Page 20 of Mountain Trial

By the time they reached the cul-de-sac where he lived, the ground was covered in brand new snow. Luc was glad for his snow treads. He unlocked the door to the apartment and moved aside to let her through. Kat stood still.

She’s changed her mind.

He looked down to find he’d lost the erection.

This is never going to work.

He was about to send her home, when he noticed just how cold she looked.

“Come on in, Kat. I’ll make you a cup of tea before you go home.”

Without waiting for an answer, he wheeled himself in, glad for the central heating in the building. He felt, rather than saw, when she walked inside and closed the door after her.

Luc saw the place now as somebody who’d never seen it would see it. The open plan kitchen and living space was sparsely furnished―he’d asked the landlord to remove several items of furniture so he could move around more freely. A hallway on one end led to the ensuite bedroom, a small laundry room, and a cupboard for his ski equipment.

“I’ll start the water boiling,” he said, taking off his coat.

Kat nodded, taking off her own coat and placing it on the back of a chair. Luc caught another whiff of the fresh scent that he was starting to associate with her alone. It spurred a sense of longing in him, so strong he had to occupy his hands to stop himself from going to her.

He busied himself in the kitchen corner, glad that everything there was accessible from the chair.

“I need to freshen up,” she said, speaking for the first time since she’d walked inside. Luc pointed in the direction of his bedroom and the bathroom inside.

Kat

Freshen up.

Kat smiled at her use of the euphemism. She’d only had one beer, but between that and the walk in the cold, it wasn’t altogether surprising that she needed to use the bathroom.

While she washed her hands, her eyes roamed over the bathroom, noticing for the first time the things that set it apart from her own bathroom. Fixtures were lower than usual, designed to be wheelchair accessible, and there were grab bars in specific locations, but it was the shower behind her that caught her attention―or rather, the folded white plastic chair along one end.

Her breath caught in her throat as she imagined how hard some things were for Luc―things she took for granted in her everyday life, like the ability to take a shower and run out the door. She took her time drying her hands until she had her feelings under control.

Luc was waiting for her in his bedroom, a steaming mug in his hand. He was looking at her strangely, as if he expected her to bolt any second. Kat walked towards him and took the mug from him silently, placing it on top of a nearby commode.

Hot liquids and kisses don’t mix.

She leaned down, bringing her face to his. The moment their lips touched, the pleasure was instantaneous and blinding. Her pulse quickened in surprise― just like she had during their first kiss, she once again felt this sense of closeness that told her one plus one could be more than two.

How have I missed this?

Kat could count her sexual partners in the last ten years on the fingers of one hand, with space left over, and the number she’d kissed was even smaller than that. Kissing had always been, for her, a duty to be paid before intercourse, an obligatory mixing of saliva that some men insisted on.

Never this.

Luc’s hands came up to caress her face in a move that was both gentle and raw. She gave a soft moan, putting her arms around his strong, wide shoulders, looking for a way to get closer to him.

It was Luc who finally pulled away. She let him, but couldn’t stop a small sound of dismay coming from her mouth.

“We should talk about this,” he said, “before it goes any further.”

“Okay,” she agreed, knowing she would have agreed to anything if it meant he’d start kissing her again.

“Spontaneous sex isn’t something I can do.”

I’m not that good at spontaneous sex, either.

“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Talk to me, then. On my end, I’m clean, and I’m on birth control.” She cringed, feeling she’d crossed the line from direct to just plain unsexy.