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“Oh, is he still here so I can thank him?” Aggie scanned the area but couldn’t see anyone.
“He had to go, besides I want you all to myself tonight.” One of his hands moved to cup her face, his thumb brushing tantalizingly across her lips.
“I’d love to meet him soon, thank him for all of this,” she said breathily, resisting the urge to let her tongue slip between her lips to lick his teasing thumb.
“You will meet him, when the time is right. Now let’s eat.” Nick’s hand withdrew, but his eyes remained heated.
“I love this location,” she said as she and Nick sat on the blanket and he began getting out the food. “I don’t usually come down to this part of the park, but it’s so beautiful here by the lake, especially on a hot day. And it feels so remote, I can hear the children at the playground but it’s like they’re a million miles away. It’s so tranquil, so peaceful here.”
“Once we’ve eaten and the kiddies go home for the night, it’ll be our turn.”
“Our turn for what?”
“The playground of course.” He grinned mischievously.
Giggling, Nick was fun as well as being sweet, and thoughtful, and brave. The meal he’d packed for them was simple and yet delicious. Fried chicken, bread that looked and tasted like it had been homemade, cheeses, and a fruit platter that was delightfully refreshing in the hot evening. He’d brought sparkling apple cider to drink, her favorite, and she wondered if he’d talked to Summer about her last night after he’d brought her home from the hospital and put her to bed.
Dinner conversation revolved around their jobs. She told him about her work as a social worker, and all the heartbreak that came with the job, as well as the immense sense of satisfaction she got knowing she was doing something to help improve the lives of the children she came into contact with. She learned that Nick was an accountant. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine him as having such a mundane job. When she’d said as much, he’d laughed and told her that he had studied archery, martial arts, was a perfect shot, wanted to go skydiving one day, and raced motorbikes, then asked her if that was dangerous enough for her. It wasn't that she was after a dangerous guy, although she had dated her fair share of bad boys, it was just that being an accountant seemed incongruous with the man she had been getting to know.
When the sun had set, the moon had risen, the stars were twinkling, and the cheerful chatter of children playing had ceased, Nick packed up the picnic, took her hand, and led her to the playground. Aggie liked the feel of Nick’s hand. It was warm and strong, but not just physically strong, it also exuded a mental strength that made her feel secure. She suspected that Nick wouldn’t be the kind of guy to shy away from anything, not even a girl like her who oftentimes let her emotions rule her.
“Slide or swings first?” Nick asked when they reached the playground.
“Swings of course.” She grinned, running straight for them.
“I’ll push you,” Nick announced as soon as she sat down.
“I can do it myself,” she reminded him.
“Sure you can,” he agreed as he took hold of the chains, pulled her back, and then let her go flying forward.
Aggie giggled again, she couldn’t help it, she considered herself to be a pretty easygoing and cheerful person, and yet even she hadn’t laughed so much in one short space of time as she had on her first date with Nick. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy and carefree, so at peace. Considering what had happened to her this time yesterday, if anyone had asked her if she would be feeling so good so quickly she would have laughed in their face and exclaimed that she expected to feel fearful and traumatized for some time to come. The fear was there, but it wasn't a resounding throb pulsing through her body, just a mere tickle, and it was all thanks to Nick.
“You should let your hair down, it’s so pretty, just like you, and it should be out and all carefree too.”
Gripping the chain with her one good hand, with her other Aggie awkwardly managed to release her hair from the French braid she’d put it in to keep her long locks from making her swelter in the heat. As soon as it was free it began to fly all around her. Her hair was long, waist length, so it whipped around her face, mostly obscuring her view and tangling itself in her earrings and her mouth, making her laugh all over again.
“Slide time.” Nick abruptly stopped the swing, lifted her off it, and tugged her in the direction of the fort. Aggie felt like a little girl as they climbed up the ladder, raced to the slide, and slid back down, over and over again.
When Nick caught her at the bottom of the slide and pushed her up against the side of the fort, delightful little cartwheels turned in her stomach. His body pinned hers in place, his hands twisted in her hair, and held her head still, then his mouth devoured hers. The kiss was hot and heavy and made her mouth feel like it was on fire. All little girl feelings gone, she now felt all woman. Of their own accord, her hands ran up under Nick’s shirt, her fingertips tracing the well-defined curves of his muscular stomach and chest. Aggie never wanted the kiss to end.
“I've been waiting all night to do that, I couldn’t hold off a second longer,” he panted as he finally broke contact.
“Don’t stop,” she mewed in protest, her hands leaving his chest to curl into his hair and guide his mouth back to hers.
A perfect end to a magical evening.
* * * * *
11:42 P.M.
Emily hated the dark.
Sitting here all alone in the bottom of the empty diving pool, all of her childish fears about the dark and the monsters it kept hidden had come screaming back.
Only she supposed they weren’t really childish fears. They were legitimate fears. She’d been snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, abandoned here, and the man who took her could return at any moment. He could be here already. Lurking about someplace. Maybe even watching her.
No, she reassured herself, that was unlikely. If he was here, he would want her to know.
