Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long since an update...four days - a record for me! But they'll probably be spaced further apart now that I'm working. Although I still hope to do at least two chapters a week. ;)
Amethyst Prongs: In answer to your question about Sawyer: His mother had an affair with a man named Sawyer who was really just using her in order to steal all their money (he was a "confidence man.") When Sawyer's (James') dad found out, he killed his wife, and then shot himself while sitting on James' bed (while James hid underneath it.) Later, when James was 19, he needed money, so he found a woman with a rich husband, slept with her, and stole their money, thus becoming a confidence man like the original Sawyer. Later, the guy who did scams with him sent him on a mission to kill the real Sawyer, something he'd always wanted to do. He shot the guy and gave him the letter, but then found out it was the wrong man - his accomplice had used him by sending him to kill a guy who owed him money. So, in effect, Sawyer shot an innocent man in cold blood. If you haven't seen the episode "Outlaws" yet, it'll all be explained much more clearly in that. ;)
Chapter Twenty
Things were strained for a few days after the photograph incident. The spell was broken, and the peaceful oblivion they had been existing in for almost a week was at an end. They'd been somewhat distant and short-tempered with each other since that night, a situation not helped by the fact that Sawyer had come down with a mild head cold, probably worsened by his decision to sit outside in the cool air without a shirt on reading the letter. The virus had made him uncommonly irritable and whiny, even more so than usual. (To the point, in fact, where Kate had finally shouted at him, "For God's sake, Sawyer, you have a cold, not leukemia! I think you're gonna pull through!")
In a sadder vein, both realized that there was a gap between them that could perhaps never be breached. The gap wasn't caused by what they didn't have in common, as in most troubled relationships, but rather by what they did have in common - their tortured pasts.
The chief difference, of course, was the way each dealt with that past. Kate ran from hers, fleeing not only the agents who were literally chasing her, but also doing her best to avoid thinking or speaking about her earlier life. Sawyer, on the other hand, refused to budge from his, wallowing in his pain and guilt until the idea of moving beyond it was practically unthinkable. Although they both were convinced that they knew what the other needed - she wanted him to get over it, he wanted her to open up and confront it head on - they both knew that they weren't likely to get their wishes anytime soon. Stubbornness was a quality they did share.
So when Kate opened her eyes that morning, she wasn't entirely surprised to find that Sawyer wasn't there. Although it was much earlier than his usual time for rising, she wouldn't have put it past him to clear out early just to make her feel bad. After all, she hadn't exactly been sympathetic about his "illness," but just the thought of his behavior made her annoyed with him again. Maybe, after all, some time alone was what they both needed.
Rolling over onto her left side, she noticed a piece of paper stuck to the edge of the nightstand with a rectangle of scotch tape. She squinted, trying to make out the words in the dim morning light filtering through the closed drapes, but it was too dark. Curious, she sat up. If he'd left a note, then he must not be in the house. Where could he have gone? She flipped on the bedside lamp, wincing at the sudden brightness and waiting for her eyes to adjust.
After a few seconds, she could make out in Sawyer's sloppy, careless handwriting the words, "Be right back."
Well, that was helpful. She rolled her eyes.
Scanning down the sheet, she noticed at the bottom, almost as an afterthought, the command "Go back to sleep."
In spite of herself, she couldn't prevent a smile. Who else besides him would leave a note like that?
Well, if he was coming right back, there was really no need to worry, she thought. And it was extremely early - the digital clock on his side of the bed read 7:45. She decided to take the advice of the note and lie back down.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, though, she heard the kitchen door slam and a few minutes later his footsteps started up the stairs. She sighed, not opening her eyes yet. It figured.
Rolling lazily over to face the door, she watched him come in and peer down at her, trying to see if she was still sleeping.
She decided to enlighten him. "I'm awake." Stretching, she asked with a yawn. "How's your cold?"
"Was gone when I woke up this mornin'." He paused. "No thanks to you."
"Yeah, well...I'm sorry. I'm not great at the whole nurturing thing. I'm not used to taking care of anybody but myself."
"Maybe it's about time for that to change,"he said mysteriously.
"What? What does that mean?"
He looked at her closely, amused. "You even know what today is?"
She thought for a second, not understanding what he meant. "Friday?" she asked tentatively.
He shook his head and snorted a little. "Actually, it's Saturday, but that's not what I meant. I was talkin' about the date."
Now she was even more confused. "The date...?" She looked around, as if something in the room might help her out.
Exasperated, he said, "It's your goddamn birthday, Freckles! You completely forget about it?"
She sank back on the pillow, a little embarrassed. "Oh." She paused. "Like I said, I'm not used to celebrating it." Then, worried, she looked up at him. "We're not going to, are we?"
Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed her - a long, lingering, tender kiss...the first one of its kind in three days. She closed her eyes and gave in to it.
When he finally pulled back, she murmured, "I guess that's a yes?" Despite her effort to sound annoyed, however, she couldn't help but be relieved that things were getting off on a better footing today. Maybe they would be all right, after all.
"Got somethin' downstairs for you," he said with a secretive grin.
"Sawyer..." she said warily. "What did you do?"
"Have to come and see for yourself."
Standing up, he unceremoniously yanked the covers off of her. Her legs were bare under the t-shirt she still wore to sleep in. She continued to watch him, hesitant, not moving.
"Not gonna have to carry you, am I?" he asked.
Sighing, she sat up and slowly pulled herself out of bed. "I'm up."
Then, just to be obnoxious, he lifted her up and carried her anyway, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As he headed downstairs, he kept one arm pinned over her legs to hold her in place while the other one...went exploring.
"Hey!" she called out sharply. "Watch the hands!" Then, through laughter and delighted yelps, "Sawyer, stop it!"
Finally, he bent over and planted her firmly in front of the closed door of the downstairs bathroom. He gestured toward it with raised eyebrows.
She looked at him, then at the door, then back at him. "In there?"
"Open it up," he suggested.
"I'm not sure I want to," she replied, smiling.
"You gonna drag this out all day, or what!"
"All right." Reaching for the doorknob, she looked back at him again anxiously. "It's not something...kinky, is it? Because I already told you I'm not into that stuff..."
"Would you just open the damn door!"
Giving him one last glance, she slowly pushed the door in a crack, and then swung it open wider. Gasping, she put her hand over her mouth.
In front of the sink, lying on a blanket, was an approximately 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy. It raised its head up and regarded them curiously.
Turning back to Sawyer in shock, she asked, as if she needed confirmation, "It's a dog?"
Now that she'd actually seen the thing, he seemed a little embarrassed. "It's a guard dog," he muttered. "Least it will be, when it gets big." He looked down at his feet, awkwardly. "To help protect you...when I'm not here."
She watched him for a few seconds, feeling something go to pieces inside of her. Swallowing hard, she kneeled down so that he wouldn't see her tears. She began messing with the puppy. It yawned and started biting lazily at her hands. Although she knew her quietness would tip him off, she couldn't help it. She was afraid if she tried to say anything, she would lose it.
Wordlessly, he kneeled down behind her, tentatively stroking her hair, and then drew her backward into his embrace. With his arms wrapped around her tightly from behind, he kissed her temple. She turned into him, burrowing against his neck. They sat in this position for a few minutes without moving or speaking. The puppy, sensing it was being ignored and perhaps offended, went back to sleep.
Finally, she whispered, "Thank you."
A slightly worried look clouded her features. "How long..." she began falteringly. "How long does it take for a dog like that...to be full-grown?"
"Don't know," he said, softly. "'Bout a year, I guess."
Pulling back, she looked at him with seriousness. She didn't really want to say this, but she felt like she needed to.
"Sawyer... A lot can happen in a year." She paused, and continued sadly. "A year from now...Who knows? I might..." She stopped, trying to make herself force out the words. "I might be..."
"Yeah, well.." he interrupted her. "Suppose we'll just have to take our chances then, huh?" He didn't want her to finish the sentence, either.
She gave him a sad smile. "Okay," she answered gratefully.
Then, in an effort to avoid any more tears, she turned to a lighter subject. "Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked, glancing at the puppy.
"Boy." He added, "They're cheaper."
Now she gave him a genuine smile, amused as always by his tendency to tell her how much things cost.
"What's his name?" she asked.
"How 'bout...Jack?" He looked at her slyly.
"No," she replied firmly, still smiling.
"All right, then, you pick a name."
She looked at the puppy thoughtfully. "I've never had a dog. My best friend did, though...growing up." She turned back to Sawyer, almost sheepishly. "Its name was Gus."
He threw up his hands and let them fall onto his legs in a gesture of acceptance. "Looks like a Gus to me."
They smiled, looking into each others' eyes intently, as if they were sharing some kind of secret.
"Happy Birthday," Sawyer said quietly.
Biting her lip, she nodded slightly, thanking him without words.
He went on. "Hope you don't think that's all, though. The day is young. I got lots more up my sleeve."
"That's what I'm afraid of," she said, exaggerated dread playing across her face.
Suddenly, as if he was obeying some unheard signal, the puppy opened its eyes, stood up, waddled a few paces, squatted, and peed. Then, it returned to the blanket and flopped back down.
Kate watched the gradually spreading puddle wearily, then turned to Sawyer, a question in her eyes.
"It's your dog," he said, grinning at her.
The remainder of the morning was spent in cleaning up similar puddles and piles, as well as in rescuing shoes, furniture, and electrical cords from the puppy's teeth. Sawyer finally gave in and helped, at least a little, because he could tell Kate was dangerously on the verge of getting pissed off at him. Neither one knew much about caring for a dog, but they'd had no idea it would be so exhausting. When the puppy took a nap, they were relieved and tried their best to stay quiet so he wouldn't wake up; then, when he woke up, they followed him around nervously like new parents with a toddler who's just started walking. When he finally caught on and learned how to use the newspapers that had been laid down for him, they were as proud as if he'd won a dog show.
Besides the puppy, Sawyer had a few other surprises as well. After lunch, he dropped a pile of slick, shiny catalogs onto the table in front of her.
She looked up at him, confused.
"Pick out your own damn clothes," he said.
"Did you get these from a mall?"
"Yep."
"I can't imagine you in a mall," she said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't do it for just anybody," he replied with sarcasm. "I'd rather be on the island than in The Gap."
She smiled. "What's my spending limit?"
"Just order what you need. And do me a favor and don't tell me how much it costs."
"You know...it would be a lot quicker to call in the order instead of mailing it," she hinted.
"I'm one step ahead of you, smartass. Already went by the phone company, had the thing turned back on. Should start workin' sometime today. Happy now?"
"You'll be glad you did it..it's ridiculous not to have a phone."
"Don't know what difference it'll make to you...you're not gonna be answerin' it when it rings. Got that? It'll be too suspicious if anybody catches on I got someone stayin' here with me."
"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes. "I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
"So maybe next time you should ask first before you just start yelling at me."
"I wasn't yelling," he said with scorn.
They stared at each other combatively for a few seconds, and Kate felt something stirring inside her. It had been a few days, after all.
"The puppy's asleep," she whispered.
"So?"
"So...You wanna go upstairs?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Less than a minute later, they were rolling around on Sawyer's bed, frantically trying to undress through a haze of kisses and heavy breathing. Unhooking her bra, he flung it to the side and brought his lips to her breasts. She straddled him and then was surprised when nothing happened. They both looked down, confused, and Kate realized she'd forgotten to remove her underwear.
"Oh," she said with a giggle.
Leaning over to engulf him with more kisses, she hooked her fingers in the sides of the elastic and pulled them off. As they were getting ready to try again, however, she stopped abruptly.
"What was that?"
"What?" he said impatiently, grasping her hips and trying to lower her back down onto him. But she'd gone rigid, listening.
"You don't hear that?"
Then he heard it too. A low, plaintive, mournful howling. They looked at each other.
"You gotta be kidding me," Sawyer said.
She sighed heavily, letting her head fall onto his chest. "He's scared...he probably thinks he's all alone."
"He'll go back to sleep! He's a dog, for Chrissakes!"
They continued to listen for a second. Each howl trailed off into a warbling whimper. Kate finally stood up, pulling her clothes back on. "That's the saddest sound I've ever heard, Sawyer."
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" he asked angrily.
"Just wait," she said, laughing. "I'll be back in a minute."
But she wasn't. After a while, he gave up on waiting. It was too late now, anyway. They'd have to start all over. Pissed off, he got dressed and went to look for her.
She was sitting in the living room, on the couch. When he came in, she raised a finger quickly to her lips, warning him to be quiet. The puppy was lying on his back, his four legs sticking comically up in the air, his head on her lap. While she rubbed his belly, his eyes became heavy and started to close.
Kate looked at Sawyer questioningly, as if to ask, Have you ever seen anything this cute in your life?
Well, he hadn't, but still...
"Nice to see someone's gettin' some action," he whispered bitingly.
She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to the dog.
Irritated, he went outside to make sure all the phone lines were still hooked up so that it would work when they turned the service back on. He was beginning to think he should have thought about the implications of this present a little more thoroughly.
A few hours later, Kate was sitting on the kitchen counter, marking pages in one of the catalogs and waiting for the water to boil on the stove next to her. She glanced into the pot again and sighed. Not even any bubbles yet. Everything in here was ancient and took forever to work.
Sawyer came in from the hall and started washing his hands at the sink. "You wouldn't think a little thing like that could poop so many times in one day."
Without taking her eyes away from the page she was studying, she smiled. "It was your idea," she replied in a taunting, sing-song voice.
"Yeah," he said, looking annoyed. "And I'm sure you'll remind me of that every day."
Noticing the pot on the stove, he flipped the switch off. "Just what the hell you think you're doin'?"
Now she glanced up, looking at him like he was crazy. "I'm making pasta."
"Not on your birthday, you're not."
"Sawyer..." she said, looking touched.
"Figured we'd order somethin', have it delivered. Once the damn phone starts workin', that is."
"There are actually restaurants that'll deliver out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"How you think I survived before you came along?" With his hands on either side of her, he leaned forward and kissed her, pulling back teasingly just as she started to get into it.
"You remember what happened the last time you were sittin' up here?" he asked with a wink.
She pretended to think about it. "I remember drinking too much whiskey... But everything after that is a blur."
He looked truly hurt, and she had to laugh. "I'm just kidding, Sawyer. Of course I remember it."
"You better," he said, sulking a little. For payback, he bent down and nipped at her neck, so hard that it actually stung a little. She wasn't complaining, though. Wrapping her legs around him, she let him continue for a second and then pulled his head back up to hers, kissing him deeply. His hands slid up underneath her shirt, and, her body betraying her, she began to move in a slow, undulating rhythm against him, even though both were still fully dressed. Unfastening her jeans, she raised up a little so that he could help her slide them off.
Suddenly, Kate's head snapped back against the cabinet door and Sawyer bit his own lip, hard, both of them startled.
Just to the right of Kate's head on the wall, the phone had started ringing.
"This is not happening," she muttered.
He moved toward it and she grabbed his arm. "Don't answer it!"
"I can't just let it ring!"
"Why not? You haven't even had phone service for months...are you really worried about missing one call?"
They stared at each other as the loud, shrill ringing kept up, almost seeming to grow louder every few seconds, although that was impossible.
Finally, Sawyer couldn't stand it anymore. He picked up the receiver. "Hello!" he said, more in the tone of a demand than a greeting.
She watched him close his eyes in annoyance. "Yeah..it was disconnected." He paused. "Because maybe I didn't wanna take your damn call!"
Kate sighed loudly, trying to urge him to hurry up. Cupping his hand over the mouthpiece, he whispered. "It's my Aunt Meg. I gotta talk to her...If I don't she might drive up here and hunt me down. She's one crazy bitch." He said this last almost proudly, and Kate thought she could sense that maybe he actually had some fondness for this aunt.
"Can't you tell her to call back?" she almost whined.
"What?" Sawyer asked, uncovering the mouthpiece and turning away from her. "I never borrowed your snowmobile...what the hell are you talkin' about!
Frustrated, Kate hopped down from the counter and headed for the door.
"Where you goin?" Sawyer hissed at her.
"To take a shower," she said accusingly. "Preferably a cold one."
He looked regretful, but then was distracted again. "Yeah...I'm here," he said into the phone.
Then, as she walked up the stairs, she had to smile as she heard him shout, "You're losin' your goddamn mind, Aunt Meg...I don't even like Barry Manilow!"
After they'd had a pizza delivered later in the evening and eaten as much as they wanted, Kate suggested they walk down to the lake with the puppy.
Sawyer, however, had other plans, which he remembered as he glanced at the clock. And the dog didn't fit into them.
"He'll be fine here. Probably won't even wake up while we're gone...He's out for the night," he tried to convince her.
"Where are we going?" she asked, mystified.
"Can't tell you that," he answered with a gleam in his eye.
"Well, at least tell me if I'm dressed appropriately." She looked sardonically down at the dress she'd changed into after her shower.
"Freckles, unless you're gettin' in a time machine, you ain't ever dressed appropriately when you're wearin' that thing." He grinned at her. "Don't matter though...We're not gonna be attractin' a lot of attention where we're going."
"And where might that be?"
"Not gonna get it out of me that easily." He kissed her forehead. "Get your shoes on."
After they'd checked to see that the puppy was soundly sleeping on the blanket in the bathroom, they went onto the porch. Sawyer locked the door behind them, then he took her arm and guided her out to the truck.
After he'd had a mechanic look at both vehicles when they were out of commission simultaneously, he'd discovered that since the transmission was out in the car, the truck would actually be cheaper to fix. It had pained him to let someone else do it, because he'd always enjoyed tinkering around with it himself. But he was too cheap to get both automobiles fixed, so he'd ultimately decided on the truck. Besides, it had good memories associated with it. If it wasn't for the damn thing starting at just the right moment, he might never have found Kate and brought her back.
He opened the passenger side door and waited for her to get in. She looked at him nervously.
"Are you sure about this? It just doesn't seem safe."
"We're not goin' far. It'll be fine."
Looking at him for a few seconds longer, she tried to accept his reassurance. She sighed and climbed up into the seat. "I hope you're right."
He got in on the other side, started the truck and backed up, then pulled around and headed down the driveway. When he got to the road, he turned right.
Kate was worried and unusually quiet. There were too many things that could go wrong with this situation. The possibilities flashed through her mind... there could be an accident...the truck could break down again...they could get pulled over by a cop...somebody could spot her and recognize her... She couldn't stop thinking about it. Other than the night she'd gone to the truck stop, out of her mind with guilt and despair, this was the first time she'd left Sawyer's property. She hadn't realized until now how safe she'd come to feel there. The farther the truck traveled from his driveway, the more tense she became.
As they passed by Greg's cabin, dark and empty now that he'd gone to visit his uncle, she was momentarily distracted. She peered closely out the window at what appeared to be a broken-down carousel... missing its horses? What the hell? She turned to Sawyer, confused.
"Greg doesn't work for a carnival, by any chance, does he?"
"No," Sawyer answered with amused scorn. "Why?" He glanced at her.
"Never mind," she said, sounding disturbed. "Just keep driving."
A minute or so later, he took a sharp left turn and started heading up an incline. The road hugged the side of the mountain, and at times it became almost vertical. The truck bumped along, slowly now, taking each curve carefully as the drop that spread out below them continued to become steeper and steeper.
Eventually, the road became nothing but gravel, then, after that, just a dirt track with grass growing up the middle. Still they continued to climb. Kate braced one arm against the door and one against the back of the seat to keep from hitting the ceiling as they bounced through the deep ruts.
"Are you sure you know where you're going? Because I don't think this is a real road, Sawyer."
He smiled, not answering her.
He finally stopped against a pile of dead trees. "End of the line," he said, turning to her. "Have to walk from here. It's not far."
"How do you know there's nobody out there?" she asked cautiously, not really wanting to get out.
"There's not. Trust me. I'm probably one of the only people left who still comes up here."
"I can see why," she muttered as he got out and came around to her door. Pushing it open, she climbed out and let him lead her onto a narrow path that she hadn't even noticed. They walked into a wooded area, Sawyer lighting the way ahead with a flashlight. She noticed he was also carrying a blanket that he must have grabbed from the back of the truck.
After a few minutes of walking, the woods opened up onto a rocky outcropping. He stepped down onto a ledge and turned back to help her down. Finally raising her head and looking out, she drew in her breath sharply.
The lake was visible off in the distance, shimmering in the moonlight. And then what looked like another lake, and a river, beyond that. In the opposite direction, on the other side of heavy woods and lower foothills and mountains, was a cluster of lights.
"Is that the town?" she whispered. "It looks so tiny from here."
"It is tiny," he said. "Five thousand people. But it looks even smaller from up here."
He lifted the flashlight up and glanced at his watch, the third time he'd done so since they'd gotten in the truck.
"What do you keep doing that for?" she asked curiously. "You have an appointment somewhere?"
He sat down on a boulder that formed a sort of natural bench. "Have a seat," he said, holding his arm out.
She sat beside him, shivering in the thin dress. The air was much cooler up here. She huddled against him, as close as she could get. Reaching behind her, he draped the blanket around her shoulders and then pulled her close.
"So that's what the blanket's for," she said with a smile. "Good thing you thought ahead."
"I didn't, actually. It's the blanket I brought the dog home in...just remembered it was in there. You smell anything funny, you'll know why."
She peered back and looked at him closely, trying to tell whether he was joking or not. She thought he was.
Trying to hide a smile, he looked at his watch again.
"You're starting to freak me out a little." she told him.
"Just waitin' on the rest of your birthday present, is all."
She sighed, giving up on getting any information out of him. It would be simpler to just wait and see what this was all about. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling a little sleepy. It had been a long day. And they'd still never managed to finish what they kept starting.
Suddenly, a deafening boom made her jump. She raised her head up, and saw, straight out in front of them and directly over the lights of the town, a shower of bright blue sparks. The boom was quickly followed by a second one, this one fanning out into two star-shaped white explosions.
Fireworks.
She looked at Sawyer, amazed, not even able to speak for a second. "How did you do that?"
"What?" he asked, grinning. "You don't think you're worth it?"
She continued to stare at him in shock.
He ducked his head, looking a little sheepish. "Just so happens that your birthday falls on the same day as the town's bicentennial." The last words were spoken almost scornfully, as if the notion of a civic celebration was something he couldn't really fathom. "I saw a flyer downtown this mornin' about a fireworks display tonight..figured we'd be able to see it from here."
A slow smile spread across her face in wonder. "You're really putting your bad-ass reputation in danger...You know that, right?"
"Yeah, well...give me a few days. I'm sure I'll do somethin' stupid enough to make you forget all about this."
She nodded, almost laughing. That was probably true.
They both turned their eyes back to the town, watching after each boom the brilliant colors rise, sputter and crackle to their maximum glory, then slowly fizzle out into the gathering smoke.
"It feels so strange to be watching fireworks in October," Kate said quietly. "I don't think I've seen a big display like this since I was a kid. Me and my best friend used to sneak into the one they had downtown on the Fourth of July."
"Same one who had the dog?" Sawyer asked.
"Yeah."
"What was her name?"
She didn't answer for a second. "It wasn't a girl." Her face registering reluctance, she said quietly, "His name was Tom."
Noticing her hesitation, but misinterpreting the reason, he asked, "You two have some sort of fallin' out? One of those after-school-special type things?"
"No," she said, looking out at the fireworks. "Not exactly."
"So how come you don't keep in touch with him now?"
He saw the pain flare up in her eyes immediately, and she bit her lip to try to keep herself from giving into it. Looking directly at him, she took a deep breath and then said simply, "He's dead."
He watched her closely as she turned her gaze back out onto the view. "Sorry to hear that," he said, intrigued. "What happened?" He knew he shouldn't ask her, and that she probably wouldn't tell him, but he had to try.
She closed her eyes for a second. "Not tonight," she said wearily.
"I've heard that one before, sweetheart. Seems like it's never the right night, is it?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Now she was looking down over the lake, tormented, not paying attention to the fireworks anymore.
He felt terrible. It was her damn birthday, after all. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?
"Don't worry about it," he muttered. "Guess I shouldn't talk, huh? Ain't exactly like I let you have what you wanted the other night, either." He paused. "Wish things were different. Wish I could give you more." More of himself, was what he meant. She knew that, instinctively, because she felt the same way.
Looking back up at him, she smiled sadly. "I'll take what I can get."
He looked deep into her eyes, feeling like he was falling into them. "Yeah...me too."
And for now, that would have to be enough. At least for tonight, it felt like enough.
Sliding off the boulder, Sawyer moved down to the ground near Kate's feet. She watched him curiously. He lifted her ankle and started delicately kissing the inside of it, after a few seconds moving over to the other one.
"What are you doing?" she asked, almost laughing. It tickled, but it also felt unbelievably good.
Slowly, his kisses moved further up her calves, lavishing attention on the inside of each one. Her heart rate began to speed up a tiny bit, and it kept climbing as he reached her knees.
"Sawyer..." she said warningly, but weakly. "Not here."
He smiled slyly at her. "Why not?"
"There might be someone around."
He'd now moved a little past her knees to the spot just above them on the insides of her legs, still alternating from one to the other. She swallowed, trying her best to hold still.
"You're the birthday girl...you wanna leave, just say the word." He was now midway between her knees and her waist, folding the dress back as he progressed.
Her breathing becoming shaky, she whispered, as if she was thinking out loud, "On the other hand, I've always believed that it's rude to refuse a gift."
"Damn right it is," he said with a smile. Winking at her, he pulled the bottom of the dress over his head.
Moaning softly, she collapsed back onto the boulder, closing her eyes. The fireworks display had ended, but Kate didn't notice at all.
She was focused on a completely different kind of explosion.
