065: Moving fast

It was late. Maille drove back to Kell's jubilant, but very tired. She'd spent the evening in Shawn's room with her mom and dad, who had fallen instantly for Shawn 's sweet spirit. They stayed for dinner and had gospel discussions for over an hour. Then seeing Shawn so sleepy, Maille had ushered everyone out, kissed him gently on the cheek and departed. They'd gone back to Park City to talk, and talk they had. 

It had been an incredibly enlightening experience to have her parents all to herself, and have them see in her a new and independent personality. It seemed that having an interest in Shawn had opened their eyes to Maille's own possibilities.

She let the animals out and they followed her with enthusiasm into the house where she went to change into her bathing suit. She had too much energy to just go to sleep. She put her cell phone on the bench, but Kiyah immediately took it and ran to the diving board.

"Oh no you don't, monkey, give that back." she skipped toward the diving board, where Kiyah was holding the phone out of her reach. The lighting was dim, but she could see the little black hands examining the small device, and she feared that it was about to go swimming with her.

Kiyah was tossing the phone between her hands, her eyes gleaming mischievously when suddenly the little gleam blinked out. Maille lost Kiyah's form in the darkness and yelled out, sure she had jumped into the pool, or got off the board. Maille had reached the board and put one foot up on it when she felt the startling and eerie feeling that she was being watched. She glanced around, called for Kiyah , saw the gleam again of her eyes still looking at her from the end of the diving board. She decided it had been nothing and got up on the board.

"Kiyah, give it back." she ordered sternly.

There was no peep, and except for the breathing of two dogs, and the lapping of the hot tub bubbles, there was no sound. But something had disturbed her, and Kiyah's eyes kept blinking on and off in the reflected light, as if she were looking at something else periodically.

She scanned the room, but the brightest thing was the city lights not far away, and the pool itself was in darkness. Her sense of hearing was working far stronger in this setting. Maille swam to the edge of the pool where the stairs were and called to Kiyah again. She uneasily traversed the steps and retrieved her towel and was about to wrap it around her when she was grabbed from behind by strong male hands.

Instinct and martial arts training were against her assailant. A sharp elbow to the chest, a kick in the groin and a shove into the pool, and Maille took off. She had been uneasy, her instinct paid off and the next course was to get out of the house.

She heard the splash of her assailant's descent. She heard a muffled grunt and a muttered exclamation, and suddenly she knew her mistake. "Kell?"

Her body was still running when her mind stopped and turned, and she slid into the doorway and bumped her arm and shoulder. The dogs were on her tail, neither very concerned with the intruder, which should have been her first clue.

He was standing in the water, dreads dripping around his bedraggled face, dark skin and beaded goatee. He looked up at her with a very pained expression. "There's a possibility I will no longer be able to have children." he squeaked, and then with one finger, ordered her down into the pool.

Maille came to the edge and peered at him in alarm. "Sorry." she said with as straight a face as she could muster. She knew he couldn't move. Knew the type of pain she had caused.

"Is that your best greeting?" he whispered, choking back a cough. Maille held out her hand. "Want help getting out?"

Kell glanced at the animals arrayed in curious fashion around her. Kiyah's piqued expression , Charlie with both white front paws against the edge of the cement, wanting very badly to join him, but waiting for the invitation, and Molly, tongue lolling out one side, eyebrows raised as if to say, ''What are YOU doing here?"

He shook his head as the pain slowly receded. "Where did you learn that bit?" he made his way to the steps and sat uncomfortably in the shallows.

Maille watched him warily. "I've never tried it before on a real person." 

"First time?" he hung his head for a minute, catching his breath.

"Um hmm." she answered, coming to sit on the top step. She put out one hand and gently massaged his shoulder.

"Your other touches are much kinder." 

Maille pursed her lips and gently kneaded his neck feeling the tightened cords and sinews. "I really am sorry."

A warm hand covered hers and Maille shivered and closed her eyes in sudden awareness and remembrance. For five days she had been missing that. The sweet way he took charge of her hands, her hair, the feeling of being so cared for. He was back! And suddenly it felt wonderful.

She sat down behind him on the cold hard cement and dangled her legs on either side of him in the water. She leaned against his back, pressing against his solid warmth, remembering. Waves of security washed over her.

Everything in Kell turned to her except his body. The one hand covering hers brought her finger to his lips and softly resumed that familiar bond. Her cold hair against his back through the t-shirt was suddenly familiar, and a deep longing coursed through him. He let his hand wander up her arm, to her shoulder, and along her neck, under the wet hair, and with a gentle pull, turned just his face to hers.

"I missed you." he said simply, knowing it for the truth it was, and for the surprise it gave him. This was way deeper than he'd ever been before. He could see her eyes in the dim reflected lights from the city. They were wide and sweet.

"I missed you too." she said, and her lips parted, as he nudged her closer, memorizing each soft feature.

"No, babe, you got me square in the---" He chuckled and as she drew back with a startled gasp, a huge wet tongue lapped at his face. Not the kiss he'd expected.

"Dog!"

Maille got up and went to get a towel. Kell followed her slowly, feeling returning to parts he'd rather have forgotten about.

"I have plans for you. Dress! Dress! Dress!" he announced as she began to head for the kitchen. She whirled around.

"Plans?"

It was dark throughout the house. She was simply a silhouette against the city lights. And seeing her there, her long hair plastered without affectation, her simple acceptance winning his heart, he knew. She was the one. She could never go back to her house. He had to keep her there, with him, always and forever.

"It's late." she said and came back to him. "Are you sure? Are we going out?"

"Yes." he said, in that slightly gruff voice she loved.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yes." he said, thinking his plan through once again and wondering if he should just dispense with it in its entirety and only go through with the beginning. His brows quirked at himself, and then he sighed. No. It was best to go through with the whole thing. He couldn't pit his new found knowledge against his desires. And he'd never felt like this before about anyone.

"Dress." he said.

"Okay..." she was hesitant. "Kell, my stuff is upstairs. Should I just get it and come back down? I'll dress in the downstairs bathroom."

''That will be fine." he said, thinking that a few more hours and he wouldn't have to wait.

The plan, he reminded himself

That wasn't in the immediate plan. It was a safeguard, nothing more. More for him than her, or her than him.

Whichever ... his mind felt foggy, and he didn't think it was the pain.

Maille quickly retrieved her belongings and passed him on the stairs, she gave him a sort of hesitant smile, again reiterating how sorry she was.

He tried to reassure her with a sincere grimace.

Feeling very like the first time she'd met him, and yet with a million times more familiarity of him, Maille dressed and brushed out her hair, and used the blow dryer to take out the drips. It was still damp when she left the room. Kell was waiting for her in the entryway, dressed in loose fitting dark blue t-shirt pants, like pajamas, and a gray t-shirt.

She stood there in the hallway looking him over for signs of continued injury. "Are you okay?"

There was light from the laundry room behind her, and she was outlined like an angel.

"Very much so." he reached for her hand and pulled her through the front door. He held the door to his silver sedan for her and got in on the driver's side.

"Where are we going?" Maille asked as Kell took her hand and placed it on the gear shift as they headed out the gated driveway.

"I have an errand." 

"At one a.m.?"

"I have an appointment at 2 am."

"In Salt Lake?" 

"No."

"What is it about?"

"About us." he said and Maille sat back in her seat and watched the lights go by.

Cryptic, that's what he was. Extremely cryptic. She felt like she was being kidnapped.

"Will we be back in time for me to go see Shawn?"

"Yes." Kell said, wondering if they really would be, if he could follow through with his plan. It had all seemed so logical two days ago.

The way it had to be.

Maille had been to cryptic land before and usually, it turned out extremely nice. She just had to wait and he would reveal his plans. It was just so good to be with him, to sit in his car with her hand covered by his, and feel him shift the gears expertly. She relaxed with a sigh.

*****