Do Not Disturb

by Lisa Ballenger

  Both girls giggled as they jumped off the end of the bed and ran to Allison. "Let us see."

  Allison rolled over to the other side of the bed. "I think the adults will be selecting the movie tonight. Brett, what do you want to see?"

  He started laughing.

  She snapped her head up, trying to look dignified and motherly, but couldn't control her smile.

  "You're no help." The smile grew to a grin as she walked around the end of the bed and picked up the remote control.

  "Obviously, I'm the only adult left here. So..." She ran through the channels until she found an innocent movie and selected it. "There. Now we're ready." She placed her hands on her hips. "If all you children will take your places, the movie will begin in a few minutes."

  Kelly and Caroline scrambled to the head of one of the double beds, settling in next to each other. Brett leaned back against the headboard of the other bed, legs stretched out in front of him, patting the bed next to him. "Come on and sit down, mom. We'll behave."

  She narrowed her eyes and considered. Should she sit next to Brett, where she wanted to be. Or should she sit on the floor or that hard chair on the other side of the room?

  "Sit down Mom. You’re in our way." Kelly waved her mother away from the television, indicating her toward the bed.

  "All right, I'm going." She moved tentatively to where Brett sat waiting and sat on the opposite edge, placing one leg on the mattress, leaving the other one on the floor. Crossing her arms, she sat up straight. If she sat way over here and didn’t touch him, she guessed it’d be all right.

  She felt Brett's eyes on her, but refused to look his way. The girls, engrossed in the action on the screen, ignored Allison and Brett.

  "Relax," he whispered, lowering his left shoulder toward her. "We aren't doing anything wrong."

  She froze. Aren't we? We're sitting on a bed together in a hotel room. With the girls in the same room.

  Allison sighed. Maybe Brett was right. It was healthy for Kelly to see how to act properly around a man. But was this proper?

  Being a single parent sure was difficult.

  "Can we turn the light off, Dad? It's in our eyes." Caroline looked around Kelly to her father.

  He reached up and switched off the bedside light. "Better?"

  "Yeah. Thanks." Caroline sat back. "Oh no. Watch that, Kelly."

  She was being silly. This was really no different than sitting on the couch with him. She pulled her other leg off the floor and tucked it in under her thigh.

  Brett slid his hand over the bedspread and placed it over hers. With the television barely lighting the room, she could only feel his hand squeezing her fingers. It reminded her of the teenagers sneaking in church when she was growing up, sitting on the back row and holding hands underneath crossed arms.

  And she was still sneaking. This was ridiculous. She was not a teenager anymore.

  She dropped her right shoulder slightly, letting it hit the side of Brett's arm. He made the smallest move with his arm, resulting in it lining up with her and allowing him to hold her hand tighter.

  The electricity shot between their bodies as they sat in silence, pretending to watch the movie. It almost felt like they were married. A family.

  What it would be like to be married to someone who cared about her career? What she wanted. Would he understand and tolerate the demands as she moved up in a company after he’d walked away from it all? Or would he resent her long hours? The days she’d be late.

  At least now she only had Kelly to think about and plan for. No one else to involve with her decisions. And no one else to talk over her problems, she reminded herself.

  But, there was no need to worry about it...

  "Allison. Wake up." Her arm was shaking. Opening her eyes, she saw the outline of Brett’s head against the pale light streaming around the curtains.

  Allison bolted upright when she realized she was still on the bed with Brett. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “Be quiet. The girls are asleep.”

  She looked around him to the other bed. Kelly and Caroline hidden under the covers and the television dark. Glancing at the bedside table, Allison saw it was 3:00am. She couldn’t believe she fell asleep on the bed with Brett.

  She tried to slide off the bed, but Brett held her in place. “Let go,” she whispered. “I need to...”

  “I’ll move to the sofa. Allison. You stay here.”

  “But...”

  “Relax, darling. When they wake up in the morning, they’ll think I was on the sofa all night.”

  How did he know what she was thinking? And what to say to make her feel better? She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thanks. I hope you won’t be too uncomfortable.”

  He whispered in her ear, his beard rough against her cheek. “It won’t be as soft and warm as over here, but being this close to you in the dark is a little too tempting for me anyway. And my self-control is almost at the breaking point now.”

  “Go.” She put her hand on his chest. “And maybe you’d better think about the stock market or something else not so...so...sexual.”

  “I’ll try, but it’s not easy with you laying over here. When I’d rather be -”

  She gave him a gentle shove and he slipped off the edge of the bed, barely catching his balance. She covered her mouth to smother a giggle.

  The sound of running water woke Allison the next morning. She shook her head, trying to remember where she was. Sitting up, she noticed empty blankets on the sofa and the girls still under the covers.

  She dropped back on the bed. A vision of Brett naked in the shower popped in her mind. She visualized almost all of him. His lean, muscled shoulders and chest. His long legs. Water dripping off each part of his body. Yes, she knew what almost all of him looked like and could almost imagine the rest.

  Her lower body tingled. Suddenly the water stopped. He must be reaching for his towel now, drying his back, moving over his stomach.

  She covered her head with the bedspread and squinted her eyes tighter, the ache in her body intensifying with her mental show. Was he dressing now?

  The door to the bathroom clicked. She froze under the blanket. If they were alone, he could crawl between the sheets and -.

  She jumped as the bedspread pealed off her head. The top of Brett’s hand ran along her cheek. She turned her face up and saw him grinning, his mouth hovering above hers.

  “The bathroom’s free,” he whispered. “Want me to start the shower for you?”

  She shook her head, sliding away from Brett to the edge of the bed and out of the covers. She drew her t-shirt down over her shorts and stood up, tip-toeing around the end of the bed toward the bathroom. She rounded the corner with Brett following her. She twirled around in the doorway and he moved into her body, capturing her in a tight embrace.

  “Brett.” Allison wiggled, but he held on tighter.

  “Hold still,” he growled. “It’ll be hours before we’re alone again and I’m not waiting that long to hold you.”

  When he leaned in to kiss her, she slipped her hand between their mouths.

  “I need to brush my teeth.”

  “I don’t care—“ he protested.

  “Brett...”

  He drove her into the bathroom with his body, not releasing her. Picking up a small bottle of complimentary mouthwash, he screwed off the top behind her back. Holding it on one hand, he pressed it against her lips. “Open up.”

  She cracked her lips and he poured in a few drops of mouthwash.

  Rotating her body in his arms, he positioned her over the sink. He turned on the water and waited.

  She stared at him in the mirror, her mouth full of the minty liquid. He grinned, his eyebrows arched.

  “Are you done yet?”

  She leaned over the sink and rinsed her mouth. This man was crazy.

  He pulled her back around to face him, one hand on her neck and the other on the waist. “Good morning, darling.” He kissed h
er urgently, wasting no time for softness or seduction.

  She melted, her body already humming from the naked shower scene images. It was hard to remember their daughters were in the other room and that they needed to be careful. It was hard to think about anything but this sexy man kissing her.

  Suddenly, he leaned back. “We’d better stop or I’ll need another shower.” He kissed her forehead and backed slowly out of the bathroom. “Only a few more days and we won’t have to stop.”

  As the door clicked shut Allison sat down on the edge of the tub. Her knees shook and goose bumps covered her skin. What would it feel like to have those lips all over body?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ten minutes away from Tampa, Allison closed the top of her laptop with a snap. "There. First draft is done."

  "So you'll still make your thesis deadline,” Brett asked, “even with this little hurricane break?"

  She nodded, the muscles in her stomach relaxing. "If I don't have any more emergencies, I should be able to send it out before the holidays." She leaned back against the headrest. "Thanks for giving me peace and quiet this morning. It really helped."

  "A lot can be accomplished with a little ‘do not disturb’ sign when you have children." Brett rubbed his chin. "Yeah. Maybe that's what we need."

  Allison whipped her head in Brett's direction. "What?" she whispered.

  He motioned for her to lean closer. "You know. For us to finally get some privacy." He grinned. "Our own ‘do not disturb’ sign." He laughed as he turned the truck into Allison's neighborhood. “That’s what we need.”

  Kelly and Caroline stuck their heads between the front seats. "What do you need, Dad?"

  "See what I mean?" he asked.

  Allison clutched the dash as they neared her house. "Oh my god." She leaned forward in her seat. "Our house."

  "Mom. It's a tree." Kelly pointed across her mother's shoulder. "On the garage."

  "I see, Kelly. I see."

  "Stay here.” Brett stopped in front of the house and opened his door. “Let me check for power lines."

  "What are we going to do, Mom?"

  "I don't know, sweetie. I don't know." Allison patted her daughters hand that lay on her shoulder. "But don't worry. We'll solve it." How would she solve it? And work? And get Kelly back in school? And...

  "Come on out, Allison. It's safe."

  Warm humid air coated her face as Brett opened the car door. She dropped her legs out of the vehicle.

  They walked slowly up the debris strewn drive, stopping a few feet from the edge of what used to be her garage door. The middle of a large palm tree lay on the trunk of her car, the top fronds crushed against the underside portion of the garage roof still standing.

  "My car. My house.” Tears brimmed in the back of Allison's throat. “What am I going to do?" Her voice was low and strained.

  Brett put his arms around her as she started to shake. "Let's get inside." He towed her toward the front door. "I'll come back out and check the damage later. We need to be sure the back of the house is okay."

  Panic hit Allison. "The back. I didn't even think about the back. What if it's blown away? I have all those trees." She ran out of his arms and up the steps. Scrambling in her purse, she searched for her keys. Her trembling hands unlocked the front door and she raced inside.

  Dashing from room to room, she checked windows and doors. Brett followed, stopping her as she reached for the garage door.

  "Don’t." He held her hand still on the knob. "I'll go in there later." He pulled her to the couch. "Sit for a minute. I'll be right back."

  Voices drifted from the back of the house, but couldn’t distinguish the words. The blood rushed in her head and her stomach roiled. She had to solve this. She needed to find her insurance papers. She needed to...Oh god, she didn't have time to...

  As Brett sat down, the sofa cushion raised, pushing Allison against his side. "The girls are in Kelly's room. I told them we needed a few minutes to sort things out."

  She nodded.

  "I know it looks bad, Allison, but it really isn't. Only the corner of the garage needs to be repaired and your car looks like it only has a little damage on one side."

  She nodded.

  “First thing tomorrow I'll call the insurance company and get someone out here to look it over. Then I'll arrange for the repairs to the garage."

  She edged back. "No. You can't do all that. It's my responsibility."

  "But you have to work." He placed a finger on her lips. "And I have a more flexible schedule. Remember?"

  "But -"

  "No arguments." Brett cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Let me help, darling. I want to."

  "I know I shouldn't depend on you,” her head drooped to her chest, “but I just can't do everything."

  "You could. You always have. You just don't need to." He brushed stray curls out of her face. "That's the difference."

  She nodded then sat back up abruptly. "I don't have a way to get to work."

  "You can keep the Range Rover until your car's fixed. I have another car."

  "You finished refurbishing the Thunderbird already?"

  "I wish." Brett laughed. "No. I have the car I brought down from Virginia. I got the Range Rover after I moved here."

  "Are you sure?" She placed a hand on his chest. “I can rent a car."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I can't drive two vehicles at the same time." Brett stood up, dragging her with him. He kissed her on the end of her nose. "Feel better now?"

  "I guess. But I'm not sure how I'll feel when we go out in the garage. Or when I find out how much this is all going to cost."

  "Let's get your insurance papers, reassure the girls everything's under control, and then I guess we'd better check my house."

  "Oh, Brett. Your place." She clutched his arms. "I forgot. How selfish of me. We need to hurry over there. It may be worse than mine."

  "I'm sure it's fine. There aren't many trees on the lot. And, besides, I have renter's insurance if there are problems."

  "Brett." She slipped her arms around his waist. "Thanks for being here for me." Tilting her face up, she kissed him gently on each side of his mouth and then softly on the lips. "And being so calm. I'm not usually this frazzled, it's just the audit at work, my thesis and -"

  "That's what friends are for." He kissed her briefly. "Let's go girls. One more house to check on."

  The next afternoon Allison parked the Range Rover near the curb. Brett stood at the corner of the garage, near stacks of tree limbs. The yard was clean, so he’d obviously worked all day, but his clothes were fresh. The visions of Brett naked in the shower popped back in Allison's head, causing her whole body to warm up at least five degrees.

  Why did she keep doing that?

  He grinned and waved as she stepped out of the truck.

  He looks so good, Allison thought, walking toward him. She wanted to throw him on the grass. Thank him. Kiss him. And a few other things she hadn't thought about for a long time. Things preying on her mind all the time now.

  "What?" Brett asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  "Nothing." Allison smiled, remembering the new underwear she’d bought at lunch. She’d never spent such a fortune on underwear. But then, she’d never planned a night with a man like Brett.

  "What are you thinking, Allison?"

  "You'll find out Friday night." She ran her fingertips up his arm, across his shoulder, stopping briefly at his neck before continuing to his lips. Slowly she moved her fingers to her own mouth and licked them. "Hmmmm. I'm hungry. Are you?"

  She strolled to the front door, smiling at her boldness.

  He grabbed her elbow and whirled her around. "What are you trying to do to me?" He shifted his head close to hers. "We said we'd wait three more days. But if you keep that up, I'll have to take you inside, lock the girls outside and make love to you tonight."

  The desire in Brett's eyes made Allison shiver. "My, my, I think somebody's a little testy. I wa
s just talking about needing dinner."

  "Like hell you were. You're driving me crazy," he pulled her against his chest, "and you know it," he placed his lips on hers, "and I love it."

  He kissed her hard and fast and then let her go. "Get inside before it's too late."

  "I really appreciate everything you've done, Brett." Allison placed the sandwiches she’d picked up at the deli on plates. "I'm sure you're behind in your work, so I have a deal for you."

  He ripped open a bag of potato chips, dumping piles on each plate. "What's that?"

  "Girls, come get your dinner." Allison and Brett set the plates on the table and sat down.

  "I'll take the girls shopping on Saturday. You can have several hours alone."

  "Deal. I can catch up on my rest." He leaned back in his chair, popping chips in his mouth. "You see I'm expecting a very active Friday night."

  "Brett." She reached over to the counter, grabbed a dish towel and slung it at his head just as the girls came around the corner.

  "What's going on in here?" Kelly asked.

  Brett captured the cloth just before it wrapped around his face. "Somebody in this house is a little wound up." He balled up the towel and shot it over the bar edge back toward the counter.

  "Did you have another bad day, Mom?" Kelly slipped into the chair across from Brett.

  Allison narrowed her eyes at Brett. "I had a perfectly wonderful day actually."

  "I had a perfectly wonderful day, too." Brett nodded. "And I'm expecting a perfectly wonderful reward for all my good deeds on Friday night."

  Her face turned red. "Brett..."

  "Well, we are going out to eat on Friday aren't we?" He moved his eyes from Allison to the girls. "And Connie’s coming over for you two."

  "Hooray." Caroline clapped. "She's cool, Kelly. She's seventeen."

  "And Allison is planning a shopping trip for all you girls on Saturday, so I can work." He grinned at Allison. "Isn't that nice of her?"

  Picking up her sandwich, Allison placed it beside her mouth to block the girls from seeing her lips. "Behave," she mouthed.

  Brett winked and stuffed his sandwich between his lips.