shower, the water cascading over my bare skin. I only got out when I absolutely had to. I dried off and put on some clothes, letting my wet hair dry naturally. I went into the kitchen and made myself a toasted English muffin slathered with peanut butter and jelly. I took it and a big glass of milk to my breakfast bar and ate it as I glanced through a catalog that had come in the mail the other day. Nothing in it was interesting. I finished my breakfast and put the dishes in the sink to do later. I got my purse and headed out to the mall to do the shopping I told Jenny I was going to do.
I spent time browsing through stores. I picked up a few new outfits and got lunch at the food court. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a new frozen yogurt place had opened on the end of the food court and the ad on the metal stand next to it looked so good I shrugged my shoulders and got in line to order a cone.
I walked back to my car and tossed my bags in the back seat before I walked to the park across from the mall. It was a nice, big park with a fountain in the middle. I liked to walk in it sometimes, but usually before work when the sun was going down. Going there during the day would be different. Besides, it was hot and my frozen yogurt cone was melting. I licked a drip cascading down the side of it as I walked toward the park.
There was a cement path that meandered around the mowed lawns and landscaped flowerbeds. I sat down on a bench beneath a gorgeous tree in front of the fountain and watched families and people walk by. There weren't that many people, but-
Omigod. Was that...? It couldn't be. But there was no mistaking it. Tall, dark haired, wearing a tight black tshirt that showed off his muscular chest and arms. It was Rogue. My mouth went dry. What was he doing here? My eyes finally registered the fact that he was holding a leash. I followed it down to...what kind of dog was that? My brow furrowed as I squinted to see.
It wasn't a dog! It was a PIG! On a leash! Wearing a harness! Who had a pig on a leash? I couldn't help myself. I got up and went toward him.
He looked toward me. His dark chocolate eyes met mine. I stopped where I was. How could someone's eyes do that? I bit my bottom lip and took another step toward him. I swallowed hard and took another step. He didn't move. When I got close enough, I smiled.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," he said back.
"I've, uh, never seen a pig on a leash before," I said lamely. I blushed and looked down at the pig. "What's his name?"
"Her," he said. "And her name is Muffin."
I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out, so I shut it again and nodded.
"She's a pot-bellied pig," he continued. "She belonged to my wife."
He was married? That figures.
"Belonged? What happened to your wife?" I blurted, still awestruck by the pig on a leash held by the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on.
"She left almost a year ago," he said, matter-of-factly.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Will she be back soon?" I asked.
He just looked at me with raised eyebrows. "She left. As in, she left me."
I shook my head. "I don't understand."
"You told me you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend. When you did-" he said.
"I've never had one," I interrupted.
He looked surprised. "Never? You've never been left?"
I shook my head.
"You've never been...well...with anyone?" he asked.
"You mean intimacy? No," I said.
"Never?" he asked incredulously.
I shook my head again and shrugged. "What's so surprising about that?" I asked.
"Well, you're...what? At least 21 to work in a bar. Never had a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or been intimate with anyone. How did you manage to get through puberty without dating? Experimenting? You're pretty enough. Too pretty to still be a virgin," he said.
I blushed and looked at the ground. Muffin the pig was sniffing my shoes.
"Let's just say I had something of a sheltered upbringing," I said, embarrassed. "And I don't exactly know what to do. With, you
I spent time browsing through stores. I picked up a few new outfits and got lunch at the food court. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed a new frozen yogurt place had opened on the end of the food court and the ad on the metal stand next to it looked so good I shrugged my shoulders and got in line to order a cone.
I walked back to my car and tossed my bags in the back seat before I walked to the park across from the mall. It was a nice, big park with a fountain in the middle. I liked to walk in it sometimes, but usually before work when the sun was going down. Going there during the day would be different. Besides, it was hot and my frozen yogurt cone was melting. I licked a drip cascading down the side of it as I walked toward the park.
There was a cement path that meandered around the mowed lawns and landscaped flowerbeds. I sat down on a bench beneath a gorgeous tree in front of the fountain and watched families and people walk by. There weren't that many people, but-
Omigod. Was that...? It couldn't be. But there was no mistaking it. Tall, dark haired, wearing a tight black tshirt that showed off his muscular chest and arms. It was Rogue. My mouth went dry. What was he doing here? My eyes finally registered the fact that he was holding a leash. I followed it down to...what kind of dog was that? My brow furrowed as I squinted to see.
It wasn't a dog! It was a PIG! On a leash! Wearing a harness! Who had a pig on a leash? I couldn't help myself. I got up and went toward him.
He looked toward me. His dark chocolate eyes met mine. I stopped where I was. How could someone's eyes do that? I bit my bottom lip and took another step toward him. I swallowed hard and took another step. He didn't move. When I got close enough, I smiled.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," he said back.
"I've, uh, never seen a pig on a leash before," I said lamely. I blushed and looked down at the pig. "What's his name?"
"Her," he said. "And her name is Muffin."
I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out, so I shut it again and nodded.
"She's a pot-bellied pig," he continued. "She belonged to my wife."
He was married? That figures.
"Belonged? What happened to your wife?" I blurted, still awestruck by the pig on a leash held by the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on.
"She left almost a year ago," he said, matter-of-factly.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Will she be back soon?" I asked.
He just looked at me with raised eyebrows. "She left. As in, she left me."
I shook my head. "I don't understand."
"You told me you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend. When you did-" he said.
"I've never had one," I interrupted.
He looked surprised. "Never? You've never been left?"
I shook my head.
"You've never been...well...with anyone?" he asked.
"You mean intimacy? No," I said.
"Never?" he asked incredulously.
I shook my head again and shrugged. "What's so surprising about that?" I asked.
"Well, you're...what? At least 21 to work in a bar. Never had a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or been intimate with anyone. How did you manage to get through puberty without dating? Experimenting? You're pretty enough. Too pretty to still be a virgin," he said.
I blushed and looked at the ground. Muffin the pig was sniffing my shoes.
"Let's just say I had something of a sheltered upbringing," I said, embarrassed. "And I don't exactly know what to do. With, you
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