GPS data says she comes here often. The waterfront. The willow tree. Her favorite spot.
And when she arrives, storming toward the tree like it might offer her some kind of sanctuary, she stops short.
She sees me.
“Hey, you.” I greet her like it’s an accident. Like she’s the one intruding on me. A half-eaten sandwich in hand, sprawled in a way that suggests I’ve been here for a while.
She startles, looking down at me with wide eyes, clutching her chest. “Oh my God!”
I smirk.Cute.
“Either you’re up to something nefarious in a family-friendly park in broad daylight… shame on you,” Idrawl, tilting my head. “Or I have a knack for catching you off guard.”
She huffs a nervous laugh. “No! Sorry. I was just…” She glances over her shoulder. “Hiding.”
Hiding.
I roll the word over in my mind like a coin between my fingers.
That’s my game, little pipsqueak. Not yours.
“Hiding?” I repeat with amusement. “Do you mind if I hide with you, then? The streets are full of people; it’s quieter out here.”
She hesitates, then nods. “You’re opposed to the idea of coffee but okay with lunch?”
I smirk, licking my lip as I look her up and down remembering the way she moved about in the gym. The way she looked. Tight. Edible curves.
“Let’s just say you changed my mind.”
A nervous laugh escapes her. A blush climbs her neck.
She sits down and opens her backpack. “So… do you eat lunch out here often?”
“During the month of Halloween, I do.” A lie, but she doesn’t need to know that. “Besides, I have time to kill and liked the walk out here.”
“You didn’t drive?”
“My truck tires got slashed the other night. They’re being replaced right now.”
She stills. Her gaze flicks to my hands.
She’s smart.
“Ah. Did you wreck your knuckles disciplining the culprits, too?”
“Guilty,” I confess.
She reaches for my hands to view the damage, and I oblige. I watch her scan my hands thoughtfully, running her thumbs gently over my knuckles. I feel my pulse jack up a notch under her touch; her hands are soft and willing some sort of witchcraft into my veins, making my skin tingle.
“Do you work in health?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
She smiles, withdrawing her hands from mine. “Radiology. I’m a rad tech. Supposed to be studyingtoday for requals, but…” She gestures to her unopened book. “Not really feeling it.”
“Any plans for Halloween?”
She clears her throat. “After checking out the festival in the city, a girlfriend wants to go to a party on the other side of town.”
“The masked fairytale grave rave thing?” I ask, already noting my plans accordingly.
