Page 63 of Break Away
He fumbled with the drawer in the bedsidetable, found a condom, and rolled it on. He moved his body overhers and thrust forward, the emotions he’d been battling swellingto nearly overwhelming intensity.
She wrapped her legs around his ass, raisingher hips to pull him in deeper. They moved together, perfectlysynchronized, reaching higher. He held back his release, pushinginto her harder and faster until she convulsed around him, cryingout her climax. He followed seconds later with a hoarse shout.
He rolled until she lay sprawled on top ofhim. His hand drifted down her back and over her rounded ass. He’dnearly dozed off when she stirred.
“I need to let Lucy out.”
“I’ll do it.”
“No, I will.”
There was something in her tone that hadalarm bells ringing. When she would have rolled off him, he caughther face between his palms. “Are we good now?”
“I don’t know.”
He expected an affirmation that they hadmoved past whatever had been bugging her. “What don’t youknow?”
“You’re a good guy, Levi. It’s me who hascommitment issues.”
“Save the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ crap.” Ittook a monumental effort to push the irritation aside. “Spend theday with me.”
“What?”
“Remember we were going on a date. I’d beenaiming for next weekend, but I’m on duty then. Come out with metoday.”
“Where to?”
“Yosemite. We can be there in less than anhour. We’ll have brunch at the lodge, and there’s a place in thevillage where we can rent electric bikes. I’ve been wanting to trythem out, and riding around the valley might be pretty cool.”
“That sounds really nice.” She chewed herlip. “We wouldn’t be able to take Lucy. Let me call Eva. She andDiego have a fenced yard and have doggy sat for me in thepast.”
“Great. While you call Eva, I’ll let Lucyout.”
***
Zoey climbed a contour line over the talusslope looking for fresh hay piles that were evidence of the pikapreparing for the winter. A sound came from above her, and sheglanced up to see the furry creature that looked like a smallrabbit but without the ears perched on a flat rock calling out itswarning. She documented the sighting, moving farther along thecontour line, where she found two hay piles and recorded theircontents. Climbing over the rocks wasn’t Lucy’s favorite activity,so she’d stayed in the meadow below the talus and was currentlysprawled in the shade of a grouping of pine trees.
Her survey finally complete, Zoey made herway off the rocks. She joined Lucy, where she retrieved herportable dog water dish from the doggie pack and filled it withwater from her thermos. They shared a PBJ, then Zoey took a swig ofwater before stowing their gear and rising to her feet. “Let’s go,girl. We’ll get back early. We did good work for a Monday.”
They took the path back down the mountain towhere she’d left the Forest Service vehicle. There was a bathroom,well, a vault toilet to be precise, at the trailhead that she’dmake use of before the drive back to the field office.
Since she’d started her day early, she’d bedone by three. She had chores to do around her house, and since herfridge currently lacked even the most basic food to sustain life,stopping at the grocery store to restock was a must. She could giveLucy a bath. And if she kept busy enough, maybe she’d stop thinkingabout Levi.
Saturday evening she’d shown up on hisdoorstep tipsy. Okay, a little drunk. Two days later, shame stillbrought a flush to her cheeks. She hadn’t been trashed. If she had,then maybe she wouldn’t remember that she’d about admitted herfeelings for him.
Waking up on his couch early Sunday morninghad been insult to injury. Then, instead of leaving, as any sanewoman would have, she’d joined him in bed, which led to great sex.Then, before she could marshal her defenses, she agreed to spendthe entire day with him. A wonderful day in gorgeous Yosemite witha guy who made her heart trip with something as simple as asmile.
Levi made her feel too much.
She was ten seconds away from falling in lovewith him. She needed distance, that was all.
When she was with him, all she could thinkabout were the sparks that ignited whenever they touched. Or howmuch she liked his eyes, especially when the blue burned hotterwhen they kissed. Or how amazing sex with Levi rocked herworld.
She needed the breathing space to thinkrationally about their relationship.
She used stepping-stones to cross a creek,and with only a hundred yards to go, she followed the trail fromthe shade beside a creek into the open, Lucy about ten yards aheadof her. A loud crack split the air. The rifle fire had her droppingto a crouch amidst the brush. Another shot rang out, echoingagainst the rock face on the far side of the valley.
Zoey grabbed the whistle she’d trained Lucyto respond to and blew to give the shrill call. When Lucy boundedto her side, she grabbed her collar and attached the leash.Mid-June was too early for hunting season, so that meant poacherswho were recklessly endangering hikers and anyone else enjoying theoutdoors. She wasn’t a ranger or game warden. She had no lawenforcement authority and didn’t carry a gun. Going after illegalhunters wasn’t an option. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t informthe authorities.
