He slows the truck and pulls into a roadside lookout, bringing us to a stop before turning to face me fully. He reaches out, unbuckles my seatbelt, and with a firm grip on my hips, slides me closer to him.
I flatten my palms on his chest, flexing my fingers as his heart hammers against them. With one arm on my waist and the other hand tangled in my hair, our eyes meet and my mouth goes dry at the intensity of feeling I see shining back at me. This is Austin in his rawest, most open form. The real man. An even better version of the boy I fell for all those years ago.
“I loved you back then, but I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I don’t regret a thing. Not when our lives brought us back together and now I can have you the way I’ve always wanted to have you. I’m yours, Char, wholly, completely,ownedby you, and I wouldn’t ever want it any other way.” He leans in so he’s all I can see, his lips almost touching mine. “I’m yours and I damn well hope you’re mine because otherwise I’ve–” I don’t let him finish that.
“I’ve been yours since I was sixteen years old. I was yours when I left.Youare the reason I came back home. You’re all I want and all I need, Austin. Only you.Alwaysyou.”
I'm not sure who moves first, but we meet in the middle, our mouths slamming together, our hands gripping tight, and our lips moving against one another in perfect synchronicity. It's beautiful, intense, and fulfilling in ways I never knew were possible but had always hoped for it. In this man's arms, I realize I'm home and it's the only place I ever want to be.
Needing some much-needed breath, and maybe a chance to cool down before we start fogging up the truck windows, we tear ourselves away from each other.
Austin's eyes soften as they roam over my face, his thumb coming up to drag against my bottom lip. The corner of his lips quirk up. "You always know what to say, Char."
I shoot him a wink. “I think we’re even in that regard. I now want ‘wholly, completely owned by you’as a tattoo," I say as I slide back to my side and redo my seatbelt, all with one hand because I find that I don't want to let him go. "So where are you taking me?"
He glances at me before turning the key and starting the truck again. “It’s a surprise.”
“You do know I don’t like surprises,” I pout.
His sexy smirk widens. “Yeah, you do, especially when they come from me. All will be revealed soon. So how about you just stay sittin’ there, lookin’ pretty and distractin’ me, and you’ll find out.”
“You think I’m distractin’,” I say, my cheeks heating.
“You know you are.”
“Hmm. Let’s see just howdistractin’I can be then.”
As we drive furtherinto the countryside, passing the thick woods lining both sides of the highway, my anticipation grows. Now that we've had our deep, meaningful, andwell-overdue talk, I’m on top of the world and excited for whatever Austin’s got planned.
Whatdoesn’thelp is the fact that instead of me being the distracting one, it's Austin proving he’s a master at drawing things out. His thumb traces circles on my skin, sending shivers down my spine and giving me the best kind of goosebumps all over.
By the time we pull into a parking lot surrounded by the tallest hardwood trees I think I’ve ever seen, I’m about ready to tell him to turn around and take us back to the ranch. That’s until I look around and spot a sign that answers my question about what we’ll be doing today.
“No way,” I rush out, a huge smile taking over my face. “I’ve always wanted to go to one of these.”
"Must be written in the stars then because I’ve been wantin’ to come here for a while. Just didn’t want to do it alone.” My heart melts.
“You’ll never have to do anythin’ alone again, love” I say softly, loving the way Austin’s eyes melt at my words.
“You gotta stop sayin’ stuff like that when I can’t do what I want to do to show my appreciation," he rasps.
“NowI’mannoyed that you can’t do anythin’ about it to show your appreciation,” I say back, playing on his words.
He stares at me, his hands clenched into fists on his thighs as if it’s taking everything the man has in him not to touch me. “We should go.”
We step out of the truck and are greeted by the crisp mountain air. Walking to the reception office, I can’t help but stare up at the tall canopy of trees above us, marveling at the sunlight filtering through the leaves. A surge of excitement courses through me knowing that soon, we’ll be up there, experiencing the height and getting a bird’s eye view for ourselves. And I get to do it with this thoughtful, caring man I now call mine.
Austin takes my hand, his touch grounding me as we approach the check-in counter. The staff members greet us warmly, thoroughly explaining the safety procedures and gearing us up in harnesses and helmets before we’re led toward the start of the trail. As we wait for our turn to begin the adventure, I steal glances at Austin, loving how relaxed and at ease he looks.
“This,” I say, squeezing his hand and turning into him, “this is already the best date I’ve ever had and that’s not just because it’s you, but because you’reshowin’ me you.”
He grins down at me, his lips twitching as he dips his head to brush his mouth against mine. “Well, it ain’t no barn-floor, boot-lickin’ seafood stack. That’s for sure.”
A few moments later, the supervisor calls us forward, going through the safety procedures again before checking ourharnesses and gear. "OK, folks. Now this looks like a date if ever I've seen one. First time?" he asks.
“Let’s just say it’s a first date do-over and us bein’ together is fifteen years in the makin’,” I say.
“Well now, there ain’t no better place to go than up in the sky amongst nature’s glory,” he says. “A quick rundown for ya. There are ten obstacles including a banana bridge, a walkin’ net, maybe a climbin’ wall or two, and so much more. Just make sure you’re connected to the guidewire at all times and double-check it before you start movin’ on each obstacle. It’ll be a challenge but nothin' that you two fine-lookin’ people can’t manage. You hear?”
