"Lorenzo was being entertained in the teepee by Shannon. He was fine. He loves Shannon and Luca. He should go to bed soon, so I'm sure he'll be fine."
Kate leaned her head back against the seat as the wind blew through her hair. She was thinking she should have worn it up, as it would be a tangled mess by the time they arrived.
Glancing sideways at her, he saw her running her hand through her hair as it started to blow in the breeze. "You know I love your hair down. So, stop stressing, you look sexy when that crimson blows around your face. I will have to be on my toes tonight. Every damn man in the place will have their eyes on you."
As they reached the main road, he laid his hand on the soft swell of her tummy. "I love you so much, bel. When you are with bambino, you look radiant. I am like a moth to your flame."
She placed her hand over his. "Yes, well, that moth to flame is what got us in this condition."
He chuckled as he peeled out, heading into town. He took the curves, never slowing down, and Kate gripped the door and the seat and squealed. He drove almost as fast as he teleported. He slowed down as they approached the city limits and drove through town, parking on Water Street. Shade raised the top on the convertible, not wanting to leave the car open in a public parking lot as Kate took a minute to brush her hair and re-apply her lip gloss.
He stepped around the car and opened her door. She took his hand as they walked together toward the open-air mall, already crowded with other people enjoying the return of warm weather and looking for a night out. They walked slowly up the mall, looking in shop windows, before they reached the restaurant. There was a band playing at the far end of the mall, and the music carried on the night air.
As they approached the restaurant, the place was teeming with people. The moon and stars were brilliant in the sky as they entered, and the hostess escorted them to the Skybar that sits atop the popular local restaurant. Shade slipped the hostess a very large tip to secure a small table that looked out over the mall. The hostess flashed him a huge smile as she led them to their roof-top table and told him to enjoy the evening. Pulling out a chair for bel, he smiled and kissed her. "My lady."
Sitting across from her, he tried to shut out the thoughts of the men seated around them as their eyes took in Kate who remained oblivious of their stares. Their waitress arrived at the table and was young, and full of energy. He ordered them a bottle of Midnight, informing the waitress they wouldn’t be ordering any food tonight. She winked at him, and scurried off, when he felt Kate’s hand on his thigh under the table. "I see my date is frisky this night, or are you just claiming what belongs to you?"
She smiled at him, his eyes piercing blue in the festive lights strung over their heads. If they lived a million years, she’d never get tired of looking at him. "Always. I will always claim what belongs to me."
"I belong to you heart and soul. You have shown me true love, in all its forms. Do you have any idea how rare that is? I searched so long, and then this crimson haired minx came along, stumbling over her words, falling over herself when she was around me. It was quite amusing at first, and damn if you didn’t make me work for it.”
Reaching under the table, he grasped her hand and squeezed it tight. "But once you found your voice, I could not shut you up." Laughing, he watched as the waitress returned with the Midnight, and poured a small portion into his glass. He lifted the glass and sniffed at the thick elixir before taking a sip and nodding his approval. The waitress never took her eyes off of him as she poured the wine into their glasses and set the bottle down, asking him coquettishly if there was anything else he needed. He gave her a quick glance before looking back at Kate and answering, “I have everything I need.”
The waitress raised a brow and smiled at him. “Well, just flag me down if you change your mind.”
Kate didn’t miss the exchange and shook her head as she marveled at the effect he had on women of all ages, as he raised a glass to her.
"I think this special date deserves a toast, si?"
Kate lifted her glass to his, never taking her eyes from him, as she whispered, "To us."
They sipped at the wine, oblivious to the sounds of the other couples seated at the nearby tables, as the music from the band drifted on the night air. They sat holding hands across the table, talking about everything and nothing, enjoying the rare opportunity to have an uninterrupted moment.
The night progressed and the moon seemed to have disappeared behind the clouds. He never wanted this night to end. They had so little time alone anymore. Reaching across the table, he let his hand glide along her cheek. "I believe we should take a walk. Perhaps head toward the music, it will probably be ending soon. I have not been this relaxed since..." Chuckling, he winked at her. "Since before Lorenzo's birth!"
She finished the wine in her glass as he left several large bills on the table. Kate pulled the wrap over her shoulders as he placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her through the crowded tables. Their waitress flashed him a mega-watt smile and told him she hoped he'd come back again soon. Kate shook her head and smiled to herself. She didn’t miss the fact the waitress’s invitation didn’t include her! Dream on, sister. This one is mine. They made their way down to the brick covered mall, and wandered in the direction of the band.
As he took her hand, they strolled among the young couples out and about at this late hour. A small clap of thunder rang out and he saw a streak of lightening flash across the sky, as they felt the temperature dropping suddenly. The band ended the song and quickly started packing up as the crowd started dispersing.
"I think perhaps there is a storm coming, mi amore, you know what this means?"
"An end to this date?"
A sly grin slid slowly across his face as he turned to her and placed his hands around her waist. "Not on your life, woman! It just means this dance I was anticipating, will have to wait until we get back to Bel Rosso."
As she stood on her tip toes, he kissed her with passion as people started to stream past them, in a hurry to get indoors. Leaning in for another kiss, the lightning struck again, lighting up the entire area and he felt her jump in his arms.
"I think perhaps we should head to the car. This storm means business." Grabbing her hand, they began to walk to the car, when suddenly it began to pour, huge sheets of rain falling like a waterfall and there was no escaping it now. He yelled at her over the sound of the pounding rain and earth moving thunder. "Run!"
She grabbed his hand as they ran back down the mall, turning on the side street that led to the parking lot. They were both drenched, their wet clothes clinging to their bodies, as their laughter rang out between the booming thunder. A loud crack of lightning lit up the sky, and they heard a large boom as a transformer was knocked out and the area was thrown into darkness. Kate squealed and squeezed his hand. "Don't lose me!"
"Never happen!"
Their laughter rang out among the many people thrown in absolute chaos in the pitch dark, running and screaming for their cars. But Shade was in his element in the pitch dark, the raging storm arousing something primal inside him, his blood rushing and his beast knocking. He was taken aback by how excited the bastard was. He lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, her arms tight about his neck as he took off running.