by MK Schiller
“If Brad thinks we’re in a serious relationship, what will he think about you cheating on me?”
The song changed. It was up-tempo, “Smooth” by Santana. Lanie stepped back, but he pulled her closer. “Kyle, we don’t have to dance this close.”
“We’re not done talking,” he said with a sharper edge in his voice than he intended.
“What difference does it make? Brad can’t think we’re that committed since you’re seeing other women.” It was funny how readily she accepted that. She never questioned it. Kyle was annoyed that she didn’t share his jealousy. Other girls had always broached this topic with trepidation due to their probing angst and underlying questions, but with Lanie, she had no hidden agenda, only total acceptance.
“Lanie, I haven’t been with anyone else since we had sex.” It was lie. In fact, he hadn’t been with anyone since they had made their agreement, but he didn’t want to tell her that.
“Why?” There was that damn word again. The most common question asked in every interview. Why couldn’t he answer it himself?
“Um, well, I’m committed to this. I want Brad to believe us.”
“Oh, Kyle, you don’t have to make so many sacrifices for me.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to. Besides, we’re not using condoms, and even though I use them with other girls, I would want to get retested. I don’t want to risk your health.” Kyle wanted to pat himself on the back for pulling that one out.
“Do you want us to start using condoms so you can date other girls?”
He sighed in frustration. She was really challenging his duplicitous skills. “No, I like it this way.”
“Because it’s so much better sexually?”
He wanted to grab her shoulders and yell at her, “No, because it’s better with you,” but instead he just said, “Yes. So are we in agreement then? No additional perspective needed?”
“Yes, I think you’ve made a good case for being monogamous in our sham.”
“Thank you, Counselor.” He exhaled, letting out a sigh that showed he had been holding his breath. Luckily, she didn’t question it.
“You’ll be glad to know you have the weekend off,” she said, moving away from him. He pulled her back immediately.
“Why is that?” he asked, hoping the alarm didn’t register in his voice.
“Brad and Cassie are going away, so you don’t have to be stuck with me.”
Kyle thought for a minute. He had been looking forward to spending the weekend with Lanie the whole time he was in New York. “We should go away too.” He wondered where the thought had come from. He’d never taken a girl away for the weekend.
“Oh no, don’t worry about it.”
“Lanie, we should take the same step to show our commitment.”
“We can always just say we went away. No one would know.”
Damn, she was too smart. “If you want to make it believable, there needs to be an element of truth in it.”
Lanie smiled but shook her head. “Kyle, I don’t want you to be bored all weekend, and besides, it’s Valentine’s Day part two, otherwise known as Sweetest Day. Where will we go on such short notice?”
Kyle thought hard for a second, and the answer was clear. “We can go to my cabin.”
“You have a cabin?”
“Yes, I think you’ll really like it. We’re friends first, right? You’re working hard and need the break. Besides, Brad’s been to my cabin. What if he asks if you walked the long trail or short trail?”
“I’ll tell him the short trail.”
“See, that’s what I mean. There is no short trail,” Kyle replied, spinning her around again.
“Brad’s not going to trick me like that.”
“You never know. Besides, doesn’t a whole weekend in a secluded cabin in the woods forking your friend Captain Kyle sound like fun?”
Lanie matched his smile. “It does sound enticing.”
He steadied his arms on the small of her back and dipped her, even though it was not appropriate for the song. He brushed his lips against hers before straightening her again.
“What was that?”
“Brad and Cassie were looking at us. It was just a good opportunity.” She nodded, accepting his lie. Kyle had no idea where Brad and Cassie were, but Adam Stone was looking at them. More appropriately, he was leering at Lanie. Kyle narrowed his eyes and nodded to him, giving the universal, nonverbal male code for hands off, MINE.
Kyle had thought Lanie was manipulative when he first met her, but he was the only one guilty of that. Everything would be fine, Kyle reasoned. They were both waiting in a sense. Lanie was waiting for Brad to notice her, and Kyle was waiting to get bored with her.
Chapter Nineteen
Kyle had suggested they go away for the weekend spontaneously, as if it were a natural thought, but in reality it scared the hell out of him. He had never taken a girl away for the weekend, he had never brought a girl to his cabin before, and the idea of taking a girl to his cabin on Sweetest Day weekend was inconceivable. He didn’t even go out on dates on Sweetest Day or Valentine’s Day, in order to avoid girls reading into them too much. The whole idea was ripe with heavy implications and expectations, but Lanie wasn’t like other girls. The thought both relaxed and worried him.
Kyle was annoyed Brad and Cassie were still at the apartment when he got there.
“Lanie, I can’t believe you’re spending the weekend in the woods with spiders and bugs. I feel sorry for you. Brad and I will be at a luxury spa getting massages, and you’ll be in some backwoods hillbilly swamp,” Cassie stated smugly.
“Actually, Kyle’s cabin’s on a really nice lake. Lanie will like it,” Brad said.
Kyle would have spoken up himself, but his eyes were glued to Lanie. She looked very sad, although she tried to hide it beneath her halfhearted smile.
As soon as they left, Kyle took a seat on the couch and pulled Lanie onto his lap. “What’s wrong?” She looked away from him. “Tell me.”
“Brad told Cassie he loved her.”
Kyle tried to focus his thoughts. They went in a million directions. She said it with finality as if she realized her dream was over. This was a good thing because it meant Lanie would get over Brad. This was a bad thing because it meant they no longer needed to pretend to be in a relationship. He had no idea why he cared so much either way, but he did. He chalked it up to wanting to spend the weekend with Lanie.
“The good news is we don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s time I get over Brad anyway. The whole idea was stupid to begin with.”
Kyle tried to arrange his thoughts into some coherent pattern. Unfortunately, he realized the only way to convince Lanie was to use his master manipulation skills once more. He felt guilty for it, but then again, he was selfish. That part of his personality displayed itself more aggressively in Lanie’s presence.
He tilted her chin toward him so she was facing him. “We should still go.”
“Why?” Damn, that word again. He wished for once she would just comply, but Lanie was analytical and liked all the arguments presented to her.
“You’ve been working too hard, and I promise you a good time, even if it isn’t a spa. Mostly though, you’re putting too much emphasis on this declaration of love. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“What do you mean? Brad told her he loved her!”
“I know, but words are my living, and that’s the most overused and unintended word in the English language. She probably wanted some type of commitment from him. Some kind of reassurance as girls often do.”
“Brad’s not that kind of guy.”
“He’s a guy, Lanie. We all think the same way. I know what I’m talking about. Saying ‘I love you’ is just a way a guy appeases a girl.”
“You think so?”
Kyle could see her smile growing, and it twisted into him. This was getting so complicated that he couldn’t even sort out what he was doing or why.
“Trust me on this. You
should come with me. It’ll make you feel better. I’ll make you feel better.” He punctuated each statement with the soft kisses on her neck she had a hard time resisting.
She was silent for a moment, but she surprised him by hugging him hard. “Thanks. I don’t believe you, but I think you’re right and we should go.”
Kyle held her close, hoping she didn’t notice he was crossing his fingers behind his back as he once again cursed himself for being a total ass.
* * * *
Kyle walked behind Lanie on the long trail, the only trail in the woods, carrying the branches they had gathered for a fire while he stared greedily at her behind. Her ass was definitely her best feature, he thought. It looked especially enticing in the tight jeans she was wearing.
“Kyle, are you listening to me?” she asked, adding another branch to the pile in his arms.
“Yeah, sorry. I was just admiring the view.” He smiled salaciously at her.
She looked around. Her hair was a shiny imitation of the fall foliage. It fell on her shoulders in beautiful, curly waves. “Yes, the woods are really pretty here,” she said, gesturing to the trees.
“That’s not the view I was referring to.”
Lanie put her hand to her mouth. “Why, Kyle, are you flirting with me?” she asked in that sugary Southern accent that turned him on so much.
“You’re right. That was coy. Let me be clear in my intentions. I want to throw you over my shoulder, run back to the cabin, and have my way with you.”
She blushed but continued to smile. “Guess you’ll have to catch me first.”
Kyle tilted his head, fascinated with the idea of chasing Lanie, literally tracking her through these woods. “Lanie, don’t run from me,” he warned, hoping that was exactly what she would do.
“Why, Kyle?” she asked provocatively, walking a few steps backward from him and giving him a rebellious smile.
“You’re easy prey. I run every day, and I was captain of the track team.” Kyle advanced, but Lanie kept retreating, increasing the distance between them.
“Well, Captain Kyle, there’s some stuff you don’t know about me.”
“Like what?”
“I’m good at hiding.” With that she dashed off through the woods. Kyle dropped all the sticks they had collected and sprinted after her. She ran down the open path and hid between trees. Damn if she wasn’t right. She was like a chameleon blending in with all the fall colors.
“I don’t want you to slip on leaves and get hurt. Come out, Lanie, before you hurt yourself. Come out now,” Kyle cautioned, but really he was enjoying toying with his prey.
“What will you do if you find me?”
Kyle followed the direction of the voice, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“When I find you, I’m going to make you come with me…then I’m going to make you come for me.”
She ran out behind him, and he took off after her. She hid well, and as soon as he was close, she managed to slide right by him. At one point, he snatched the back of her plaid shirt, but she escaped his grasp. The thrill of the chase excited Kyle. It reminded him of all the capture the flag games he’d played in these woods when he was a kid. Capture the flag was never this fun.
Finally, she ran out of the woods to the clearing where the lake was. “Big mistake,” Kyle said, darting after her. In the open, she couldn’t hide, and he was definitely faster. She ran onto the long dock and stopped at the edge.
She was breathing hard, bending over at her waist. Kyle advanced slowly, wanting to stretch their little game. “Nowhere for you to hide now,” Kyle said, gesturing to the open space as he stepped in long, leisurely strides toward her.
“Nope, guess you win,” Lanie replied, straightening up.
“What should I do with you now, naughty girl?”
Lanie arched her eyebrow. “Hmm, the possibilities.”
Kyle nodded and started removing his shoes and socks.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going for a swim. So are you.”
Lanie looked down at the water and back at Kyle. “Um, no, I’m not.” Kyle unbuttoned his shirt slowly, enjoying Lanie’s small gasp.
“You definitely are. I made that decision as soon as you ran onto this dock. There’s only one choice you need to make.”
“What’s that?” she asked nervously.
“Clothes or no clothes,” Kyle replied, sliding his jeans off.
Lanie stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “People will see us.”
“It’s a private lake, just a few houses, and they’re vacant this weekend…I think.”
Lanie looked around and turned back to Kyle. “The water’s probably freezing.”
“Then I suggest clothes off,” Kyle said mischievously.
She was smiling but unsure. “Um, I can’t swim.” The inflection in her voice made it sound more like a question than statement.
He removed his boxers, keeping his eyes on her. She looked down and her eyes got very wide. “I won’t let you drown. Now do you need help with those clothes?”
He expected her to run, but she surprised him by shrugging. She removed all of her clothes tentatively, leaving on her pink polka-dotted bra and matching panties. Kyle licked his lips, realizing he wanted nothing more than to lick every one of those spots. She looked around once more. She smiled, bit her lower lip, and then made a run for it, trying to stride past him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled them both into the frigid water. She screamed, slipping out of his grasp. Kyle stood up in water that came to his chest, looking for her, but she was gone. The water was freezing, and Kyle immediately regretted his spontaneous decision. He dove deep searching for her, cursing himself for the stupid idea. When he came out again, he spotted her swimming away from him to the other side of the dock.
“Catch me now, Captain Kyle,” she said, increasing the distance between them.
“I thought you couldn’t swim.”
“I lied,” she yelled back.
“Typical lawyer,” Kyle muttered, swimming after her.
He rounded closer to her, but she managed to evade him. He pushed himself out of the water and scanned the lake for her. His heart started thumping, and he prayed she wasn’t in trouble when he couldn’t find her reddish-brown hair peeking out of the crystal-blue lake. “Lanie, where are you?” he screamed.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her hand come up by the dock. She had come around to where they had started. She was definitely a much faster swimmer than he was. When he saw the bra and panties in her hand, Kyle let out an approving grunt and swam over to her with Olympic speed. He cornered her at the dock. The water was shallower, just covering their naked bodies.
“Caught you,” he said, threading his fingers through her wet hair.
“Hi there.” She put her arms around his neck, shivering against his body. He felt the goose bumps as they emerged from her flesh.
“We have to get out.” He lifted her onto the dock and got out himself. She crossed her arms, and he immediately covered her body with his, rubbing her arms to generate warmth. He kissed her then, unable to come up with any more words. He just wanted her. His body was full of lust and desire that could only be satisfied by her. His hands grazed down her smooth skin. She pushed him away slightly, looking around anxiously.
He sighed, leaning against her. “I told you no one’s out here, baby.”
“We-we’re tempting the Fates,” she whispered as if not wanting to speak to loudly. He embraced her tightly, hoping his body heat transferred. She was smiling, but it was apparent she was cold.
“How so?”
“We’re in the middle of the woods, naked on this dock, making out like teenagers.”
“Oh, believe me, I plan to do more than make out with you,” Kyle replied and nibbled on her earlobe. “Relax,” he coaxed.
“I’m just freaked out.”
“Because you’re cold?”
“No, because I’m scared of Jason Vorhees
and his ax! We’re just asking for it, you know.”
Kyle laughed heartily, then cupped his chin as if deep thought. “Oh yeah, I know that guy. He lives in one of the other cabins. He’s very quiet, but I’ve played hockey with him a few times.”
“Stop!” She slapped him gently on his shoulder. “And now I’m not even a virgin anymore.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why would that matter?”
She smirked. “Because the virgin always lives.”
He laughed again, wondering how she had the ability to make him laugh so hard and be so hard at the same time. He nuzzled her neck. “Lanie, you have nothing to fear from Jason’s ax, I promise.”
“Why, because you’ll protect me, Captain Kyle?”
“Hell no. I’ll be showing you just how fast I can run,” Kyle said.
“Nice. So why am I not supposed to be afraid of Jason’s axe?”
“Because he carries a machete, baby.”
This time they both laughed.
* * * *
Kyle threw in more branches to feed the fire. He stared appreciatively at Lanie’s damp bra and panties hanging over the hearth and chuckled. Kyle had stashed the panties in his jeans on the walk back, but the bra he’d hooked around a belt loop. Best flag he’d ever captured. His chuckle turned into a quick frown when he noticed Lanie shivering, hugging herself. “You’re cold,” he said, rubbing her arms.
“A-a li-little.” He knew from the way she was shaking it was more than a little.
He took the blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around her before tying it snugly in the back.
“The lake was a bad idea. I’m sorry.” The water hadn’t been bad when they first dived in, but it had gotten colder on the way back. Kyle had given Lanie his shirt, but the extra layer had done little to provide additional insulation.
“Don’t be. It was fun. Why are you wrapping me up like a burrito? Are you afraid I’ll run again?”
He laughed. “Maybe.” He picked her up and carried her to the couch. He laid her down and slid in behind her to cradle her. “This is what my mom did for Rachael and me when we were cold.”
