by C. J. Corbin
I sat back down on the rock glad for a few moments of silence. The electricity was building between us, and I wasn’t sure if my reaction to Michael was a sign that I was ready for a relationship or if it was simply lust. I reminded myself that he had not even mentioned having a relationship with me. He had been quiet on the subject of his intentions. Okay, it was clear that his intentions were my seduction. Long term though it was unclear, but he had already told me that once Tammy went off to school he was looking forward to beginning his life. What he didn’t say was whether I fit into those plans. For now, I was only concentrating on my seduction.
I felt a light touch on my shoulder and looked up. Michael stood behind me pointing to the trees he had showed me earlier. “Look, see the golf ball?”
“Is that an eagle?” I asked with excitement in my voice.
“Come on it’s time to get up in the stand.” He pointed behind him to the tree with the platform.
I looked at the rope ladder and the height of the platform. “Oh you have fun up there.”
“No, you’re coming along.” He pulled me to my feet and led me over to the tree. “I’ll help you up.”
“Michael,” I tried explaining, “I have a fear of heights.”
“Elizabeth, I will be right behind you, I won’t let you fall. Just try it. I mean you play baseball,” he challenged.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I flashed at him.
“You know, girls don’t play baseball.” He grinned.
“Okay, I know what you’re trying to do.” I grabbed the rope ladder and lifted my foot onto the first rung.
Michael steadied the ladder, “Just look up, and try not to look down. I promise this will be worth it.”
I lifted each foot slowly as I moved up the ladder. He called to me encouraging me with each step, “Easy does it Elizabeth.” When I reached the platform he instructed, “Take hold of the railing on your right and step up.”
I was so relieved when I stood out on the stand. I leaned my back against the tree trunk and tried to breathe evenly. “Hurry up,” I called down to him.
He grabbed his camera bag and tripod. Michael scaled the ladder quickly. “Are you okay?” he touched my arm and looked down at me.
I brushed my bangs out of my eyes. “As you said I do play baseball.”
He attached one of his cameras to the tripod. The camera had the longest lens I had ever seen before. Michael bent over and looked through the viewfinder, he turned the focusing rings, and then I heard clicking noises, one after another.
I pulled out my little digital camera from my pocket and looked through the viewer. “All I see is two of the little white ball things. Can you see anything? I mean it’s across the clearing.” I asked.
“Do you want to see?” he asked and then pulled me in between the camera and him. “Look through here” he pointed to the viewfinder. He put my hand on the focusing ring of the lens. “Focus here.”
I gasped when I saw the image. There were two eagles sitting in the tree as clear as if they were perched right next to me. “Oh! They’re so beautiful, I can’t believe it!” I looked up to see the real image and then bent over again to look through the viewfinder. With all of this happening, I was still very aware of pushing up against him and I tried to keep my breathing normal.
Michael had his hands on my hips and I was not sure if he was helping the situation. He leaned over and placed my hand on the shutter button. “Press here to take the picture, and then move the lens back to get a different view. The big one is the female, and the smaller one is the male.”
After taking a couple of shots, I was losing the battle trying to breathe normally. “I better let you get back to work,” I said making a move to step to the side.
Michael still had his hands on my hips, “I don’t mind teaching you.” He grinned at me when I looked over my shoulder.
“I’m sure you could teach me quite a few things,” I said as I stepped to the side. I quickly sat down on the stand and pulled out my little notebook. Leaning back against the tree, I started writing.
Michael bent down to see my notebook, “What are you writing? Are you working on your book?” he asked.
“When I go someplace new, or have a new experience I like to capture it on paper. Sometimes these little notes give me inspiration. They help me picture a scene in my mind. I see little movies in my mind when I write.”
Michael turned back to his camera, “If you see a movie that means you’re visual. You would make a good photographer. Will you let me read what you’ve written when you’re finished?”
I nodded yes, but more than likely, he did not see me. He was already in photographer mode. We were silent for the next hour. I would glance up at him periodically and watched him work. His work completely absorbed him. He changed lenses, used different cameras, and moved the tripod into different angles. A couple of times it sounded like he was speaking to the eagles trying to coax them into different poses.
The stand had only a small area, and I was trying to give Michael as much room as possible. I stretched my legs when I stood up. My movement caused him to look up from his work.
“I’m going to go down to earth, can I get you anything?” I asked.
He frowned, “I’m sorry, I haven’t been a very good host,” he spread his hands out in front of him, “I get very wrapped up in my work.”
“You’re not supposed to be a host, no apologies necessary. I’ve enjoyed watching the creative photographic experience. However, if I don’t move my legs, I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to climb down.” I stretched for the ladder.
Michael reached for me, “Here let me help you down. I’ll go first and steady the ladder for you.”
Over my objections, he quickly climbed over me and down the ladder. Going down the ladder was much easier for me than climbing up.
“Would you like me to make some coffee for you?” he offered when I reached the bottom.
His arms were on the rungs of the ladder capturing me in between him and the ladder. Standing very close, I had a difficult time steadying my breathing, and it was not the exertion from climbing down the ladder.
“Now you’re in your host mode? No, go back up and get to work,” I said as I pushed him toward the ladder.
Michael grinned back at me as he moved up the ladder easily. He called down to me when he reached the top, “I’ll only be another hour. I’ll lose the light soon. When I come back down, I’ll start a fire.”
“Good idea,” I called back up to him.
It was getting a little chilly as the sun was moving to the west. Picking up my sweatshirt from the rock I had occupied earlier, I pulled it on over my head. The sweatshirt was warm against my cool skin. Next, I rummaged around in the backpacks, found a bottle of water, and drank it down. I leaned back against the rock as I sat down and closed my eyes. It had been an incredibly peaceful afternoon. The quiet was so welcome. The remaining sun was warm on me and relaxed me even further. Eagles filled my mind as I drifted off to sleep.
I awoke to the smell and sound of a campfire, and the vivid red, pink, and purple of the setting sun just above the crest of the mountain. Michael kneeled down next to me and handed me a cup. I smelled the deep rich aroma of red wine.
“I guess I must have fallen asleep, too much eagle overload,” I grinned.
“Come closer to the fire,” he took my hand and pulled me up to my feet. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me in. Soft lips nibbled at my mouth. “Mmmmmm…,” he murmured, “I love kissing you. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this.
Michael had made a nice spot next to the fire for me with a blanket so I would not have to sit on the ground.
I took a sip of the wine. “Yum, this is good.”
He sat down next to me, taking the cup from my hand and set it down. “But this is better,” he said as he continued the kiss where he left off.
“Mmmmm… I agree.”
We kissed and cuddled on the blanket. Hi
s kisses and gentle caresses made my body respond to his by aching to move closer. I enjoyed touching his face and neck with my kisses. When we surfaced for air, we both reached for our wine, and we grinned.
“I’m actually not supposed to have alcohol with me. We’re on the reservation but it is also a federally protected park. The rangers are cool with me and will usually look the other way, so if the ranger visits just remember you brought the wine in,” he laughed.
“Oh so that’s why you made me carry the wine?” I grimaced with a fake frown.
He laughed again, “I’m honest if nothing else.”
“Do the rangers visit often? Do you need a permit to be here?” I asked.
“No and yes,” he explained, “I have the approval from the tribal council to be here and actually have a special grant from the federal government. The government removed the bald eagle from the endangered and threatened species list only a couple of years ago. I’ve been working on a book about bald eagles.” He took a long drink from his cup and turned to lie on his back. “I work mostly in Alaska, but this pair here has intrigued me. Bald eagles mate for life, but unfortunately, this pair did not have any eggs this year. It happens but we don’t know why.”
Surprised I asked, “They mate for life?”
I looked down at him. It was either the wine or him working a spell on me. When he lay down his t-shirt rose a bit above the waist of his jeans revealing his firm hard abdomen. The muscles in his upper arms bulged as he moved his arms to the back of his head. In addition, his thighs, well, didn’t they just fill out his jeans? And, his jaw line…didn’t I want to nibble there?
“Yeah, and they can live up to 30 years in the wild. That’s a long time together.”
I nodded in agreement, “That’s amazing.” I was having a hard time finishing the sentence. My mind would not focus on my words because I was concentrating on Michael’s body. I drained my cup of wine and looked around. “More?” I said wiggling my cup in his direction.
He moved to get up, “I’m sorry Elizabeth. Let me get it.”
I pushed his chest back down, “No, no, I’ll get it. Just wanted to know if you wanted more?” I tried to be graceful getting up, but at almost six feet, graceful was not my middle name. My family often referred to me as Legs and it wasn’t a compliment. Michael was watching me intently, which made my lack of grace even more apparent. A grin formed in the corner of his mouth.
I picked up the bottle and made my way back to the fire. He reached up and took the bottle from me as I sat back down. He poured wine in both of our cups and handed my cup back to me. Michael lay back down. The sun was almost gone and it was getting dark, the fire gave his face a warm contemplative glow. The darkness made me realize that we were very much alone tonight. Alone and overnight, I concentrated on my two vocabulary words. Both the wine and the fire were making me feel quite warm and toasty. I took another gulp of wine.
“Doesn’t it make you curious about the natural instincts of the bald eagle to mate for life?” I asked.
Michael started laughing as he ran his hand through his hair, “Oh my god Elizabeth, aren’t you the professor tonight?”
“Don’t laugh at me, I mean doesn’t it make you wonder how that happened?”
“No, I hadn’t planned on thinking about the mating habits of bald eagles tonight. I was thinking of the mating habits of something entirely different.” The grin he gave made me blush. “Come here.” He pulled me down against his chest and then softly said, “Relax Elizabeth.”
My head rested on his chest. I took a deep breath and exhaled which did not help my spinning mind. “You make it very difficult for me to relax.”
“Why is that?” his voice surprised. He picked up my hand from his chest and intertwined his fingers with mine.
“I mean, well here with you tonight, …alone… well,” I stuttered trying to get my thoughts out, “I just don’t… well… understand.”
“Don’t understand what Elizabeth? That you’re a smart, sexy, beautiful woman and I want to spend time with you?” Michael squeezed my hand, “Now shush, I want to watch the stars come out.”
The darkness surrounded us quickly. He held my hand as he traced small circles on my back with his free hand. The only sounds we heard were the crickets chirping and the crackling fire. I turned over onto my back and leaned my head back down on his shoulder. We lay together watching the stars slowly peeking out of the night. There was no moon tonight, which added to the darkness.
“Can you name the stars?” I whispered.
“Yes,” he replied, “can you?”
“Of course, that’s part of a romance writer’s repertoire.”
“Okay,” he pointed up, “what’s that one?”
I giggled, “You silly boy that’s not a star, that’s the planet Venus.”
“Oh,” he rolled over to his side and looked down at me. “Is that the planet of love?” He traced my chin with his hand and then brushed his finger across my lips.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Our eyes met and locked. We lay there, not moving or speaking for what seemed like an eternity. The world had disappeared and it was Michael and I alone. All the glances, the touches, and the kisses had led to this moment. His lips met mine in an unbroken kiss and suddenly I knew that this was right. Everything was right. Michael and I were right.
His lips moved down my face to my neck and we locked into an intimate embrace. The core of my being was quickly becoming molten lava and the need inside of me to have him closer became overwhelming. He explored as far as my sweatshirt would allow. I moved to pull it off because I wanted to feel his skin on mine.
He whispered his voice suddenly deep, “Are you okay?” as he helped me remove of the top layer of my clothing.
“Yes,” I hissed and the desire we both felt whirled around us.
His kisses continued where they had left off. My hands stroking his soft hair as his kisses slowly moved down to the top of my tank. I closed my eyes when I felt his hands move my top up to expose my breasts. My nipples stiffened and puckered as the cool air hit them.
When his tongue lapped at my sensitive skin, my back arched toward his mouth and a soft, “Oh!” escaped from my lips. The area between my legs tightened with anticipation and feeling his erection straining against his jeans, made my excitement even more palpable.
With every tug from Michael’s mouth, an electrical charge raced from my nipples to my center. The need he created was so foreign but I didn’t want him to stop.
He sat up on his knees and pulled his t-shirt over his head. By the light of the fire, I could see his sculpted chest with the familiar blond hair smattered across his chest, the sexy trail that disappeared into his jeans, and the large rigid bulge below.
His eyes did not leave mine as I pulled the tank over my head. When my fingers reached for the button on my jeans, I could hear his sharp intake of breath. Neither of us blinked.
His voice was rough and deep when he spoke, “May I do that?”
I nodded. My skin felt so heated that I no longer noticed the coolness that surrounded us. Michael knelt between my legs, his fingers unbuttoning my jeans and then slowly unzipping them. Still not breaking our eye contact, he tugged at the top of my pants. Then very slowly he moved them off my hips and down my legs removing my boots and socks along the way. I had stopped breathing and his breathing had slowed.
“You are so beautiful Elizabeth.” He growled as he placed kisses on my stomach, slowly trailing them up to my breasts again.
He continued to tease my nipples and when his teeth gently grazed them, I moaned in pleasure.
Feeling his skin against mine made my hips start to move with him. The thin material of the thong that I wore did not offer much protection against the delicious friction I created as my body came into contact with his jeans.
When he moved up to kiss my lips, his erection angled directly over the center of my body. All of the sensations his movements made built up the delicious pressure i
nside of me. I wanted to feel all of his skin against mine.
The pleasure I felt slipped from my lips and I cried out, “Oh I want you.”
Our eyes met again, and I nodded in confirmation. He stood up above me and slipped out of his boots. Then very slowly, as if he was teasing me, he pushed down his pants and briefs until they dropped to the ground.
My lips formed the word oh and then I said in amazement, “Wow!”
He grinned as he stepped out of his pants and socks. Michael kneeled between my legs again, this time not going any higher than my thong. His lips grazed the inside of my thighs and I could feel the stubble of his beard rubbing against my sensitive skin getting closer and closer. When his tongue lapped at the material covering my sex, my hips bucked toward him.
I heard him softly chuckle and he knelt up again. He whispered, “I think I am only going to get to tease you for so long. I don’t think either of our bodies will take much more abuse. You are so beautiful Elizabeth, and so sexy. I’ve wanted you so much.” He hooked his thumbs under my thong and slowly dragged it down my legs.
My eyes held his even as I felt him place his palm on my mound. He was right. My body was coiled so tightly now, and I was afraid I would explode with merely a wave of his hand. Michael’s body was more than exquisite, and feeling him, his skin on mine made my body respond in ways I had never experienced.
I found my voice. It too had dropped several octaves, “Then take me.”
Michael reached for his discarded jeans and he pulled a small packet from the pocket. In a quick sure motion, he slid the condom on and then lifted me up into his lap, straddling me against him. Our bodies molded together. His hard erection positioned amid my soft slippery warmth. Lifting my hips with his hands, I felt him slowly enter me, my body stretching to accommodate his size.
We sat motionless for a moment lost in each other and then the need won out. The languorous climb of sensations began. As we moved together, at first our pace was slow and steady building the desire inside my body. Our breathing accelerated and I felt that elusive fire lick around me. Kisses became less kissing and more of just mouths and tongues dragging across skin. There were small words spoken, but no sentences were articulated. Every nerve in my body was on alert and the world consisted only of him and me. Then, there it was.