Eva laughed. “You’re easy to please.”
“Hardly.” I moved a hand between us. Despite the chilly mountain morning, my body was overwarm. Eva’s stomach was slicked with sweat. “I have very discerning taste, and you”—I pressed a thumb to the place where our body joined, drawing her gasp—“are exquisite.”
When I circled the same spot, Eva thrust an arm out for balance, knocking into the tent pole with a laugh.
I smirked. “Careful.”
“You’ve gotten cocky,” she panted.
“Cocky,Ev? Really, right now?”
“I don’t see a better time.”
I pressed a smile to her lips. All this time, and still it felt like coming home. We’d learned to love each other this way before we really knew what we were doing, learning each other by touch and trial and trust. Now my body woke to her like the world to the dawn, aching for warmth. I was soothed by every familiar curve and groove, by the hush of her voice and the hitch in her breath.
The alarm went off again. Eva smacked it.
I pulled her down to me and we fell into a now-familiar rhythm, the push and pull of our bodies a song I’d never forget so long as I lived. The hum of it lived in my bones.
When she collapsed against my chest, panting and satisfied, my cheeks pulled into a grin.
I loved blue hour.
Eva looked at me. “When do we need to leave?”
“Four alarms ago.”
With a little sound and a nose nuzzle into my chest, Eva rolled away. She unzipped the door to the tent and stuck her head out.
“Got your jacket?” I asked.
“Yeah, but I want food.”
With a smile, I fished out a granola bar from our overnight pack and tossed it her way. We’d pack up the tent on the way back.
To my chagrin, Jack and Esther had beat us to the lookout. Eva felt no shame in her tardiness, waving to Esther with vigor as the little girl bounced on the balls of her feet, waving back.
Sweet kid.
When we reached them, Jack passed me a thermos. It was too much to hope he’d opted for coffee. The man had a strong palate for worry, and even after all our talks, I knew he didn’t fully believe the monster would hold back the sprout forever. He was always pushing tea in my face. Just in case, he said.
I took a sip and smiled my gratitude.
“Okay, they’ll be here any minute. Everyone needs to find their hiding place, and stay there,” Eva said.
Jack lifted an eyebrow. “We know, honeybee. We’ve been here for half an hour waiting on you. What held you up?”
“Would you believe the alarm never went off?” she said, feigning annoyance.
I choked on my tea. Beautiful liar.
At the sound of nearing voices, however, Eva put a finger to her lips and motioned for us to get into position. I caught her by the hand, warming a kiss to the center of her palm. When she pinked, I stepped back into the bush. “Hide,” I mouthed.
Flustered, Eva hurried into the trees, but I didn’t miss the lift of her smile.
The lookout spot was a local secret, situated in a broad strip of trees that overlooked the northernmost tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The view stole my breath every time.
For a moment, I felt an itch to reach for gloves I no longer had any need for, but I forced the feeling down and ran my fingers over a soft fern, releasing the dew caught in its leaves. Would I ever get used to this? Touching the world, and letting it touch me?
