“It’s only a little further,” Lincoln said, taking Charity’s hand to help her up the steep incline. “I promise when we get there, it will be totally worth it.”
“You said that three inclines ago.”
“I know. I didn’t want you to realize how far we still had to go.”
“Good plan. But this better be the last one. I’m exhausted. I don’t know how you do this every day.”
“If it’s difficult for an avid hiker, could you imagine how hard it would be if you weren’t a total badass?”
The reached a small plateau and Charity stopped for a moment, placing her hands on her hips as she dragged deep breaths into her lungs. She turned to look back the way they’d come and shook her head.
“Is that the cabin way off in the distance?”
“It is.”
“Man. Why can’t you be the kind of rich guy who travels everywhere by helicopter?”
A startled laugh escaped him, and he grabbed her in his arms, kissing her quickly.
“Because life is too short for that nonsense. Plus, my chopper is only a single-seater, so it wouldn’t matter if I had it here or not, unless you want to ride on one of the skids.”
“I’ll pass. I don’t have a death wish.”
“Good to know. Now, come on. We’re almost there.”
“That’s what you keep saying,” she said, but she followed him anyway, carefully picking her way over the loose rocks on the trail.
When they finally got to the top, she threw her arms wide and embraced the scene in front of her.
“This was worth hiking all day for,” she said.
“That’s not even the best part,” he said, pushing aside the branch of a young sapling with a flourish.
“Is that?”
“Yep. It’s a warm spring.”
She looked at him, bit her lip playfully then took off.
“I’ll race ya,” she yelled over her shoulder.
She was already well ahead of him, running downhill on the smooth trail until she got to the edge of the spring. She bent down, dipping her hand in the water first, then throwing her clothes into a pile on the bank and jumping in.
Lincoln was right behind her, catching up to her easily and swimming beside her the rest of the way to the opposite edge of the water, which overlooked the valley below.
“Could this be any more perfect?” Lincoln said.
Charity turned to tell him that it couldn’t, but she quickly realized that he was looking at her.
“Oh,” she said with surprise. “I thought you were talking about the view, and the warm water.”
“The view looks perfect from right here,” he said.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her atop the water to the edge where large, smooth boulders made up the outside wall of the pool of warm water.
She grabbed the side and he slid in behind her, his naked body pressed up against hers.
“Have you ever seen such a sight?” he asked.
“No, I haven’t. Oh Lincoln. I wish this would never end.”
“So do I.”
“This place is enchanting. I don’t think I can ever go back to living in the city.”
She was pinned between him and the wall, his hands casually roaming over her sides as they talked.
“Then don’t,” he said.
“If only it was that simple.”
“There’s no reason to complicate things,” he said, kissing her neck.
She shuddered, the pleasure almost too much, but she held out.
“You’re right, but how would I work with no internet connection?”
“We can go into Seattle every few weeks, spend the weekend at the Hotel Andra and then come home.”
She sighed.
“That sounds so perfect.”
He kissed her neck again.
“You don’t have to say yes right now,” he said. “But just yes for now.”
“Alright,” she said. “Yes, for now.”
“See, was that so hard?”
She arched her back against him, teasing him intentionally as she giggled.
“No, but I know something that is.”
His laughter echoed off the rocks that surrounded them.
“You’re a hot mess,” he said.
“You like it.”
“I do,” he said, slipping into her, his hand sliding down her stomach and in between her legs. “And I like you.”
“I like you, too,” she said, trying to focus despite the heat that was growing beneath his fingers.
But his touch was too skilled, her body too in tune with his to ignore the passion that hung between them every moment they were together.
The top of her breasts were above the water, the cool mountain breeze in shocking contrast to the warm water that churned around their bodies. Lincoln gripped the rocks, leveraging himself against her. He buried himself deep inside her, driving moan after moan out of her with each thrust.
“Have you ever made love in the wilderness like this before?” he asked, hot breath tickling her ear.
“Only in my dreams.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m going to make it my mission to take you on every acre of this mountain.”
Her body shuddered in response to his promise, the possibilities endless.
She was still staring out at the gorgeous view when her body began to shudder, and she writhed helplessly in his arms. He held her tight, showing no mercy until he’d found his own pleasure, then he slammed into her with such force that her pleasure rose again, and she had a second orgasm more powerful than the first.
Exhausted, he collapsed behind her, his head on her shoulder, whispering her name in her ear. They floated on the wall for some time before Lincoln finally took her hand and tugged her toward a large rock that rose a few inches out of the water.
She watched him hoist himself out of the water, his muscles bunching beneath his smooth skin with every movement. Her eyes lingered over his broad shoulders, his tight ass, and his thick legs corded with muscles you couldn’t get in a gym. He was simply gorgeous.
“What?” he asked, rolling onto his side and holding out his hand to help her out of the water.
“I could look at that fine body all day,” she said.
“Be careful. You might find yourself ravished again.”
“I’ll take my chances,” she said.
She took his hand and he rolled onto his back, holding out his arms to her. She lay in his arms, head tucked under his chin. The sun was warm on her skin as the cool wind dried her off and lulled her until she was starting to fall to sleep.
He rubbed her back, kissing her on top of the head several times as he lay silently beneath her.
“This is perfect,” he said. “You’re perfect. It’s nice to forget about the world for a while and just live.”
She kissed his neck, then wound her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled against him.
“I don’t even know what day it is anymore,” she said.
“September twenty-sixth,” he said.
“Crap,” she said. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”
“Anything serious?”
“No. Just routine stuff.”
“Understood. You can take my car if you want. Or I can take you.”
“No,” she said a little too quickly. “I don’t want to impose. You can stay at the cabin while I go. I won’t be more than a few hours.”
“I really don’t mind.”
“I know that,” she said, trying for a light tone and failing. “But I’d rather do this alone.”
“You’re welcome to the Porsche,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“The car is replaceable,” he said. “You are not. Whatever it is, take care of it, and I’ll mind my own business unless you ask for my help.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“We should head back,” he said. “It’s mostly downhill, but even that is hard for long periods of time.”
“Not nearly as hard as the uphill,” she said wryly.
“Let me know if you still feel that way after you’ve fallen on your ass a few times.”
“I won’t,” she countered.
“We’ll see,” he teased.
She drew in a heavy breath and sighed.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” she said. “This has been the best day of my life.”
He kissed her, his fingers in her hair, thumb caressing her cheek. The tender gesture made her lip quiver and her heart skip a beat.
They swam back to the shore, using a towel Lincoln produced from his backpack to dry off before getting dressed and making their way down the trail toward the cabin. They held hands most of the way down, and more than once, Lincoln kept her from falling on her ass. He didn’t say a word but squeezed her hand affectionately and gave her a look that said it all. He was enjoying the trip back as much as she was.
She was still smiling when the cabin came into view and her tired feet carried her the last few yards to the back door. They stripped down in the mudroom, leaving their clothes in the wash and heading straight for the bathroom off the mudroom.
“Putting a shower here was a brilliant idea,” Charity said, drying off while Lincoln showered. “I’m going to use one of these t-shirts if that’s okay.”
“Help yourself,” he said.
She opened the closet that was in the bathroom, thumbing through the shirts until she found a Seahawks Jersey, putting it on over her head and checking her reflection out in the mirror.
“You can skip the panties,” Lincoln said, winking at her as he stepped out of the shower.
“Sounds good to me. I’m starving, but there’s no way my tired ass is going to make it up the stairs and back down again tonight. You want a sandwich?”
“That sounds wonderful,” he said. “I’ll start a fire in the hearth if you want to make us a couple sandwiches.”
He didn’t have to ask her twice.
The sun was already starting to set when she brought two plates to the plush area rug near the fireplace, setting them and two bottles of waters on a nearby coffee table.
“This carpet is so soft and thick,” she said.
“That’s why I bought it,” he said. “There’s nothing better for the soul than a long hike and a night spent by the fire.”
He rocked back on his heels, watching the embers burning and waiting until the tinder caught fire and started lapping at the dried log in the center before he put the grate up.
Wearing only a plaid pair of pajama pants, he grabbed two body pillows from the sofa and put them on the rug, then sat down beside Charity and ate his sandwich.
“This is delicious,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for this beautiful day,” she said.
They finished their food, and Lincoln set their plates out of the way before laying stretched out on the rug. He gathered her into his arms, laying on his side and cradling her against his chest so that she was between his body and the fire. Her eyes grew heavy, and the heavy, rhythmic sound of his breathing lulled her into a deep sleep. The last thought she remembered having as she fell into the darkness was wondering if this day was all just a dream. Then the thought faded, and for the first time since George had gone over the cliff’s edge, she slept without dreaming, content and safe in Lincoln’s strong arms.