Broken Lantern

Chapter Nineteen

When everyone is gone, and the baby is down for the night, me and Kevin sit down to cuddle and watch tv. It's Saturday night, our one night that we get alone, because it's date night for everyone else. Our date is watching a new stand-up comic battle, eating popcorn for dinner and drinking cherry soda. It's not a night at the theater or swimming at the falls, but it's still nice.

Leaning against Kevin while he's watching a comedy show is like being on a waterbed with someone jumping on it. Every time he laughs, I bounce up and down. "Ugh... I'm getting seasick!" I say, teasing him. "Oh yeah? Seasick, huh?" He asks, lurching his body, teasing me back. "Mmmhmm", I nod, grinning at him, trying to egg him on, wanting to see how far I can go before he has to react in some way.

He shocks me, grabbing me suddenly by the shoulders and turning my body, laying me down on my back on the couch beside him. He straddles me and begins tracing the outline of my neck with his fingertips, moving down to my shoulders and then down my arms. His expression is dark with desire, when he reaches my hips, he grabs them with both hands, and leans in to kiss me.

I reach up and grab the back of his head, pulling him into for a deeper kiss. His fingers begin to move again, to my stomach and he's tickling me!!

"What...? Kevin!" I scream between involuntary bursts of laughter. Yeah, I really misread his expression!

I squirm and squeal under his touch, which only makes him continue tickling me. He's laughing too, and both of our faces are bright red.

"You... really suck, Kevin Jones!" I scream, wriggling under him, trying to break free of this torture.

"I suck? Really? Seriously? I suck, huh? Ok..." He says in a tone that tells me I'm in real trouble now. He starts to sit back on his legs, and I watch him very carefully, trying to calculate his next move. He's almost fully back so, I take my chance to make a break for it and roll myself off of the couch, freeing my body from underneath his and I take off running for the kitchen so I can get to the back door, knowing if I can just get out that door, I'll be able to lose him in the trees.

I make it to the door, laughing like crazy, but determined at the same time; he's right behind me the whole way. I can hear him breathing heavily and just as he's about to reach me, I open the door and break through into freedom. I take off like a bullet, running for the tree line. But I don't hear footsteps behind me anymore. I turn to look over my shoulder and see Kevin standing right outside the backdoor on the halfway on the porch. He's bent over, his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

I do the same and then look up at him, "What? You chicken? You going to let a girl beat you that easily?" I call back, taunting him, trying to get at his ego so he'll have to come after me.

He puts his finger up in the air, telling me to hold on, and then he stands up to say, "You win. I can't leave this porch; Dallas is sleeping inside." And he turns to go back into the house, closing the door behind him.

I stay at the wood line for a moment, skeptical that he'd give up that easily; I'm not that naive, I know he's lurking, waiting for me to come in that door so he can pounce.

So, I tiptoe out of the tree line and quietly slink around to the front porch instead. I put my foot on the first step and suddenly I'm being lifted into the air and thrown over Kevin's shoulder. "Put me down!" I scream, kicking and writhing the whole time. "Stop that before you make me drop you, girl!" He tells me, sternly.

"You're coming with me", I have something for you, he tells me, reaching up to smack my butt. He carries me into the house, through the foyer and down the hall, turning into the kitchen. The table is set up with our best dishes, wine glasses and one of my red apple cinnamon scented candles. He sits me down in a chair and tells me he's going to cook dinner for us; he says that he bought something special just for tonight.

He goes to the freezer and pulls out two steaks, then crouching down in front of the refrigerator, he reaches in and pulls out a stalk of asparagus. He moves over to the pantry, taking out two big russet potatoes, taking them over to the counter to wrap them in aluminum foil. He smiles at me and begins breaking asparagus spears. "We may not be able to go out for a nice dinner, but that doesn't mean we have to stay in and eat canned pasta. So, you just sit there, and enjoy the view." He says, turning his backside to me, poking it out and peeking back over his shoulder at me with a big grin on his face.

"That's quite the view there", I tell him, smiling because it's not untrue. He looks amazing in his jeans and his tight black t-shirt. He's normally dressed in button downs and dark jeans or khakis, but tonight he's dressed down for staying in and relaxing.

He seasons the steaks while he's heating up the grill that's sitting on the counter, and while he's waiting, he tosses the aluminum foil wrapped potatoes into the oven. The asparagus is already in the frying pan on the stove. He cuts a lemon in half and I know it's for me. I love lemon juice on everything. He squeezes it over the asparagus and my steak. I smile at how well he seems to know me. He smiles back and continues working.

He was playing around telling me to enjoy the view, but I really am. He moves so gracefully around the kitchen. I guess he's a true artist in everything he does, not just in those sketchbooks he's always carrying around. Watching him cook is like watching a professional cooking show; now he's chopping onions and mushrooms to top the steaks with, and he looks like he's had professional culinary training, the way he chops them so quickly and smoothly. He turns his face up at me, still chopping, and smiles, "I cooked a lot at my parents' house", he tells me, reading my thoughts, and winking at me.

He picks up the knife and slides the onions off with his finger, then he picks the mushrooms up with the same blade and tosses it all together in a small frying pan over melted butter. He seasons the vegetables and puts the steaks on the now hot grill. Then, with everything cooking, he walks over to me and kisses me; he's got lemon juice on his lips. I didn't even see him do it. He looks at me, still kissing me and smiles, making me kiss his teeth.

"You're so silly", I tell him, playfully smacking his chest and kissing him again.

"This kitchen smells incredible!" I tell him when all the delicious aromas begin to mesh together, filling my nostrils and making my stomach grumble hungrily.

He goes to turn off the asparagus, removing it from the heat of the stove. "You know, there's nothing sexier than a man who can cook", I tell him, half teasing, half completely serious. He is so sexy moving around this kitchen right now, chopping, tossing, flipping, tasting, watching how his muscles flex and move with each different movement, the smile on his face and then the look of concentration. He's pretty hot right now.

When everything is done, he makes my plate and brings it to the table, sitting it in front of me. Then he makes his plate, bringing it to sit directly across from me. Right before I pick up my first bite, he takes half of a lemon and squeezes the juice over everything on my plate, looking me in my eyes with a sexy half grin on his face. He sits back in his chair, still licking the juice from his fingers. "Thank you", I tell him, completely in awe of all he's just done, including knowing to put lemon on everything on my plate, including the potato.

We eat in silence, which would be awkward normally, but somehow this just feels different. The way he watches me so intently as I eat and how he's taking his bites so slowly, lingering as if to savor each and every morsel, it feels like the sexiest meal I've ever sat through. He smiles at me from time to time, giving me this look, his beautiful green eyes pull at me as he's giving me his best sultry stare, making it difficult for me to finish my meal.

When he's had his fill, he removes his plate and glass, and comes back for mine. I stopped eating a few minutes ago, unable to take my eyes off of him, unable to think straight; my mind full of images that I have no right to have in my head.

He walks over to me, standing right in front of me. I have to look up at him as he stands over me, and he leans down, putting his hands on my back and running them up my neck, and around to my cheeks, lifting my face toward him, he bends down to kiss me. "I love you, Alley", he whispers to me. "I love you too, Kevin."