Kent was silent for a moment, then replied, “That’s cool. I’m sure you’ll have fun. Austin’s a great city.”
“I’ve never been there, and I’ve always wanted to go, so I’m excited. Plus, I really want to see Bree again.”
Kent just nodded. Nicole figured she’d better change the subject. “How’s your week been?”
“My boss has actually been talking about retiring. I don’t know what his plans are for the paper, but I’m going to approach him about taking over the paper myself. I know I don’t have a lot of experience, but I think I can bring a lot to the table, and I have a vision of where I want the paper to go.”
“That’s wonderful, Kent,” Nicole hoped that meant that there was a chance he would stop looking for jobs in other places, but she didn’t feel confident enough to ask him. She didn’t want it to look like she was pressuring him.
He parked his Mustang and they got out and began to stretch. Kent tried to focus on something other than Nicole as she bent and flexed her limber body, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from taking in the sight of her. He closed his eyes as he finished warming up.
“Ready?” He asked once they’d stretched for a few minutes.
Nicole smiled and nodded.
Kent motioned to the left, to indicate what direction the trail began, and they took off at a brisk pace to begin their hike.
Kent cleared his throat and tried to will the fog in his brain to fade away.
“So, Nic,” He began, “You said that you’re a writer, what do you write?”
Nicole stumbled a bit and felt the heat begin to rise up her neck. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d never told anyone that she wanted to write. She knew she could trust Kent, but she was worried that she was falling too hard, too fast.
“I write fiction, Horror actually.”
Kent stopped walking, causing her to stop and turn to look at him.
“Horror?” He asked, looking slightly amazed. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
He started walking again and she fell into step behind him, her face flush with uncertainty.
“Is that a good thing?” She asked.
Kent grinned down at her, “With you… Yeah, it’s.”
Nicole couldn’t help but return his grin.
They picked up the pace as they started up an incline.
“Have you finished anything?” He asked.
“Yes, actually, I have,” Nicole admitted. “I have finished the first draft and I’ve been editing it.”
“Is that what you were doing on your computer when I brought you the flowers?”
“Yeah,” She said as she smiled at the memory. “I was so focused that I didn’t know it was you that came in my room.”
“That’s amazing, Nic.” Kent replied. “I think it’s wonderful that you’re going after your dreams. You’re very focused. I think we have that in common?”
“Oh? Why do you say that?” Nicole asked him.
Kent figured after everything she had told him about herself, he needed to open up a little bit as well, no matter how much he hated talking about his personal life.
“Well, I’ve always known that I didn’t want to live the way my parents did, so I’ve worked my whole life to make sure that didn’t happen.”
He stopped and offered her his hand, then helped her over a small crevice in the path.
“How do you mean?” Nicole asked, intrigued to learn something new about him.
“My parents never saved a dime and we were always scraping by. My dad couldn’t hold a job, so my mom would get odd jobs cleaning houses or babysitting, meanwhile, Roni and I would go days without eating. When I got old enough to start mowing lawns, I vowed that Roni would never go hungry again. I also promised myself that I would be smarter with my money, and I would never be worried about where my next paycheck was coming from.”
Nicole slowed down and took his hand in hers. “I think the way you look out for Roni is wonderful, and I’m amazed at the strength you had at such a young age.”
Kent pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly.
“Thanks, I’m glad that you can appreciate how important Roni is to me,” he looked up to get his bearings. “We’re about halfway through this trail. We’d better speed it up if we’re going to get you home in time to shower before work.”
They hit the trail hard. Nicole used the time to clear her head and to reflect on what Kent had told her about his childhood.
They’d led very different lives, and Nicole couldn’t imagine the obstacles he’d dealt with growing up, but she was very impressed with the man he was today.
Kent made sure they did some cool down stretches before getting back in the car.
He’d worried briefly that Nicole would look at him differently when he’d told her a little about his upbringing, but he was happy that he had. He wasn’t ready to tell her everything yet, but he was comfortable with what he’d told her.
He drove her back to her apartment and walked her to the door.
“Do you want to come in?” Nicole asked him, her face was flush from exertion and glistened prettily.
Kent felt a strong urge to gather her in his arms and take her to her room, kissing and stroking her gloriously toned body along the way. He imagined carrying her into the shower and lathering her up.
He shook his head, trying in vain to calm his raging hormones. He felt like a teenager again: unbearably horny and unable to find release. Well… At least not the way he
