The Monster Within

Chapter 55

"Good evening Sir, good evening Madame," the host at the door says with a warm smile. He stands at a podium examining the next hour of reservations when both Emma and Killian approach.

"Hello," Emma says. "We have a reservation under Jones for 7 o'clock."

"Ah yes, here it is, would you like to follow me?" the host says after checking the book. He then takes some menus and begins to lead them to their table.

Emma takes a moment to examine the décor of the restaurant. It looks rather fancy with carpeted flooring, fancy plants and ornaments littered around the place, modern light fixtures, and even a pianist playing soft melodies in the corner. Clearly, she and Killian are not the only couples having a quiet date night, several other couples are sitting at their tables, either toasting with an expensive bottle of wine, eating fine cuisine, or merely just talking in hushed tones to one another. The atmosphere is what surprises her the most. It's quiet, with the exception of the piano music, which could be considered barely audible unless someone really listened hard. Emma had been unsure as to why Killian had picked this place considering how expensive it seemed, but now she understood. He wanted them to have a quiet evening to themselves. No hormonal teenagers playing loud video games, no crying babies screaming for a bottle and no phone calls from friends asking them how the new arrival is doing.

It seems that her docks man boyfriend understood her better than ever before... He knew she needed to get away from the house, the stress of their chaotic lives and simply be with one another. Despite the fact that they saw each other every day and slept in the same bed every night, the two of them had barely had time for one another; had time to talk and simply connect with one another. While she is still very much in love with Killian, she could feel the strain in their relationship with baby Sophie and her secret... the secret that is eating her alive. And while her blue-eyed Prince Charming may not know what she knew, they were having this date so they could relax and forget about everything... He understood her plight and pain the most, despite not knowing everything that had been occurring...maybe she'd always be an open book to him.

Once they are seated by a set of windows that look out onto the dark Boston street, both of them examine their menus. Emma is looking at the prices. They aren't crazy expensive, but they are not cheap either.

"Anything you want Love, I'm paying tonight," Killian says with an earnest smile.

"Killian, I can't possibly ask you to..."

"Swan, we share a home, a mortgage, a child, and a life now, allow me to pay for this... remember it's the anniversary of our first official date. I paid back then, and I'm going to pay now. And nothing you can say or do will stop me from doing so."

Emma gives a grin. "Nothing?" she asks cheekily, raising her eyebrow. She reaches across the table and caresses his left hand gently. She slowly begins to stroke his forearm, leaning closer and closer. She smiles when she sees his cheeks flush.

She then impulsively leans over and kisses his lips, knocking over an empty glass as she does so. Neither of them cares who might be watching. They are both lost in each other. The sexual tension between them is almost impossible to cut.

"How about now?" she whispers. All the terrible thoughts in her minds seem to have melted away. No flashbacks, no feelings of fear, no dread in the pit of her stomach... just pure love, everything else was forgotten at that moment. She knew how much it hurt Killian when she refused to intimate. He understood that it was all from her trauma with Arthur King, but she knew he missed those moments when the world seemed to stop, and it would just the two of them. Even though they had only experienced one another sexually a few times, she'd missed the softness of his skin, the feeling of his hair going through her fingers, the scent of salt and rum on his breath. It had been so intoxicating, like a drug she wants to continue getting high on, and now she wants that feeling of lust back, shoving the horrible memories aside to simply kiss him again.