“Zeke, you’re looking at a market intern and future Harvard Ph.D. No all-nighters here. I’m all business.”
His roommate laughed and turned back to his laptop. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll remember that when you drag your ass in here at three in the morning.”
David turned back to his internship materials. He had already read over the brochure several times, focusing on intern expectations and sample schedules. He was excited to finish the semester strong and get started on this over the summer. He wondered if Katy would be going back to Lorria or staying in Cambridge—she had told him that she would be where he was, but honestly, he couldn’t have blamed her if she wanted to go home to Lorria for a bit, too. However, if she stayed, he was excited at the prospect of getting out of his internship every day to go see her. Maybe even coming home to her, walking through the door every evening to see her beautiful gray eyes light up when he stooped down to kiss her hello . . . Exploring Cambridge with her in the summer, a little bit more relaxed and carefree than in the school year.
David tried to pull himself out of contented imaginings, but he felt okay about daydreaming. Things were going so well in his life currently. Despite all the setbacks, they felt almost perfect. If only . . . just maybe . . . he could learn more about his parents.
But he no longer wanted to wait on Marcos or Jeanine. David was content with what—and who—he had.
* * *
David knocked and then waited, the sweet scent of tulips wafting up from the bouquet he was holding. Just a little gift for the woman I love.
Cassie answered the door. “Hey, David!” She stepped back to allow David room to walk in past her. “Pretty flowers. Are those for me?”
David laughed politely at her joke and continued into the tidy living room.
Cassie closed the door and walked back past him. “I’ll grab a vase for the flowers. Katy should be down soon.”
David nodded and then stood awkwardly in the entryway. Though most of the time it had felt totally normal, lately he’d been feeling a bit strange if he had to be alone with Cassie for extended periods of time, after the events of the previous semester. He heard the sink running in the kitchen, and then Cassie walked in with a vase full of water.
“Cheers,” David said, arranging the bouquet in the vase.
“I’ll put it on the kitchen counter for Katy to see when she comes down.” Cassie took the vase. But instead of heading back into the kitchen, she lingered.
David anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. Hurry up, Katy.
“David,” Cassie started, in a serious tone that didn’t help the surge of worry he was feeling, “can I talk to you about something? Before Katy comes down?”
David exhaled. “Um. Sure, Cassie.”
Cassie shifted her weight. “Well, you know how strict our upbringings were in Lorria. Katy’s most of all.”
David nodded slowly, unsure where Katy’s cousin was going with her statement.
“And it’s important to me that Katy is . . . making decisions for herself now,” Cassie went on.
David furrowed his brow. Okay. And what does that have to do with me?
“Without being rushed or pressured.”
Oh. David held up his hand. “Cassie, I understand. And I would never push your cousin to do anything that she wasn’t ready for. You have my word on that.”
Cassie nodded, peering intently and somewhat suspiciously at David. “Because surely you know that she’s been hurt before. And I’ve already chased off an insensitive jerk. I don’t want to have to do that again.”
David balked, unsure how to respond. Is she just warning me? Or . . . accusing?
But then Cassie smiled. “Not that you’re anything like that. Al was the heir to a billion-dollar fortune, and you’re . . . well, you’re just David. But that’s a good thing! You’re so much more down-to-earth and relatable.”
David couldn’t tell if he should feel offended or complimented. Cassie went on.
“I just really love my cousin and want the best for her, you know?”
David cleared his throat and nodded. All right, now can we end this conversation? It’s uncomfortable enough.
But Cassie didn’t move away. “And if you’re the best for her, then . . . well, I’m happy for you.”
Wait. If?
Another voice interrupted them before David could ascertain what Cassie was implying.
“What are you two talking about over here?”
David turned and, for a moment, all thoughts about his conversation with Cassie dropped from his mind.
Strolling through the kitchen and into the living room, looking as lovely as she ever had, was Katy. Her thin, graceful figure was completely covered, yet still sensually on display, every swell and curve visible through tight, dark jeans and a fitted turtleneck sweater. Her golden hair bounced as she walked, draping over her narrow shoulders and down her back. Leather ankle boots added an inch of height.
David tried to gather his thoughts in the face of her beauty. Didn’t she just ask you something? What was it?
“Just small talk,” Cassie replied casually.
Katy turned to David. He realized that he was already smiling.
“You look beautiful,” he said. No matter what she had in store for their evening, he was so happy to be there with her.
Katy blushed slightly. “Thank you, David. And I love the flowers. Tulips are my favorite.”
David didn’t say anything. All he could do was stare and smile dumbly.
“Well,” Cassie said, “you two have fun tonight. See you later.” Then she turned and headed back to the kitchen.
Katy looked up at David flirtatiously through her thick lashes. “Are you ready?”
“I’m more than ready,” came David’s reply. Ready to be alone together, that’s for sure. “Where are we going?”
Katy grinned. “I’ll show you.”
The evening was chill but pleasant as David and Katy made their way through campus on foot. David noticed with a keen interest that Katy wasn’t carrying anything with her. And they hadn’t been picked up by a driver like he had halfway expected, either. So what was the secret? Katy kept mum.
“Birdwatching?” David guessed jokingly.
Katy laughed, a melodic sound that he loved every time he heard it. “No, but that’s an idea for next time,” she replied.
“Hiking?”
“You think I brought walking rods in my pockets?” Katy retorted.
“Doesn’t look like much of anything would fit in those jeans,” David remarked wryly.
Katy faked offense, but David wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, bumping their hips as they walked side by side. “I like it that way, personally,” he assured her.
“If they get too tight, I could always just slip them off,” Katy replied coolly.
David felt his own jeans growing tighter at the thought and swallowed hard. Once he had collected himself, he pressed Katy further.
“Speaking of, how are you feeling about . . . everything?” he asked nervously. He and Katy hadn’t had much time yet to discuss the new depths of their physical relationship and how it had affected them. David, for one, was thrilled and happy. But how was Katy feeling?
Katy looked straight ahead, but a soft smile lingered on her mouth. “I feel really good about everything. Like we shared something really special.”
David reached down to hold Katy’s hand. “I feel that way, too,” he told her.
They walked through campus and across a busy street. But on the other side, in a residential area, it was calmer and darker. The bustle of businesses and college life slowly faded as they got farther from campus. And even if the walk was all she had planned, David would’ve been happy.
But soon they were turning into a large park that David was familiar with. It had running and hiking trails that snaked around a good-sized pond, through woods and meadows.
“Are you sure we aren’t birdwatching?” David said.
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“I think it’d only be bats and owls at this time of the evening,” Katy replied. “But you’re welcome to watch them anyway.”
David chuckled. But as they walked down a darkened trail, the light from the dusk gradually fading into utter darkness, he began to worry. Soon they wouldn’t be able to see anything at all. Then, as they rounded a turn to face a meadow, the night’s plans became apparent.
“Katy,” David said softly, stopping in his tracks.
A blanket had been laid out in the meadow, surrounded by a few glowing yellow lanterns. There were blankets, pillows, thermoses, and a covered plate of fruit and petit fours. The golden glow of the lanterns lit everything beautifully, and, above them, the stars were bright and beautiful in the night sky.
David looked over to see Katy, dimly lit by the lanterns, looking at him expectantly with warm gray eyes. “This is incredible,” he told her. A pleased smile spread across Katy’s face; she took his hand and led David to the blanket.
“The thermoses are hot chocolate,” she said excitedly. “I know it’s kind of quaint, but I thought it’d be nice to get away and be far from other people or cameras or . . . anybody. Just like we were in the woods of Lorria.”
Katy sat down on the blanket and patted the space beside her. David happily obliged, dropping down to sit next to her. She handed him a thermos. David smiled and breathed in. Peppermint hot chocolate.
“This is really amazing, Katy,” he went on. “How did you do all this?”
“I lugged everything over myself. Didn’t want a single other person to know where we are. That was kind of the point.” She took a small sip of the steaming liquid.
“So no one knows where we are?” David clarified, scooting closer to Katy on the blanket.
“Not a soul,” she replied. She looked over at David beside her and closed the rest of the gap between them, setting her thermos down and pressing her lips gently against his in a soft kiss. When she pulled back, her voice was a whisper. “So we can do whatever we want.” Suddenly she was pressing both of his shoulders back onto the blanket, rolling on top of him.
Whatever we want, indeed. David let his hands roam over Katy’s back, his tongue dancing with hers, before taking charge, rolling her over and pressing his body gently against hers. But as Katy’s kisses became rougher and hungrier, David allowed himself to treat her less delicately, hastily tugging at her clothes in his fervent excitement to see and taste her bare flesh again.
Katy’s gentle hands had to temper his excitement. “Not in public,” she whispered with a smile.
David tried to catch his breath, to slow the radiating pulses of heat that had briefly overcome him. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry. I just . . . can’t get enough of you.”
He sat up and looked over sheepishly at the woman he loved.
Katy pushed herself up to sit beside him and placed a hand on his forearm. “I feel the same way, honestly. I still can’t believe we can do that whenever we want. In private, I mean.”
David leaned over, draping one arm over Katy’s lap and balancing himself with another arm behind her. He hovered over her that way, looking down into her gray eyes, taking in her soft beauty and her luminescent skin in the lanternlight.
“I hope you know that it isn’t just about the physical part for me. That’s just a really, really nice perk.” He winked. “But I’m in this for you. Because I love you.”
David felt a small surge of satisfaction as Katy blushed slightly at his confession. “I know,” she said. “But it’s still nice to hear.”
Sliding closer to her, David nuzzled against her neck, leaving a light trail of kisses as he went. Her shirt slightly askew from David’s unbridled passion, Katy then leaned toward David and found his mouth with her own. Soon, they were lost again in the torrent of desire and closeness. David minded Katy’s boundaries, letting his hands touch her over a thin layer of fabric. Katy moaned gently in return.
After some time lost in her arms, he pulled away to see that her face was ruddy with exertion, her hair tousled, a smile brighter than the lanterns gracing her face.
“Maybe we can finish this when we get back to campus,” she replied hotly. But as David looked down at her with a mischievous grin, she shivered. He covered her with a blanket. “Here. I don’t want you to freeze.”
Katy sat up, pulling the blanket up under her chin and fumbling for her shoes in the dim light. David stood and looked down to realize that his jeans button had come undone during their romp. He reached to fasten it, but he stopped suddenly and looked over to the trail.
“What is it?” Katy asked nervously, clutching the blanket higher.
David peered into the darkness. He had heard a twig snap underfoot, but he didn’t see anything. “Maybe a deer,” he offered. He turned back to Katy. “Don’t worry.”
Katy breathed out in relief as David reached down for his jeans button.
But then another sound caught his attention. And a flash of light.
Katy gasped as David spun back toward the noise. Against the trail, lit by rapid-fire flashes of bright light, stood a man. A man with a camera.
19
Katy
The frigid air around Katy sank into her skin, then deeper, into her blood and bones and heart. Ice-cold panic seared through her in a flash.
It was a photographer. Out in the middle of nowhere, in the dark of night. He must’ve followed David and Katy to their picnic grounds. How long had he been there? What had he seen?
Was he watching us all along?
Katy felt a wave of nausea rock her. “David!” she cried out instinctively, hoping somehow he could protect her from this awful man and his camera. But everything had already gone to hell. That man had seen them.
He had photos of Katy covering with a blanket, lying in a meadow next to a handsome man who looked like he was zipping up his pants! The pictures would fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every magazine and news organization in the western world would cover the story. There was nothing that they could do now except maybe find a place, far away from the rest of civilization, where they could hide out for a few months.
But David obviously had other ideas.
“You BASTARD!”
The furious shout seemed to come from deep in David’s chest. It echoed over the meadow, almost frightening Katy herself. She never would’ve imagined he was capable of a shout so enraged. And he was standing, fumbling with his pants, moving forward off the blanket—
The flashbulb just kept popping—they have pictures of you reacting now, David!—while the photographer wordlessly began to step backward and away from them.
“David!” Katy called again. She felt so exposed and vulnerable, all by herself on this blanket in the cold dark. It was a horrible feeling.
But David sprinted toward the photographer, clearly aiming to first neutralize the threat. Watching his arms pumping powerfully at his sides and his muscular back rippling through his shirt in the moonlight, Katy worried that the short, wiry paparazzo didn’t stand a chance.
“Stay back, man!” the stranger yelled in a strained, fearful voice. It was in vain. Immediately after the words escaped his mouth, David tackled the man with astounding force. Katy heard the sickening thud of their bodies hitting the ground hard.
“David!” This was the last thing they needed to do at this point; David was risking criminal charges. Though Katy knew that her voice was falling on deaf ears. As she watched, David raised a fist as he straddled the photographer.
David, no.
But to Katy’s surprise, David’s blow didn’t crash into the man’s jaw. Instead, it swung down upon the camera, knocking it away from the two of them.
“That’s my property, man!” the photographer panted.
But David scrambled toward the camera, refocusing on the real target. As Katy and the photographer watched helplessly, David stamped repeatedly upon the device. It broke apart in a crash of cracking glass and plastic.
“Dude!” The
photographer stood and leapt between David and the camera, shoving him aside. “You broke my damn camera, man! You are so screwed!”
“Do you have no common decency? That was a private moment! You don’t get to be involved!” David said threateningly, his chest puffed with righteous indignation. He towered over the photographer.
The man scrambled backward. “I didn’t do anything illegal. But guess what, man, you just did! I could sue your ass to hell and back.”
“I don’t care. Just—” David growled, but Katy interrupted him with her shout.
“David! Please.”
Finally, David seemed to come back to earth. He looked over at Katy for the first time, his fists still balled at his sides and his breathing ragged. Then, audibly, he sighed. Katy watched as his shoulders lowered and his abdomen deflated. She watched the anger flow out of him as sympathy settled in. He cast one last icy glare at the stranger and then jogged over to Katy and kneeled down, wrapping his arms around her and helping to lift her to her feet.
“Katy,” he said gently, sounding like himself again. “Are you okay?”
Katy hadn’t realized it before, but she was suddenly aware of wetness on her cheeks and chin. Tears. She was crying.
“You’re going to pay for this camera, asshole!” the photographer shouted once more. He was gathering pieces off the ground and quickly retreating.
David whipped around toward the stranger again, and the atmosphere briefly became electric with his fury once more. But Katy placed a gentle hand on his arm. “David, stay with me.”
His skin relaxed under her hand, his breathing steadying slowly. He looked back at her and nodded. Behind them, the sound of the paparazzo began to drift away as he ran from them, clutching his broken camera.
“What are you thinking? Can I do anything?” David asked tenderly, holding her and looking down into her eyes.
“David, he must’ve seen everything. He has pictures!”
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