Page 65 of Chasing the Dream

“I don’t want you to fall,” he said calmly like he was talking to a child.

“Fine.” She placed her hand in his, and he clamped down on it as if he feared she’d try to squirm away. Then he turned and headed up the trail with her in tow.

The entire time they’d been hiking, she’d been observing him and noticing how at ease he seemed in this environment. One would never know he hailed from Southeast Michigan, where the terrain was relatively flat. He climbed these trails like a sure-footed mountain goat, and she admired his stamina and determination.

When they got to the place where the rock flattened out, he guided her onto it, keeping her hand firmly clasped in his.

“Now. Look out there,” he said reverently.

She felt a bit wobbly standing atop a rock on the side of a mountain, but she trusted him to keep her safe. She looked where he was pointing and sighed. They were overlooking a wide valley ringed by high mountains, some with snow-capped peaks. A large bird, a hawk maybe, soared on the wind above the valley, seemingly enjoying the view too.

“It’s beautiful.”

“See. Aren’t you glad we climbed up here?”

“Yes.”

“Just don’t look down.”

So, what did she do? She looked down and almost lost her balance. Gabe quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tightly against him.

“I said don’t look down!”

Then she made the mistake of looking up directly into his gorgeous deep blue eyes. Great! Now she felt the urge to do something else that she wasn’t supposed to do.

He continued holding her and met her gaze. Neither of them looked away.

Kiss me. It was a silent plea, but he must have heard it.

In what felt like slow motion, he dipped his head down, and her lips parted right before his landed on them. Soaring. That’s what she felt like as he claimed her mouth with the same confidence and finesse he’d demonstrated climbing up the mountain. There was nothing hesitant about it; his lips were soft yet demanding, and she gladly gave in to his demands.

She lifted her arms and looped them around his neck, effectively holding him in place. When his tongue slipped inside her mouth, she moaned and pressed her body against him, feeling every delicious point of contact between them.

He slid his hands underneath the back of her shirt and caressed her back, sending shivers down her spine.

If she’d been thinking clearly, she’d have remembered that they were out in the open near a popular trail, where someone could happen upon them at any moment. But she wasn’t thinking clearly, and she didn’t want to. She just wanted to keep kissing him, touching him, and so much more.

Suddenly he pulled back, but he didn’t let go. His chest was heaving, and sweat glistened on his forehead as he gazed at her intently. “We can’t do this here.”

“We just did.”

“You know what I mean.”

Her breath hitched. “Where, then?”

He glanced around like he was considering dragging her behind a tree or a rock, but she shook her head. “Let’s go back to the car.”

“We’re not teenagers anymore, Morgan. I don’t want our first time to be in a car.”

Our first time? Did that mean there would be more? You’re getting way ahead of yourself.

“We’ll figure something out. Let’s just go.”

His kiss had given her more energy than her morning coffee, and they held hands as they practically jogged back down the mountain. When they came upon the large man who’d passed them earlier, Morgan trilled, “Excuse me. Coming through.”

He grunted in response and moved out of their way. They were both laughing and panting by the time they’d reached the parking lot. Gabe pulled two water bottles out of his backpack and handed her one, and they drank heartily as they got into his car.

She’d just buckled her seatbelt when he leaned over the console and kissed her again. This kiss was slower and sweeter but still laced with the promise of things to come. She was already drifting into that foggy, dreamlike state when his phone buzzed on the dashboard.