Page 58 of The Interns

He hadn’t expected it to be that late, but it made sense considering there had been a second round shortly after their first and a third sometime in the early morning hours after waking from their brief sleep. It had been a long night, but they didn’t have time to waste.

“I’m supposed to meet my mom for lunch and shopping at eleven,” she groaned as she rubbed her eyes. “She’s probably wondering where I am.”

“Well, I’ll make some coffee while you get ready,” he offered, even though he would rather have stayed in bed with her for the rest of the day.

“You know how to do that now?” she teased as she pinched the skin of his belly between her fingers.

“You know I do. Al’s machine just had too many buttons and things,” he defended.

“Mmm hmm.”

“Mmm hmm,” he mocked before using his hand to abruptly pull her against him causing her to laugh. “Mmm hmm.” He rolled her onto her back and started placing kisses on her chest and down her side then belly as she arched her head back, unable to catch her breath from laughing so hard.

“Reed,” she protested through her laughs. “I’m serious. You do not want to mess with my mama.”

He heeded her warning, lifting his head from her chest and rolling back onto his side. “If she’s anything like you…”

“Where do you think I get it from?”

Before he could answer, a cell phone began to ring in the other room. He raised his eyebrows, and she nodded knowingly.

“I told you. She doesn’t play.”

“Yeah.” He kicked off the covers with haste. “I’m gonna get that coffee going then.”

He sat up and swung his feet off the bed then stood up, looking around the floor for his boxers. He spotted them at the foot of the bed and walked over to retrieve them, noticing that she was watching him with a grin the entire time. He pulled them on and headed out to the kitchen, walking a little taller this morning thanks to her.

The untouched, and now spoiled, pot of chicken and dumplings was still on the stove. Dirty cutting boards and measuring cups were scattered across the counter. He gathered the dishes and threw them in the sink then set up the coffee pot.

Once it was brewing, he took a seat at the dining table and opened his laptop to keep himself busy while Maya got dressed. He checked his email which was empty considering both school and work were on break for the holidays, then he pulled up ESPN and refreshed the page to check scores. The sad thought of only seeing her when she came to town for holidays and weddings passed through his mind. And, God forbid, having to see her come to town with some other guy one day. Could he really live with that? Instead of checking the scores, he opened a new tab and typed in “attorney jobs in Philadelphia.”

“Are you working?”

He quickly closed the tab and looked up to find her sauntering into the kitchen in just her jeans and that little black bra that left even less to the imagination in the light of day.

“Yeah, just checking my email,” he answered, unable to take his eyes off of her.

She looked down at her chest then back at him. “I couldn’t find my sweater,” she explained.

“It’s probably on the couch.”

She nodded, but instead of going to find it, she walked into the kitchen. His eyes followed her across the room where she opened a cabinet and found his mugs on the first try. She poured two cups of coffee then went to the fridge to grab some milk, a big splash for her and a little one for him. She brought the coffees over to the table and set them down, then nudged his knee with hers, wordlessly telling him to make room for her. She opted for his lap instead of another chair much to his delight. He wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed his mug with the other as he looked over her shoulder at the empty inbox on the screen. They had shared coffee and chatted dozens of times before, but this was infinitely better. If only he could start every morning like this.

“Anything good?” she asked.

“I’ve been waiting on some files from Hill, but I’ve given up hope on getting them before Christmas.”

“Yeah. Sounds like him. You got anything else?” she asked hopefully.

“No.” He chuckled. “Sorry.”

“Well, this is not my morning,” she muttered before taking a sip of her coffee.

Her words stung considering he was having one of the best mornings ever, but before he could dwell on them, she shifted in his lap and wrapped her arm around his back. Then her lips were on his, kissing him good and long before she pulled away. She cupped his cheek in her hand as she looked him in the eyes, the corners of her mouth turned down.

“You have no idea how badly I want to stay,” she whispered. “If it was anyone but my mom, I wouldn’t have left that bed.”

The sting faded and morphed into a warmth that spread from his chest to his cheeks as he grinned at her.

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