An Early Spring

by Ann Lister

  Nick slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him. “I’m sorry,” he said, softly kissing her mouth. “I’d love to be able to take away your pain, but I don’t know how to do that.”

  Colby shook her head and kissed him again. “You already have, Nick,” she said, taking the photo album from his lap and setting it on the coffee table in front of their legs. “These photo’s are part of my past, but when I look at you, I see a future,” she said, brushing her lips against his. “I'm hoping you feel the same way when you look at me.”

  “More than you know.”

  Colby noticed a difference in Nick’s moods almost immediately after he returned to his cabin. The warmth had returned to his eyes, he slept less and had even started becoming more active. After the first week, Nick had regained a lot of strength he had lost since being so sedate in Colby’s room and his smiles were endless.

  Each morning, Colby would drive his pick-up truck to work and, on some nights, Nick actually had dinner ready for her when she returned. They quickly slid into a comfortable cadence of domestic tranquility and Colby had never been happier. She loved going back to Nick’s cabin at night and being greeted by him on the front porch with a warm kiss and a glass of wine. It was beginning to feel like home to her and the sense of permanence that came along with it was heavenly.

  Two weeks after they moved into the cabin, Nick had his follow-up appointment with a doctor at the resort medical building. It would be during this examination the doctor would determine whether Nick’s leg had healed enough to justify removal of his leg cast and how far the healing had progressed in his ribs. He had noticed significantly less pain in his chest while breathing and moving around, and felt like he was nearly healed. He hoped the doctor agreed.

  Nick felt desperate for a good report from the doctor and knew if he left this appointment with his leg cast still intact, and his ribs still requiring more time to heal, he would be devastated. He tried to conceal his anxiety from Colby as best he could, not wanting to upset her if the news wasn’t good. He kept telling her it wasn’t a big deal if he needed a couple of more weeks with the cast on his leg and his ribs to further heal, even though to him it was huge. It had been almost seven weeks since his accident and he wanted his life back.

  The morning of Nick’s doctor’s appointment, he was so nervous he could barely eat breakfast. He dressed in what had become his standard attire for the last seven weeks; athletic pants, t-shirt and one sneaker. And, just in case, the report from the doctor was good, he packed a change of clothes into a backpack and tucked it behind the seat of the truck. He rode with Colby down the mountain and had her park the truck at the medical building and kissed her good-bye, before she made her way toward the lobby of the resort for work.

  “Good luck,” she said, wiping off the lipstick she had left on his lips.

  “Thank you,” he sighed.

  “Relax,” she said, trying to soothe him. “What ever the doctor says, we’ll deal with it. Okay?”

  Nick slid his arms around her waist, his fingers fanning across her bottom. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one wearing the cast.”

  Colby squeezed his chin. “You’ll do fine. Call me when you get out of your appointment.”

  “I will,” Nick said, and moved toward the entrance of the medical building.

  Colby went to work but could not concentrate on anything else but Nick’s appointment. She wondered what the news would be from the doctor and knew how discouraged Nick would be if he was told the cast needed to stay on his leg longer.

  Three hours had passed since Colby had left Nick at the medical building and he still hadn’t called with word on how his appointment had gone. With each passing minute, Colby feared the news wasn’t what Nick had wanted to hear. She was standing in the common area of the reservation offices talking to a couple of her co-workers, when Nick opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Good morning ladies,” he said, balancing his weight onto a hand-carved wooden cane. His smile was brilliant.

  Colby’s head turned toward the sound of his voice. “Nick! Look at you, you’re wearing jeans!” she said with excitement. Her eyes canvassed the length of his body.

  “Yes, I am. And do you notice anything else about me that’s different?” he asked, twirling around for her inspection. “Besides the cane.”

  “Wow! I didn’t even notice the cane. I’m still trying to absorb the vision of you wearing jeans. I had forgotten how good you look in them,” Colby said.

  “Stop staring at my ass and look at my leg,” he said, and stepped closer to her, doing his best to ignore the giggles from her co-workers.

  “Why can’t I look at your ass?” she asked, and a second round of laughter erupted from her friends.

  Nick laced his arms around Colby and began to walk her toward her office. With each step he took, he planted another kiss onto her lips. “Are you going to tell me you didn’t notice the cast is off my leg?” he asked in a hushed tone. Then he pressed the back of her legs against her desk.

  “Of course I noticed, Nick, and it looks wonderful,” she said. Thoughtfully she touched his face with her fingers. “You must be thrilled.”

  “I am, but I have some even better news for you,” he said. He teased her lips with his tongue, before kissing her with passion.

  “Nick, you’re getting hard,” she whispered.

  “I know,” he said. “And, guess what I’m going to do with that later?” he asked. His hand began sliding up the length of her bare thigh and disappeared beneath the hem of her skirt.

  Colby’s eyes widened. “Your ribs are healed?”

  “Pretty much,” Nick said. “They did an x-ray and everything looks really good. I’m not a hundred percent yet, but its close enough. The doctor said I can resume some of my normal activities - with moderation,” he smirked. “Do you know what that means?”

  Colby set her forehead against Nick’s shoulder. “Moderation?”

  “Yes. Moderation. It means you’ll have to be on top for a while,” he said. “I told my doctor that would be okay since you love being on top.”

  “Oh, my God! Please don’t tell me you told your doctor that!”

  Nick continued to laugh. “I’m teasing you, Colby, but basically, I’m good to go. My doctor still doesn’t want me doing anything too strenuous for my ribs to handle and I need to use this stupid cane for another two weeks, too. But, other than that, I’m fine.”

  Colby cupped Nick's face. “I’m so happy for you!”

  “You should be happy for yourself, too, since some of the rewards stemming from my recovery involve you,” he said against her lips. He opened his mouth again and covered hers completely, holding her tight against him, while his tongue explored her mouth with meticulous skill and thought to detail.

  Colby closed her eyes and allowed Nick to seduce her mouth until she remembered where they were. She stiffened in his arms and broke the seal of their mouths.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I’m at work, Nick. We shouldn’t be doing this here,” she whispered.

  “Well, it must be almost time for lunch?” he said, his eyes burning with lust.

  “Do you want a ride home?” she asked.

  Nick squeezed her bottom. “I’d love a ride.”

  Colby’s mouth slowly slid into a mischievous grin. “You’re wicked.”

  He rubbed his erection against her again, and lightly brushed her lips with his. “No - I’m horny and I want to celebrate the good news I just got from the doctor by making love to my girlfriend. Can you blame me for that?”

  “Let me get my purse,” she said. She stepped into the main office area with Nick following close behind. “I’m leaving for...lunch,” Colby said to her co-workers. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Then, we’ll see you tomorrow morning?” one woman joked, her head popping up from behind the wall of her cubicle.

  Nick and Colby proceeded to his truck, havi
ng to stop several times to talk to people that knew Nick and discuss the removal of his cast. Nick was polite but Colby could tell his patience was wearing thin.

  “Why is it, when you’re in a hurry to get somewhere, everyone under the sun wants to stop and say hello?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Are you in a hurry?” Colby teased.

  Nick glanced at her and saw that she was trying to hide a smile. “Yes, today I’m in a hurry. In fact, if I didn’t think I’d embarrass you, I’d remove your panties and have you straddle my lap right in the truck.”

  Colby laughed. “In the parking lot? Nick, that’s so romantic.”

  When they arrived at the truck, Colby shifted around to the driver's side door. “Not this time, babe,” he said. “The doctor said I can drive again, so move over.”

  Colby hopped up into the seat and watched the endless smile on Nick’s face. Once he was settled behind the steering wheel, she moved beside him and placed her hand high on his thigh.

  Nick felt Colby’s hand slide across his leg and then cup his groin. “It’s not too late for me to put this truck back into park and have you sit on my lap,” he said, the heat of his eyes hitting her.

  “I’d rather use your bed,” she whispered beside his ear, then softly bit his lobe.

  “Okay, then you better hold on tight, because I might make a new land speed record driving to the cabin.”

  For the duration of trip, Colby kept her fingers busy working the bulge between his legs, while her lips burned a trail of hot kisses along his jaw line and neck. By the time they reached the cabin, Colby had Nick’s pants undone and her hand inside, stroking his cock.

  Nick barely broke the seal of their lips, while he unlocked the front door and managed to kick off his shoes, all without losing his grip around Colby’s waist. His fingers worked the back zipper of her skirt and pushed it off her hips. She stepped out of the garment as he walked her toward his bedroom, his mouth still fused to hers. His jeans and briefs were next, along with her panties, but he had only succeeded in unbuttoning his shirt before Colby eased him back against the mattress. She climbed across his legs with cat-like precision, her pelvis hovering over his cock, but not making contact. She could feel the heat of it bobbing just below her pussy.

  “Sit on me, Colby. Please. I really need to be inside you,” he pleaded breathlessly.

  “You’re forgetting who’s on top,” she purred against his mouth.

  His fingers moved up her thighs and between her legs, slipping into her wetness.

  “Oh, God! You’re soaking wet,” he sighed. “Baby, please let me in.”

  Colby sat across his hips, without allowing him to penetrate her, and removed her shirt and bra, tossing them to the side of the bed. She studied his expression. A look of absolute desperation and lust masked his eyes, but she also saw resolve in them, telling her he was consenting to allow her the power of the seduction.

  She bent forward on her arms and raised her hips, then felt his hands move to her waist and begin to push her backward with gentle force onto his organ. She allowed him entrance but she retained total control of the progression. The more of himself he tried to give to her, the slower she moved.

  Inch by inch, he slid inside and she stretched for him. A familiar ache began to build. She opened herself wider, drawing him in deeper, absorbing his size and the sensation of complete and utter fullness. When she could fit no more, she sat back on his lap and watched the flames of passion dancing in his eyes, his cheeks flushed with heat.

  She loved the way arousal changed the features of his face and deepened his skin tone, but today his expression reflected so many different emotions - beyond his obvious physical need. Colby saw a raw vulnerability in him she had never seen before, a beautiful openness of sincere affection and it made her heart ache. He held her gaze, as if wondering what she’d do next.

  She ran her fingers through the thin layer of dark hair covering his chest, then dragged her index finger down along the path of the hairline leading to his groin. When her fingers reached the soft hair on his lower stomach, she felt his organ begin to pulse inside her body and heard him moan. A hungry look of longing flickered in his eyes and she knew without him having to verbalize it, how close he was to coming.

  “Move your hips for me,” he requested, and attempted to use his own hands to manipulate her body on top of him. “You’re going to have to do the work for me, baby.”

  Colby smiled at him, enjoying the power she had at that moment. She arched backward and began to rotate her hips, ever so slightly and painfully slow, making seductive circles on his cock. She saw Nick’s eyes close and heard him groan loudly, as he reacted to another fluid rotation of her hips.

  “You feel so good,” he said. “So fucking good.”

  Colby leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. One more swish of her hips and her insides begin to tighten around him. She sighed into Nick’s mouth, and allowed the first orgasm to take her.

  “Hmmm, baby, I can feel you coming against me,” he exhaled, his thoughts beginning to blur and knowing he wouldn’t be able to last much longer himself.

  She tipped her hips to change the angle and began to rock against him with more urgency. The sensation was more than Nick could handle and he quickly climaxed. Colby continued to move against him, her body beginning to sweat, as another orgasm began to build inside her.

  Nick watched the blue in her eyes intensify and mist with emotion, then his gaze dropped to her near perfect breasts and the gentle bounce of them as Colby moved her body on him. He fanned his fingers across her lower belly, his thumb settling against the tiny, hardened nub between her legs and slowly began to rub. As soon as his thumb made contact, the change in her was instant. He watched her head roll to the side and her eyes close; her rhythms becoming more frantic. She looked so beautiful to him.

  “God, I love you,” he said softly, as he felt her body contracting in orgasm again.

  Colby smiled and bent forward, resting her weight onto her hands, then lowered her mouth to his. “I love you, too,” she replied, trying to catch her breath. “How are your ribs?”

  “Not bad,” he said, reaching to touch her breasts.

  Colby maintained a gentle rhythmic rotation going on his organ. “This is pretty sad, Nick. You were in such a hurry, you didn’t even take the time to get completely naked.”

  Nick smiled slyly. “I will next time. I promise. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready again.”

  “Ten minutes?”

  “Okay. Five,” he said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Colby never made it back to work. She stayed in bed with Nick making love until dinner time, then prepared a quick meal for them, before returning to his bed.

  Their schedule didn’t change much over the next several days. Colby would go to work for a few hours, then return to the cabin and back into Nick’s bed. It finally felt like the life they had together before Nick’s accident had returned. They had created a beautiful rhythm of emotional and physical synchrony that sustained them completely.

  Three weeks later, Nick continued to make great strides with his rehabilitation. He had returned to the resort gym to exercise and began working with a personal trainer to regain the strength he had lost after his accident and had started jogging again, too. It was all in an effort to fully reclaim his life and get a medical release from his doctor and enable him to get back to work.

  By now, the heat of July had settled across the valley beneath the resort mountain, turning all the vegetation into lush shades of green and vast expanses of fields filled with wild flowers of every variety and color imaginable. The winter snows were nothing more than a distant memory for Colby.

  With the birth of the summer season at the resort, Colby felt reborn herself. Whenever possible, Nick kept Colby busy with outside activities, taking her hiking, kayaking on the lake, showing her every way to have fun at the resort.

  The first Saturday in July, Nick took Colby on another t
rail hike up to the summit restaurant and they had lunch on the deck overlooking the mountain range.

  “Your birthday is coming soon,” Nick said, reaching for Colby’s hand across the table.

  “Thank you for reminding me,” she said with sarcasm.

  “I want to do something special with you.”

  “That’s not necessary, Nick.”

  “I know, but I want to,” he said. “I was thinking I’d like to take you into Vail for the weekend. We’ll get a room and I’ll show you around the town, do some shopping, eat, have some really hot sex.”

  “We already do that here,” Colby said.

  Nick provocatively raised one eye brow. “Yes, we do, but I thought you might like a change of scenery. How about next weekend? Do you already have plans?”

  Colby laughed. “I don’t have any plans, Nick.”

  “You do now. I’ll make all the arrangements and we’ll leave Saturday morning. Okay?”

  During the week, Nick made their reservations for a one-night stay at The Sebastian hotel right in the downtown village of Vail. The views and accommodations were spectacular and the dining was five-star.

  Nick and Colby arrived at the hotel just after lunch and went directly to their room. Colby stepped in first and sighed at the sight.

  “Wow! Nick, this place is gorgeous!”

  Their room was elegantly appointed with a traditional Rocky Mountain motif with thick European bedding and drapes, giving it a rich Alpine feel. It had a king-sized bed, large bathroom with a marble whirl-pool tub and a private deck off the bedroom.

  Colby tossed her purse onto the bed and walked out to the deck and stood at the railing. Looking in one direction, Colby could see the retail shops of Main Street. The view in the opposite direction was of the front face of the mountain, with ski trails colored in summer green instead of winter white. Colby closed her eyes, breathing in the freshest mountain air she had ever smelled.

  Nick set their bags onto the bed, then stepped out onto the balcony behind Colby. He slid his arms around her waist and he kissed her neck.