Don't think about it. I can do this. Just take slow baby steps.
Move left leg.
Move right leg.
Don’t look down.
It's so steep!
One slip and…
Sweat beaded her forehead, and she tried to swallow back the fear flooding her body. The railing to her left and the wall on her right were closing in as the steps narrowed.
Breath in and…
“Shi—” She slipped on the loose pebbles, but righted herself before she fell.
Desperately wanting to look back to see where Meg was, Daniella turned her head slightly, and measured the distance to the bottom of the mountain.
How fast would my body fall? Would I have a heart attack before my body hit the ground and splattered? I… I can't do this!
Daniella's nerves were an orchestra of frazzled wires firing off electrical fright in all sorts of directions. Her hands shook and sweat bloomed over her face. The metal pipe banister wasn't enough protection, and the mountainous wall didn't look reassuring. Small boulders protruded from its side, bulging as if it would knock her off. There's not enough space. It's too close to the edge. Frantic thoughts blew through her mind. Her legs buckled. A rush of pebbles and rocky debris pinged against her calves, and she heard Meg huff, “Go, Daniella!”
Meg's body barreled into her knocking her forward. The air escaped her lungs first while her legs flipped over her body in uncontrolled motions, and then her knees greeted the rugged steps. Something sharp tore at her right hip as her hands shot out, attempting to break her fall before…
“Shit!” Cruz hollered as he launched forward to catch her just before her head met with the sharp, jagged rock protruding from the wall.
“What the hell, Meg!” Falcon threw his arms up.
“It was a freaking accident! I didn't mean to stumble into her!” Meg spat.
“Why the hell were you trailing her that closely? You were obviously moving too fast or you wouldn't have slipped or stumbled or whatever.” Falcon shook his head, turned back, and crouched down next to Daniella and Cruz.
Several other hikers stopped to help, some with first aid kits. “Someone should call an ambulance,” one of the men who stopped to help said.
Daniella lay flat on her back with Cruz hunched beside her. She shook her head and waved them away.
“I'm a doctor,” Falcon stated and nodded toward Meg. “And so is she.”
They cleansed Daniella's bloody knees and elbows, and applied bandages.
“Can you move? Is your neck hurt? How about your back? Or your—”
“Sh. Sh. I-I'm… just give me a minute.” Daniella's words were barely a whisper.
“Whew.” Cruz swiped his head with his forearm. “Maybe I should piggy back you the rest of the way down?”
A small smile crossed her lips. “Just help me up, please.”
Cruz lifted Daniella, and Falcon helped steady her. Warm liquid pooled under her shorts. A river of blood traveled down her right leg. Leaning into Cruz, favoring her right side, she said, “I'm bleeding… a lot.”
“Damn.” Cruz eased her back down to the ground.
“You've gotta pull your shorts down,” Falcon said.
Daniella flushed, but slowly unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down just below her hips. The ugly laceration over her right hip continued to bleed.
“You're going to need stitches,” Falcon said as he cleansed the wound with a betadine swab.
“As soon as we get out of here and down the mountain, I'm taking you straight to the emergency room to get that fixed.” Cruz pressed his lips against her forehead. “I'm sorry, baby. It wasn't supposed to be a trip from hell.”
“Sh. It's not your fault… or anyone else's fault. It was an accident.” Daniella glanced up at Meg, who stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I-I'm so sorry, Daniella. I didn't think I'd come crashing into you. I was rushing down the steps when I should have been more cautious.” Meg shifted her glance to Cruz. “Sorry.”
“Alright, that should do it for now,” Falcon said after he bandaged up her hip. “No need to go to the ER. We have a kit with everything needed for stitches at the cabin. I'll make you as good as new, Daniella.” He grinned down at her.
“Okay, but I better not have an ugly scar, or Meg's gonna owe me big time,” Daniella teased and gave Meg a reassuring wink.
~~~
Once they finally made it back to bottom of the mountain, they headed back to the cabin.
Falcon repaired the deep laceration to Daniella's hip. She marveled at how gentle he was, carefully touching her wound, telling her exactly what he was doing… “Applying some betadine to cleanse the skin… now you'll feel a sting and a burn… some lidocaine to numb the skin…” He constantly glanced up at her, reassuring and smiling warmly and finished with a sly wink.
“I'll take it from here, buddy,” Cruz growled when Falcon attempted to help Daniella sit up. “You've seen more than your fair share of her flesh for the day.” He lifted Daniella off the counter and carried her back into their room, laying her on the bed.
“Hey. Why the grumpy look? Are you mad at me?” Daniella asked.
“I don't like the way he was touching you… and the way you were smiling at him oh so sweetly.” The creases in his forehead deepened.
“Come down here right now, Mr. Canton.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on the bed beside her. He buried his face against her neck.
“And I don't like the way he kept touching your skin—your hip.” He kissed her neck.
“Do I detect jealousy in your tone, Mr. Canton? Because I think I should be recording this.” Her voice hinted sarcasm. A small laugh escaped him.
She pulled him down on her pillow. His eyes filled with love and spoke naughty things to her body. She slipped her hands under his t-shirt and slowly pushed it up. His pec muscles twitched as he lowered his mouth to her neck. A tingly, but ticklish sensation settled where he sucked and kissed.
She raised both arms and jiggled her shoulders to help him slip off her sports bra. Cruz singlehandedly unhooked her brazier. She peeled off his shirt and traced the sculpted muscles defining his chest and arms.
His breathing grew raspy, and one side of his mouth lifted as he caressed her breast. A sigh escaped her lips, and she shivered with needy anticipation.
His wicked grin widened just before he took her breast into his mouth and sucked it hard. Pulsing waves snaked downward when he slid his legs between hers and spread them open. He massaged her waist and pressed his hips against hers. She pulled him down on top of her, his bare chest caressing the expanse of her breasts. He smothered her mouth, and she devoured his tongue, losing herself in his powerful strokes, wishing him to slip inside of her to satisfy the gnawing itch growing deep within.
Daniella's fingers dipped under his waistband and teased the crest of his pelvic bones, earning a deep and throaty moan. His hardened length pressed and rubbed against the V between her legs. She wanted Cruz wholeheartedly. She wanted him desperately when he started grinding against her pelvis.
Her legs loosened around his hips as she struggled to unbuckle his belt. He propped himself up to give her room, and then he licked a wicked trail down the middle of her belly. He gripped the edges of her unbuttoned shorts, and carefully, to avoid further injury to her lacerated hip, slid them down to the edges of her thighs when…
A rap, tap, tap and a bang, bang, bang sounded on the other side of the door. Before either Cruz or Daniella could respond, the door flew open.
Cruz bolted upright and Daniella crossed her hands over her naked chest.
“What the fuck, Meg? Is there no privacy here?” Cruz wrapped his arms around Daniella and pulled her against him, attempting to shield her nakedness.
A chuckle escaped Meg's wicked lips. “No, not really. You should have locked the door.”
“As you can see, we were clearly busy, so get on with it. What do you want?”
He stared at Meg with daggers in his eyes. Daniella shivered, and prayed he'd never look at her that way.
“Dinner's almost ready. Falcon's getting ready to throw some steaks on the grill.” She hesitated and glanced at Daniella. “Wanna share yearbooks tonight? You did remember to bring yours, right?”
“Uh… sure.”
Killjoy!
“Good girl.” Meg turned on her heel and swung the door shut. “Now get your butts out to the deck so we can eat… FOOD, Cruz. Not Daniella.” Her laugh died as she moved further down the hall.
Glancing up at Cruz, Daniella noticed the flicker of amusement in his eyes.
“Yearbooks? You two planned this. You just want to see my most embarrassing photos.”
She shook her head and said, “Nuh-uh.” She hoped her cover-up smile looked innocent enough.
Leaning in, he grinned and a small laugh escaped him. “Let's take a quick shower.”
“Together?”
“Why not? I promise to be good.”
“Alright.” Daniella grabbed fresh clothing and followed Cruz into the bathroom.
Cruz behaved, sort of. Only a few touches here and there, had earned him a slap on the hand.
~~~
After dinner, Daniella and Meg sat in the living room sprawled out on the wooden floor, while Cruz and Falcon flipped through their magazines on the couch.
They shared Daniella's senior yearbook first.
“You look pretty much the same… with a few more wrinkles now,” Meg said nonchalantly.
“What? I do not have any wrinkles.” She pawed at her face. “Do I?”
Meg sniggered. “Damn, Daniella. You're so gullible.” Then she tapped the yearbook. “Oh! Is this the dude you were telling me about at Cruz's folks’ cabin? The psycho ex?”
“Uh… yeah. That'd be Blake, the psychopath.” Daniella cringed. She did not want to talk about that particular time of her life.
“Damn. He looks a lot like Falcon, Daniella. Psycho or not, I'd do him.” Meg took that moment to glance up at her, probably wanting to catch the emotion she'd evoked.
Daniella leaned over and snagged her yearbook from Meg's lap. Two envelopes slipped out.
“Whoa. I didn’t mean to piss you off, Daniella.” Meg snagged the envelopes. “What's this?” She held them up. “Letters from… Blake? Oh, do tell!”
Swiftly ripping the envelopes from Meg's grip, Daniella glanced at Cruz. Though he had his head buried in a sports magazine, his eyes peeked over the top, brows knitted together. “I don't want to talk about it, Meg.” She tucked the letters back into her yearbook.
I should've burned them damn letters. Nothing but lies and empty promises.
“Here, look at these pictures of us. We were quite the buddy pack back then,” Meg said as she pointed out pictures of herself, Falcon, and Cruz.
“Dang. Cruz was smoking hot, huh?” Daniella smiled at Meg and then turned her attention back to the yearbook. “And Falcon… yeah, you were surrounded by hotties.”
“Well, of course I was. You don't look as beautiful as I did and not be surrounded by the best looking guys. I was the envy of every girl in high school.” Meg flipped her hair over her shoulders and shook her head. It was hard to tell if she was serious or just being sarcastic. Probably the first assumption. As they continued viewing Meg's yearbooks, Daniella couldn't help but notice that Cruz had either a single heart, or several of them surrounding his photos. There were a few here and there around Falcon's, but one would think, by the looks of Meg's yearbooks, that she pretty much had a crush on Cruz.
Did she ever get over that crush? She glanced at Meg, her stomach twisted with jealousy at the thought of Meg and Cruz together. Wasn't it Meg who said Cruz hated jealous females? Or was it Falcon?
12 - Arbor Lodge
Cruz and Daniella walked hand in hand down a brick path leading to a large white mansion.
“This is the J. Sterling Morton House.” Cruz's free hand floated from the mansion to the scenery. “Arbor Lodge is a State Historical Park here in Nebraska City, famous for its apple orchards, but more importantly, the birth of a national holiday known as Arbor Day.”
“I can just imagine the mansion filled with peoples of the past; women skirting around in big, blooming dresses, men in their tux's smoking cigars…” Daniella marveled as they stepped inside the large historical mansion.
Cruz paid the admissions fee and Daniella crooned over the library. The book bindings were so detailed she wanted to run her fingers over them, open the pages and examine the content, but the shelves were enclosed behind protective glass doors that were locked.
They went up the flight of stairs to the next level. Daniella dragged her hand over the texture of the old wood and crown molding, amazed at the fine details and labor involved.
Both went about their musings separately until Cruz caught up with Daniella in the hallway.
“Cruz, come look at these strollers.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room.
“Look at these… the metal wheels, the wooden buggy… the umbrella, though tattered by time, it's still remarkable.” She touched the aged material. “So awesome. Do you think the strollers today would hold up a hundred years or more?” Daniella tilted her head to catch the dimpled smile and gleam in his eyes.
He kissed the top of her head. “Of course not. Nothing is made with any great detail anymore.” Cruz gave her a tight squeeze and shifted her direction, leading her down another hall.
“My turn. Come look at the old printing presses.” He guided her into a room that held several presses, but Daniella was drawn to a table with many thin and lengthy drawers.
“Ah, check this out. These drawers all contain the different fonts.” She ran a finger along the drawers. “Courier, Times… all these fonts we now use on computers. Amazing stuff.”
They headed outdoors and followed a trail leading to the carriage house. The horse carriages… Daniella envisioned the days the Morton families rode in buggies. She imagined the males flirting with their female counterparts, wooing them and possibly making out. It was a beautiful thought. She only wished she and Cruz could travel back in time and enjoy one of those coaches.
“You look like you're in dreamland.” Cruz slipped his arms around her waist and stared down at her. “What are you thinking about?”
Shifting her position, Daniella wrapped an arm around Cruz's back. She peered up to meet his gaze and his mischievous grin. “Me? Dreamland? No, I think you look… um.” She rubbed her chin with her free hand. “Are you up to something, ’cause you have kind of a look of sneakiness? Or something.”
He grinned. “Wouldn't you like to know. And, you still haven't answered my question. What were you dreaming about?”
“Well, I was thinking about what it must have been like back in their time. I wonder if the men brought their women—” she turned and pointed to the enclosed two-seater carriage, “—in these carriages, and… you know?” She arched her brows.
“Know? You mean you wonder if they sucked lips? Got naked?” His eyes brightened and his teeth sparkled against the rays of sunlight beaming through the windows.
Daniella giggled. “Yeah, that.”
“I'm sure they did.” He nodded. “You about ready to go or do you want to stay here and fantasize about their procreations?” Cruz dug his fingers into her side.
“Stop! That tickles.” She swatted his hands. “And no, I wasn't and don't want to fantasize about the past peoples procreations. You pervert.”
“Okay,” he said just as his cell phone vibrated. Cruz reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled the cell phone out. He examined the text.
“What is it?” Or who is it? Oh please, don't let Meg be right. No ex-girlfriend texts, not here, not now. Daniella's heart sank. Jealousy sucks!
“Nothing to worry about, just a reminder tours of the mansion and some other features are available. I asked for them when I booked the trip.” He gave her a wink and a warm smile.
>
“Was that one of them?”
“Yep. We get to take a walk through the leafy acres to a unique spot.”
“Like wh—”
“Sh.” Cruz pressed two fingers against her lips. “Don't ask questions, just enjoy the scenery.” He replaced his fingers with a warm, sensual kiss.
“Mm,” she mumbled.
He grinned and said, “Yummy.” Then he pulled away and led her down a path canopied with trees which were now turning brilliant shares of orange, yellow and red. The glowing pigments of autumn included multitudes of beautiful maple and oak trees. Leaves danced along the breeze, some tumbling to the ground, swirling, and mixing together to create a rainbow of color. The formation of impressive shades was something Daniella had never seen before.
“Look.” Cruz pointed. “The Whispering Bench.”
“What does that mean? Does the bench talk?” Daniella laughed.
“No, silly. Come. I'll show you.” He led her to the furthest end of the cemented bench. “You stay here, and I'll go to the other side.”
~~~
Cruz grinned in a way that said, “I've-got-a-secret-and-you're-about-to-find-out.” What has he gone and done now?
After taking his seat at the opposite end, he pressed his head into the corner, whispered something, and then he turned to look at her.
“Push the leafy debris off the bench.” His words traveled along the wall and trickled into Daniella's ear. She glanced over at Cruz, clasped a hand over her mouth and giggled.
Turning to the corner of the wall, she held her hands against her lips and whispered, “This is so cool!” She turned quickly to catch Cruz's reaction.
He caught her words and laughed, but didn't bother to look over at her. He whispered again, and then shifted his gaze toward her.
Daniella smiled, her head already tucked into the corner.
“Push the leafy debris off the bench!”
She caught his demand and sat up. Examining the corner, she snapped her eyes toward him and pointed to the leaves piled up next to her. What? Is this some kind of joke? Like that fake gum where you pull out a piece and it snaps your finger and makes you jump?
Of Love and Deception Page 12
