Thirty Nights with the Alpha King

Chapter 7: An Afternoon Picnic

I spend the morning taking my time to get ready, but it’s difficult to ignore the building anticipation of my date with Nick this afternoon. I opt for the same makeup and hair I wore to dinner the other night, allowing my hair a break from the messy bun it’s become accustomed to.

After sliding into a tropical print sundress, I make my way downstairs to wait for Nick to pick me up.

“Ah, Addy, you look lovely!” my grandmother sighs, admiring me as I step into the kitchen. “I thought this might be a wonderful addition to the picnic Nick planned.”

She rummages in a cupboard for a moment before pulling out a bottle of wine, which she hands to me.

“Thank you, Grandma,” I smile, giving her a hug. I can tell she’s trying to make it up to me after our conversation yesterday, and I appreciate the gesture.

A knock at the door interrupts the moment. I practically jump out of my sandals at the realization that Nick is here.

“I’ll get it,” my grandmother whispers in my ear before releasing me from her embrace. “A lady never answers the door for her gentleman caller.”

“Since when were you so traditional?” I laugh, watching her cross the kitchen to the door. She shoots me a quick wink over her shoulder before opening it

“Ah, Nick, come on in,” she says, gesturing inside. “Addy’s ready for you.”

As Nick steps into the kitchen, he removes his hat from his bowed head. Once over the threshold, he looks up at me, hat held against his chest respectfully, and pauses.

“Wow, Addy, you look…” he says, his voice trailing off.

My grandmother and I burst into a fit of giggles at his loss for words. Poor guy. He doesn’t stand a chance against the Byrne women. I better get him out of here.

“Ready to go?” I ask. I try to keep my eyes on his, but it’s hard not to admire the neatly pressed, button-up shirt and dark jeans he wore for the occasion. He definitely cleans up nice.

“Yep, follow me,” he grins. “I’ll have her home before dark, Mrs. Byrne.”

“You two have fun,” she replies, giving me one last wink before I head out the door.

After the door closes behind us, I turn to Nick on the porch.

“This is for you,” I say, offering him the bottle of wine.

“Thanks!” he replies, examining the bottle enthusiastically. “This will definitely kick the menu up a notch.”

“What are having?” I ask curiously, making my way down the stairs beside him toward the truck.

“It’s a surprise,” he grins, opening the passenger side door for me. Once I’m settled into my seat, he closes my door for me and makes his way around to the other side. I spot the picnic basket sitting between us on the long seat, and a red, checkered blanket on top. Excitement is building inside of me.

Why are you so excited? I ask myself. You’ve gone on plenty of picnics with him.

But I know that this time, there is a romantic intention that wasn’t ever there before.

Nick drives us out toward a grove of trees on one end of the ranch which surrounds a small fishing pond.

“Remember how we used to have to hike all the way out here from the farmhouse?” I reminisce.

“I sure do,” he smiles, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “I used to be stuck carrying the picnic basket.”

“Ha! You volunteered, even though your lanky little arms could barely lift it!”

We both laugh freely at the memory as the truck pulls to a stop near the pond. I grab the blanket and wine while Nick takes the picnic basket, and we set off toward a spot near the water.

“I’m impressed, Nick Ourey,” I exclaim, watching him put together an artisanal charcuterie platter with baguette bread, a variety of gourmet cheeses, and assorted cold meats, complete with nuts, grapes, and strawberries.

“Well, I know you LA girls have high expectations,” he says, smirking at me as I take a seat beside him on the blanket. “Especially one as classy as yourself.”

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks at his compliment. As I watch him put together the finishing touches on our meal, I realize that I’ve never had a guy put this much effort into a date. It was always a meetup for cocktails or coffee followed by a night on the town, with the expectation that we’d usually end up at either his or my place.

But this time, I don’t feel any pressure. He simply enjoys the pleasure of my company, and it takes me aback for a moment. Is this what it’s supposed to be like?

“Here’s a plate,” he says, passing me a small, porcelain dish with an intricate floral pattern.

“This is really pretty,” I say, admiring the design.

“It’s my grandma’s china set,” he explains, pouring the wine into crystal goblets and passing one to me. He holds his up to me, and I follow suit.

“To starting over,” he toasts, clinking his glass gently against mine.

“And to reconnecting with old friends,” I add, before taking a sip of wine. His eyes don’t leave mine as we both take a long swig from our glasses, and it’s really, incredibly sexy.

We start to fill our plates with food. We spend the meal chatting easily with one another, catching up on our lives and reminiscing about the past. Once he’s done with his meal, Nick turns to lie on his side, his elbow propping up his head.

“I want to clear things up about the other day,” he says, looking down at his plate.

I don’t protest. Admittedly, I’m a little curious why he refused my kiss, especially when he asked me out shortly after.

I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

“Out here on the ranch, we don’t get to have much of a social life,” he explains, avoiding my gaze. I can see that it’s difficult for him to say what he’s about to say. “I don’t exactly have a lot of experience with women. Well, any experience at all, really. So, um, I guess I’m just trying to say is that as much as I wanted to kiss you, I panicked in the moment. I hope you don’t hate me.”

“No, not at all,” I reply, stunned by his remark. I would have thought a handsome, rugged cowboy like him would have lots of girls falling at his feet. I mean, look at him; he’s any girl’s wet cowboy fantasy!

“Just to make things clear, I do want to kiss you,” he says, smiling coyly up at me.

“Good,” I reply, falling back on my tried-and-true flirtatious ways. “But I’m going to make you work for it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says in a husky voice, tipping his hat to me. Yep, he is definitely a sexy cowboy. I’d jump on top of him right now if I didn’t just say he had to make it up to me.

“You know, Addy, I wanted our first date to be perfect,” he admits, glancing down with a shy smile on his face.

“I think it’s pretty perfect so far,” I say, trying to be encouraging.

“Good, I’m glad,” he nods. “You know, city girls like you can be very intimidating to country boys like me.”

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” I say playfully.

“But I don’t want to screw this up,” he admits, looking away again. “I-I’ve liked you for a long time, and I’m really glad you’re back.”

“You have?” I asked, shocked by the revelation. I never realized that he had a crush on me, since we were hardly even in high school the last time I was here. And after all this time, he still likes me?

“I’m glad I came back, too,” I say honestly. I set down my plate and wine beside me and move to lie down beside him, so that are faces are level with each other. Gazing into his eyes, I hope that he takes it for what it is: an invitation.

I can feel our faces drawing closer to each other, and we’re so close now that I can feel his hot breath on my lips.

A deep howl in the distance makes us both freeze on the spot, staring into each other’s eyes with fear. I feel my body tense up as a chill runs down my spine, but I’m too frightened to move.

Nick brings me close against his warm chest, wrapping his arm around me as we lie on the blanket. He looks around us quickly, his gaze narrowing.

“I can’t believe I let it get dark out,” he mutters angrily, holding me even tighter. “We have to go.”

In a stunning display of strength, he rises to his feet swiftly, carrying me bridal style to the truck. He’s able to reach it in just a few long strides, opening the door quickly to set me inside.

“I’m going to clean up the picnic, so it doesn’t attract animals,” he says in a hushed voice to me. “Lock the doors as soon as I walk away and only open them when I get back.”

“Nick, what’s going on?” I whisper back, my heart pounding in my chest. “I’m scared.”

“I’ll be right back, I promise,” he says, taking my fingers in his hands to give them a quick, gentle kiss. Even with my mind gripped with fear, I’m still able to enjoy the sensation of his warm lips on my skin.

He turns around to head back to the picnic spot, and I do as he says and lock the doors. I look around and realize that the sun had already completely set behind the ridge, casting a dark twilight over the ranch. Where did the afternoon go so quickly?

Spending time with Nick made me completely lose track of time, and it seems as though he felt the same way judging by his reaction to the sunset.

A knock at the window makes me jump, but I turn to see Nick standing at the driver’s side door through the window. I lean over to unlock it and let him inside. He shoves the picnic basket and blanket into the truck before climbing in and slamming the door behind him.

“Addy, are you okay?” he asks me, reaching over to brush his fingers across my face.

I nod my head, unable to speak, feeling frozen to my seat.

“I’ll get you out of here,” he says quickly, turning on the truck and speeding off back to the farmhouse.

As we drive, I take a look in the rearview mirror and see the same lights appear behind the ridge as the other night.

“There they are!” I shout, pointing at the mirror. “The lights!”

Nick looks up and sees what I’m seeing, stepping harder on the gas pedal.

“Nick, what is going on around here?” I ask again.

“Bad things happen at night on the ranch,” is his only reply, his brow furrowed as the truck barrels forward.