"You're just the little encyclopedia today," he exclaims, as he continues to laugh. The parking lot is packed there were tourists and sightseers everywhere, with their cameras out taking pictures as we drive around again looking for a parking space.
I push his shoulder. "I love local history," I retort, with a pout on my face. "It is really sad that I lived only an hour from here but never had the chance to come here before. So, I try to read something I don't know anything about every week. And since I haven't been able to see a lot of Oregon, reading about it is one of the best ways to experience it," I reply.
"Oh... Don't pout. I just think it’s cute."
"I think it’s cool to have a place like this so close to town. It’s only a thirty minute drive to have such a beautiful view. I would love to come out here in the winter time and see it all iced over."
"So, what did you see or do as a child? Did you ever go on vacations?"
“I don't remember doing a lot; just going the beach a couple times. I did go camping with Bridget and her family."
"Really? How did you like camping? Tent or RV?"
"Tenting is the only way to camp!" I say. Ian looks at me with a surprised look. "I loved it! I learned how to fly fish and how to tie my own flies too."
"Really? You really like fishing? Isn't it hard to fly fish?"
"I love fishing! I'm one with nature. Standing in a stream, not a care in the world, I am at peace. It's just me soaking in all that nature has to give. I do a lot of catch and release when I fly fish. It's not that hard. I mean, you have to pay attention to your surroundings so you don't snag a tree or anyone around you. But I don't care if it's bait fishing or fly fishing, I just love it!"
"I have to say, I'm really impressed! Most girls wouldn't be caught dead camping, let alone sleeping in a tent, or even touching a fish or worms." Ian is looking me up and down as if I look different from other girls.
"I'm not most girls!" I say sternly, looking at him with squinted eyes. Ian chuckles at my stern look, then raises his eyebrow as if to dare me to prove it.
"I've figured that out already. So how did you learn to tie flies?" He asks as he looks for a parking space.
"Bridget's dad taught me both fly fishing and tying. I went to Bridget's house one day and he was tying some up. I asked if it was hard, and he showed me how to do it. I mean, there are some that are definitely harder than others, but you follow a recipe like a cookbook and follow what the book says. I mean, it takes practice. If you leave a sting too long or a hackle isn't laid right the fish will know and won't hit it. They are smarter than you think. That year he taught me how to fly fish and I got to use my own flies."
"You blow me away!" He says shaking his head.
"Have you ever gone fly fishing before?"
"No, I've never been fishing or camping, but I have always wanted to."
"You've never gone fishing before? Well, maybe one day I can teach you."
"I would love that."
We finally find a spot and park. Walking hand in hand under the freeway through the pedestrian walkway to get to the falls. It is beautiful; there is so much water and power. The roar of the water is hitting the rocks below. "I see they got the Benson Bridge re-opened," I say.
"Why was it closed?"
"A big boulder crashed down and took a four-by-four section out of it late last year," I say, as we start to hike up to it, I didn't know about it until this last May, I was reading about it when I saw something about it on Google, I don't know how I missed it on the news. The bridge sits right above the lower falls. We take some selfies with the falls behind us while we are up there.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Ian asks.
"That sounds great." When we walk down from the bridge, we grab a coffee from the coffee cart that sits next to the gift shop before walking back to the Jeep.
We drive the scenic route to see some of the other falls, getting out to hike the various trails to get a closer view of them. I am so fascinated by the falls. I hardly speak. Ian gets several phone calls while we are out and I realize he usually doesn't take weekends off. "You don't take weekends off do you?"
"Not usually, but I would rather be here with you than at work right now." He says. I turn an really take a good look at this man that has me stepping way outside my box. He is beautiful, in every sense of the word, from his dark brown hair to his full supple lips and his striking green eyes.
Back in the Jeep, Ian takes an old abandoned side road that doesn't look like it has been traveled in a long time. There is some pavement but there are big potholes in it. Most of it is just gravel with grass and vegetation growing through it. Blackberry vines engulf vacant buildings sitting next to an abandoned railroad track. "This is my secret. I've never seen anyone else drive this way to get here."
"I can see why! You need a four-wheel drive vehicle to get here. How did you find it?"
"I was out exploring and I saw the road and decided to follow it to see where it went to."
I feel a little nervous, as if we are in an area that we aren't supposed to be in, but it takes us to the base of Bridal Vail Falls. We start to hike to the observation deck, which is nothing compared to having to hike to the falls without the shortcut that Ian found. It is incredible. The power of the wind and mist coming from this fall is so much stronger than the other falls we have seen. It seems to have more water flowing over than the other falls. I feel so small in comparison to what I have seen today of God's creations. The mist that came off the falls makes a rainbow effect as it floats through the sun’s rays... All I can think of is what a beautiful state I live in.
Ian takes my hand, and tells me he has something he want to show me. We walk back to the Jeep and drive to the top of the Bridal Vail Fall’s trailhead. Ian takes my hand in his as we start to hike, but we're not hiking down which would take us to the falls, according to the informational sign, we are hiking up and there are not any falls this way. I wonder what is up here?
We come to a clearing, we are in the middle of a meadow overlooking the Columbia River. "Wow, what an unbelievable site." The meadow is covered in little lavender flowers, "it's like a lavender rug." I say.
As we are walking, I say, "How cool is that? That is a great area for a picnic. I wonder where the people are?" I notice a blanket spread out on the ground with a big picnic basket sitting beside it, but I haven't seen anyone else around. In fact, there isn't anyone in the area. We continue to walk on the trail until we are beside the blanket. On top of the blanket lay a gorgeous red rose.
Ian bends down, reaching for the rose. "They are right here." He hands me the rose and kisses me lightly on the lips. Placing his hand on the small of my back, he steers me to the blanket. I look up at him in amazement as tears begin to fill my eyes. I've never been treated so adoringly before. Taking my hand again, he helps me to the ground.
"Ian, this is incredible. How?"
"I've got my secrets. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He is chuckling in a low melted chocolate tone, as he opens the basket, pulling out a plate of fruits, cheeses, sparkling water, crackers, and meats. He says, “Help yourself."
"What did you go to college for?" I ask, as I pop a grape in my mouth.
"Finance and business. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I went the most logical way. I wanted to run a business. To do that I needed to know about finance. What are you going to school for?" he asks.
“I want to be a counselor for sexually abused children." I say.
"How did you happen to pick that field of interest?" he questioned, as he put a cracker with cheese and meat into his mouth.
"I think it is a subject that is all too often swept under the rug, or shunned. It's a taboo subject and it is happening more than people think. I don't want to get on my soapbox, but so many children are faced with it and a lot of them aren't receiving the help they need to heal." I think about my childhood and wonder how it could have been different. I flash back to the stench of his body od
or and the harsh way his knees spread my thighs. Shit, get out of my head. "Anyway, it is something I have always wanted to do." I bite into a square of cheese.
We lay on our sides, facing each other, and talk. Ian sits up, digs in the basket, and pulls out strawberries and whipped cream. I take a strawberry, swirl it in the whipped cream, and place it in Ian’s mouth. I stick my finger in my own mouth to lick it off.
Before I know what is happening, I am on my back. Ian now straddles me while on his knees, hovering over me. He has my hands in one of his, above my head. The other hand traces my face. "I get to feed you now." He takes a strawberry, dips it into the whipped cream, and swirls it around. He then starts to feed it to me. I lick my lips in anticipation; he slowly sets the strawberry to my lips. I bite it and moan as the juice, cold and sweet, running over my tongue and down the back of my throat. He leans down and licks the remnants of the whipped cream off my lips. I catch his lip with my teeth, sucking it into my mouth as he groans a low primal growl. He kisses me hard and frantic, as if I am the oxygen he needs to breathe. I kiss him back just as fervently. At this moment, he IS all I need.
"Oh, God, Ian..."
He kisses me again. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Parker?" he whispers softly in my ear.
He takes my mouth in his again, as his fingers massage the back of my neck. My lips open as his tongue slides inside, lightly caressing mine, and I taste the strawberry on his tongue. I thread my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. It's a wildly erotic awakening, hot and slow, and I shiver with promise. Perhaps too much promise. He pulls away, and both of us are panting as if we had just run a marathon.
He slides off me, offering his hand to help me sit up as we look at each other. "God, you're so beautiful! You take my breath away, Parker," he says. He takes a lock of my hair that came out of my braid in his fingers twirling it unconsciously as he talks. He smiles at me and his dimple, God, I love it, it always makes me smile, I reach up and touch it.
"I feel the same way about you too. I could sit and just talk to you for hours. You hypnotize me, Ian. I can't stop thinking about you, I can barely function." A tear falls from the corner of my eye and he reaches up to wipe it away with his thumb.
"Did I hurt you?" he asks, a concerned look on his face.
"No, I have always dreamed of having these feelings, but I never thought it would happen. Is this normal?"
"I don't know. I've never felt this way in any of my other relationships. Like I said before, what you and I have is something on a whole other level; this is special." He runs his index finger down my neck over my shoulder and down my arm, just simply touching.
We put ourselves back together before we get kicked out of the park for indecency. We sit, legs crossed as I outline the veins on his hand as if just something to do to keep my hands busy as we just talk, learning more about each other.
The sun is going down and it is getting a little chilly as Ian closes the basket. He holds out his hand to help me stand up before picking up the blanket. He is holding my hand in his, as I hold the rose in my other hand, we walk to the Jeep, placing the basket and blanket in the back. He opens my door, helping me in.
"Can I ask you a question?" I ask.
"Of course."
"How old are you?" I look at him nervously, not that I am afraid of his age but just out of curiosity.
He chuckles, "Is it going to change your mind about me?"
"Yes," I giggle "because I am that shallow. No, I am just curious."
"I'm twenty-five." He turns and looks at me looking a little scared. "Now that you ask I guess I should ask you so I know I won't be going to jail anytime soon." He give me a cautious smile.
I smile at him thinking if I am going to tease him or not. "I'm eighteen." I look up at him through my lashes.
He takes my hand in his, "baby girl, your age doesn't make a difference to me, although I have to say you don't act like most eighteen year olds. My sisters are only a year younger than you and they act a lot younger than you do. You are very mature for your age."
We drive back to Portland as the sun is setting over us. I lay my head back on the headrest and gaze up at the stars through the open roof. He asks to walk me up to my apartment, and I pull my key out as we walk the two flights to get to my apartment door.
I unlock my door, turning the handle to open it. As we walk inside he turns me to face him, he pulls my hair band out of my hair, running his fingers through my braid then pulls out the other hair band as my hair falls down in waves. He entwines his finger in my hair. It pulls my head back to give him better access to my mouth, touching my lips with his. It was as if he is intentionally holding back, trying to stay controlled, determined to take only as much as I am willing to give. We both have a hard time controlling ourselves once we start to kiss.
I get on my tippy toes and wrap my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his shaggy hair. Then I pull him towards me as I take his mouth in mine, licking his bottom lip before taking it between my teeth gently; biting then sucking it as he moans his stubble rubs across my face. I move closer, gripping Ian's biceps and tilting back my head more. Taking my cue, he pulls me against him. My arms are now wrapping around his neck. He places his mouth on mine, kissing me senseless. He kisses my mouth again, pulling away an inch and watching my face react to the pleasure he was causing. I am panting hard against him. I can't believe how natural this comes to me, It's like I've done this many times before but all I know is I want to touch him and hold him and have his lips on me. It's a heady feeling knowing what I can do to him with a single kiss, my inner-temptress has woken from a deep sleep and she's Goddamn starving. I take his earlobe in my mouth, sucking it, then I run my tongue over the pulse point on his neck. A moan escapes his throat as I nibble at his neck. God I love the noises he makes and I love it when I know he likes it.
"Shit, Parker," his voice cracks.
I look at him, giving him a shy smile with my heart beating so hard that all I can hear is the blood coursing through my ears. "I don't know that I am ready for sex, but I would like you to stay the night with me. I know we might be sexually frustrated in the morning, but I would love to just lie in your arms tonight," I say.
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure. I would love to stay with you."
I walk over to the picture hanging on the wall that hides the Murphy bed and pull it down. Taking a pair of shorts and a tank top out of my dresser, I walk to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Looking at myself in the old tarnished mirror hanging over the sink, I think about what I am doing. How can I think the way I am? I know where this is leading and I can't afford to fall in love with him. I just can't let that happen. How can I give myself to him when we've only known each other for such a short period of time? But he makes me want things that I never thought I could have. I feel safe with him, even when he takes me in an embrace that would normally scare me, because I know he won't hurt me.
I walk out of the bathroom to find Ian standing there leaning against the wall only in his boxer briefs. I stop suddenly, looking at him as my eyes travel down his broad shoulders to his hard tanned chest, then down to his washboard abs. My eyes focus on his happy trail and it runs down under his waistband. I want to run my finger down it as if it's a rainbow and see if I am lucky enough to find a pot of gold at the end. As I look at him, his boxers begin to tent in the front. I try to look back to his face as I bite my lip, letting out a gasp, and I see his erection growing bigger. Shit! I am in so much trouble.
Ian chuckles, "You like what you see?"
"Oh, God, Ian! You are beautiful!" I break my sight from his boxers, looking up at him. "There’s…there's a toothbrush in the bathroom for you. Just let me know if you need anything else." I turn to walk into the living room and, as I do, I feel the slap on my ass. "Ouch!" I say, more out of surprise than pain. I feel a warm tingling, realizing my panties are wet. What the hell? Is it normal for my panties to get wet like that?
I turn of
f all the lights, with the exception of the light on his nightstand beside the bed. I crawl into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. After a few minutes, Ian comes out of the bathroom and strides to the bed in his boxers. I think my mouth fell open looking at his muscles that were so sleek and beautiful. Oh, God I really am in big trouble!
He chuckles as he puts his index finger under my chin, pushing up to close my mouth.
I blink hard, shaking my head to get the thought out of it, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Pulling the covers back, he crawls into bed, and then pulls the blankets back up to cover us. I cuddle up to Ian, laying my head on his chest, listening to the beating of his heart as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. God, he feels good. I don’t know of a time I have ever felt so safe. I drift off to sleep, knowing I am finally safe. The first time in over five years.
As I wake the next morning, I reach over to the other side of my bed, but it’s cold and empty. The feeling despair and emptiness looms over me. Sitting up, I pull my sheet to my chest.
“You look so peaceful when you sleep.” I gasp and look up to see Ian dressed. He is still here. God, he looks hot with his feet bare, his are perfect. He's sitting on the end of the bed with a cup of coffee in his hands. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I take a much needed long breath and relax.
“Did you really think I would leave you without saying a word?” he asks.
“I didn’t want to think you would, and I was hoping not, but this is all new to me,” I say. "I am very insecure when it comes to you." I laugh nervously.
He smiles, “I love your laugh, you need to do it more often,” he says. “So you said you weren’t doing anything today... Do you want to spend the day together?”
“I would love to!” I smile back at him.
“I fixed coffee, Would you like a cup?”
“Please,” I say, feeling shy. I get up wrapping the sheet around me. I go to the bathroom.
Stolen Innocence Page 7
