him look younger and far more boyish. "Good."

    Before Libby could open the door, it opened from the inside and she found herself staring at all of her sisters. None of them were smiling. She frowned. "You weren't worried, were you? I called a couple of times and left messages on the answering machine saying I was all right." She stepped into the house.
    "Oh, God.