Custody for Two. Karen Smith Rose

I can’t tell you for sure. But to get ready, you have to stay well, get plenty of rest and stop worrying.”

      Over the past week Shaye had wrapped her professional demeanor around her, the one that stayed in control, took everything in stride, was assertive when she had to be. Now at Dr. Carrera’s words, that facade cracked along with her voice when she answered, “I will.”

      As she set the handset in the base, tears came to her eyes. They spilled over and ran down her cheeks. There was absolutely nothing at all she could do about them.

      She felt Dylan come up behind her. She felt his strong, tall body close to her back. His large hand capped her shoulder. “Is Timmy all right?”

      “He’s fine. It’s just…Dr. Carrera told me to relax and stop worrying. Ever since this whole thing started, I’ve been operating on autopilot and—”

      Dylan turned her around, put his palm under her chin and made her look at him. “I know what you mean. I did the same thing. It’s habit for me. After my parents died, I had to come up with a plan…not give in to the loss. Julia and I talked about that once. For me, anger took over instead of grief. It didn’t go away until I was finally her legal guardian and we were really brother and sister again. Now, losing Julia was awful, but I have to think about Timmy.”

      “I know, and she would have wanted us to think about Timmy first. You know that as well as I do.” Her tears were falling again. “I just know I miss her and I’m still worried—”

      When Dylan enfolded Shaye in his arms, she knew he was giving comfort. As he bent his head to hers and kissed her, she knew they were looking for escape and they needed to affirm life. She never expected to get so lost in Dylan…never expected to respond to his kiss as if her life depended on it. Her hands laced in his shaggy hair, loving the feel of it, the coarse texture of it. While his tongue slid into her mouth, his hands pulled her even closer. There was no space between them. The entire length of her body was pressed against him, and she was excited by the maleness of every aspect of him. His chest was hard. His belt buckle pressed into her tummy. And below that…

      How long had it been since a man had wanted her? Since she’d wanted a man? How long had it been since she’d felt fully alive as a woman? How long had it been since touching and being touched hadn’t seemed important anymore?

      Much too long.

      Dylan broke away to trail kisses down her neck, and her knees felt weak. As his fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, she pulled his turtleneck from his jeans. She slid her hands underneath onto his bare skin…into the soft chest hair. He groaned, a deep guttural sound that made her wet. Time and place and reason disappeared as they undressed each other in a frenzy of wanting to touch and taste and enjoy.