Текст книги "Favor for a Friend"
Автор книги: Kate Kane
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Chapter 4
North by Northwest or how to get to Omaha
The Parker kids left for L.A. bright and early on Saturday morning. As Lane stood in the driveway waving her farewell, Ben's Lincoln Navigator pulled to the curb. Her trip to Omaha was either going to alleviate her worry about her family alone on a road trip across the country, or it was going to magnify it beyond all tolerable measures. Lane understood why Maggie was clinging to the hope that Jeff and some woman were somewhere ignoring everyone and everything else. But, she also knew that Jeff loved his mother and that neither love nor lust would allow him to ignore Maggie's phone calls for a week. He might not tell Maggie where he was, what he was doing, or with whom he was doing it, but he would at least send an e-mail or a text saying he'd be out of pocket for a while. Something had happened to Jeff, Maggie knew it, and so did Lane.
She waved at Ben as he walked toward her. She couldn't help but smile. A woman would have to be blind, dead, or both not to see how classically handsome Ben was. He was 36 years old, stood 6 feet 4 inches tall had dark wavy hair and hazel eyes. The best way to describe him was that he could be George Clooney's much younger, much taller, much, much better looking brother. He was intelligent and witty. He was the first and best friend Lane made after moving to Kansas.
"Hey, Red. Are you packed and ready to leave or do you need some time to mourn the empty nest?"
Lane laughed. "I don't have an empty nest. An empty nest would be much cleaner. Just poke your head into Jake's room to see what I mean. That boy left his room looking like he was just running to the corner store."
Ben laughed as he followed her into the house.
"Let me grab a soda and then I'm good to go. Do you want one?" She asked as she headed toward the fridge.
"I'm good." Ben said as he picked up the small suitcase she’d left in the hall.
When she opened the door to the Ben's black Lincoln Navigator, Lane wasn't surprised to find that Ben had gotten her a 32 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper when he'd stopped for gas. She smiled. This would be their first road trip together and she wondered what kind of traveler he'd be. Lane knew from experience that it was a three to three and a half hour drive between her house and Omaha depending on traffic and the number of stops. Some men were better than others were at understanding the bathroom stops needed by women and children. That 32-ounce soda and the can of Diet Dr. Pepper in her hand meant that Lane would need to stop at least once.
They talked amiably as they made their way north on I635. Ben told her that he'd gotten an e-mail from Liz that morning and he handed her his i-phone so that she could read it. Liz related that she'd put her investigator, Blake, to work, poking around to see what he could find out about where Jeff had been last Friday and in the week since. Lane pondered whether Blake was the investigator's first or last name as Frank Sinatra sang softly in the background.
She looked at Ben as she placed his phone on the console between them. Lord, the man was gorgeous. She shook her head, thinking, what is wrong with me. He turned his head toward her and flashed a perfect smile with just the right amount of concern.
"Do you want to talk about your friend and her son?"
Lane nodded and told him about Maggie; how they'd grown up together. Maggie with her olive complexion and curly black hair and Lane with her fair skin and golden hair, were like two ends of a spectrum. They'd spent their time in that little town riding bicycles roller skating, jumping rope and swimming together. She couldn't tell him when they met; Maggie had just always been there in the house next door.
She told him about moving to Omaha when her aunt Marta got married and about how she and Maggie had eventually lost touch. But, it was only a few years until Lane had enrolled in college at the University of Nebraska Omaha campus and Maggie had gotten a job in Omaha and the two had become roommates. She told him about Maggie's marriage and divorce and that her friend had cancer and a hysterectomy when Jeff was just three. About how after over the years, they had drifted together and apart still knowing all of the time that if either needed anything at all, she only had to make a call to the other. Ben was a good listener, making encouraging sounds at all of the right times.
Ben met Lane shortly after she'd moved to Kansas. The church they both attended was collecting items for a garage sale fundraiser, and Fr. Palmert had roped Ben into doing pick-up duty with him. Lane’s newly purchased house had come with kitchen appliances; there was even a washer and dryer in the laundry room. Because she planned a complete remodel of both the kitchen and the laundry room, by taking both rooms down to the studs, she neither wanted nor needed the appliances; and so she had called to arrange the donation. Ben and Fr. Palmert had come to make the pickup, and after assessing the situation, Ben told her he’d come back and help her move some things later.
During the three years since they'd met, they had talked about family. But, they'd never exchanged life stories. Ben knew bits and pieces about her life before they met, just as Lane knew bits and pieces about his. He knew she had no siblings and had been raised by her aunt. Lane knew that Ben was the oldest of five children.
She didn't know when he'd reached across the console and taken her hand and while there was some comfort in having his strong hand gently caress her hand, the 12-year age difference between them was never far from her mind. She was pushing ever closer to 50 while Ben was still in his 30's. Sure, thanks to the miracle of good genetics Lane didn't look even close to her age. She smiled as she remembered the day she had introduced her kids to Ben.
When she and Ben met, she had told him she'd taken the job, found the house, and moved while her three kids were staying in Omaha for the summer with their paternal grandmother. The plan was to have the remodel finished at least two weeks before school started and she'd drive to Omaha and bring the kids back. Lane recounted her own move to Omaha when she was 13. Aunt Marta had moved her in the middle of summer and she had suffered through the remainder of the summer with no friends. Her idea was to give her kids a couple of weeks to get used to their new home and surroundings, then have them start school soon so they could make friends. She hadn't told Ben the ages of her kids and because he thought she was about his age, he had assumed her kids were young. To say he was surprised when he found out how old they were would be an understatement. The look on his face, when he found out Jake was in college, Jess was seventeen and going to be a high school senior, and Jamie at fourteen was going to be a high school freshman, still made her smile.
They'd been on the road for about an hour and were on Interstate 29 just north of St. Joseph, MO. As Lane flexed her hand, Ben gave her a gentle squeeze, released his hold, and glanced at her. "There's an exit for a rest stop ahead, do we need to make a pit stop?"
"I could stand to stretch my legs." Lane answered as she took another drink of her soda.
Ben pulled into the rest area and parked the SUV. It was a beautiful day, not yet too hot and humid the way it would be later in the summer. Lane wore her favorite non-work attire Levi 501 button fly jeans with sandals and a sleeveless pink cotton blouse with tuxedo pleating. She had her strawberry blonde hair pulled into a casual ponytail. She grabbed a white baseball cap from the back seat and quickly pulled her ponytail though the hole in the back as she put it on and got out of the SUV.
When Lane emerged from the ladies' room, she smiled as she watched several women of varying ages gawk (there was no other word for it) at Ben as he stood there waiting for her. She’d seen the phenomenon many times. They were leaving the Capitol Grill on the Country Club Plaza after having dinner one evening not long ago when someone had mistaken him for George Clooney and asked for an autograph. It didn't happen often, but there had been rumors that Clooney was going to be filming a movie in Kansas City and while Lane didn't resemble George's current paramour, she did apparently resemble his rumored co-star Laura Linney. Ben always told people they were mistaken, that he wasn't George Clooney. Sometimes they believed him and sometimes they thought he was Clooney and was just being a jerk. These tourists were determined and finally, Ben had agreed to have a photo taken with them and Lane. No doubt, they were regaling their friends in South Dakota with tales about the night they met George and Laura. Who knew what the ladies in the rest stop were thinking. He looked relieved as Lane approached and he took her arm and walked with her.
Chapter 5
A Friend of yours is a friend of mine
Lane called Maggie as they took the Interstate 80 exit over the Missouri river. They agreed to meet at Garden Café on 132nd and Maple in half an hour. Ben called Liz and told her the plan to meet Maggie at the restaurant. She suggested that she and Blake meet them there.
Surprisingly, Lane and Ben arrived first and told the hostess they needed a table for five. It was almost 11:30. The breakfast crowd had cleared out and the lunch crown was just starting to trickle in so there wasn't much of a wait, but it was long enough that Maggie, Liz, and Blake all arrived before the table was ready.
Liz was nearly as tall as Lane with blonde hair and blue eyes that lit up when she saw Ben. She walked up and gave him a hug. Ben lifted her off her feet and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "Hey pipsqueak. Good to see you." Ben introduced Lane, who introduced Maggie. Liz introduced Blake. Once the introductions were over, they followed the hostess toward a table in the back.
It turned out Blake was the investigator's name was Gary Blake. He was about 6 feet tall, had an athletic build, salt and pepper hair, gray eyes, and appeared to be about 50. Maggie was five feet seven inches tall, her once curly black hair had come in the color of chestnuts after chemotherapy, and the curls were no more than waves now. Her deep amber eyes showed signs that she hadn't been sleeping well.
Once everyone sat at the round table, Maggie again told about the last time she'd heard from Jeff. Between ordering and having coffee, iced tea and soda delivered to the table, Blake told the group what he’d found out.
“I spoke with the tow truck driver who picked Jeff up at the gas station that night. He'd said he took Jeff to a farmhouse where his truck had died. The driver gave it a jump-start and followed Jeff to the on ramp for Interstate 80; Jeff headed toward Omaha, the driver headed back toward Lincoln.” Blake paused when the food came, but continued when they were alone again. “I stopped and talked to the kid at the gas station. I showed him Jeff’s picture and learned that Jeff’s phone was dead when he came in. He bought a charger and once he got it charged, he made the call for the tow.” He looked at Maggie. “That must be how and when he sent you the email too.”
That seemed to be the last anyone had seen Jeff, but Blake didn’t speak those words aloud.
Liz asked about the last time Maggie had called Jeff's cell phone and suggested it was time to get a warrant so they could have a look at the cell activity. Maybe see if they could get a location on his whereabouts.
Maggie nodded. It had been over a week since Maggie had heard from Jeff, and she knew it was time to file a missing persons report.
Lane knew that Jeff’s phone was through Telco Unlimited, the cellular phone carrier where she was Chief Privacy Officer. It was a holiday weekend, but Lane knew if they could get a warrant for the phone records, she could get the information for them today.
They finished lunch, settled the bill and Blake asked Maggie if he could follow her to Jeff's house. She had keys and could let him in to look around. He'd take her to get the paperwork started on the missing person report afterward. They all agreed to meet in four hours at Liz's office.
The College World Series takes place in Omaha every June and hotel rooms are rare and can be expensive. While the start of the College World Series was still a week away, the teams, and fans were already beginning to descend on the city. But, Ben was a Platinum level Marriott rewards member, so even without a reservation, he had no trouble getting a room. It was just one room, but luckily, it was a two-bedroom suite and after a short conversation with Lane, they had agreed that they could share the bathroom.
With four hours to kill, they each pulled out laptops and cell phones and began checking e-mails and returning phone calls. Ben was a criminal defense attorney and a partner in a law firm with his uncles Sal and Vinnie Luciano and Vinnie's daughters Bianca and Daniela. He was preparing for a trial and was supposed to begin jury selection in a couple of weeks.
Four hours later, Lane and Ben made the short drive to Liz's office. Liz met them at the door holding the warrant allowing access to Jeff’s cell phone records. Lane took it and read it. As Chief Privacy Officer, the warrant fell under Lane's purview. She made a quick call to a director on her staff to get the right number for the fax and to put a rush on the request. She gave her number along with Ben and Liz's numbers as contacts.
Blake and Maggie reported on the search of Jeff's house where they found no clues as to his whereabouts, and confirmed Maggie had filed the missing person report.
There was nothing to do until they got the information about Jeff’s phone, so they agreed to meet at Maggie’s house at 7:30. Lane and Ben left the office and decided to take a stroll through the Old Market for a little sightseeing and shopping expedition.
The Old Market area started out in the 1970's as a hangout for hippies and was full of head shops, but over the years, it had turned into expensive one of a kind shops and restaurants. Lane had always enjoyed strolling through the area and tonight was no exception. They had just ordered wine at M's Pub when Lane's cell phone rang. She answered and since she hated it when people in restaurants talked on their phones, she stepped outside to take the call. It was a report on the information about Jeff's phone records. She told them to e-mail the details to her, and thanked them for their quick work. She walked back into the restaurant.
"They got a ping on Jeff's phone from a cell tower in Saint Louis just a few hours ago. They're emailing all of the information to me. I think we need to get to Maggie's now." She told Ben as she took a sip of the wine, there was no time to stay and enjoy.
It was about half an hour later when they arrived at Maggie's house. Maggie was in the kitchen putting the final touches on potato salad, and it didn’t make much sense, but Blake was manning the grill, carefully watching the coals. Maggie stopped what she was doing and joined Liz and Ben as they huddled around Lane and her open laptop and retrieved her e-mail.
“There was a ping from a tower in Saint Louis just three hours ago,” Lane explained for the benefit of both Maggie and Liz, “but there’s been nothing since.” She pointed to the screen as she spoke. “If I scroll through the tower hits, it shows the phone was in Omaha until earlier today. I can see the path it took as it made its way down Interstate 29, through the Kansas City metro where it went east along Interstate 70, finally stopping where it was a few hours ago.” She looked at the faces around her, finally stopping to look intently at her friend. “Maggie, the fact that there’s been nothing for the last four hours probably means the phone’s turned off, or the battery’s dead.” Lane turned to look at Ben, her face asking him for a solution she knew didn’t exist.
Ben reached for Lane’s hand, “I’ll call Tanner. He’s four hours closer to Saint Louis than we are. Can you give me a real street address? And a radius that he should work out from?” He looked at Maggie. “Tanner’s my investigator, like Blake is for Liz. He’s a former cop and he has contacts in other local, and state, law enforcement jurisdictions. I’m sure he knows people in Saint Louis. He can be there tonight and we can meet him tomorrow.”
Maggie managed a smile. This really might be over soon.
As they ate, Liz and Ben brought Blake up to speed. Blake nodded as they talked. He wanted to do a little more digging around the house where Jeff's car had died. Interstate 80 was a pipeline for drug trafficking and it wasn't unusual for old houses in rural areas to be used as meth labs. He'd get Liz and Ben alone and talk about it in private. He liked Maggie and didn't want to say anything that might put a gray cloud over the good news they'd just gotten.
Chapter 6
Meet me in St. Louis
Lane was awake, showered, packed, and ready to go by seven o’clock. Ben's door was still closed, so she turned on the local news and checked e-mail. Finally, at 7:30 she knocked gently on Ben's door. She heard a mumbling from inside. "Ben, are you up?" She said quietly. "It's 7:30."
Ben was a little groggy. Maybe sharing a suite with Lane wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. He'd gotten little sleep between the conversation with Tanner at midnight and listening to Lane as she slept. Lord, the woman didn't snore, she moaned. He'd closed his bedroom door, he'd put a pillow over his head and then he'd gotten up and paced. It wasn't loud moaning, just a quiet gentle "mmmm" sound every now and then, but it was enough to rouse him in more way than one. They had never been lovers, never dated; they were friends, just friends. But, Lord, she was gorgeous and that moaning had him lying awake imagining having her doing it in his arms as he showered her with kisses. Around 3:00, after he'd taken a cold shower he was finally able to fall asleep. Now apparently, it was 7:30 and she was well rested, wide-awake, just outside his door, and ready to go. Well, he was ready to go too but it had nothing to do with driving eight hours in a car.
"Shouldn't we get going soon?" She said through the door.
Sure, they should get going soon, just as soon as he figured out how he and his massive erection were going to walk past her to get into the bathroom. He groaned.
"Do you need coffee? I could go get you some if it would help."
"Yeah, a coffee, large, black, would be great. I'll hop in the shower and be ready by the time you get back."
How weird was that? She thought. She'd known Ben for three years and as she recalled he was usually in the gym at 6:00 am dressed and in the office well before 8:00. She was the one who was usually a late riser skipping the gym completely and going into the office closer to 9:00. Oh well, if coffee would get him up and moving, then she'd go to the continental breakfast in the lobby and get coffee.
She returned to the room with a large coffee in hand just as Ben walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist as he used another to dry his face and hair. His washboard abs were glistening with dampness, the hair on his chest was wet and curly. She'd seen him in a swimming suit and had no idea why the sight of him in that towel should take her breath away.
She put the coffee cup down. "Coffee's on the table." She said as she rushed into her room before he had a chance to look at her. She gathered up her suitcase, briefcase, and purse but didn't move from her room until she heard Ben's door close.
Ben dressed and carefully repacked his suitcase before joining her in the sitting area. A night of listening to her moan and now he was going to spend the next eight hours in a car with her less than a foot away with only the console separating them. He knew before he opened his door what she'd look like. She'd be wearing those form fitting Levi 501 button fly jeans a sleeveless blouse similar to the pink one she wore yesterday, maybe a light blue, maybe a bright red she'd have her hair in a ponytail again or maybe she'd French braided it today. She'd be wearing sandals and she'd be looking at him with those big blue eyes. He groaned as he zipped his suitcase.
"You okay in there?" He heard her say as he grabbed his suitcase and the backpack holding his laptop.
He opened the door. "Yeah, fine. Thanks for getting the coffee. Do you want to sit and have breakfast here or just hit Mickey D's on our way out of town?" He looked up to find her sitting on the sofa and, he sure wasn't prepared for the vision before him. Her red hair was lying around the lacey collar of a white linen blouse, her white bra barely visible underneath. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Lord have mercy.
"You know how I love my Diet Dr. Pepper, so Mickey D's is fine with me." She thought they were getting started a little late and a drive though breakfast would be faster. Besides, Ben didn't seem quite himself this morning, and she didn't want to mention the late start.
He reached out to take her suitcase and after putting his duffle on top of her rolling suitcase bent to pick up the now lukewarm coffee she'd gotten for him. "Mickey D's it is then, let's hit the road."
Ben started the Navigator and Lane gave him directions to the nearest McDonald's. He ordered another coffee for himself, a DDP for Lane and breakfast sandwiches for each of them. He passed the food and drinks to her as they were handed to him and was surprised to see that she was mixing his fresh coffee with his lukewarm coffee into a large travel mug he kept in the SUV. He wondered how any man could walk away from her. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, kind, thoughtful, and sexy. He shook his head, thinking, Man you have got to snap out of this.
"What do you want first? Hash brown or sandwich?" She looked at him, and noticed that the collar of his pale blue polo shirt was bunched up from carrying his backpack over just one shoulder. She reached over and smoothed it. He really was an amazingly handsome man with his chiseled jaw, his dark hair, hazel eyes, firm muscles and that perfect smile. He only had one flaw, well maybe two. He was a babe magnet and he was twelve years younger than she was. Her first husband had been a babe magnet and she knew how that ended; even if she could get past that, nothing was going to change the fact that he was twelve years her junior.
"I'll have the sandwich. I know you really want my hash brown anyway."
She handed him the Egg McMuffin and smiled as she took a bite of the hash brown.
Except for the low mournful crooning of Frank Sinatra singing about the gal that got way they rode in silence. It was funny their taste in music was the same and it was from before either of their times. Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin with a little Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. mixed in. She smiled remembering the day that Jess had asked each of them if they could only listen to the music of three artists for the rest of their lives what would it be. Lane had quickly said Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, and she floundered trying to think of a woman when Ben said Peggy Lee. The selections had confused Jess. "I thought your favorite song was Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis." She'd said and Lane laughed, it was true that she loved Heartbreak Hotel, just not enough to pull Elvis into the top 3.
It was a long drive. Lane sent a broadcast text to the Parker kids. Jess had called her the evening before to say they were safe and sound and had stopped in Amarillo for the night. But, they'd talked before she and Ben had made the decision to for to Saint Louis, so she wanted to be sure the kids knew where she was and had a vague outline of what was happening. Since she didn't know who might be driving, she sent the text to all three knowing that the software on the phones would allow them to read, but prevent them from texting if the car was in motion she didn't expect a response until later.
Lane hated when people travelled in the car with someone and made "private" calls. It seemed rude. If a call came that, a person could take over the blue tooth or over the speaker in the car that was another thing. But, her phone wasn't paired to Ben's Navigator.
She didn't need to be entertained, but she was curious about Ben's pensive mood. Since he didn't seem like he wanted to talk, she asked if he'd mind if she read. He'd told her to go ahead.
He was still vacillating between thinking about Lane moaning in her sleep, wondering why they’d never dated, and trying to shake himself out of the fantasy before he'd have to stay in the car when they got to the next rest stop or embarrass himself with the erection that he couldn't seem to lose for very long. Now that she wasn't trying to make conversation, matters only seemed worse. Too much time to think and now Peggy Lee had started singing Fever. He turned off the stereo. They were nearing Saint Louis and the Wright City rest stop was just a few miles ahead. He needed some space and fresh air.
"There's a rest stop ahead. I need a pit stop, how about you?" he watched as she stretched, ran her hands through her long red hair, and smiled. God she was killing him.
"I could stand to stretch my legs. If there's a soda machine I could use a new drink too."
As he pulled into a parking space, he told her to go ahead that he wanted to make a call. Sure, he wanted to check in with Tanner, but he needed a minute to get himself under control. Watching her ass as she walked away wasn't helping. Lane was five feet ten inches tall and weighed about 175lbs. She had curves in all of the right places. He took a gulp of the now very cold coffee and got out of the SUV before calling Tanner to get a location for meeting him. He walked into the men's room, ran water over his hands, and splashed a bit on his face before he used the facilities.
He came out to find Lane at the vending machine engaged in a discussion with some strange guy wearing boots and a cowboy hat of all things. He scanned the parking lot, must be a trucker he thought as he approached. Lane was giggling. WTF giggling. She'd taken off her sunglasses and was looking at this guy in a way that he couldn't put words around, but he knew he didn't like it. No, he didn't like this guy at all. He put his left hand proprietarily in the small of her back as he joined them. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Fish, this is my friend Ben Bellini. Ben, this is Fish Tucker." The men shook hands. "Fish is an old friend that I haven't seen since college."
Since college, that was the easiest way to explain. Fish had been the key board player in the band with her first husband. Fish was still in the music business playing keyboards for a country singer's backup band. He was on his way to a gig in Saint Louis. They'd just traded cards with e-mail addresses and cell phones as Ben had approached.
"Nice meeting you, man. Take care of Red." Fish said as he walked toward the waiting tour bus.
Lane held two bottles of Diet Coke and smiled as she looked up into Ben’s face. "I got one for you too." She said as she offered one of the sodas to him. She was still smiling and he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with him.
Ben unlocked the SUV and opened her door. He walked around to the driver's door shaking his head. He was going to have to sort this out soon. He was feeling like a jealous teenager. He got in and as he started the engine, he looked at her. "So you know Fish from college?"
"Well, sort of." She hesitated. "You know I'm divorced from the Kids' dad. But, I was married before I married Phillip. I got married the first time when I was still in college." She took a drink of her soda. It wasn't something she meant to keep a secret; it was just something she didn't like to think about. Ben hadn't put the car in gear. He just sat there looking at her. Those hazel eyes looking dark, like melted Hershey's Kisses.
"Are you telling me you were married to Fish Tucker?"
She looked out the window. "No. Fish played keyboards for the band. I married the lead singer & guitarist." She looked back at Ben. "His name was Gus. He was gorgeous, bigger than life, you know. The band cut an album even got some air play on the local radio stations in Omaha." She took another drink. Why was Ben just staring at her? "They went out on a three month tour and when they came back," she sighed, "God, this is so hard." She looked out the window again.
Ben reached over and took her hand. "Whatever it is, it's okay, just tell me."
She turned toward him and put her other hand over his. "Gus couldn't or didn't want to resist the groupies. When Gus came back, he had an STD, which he gave to me. A couple of penicillin shots took care of it. It could have been worse. Could have been something that would stay with me for life." She was crying as she finished. "I didn't mean for it to be a secret, I just don't like remembering it."
Ben reached over and pulled her into the best hug he could manage across the console. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips. "It's okay. It's in the past. It's not your fault. God that man was stupid. How could any man who had you waiting at home for him even think about another woman?"
And, before either of them knew what was happening, he kissed her. She'd welcomed the kiss parting her lips and he had quickly deepened it moving his tongue into her mouth. Then she did it, she moaned as she moved her tongue into his mouth. He moved one hand into her hair holding her head with one hand the other behind her back pulling her as close as he could. She had her hands at his neck twirling the fingers of one hand around his hair while the other stroked the back of his neck. Who knows how long they may have kept it up, but they heard someone passing by yell "Hey get a room why don't you?" Ben wasn't ready to let her go. She was his best friend, and this wasn't a kiss you could pretend didn't happen. He reluctantly pulled out of the deep kiss, brushing his lips gently over hers again. "God, I have wanted to do that all day." He said as he brought his hand out of her hair to her cheek and then touched her lips with his thumb.
