Seduced By The Sitter

Rachael Cavalli walks through the door and finds Reese Robbins still parked on the couch. Her useless husband forgot to come home on time. Again. She apologizes, heels clicking across the floor, but Reese just smiles and says she likes the extra minutes. Likes them because Rachael is in them. Flattered and a little flushed, Rachael offers to pitch in so the girl can finally escape for the night. They end up shoulder-to-shoulder in the narrow kitchen, stacking plates, brushing fingers. Every accidental touch lasts a beat too long; every stolen glance turns heavy. The weeks of late pick-ups have done their work, boiling quiet need between them until the air feels thick enough to bite. They both know this can’t happen—a married woman and the babysitter, tongues wagging, reputations shot—but the pull has teeth. It scrapes at restraint, daring one of them to break first.