Summer's Night

by Cheyenne Meadows

  Stepping back, she walked over to a nearby trunk, dragging a large blanket from the contents. Turning, she sent him a soft smile. "Come on." She reached out her hand to him, latching on when he took it. "Let's go sit outside and watch the sun set. You can tell me what happened."

  With a small tug, she led him through the gate and out into the pasture, allowing him to choose a place to settle on the ground. Once he'd spread the quilt, they both sat down, getting comfortable while looking off to the west.

  She wiggled until she leaned against his side, sighing when he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Want to talk about what happened?" Biting her lip, Summer crossed her fingers that he would open up to her.

  Night stared across the pasture. "The mission went okay. No injuries or casualties on our side. The DEA got the evidence they wanted and another drug cartel no longer exists."

  "Sounds like a success to me."

  He shrugged.

  "Why the long face?" She watched the expressions cross his normally stoic face.

  "I made a stop on the way home." He softly answered, lifting her in front of him so she sat between his legs, her back to his chest. Wrapping both arms around her, he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

  "Okay. Where did you go?"

  "To see my father." His flat tone told her the visit ate at him now.

  She blinked in surprise at the stark admission. Vaguely, she recalled the kidnapper mention Mrs Kensington's ex-husband, but everything about that incident blurred together in her memory, leaving her with an overall picture and few minor details. "Your father?"

  "Yeah."

  She felt him suck in a puff of air before continuing.

  "He's an alcoholic and drinks at a small bar most of the time. Seems he got drunk, babbled about Mother's jewelry to the wrong man. Not only did he talk about her possessions, but even gave out her name and where she lived. Your kidnapper seized the opportunity to make some quick cash by stealing an expensive necklace to sell on the black market."

  "So that's what happened."

  Night's arms tightened around her. "My father is responsible for that whole mess. If he did it once, I know he'll do it again."

  His flat tone worried Summer. Night had a tough enough job and didn't need to have to deal with a messed up father in addition. The man she loved deserved so much better after giving years of his life protecting freedom and US citizens from harm. Life wasn't fair.

  She rested her hands over his, lightly stroking her finger over his knuckles in a small attempt to soothe his emotional pain. "You had a talk with him?" For the life of her she couldn't imagine what someone would do or say in such a situation, having to face a man he never really knew, one who let his whole family down, and continued to disrupt their lives years down the road.

  "Yeah. I found him at the bar, told him who I was and what happened."

  The bitten off words and the fact his muscles locked around and behind her told her how the meeting went. "And?"

  "He didn't give a rat's ass. Wanted to challenge me. Thought he would knock me down when I called his bluff. The coward wouldn't even do that. Instead, he went back to drinking as if I'd just told him the time of day."

  "Didn't he even ask about your mother? Or show a bit of regret?" Her mouth fell open at his father's callous responses. No wonder Night struggled with his grief and rage. All children have dreams. She would bet that Night had dreamed of meeting his father one day and becoming part of his life, making up for lost time. All little boys idolized their fathers at one time, looking up to them, emulating them, professing they would grow up to be like them. Seeing other children with two happy parents must have been hard, rubbing salt into the wound his father created when he'd ripped their family apart. Perhaps he'd believed that his father would change, rising to the pedestal Night placed him on. Instead, he'd faced down an old man, one who cared little if his former wife and his son lay murdered in their own house because of something he'd said to the wrong person.

  She might not have had a father at all, but having no father beat having the beast Night discovered, hands down. That level of cruelty and apathy cut people deep, especially ones with expectations that those sharing DNA should also share a heartfelt bond.

  "Nothing. Because everything worked out in the end, he felt exonerated." He released a long sigh. "That's all he worried about, his own skin. Mom and I are dead to him for all the concern he showed."

  "And you worry it will happen again?"

  "Yes. He's not going to stop drinking and who knows what else he might say when drunk."

  "It won't go away, then. The threat."

  "No."

  "At least we know about it now and can be on our toes," she pointed out, trying to find the bright side in all the mess related to his father. Leaning back, she nuzzled his lowered chin. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

  He hugged her tight. "You already are."

  They remained silent for a few moments, staring at the coloring sky.

  "I shouldn't dump this on you," Night uttered, keeping his arms around her.

  Summer pulled up one of his hands, placing a kiss to the palm. "Everyone needs a shoulder now and then, even big tough military guys. Just because you can fly through the air and make things go boom, doesn't mean you don't have human emotions buried deep inside that have to come out. That's the difference between people and robots, you know. Personally, as much as I would love a robotic maid that didn't expect payment or benefits, I much prefer you to be a real human male, Night."

  He placed a soft kiss to the top of her head before swinging her around to cradle against his chest. With a gentle touch, he cupped her cheek, encouraging her to look into his eyes. "You don't know how much you mean to me."

  She smiled, pressing her lips to his chin for a quick show of affection. "The same here. I meant it when I said you are my hero. It's true. I love you, Night."

  He eased her head against his chest, holding her as they watched the daylight transition into night with colors of orange, purple, and pink in the darkening sky.

  Summer enjoyed the companionable silence, simply watching a show of nature in Night's arms, with no hurry for the entertainment to end. As the last rays faded, she moved to stand up. "We should get back to the house. Murphy will need to go outside and I think dinner might be in order."

  "Sounds good to me." Night followed, picking up the blanket and slinging it over his free arm. Hand in hand they trekked back to the house.

  Murphy met them at the door, doing a little doggie dance of happiness.

  "Hey girl." Summer opened the door, letting the large white bundle of fluff outside, smiling when Murphy immediately trotted over to Night, smelling his rear.

  "Stop that." He shook his head, playfully scolding the canine.

  Murphy glanced at them once more before heading farther away from the house, presumably to find the right spot to complete her business.

  Leading the way into the house, Summer took the used blanket, tossing it in the laundry basket, before heading to the kitchen. "Any preferences for supper?"

  He trailed along behind her. "Not really. What did you want to fix?"

  She glanced through the cupboards then headed to the fridge, jerking the door open to survey the contents. "I can make breakfast or a sandwich. That would be the quickest. Spaghetti is also possible."

  Night grinned. "I happen to be a great breakfast cook."

  She flashed a smile his direction. "I vaguely recall marvelous pancakes." Reaching in, she pulled out eggs, milk, butter, and pancake mix. Setting the items on the table, she nudged the door shut with her foot. "I'll fix hard boiled eggs if you work on pancakes. But you have to tell me your secret ingredient."

  "Hmm. I don't know. It is a well protected family secret, after all," he teased, digging through a drawer for a large spoon.

  Summer handed him a glass bowl and a measuring cup. Pouting dramatically, she bumped her hip slightly against his. "You won't share with little
old me?" After his earlier melancholy, she longed to see those deep blue eyes twinkle with merriment. Grabbing the eggs, she gently rested three eggs at the bottom of the pan then filled it halfway full with water. Setting it on a back burner, she switched it on high and waited for them to boil.

  "The pancakes? Sure." His lips twitched.

  She rolled her eyes. "No, silly. The secret recipe."

  He poured mix into the bowl with the other ingredients before stirring them all together. "Ah. What secret recipe?"

  She snorted. "Be like that. That's okay. Just when you least expect it, I will kiss you senseless until you tell me."

  The left dimple in his cheek popped. "Kiss me senseless, huh?"

  "Oh, yeah." She lifted her head in challenge. "I would tickle you, but I'm sure you're not ticklish. So, I'm left with kissing you until you beg for mercy." She tried and failed to hold back a mischievous grin.

  Flicking the switch on the stove, he set a skillet over the burner, pouring mix into small circles. That chore finished, he rounded on her, tugging her flush against his body.

  "Can I return the favor?" His tone dropped, carrying a sultry pitch.

  "Well…" She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing up on tiptoe to mesh her lips with his. After only a swift kiss of promise, she pulled back. "I suppose we could flip a coin to see who gets to kiss whom first."

  He chuckled, patted her rear, then returned to the stove, using a spatula to check the bottom side of the pancakes. "I thought we were playing strip poker."

  Her belly flopped in a slow, delightful somersault at those words. More than once her mind traveled down the imaginary path of naughtiness, with Night being the center of her erotic imaginings. Heat blasted across her face recalling some of the more adventurous scenes and her wild inhibitions.

  His dimple returned along with a smile big enough to show straight front teeth. "So you have been thinking about playing."

  Her face heated all the more. How embarrassing. "I plead the fifth."

  Night laughed, his eyes twinkling with sensual amusement. Flipping the pancakes with precision, he gathered up a plate to sit nearby. "I take that for a yes."

  "No comment." She stuck her burning face back into the cool fridge, lingering a bit longer than necessary in order to snag the juice from the main shelf. Placing it on the table, she picked glasses from the cabinet, setting them on the table's placemats. The pancake syrup soon followed.

  "Uh, huh." He scooped up the pancakes and clicked the stove off. With platter in hand, he plopped down in the nearest chair.

  A whining at the door caught Summer's attention. Quickly, she headed over, opening the door to allow Murphy back in. "I hope you didn't roll in anything icky." She gave the animal a once over, satisfied when no foul odors or stains marred the stark white coat.

  The dog walked straight to the living room rug and flopped down.

  Returning to the kitchen, she turned the heat off the eggs and poured out the water. She pulled a hot pad out of a drawer and placed the pan on it, in easy reach when they were ready to peel the shell off the eggs.

  Summer sat down in her allotted seat, filling her glass with juice.

  Night forked half the small pancakes to his plate before shoving the rest off the platter and into her empty plate.

  "That's too many." She spied the tall stack and sighed.

  "You need to eat. Can't have you passing out from malnutrition before you get a chance to strip for me and kiss me until I beg."

  She blinked. "I think you twisted that a bit. I didn't say I would strip. I said we could play strip poker and you promised to give me a head start."

  "Well, damn. I liked the idea of you stripping better."

  "Uh, huh." She slapped butter and syrup on her plate then cut her dinner into bite-sized portions. "You can always strip for me, though." She tossed out the bone, not surprised he would chomp down on it.

  He took a long drink of milk. "Anytime, baby. Anytime."

  Now what have I started? Her belly clenched at his words and the images they provoked. A hot flash traveled the length of her body and back, compelling her to fan herself with her hand.

  Night watched her closely, a grin slowly emerging at her reaction.

  The lout. How was she supposed to eat with him staring at her like he had been marooned on a desert island for years and she was a double dip ice cream cone, with a couple of melted drippings running down the side? Think of something dull and boring. One plus one equals two. She ran math equations through her head. One of him, one of her. Naked. Together. In bed.

  Summer bit back a groan. Night's return stoked her libido into overdrive. Just sitting across from him at the table set her mouth to nearly drooling. His sculpted body drew her attention as those deep blue eyes pulled her in, reading her like an open book. Heck, maybe she was the one on the deserted island since an almost overwhelming urge to lift up his T-shirt and taste those delicious abdominal muscles hit her like a hurricane-force wind. Shoving those thoughts to the side, she focused on her plate, purposely forking a piece and sticking it in her mouth. Maybe if she ignored him, her feminine wants and needs would settle down.

  "What are you doing tomorrow?" Night asked, pulling her attention back to him.

  She considered her schedule for a moment. "Nothing, really. It's Saturday, so I don't have any clients. I need to give Murphy a bath and the outside chores, of course. Maybe some housecleaning, but that's the excitement of the day. Why do you ask?" She tilted her head in curiosity.

  He shucked off an egg shell with ease, dropping the crumbs onto his empty plate. "I thought we might spend the day together."

  "I'd like that." She pasted on a smile, somewhat disappointed he didn't offer to spend the night with her. Her teasing held a purpose, to feel him out, hint at her wishes for him to stay with her. Obviously, she didn't get the idea across or he didn't share her wants.

  "Summer?"

  She met his eyes. "Yes?"

  He refused to release her gaze even as he dropped the egg onto his plate. "You know that I want you, right?"

  She bit her lip. "I think so."

  He reached out a hand, clasping hers when she met him halfway. "Have no doubt that I want you, in every way that a man wants a woman."

  "I… want the… same." She stammered, unnerved with his intense stare and the intimacy of the conversation. "Why can't we… tonight?"

  He puffed out a breath of air. "Because I want you to be sure. I promised myself I wouldn't push you or the relationship, everything had to be mutual."

  "But this is mutual," she protested.

  Shaking his head, he stood up, using their intertwined fingers to tug her up beside him. "Sweetheart, you've had a rough time lately. And, I just returned. Of course you want me to stay and for us to take that big step together. I get that. But, I need to make sure you won't have regrets tomorrow."

  She opened her mouth, but he placed a long finger over it, sealing in her words.

  "I want to give you another night to consider what you truly want. You have to be absolutely sure because once we cross that bridge there's no going back. I want this to be the beginning of a lifetime, not just a few days of stroking my ego while you use sex for comforting." He wrapped both arms around her, gathering her close, before using his thumb on her chin to encourage her to hold his look. "Understand?"

  Multiple thoughts raced through her mind, not the least the sensitivity and caring that Night showed in his restraint. His mention of a lifetime set her heart aglow while only increasing the already strong feelings she had for him. "Yes." She lifted up to brush her lips over his chin. "But know this. I'll feel the same tomorrow as I do tonight."

  "I sure hope so." He smiled.

  "You might want to eat a good breakfast then. Can't have you passing out from low blood sugar," she teased, rubbing her palm across his shirt-clad chest, sampling the hard muscles underneath.

  He snorted. "Take your own advice. I'm a force to be reckoned with." His hand ca
ptured hers, holding it steady over his thumping heart.

  "We'll see." She lifted again to kiss his lips, flicking her tongue until he opened beneath her foray. Taking the initiative, she explored thoroughly, inciting a quick game of tag with his tongue.

  Night stepped back with a muffled curse. "No more of that. I hate cold showers."

  She grinned like a kid holding the candy jar. "Uh, huh. Just remember to bring the deck of cards."

  A chuckle escaped his throat as he meandered back toward the front door. "Oh, I'll bring those and a few more things."

  She blinked, her face heated once more as the possibilities of what he might bring ran through her head. All of them erotic and sinful.

  Night threw back his head and laughed. "Think about that tonight."

  "Gee, thanks. Now I won't be able to sleep for wondering what in the world you're talking about." She trailed him to the front door.

  "Then we're even." He sent her one more smile, turned, and stepped out the door, trotting to his pickup.

  She watched from the entranceway until the headlights on his truck became tiny blips in the night sky. Only then did she shut and lock the door. "Murphy, old girl, I think I'm in deep doo doo."

  The dog opened her eyes, lifted her ears, and thumped her tail twice before falling right back to sleep.

  Chapter 20

  By dawn the next morning, Summer had zipped through her morning chores, cleaned the kitchen, started the dishwasher, dust mopped the wood floors, and tossed clothes into the washer, all in an anxious rush to prepare for her day with the man she loved. The animals even looked at her oddly for being awakened so early. Murphy yawned as she followed Summer outside while the horses lazily left their stalls through the barn door she opened for the day, allowing them to come and go to the pasture as they desired.

  She'd tossed and turned all night, too wired to settle down to sleep, excited about the upcoming day. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, she'd woken up several times to check the clock, only to find little time had passed since she'd last looked. Finally, she'd gave up, deciding to get to work on the necessary household tasks in order to help clear her schedule for whatever Night had in mind.