The Darkness We Hide

Michelle and Gareth enjoyed their walk through the woods. Seeing a small herd of deer they stopped and watched as the buck moved his harem away, keeping a keen eye on them until he had his ladies were safely away.

Reaching the lake thirty minutes later, Gareth wandered to a nearby tree returning with a picnic basket and blanket in hand.

“Hmmm,” Michelle said laughing. “How convenient....”

“I know,” he said, looking at the basket and blanket as if they had magically appeared. “You’d think someone planned this.”

Gareth unfolded a blanket and spread it out under the branches of a large maple tree that looked to be as old as the forest itself.

“How did all of this get here?” Michelle asked as Gareth unpacked the basket.

“Well,” he replied sheepishly, “Nan and I planned this last minute when you went to get your sunglasses, that’s why it’s just sandwiches and not a five course meal.”

Soon they were settled down on the edge of the water enjoying a lunch of chilled cucumber salad, chicken sandwiches, and fresh watermelon slices. There were even iced bottles of water for them to drink.

“How did everything stay so cold?” Michelle wondered aloud.

“That part was easy,” Gareth answered, pointing his finger vaguely west. “There’s a service road that runs through here about a quarter of a mile that way. Nan and I figured it would take you and I about an hour to get here, so the basket has probably only been here for about ten minutes before we were.”

“Well,” Michelle said, a smile of disbelief on her face, “you two are just full of surprises.”

After eating Michelle watched amazed as Gareth stripped down and dove into the water. Laughing at him, she stood and walked to the water’s edge. Dipping her toe in, she decided that Gareth was crazy, even if he tended to run on the warm side, the water in this lake was too cold for her.

“I’m not getting in there,” she called to him as he glided through the water.

Moving more quickly that she thought was possible, Gareth crossed the distance between them, a look of mischief in his eyes. Realizing he meant to grab her, she shrieked and ran as fast as she could into the woods.

She could hear his deep laugh as he chased her through the ferns and pines, almost catching her by the arm, only to have her slip away. Suddenly everything went still and silent, and Michelle thinking she’d lost him tried tiptoeing her way through the woods hoping to spot him before he saw her.

Out of nowhere, his steel-like arm was around her waist, lifting her screaming in fear and shock at his cold flesh, off the ground.

“How did you find me?” she asked through her laughing and shrieking.

“I’ll always find you,” he chuckled, his wet body plastering her clothes to her skin.

Once he caught her, he took great care in removing her now wet clothes, making sure not to rip them while Michelle struggled and laughed.

“No,” she cried, as he carried her now naked body towards the water. “Gareth, don’t you dare!”

“Yes,” he said with a devilish laugh and jumped in before she could protest anymore.

The water was not as chilly as Michelle had been expecting, especially with Gareth’s body pressed against hers, but it was breathtaking. When they surfaced he let her go and began circling her in the water.

“You’re crazy,” she said through chattering teeth.

“Am I?” Gareth asked, continuing the swim.

“Yes,” she said splashing water at him.

Michelle lost sight of him, as he slid under the water and feared he would pull her under again. Soon the surface of the water was still and calm but Gareth didn’t come up for air. Worrying, she ventured deeper into the water, feeling with her hands and feet to find him.

Without warning, a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her under, and just as quickly, it released her. Sputtering to the surface, Michelle pushed down on Gareth’s shoulders and began swimming to the shore.

“Michelle,” Gareth called to her, “come back!”

“No way,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m freezing!”

“Michelle,” he said, catching up to her.

“Please, Gareth,” she said, her teeth chattering. “I’m so cold.”

“I know,” he purred, pulling her against him. “It makes getting warm again, that much more fun.”

Lowering her down to blanket, they were soon entangled in each other’s arms, letting the sun and their exertion warm them back up.

“You weren’t kidding,” Michelle panted later, sitting up to take a drink of water. “That did make getting warm a lot more fun.”

Sitting up and kissing her shoulder Gareth said, “Yeah, I’m kind of hot now. Would you like to go for another swim?”

Without a word, Michelle turned her head and sprayed him with water from her mouth.

Laughing, he rolled out of the way and said, “Okay, okay. I get it.”

Michelle relax back on the blanket, hearing rather than seeing Gareth enter the water once more.

As he swam, she rolled onto her stomach to watch the man she loved glide through the water, as smile creeping onto her face.

As quickly as the smile appeared, it vanished when she thought about his reaction when she told him she was pregnant.

Would he think she'd done this to trap him? He did say his family had money. Would he accuse her of being a gold-digger?

If he decided he didn't want anything to do with her or the baby, what would she do? She may be twenty-eight, but she could barely take care of herself, how would she care for a baby?'

So lost in her own head, Michelle didn't notice Gareth's return from the water until she felt water dripping on her back.

"Where is your head at?" he asked, laying down next to her.

"I need to tell you something," she sighed, turning to face him, her heart lurching into her throat.

"What's wrong?" Gareth asked, seeing and sensing the fear radiating off of his mate.

"I love you," she breathed, trying to force the rest of the words out of her mouth.

"I love you too," he replied, a radiant smile shining back at her.

Sitting up, she reached for her shirt in an attempt to avoid telling him the truth.

"Michelle," he said, sitting up with her, his nerves beginning to get the better of him. Something was wrong, but he needed her to tell him what it was before he could fix it.

If it was Richard, he'd kill the bastard. If it was anything else, he'd find a way to make it better. Anything for his mate.

"Please tell me what's wrong," he begged, reaching to take her fidgeting hand in his.

"Can we talk about it later?" she asked, unable to form the words, fearing his reaction would be the wrong one.

"You know you can tell me anything," he assured her, scooting his body close enough to embrace her.

"I know," she sighed, leaning into his body, "I just want to enjoy the afternoon with you."