Page 69 of Free to Run
The price for his betrayal must be paid.
29
Keene
Iarrive at Alison’s after the late-summer sun sets, with a bottle of wine in each hand. Uncertain of what we’re eating, I’m prepared for anything.
I’m about to lift my hand to knock when the door opens. I’m glad I pull my hand away, or I would have tapped Corinna right on her forehead. “Sorry,” I offer.
“Put ’em up,” Corinna demands.
“Pardon me?” I’m confused. Does Alison’s sister want to have a boxing match? I’m guessing I outweigh her by a hundred pounds, and I have two bottles of wine as weapons.
“The bottles, Keene. Let’s see what you brought.”
Ah. I lift a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Reading both labels, Corinna snags the bottle of white out of my hand before gliding past me. “I know what you’re having for dinner. I’ll consider it payment for having to clean my kitchen from the food coloring.”
My mouth falls open. “You threw it at my head!” I couldn’t care less about the wine, but the idea that I owed her for a mess of her own making is ludicrous.
“If you hadn’t been a jackass, we wouldn’t have to go there. But you do apologize so well.” Corinna waves the bottle of wine in the air as she skips down the steps, making her way toward her house, which is the closest to Alison’s. “Have a good night!” she calls out.
Using my free hand, I rub my head. “Did that just happen?”
Alison is standing next to me now. “Cori can totally turn anything into someone else’s fault when it comes to making her do more work than she needs to. It’s best if you learn that now.” She leans against me and hooks her arm through mine. “Thank you for the bottle—I mean,bottlesof wine. Even if we’re only drinking one of them.” Her voice is dripping with laughter.
Like me, she’s changed into shorts, but hers show the toned legs she’s earned from running thousands of miles. The shorts barely skim the curve of her ass. She’s paired them with a body-hugging tank and flip-flops in electric blue. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” I groan while giving her body a full perusal.
Her eyes widen. “What? I’m dressed.”
“True. But baby, I have a great imagination and an even better memory.” I tug her close and press a kiss to her smiling lips.
By the time I let her up for air, it takes a moment or two for her to open her eyes. All the humor has been chased away and replaced with desire. Once our bodies are joined together again, and they will be, we’re not coming up for days. She’ll be begging me to stop laving up her sweetness. To stop pinning her to the closest flat surface. And there’s no way I will. I’m that hungry for her.
I want to memorize this moment, this second in time. There’s Alison in my vision, my lungs, my mouth.
“Are you hungry?” she asks me.
“For food, not especially.” I pull her tighter against me so she understands my meaning. A slow smile graces her lips.
“How about a little drive before dinner? I’ve got everything we’ll need all packed up.” She gestures into the kitchen, where I see a cooler packed. “I don’t think we’ll be able to bring the wine though.”
“We’ll have it after we get back.” I’m immediately intrigued. “Where are we going?”
She gives me a small smile. “You’ll see.”
* * *
I’msurprised Alison doesn’t ask me to take her to the mountain, but instead, directs me to New Fairfield. Following her directions, we end up at Squantz Pond, which is surprisingly empty for the beautiful summer evening. Jumping from my car, Alison reaches for the bag she packed before leaving the house. Stopping to kick off her flip-flops, she looks up at me. “You don’t mind?”
She’s practically dancing to get her toes in the sand.
“The only problem I have is that you’re carrying the bag. Hand it over,” I demand.
“Might want to kick off your shoes first, babe. Sand’s a pain to get out.”
Not a bad idea. Kicking off my shoes, I dump both sets in the trunk of the Audi before relieving her of the bag. “So, what are we having for dinner?”
“You have no patience. Do you know that?” she admonishes.
