8
A sexy dip in the lake
I leaned against the railing of the deck, looking out at the lake, while Niklas turned the ribs on the grill. At this moment, reality and fantasy had merged into a perfect, late-summer evening. Though he had neighbors, the houses were staggered in such a way as to make Niklas’s deck feel private. His lot sloped down, enclosing us in a hill on one side, and a clump of mature pine trees blocked the view on the other. In front of me, the lake spread out, calm and flat in the evening heat.
This could be our life together. We could sit on this deck and watch the evening come in silence. Every night, I could love him in the bedroom just a few steps away, and he would love me back. Every morning, I could wake up to his warm, solid body against mine. I felt a giddy sense of excitement take over as I indulged in this fantasy.
Niklas crossed the deck and came up behind me. He slipped his hands under my shirt and brought them to my stomach, pulling me gently against his body. My body awakened to his, responding to each of his movements. He bent down and scraped his teeth over the base of my neck.
“Dinner’s ready,” he said.
I chuckled.
“I thought you were going to say something else.”
“Do you want me to?” he asked, his voice lower and huskier.
My body whispered,yes, but I shook my head. If I was hungry, he must be starving.
“We should eat.”
His lips brushed over my neck one more time before he straightened up behind me. His hands left my skin, and I let out a sigh. Niklas walked over to the outdoor table and pulled out my chair for me.
“Thank you,” I said, sitting down.
Despite the modern theme of his home, the table was small and rustic. Sitting across from him like this felt intimate, as if no one else existed in this world we were creating. Someone—the housekeeper, no doubt—had spread a white linen runner along the center and placed two candles, matches, a bottle of wine, a corkscrew and two glasses, upside-down, on top of it. The sun was still shining across the lake, so Niklas brushed aside the matches and reached for the corkscrew.
I took in the sounds of the trees and the water gently lapping at the shore. We had traveled all summer long, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed summer life in Michigan. The last few months had passed without picnics or visits to friends’ cottages or trips to the endless string of Lake Michigan beaches. I had given these up for my trip around the world—and my time with Niklas.
I tried to imagine adding Niklas into my Michigan summer life, but it was difficult. Would he even want to be a part of it? I’d ask later, but for now, I took my cues from him.
We ate our meal slowly, in a warm, intoxicating silence, his legs wrapped around mine. I met his gaze, and he didn’t look away. His smile was filled with warmth and tenderness, and his blue eyes crinkled at the corners. As the sun made its way toward the horizon and the sounds of crickets and frogs filled the evening air, Niklas leaned forward and lit the two candles between us. He poured a little more wine into my glass.
“I came in late yesterday and forgot to ask. How was your meeting with your photography friend?” he asked me, his face glowing in the candlelight.
I hesitated.
“Depends on your perspective,” I said slowly.
I had spent the rest of the day wishing I had taken Jess’s path right after college. If I had dived into the fun projects, the kinds of assignments that would have taken me to new places, maybe I would be ready to go with Niklas to Stockholm. But instead, I had just opened the door to travel photojournalism. I wasn’t ready to put it aside so soon.
Some of Niklas’s smile faded as he waited for me to continue.
“Jess has some great projects lined up, and she passed one onto me. It’s for the tourism board in New Hampshire. I’d be doing a lot of the things I did this summer.”
I paused. His eyes narrowed. He understood where this was going.
“I’d be gone for a month,” I said. “And the thought of being away from you for that long is painful.”
He stared at me.
“A month?” He kept his voice calm and even, but I could see the strain on his face as he spoke.
I tried to keep my own voice light. “I’d have to travel around, meet people, visit parts of the state that rarely get any publicity. And that would take time.”
“I don’t like it,” said Niklas flatly.
I frowned. “This is a job that I’d love.”
