Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

Sabrina

I had to give Daphne credit. For a kid whose style definitely ran toward the casual herself most of the time, she really knew how to pick out a date outfit that was both pretty and warm.

We mostly had my late-night impulsive shopping habits to thank for the whole ensemble, though. I'd bought the skin-tone wool-lined leggings on a complete whim when I saw how much they looked like you weren't wearing anything at all as I thought I might wake up some day a different person who actually wore skirts and put that much care into their appearance.

Needless to say, those leggings had sat in the back of my underwear drawer for about two years. Still in their packaging.

But they finally had a chance to be worn. And I was cozy warm in them and the borrowed black and white plaid skirt Daphne had lent me. It was paired with a long-sleeved shirt under a roomy black cardigan.

The shoes selection was where I'd put my foot down and insisted I not be in heels, since I had no idea how much walking this date might involve.

So I'd put on a pair of my old combat boots from when I was Daphne's age, pleasantly surprised they still fit. And feeling oddly just a little more like myself with them on.

"No, use the good stuff," Daphne had said, ripping my cheap drugstore perfume out of my hand.

‘The good stuff' was the very pricey perfume she'd bought me for mother's day that she'd paid for by working a seasonal job over the holidays. I'd thought she'd just blown the money on fun stuff until I'd opened my mother's day package.

"Mom, if there's ever a time to wear the good perfume, it's on a date with a hot guy," she said.

And, well, the kid had a point.

So I used the good stuff, fluffed my hair, then slipped my jacket on.

"What is this?" I asked when Daphne held out a small crossbody bag out to me. With an emphasis on small. Minuscule, really. My wallet wouldn't even fit in it.

"I know you love your mom-bag. But I don't think Callow needs to see those depths of hell," she said. "This has your phone, cash, a card, and breath mints. You don't have condoms," she added, looking disappointed in me.

"What?" I squeaked, eyes widening.

"I mean, for all the safe-sex talks I've gotten over the years, it seems hypocritical that you don't have any condoms."

"I'm not going to need any," I insisted.

"Aren't those the famous last words?" she asked. "Is that what you said when you ended up with me?" she added. "Not that I'd mind a baby sister. That might be fun. But, you're kinda old…"

"I'm thirty-three!" I objected. "I'm hardly one foot in the grave. Actually, I think thirty is the average age a woman has her first kid these days. Not that I'm having kids. I'm not."

"I'm sure Callow has condoms. Guys like him are usually prepared."

"And how would you know that?" I asked, slipping right back into mom-mode. It wasn't like I expected Daphne to come home and tell me when she made that big step. But, I don't know, I guess I figured I would know.

"Because he doesn't have any kids?" she said, brows furrowed like she didn't understand my reaction.

"Right. Yeah. I'm sure he is always prepared. But he won't need to be prepared. It's only a second date. Alright," I said, checking the clock. "I need to get going. Do you have everything you need? Should I leave more money for emergencies?"

"Mom, this is not the first time I've been home alone," she reminded me.

"I know." Though I'd stocked the fridge like I'd be gone for weeks not hours. And left an extra hundred in our hidden emergency cash stash. "Okay. Keep your phone charged and the door locked," I said as I moved out of the door.

"I will," she said, then shut and locked the door in my face. Like she knew I was going to stall if she didn't.

I would have.

Nerves were jangling in my bones as I walked down the hallway and into the elevator. I don't know what I was so nervous about. We'd had a great date at She's Bean Around. Of course, I hadn't known it was a date at the time. So there'd been no pressure. Which was likely why things had gone so effortlessly. There was romantic pressure now.

No.

Nope.

I wasn't going to let my mind go there.

To drown out my thoughts, I cranked up the music in the car, getting lost in the music I used to nearly blow my eardrums with when I was younger.

And with each mile down the road toward the Henchmen clubhouse, I felt a lot of the stress slipping away.

I pulled into the lot, finding it a lot less packed than the last time I'd been there. Which, I guess, was a good thing. It meant things had calmed down from a security perspective.

I'd barely been able to climb out of the car before the front door opened.

Then there he was.

Looking even more handsome than I remembered.

Desire, just barely simmering there under the surface, boiled over, chasing away the chill, almost making me a little overheated in my layers.

"You look fucking great," he said, making my belly wobble. "But… bare legs?" he asked as he came closer.

"They're not bare," I said as I reached down to pull the legging away from my skin. "They're lined so I'm warm. But still look like, you know, I'm trying to look pretty," I admitted, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks at that admission.

"Mission accomplished," he said as he got in front of me. Then, without hesitation, he reached for my hips, pulling me against his firm body, and sealing his lips over mine.

It was probably just supposed to be a greeting kiss. Short and sweet.

But the second our lips met, all ideas of self-control just fled both of our minds.

My hands slid up his strong arms to wrap around the back of his neck as one of his teased up my spine to grab the back of my neck. Bending me backward, he deepened the kiss, flooding my senses with his spicy scent, with the heat of him, with the minty taste of his toothpaste as his tongue slipped in to claim mine.

Callow's other hand slipped down, grazing over my ass, then sinking in, using it to drag me against him.

But just as I was melting into him, the rumble of a motorcycle drew near enough to have us both breaking apart.

"Whoops," a voice said after the engine cut. "Bad timing, huh?" he asked.

"Could say that," Callow said, arm slung lazily around my hips, keeping me facing him instead of our interrupter.

"Sorry," the man muttered before walking off into the clubhouse.

"But we should probably get going anyway," Callow admitted, letting go of me reluctantly. "Do you have everything you need?" he asked.

"Oh, my jacket," I said, rushing back to the SUV to grab it off of the passenger seat, and slipping it on.

"Probably a good idea," Callow agreed as he led me over to a black SUV with windows so tinted that he had to get pulled over constantly about them.

He opened the door, waited for me to try to get in at least somewhat daintily, then slammed the door before making his way around the hood.

"So, do I get to know where we're going yet?" I asked as we both clicked our seatbelts.

"I think it'll be more fun if I don't tell you until we're there," he said as he reversed out of his spot. "It's only a ten-minute drive."

We drove it in silence. But the music on the radio kept things from feeling awkward as we made our way up the highway toward the shore.

"Are we allowed on the beach at night?" I asked, then cringed at how goody-goody that sounded. What happened to the girl I used to be? Who once went skinny dipping in the ocean at night with a bunch of friends? Boys and girls?

"Nope," Callow said, shooting me a mischievous grin as he pulled the SUV into a spot and parked.

"But… crap. Isn't that a cop?" I asked, looking over as someone pulled into the lot behind us.

"Yep," he agreed, but was still smirking as he climbed out of the car, then walked directly over toward the police cruiser.

Leaning down, he talked to the cop like he was an old friend. Before reaching into his pocket and producing something from his pocket, then handing it to the cop.

With that, the conversation seemed to be over, and I climbed out of the SUV as Callow made his way back.

"Did you just pay off that cop?" I asked, lips curving up.

"Sure did," he agreed, reaching into the backseat to pull out a, of all things, picnic basket. "How about you carry this?" he said, passing it to me. "Let me do the heavy lifting," he added.

Then he was reaching toward the roof of the car. And I remembered the kayak strapped there.

"Are we going kayaking?" I asked, mouth falling open.

"We are. In the bay," he clarified. "Figure we can head out to the little island for a picnic," he added as he hauled down the kayak.

"That is…" I started, pausing, trying to think of the right thing to say. In the end, I went with the first thing that popped into my mind. "That's the coolest date idea ever," I said, beaming at him.

"Thought you might get a kick out of it," he said, giving me a nod as he started to walk out of the lot.

This time of night in the off-season, there were no cars on the road save for the cop parked a ways down. Either doing a speed trap or maybe just keeping an eye out so no one hassled us now that Callow paid him off.

After crossing the street, we made our way down the wooden path onto the bay.

During the summers, my friends and I used to hang out on the bay more than the main beach because it was so much less crowded. Sure, the sand wasn't as nice and the horseflies were a bitch, but when you are young and being dumb, what you cared about most was privacy.

"I've never been in a kayak," I admitted as Callow removed the paddles from the side of the kayak before setting it at the edge of the water. Reaching out, he grabbed the picnic basket, storing it toward the front of the vessel in the footwell where I imagined my feet would be going.

"I'll get in first," he offered, putting the paddles inside, then carefully climbing in. The kayak wobbled ominously, but didn't capsize. "Come on. I got you," he said, holding a hand out toward me, then helping me slowly get into my seat with no small amount of rocking of the kayak.

"Do we have to do this in unison?" I asked as I took my paddle.

"Yes," Callow said. "You set a comfortable pace and I will follow," he told me. Then, placing an arm over my shoulder, he pointed out to a dark patch in the water. "That's where we're headed. Just go in that direction."

I struggled at first, but Callow seemed suitably skilled and managed to keep us on track until it started to go more smoothly.

It was a gorgeous night. The sky was clear and dotted with a blanket of stars. And it felt like we were all alone in the world.

"Do you want to do a little lap before we eat?" he asked, breathing even as I started to feel like I was getting a decent workout. My arms were going to be jelly the next day. But I did want to do lap before we got ourselves up onto the little island.

"Wow," I said after Callow pulled the blanket off of the top of the picnic basket, spread it out across the sand, and we both moved to sit on top of it.

"Yeah," Callow agreed. "Knew this would be a good idea, but had no idea how nice this would be."

"It's like we're all alone in the world," I agreed as Callow started to pull items out of the picnic basket, starting with a small pop-up camping lantern that allowed us to be able to see the food, if not much else.

"Alright. What do we have?" I asked as Callow removed two foil-wrapped sandwiches from insulated bags.

"Meatball parm," he said. "And eggplant parm. Didn't know if you eat meat."

"I eat just about everything. So I'm cool with half of each," I said as he produced bottles of iced tea.

With that, we ate and watched the lights of the surrounding towns flicker and listened to a playlist Callow said he'd put together.

It wasn't until the food was wrapped up and put away that I exhaled hard and lay back on the blanket, staring up at the sky.

After moving the picnic basket to the side, Callow joined me.

"This is perfect," I said as a little shiver moved through me.

"Would be slightly more perfect if it wasn't so cold," he said, having felt the shiver. Reaching to slide an arm under me, he pulled me up and onto his chest, sharing his warmth with me.

"I disagree," I decided as a different sort of tremble coursed through me as Callow's arms wrapped me up.

God, it felt so good to be held, to be so close to a man. No, not just any man. This particular man.

Callow was everything I didn't know I wanted. Steady, secure, experienced, laid-back. A man with years and depth and, because of those things, a lack of judgment.

That wasn't even mentioning his protective instincts, his willingness to hold a strange woman when she cried, and his ridiculous good looks.

"You're right," he agreed. "The cold is definitely better."

I shifted closer, my knee whacking accidentally into his prosthetic. "Sorry. Did that hurt?" I asked.

"Nah, it's fine," he said, reaching down to grab my leg and pulling it over both of his legs.

"Does it ever hurt?" I asked, not knowing if this was a topic I was supposed to bring up or not. But it was a part of him, so it felt relevant to be curious about.

"Not usually just sitting around, no. If I go too hard for too long, I can get blood blisters and shit like that. Makes it impossible to wear the prosthetic for a while."

"How do you get around if you can't wear it? A wheelchair?"

"Usually crutches. It doesn't happen often anymore. That was more when the amputation was new and I was still either getting used to wearing the prosthetic or refusing to listen to my body and its new limitations. Had an incident a little bit back that reminded me why I need to not overdo it."

Maybe that was why he would sometimes absentmindedly rub his leg. He was remembering recent pain.

"Does it bother you?" he asked as his fingers started to drift through my hair, a delicious little rub against my scalp that was at once comforting and… stimulating .

"That you overdo it and hurt yourself?" I asked.

"That the prosthetic exists," he clarified.

"What?" I asked, pushing up to look down at him, my hair falling to curtain the two of us. "No. Of course not. I'm not asking because it bothers me. I'm just curious."

"If you're worried about there being any sort of… limitations," he said as his hands sank into my ass, grabbing tightly and pulling me fully over him, my knees straddling either side of his hips.

"I'm not worried," I said as our bodies melted together, my voice sounding a little thick with my growing desire. His own need was becoming obvious against me as I leaned down to claim his lips.

Callow's hands slid up and down my back, slipping my skirt up a little bit more each time. His fingers sank back into my ass, pulling me down just right so I could feel his hardness at the juncture of my thighs.

The feeling had a long, low moan escaping me, muffled by his lips on mine.

Callow took the opportunity to let his tongue slip into my mouth to toy with mine.

Desire was something coiled tight in my core, making me shameless in my need. My hips rocked against his cock, stoking the pleasure as I kissed him harder, deeper.

His hands only urged me on, pulling me more firmly against him, helping me writhe against him.

On a sexy little rumbling sound, Callow rolled me under him, grinding down hard between my thighs, making my back arch and a loud moan escape me.

Liking that, he did it again. And again.

Until my legs were wrapped around him, my thighs shaking.

Close.

So, so close.

And just then, my phone started to ring from inside my purse a few feet away.

It was too late for work.

Britney and Sam knew I had a date.

And Daphne seemingly wanted me on this date almost as much as I wanted it.

Which meant she would only be calling if it was an emergency.

Seeming to come to the same conclusion, Callow rolled off of me as I reached blindly to the side, finding the purse and wrestling my phone out of the too-tight space.

Daphne.

"Hello?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound as breathless to her as I did to myself.

" Mom! "

Every mom knew the sound of fear in their kid's voice. I shot up to my feet, my heartbeat punching against my ribcage.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked as Callow started tossing my purse and the picnic basket into the kayak, sensing we needed to make a quick getaway.

"Someone's breaking into the apartment," she whispered, her voice quivering.

"Did you call the police?" I asked, hearing the catch in my daughter's breath as tears threatened.

Callow was already reaching for his phone, dialing, then telling the dispatcher the details after I gave him the address.

"Baby, the police are on their way," I told her, hearing my own voice getting frantic, and forcing it to even out. My hysterics weren't going to help.

"Are you hiding?" I asked, stomach twisting at the idea.

"On the balcony," she admitted. "I see them. Oh, God. I think they saw me," she whimpered.

"It's okay. There's a door between you. They probably only want our stuff, not you, okay?"

"I don't think so," Daphne said, her voice chillingly hollow. "They're coming toward me," she added.

We were on the third floor.

There was no ladder down to the other balconies. And a fall… God, a fall or jump could be deadly, right?

"Baby, it's okay. The police will be there in two minutes," I assured her, even though I had no idea.

Callow was already in the kayak, waiting for me to climb in as well.

I rushed toward the edge of the water, slipping a leg in, but I wasn't focused enough.

I went down into the shallow water, falling with one leg in the kayak and one out, soaking my whole front.

Callow's hands shot out, grabbing me, and dragging me into the kayak.

"What's happening?" I asked my eerily silent daughter.

"They're… they're trying to open the door," she said, voice tight. "I'm not strong enough," she whimpered.

"Baby, scream ," I demanded.

I knew the statistics said no one came when you screamed. But what other choice did she have? Maybe if someone came out to check things out, the guys would spook and run off.

I knew I told her to do it, but the sound of your kid screaming bloody murder still made a mom's heart shatter.

"No," she cried.

"What?" I asked.

"He has a gun," she said. "He's… oh!" she shrieked as I heard a loud pop.

"Is he shooting at you?" I asked, voice strangled.

"Yes. I… I have to get off of here," she said.

There was another pop.

A slam.

Then… nothing.