Sidelined

“Yes.” He let his hand linger next to her arm. He wanted to pull her into his chest, but she was keeping the distance between them. “It will be fun. Don’t worry about anything. What time?”

“I usually try to leave for work by 7:30.”

“Ok. I’ll be here then.”

“Goodnight, Ben.” Skye turned toward the door, but he caught her elbow.

He brushed his mouth against her lips. “Goodnight.”

Twenty

“Here is an extra blanket if you need it.”

Skye folded a quilt in half and draped it over the back of the couch. The guest accommodations in her one-bedroom apartment were limited. Her mom would have to stay on the couch.

If she wasn’t such a night owl, Skye would offer her bedroom, but her mom could be up all night. Skye needed the door to ensure she’d get her own amount of sleep.

“Thanks, honey. I know where everything is if I need anything.” Patty turned to the TV.

“Ok, well, I have to get ready for my meeting in the morning so I’ll be in my room working on the presentation.” She leaned to hug her mother.

“Night night.”

“Goodnight.”

Skye left her mother on her couch. The nervous feelings that started this morning when her mother called had started to vanish. They weren’t entirely gone, but Skye felt her shoulders settling down her back and the tightness in her neck relaxing.

Patty had been in San Diego for six hours and so far no paranoid episodes. Maybe her new medication was working. Aunt Rose would be here Wednesday night, and she would drive back to North Carolina with her mom on Thursday.

Skye flipped open her laptop. Pictures from the zoo flashed on her screen. She was there yesterday with Ben. Laughing, pointing at monkeys, holding hands. She sighed. She didn’t want him to know about her mother, but at some point everyone found out. She could only hope that tomorrow was another smooth day.

Skye straightened her suit and stepped into her highest black heels. She liked towering over the meeting. She always felt like it gave her an edge.

Her mother was sleeping on the couch. She opened the door, careful not to wake her guest. Ben stood in front of her. Damn, he looked edible in the morning.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi.” He slipped past her and nodded when he saw Patty on the couch. He pulled Skye’s wrist and led her to her room where he closed the door behind her. “This is how I really wanted to say good morning.”

He pressed her shoulders against the door and his lips blazed along her neck.

“Ben!” Skye let out her loudest whisper scream. “My mom’s in there.”

“Yeah, but you know I love this librarian look you have going.” He pulled the collar from her neck and began to unbutton the first few buttons.

“No.” She swatted at his hands, but he gripped them and held her still.

“I didn’t kiss you last night, and I’m not going to kiss you all day. So you’ve got to give me this.”

His mouth landed on hers, and his entire body leaned against her. She felt his warmth through the opening in her shirt. His tongue danced and she moaned, taking the kiss deeper.

He pulled back and straightened her jacket. “Now, that’s a better good morning.” He winked as he buttoned the second button. “You should leave the top one undone. It will drive everyone in your meeting crazy.”

Skye took the button between her fingers. “That’s not what I’m going for.” For a second she was tempted to cancel the meeting and shuttle her mother off to a hotel so she could see how far that kiss could go, but responsibility set in.

She grinned. He had managed to surprise her before 7:30. Her hand gripped the doorknob. She had a presentation to give. If she turned around again, he would probably have her out of her skirt and in the bed in five minutes. The meeting. She had a meeting.

“Bye,” she whispered over her shoulder.