Chapter 19

19

LINCOLN

I wasn't sitting around waiting for Aly to call, but when midnight rolled around and I didn't get a text, I had to admit I was a bit disappointed. There was no use getting upset about it though. People had their own lives.

I decided to go for a walk anyway. Even without Aly, the cool night air and the peaceful surroundings made me feel better. I wandered in the other direction this time, down to the lake. It was a longer walk and a more secluded destination. I passed a couple parked in a truck making out and gave them a wide berth. Cutting through the trees, I managed to find a picnic spot right on the water and stood looking out at the mirror-like surface.

The next day, I wandered up to the office as soon as I had a chance. Aly was there and looked sheepish as soon as I walked in the door. I ignored it. I wasn't angry. I didn't think there was anything Aly could do to make me angry. Just seeing her smile was enough to warm my heart.

"I fell asleep," she said.

"Good. I went down to the lake last night."

She grinned. "Nice."

"Yeah," I agreed. "How was your talk with Gina?"

"She didn't ask me to go slow or anything," Aly said. "She mostly talked about how much she misses you."

"Crap." I ran a hand across my forehead.

"Why don't you come for dinner on Thursday?" she asked.

"Okay. I forgot my lunch again."

"Linc," she said, exasperated. "We can't keep eating out."

"Do you want to go to my place?" I offered. "I have eggs and bologna."

She wrinkled her nose. "I brought my lunch."

"Would you like to eat it down at the lake?" I asked.

She brightened. "Sure."

"I'll pick you up in an hour."

"Okay," she agreed.

I spent an hour cleaning out the company truck, organizing paperwork, and making sure I had everything I needed for the afternoon's deliveries. Henry was out on a run and Danny wasn't in that day. I swept the breakroom, finally removing what must have been decades of dust and wood chips.

After I was done, I washed my hands and went back up the hill to fetch Allison. We walked hand in hand back to her car. She carried her purse, and I carried her lunch. "What have you got in here?" I teased, opening the brown paper sack.

"Peanut butter," she said, reaching for it.

"Can I have half?" I asked.

"You can have whatever you want." She blushed.

We reached her car and settled inside. I directed her to the lake but told her to drive past the usual picnic spots. There was a turnoff farther back in the woods, one that wasn't likely to be discovered. She pulled off the gravel road and parked where we could see the water. She reached over for the lunch bag, but I preempted her, bringing her hand to my lips.

"I definitely think you should sleep at night," I said.

She smiled, waiting for me to get around to what she knew was an illicit suggestion. "I like sleeping. But I like meeting up with you too."

"If I can't entice you back to my place at midnight, maybe we could make love in the back seat right now?" My eyes were wicked, my tone dark. I waited breathlessly for her response, unsure if I could handle rejection.

Luck was with me when she glanced around, confirming to herself that no one was watching. We exited the front and met in the back, slamming all four doors. It wasn't desperate or lingering but somewhere in between. We knew what we wanted and went about it enthusiastically.

We kept most of our clothes on, just in case we were caught. I felt the warmth of her pussy like heaven around my cock, and my heart responded. I pushed and pushed until both of us fell over the edge, cascading down a mountain of pleasure onto the sandy shores beneath.

I zipped up my pants and she pulled down her skirt and we met in the front seat to share her lunch.

"That was so much better than the diner," I said.

She laughed. "I don't think that is on the menu."

S he missed the next two midnight walks. I didn't bother her, just in case she was sleeping. I took my time traversing the neighborhood, memorizing every stop sign and front yard garden on my way. This was the home I had dreamed of coming back to all those years on the front lines. I had a job and a girl and an apartment with a nice landlady who fed me pie. It seemed like everything was going my way, until it became too much of a good thing.

Thursday, I caught a ride with Aly to Gina's house. Porter came to find me to ask if I was still coming. I assured him that I was, that I had no intention of skipping out on Gina. He gave me a worried glance, as if expecting me to make a run for the hills. It seemed stupid. I felt like I was in control, like I could handle the level of intimacy Aly and I were achieving.

I pestered Aly to stop at the grocery store so I could pick up something. "I don't want to arrive emptyhanded."

"She won't care," Aly said but made the pit stop as requested.

I got a little plastic key ring for the baby and a package of pretzels for the adults. Climbing back in the car, Aly grabbed the bag from me and peeled it open. "I love these pretzels."

"And you didn't want me to stop," I admonished her.

She crunched one before handing the bag back to me. We pulled up to Gina's house just on time. My sister was in the kitchen, emptying a jar of sauce onto a platter of spaghetti. The baby was sitting in some kind of miniature swing set in the living room. It was bouncing up and down, giggling happily.

I went over and crouched beside it. "Hello."

"Seth," Gina offered, assuming that I had forgotten my nephew's name.

"Seth," I repeated. I offered him my finger and he took it in one chubby fist. "I got something for you." I reached into my bag and withdrew the key set, opening it out of its plastic shell. Handing them over, Seth immediately put the thing into his mouth, drooling down the sides. "He's eating it," I told Gina.

"What is it?" She came around the island to look. "Where did he get those?"

"I bought them," I said.

"Thank you." She smiled, looking relieved. I could tell she had been nervous about our dinner, and I wanted to do everything I could to put her at ease. "He's teething."

"Can I?" I asked, making a motion to remove the baby from his swing.

"Oh yeah." Gina crouched, unbuckling a strap that held her child in place. She scooped Seth expertly into her arms and transferred him to me.

He was heavier than I had expected. His hazel eyes blinked up at me, as if he wasn't sure whether I was a good guy or a bad guy. I sat down on the couch to play with him, waving my hand as if it were a puppet.

"You're a handsome little man," I told him. "I'm your uncle."

I looked up to see Aly watching me with a mixture of awe and lust, and I knew in that moment that I had taken things too far. I was all for walks in the park and secret lunchtime liaisons in the woods, but a baby? That was so far beyond anything I was ready for. The look in Aly's eyes scared me. She wanted one, and she wanted one with me. I fit little Seth back into his plaything and went to help Gina in the kitchen.