Promise Me Always

by Kari March

  She grabbed my face with both hands, “Always.”

  My knee bounced rapidly and I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel as we drove down a dirt road on our way to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. It was almost dusk and I was on edge. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked her yet. I had almost done it plenty of times today but still, every time I finally got up the courage to do it, something held me back.

  I felt Tess’s hand come to rest on my leg and it snapped me out of my reverie, making me jump slightly.

  “Are you alright, Blake? You seem a little nervous?” she asked, concerned.

  “I’m fine, baby girl, really. Are you excited for the springs?”

  “Of course I am! Is it true what they say about this place? I mean, is clothing really optional after dark?” A slight pink color rushed to her cheeks as she smiled.

  “It sure is,” I said as I winked at her. “It is also very dark with little lighting, so make sure you stay close to me when we are walking by the water.”

  A few minutes later, we arrived at the hot springs. Tess had been in her little black bikini almost all day but, for some reason when she shimmied out of her shorts, I couldn’t help but stare at her. Her tan legs looked incredibly smooth and I had an impulsive need to feel them wrapped around me. As she pulled her tank top up and over her head, my dick jumped at the sight of her almost naked body.

  Leaving our towels and clothes on a lounge chair, we headed for the water. The park was impressive; rock walls separated the different pools of water from the flowing river. While the river itself was warm, the mineral pools were a sultry one hundred and four degrees. I could feel the tension leaving my body as I sank down into the hot water.

  Tess came up behind me, wrapping her silky smooth legs around my waist, and every thought drifted away. The only thing I could think about was being inside of her. I slowly swam us over to the furthest end of the pool, claiming the area as ours for the night before anyone else could. It was the best spot in the whole park, barely visible from anywhere because it was in the corner of the odd shaped pool. I knew we would be able to get away with just about anything there.

  Tess unwound her legs from my waist, resting her back against the stone wall at the edge of the pool; she gazed up at the sky. The sun had faded behind the mountains and the stars were out in full force. With hardly any light around us, you could see so many of them and they were breathtaking. The full moon, peeking out from behind some lingering clouds, added to the beauty. Besides Tess, it was the most remarkable thing I had ever seen.

  “I forgot how amazing the stars were from up here,” she mumbled softly. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her as she remained fixated on the massive sparkling dots above. With beads of water rolling down her chest and wet hair clinging to her shoulders, she looked fucking gorgeous. It was almost like a dream as steam rose from the water and encircled her in the darkness.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.

  Not taking my eyes off her, I quietly replied, “Absolutely stunning.”

  She found my eyes and smiled shyly, realizing I wasn’t talking about the stars. She bit down on her lip slightly as she gradually reached behind her and started to pull the strings of her bikini. I quickly looked around the pool, making sure no one was close enough to actually see what it was she was doing. Not spotting anyone, I returned my attention to Tess. I watched as she slid the wet fabric from her body and placed it on the stone wall. My dick shot up as she placed her hands over her breasts and pinched her nipples.

  Not able to tolerate one more fucking second without her touch, I quickly closed the gap between the two of us and took her in my arms. I tangled my hands in her wet hair and tugged, exposing the sweet skin on her neck. I scrapped my stubble against her delicate skin before running my tongue down it. She let out a satisfying moan as she pushed her hips into me, trying to find some relief.

  I could feel her yanking on the waist band of my shorts and I helped her remove them. She grabbed my hardness and began stroking it. The warmth and slipperiness of the water made every movement feel fucking fantastic. I crashed my mouth down on hers and started assaulting her mouth, sliding my tongue in and out and biting down on her full bottom lip. I started to build way too quickly when she sped up her hand and I had to stop her. I didn’t want to come unless I was in her.

  “Goddamn, I want you so fucking bad, baby girl,” I whispered in her ear.

  Finding the strings that kept the bottom half of her bikini on, I pulled, freeing her of the last piece of fabric covering her body. After placing them on the rocks with the rest of our discarded swimwear, I pulled her to me again. I noticed her surveying the pool for onlookers as she encased her arms around my neck. She was worried someone would see us, but personally, I wouldn’t care if the fucking Pope was watching us right now.

  Grasping her chin, I forced her to look at me. “It’s just you and me in here, Tess. Don’t worry about anybody else. Let me take you.”

  She nodded her head, giving me permission, and I kissed her hard. Instantly, my hands found her breasts. I pulled on her nipples and her head fell back in satisfaction. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I spun us around, pressing her back up against the hard stones that lined the pool. Reaching around, I cupped my hands around her ass, lifting her up so I could position my cock at her opening. Slowly, I pushed myself deep inside her. Her pussy felt like fucking heaven as I slowly moved her up and down on my tip so we wouldn’t make too much noise splashing in the water. She nuzzled her face into my neck to muffle her moans and dug her nails into my back. The pain was welcomed and made me want to ram into her harder and faster.

  “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay quiet like this for long, Blake. Make me come, fast,” she whispered in my ear before lightly biting down on it. The light ache traveled all the way down to my dick.

  “Anything for you, baby girl. You better hold on tight. And no screaming we’re in public—no one is allowed to hear those sounds except me,” I expressed with amusement as I raised my eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes in return and I snaked one arm around her waist, pulling her as close to me as humanly possible. Then I took hold of the stone wall with my other hand. I bent my knees and situated my feet on the wall so I could thrust my cock hard and deep into her so she would come fast just like she asked.

  I took her nipple in my mouth and bit down before flicking my tongue over the formed bud. Then, without warning, I rammed my pelvis up, pushing deeper into her. The water around us sloshed and splashed as I pumped in and out of her rapidly. Her hands weaved around the back of my head, grabbing hold as she hid her face in my shoulder. I could feel her constricting around my cock as she climbed towards her release and my cock started twitching in anticipation.

  Before I knew it, she was biting down on my shoulder as she came apart in my arms. I loved how her body trembled from the sweet satisfaction I had given her. The pleasurable sting of her bite made me find my own release and, in a soft, low voice, I called out her name as I emptied myself into her.

  “I can’t believe we just did that!” She giggled into my ear after we came down from our climaxes.

  I looked around the pool to see if anyone had witnessed our show and just when I thought we had gone undetected, I noticed a couple about fifty feet away. The smiles on their faces told me they had seen just about everything.

  “I’m pretty sure they can’t believe it either,” I said as I nodded in the couple’s direction. Tess whipped her head around and spotted the couple. It was dark but I knew her face was turning a bright shade of red.

  “Oh.My.God. Do you really think they saw us?” she asked nervously. I could tell Tess was mortified as she buried her face in her hands and sunk into the water.

  “Yeah, baby girl, they saw us,” I chuckled as I put my arm around her shoulders.

  We spent the rest of the evening kissing, fondling and teasing one another in the springs. She had caught me a couple times drifting off in thought and I saw the co
ncern in her eyes when she would snap me out of it. She knew something was going on with me and I still couldn’t believe I had gone the whole day without proposing…

  As we climbed into Blake’s truck, all I could think about was how I could keep us from going back to the massive house we were calling home. Today had been just short of perfect and I didn’t want it to end. Something was different since we arrived in Steamboat—like the chemistry between us had shifted. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but still, it was different. Blake had been acting strange all weekend and I couldn’t figure out why. It was almost like he was waiting for something to happen—for some moment in time.

  We drove down the dirt road in silence and I noticed Blake’s knee bobbing up and down. What is going on with him?

  We rounded a corner and a beautiful clearing in the woods came into view. With the stars twinkling above and the full moon illuminating the meadow, it looked like a painting.

  “Pull over, Blake!” I shouted.

  He looked over at me, his sexy smirk igniting my panties on fire, as he pulled the truck over. He knew exactly what he was doing by giving me that smile. I reached in the back for my camera and tripod, then jumped out of the truck and raced to setup my equipment. I tried my hardest to fight off the all too familiar throbbing that was coming from my core.

  I took shot after shot, making sure to get different exposures so I could combine them all into one perfect photograph on my computer. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Blake watching me from the truck. His intense stare made me feel like an animal on display and it was overwhelming, yet extremely thrilling. Trying to ignore the overpowering feeling that he was giving me, I continued messing with my camera.

  A few minutes later, I heard him exit the truck. He must have left the windows down because I could hear “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic drifting through the night air. When he didn’t come up behind me and take me in his arms like I was hoping he would, my curiosity got the better of me. I looked over my shoulder to see what he was up to. My heart soared when I saw him leaning up against the truck, his white t-shirt showing off his muscular, tattooed arms that were crossed over his chest. My eyes traveled the length of him, taking in the perfection that stood before me. That’s when I saw the blanket dangling from his hand.

  “Looks like the perfect spot to stargaze, doesn’t it?” he said. The sound of his deep, sensual voice sent ripples of lust through me. All I could do was nod my head in response.

  He pushed off of the truck and made his way towards me—treading like a tiger that was stalking his prey. His eyes were dark and hungry. Grabbing my hand, he led me out to the middle of the meadow. Laying the blanket down, we crawled onto it—Blake lying on his back as I cuddled up into his chest—my favorite place in the whole world. He his fingers played and twirled in my hair as we stared in silence at the stars.

  A huge smile spread across my lips as a bright star shot across the sky. I closed my eyes and tried to think of a wish, but I was coming up blank.

  “Make a wish, baby girl,” Blake said as he squeezed me tighter.

  “What?” I said, his comment catching me off guard.

  He laughed. “The shooting star? I know you saw it. Make a wish,” he repeated.

  “I can’t think of anything to wish for,” I sighed. “Did you make a wish?” I asked him as I turned and looked up at him.

  “I don’t need to make a wish, Tess,” he stated as he closed his eyes. I pushed up so I was resting on my arm as I watched him. “The only thing I would ever wish for is already right here.” When he opened his eyes, I couldn’t tell if they were glossed over with tears or if the reflection of the moon was making them glisten. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He looked tense, so I place my hand on his leg to try and calm him down.

  “What’s wrong, Blake? You’ve been acting strange all weekend. Did I do something wrong?” I asked apprehensively. I almost regretted the words coming out, but I needed to know what was going on with him.

  His gaze fell to my hand and he pushed it away before jumping to his feet. He started pacing around the blanket, his hands pushing through his hair as he released a heavy sigh.

  “No, Tess, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s me. I just…” He looked down at me, his eyes full of distress. I looked down at the blanket and played with a loose string as I tried to hide the hurt I was feeling.

  When he didn’t continue, I peeked back up through my lashes and found he was walking back over to me. He knelt down and captured my mouth, his hands grabbing the sides of my face as his slick tongue found mine. The kiss was slow and deliberate. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against mine.

  “I’m so sorry, Tess. I waited all day for the right moment to say this to you and now I’ve made a complete mess out it.” He released my face and stood back up and started pacing again.

  My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. Was he breaking up with me? He had been behaving so strangely. Maybe this trip was his way of letting me down easy. No! No way. I didn’t believe it. He would never do anything to hurt me like that. The silence was torture and I couldn’t take it anymore.

  I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. “Out with it, Blake!” I demanded. “No more games.” He was going to tell me or else. Tears pricked my eyes as he stopped and faced me.

  “I’m not trying to play games with you, Tess. I fucking love you. I love everything about you. You’re the only person that has been able to pick up the pieces of my fucked up life and put them back together.” He took a step closer to me and laced his fingers in mine. “I thought I needed to wait for just the right time, that one special moment, before I could ask you…” his voice trailed off and he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they were crystal clear—resolved. Determined.

  “But what I realized is, every moment with you is perfect. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing, all that matters is you and me.”

  Tears clouded my vision and fell in streams down my face as he fell to one knee. Releasing my hands, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black velvet box. My hand flew to my mouth as I sobbed uncontrollably. Was this really happening?

  “I know it seems crazy and probably way too soon, but we have never done anything the traditional way.” He pried the box open, revealing the most gorgeous white gold, cathedral princess cut engagement ring I had ever seen. “Tessa Collins, I have never been sure of anything my entire life… except this—except you. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes! Oh.My.God. YES!” I screamed and threw myself into his arms, almost knocking him over.

  He stood up with me still in his arms and placed me on my feet. It was a good thing he was still holding me or I swear I would have fallen over, my legs were so shaky. Removing the ring from the box, he placed it on my finger.

  “I hope you like it,” he whispered. “When I saw it, I knew it was meant to be on your finger,” he said as he slipped the ring into place. It was a perfect fit. “I did add a little something to it, though.”

  I held the ring up, admiring the sparkling diamond. My God, it was huge! This must have cost him a fortune!

  My eyes drifted to the sides and my heart leapt when I noticed the red, pink and yellow sapphires, alternating with diamonds, in the lining of the band. He must have had the colored stones placed in the ring.

  “Oh, Blake!” I gasped, my right hand covering my mouth. “It’s stunning. I love it,” I said, tears still spilling down my face. “I love you.”

  He held my hand in his as he looked down at the ring. My hand was trembling. The tears just wouldn’t stop flowing; he reached up and wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. Leaning in, he kissed me and I could feel him pouring all of his love for me into it.

  I cupped his face with my hand and return his kiss with just as much intensity. As he broke away, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars drifted from the truck. Slowly, he started swaying us to the music. I laid my head on his che
st as we danced in complete silence. And, even though we weren’t speaking, a million words were being said.

  When the song ended, Blake tilted my head up with his finger and pushed a stray piece of hair away from my face.

  “I love you, baby girl, more than you’ll ever know. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, for as long as I live,” he said softly, sincerity ringing from his words.

  “Promise me?” I asked.

  “Always.”

  I woke up the next morning in a state of bliss—I couldn’t believe I was engaged! When I rolled over, I was a little disappointed to find Blake missing, but then I noticed three daisies and a folded piece of paper lying on the pillow.

  “Read me first” was written in Blake’s handwriting across the paper. Each flower had a red ribbon wrapped around it and a note. The notes were labeled with a number, one, two and three. I reached for the folded piece of paper first and unfolded it.

  To my soon to be wife,

  You looked so peaceful this morning, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I couldn’t sleep thinking about what the future holds for us. Last night surpassed every night of my existence and I couldn’t imagine it happening any other way.

  I was so anxious about proposing that I almost fucked up the entire thing. I’m so grateful that fate somehow managed to sneak in and turn it around because you deserve to have all your dreams come true. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t fate at all—maybe it was just you. You are the definition of perfection. Everything is always so effortless when you’re around and I can’t wait until the day you become my wife.

  I don’t think you know it, but there is a reason why I only ever give you red, pink and yellow flowers. Each color represents something specific and now you will carry those with you every day on your hand. Hopefully, when you look at your ring you will see everything I have ever seen in you and be reminded of how strong my love is.

  Love Always, (Yes, I promise!)