Read Online Friends with Benefits by Melody Mayer - Free Book Online Page B

sweet and sizzling at the same time that it made her toes curl. Once she’d asked her mother how she’d know when the right boy came along, especially because in Amazonia opportunities to learn about such things were exceedingly limited. Her mother had been stoking the coals under their makeshift smokehouse, drying some monkey meat.
    â€œWhen I was dating your father,” her mom had said, “I had a dream where I was wearing ruby red slippers like in
The Wizard
of Oz.
When I saw your father, it made my shoes light up.”
    Lydia might not have had much experience with romance, but she thought that was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard. Looking at Billy now, she could imagine him making her
everything
light up. But then what? Would they be boyfriend and girlfriend? An official couple? If so, how would Lydia be sure that was what she wanted, instead of making up for lost time with adventures, friends with benefits, no strings, no promises, no anxieties, no expectations.
    â€œYou’re lost in thought,” Billy commented. His eyes were on the setting sun, just now dropping into the night.
    â€œAbout . . . stuff,” she said, deliberately vague. It wasn’t her style, but she could see that saying exactly what was on her mind all the time could sometimes rub people the wrong way. She moved closer to Billy and they shared another sizzling kiss, and then another. This was it, finally. She felt it. The One. The Moment.
    â€œWho’s at your apartment right now?” she asked as he kissed her neck.
    â€œMy three-hundred-pound defensive lineman roommate,” Billy replied.
    â€œHe has his own room, right?”
    â€œThere’s a hot poker game tonight in the living room.” Billy kissed her again.
    Damn. Time for option two.
    â€œWhere’s your parents’ place again?”
    â€œNot that far. Rancho Palos Verdes. Just past Redondo Beach.” He nuzzled the pulse between her collarbones. “Of course, they’re
way
far away. In Colombo, Sri Lanka.”
    Victory was hers.
    â€œYou, me, empty house?” Lydia prompted.
    â€œWhy, Miss Lydia. Whatever are you thinking?” he asked, doing what Lydia realized was his best Rhett Butler imitation.
    â€œI’m thinking—”
    She was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone. He dug it out of his jeans pocket and peered at the number on caller ID.
    â€œShit.” He pressed the Send button and raised the phone to his lips. “Hey, Eduardo . . . uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . I thought we were finished with . . . uh-huh. Well, if that’s what you need . . . uh-huh.”
    He hung up with a scowl. It didn’t take a shaman to determine it was bad news.
    â€œMy extremely talented but psychotic boss has decided that he hates the backdrop we did for Saint Laurent. He has new sketches, he wants it fixed tonight.”
    â€œBut he gave you tonight off!” Lydia protested.
    â€œIn Eduardo’s world, he’s God,” Billy grumbled. “As in: the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Tonight he’s on the take.” He shook his head as he began to pack up the picnic stuff. “I’m really sorry to do this, Lydia. I can’t wait until summer’s over and this internship is history.”
    Silently, she helped him clean up. She felt . . . She wasn’t sure what she felt. Disappointed, for sure. Shouldn’t he have fought harder to be with her, considering what she was offering?
    â€œI’ll make it up to you,” he promised, as if reading her mind.
    Lydia’s smile was arch. She was definitely taking him up on that.
    â€œAmbulance four-four-one, I have a two-nine-eight for you, that’s a two-nine-eight, copy.” The dispatcher’s voice crackled over the ambulance radio system at the same time that it flashed on a dashboard display.
    Junior grabbed the radio microphone. “A two-nine-eight, we copy.” He grabbed a