He came on a grunt, his teeth sinking into the fabric of her jersey. They stood in silence for a few moments, chests heaving, pulses racing, muscles tensing.
“Fuck. Pull your pants up, Lizzy. Let’s get you home before I spread you out on that wall like a fucking buffet and eat you till dawn.”
***
Cleo hadn’t seen Lincoln since what Molly was fondly referring to as “The Wall Incident.” Upon hearing her best friend had sex in a public place she’d dug out a thermometer to check she wasn’t ill. She had also threatened to call the doctor to check her blood and finger prints to make sure she hadn’t been consumed by a demon.
The Pirates played their last home game of the season and made it into the playoffs. Linc had requested the pleasure of her company for celebratory Sunday breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall café he’d found while poking around Trip Advisor.
She slid her oversized sunglasses onto her head and scrolled her Facebook feed while she waited for him to arrive. The glaring sun suggested sundress and flip-flop weather, but the subzero, winter temps and the two feet of fresh snow outside suggested otherwise.
The bell over the door tinkled as it opened. Her heart picked up its pace as Lincoln crossed the café. “Buenos días, Lizzy.” He kissed her cheek before pulling out the chair across the table and dropping onto it with a smile. “You look beautiful.”
“Buenos días, mi amor. No one looks beautiful dressed in fourteen layers with icicles dangling from their eyebrows and nose, but thank you.”
He leaned across the table on his forearms, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m pretty sure I could get you down to zero layers and melt those icicles pretty darn quick, Miss Bennet. And I just so happen to love the permanent pink staining your cheeks in the winter time, not to mention that adorable cold nose.”
She shifted in her chair, discomfort clawing at her gut.
“One of these days, I’m going to say nice things about you and that feeling won’t clam you up tighter than a duck’s butt, you know? I don’t care how long it takes, we’re gonna chisel the shit out of those walls of yours.”
His sympathetic eyes and encouraging tone told her he meant every word, but she couldn’t imagine a time when she’d just accept a compliment and it wouldn’t feel so… icky.
“What are your plans after breakfast?”
She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes to slits. “Why?”
He shrugged, but the mischief on his face and his leg bouncing under the table, suggested he was up to something. “I have something I’d like to show you, if you’re game?”
Chapter 32
Lincoln
Lincoln’s heart thundered in his chest. If he wasn’t breathing quite so loud, he was sure she’d hear it. His palms were sticky with sweat and his gut churned with nervous energy.
“I don’t think it’s open. The shutters are down. The opening hours online say it doesn’t open on Sundays except for special events and exhibits.” She tilted the screen of her phone so he could see.
His only answer was a smirk.
“Lincoln! It’s closed, we can come back another time.”
The keys jingled as he freed them from his pocket. “It’s cool – I know the owner.”
“You sly dog.” She pushed his shoulder. She hated surprises. Her life was organized and planned, and her calendar was written out every week with military precision.
While anxiety coursed through his veins, hers would undoubtedly be worse. He slipped an arm across her shoulders and gave her tense muscles a gentle squeeze. “Relax, Lizzy. We’re allowed to be here, promise.”
A twist of the key in the lock and a shove with his shoulder opened the stiff door with a long creak. “Okay, fine, I admit it kinda sounds like something from a creepy horror movie, but I promise I’m not taking you somewhere to be murdered.”
Reaching a hand around the doorframe, he groped at the wall until he found the switch. “Wait here.”
The muscle above her eyebrow twitched. She checked over both shoulders and rocked onto her toes and heels a few times before rubbing her hands over her biceps.
He worked his way through the space until he found the right section. Tugging the tiny chains, he turned on the individual lights. Panic rose in his chest and self-doubt crept into his pores. It would be fine. She was going to love it.
He jogged back to the entryway. Cleo had made her way inside, and closed the door, but her back was to the open room. He tucked a hand into hers and gave a gentle tug. “Come on, Lizzy.”
He walked behind slightly her and to the side so he could take in her every reaction.
