Page 90 of Freedom Mine
In ill-fitting boots, already heavy with mud, she pushed up on her toes and placed her mouth against his. He didn’t move, but he didn’t push her away either. She slid her tongue along his lips until his tongue touched hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth, dancing with her tongue slowly. She eased away, grinning. Her Kayo was in there, she was sure of it.
With a squeeze of her hand, she led him a few feet beyond the trees and set the plastic shell on the ground. “I need you to sit for this next part. That’s what the plastic is for, to keep you dry after all the rain we’ve had.”
“Now, I’m the one who’s intrigued,” he said, his voice sounding lighter than it had in a while. “Highly intrigued.”
“By the kiss or my instructions?”
“Yes.”
Oh, that was a definite smile on his face. “Step up, center yourself, and sit.” She held his arm, to help balance him as he sat.
“Legs open,” she said.
“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?” he asked, as he spread his legs.
“Awfully bold for a man who hasn’t talked to me in a week.” She regretted her words the moment his smile disappeared.
She stepped onto the plastic and settled between his legs. As she leaned back against his chest, his hand rested on her hip, ever-so-lightly, as if he expected her to rebuke him any minute.
“Are you afraid I’ll break?”
“What are we doing, Alli?”
She wouldn’t let the frustration in his voice stop her, not when she was so close. “Close your eyes. You can take off the blindfold, but keep your eyes closed.”
“When can I open them?”
“Oh, you’ll know when. Don’t worry.”
With a cocky smile she hadn’t seen from him in weeks, he let the blindfold drop to the side, in the mud, then snaked his left hand around her waist. When she leaned back, against his chest, his nose nuzzled her hair. He planted a slight kiss at the base of her neck. One arm tightened around her waist, securing her to him. Perfect.
“Alli,” he said, as his hand traced the side of her breast. His thumb drew delicious circles over her nipple, causing it to harden. She arched into his touch, leaning her head back to find his mouth. His lips found hers as if nothing had changed between them. His tongue pressed lightly against her lips, waiting for her to open to him. Her lips parted, inviting him to play, even as his other hand drew under her shirt.
* * *
KAYO
Kayo couldn’t believe they were making out, and he’d barely spoken to her. Was it possible she had forgiven him?
The question soon faded as he cupped a breast and her hands gripped his thighs. The plastic beneath them shifted, and he tightened his core, to keep the platform steady. Gods, she smelled and felt too good to be true.
She arched under his hand again, and then scooted her ass forward twice, as if scratching an itch. The plastic jerked beneath them and started moving forward.
Kayo instinctively gripped the side, his hand hitting mud as he did so. The plastic suddenly pitched forward and started sliding, fast.
His eyes flung open, unable to fathom the sight before him. They were racing down a muddy slick on a treeless section of the mountain.
Alli’s hair whipped in his face, and he tightened his free hand around her so she wouldn’t fall off. She wasn’t holding the sides or steering this monstrous sled. No, she was leaning against him, squealing at the top of her lungs as they barreled down a mud slick, totally carefree. He shifted his weight in anticipation of the topography ahead. He had to let go of Alli to take control of the sled. She threw her arms up in the air, trusting him to steer the sled.
Mud splattered him, and he quickly shut his mouth, focusing instead on the course, watching for obstacles, and feeling the wind against his face. The thrill of speeding down a hill again lifted him in a way he couldn’t have imagined.
Suddenly, he was back home, racing against his brothers, the adrenaline rush demanding he go faster, take sharper turns, and reach the bottom before them. Kayo shifted his hips, angling off a bump ahead, sending the plastic into the air and sailing free for an instant before coming down hard, mud splashing in all directions.
His lovely Alli still leaned against him, a smile like he’d never seen before on her mud-splattered face. She was free, they both were.
He shifted his weight again, to steer away from a tree. They were nearing the bottom, and a few young trees littered the terrain. Another bump, this one expected, sent the sled flying again. They came down harder this time, and Alli was thrown from the sled. “Alli!” he yelled as he put his legs out and pulled up on the plastic to stop the sled.
His adrenaline surging, he jumped to his feet in the middle of the mud slick. He didn’t see her anywhere. “Alli!” he yelled as he raced up the hill. Then he saw a section of mud move. He ran, as much as the heavy mud would allow. Completely covered in mud, Alli lifted herself to her hands and knees and started spitting out mud.
