“I’m just tired,” she said. And she still had a long night ahead of her. The fund-raiser wasn’t even half over. She would’ve gone home—she’d already achieved that lunch date with the senator, which was as much as she could aspire to in her current frame of mind—but she couldn’t face the thought of returning to the delta house alone.
“There’re a lot of people here. At five hundred bucks a head, you guys have raised some good money tonight.”
It was a struggle to get through the small talk, even when it concerned The Last Stand. But Skye didn’t want to concentrate on the lyrics to the song, either. They were especially poignant after her encounter with David and the emptiness she felt in knowing he considered it a mistake.
That was stupid….
Maybe so. But she couldn’t keep herself from reliving every moment. She could still smell his cologne on her clothes. And when she closed her eyes, she could feel him inside her….
“Skye?” Charlie said.
Opening her eyes, Skye searched her recent memory for his last comment. He’d been talking about the fund-raiser, the money… “I won’t know the exact amount until we close. That’s when we’re doing the direct drive.”
“What’s that?”
She could feel David’s gaze on her from where he stood at the periphery of the room. He’d been watching her ever since they’d left the bathroom, but he hadn’t approached.
Realizing that she owed Charlie more attention than she’d been giving him, she forced herself to smile and put some cheer into her voice. “We’re going to have several of our past clients tell their stories. Then we’ll ask people to raise their paddles if they’re willing to commit $10,000 to help them and others like them.”
“Ten thousand dollars? You really think people will step up and pledge that amount?”
“I do. The money helps victims now, fulfills an immediate need, which is very motivating, especially once you see what some poor souls have suffered.”
She was afraid he might make another reference to her own experience with violent crime or the shooting, but he didn’t. He must’ve gotten the hint when she left the table earlier.
“I saw a burn victim when I first got here.”
“That’s Gina Wilkinson. She’s on the program.”
“What happened to her?”
“Five years ago, she told her husband she wanted a divorce and was nearly burned alive when he drugged her and set fire to the house that very night. She lost one of her twin boys to the blaze.” Skye’s voice softened as she thought about Gina. “She’s a powerful speaker.”
“That’s tragic,” he said. “But…ten thousand dollars is a lot. What if no one feels they have that much?”
“The bids go down from there. The last call is at the hundred-dollar level.”
“Since I didn’t pay to get in here, I think I can handle that much, at least.” As Charlie turned her to the music, he must’ve spotted David watching them because he jerked his head in David’s direction. “What’s up between you and that detective? Are you guys seeing each other or something?”
Skye cleared her throat. “No.”
“Well, he won’t let you out of his sight. I think he wants to hook up with you.”
He already had. She’d never experienced a frenzy like that. She tingled at the memory of it. But she knew allowing herself to want more was crazy. Her life was spinning out of control. Tonight she’d pulled up her dress in a hotel bathroom for a man who planned to remarry his ex-wife. Last night she’d shot and killed an intruder.
What would she do next?
“He’s here because he’s helping me with a case,” she said. She didn’t mention that it was her own case.
The song came to an end, and Charlie let go of her. But Skye didn’t want to sit down, didn’t want to create an opportunity for David to speak to her. It seemed easiest to pass the time in the middle of the dance floor, buffered from deep conversation by the loud music. “Want to keep dancing?”
Charlie hesitated, obviously reluctant, but he acquiesced when she moved closer. “Okay, I guess. If you do,” he said, but he’d just slipped his arms around her waist when David put a hand on his shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?”
Charlie shot Skye a meaningful glance and stepped back. “Not at all. I’m ready for a drink.”
Then Skye found herself in David’s arms, swaying slowly to “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.
David didn’t say anything as they danced. He was holding Skye a little too close for propriety, knew it wouldn’t look good if anyone decided to notice, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. All he could think about was her openmouthed kisses, and making her gasp and moan and call out his name the way she had only thirty minutes before. He wanted to rent a room, but that fell under the category of “premeditated,” which was even worse than a “hit and run” in the bathroom.
Still, he’d already screwed up and would be paying a heavy price. Why not make the evening worth the repercussions?
He imagined running a shower and letting the water cascade over Skye’s br**sts as he licked away the drops. He could go out and buy some condoms first, meet her later. Then no one would see them leave together.
But if they were going to rendezvous, they needed to make the arrangements now. His babysitter couldn’t stay too late.
“Will you get a room with me?” he murmured.
Skye pulled back a few inches. There was a touch of surprise in her expression and also something else, something he couldn’t name. “Tonight?”
“Yes.” If he didn’t act immediately, guilt would set in. Then he wouldn’t be able to indulge the cravings that were driving him mad.
I know you’ll make the right decision. You’re a good man….
Mentally, he shook his head, trying to rid himself of that echo. The hunger was too strong, too visceral to keep fighting it. Maybe, if he succumbed and made love to Skye until he was satiated, he’d be able to control his wayward desires and start over, behave more rationally.
“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?” Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“I didn’t get enough. Did you?” He smiled for Sheridan’s benefit; she was watching them from a few feet away, where she was dancing with her own date. He turned Skye slightly, away from Sheridan’s prying eyes, and whispered in her ear, “I’m dying to make love to you again.”