by Maya Riley
Once we were a short distance away, he turned his head toward me. “How are you doing, really? Honestly, Cam,” he asked.
“I’m doing alright,” I answered. “Honestly.” We took a few more steps. “I mean, like, it’s not the greatest thing in the world right now. But it could also be worse.” I shrugged, before continuing, “And, if I was honest with you and myself, I really did want them to be here. All these years I’d dreamed of them showing up and joining me in this, and we’d accomplish this as a slightly less broken family. But I don’t know, that screaming match with Steve kind of ruined the family reunion a bit. Plus, things always go better in my head and imagination than they do in real life.” I chuckled a bit. “I honestly never actually expected them to really show up. And of their own volition too. Let alone to join in the climb, like my mother even brought a pack for herself and for Steve, complete with all this gear because she came here expecting them both to join. I just... I don’t know.” I shrugged, even though the shadows hid the movement.
He placed an arm around my back, grabbed my upper arm with his hand, and pulled me in close to him for a side hug. “It’ll be okay, Cam, I promise. We’ll all make sure of that. Nothing is getting in the way or bringing you down.”
“Thank you,” I said, before reaching up and placing a kiss on his cheek.
He removed his arm from my back and we held hands the rest of the time. We walked in silence, looking up at the stars and listening to the sounds of the wildlife. It was peaceful and nice. No strained or difficult conversations, just us.
After a little while, we headed back to the cabin. Mom and Steve took a room to themselves and were already in it, turns out the guys arranged it all. We’d see them again at breakfast.
I looked over at Pete at the mention of the morning, when breakfast would be had. He glanced back over at me and smiled. “Don’t worry, guys,” he chimed in. “I’ve got breakfast taken care of.”
“Really?” Ryan asked. “So, what’s for breakfast then? What do I have to look forward to?”
“Is Pete making breakfast?” J.D. inquired.
“What’s this about breakfast?” Gary piped up as he came downstairs.
“Breakfast?” Carson said as he descended the stairs behind Gary.
Pete laughed. “Cam and I had a race earlier. I won, so I’m making breakfast for everyone.”
“How is it that you win and you end up getting stuck with all the work?” Carson asked.
“Because Cam wanted something with dill for breakfast. So she had to win to have that,” Pete answered.
“Which wouldn’t have mattered anyway since it’s all gone and the shack is out of it.” I shrugged. “So I wouldn’t have had it either way. At least now I don’t need to do all the work,” I teased. “Alright you guys, I’m heading to bed. Thank you for helping with all of the,” I waved my hands erratically in the air in front of me, “insanity today. You know. Just, thank you.”
I started up the stairs then turned around and looked back. “Oh, also, is the room I was sleeping in before the one I’m still sleeping in tonight?” I inquired.
Gary nodded. “That’s right, sweet cheeks. I’m in there too, and so is Pete and someone else. Actually, we’re all in there with you. It’s going to be one big cuddlefest. Maybe we can try and break the bed,” he joked with a double eyebrow waggle, and I burst out laughing.
“Challenge accepted.” I hurried upstairs and proceeded to the bathroom. I got ready for bed, washed my hands, brushed my teeth, and brushed the knots out of my hair.
My light brown hair was still long and fell past my shoulders. It was always getting tangled and I’d been meaning to go and get it trimmed and cut a little bit shorter but, you know, procrastination.
Once the bird’s nest that was my hair had been eradicated, I washed my face and looked in the mirror.
As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t help but notice the stark resemblance I still had to each of my parents. I hadn’t seen Steve in nearly a decade, but he still looked exactly the same as he had the day he left. His walk was even the same, filled with confidence that he’d conquer wherever it was he was going. He must have been in for quite the surprise when he realized, for the first time, he wasn’t going to conquer getting me off this mountain until I’d made it to the top.
My mother still carried herself with the same grace that she’d always had. I was a little bit of both of them, a strange mixture of each. The resemblance that Clif and I had to them couldn’t be denied.
After drying off my face and hands, I crawled under the covers and drifted off to sleep, thoughts of how to spend the next day entering my mind and flooding my dreams.
I woke to the smell of cheese and my chest expanded as I breathed in the heavenly aroma. Attempting to turn over and switch positions, I found myself surrounded by a pool of sweat, which was covering every inch of me.
Sitting up, I tried to untangle myself from the mass of bodies and limbs I was wrapped up in. Hell, I couldn’t even tell which arms and legs were mine, no matter how much I attempted to wiggle. Since Mom and Steve decided to stay here and climb the Carbolitas with us, the room had been extra cramped. Jenna and Gary moved over to the other cabin with Dave, Stan, and Carrie. None of the guys wanted to sleep anywhere other than the room that I was in, so it made for a lot of hot cuddling. And not the kind of hot cuddling that turned into sex either. No. It was the kind of hot cuddling that made you sweat up a storm alongside four or more other people, forcing you to sleep in a pond of your own sticky sweat.
I lifted my hips, trying my best to get unburied and roll off whoever was on me. Then I used all the momentum I could muster and threw myself to the right, rolling over the others and tumbling to the floor.
“Ow.” I landed on my arm. It would be fine, it was just uncomfortable. As long as I could still climb, I’d be good.
I stood up and looked at the bed. My escape hadn’t startled a single person there.
Enjoying the cool air on my heated skin, I opened the door, walked out into the hall, and then trailed downstairs.
In my sleep-filled haze, I could tell there was a familiar smell. My nose tried to convince me it was cheese.
I reached the staircase landing, strolled through the living room, and crept into the kitchen. Pete was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, sipping a mug of coffee, and reading a book. I walked over and faced him from the other side of the counter, placing each of my hands on the cool marble, and leaned forward slightly.
“Watchya reading?” I asked. I peered down, but he placed a finger on the page he was on and closed the book.
The cover was a beautiful purple one with a magical lady, which was all I saw before he flipped it over so I could read the blurb. It was about dragons, shifters, magic, and a girl whose memories were forgotten. “Huh, I don’t think I’ve heard of that one before,” I said.
“It came out just a few months ago,” he explained.
“Is it any good?” I asked.
“Actually, it really is.”
“So…” I started, getting to the important topic. “What’s for breakfast? I thought I smelled cheese. Is it perhaps—” the sizzling from the stove behind me cut off my words and he set the book down after sticking a piece of paper inside so he wouldn’t lose his page, and ran around the counter to the stove.
It was then I realized bacon had been cooking.
“Bacon is done,” he called out over his shoulder. “Funny. I’ve been making the bacon all morning, but the thing that gets you out of bed is cheese? You couldn’t smell anything else?”
“Nope,” I replied.
The guys then appeared in the doorframe that separated the kitchen and the living room.
“Thought I smelled bacon,” J.D. said.
“Ditto,” Carson added.
“Same,” Ryan chimed in.
I laughed and looked back at Pete. “Yeah, bacon gets these guys out of bed. The key to waking me up is apparently cheese,” I teased. �
�So, where are the omelettes?” I looked around, confused. Omelettes should be causing the cheese smell.
“Grab yourself a drink and a seat outside. I’ll bring it to you,” he told me before turning to the others. “Not the rest of you though, only Cam. You guys stay in here and help,” he ordered, just as the others went to move toward the door that led outside.
I laughed and poured myself some mango juice and moved outside, taking a seat in what was apparently my favorite chair here. I relaxed in the high-backed seat and looked out at the view. It was gorgeous. There were mountains all over in the distance, and I could see all the pine trees. A deer family walked across the yard, so peaceful and not at all afraid of people, which was nice to see. This place was all around magical.
The door opened and the guys rolled out, each carrying their own plates and drinks. Pete emerged and headed straight for me with a plate that had another plate on top of it so I couldn’t see what was underneath.
I sniffed the air. “Well, I can smell the cheese. If I can’t have dill, then at least it smells like I can have one of my second favorite things.”
“One of your second favorite things? How many second favorite things do you have?” he asked.
“Pretty much everything is tied for second place. And since the cabin ran out of dill, everything is considered a win-win.”
He laughed and set the plate down, then took the top plate off. “Ta-da!” he exclaimed, all proud of himself.
Set before me was a plate with a massive omelette, topped with dill. I was in heaven. “Where...” I started, but he finished for me.
“I found someone who was willing to give up some of their kitchen herbs for a woman who can’t live without it, and the poor guy who was tasked with feeding her breakfast,” he answered.
I grinned up at him. “I could kiss you right now,” I said. “Or, actually, much more.” I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss, and the guys snickered and hooted around us.
“Well, damn, if that’s what it takes, sign me up to make the next batch,” Ryan offered.
We were halfway through eating when my mom and Steve joined us.
“This is really good,” my mom complimented the breakfast. “Who cooked?”
“Actually, it was Pete. You see, I lost a bet, and so he got to choose breakfast. Little did I know he was going to go with what I wanted rather than what he wanted,” I answered, and he pressed a kiss to the side of my head.
“Awww, that’s sweet,” she cooed. “You two make such a cute couple.”
I froze and looked around at the guys, but they didn’t seem worried about her comment. Maybe it was something that we’d just have to get used to. Or make sure the outside world got used to us.
“Yes, we all are,” I corrected. “All five of us.”
She stopped and stared in confusion, but I just continued to finish my breakfast.
For the first time in my life, I was happy. I actually cared whether or not I made it off this mountain alive. And I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that for me, no matter what. I’d proudly scream from the mountaintop how I felt about these guys.
That thought caught me off guard, since I’d hadn’t yet thought of exactly how I did feel about these guys. I definitely liked them more than just a casual like. This was most definitely more than a crush. I believed it to even be love.
That thought felt right to me. Everything felt right with my life. The puzzle pieces were falling into place.
“Take!” I called down below, and leaned back once the rope went taut, holding my weight. J.D. began to lower me, and all I had to do was wait while I was slowly brought back down to the ground.
J.D. and I had taken off for a couple quick and easy climbs before we were to take my parents out.
As I got nearer, J.D. positioned himself underneath me and caught me. Right as I landed safely in his arms, he let go of the Grigri and let the rope slacken.
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. The familiar lemony scent calmed my heart and excited me at the same time.
With our lips still together, he started to walk away, but then stopped and pulled his lips off mine. “Uh, love?”
“Mmm?”
“You’re still tethered,” he reminded me in his low, sexy voice, and it took me a moment to figure out his meaning.
“Oh!” I exclaimed once I realized what he was talking about, and pulled my arms back in, quickly undoing the double figure eight knot from my harness. “There,” I stated, and leaned back in to kiss him again, but he still pulled back.
“That’s great, but now I’m still roped in,” he said, and I sighed.
“So much work for a kiss,” I teased. He growled and nipped at my nose, which was adorable, but very surprising coming from him. He was normally a bear of a climber. For the longest time when I first met him, I thought his name was literally Bear, because that was what everyone else seemed to call him. But a bear nipping at your nose was a comforting thing.
I giggled and booped his nose. He paused.
“What did you just do?” he asked.
I giggled. “You bit my nose so I booped yours. It’s only fair,” I declared matter-of-factly. This kind of math made perfect sense to me.
“Oh, is that so?” A mischievous grin crossed his face and I felt a surge of excitement.
“Yes, that is so,” I clarified, and then I booped his nose again and giggled.
He strode forward to the rock wall and repositioned me so I had my back against it, and I hopped up, my legs wrapping around his waist in the process.
“You’re so sexy,” he growled, before pressing his mouth against mine.
“Yes, you are,” I mumbled around the kiss.
He wasted no time pulling off my shirt and tossing it to the ground. “Is the shirt even necessary?” he asked. “You have this atrocity.” He slipped a finger underneath the bottom of my sports bra and tugged at it.
“Are you saying that you’d prefer me to climb without a shirt... and without a sports bra?” I questioned him, gasping in mock surprise.
“All I’m saying is that cavemen didn’t wear all these clothes when they were playing around in the rocks, so how necessary is it for us?” He grinned.
“Well, for starters, chafing is not fun.” I eyed him.
“How about pants then?” he questioned, now slipping his fingers into the waistband of my black spandex shorts. One finger trailed down and found its way to my core, circling my clit and making me give a very low moan of approval.
“Well, again, chafing,” I replied, as he was wreaking havoc on my train of thought.
“What if we were to...” He pulled his hand out of my shorts, gripped them with both hands, and then ripped them straight down the middle.
“What the...” I exclaimed in shock. “J.D.!”
He grinned an evil grin. One that was proud of his triumph.
“I’m going to need to walk back to the cabin like this!” I snapped with annoyance. Sure most people weren’t out and about at this time of the morning, but still. The risk of getting caught did send a thrill through me.
“You can wear my extra pair of shorts,” he offered. “I’d love to see you in my things anyways.” He pecked a kiss to my lips.
“That’s not the entire point,” I argued. “I now have one less pair of shorts to climb in.” I was angry and I should be angry, but I couldn’t help the tiny laugh that bubbled up my throat. The bastard was ripping my clothes to shreds and thought he was merely doing me a favor.
“So I’ll buy you a new pair. But this makes it much easier for what I want to do right now,” he said, and then he lowered his face and began to suck on my collarbone. I leaned my head back against the rock and moaned. Dammit, I’d told him one time that kissing my collarbone and neck were major turn-ons for me. It was a good thing he was holding me, because he may need to do every ounce of the work if he kept this up.
His mouth trailed down, and he kissed and nipped at my brea
sts before taking the zipper in between his thumb and forefinger, and pulling it down to free my breasts from the sports bra.
He gave a growl of triumph when they sprung free.
One hand was underneath my butt, holding me in place so he wouldn’t need to squish me as much, even though I’d love to be squished by him. I’d been so hot for him for years and it was about damn time that this was happening.
His other hand, however, had moved back to the front at some point, and now his thumb was circling my clit, teasing me.
I let an arm fall from around his neck and moved my hand between his legs, but he stopped me.
“Uh-uh,” he rasped. “This is all about you right now, my dear. I don’t need any prep. I’m already ready for you. I’ve been ready for you for years. Ever since I first saw you in the gym, climbing the lead wall in your red booty shorts. Then you crawled all across the ceiling and clipped every single damn clip until you got to the anchor, and then you got those too. You’ve had my cock for years, and you’ve had my heart since before I even met you.”
With that, he freed his erection from his pants, and teased his tip at my entrance.
“Come on, J.D. Please,” I begged.
He smiled at me, the tease. Then he reached down, grabbed his cock, and teased my entrance once more. He spread my arousal around my center, before shoving it in.
He began to thrust, slow and steady at first, giving me time to adjust to his size. Then he slowly began to speed up. He lowered his head again and nipped at my neck.
I moaned, the neck work causing my arousal to heighten even more. His thrusts grew harder and faster. My moans grew louder and more broken, with my ragged breathing making it difficult to get them out.
“Harder,” I whispered into his ear. “Faster.”
“Fuck, Cam,” he moaned right beneath my ear. “I fucking love you.”