10. Skylar #2
I rolled my eyes at his smugness, but I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face. "Always prepared, aren't you, Dr. Yerba?"
"In surgery and in life," he replied, setting the bags on my kitchen island. "Nice place, by the way. It's very... you."
"And what exactly does that mean?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
He looked around, taking in my open concept living space with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, cozy furniture, and the large windows overlooking the wooded backyard.
"Organized but comfortable. Professional but with personality." His eyes landed on the charcuterie board I'd prepared. "And clearly prepared for any situation."
I felt my cheeks warm at his assessment. "I like to be thorough."
"So I've noticed," he said, and there was something in his tone that send a chill down my spine.
“For the record, I'm not allergic to peanuts. Thai is perfect," I told him bringing the conversation back to food. “I did make a charcuterie board. I wanted us to have something to snack on while we work.”
Aries raised an eyebrow, his eyes moving from the carefully arranged board to my face. "Impressive, but Skylar, after the hours I just completed in the O.R., my body needs a lot more than fruits, cheeses, and olives.”
“Surgery leaves you ravenous, huh?” It wasn’t until I heard the words out loud, that I wanted to instantly retract them.
The word ravenous just seemed so sexual.
By the look on Aries face, and the way he looked me up and down, then paused on my face while licking his lips, his brain was taking him there as well.
“It sure does,” he replied, with heat filling his eyes.
We stood staring at one another for a few minutes, then I cleared my throat.
"Let's, um... let's eat before the food gets cold," I said, breaking the charged moment between us.
I moved to grab plates from my kitchen cabinet, desperately needing something to do with my hands.
I moved around Aries to reach the cabinet, hyper-aware of how close our bodies came to touching.
Now, the kitchen was filled with silence.
So, I turned my attention to the bottle of wine Aries brought.
"The wine you brought will go perfectly with dinner.
" I could definitely go for another glass.
The glass I sipped on earlier no longer lingered in my blood.
"I'm glad. It's a Cabernet from a small vineyard in Napa. I thought you might appreciate it." He began unpacking the food containers, the spicy aromas filling my kitchen.
As I set the table, I noticed Aries studying the framed photos on my bookshelf.
My heart skipped when he picked up one from my high school graduation.
Aries still hadn’t put it together that we went to high school together.
And I still haven’t pointed it out because my feelings were still a little hurt by the fact that I was invisible to him right along with the rest of our graduating class.
"Is this you?" he asked, examining the photo of me in my cap and gown, standing between my parents.
"Yeah, that's me at graduation." I held my breath, wondering if this would be the moment he'd recognize me.
He squinted at the picture. "You went to Silver Run High School?”
My heart stopped completely. "Yeah," I managed, setting down the wine glasses with slightly trembling hands. "Class of 2005."
I watched as his eyes moved between the photo and me, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
Part of me wanted to help him connect the dots, but another part—the part that still remembered being the invisible girl in the back of AP Chemistry—wanted to see if he'd figure it out on his own.
"Silver Run..." he repeated slowly, still studying my teenage face in the photo. "I went there too. Graduated the same year."
"Really?" I said, trying to keep my voice casual while my pulse hammered in my throat. "Small world."
He set the photo back down and turned to face me fully, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Skylar Wise... Skylar..." I could see him searching his memory, and I held my breath, wondering if he would remember me.
His close examination of me had me thinking back to that girl who sat three rows behind him in AP Chemistry, who watched him dominate the basketball court from the bleachers, who had written his name in the margins of her notebooks like a girl love-struck.
“That’s what you meant the other day in the conference room about having twenty years of experience. Did we know one another?” Aries asked.
I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Everyone knew who Aries Yerba was,” I replied.
Then added, “No one knew Skylar Wise. And yes, that’s what I was referring to.
You’re different, but not that different,” I stressed, and broke eye contact as the old feelings of that insecure teenage girl tried to creep in.
“Don’t do that,” Aries told me as he closed the distance and lifted my chin with his pointer and middle finger.
The way his fingers lingered on my chin sent a wave of heat through my entire body. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, as his eyes searched mine.
"I apologize," he said softly.
“What are you apologizing for?” I asked.
“Because I was a self-absorbed horny teenager, who didn’t care about anyone but himself. So, I apologize if I ever did anything to make you feel uncomfortable, or if I ever pulled one of my idiotic stunts on you.”
This time I let out a real chuckle. “You never did anything to me,” I replied.
I was getting ready to turn to the plates, and pile them up with food when Aries asked, “Did we have any classes together?”
Damn! I almost escaped.
I nibbled on my bottom cheek and played with the curls that were trying to escape my top bun. “We had AP Chemistry together.”
That had him pausing. “Really? I really don’t remember.”
“It was a long time ago, and I wasn’t exactly memorable.”
“I simply find that hard to believe. There are many things about Skylar Wise, head of legal at St. Ambrose, but forgettable isn’t one of them.”
“You’re just saying that because I can cancel your operating schedule,” I joked, trying to break the serious direction the conversation took.
"And I'm saying it because it's true," he said, his voice dropping to that low register that made my knees weak. His fingers were still on my chin, and I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he stood so close to me.
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Aries..."
"What, Skylar?" His thumb brushed across my lower lip, and I felt my resolve crumbling like a house of cards.
"We should eat," I managed to whisper, even though food was the last thing on my mind. All I could think about was how his touch was setting every nerve ending in my body on fire.
"Should we?" he asked, his eyes dropping to my lips before meeting my gaze again.
I knew I should step back, put some distance between us, remind him that we were here to discuss his case.
But instead, I found myself leaning into his touch, my body betraying all my professional instincts.
The warmth of his fingers against my skin sent electricity through my veins, and I couldn't remember the last time anyone had made me feel this way.
"This is a terrible idea," I whispered, but I didn't move away.
"Probably," Aries agreed, his thumb still tracing my bottom lip. "But I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. From the moment you walked away from my O.R. board, demanding my presence. You have been consuming way too many of my daily thoughts, Skylar."
I tried to deflect, "That pissed you off," I reminded him, my breath catching as his hand slid from my chin to cup my cheek.
"It did," he admitted. "And then it turned me on. No one challenges me like you do, Skylar."
My name on his lips sounded like a prayer, and I felt myself melting under his intense gaze. The space between us seemed charged with an energy I couldn't explain away as simple attraction. This was something more—something dangerous.
"We're working together," I reminded him, trying my best to deflect again. My objection sounded weak even to my own ears. "I'm supposed to be protecting your career."
"And who's protecting you?” he countered.
My heart hammered against my ribcage as Aries leaned closer, his cologne wrapping around me like a warm blanket. Again, I knew I should step back, create some distance between us, but my body refused to cooperate.
"I don't need protection," I added, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
Before I could respond, his lips were on mine, and any coherent thought I had evaporated instantly.
The kiss was gentle at first, almost questioning, but when I didn't pull away, it deepened into something hungry and desperate.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing myself against his solid chest as he backed me against the kitchen counter.
His hands were everywhere–in my hair, on my waist, and his touch lit my skin ablaze everywhere he touched. Finally, the need for air took over, and our lips broke away from one another.
“We’re supposed to be going over strategy for the supposed filing coming Monday.” I tried to insert dominance in my tone, but it was useless. I wanted more of his lips on mine, and hands roaming my body.
“We still have tomorrow,” Aries spoke into my mouth while simultaneously using his tongue to skillfully stroke alongside mine. “Tell me you want this, Skylar. Please tell me I’m not making this shit up.”
“Mmm,” I moaned out. “You’re not making it up,” I admitted. “I’ve had a crush on you since we had eleventh grade Chemistry. I used to sit on the bleachers and watch your practices, hoping you would notice me.”
“Fuck, Sky. I’m sorry, baby.”
Yup, that was it… that was all the self-control I had.
“My room. Now.”
Aries chuckled as he nipped at my neck. “I don’t really need a bed, but if that’s what you want, lead the way.”