Page 36 of Devoted

Once we sign our waivers and listen to the instructor demonstrate how to hold the rope, operate our hooks, and stop ourselves as we approach the landing of each station, us and two other couples suit up in our gear and head for the course.

“Now I see why we needed to wear comfortable clothing. This harness is tight.” Jess looks back to check her appearance in her harness, but I’ve been doing nothing but observing that since the straps squeezed her hips and ass and put her best asset on display.

“Everything looks good from what I can see,” I imply suggestively.

“Same here,” she replies and then dips her eyes down to my crotch where my package is highlighted by the harness as well. No biggie, but I sure am glad she’s as interested in what I have hidden beneath these clothes as I am with her.

We file out of the compact building and start to climb stairs and a few ladders, travelling to the highest station where we will start the course. The farther we get towards the sky, the whiter Jess’s knuckles turn as she grips the railing while looking over the sides of the platform, observing how high up we truly are.

“Stop looking down. All you’re going to be able to focus on is your fear. You need to look up.” My fingers find her chin and tip her head up so she can see the view of the mountains and sky around us. Her head swivels in both directions, absorbing the orange and pink hues of the sky starting to form as the sun sets. When I booked our appointment, I wanted this time of day on purpose, so we could get this exact view—a sunset on top of a peak overlooking the valley below us. It’s just about as breathtaking as the woman who joined me and is going far out of her comfort zone on account of me.

I watch Jess’s eyes bounce around, taking in the scenery, before she turns and locks on to mine. “This is amazing.”

“See? And you’ll miss it if you keep looking down.” I move behind her and place one hand on her hip while the lead instructor addresses the group.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen. We’re about to get started. Remember what we discussed—you don’t want to grip the rope too tightly or it will slow you down and then you’ll get stuck in the middle of the cable. It’s not fun, so trust your harness to hold you and let yourself fly. We will catch you at the end, promise. Any volunteers to go first?”

The couple behind us throw their hands in the air eagerly. I overheard their conversation earlier and this is something they’ve done before. Jess and I move out of the way on the platform to let them slide by, causing her to scoot closer to me, which I don’t hate.

“Just breathe and watch them,” I whisper in her ear as the man steps off the platform with ease and glides through the air, stretching his arms out wide and leaning back slightly, tipping his head up to the sky.

“This is nuts.”

I can’t help but laugh softly. “You say that now. But wait until you slide across the rope. I have a feeling you’re gonna love it.”

The man’s wife follows him similarly, and then Jess and I are next. “I’m going to go first so you know I’m waiting for you on the other side, okay?” She nods, reluctant to let go of me. “I know this is probably not the time to say this, but seeing you this nervous is such a turn on.”

She smacks my chest before curling her arms around my waist. “Just go so I can go and get this over with. I think once I get past the first time, it will get easier.”

“Definitely.” I ease away from Jess after planting a kiss on her cheek, and take my position at the edge of the wooden deck beneath us, waiting for the signal from the guide on the other side. His hand waves in the air and the tug of the rope tells me I’m free to go. I look back over my shoulder, flash Jess a wink, and then step off the platform, letting the harness hold me as I glide down the rope, surveying the surrounding scenery. The tops of trees are below and all around, the sun’s rays break through the holes in multiple branches as I race across the course, and the image of a few birds flying in front of me almost makes me forget to grasp the rope above me to slow myself down.

I make it to the platform with a punch of force behind me, the guide standing there waiting taking the brunt of it as I come to a complete stop.

“You’ve done this before?” He asks, unhooking me from the rope and onto another one that is attached to the side of the platform.

“Yeah, but she hasn’t,” I answer, nodding in the direction of the place I just came from as the guide signals that it’s safe for Jess to ride.

“Let’s see how she does.”

I nod and hold my breath as Jess painfully steps off the edge of the station and begins to fly down the rope, her eyes appearing as if they’re closed. And as she gets closer, I know they were because the second she pops them open, I can see the awe register on her face and the amazement in her smile as she gets closer and closer to me. Her head pivots to the side while she glides, soaking up the vision of cascading above the treetops and through the forest along the side of a mountain, seeing a point of view of our town below us that she’s never seen before.

“Break!” The guide shouts as she closes in on the platform. “Break!”

Suddenly, terror replaces the elation on her face as she panics and reaches up to stop herself a little too late. You can hear the force as she collides with the guide, his stocky stature actually intercepting her small frame considerably as he manages to stay on his feet as she plows into him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jess looks flustered and embarrassed as she steps away from him, but the guide just laughs it off.

“Not the first time it’s happened, and it won’t be the last.”

“I was enjoying the view so much I didn’t realize how fast I was going and how close I was to the end.”

I chuckle and then reach for her hand, pulling her over to me and out of the way as the next person comes flying towards us. “So… how was it?”

Her face lights up, her eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them, her lips so high and wide that her cheeks must be hurting from her smile. “It was incredible!”

“See? Sometimes you just need to jump.”

She nods in agreement and then pushes up on her toes to plant a brief kiss on my lips. And even though the touch is fleeting, I can feel the emotion behind it. “Thank you for making me do this.”

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