Page 57 of In the Works

As we walked, now moving uphill, I peeked at Bri. “So, if you’ve already built the table, what is this trip for?”

Blushing, Bri tried to find cover. “Well I hadn’t settled on a finish yet.”

I rolled my eyes. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Would it be so bad if I just wanted to get you alone?” Bri smirked at me, her eyes burning for me.

“No,” I shook my head as I swallowed hard, “it wouldn’t be.”

We reached the top of a steep hill and the forest began to part into an open field with low shrubs. My eyes drew down to them, where small blue dots lined the bushes. “What is this?”

Reaching into her bag, Bri pulled out an empty tupperware. “Those are wild blueberries, open for picking. And this is their season.”

“Really?” My eyes light up. “I love picking fruit myself.”

Bri giggled. “I know. We used to run around your parents' property and pick the wild mulberries. And the apples from the tree that would never ripen.”

I felt my throat tighten as the memory rushed back to me. Flashes of the two us running through the uncut fields and hunting for fruit while we giggled played in my mind. I could hardly believe she remembered all of that.

I shook my head, letting some of that fresh air and a joke out of my lungs. “Did you build this path just for me?”

“I wish I had.” Bri clenched her jaw as she passed me a tupperware to collect my berries. Her gaze was intense, sending a jolt of excitement through my body that was hard to ignore. If I wasn’t so worried about getting caught, I would’ve pinned her against a tree and touched her right there.

Bri reached into the bush and plucked a ripe blueberry off the stem, popping it into her mouth. “Oh my god, that’s so good.” Before I could reply, she was already reaching down and grabbing another. But this time, she brought it to my lips and waited for them to part.

I opened my mouth, letting her finger put the berry on my tongue. But before she could pull away, I wrapped my lips around her finger and pulled it deeper into my mouth.

“Fuck.” Bri moaned as she felt my plump lips around her.

Grabbing her wrist, I pulled the finger out of my mouth and started to chew on the berry. Bri swallowed hard enough for me to see.

I laughed as I tasted the berry, trying to ignore the pulsing in my folds. The berry was sweet, perfectly ripe. “Wow.”

Bri nodded, trying to steady herself. “Right?” But her eyes watched my lips, wanting more of me.

While she watched, I started pulling berries off the bushes and popping them into the plastic container. Careful not to over harvest, we made sure to leave plenty of fruit for the next hikers. But given how full the bushes were already, I assumed no one else would bother coming here to take them.

Once our tupperware was almost full, Bri tucked it into her bag and kept us moving along the trail. Her broad shoulders strained under the weight of her backpack. A light glisten of sweat covered her exposed skin, the muscles of her arms bulging as she hiked.

We trudged back into the woods, leaving the dozens of berry bushes behind.

“This is the worst part, the path narrows on a cliff. Just stay close to me.” Bri looked over her shoulder at me.

I nodded. “Easy enough.” All my body wanted was to be glued to her.

Sure enough, the trail narrowed, forcing me behind Bri’s strong body. A large cliff towered over us on the left as a steep drop fell off to our right. I peeked over the edge. My stomach dropped at the sight.

“Jesus.”

Bri laughed as she kept us chugging along. “It’s no joke. But the view is worth it.”

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. There was a view too? It was like this trail was custom built to hit everything I wanted on a hike.

We stayed tucked to the wall for a few minutes before the path leveled out and another steep cliff took the place of the harsh drop, sandwiching us between two towering rocks.

A cool breeze ran through the cavern. The sweat that had started to cake my skin started to dry as the sun was blocked out.

Bri looked over her shoulder to make sure I was okay. But when she saw my face, a smile took over hers. “You’re gorgeous, do you know that?”

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