Page 9 of Pillow Talk

Spoken like someone who can afford to dispose of garments like they are nothing. The way they fit, I would bet my paycheck they aren't off the rack.

He rolls up his sleeves, and I notice his exposed forearms, tanned and muscular. There isn't a thing about this man that doesn't scream hot.

"Here we are." Vince steps up and dabs a wet swab of antiseptic on my knee.

"Ouch," I cry out, fanning myself. "What the hell, Vince!"

"Lex, you had a cut," he explains, prompting Ben to rush back to my side.

I look down to see a jagged little red tear in my skin. In all the chaos, I never noticed.

"Here, allow me." Ben takes the Band-Aid and kneels in front of me, blowing on my knee to ease the sting. Some of his breath hits other places…places it shouldn't, and I feel faint. On instinct, I clench my thighs together and reach forward, grasping his shoulders for balance.

He looks up at me, and I see my desire reflected there. Blue eyes locked on hazel, neither looking away. Vince clears his throat, breaking the spell, and Ben quickly stands and moves away.

Vince offers his hand. "The name's Vince, and I'm half-owner of Dottie's."

"Benjamin Hamilton, pleasure to meet you, Vince." His voice oozes confidence.

"Well, nice to meet you Ben. Can I call you Ben?" Vince questions.

"Of course," Ben counters.

"Seems only appropriate since you have seemed to catch the eye of our Alexa here. She's like a daughter to us." He smiles proudly, as if he's gonna start negotiating my dowry. Just when I think he's done subjecting me to more embarrassment he adds, “And you've been eye level with her lady bits and such, so we're practically family."

Kill. Me. Now.

Stealing a glance at Ben, I find that he's not at all mortified. In fact, he's laughing. And once my hearing catches up with my other senses, and I can hear the sound, I know I would love to hear it again.

As if sensing my eyes on him, he turns to me, the laughter fading, replaced with a sheepish smile.

"What the hell is going on here?" A shrill sound pierces the air.

Hearing Dottie's voice, I move quickly to hop down from the counter, losing my balance from the sudden movement. And Ben is right there, ready to catch me.

"Falling for me?" He jokes.

If he only knew how possible that probably was. In another time, another life maybe.

"Anyone want to tell me why it looks like a tornado ran through my dining room?" Dottie asks and Vince ushers her back out front.

Wait. Dottie’s here. That means...

The morning sun streaming through the window over the sink lets me know it's got to be almost 7:00. A quick glance at the clock reveals it’s actually 7:05 A.M. Shit! I need to clean up my mess.

“Ben, I’m so sorry. I have to go.”

I begin rushing around before Vince interrupts. “We’ve got this Lex. Get yourself to school.”

Dottie corners Ben in the doorway. “Why are you in my kitchen?”

“Well—” Ben stutters. If I weren’t so worried about being late, I would be laughing at the situation.

“Woman, they’ve got to go.” Vince gently takes Dottie’s arm and pulls her to the side so he can make his escape.

“But Vince, did you see that mess?”

“Honey, I’ll explain everything. You just focus on whipping up more of those famous pies.” Dottie smiles at Vince, and he looks over and gives me a thumbs up. “Lex, good luck, kid!”