Authors: Ann Collins
Kara moved up and down on him, slowly moving her tongue in all the ways she knew he liked, then switching it up and trying something different – a little nibble with her teeth for instance. He let out a groan of surprise, but then it quickly changed to a sound of appreciation as he decided that he did like that, after all. So she did it again, and again, and soon he was reaching down to touch her hair. His hands were trembling.
And Kara knew what would happen next – one of her favorite things. When she had teased him to the edge and back, he curled his fingers into her hair and pulled on her head, insistent that she go faster. She loved the feeling of his hands holding her as his hips began to move, demanding more from her mouth. She moved eagerly, keeping pace with exactly what he wanted, until he was on the edge and throbbing with clear intent.
That’s when she fought his hand, slowed down, and made him wait for it.
Just when Anders was on that edge of frustration, the same place he had brought her, she gave in. This time she went full-steam ahead, moving up and down on him her lips tight and her tongue swirling. She watched his face as he got closer and closer, as his breath caught and then came in a rush. And finally, she kept her eyes on him as he threw his head back and howled with pleasure, shooting everything he had into her mouth. She swallowed it down, still watching him.
When he finally collapsed back on the bed, she pulled back, wiped the corner of her mouth with one finger, and lay down beside him with a smile of satisfaction.
“That was insanely good,” he told her when he could breathe again.
“It always is!”
Not a minute later, she was up out of bed, reaching for her clothes. Anders laughed at her eagerness, but they both knew how much she had been looking forward to the events of today – not just the sex, but what would come after it.
“Come on, stud,” she teased, throwing his shirt at him. “Let’s go climb a mountain.”
***
Four hours later they were both hot and sweaty in a very different way. They had been on the trail for most of that time, stopping only a few times to admire a view or to take a sip of water. Now they were almost at the finish line, and it was a good thing – neither one of them was out of shape, but they weren’t accustomed to this kind of physical exertion, either. Their muscles ached in a way that told them they would both pay for this in the morning.
But right now, there were more pressing issues. Kara sat on the wide, flat rock, looking at her knees. They had each taken a tumble during their hike, but this one was a doozy, one that left Kara with a scraped knee. She studied it intently as Anders opened up the small first aid kit he kept in the day pack. He opened a water bottle and gently poured the clean liquid over her knee. She let out a hiss of pain and watched as the debris washed away from the cuts.
“This is familiar,” he chuckled.
Kara instantly remembered, and she gave him a radiant smile. “The first time I hurt my knees, you put an ice pack on them.”
“And then I kissed you.”
“We did more than kiss!”
“And you had to be careful not to put pressure on your knees…kinda like you’ll have to be careful tonight.”
She reached out and tousled his hair as if he were a little boy. “You make big assumptions.”
He just grinned as he ripped open an alcohol swab.
Anders could feel Kara studying him as he tended to her wounds. He didn’t look up, but instead let her drink her fill. How many times had he looked at her that way, just watched her walk through a room or cook dinner or read a book? He loved seeing all the sides of her, and he could imagine that was what she was doing now – imprinting this moment of him into her memory.
When he was done, he finally looked up. She was still studying him with an intensity that was a little unnerving. He put his hands on her thighs and looked right back, delving deep into her eyes with his own. They sat like that for a very long time, until the sun changed just the slightest bit, just enough to tell them that it was time to get moving if they wanted to get back before dark.
“I’m ready,” she said.
A thrill shot through Anders. Her words sounded like so much more than a woman who was simply ready to stand up and continue the hike to the top of the mountain. She sounded like someone who was sure of everything in her life, including the man in front of her. But rather than ask her what she meant, he stood up and took her hand.
Kara winced as she put weight on her knee, but after a few moments of walking around she declared herself patched up and ready to climb. “It’s going to get a lot harder from here,” she predicted.
And she was right. They spent the next hour climbing, sometimes straight up, finding careful footing on the rocks that jutted out at the top of the mountain. The summit was just ahead. The glimpse of wide open sky through the thinning trees was all the inspiration they needed to keep going.
Then, suddenly – it was there.
Kara and Anders stepped onto the highest rock, the one that topped the mountain. The trees were thin here, and so was the air. But the sky was in abundance, so blue that it hurt to look at it. A pair of hawks wheeled and called to each other on the breeze. There was a patch of clouds nearby, actually a bit below them, because they were at the uppermost point of the mountain. Kara stared at the cloud for a long time.
“We are actually above the clouds,” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “How is that even possible?”
Anders watched her as she turned in a circle, taking in the majesty of where she was. He had been up here before, the first time as a boy, but watching her take it all in for the first time made it feel new all over again. She finally turned to him with wide eyes.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she breathed.
Anders smiled, looking right at her. “Neither have I.”
It wasn’t the view that was on his mind, and she knew it. Her smile matched his, her eyes filled with it, her whole body radiating happiness.
“I love you,” she said.
Those words rang out into the blue sky, seeming to light up everything around them in brighter colors. Anders blinked hard at the tears that appeared out of nowhere. He wasn’t the type of man who cried, but those words had more of an effect on him than he had imagined they would. He took a deep breath, still staring at the woman who had made it possible to feel so much.
“I love you too,” he said.
Kara looked at him for another moment, then turned to the sky and lifted her arms out wide. The sound of joy came from deep within her, bubbling up from some place inside that was finally breaking free.
“I love this man!” she called, shouting her joy from the mountaintop.
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- Ann
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