Free Holding Out For Skye by S.R. McKade Page B

honeypie ? Think of it—it sounds so lovey-dovey.”
    Skye couldn’t have heard him right. Had he just said lovey-dovey ? Horrified, she stopped in her tracks. “No way in hell!”
    “ All couples have pet names for each other,” he told her with a straight face, wondering how long he could get away with swindling her before she caught on to him.
    Uh, uh. Skye knew Tyler and his girlfriend called each other sugary names. But she couldn’t picture herself doing the same. She looked at him uncertainly. Then her eyes filled with determination and her chin jutted out stubbornly. “ This couple won’t.”
    Cian hid his smile. He’d just gained something worth more than he’d expected. She’d called them a couple. “Okay.”
    Skye glanced at him suspiciously. He had agreed a bit too easily. Cian just smiled widely back at her. They had almost reached the office now. She had something she had to ask him. She wondered if she should just let it go though. But he should know her answer as well.
    “You didn’t ask me if I’d ever cheat on you.”
    “Because you never would,” he replied just as quietly, a note of conviction ringing in his voice.
    Skye’s breath caught in her throat. “You don’t know that.”
    “I do know. You have integrity, you always will.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you have other questions?”
    She swallowed. For some reason, she was having trouble getting words out. Finally, she stammered, “N—no.”
    Skye felt him give her a sideways glance but she didn’t look at him. All she could think was he trusted her. Why did it affect her so much? She’d never cared what he thought of her before. All that had mattered to her was getting him to leave her alone.
    “That’s fine. You can ask me things as you think them up.”
    Thinking of how all this was new for her, Skye tugged at his hand, stopping him.
    “Is there anything else I should know?”
    Cian thought fast. He had better take advantage of her ignorance while he could. It was probably the only chance he’d get to crop up opportunities to get closer to her before she caught on to him.
    “Well, couples talk to each other every night and spend as much time as they can. Kisses and hugs are a given. Oh, and holding hands.” He gave their held hands a swing.
    Skye gave him a suspicious look. Was he swindling her? “Phone calls every night?”
    “Yep. Unless otherwise occupied.” Oh, she didn’t know how much the suspicion in her eyes delighted him. Dating her was going to be like a roller-coaster ride—nerve-racking and filled with exciting upheavals. Not to mention the awesome kisses.
    “One kiss and one hug per week. And I’ll think about the holding hands part.” Her stomach quivered as she thought of the kiss.
    They entered their office building and headed for the bank of elevators. He still hadn’t let go of her hand.
    “Per week? Please. You’ve got a lot to learn. Every day . One in the morning, and one for the evening.”
    “Week.”
    He merely smiled at her. “We’ll see.”
    Uh, uh, that didn’t bode well. Well, she would just have to stay on her guard. Skye tried to withdraw her hand, only to be thwarted. “Cian, we’re at the office.”
    “So?”
    “So, you can let go of my hand now.”
    “But I don’t want to.”
    “ Cian! ”
    “Fine, don’t get your feathers all ruffled up.” He reluctantly let go of her hand and curled his into a fist. His hand felt empty without her. He had never felt this way with any of the women he had dated.
    Skye felt bereft at the loss of the contact. His touch seemed to strike a chord inside her and fill her with warmth. And a strange excitement. She tried not to blush at her thoughts. She probably needed to have her head examined. Now that they were at the office, she felt nervous again. Was this going to affect their work relationship?
    Briskly, she said, “We need some ground rules for when we’re in the office. No holding hands, no kissing or