by Roxie Noir
Then Seth kicked off his shoes, and Jules grabbed his jeans and pulled them, tossing them across the attic and straddling him with her knees, his shaft between them as she moved in, pressing their bodies together completely, Seth sitting up against the huge, heavy trunk. His hands moved over her deftly, surprisingly gentle for being so rough and calloused.
Jules rocked against him, listening to the gasps and grunts that Seth made.
“I want you,” he growled.
She couldn’t resist any longer. Jules took his length in her hand, then raised herself on her knees, sliding the head against her wet lips, and slid herself down, letting him fill her completely as she buried her face in the nook between his head and shoulder, moaning softly.
Seth growled, and Jules began to rock back and forth gently at first, feeling him move back and forth inside of her, hitting every sensitive spot there. Gradually, she moved harder and faster, and the pressure inside her built and built.
He nuzzled her neck and then bit it, gently, making her yelp, and then he moved their foreheads together. For a moment, Jules was nearly knocked backward by the intensity of his gaze, his gold-brown eyes gleaming.
Seth held the sides of her face, moving together with her like they were one being.
“I’m close,” he whispered.
Jules just nodded and swallowed, trying to find her words.
“Me too,” she whispered, and already she could feel that white-hot sensation coming on, starting in her core and radiating outward, threatening to take over her whole body.
“Is it okay?”
“Yes,” Jules whispered, and then she bit her lip and the heat exploded through herself, swimming through her veins and taking her over completely, her forehead still against Seth’s as she writhed against him, her hips moving out of her control, the white heat flooding through her fingertips and toes until she was utterly spent. Seth growled, his hands tightening on the soft flesh of her hips and before she knew what was happening, she was on her back again, Seth over her.
He thrust inside her twice, then three times, her legs wrapped around him and then she could feel him stiffen and jerk inside her as he emptied himself, his whole body going rigid with the effort.
Then he slumped against her, and Jules realized that they were both a disgustingly sweaty mess, half-covered in attic dust to boot. She kissed the top of Seth’s head, feeling oddly possessive of him in that moment, like she never wanted to leave that attic.
After a long time, he rolled off, lying on the floor next to her, and Jules laced her fingers through his, her forehead against his shoulder. Finally, he turned toward her, kissing her on top of the head again.
“We should just go to bed,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to find the deed up here.”
Jules threw an arm across him and snuggled in, ignoring the cool hard floor.
“You’re probably right,” she said.
When Jules woke up the next morning, she realized two things pretty quickly. One was that she wasn’t in her RV: her back didn’t hurt from the lumpy mattress, and instead of staring at an ugly ceiling, she was looking at a real wall, with real windows.
The second was that Seth had his arms wrapped around her, one leg over hers, his face buried in the back of her neck, his chest rising and falling against her back.
Jules grinned into the pillow.
Maybe if we don’t save the mesa he’ll move to Dallas with me, she thought. She didn’t particularly like Dallas, but it was where Quarcom headquarters were.
Or maybe I can quit Quarcom and get a job that isn’t evil, and we can move somewhere else, and we’ll get married and he can be a stay-at-home dad.
For just a moment, she let herself imagine Seth walking around the house, a grinning, red-haired-and-dimpled toddler holding onto his fingers as he bent over.
You might be getting a little ahead of yourself, she thought.
Behind her, Seth stirred and then yawned, wriggling his body against hers, shaking the whole bed a little.
“Morning,” he grumbled, turning over onto his back. Then he sniffed the air. “Who’s making bacon?”
Jules sniffed too, then sat up on her elbows.
“Must be Zach,” she said.
“Why isn’t he at work?”
“He’s probably still looking for the deed or something,” she said.
“I don’t think he ever sleeps,” grumbled Seth. He flung both arms over his eyes and kicked the blanket away, revealing a sculpted chest and six-pack abs.
Jules didn’t mind the view.
“Okay. I’m up,” he said, and heaved himself out of bed. “You can sleep in if you want.”
“Nah, I’m awake,” said Jules, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
9. Seth
Zach had indeed made bacon in the kitchen, along with toast and a whole box of pop tarts. As Seth walked in, Zach tossed him one, and Seth caught it, taking a bite.
When Zach saw Jules, he raised his eyebrows a little, but didn’t say anything.
Yes, we did it, and no, you don’t need to comment, Seth thought, frowning.
“You like blueberry pop tarts?” Zach asked her.
“Sure,” Jules said, and caught one as it flew through the air.
Her catch seemed to please Zach.
Seth walked to the coffee maker. The pot was full.
“Is this from yesterday?” he asked.
“Nope. I made another pot maybe ten minutes ago,” said Zach.
I thought he was a little too awake, thought Seth. He poured two cups, then handed one to Jules.
“So I was thinking,” said Zach. He took the bacon out of the pan and put it on a plate, then carried the plate to the kitchen table, putting it down next to a half-empty box of pop tarts.
I can’t believe I’m serving this breakfast to a girl, Seth thought.
“Do you remember those stories mom used to tell us about Grampa Otis’s treasure?” asked Zach.
Seth thought, furrowing his brow, and took a piece of bacon.
“Barely,” he said. “He had a stash of gold or something, somewhere that no one could ever find it?”
“Right,” said Zach, taking a piece of bacon himself. “In the story, it was worth more than all the gold and jewels in the world, and the thing he always told people was ‘you can always see it’ or some poetic version of that, right?”
“Oh, I hated that story,” said Seth. “Mom always said the treasure turned out to be love or something, which was a terrible way to end a fun story.”
“It was her favorite, though. She told it to me all the time, like she was really into this treasure. Or,” Zach said, pointing his bacon at Seth, “Like she was trying to tell me something.”
Seth narrowed his eyes, trying to remember his mom’s story. They all mingled together, to be honest, and he’d liked the ones more about the things his ancestors had seen and done, flying over the desert.
Besides, as the oldest, by the time he’d been old enough to really listen to stories, there had also been Garrett and then Zach, so his mom hadn’t had as much time to sit with him, spinning tales. But since Zach had been the youngest, he’d been the recipient of more flights of fancy.
“She also used to tell us how Grampa Otis was always bringing her and her sisters stuff from the mesa when she was really little. I think he died when she was four or something, but she said she saw him up there once, just walking around. She swears it was him.”
“There’s that goat path that goes to the top,” Seth offered. “Right?”
Zach shook his head. “That crumbled,” he said. “But anyway. What if we’re looking in the wrong place? What if there’s a stash somewhere on the mesa itself, what if that’s where they put stuff they never wanted to lose?”
Suddenly, Seth felt a tingle in the base of his spine. Without answering his brother, he took another bite of bacon, then looked out the kitchen window at the mesa.
“Do we have binoculars?” he asked.
“I’ve got some in the truck,” Jules said. “You want them?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” he said, his eyes searching the big red cliff.
Minutes later, the bacon was getting cold on the table as the three of them stood out in the back yard, Seth searching the mesa with the binoculars, the tingling only intensifying.
This is it, he thought. It’s up there. I don’t know how I know, but I’m sure.
“I can’t see it from here,” he said. “But there’s plenty of places to put something. Eagle nests, ledges, little pockets, all that.”
He felt like the mesa was singing to him, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away, even as he handed his brother the binoculars.
“I’ll climb up there,” he offered.
“You can’t get up there,” said Zach. “The trail fell off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” said Zach. “You don’t remember that landslide when we were kids?”
Seth just shrugged. Right now, landslides didn’t matter. He’d find a way around it. The sandstone had plenty of hand and foot holds. What mattered was getting up there, the details of how weren’t important.
“Is there somewhere we can rent a helicopter or something?” Jules asked.
Both the brothers looked at her.
“I’m just spitballing, okay?” she said, a little defensively.
“Sorry,” said Seth. “Do we have climbing equipment?”
Equipment would be nice, but it wasn’t necessary. He was trying it either way.
Zach shook his head.
“No,” he said. “Look, it was a dumb idea. We’ve got no way to get up there, and besides, that thing is huge. Unless there’s a giant red arrow pointing at a spot, I think we’re better off going through all the papers one more time. I can go up to Blanding and use the school library to maybe go through the Salt Lake Tribune archives or something?”
It’s not in the archives. You can’t find it by research, thought Seth. It’s up there. I know it.
He took a deep breath and nodded, acting like he agreed with his little brother. He had a plan, and it didn’t involve arguing with Zach or even Jules about whether he should try to climb the mesa.
“I can keep going through the attic,” Jules offered, as the three of them walked back inside. “We should probably split up tasks, get things done faster.”
They entered the kitchen, but Seth continued down the hall, nerves tingling.
“I gotta use the bathroom,” he said. “One minute.”
Jules and Zach just nodded, still talking about archive searches.
Seth opened and shut the bathroom door, then sneaked to the front door. He put on his boots, then opened the door very, very quietly, and stepped out.
He moved around the house as sneakily as he could, keeping close to the building, ducking underneath the kitchen windows where he could still hear Zach and Jules discussing what sort of database might contain a deed from the 1870s.
I’m glad they’re getting along, Seth thought, pausing for a moment under the window. I don’t know what I’d do if they didn’t.
Then he started running toward the mesa. It was at least a mile away, but he was in good shape, even if he was wearing jeans. The dusty air felt like it stuck in his throat and sweat poured down his back, but he didn’t care.
He had to get there. He had to.
Seth turned slightly, aiming for the corner where he remembered the path being. Actually, “path” was a generous word — it was barely a way up, sometimes used by mountain goats to get to the top of the mesa, which sometimes had more grass for them to eat. When they were kids, he and his brothers had dared each other to climb as high as they could on it, though none of them ever got all that far.
His heart beating almost out of his chest, Seth stepped on the path with one foot, then the other. He steadied himself against the rock wall with one hand, concentrating completely on staying upright and not falling.
Left foot, right foot, left foot, don’t fall, Seth thought.
It was slow and terrifying, but Seth gradually made his way up the mesa.
10. Jules
The bacon was almost gone, and the only thing left of Jules’s plate was the edges of the pop tart when she realized that Seth had been gone a long time.
“Is he still in the bathroom?” she asked.
“I think so,” Zach said.
They frowned, looking at each other.
“I’ll go make sure he’s, uh, okay,” Zach said. Jules could tell that he was trying to be as delicate as possible.
At least there aren’t any horrible noises coming from there, she thought, her eyes going to the window with a view of the mesa.
Every time she looked at it, she just felt guilty.
I wish there was some wrench I could throw in their plans, she thought. It’s too beautiful to be spoiled, and these guys don’t deserve it. I can’t believe it’s not a national monument, or... something.
Then a small black dot on the mesa moved, and Jules frowned.
Is that one of the eagles? She thought. It’s not really moving like an eagle. Can panthers get up there?
Zach came back into the kitchen as she stared out the window.
“He’s not in there,” he said, sounding mystified. “Our cars are still in the driveway, so he’s got to be somewhere.”
He followed her gaze to the mesa, out the window.
“Holy shit,” he said, and ran out the back door.
Seconds later, Jules followed, to find Zach already in the backyard. He had the binoculars in his hand but he was just staring at the small black spot, open-mouthed.
“That’s Seth,” he said.
“Are you sure?” asked Jules, taking the binoculars. She fixed them on the spot, but still couldn’t quite see much more than a blurry shape, moving slowly against the red rock.”
“I’m positive,” said Zach. “Holy fucking shit, what is he doing up there?”
“He’s looking for the—”
“It was a rhetorical question,” he said, cutting her off. He put his hand on his forehead, then by his sides, then crossed his arms in front of him.
“You can see him?”
“I have good eyes,” Zach said. “Shit, can we get a mattress or something?”
“Does the fire department have a net?”
Zach shook his head. “I doubt it,” he said.
“What about search and rescue? Should I call the Sheriff?”
Still staring at the mesa, Zach suddenly went pale.
“He just slipped a little,” he said. “Shit.”
Then he took off running for the mesa.
“How can you even see that?” Jules shouted, then ran after him.
Despite the adrenaline, she wasn’t very good at running. Since living in a trailer in remote areas, she’d abandoned her usual exercise routine, and besides, she wasn’t wearing a sports bra. By the time she half-walked, half-jogged up to the mesa, she was covered in sweat and both breasts were trying to escape her bra in every single direction, so she stuffed them back in as she finally walked up to Zach.
“Oh my god,” she said, panting. “You were right.”
It was Seth, a little more than halfway up the mesa, hundreds of feet in the air. The ledge was barely wide enough for both his feet, and she could see a continual trail of red dust showering down from where he stood.
Oh god, he’s going to die, she thought, her stomach lurching. The run hadn’t made it feel good, but now she thought she might throw up.
What’s he doing? He can move somewhere else, this isn’t worth dying over.
There was another small shower of dust and rocks, and Jules felt tears spring to her eyes, her heart seizing.
She and Zach looked at each other. Seth’s little brother had gone pale, his mouth open.
“I have no idea what to do,” she whispered.
Zach just shook his head, mouth open, and looked back at Seth.
Do
n’t fall, was the only thing that Jules could think, over and over again. Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.
His foot slipped again, sending another shower down, and Jules thought her heart might simply stop.
“No,” whispered Zach, standing next to her. “No, no, put your foot to the left a little—“
Seth slipped again, and Jules clapped her hands to her mouth, her mind racing. She’d never felt so pathetically helpless before in her life.
Then, Seth slipped again, his whole foot sliding off the path, sending a shower of dirt and rocks down.
“The path’s crumbling,” said Zach. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back away a little. “Hold on, man, just come back down—“
Another shower, bigger. Jules’s hands shook.
And then, in slow motion, Seth fell.
Jules screamed, both hands over her mouth. Zach stared, totally motionless, as Seth’s body flailed, his arms windmilling and his legs kicking as he plummeted. Jules wanted to turn away but couldn’t tear her eyes away from Seth’s body, falling, falling—
Seth twisted mid-air, in a way that Jules didn’t think human bodies should quite be able to twist, and now he was seventy feet from the ground, only a few stories up and still falling.
Something flew away. Where Seth had been falling, suddenly, a giant bird simply spread its wings and flew, swooping down toward the ground and then taking off, away from his clothing, which hit the ground with a light thud.
The bird screamed and kept climbing, circling in the air above Zach and Jules, and then disappeared around the mesa.
Zach and Jules stared at each other, each in open-mouthed horror. Tears streamed down Jules’s cheeks.
Then they ran to where the empty clothes had fallen.
11. Seth
Flying was exactly like the dream: the wind rushing under his wings, the air against his feathers. The slightest movement made all his mechanics change, but somehow, Seth already knew how to control his flight, like he’s been doing it his whole life. He barrel rolled, then climbed, circled, dove.