She kissed him back and rubbed her cheek against his, the light stubble on his face scratching her soft skin in an interestingly erotic fashion. "Mmm. I might could get used to being here for you to come home to, if you guaranteed me a greeting like this every night."
He started to reach for her again, but she pushed him away playfully. "Oh, no, you don't. Go take your shower. We've got a date tonight and I'm not gonna let you sidetrack me."
Peter emerged from the bedroom ten minutes later, wearing a teal blue silk shirt and black jeans, hand-combing his still damp hair into place.
Kacie sniffed his aftershave and eyed him appreciatively. "Mmm. You sure clean up nice. And I love that shirt on you," she commented with a grin, walking over to meet him. Sliding her hands up over his chest and broad shoulders, she pulled down his head and found his lips with hers. "'Course, I think I love that shirt off you even more."
They kissed again and Peter growled huskily, "Keep talking like that and you can forget about the movie and dinner. We'll rent a video and order takeout instead."
"Not a chance. I've been looking forward to this all day." She winked at him as they reached for their coats.
"Honey, can we take your car tonight?" Peter asked hopefully. "I think the timing's off on mine, and I want to take it to my mechanic tomorrow."
"Sure." She pulled her car keys from her purse. "You want me to drive, too? I know you're not used to handling a real car after driving that toy of yours all the time."
"Oh, don't even go there," Peter said scornfully. "My car can run yours into the ground any day of the week."
"Is that so? Then how come we're taking MY car instead of yours tonight?"
"You ever thought about becoming a lawyer?" he asked in mock irritation. "You have a real gift for twisting a person's words to your advantage."
"Come on, let's go. I'm ready for our date to start." She took his hand in hers and pulled him toward the door.
"Hmm. That's funny. I'm more ready for it to be over."
"All in good time, Sweetheart. All in good time."
"Where are we going to eat?" Kacie asked as they climbed in the Saturn and buckled their seat belts.
"Thought we'd go to House of Hunan in Chinatown."
"I love the food there."
"I know," he answered smugly. "Why do you think I picked the place?"
Kacie smiled at him and made a crooking motion with the index finger of her left hand. He leaned in her direction, and she met him halfway for a quick kiss. "Thank you, Hon. I'd almost forgotten how much fun it was going out on a date with you." She giggled and looked at him coyly. "Just think, Peter; when you bring me home from this date, I'll be inviting you into my bed instead of having to think up ways to keep you out of it."
His face reddened, and he shifted in his seat. "Do you have any idea how many cold showers I had to take back then?"
She reached out a hand and rested it on his upper thigh. "And here I thought you were just into cleanliness."
"If you don't stop fooling around, Kace, we're going straight for 'into your bed' and forget about the rest of the evening."
She shrugged and pretended to be miffed. Pulling her hand back into her own lap, she snickered. "OK, fine. I guess we can always talk about the weather or something."
Peter drove the Saturn out onto the street, and they proceeded on the way to Chinatown.
"How much longer will your father and Lo Si be gone?" Kacie questioned.
"I'm guessing another two weeks or so. The reconstruction of the Shaolin temple they went to wasn't finished yet, so the dedication ceremony wasn't going to happen quite on schedule."
"How were you able to find that out?"
Peter grinned. "You'd be amazed at the number of people who are hooked up to the internet. Kermit says he can track anybody down anywhere in the world."
"If anybody but Kermit said that, I'd say they were full of it. Kacie sighed. "I miss Dad and Lo Si. Things just aren't the same when they're not around."
"I miss 'em, too. But they'll be back."
"My, you're getting philosophical in your old age, Peter."
They laughed together and Peter took one hand off the steering wheel to take Kacie's hand in his. "What movie do you wanna see tonight?"
"I don't know. Maybe 'Titanic'? I feel like I'm the only nurse at the hospital who hasn't seen it."
Peter frowned and shook his head emphatically. "Nope. Don't want to see it."
She stared at him in surprise. "Why not? What are you, one of those 'the boat sank, get over it' kinda guys?"
They stopped at a red light, and his grip on her hand tightened as he regarded her seriously. "No, I'm one of those 'my wife almost died from hypothermia' kinda guys, and I don't want to be reminded of how close I came to losing you."
"Oh. I guess I never thought about it that way."
"I will never forget what it was like, pulling you out of that water, and feeling you so cold."
A honking horn behind them jerked Peter's attention back to notice the light had turned green. He returned his hand to the steering wheel and pulled into the intersection.
Kacie started to suggest another movie, glancing absently out her side window. She saw nothing but the grill of a Ford pickup that was running the red light. Instinctively covering her head and face, she turned away with a scream.
Peter tried to accelerate through the intersection, but the pickup hit the Saturn broadside, just behind the rear passenger door. The lighter-weight red car went into a spin which ended when the driver's side smashed against the rear of a garbage truck. Peter felt a battering ram crush into his chest an instant before a sudden searing sensation of pain and breathlessness. Before the blackness swallowed him up, he heard a woman's shriek of terror. {Oh, God. Kacie. I've killed her.}