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Mia pulled Ben away from the check-in desk of the only hotel for the next twenty miles, thanks to the detour she’d taken through the middle of nowhere.
“Why did she assume we were a couple—a married one, at that—if we asked for two separate rooms?” Ben muttered, still clammy and disheveled. But not so unappealing that Mia didn’t notice the way his t-shirt clung to his chest, thanks to its moistness and the fact that it was a little snug even prior to Barf-fest 2023.
Mia shook her head, trying to rid her brain of the inappropriate images of her boss taking shape.
And she was still shaking her head when they entered the hotel room. Because, of course, the only available hotel room in a twenty-mile radius—thanks to the county fair taking place “over yonder,” according to the receptionist—only only had one bed.
Ben left a trail of smoke behind as he sprinted like an Olympic track star to the bathroom, so Mia dropped off the luggage and walked down the hall to the vending machines. With Ben’s liquid output in the past hour, he definitely needed to rehydrate.
“Well, that’s pretty bad,” Ben said as he emerged from the bathroom. Mia set the bottles of water and packs of crackers on the hotel room table and rubbed her forehead. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear from someone emerging from the bathroom they shared.
“I didn’t think you ran in there for anything good.”
Ben squinted his eyes at her. “Ew. And no.” He held up his phone. “I just got an alert, and the storm was worse farther west. There’s all kinds of damage on the roadways, and most of Cincinnati is without power. Including …”
“Our potential client.”
“Bingo.” Ben sat on the lone bed with a sigh. “I just texted our client, and he said no one knows when power will be restored. So I can just drive us back home.” He tried to stand but swayed like the top of a flag post in the wind.
“No way am I letting you drive me anywhere when you’re wobbling like a Weeble and all green and shiny like Easter grass.” The lights dimmed for a second, and she held her breath until they flickered on again. “And I’m not driving us through this storm. We’ll just have to stay.”
Ben rubbed the back of his neck, his shirt pulling up as he did so. The tight sliver of skin that played peek-a-boo was almost enough to distract Mia from the fact that he was sick. A slow smile crept up his face, and she knew he’d caught her. She scampered to the table, scrambling to pick up all the vending machine loot she’d gathered. Anything to escape the heat of his gaze.
“I bought water and ginger ale, and there are some crackers there too. You should probably try to eat or drink something. So, why don’t you get comfortable in bed, and I’ll give it to you.” The moment the words left her mouth, she gasped, unable to look at Ben. “I meant I’ll give you the snacks. Drinks. I’ll give to you the things I purchased for eating and drinking.” Talking like a robot wasn’t helping the situation.
She felt a little better when Ben chuckled. Phew. Maybe he wouldn’t turn her in to human resources. But if he could have read her mind in that moment, he definitely would have. Was there a sexier pose for a man than leaning back on a bed with his hands behind his head? If Mia’s pounding heart was anything to go by, no. There definitely wasn’t.
“I’m going to go get—yeah,” she blurted, pointing not one but two thumbs to the bathroom before taking off. No one would find her picture under the encyclopedia entry for smooth any time soon.
Reemerging with a damp washcloth, she walked around the other side of the bed. No way was she getting too close to her boss on such an intimate piece of furniture. But crawling toward him from the other side like an animal ready to pounce wasn’t exactly the vibe she was going for either, and she immediately regretted her choice.
“Okay, then.” She settled into the pillow-soft mattress, far enough away from Ben to be professional but close enough to touch him … and to roll into him as the dip of the mattress caused her to lose her balance.
“Oof,” she moaned, her face plastered against his chest. For as much time as she’d spent admiring it, she should have been prepared for how hard it would be. Or how good it would feel to curl up on. So good, she rubbed her cheek against it like a kitten nestling into a cozy blanket.
“Are you okay, Mia.” Ben’s breath tickled her face, the smell of mint filling the air. He must have brushed his teeth the last time he was in the bathroom. His syrupy, rich voice sounded right near her ear. Because she was still on top of him, rubbing him like a frisky feline.
“Yeah.” She shot up, getting a little head rush. “I just thought you were hot … from the food poisoning.” If anyone was keeping score for how awkward Mia could make a situation, she’d just set a new world record.
She dabbed his forehead with the cloth at the same speed as someone playing whack-a-mole, but she couldn’t help it. Everything she’d tried to do to help—every effort to remain professional—it all vanished the minute they’d entered this room.
“This is a bad idea.”
She froze, like someone had hit the pause button. What she really needed was a rewind button. Or better yet, a delete. Then, the memories of this awful meeting could travel off into cyberspace, or wherever they went when people deleted things from their DVRs.
This isn’t a good idea. Those were the words he’d said before he cut ties with her years ago—right before he said she was still a kid. That she was too young for him. That he had so much more life experience than her. And it was exactly what he’d told Darren as a reason why she shouldn’t come with him on the trip.
“You’re right. This was a terrible idea. You never wanted me on this trip, anyway. You’ve never wanted me around.”
She pushed the mattress as she rolled to her knees, desperate to get away.
Until Ben’s hand wrapped around her wrist.
His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he spoke. “You don’t think that’s true, do you?”
“I know it because I overheard you telling Darren this was a bad idea. Probably because I’m not cut out for this, right?”
“That’s not what I think about you at all.” His rounded eyes and slackened face supported his words, but the memory of the times he’d dismissed her still stung. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
