Free Pick-me-up by Cecilia La France Page A

forcing him to stop.
    He pulled back slowly, coming out of his own
passion, somewhat reluctantly. “What’s wrong?” he asked after a
moment.
    Katelyn felt awkward suddenly. She didn’t
know exactly what to say, what words that would make him understand
that she loved these feelings but didn’t trust them. She wasn’t
familiar with this new power. She had never felt so willing before.
It was easy to just kiss other guys and never let it go any
further. Now, there was an unspoken urge to know more, but fear
came with it.
    She didn’t have to say anything.
    Tim gently pulled off her and sat up on the
bed. He held his hands out to her, and she gave him hers. He pulled
her up into a sitting position facing him and then he leaned in and
kissed her gently again. Then, he pulled her into an embrace, her
head turning to rest on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” he whispered
into her hair, the warmth of his breath causing a small longing. “I
didn’t come here to maul you. We’ve got a date.”
    Katelyn pulled back with a question clearly
outlined in her expression. “What?”
    At this he sprung from the bed and positioned
himself next to the window where he extended his arm out in great
dramatics. “Behind curtain number one, a glorious evening awaits
you.” He pulled the cord to lift the blinds, and Katelyn saw his
mode of entrance, a window now missing a screen. He smiled slyly at
her. “Thank God you fed that beast out there; I didn’t think I’d
win that fight.”
    Katelyn laughed as she imagined Chevy
snapping off portions of Tim’s jeans, maybe even getting one of the
coveted shoes the dog loved to rip to shreds.
    “Shall we?” he asked although it was more of
a cue than a question; he fully expected her to go.
    Katelyn hesitantly looked to the locked door
and then back to him. She was thrilled by the unexpected and didn’t
want him to go without her. “Yeah,” she said, and then smiled
beyond control. “Yeah.” She grabbed a jacket off the back of the
desk chair and took his extended hand.
    “Ladies first,” he said.
    Katelyn poked her head out the window and
looked down. Kayla’s tricycle was propped up next to the house just
under the window. She brought her head back in, and Tim was holding
her desk chair. She moved, and he put it under the window. She
stepped up and his hands held hers firmly as she put first one leg
through and then the other. He helped her as she guided herself
back, bracing herself on the windowsill. “Got it,” she registered
as her toes finally located the tricycle below.
    Chevy gave out a lone bark as he woke from
his position by the opposite side of the yard and trotted over.
Chevy quickly recognized her, and she pet him while Tim came out
and warily stood next to her. Chevy sniffed him over, more than
once in the crotch. Katelyn held on to his collar just in case the
inspection turned sour. But then the dog’s stub of a tail began to
wag, its fierce jaws breaking open into a harmless pant. “See, even
my dog finds you all the man he ever wanted.”
    Tim gave her a champion smile and then took
her hand, leading her the rest of the short distance to the side of
the yard. They snuck out the fence and headed down the dark
street.
     

Chapter 11: The
Date
    Katelyn giggled nervously as they ran down the street and then
slowed to a walk around the corner. Sneaking out would award her
another level of punishment if she were to get caught. But, Tim
held her hand and led the way. Because of her excitement, she was
able to keep up with his quick stride. Normal height people didn’t
understand that shorter people had to walk faster to keep up with
them, but, at the moment, she wasn’t about to complain.
    Tim led her into backyards and across open
fields as they neared the edge of town. It didn’t take long.
Northrup only had 7,000 people. Katelyn wondered where Tim was
taking her and asked. He just smiled and said, “It wouldn’t be a
surprise if I told you.” He waited a