Kiss Kiss

by Various Authors

  "I need to do something about your leg," I said, sitting up. "It can't stay open and exposed like that. It was bad enough when I thought rescue was coming right away. You'll get an infection if you don't already have one. We need a piece of the raincoat that's outside that I can at least drape over it."

  "I thought about that too. I'm not thrilled about you going back out in the rain. You're already getting sick. I could hear it rattling around in your chest last night."

  He was right. I had been trying to ignore my scratchy throat and aches and pains, but they were making their presence annoyingly known.

  "It's just a cold," I muttered.

  "Maybe right now it is, but the cold wet temperatures could easily turn it into pneumonia," he said, sounding serious.

  I laughed. "We have bigger fish to fry with your leg than some silly cold," I said, pulling my raincoat on.

  He looked at me sternly, obviously not liking my glib attitude. "Kimberly, I'm serious. I don't like you going out in the rain."

  "Yeah? Well, I don't want your leg to fall off from an infection," I countered, not liking his sudden bossiness. I pulled on my damp socks and shoes.

  "And I don't want you coughing out a lung when you get pneumonia," he said, matching my tone.

  "Lucky for me, you're not the boss of me," I said, throwing my hood on and stomping outside.

  Still fuming, I climbed up onto the big boulder where I had laid the raincoat the night before and started tearing a section off the bottom where it was the most ragged. My frustrated state made the nylon material no match for me, and within a few minutes I had several suitable pieces. I was tempted to teach Mason a lesson by staying out longer, but the wind kept whipping the rain into my face, chilling me. By the time I crawled back into the cave with Mason, my teeth were chattering. He didn't say a word, but instead, held out his arms so I could crawl into them. I tossed my raincoat back down on the ground and climbed into his embrace as he rubbed my back through my multiple layers of clothing to warm me. He cradled my chilled hands and I sighed with relief as they started to warm back up. I kicked off my wet shoes and soggy socks and without asking permission, snuggled my feet up against his leg.

  He yelped when my icy feet made contact and I stifled a giggle.

  "We need to do your leg," I said, yawning loudly.

  "Rest first," he said, keeping a firm arm around my waist.

  "I'm fine," I said before biting back another large yawn. "Why am I so freaking tired?"

  "The trauma of the last few days. Ordinarily, after a spill like you took, you would be resting in a nice comfortable bed for several days, not searching for shelter or dragging someone's deadweight around. You haven't allowed your body a chance to recover," he said. "Not to mention, you're sick," he admonished.

  I wanted to protest, but before I could get the words out, a cough rumbled up through my chest.

  He sighed as I bit back a smile. Okay, so maybe he was right. The frigid temperatures and continuous rain weren't helping my condition.

  Mason continued to rub my back as I slowly fell asleep. My dreams intertwined with reality as I dreamt that his hands explored more than my back. I began to respond to his touch in the dream and yearned for it to never stop as my body shifted closer to him. I woke when Mason's hand stopped moving as he shifted slightly. Waking fully, I was mortified to see that I had hiked my leg up onto his good one and was pressing intimately close to him. Not daring to move, I hoped against hope that he was asleep and had missed my lap dance.

  "Kimberly?" he said questioningly.

  Damn, he wasn't sleeping and he had caught my whole wanton act. I wasn't exactly a newbie to sex. I had caved this past spring and let Mitch, my senior year boyfriend, talk me into getting a room after prom, but the actual act was over before it really started. Missing what all the fuss was about, I instantly regretted my impulsive decision. I wished I had waited like my mom had always coaxed me to do. At the time, I wasn't keen on the idea of going to college a virgin, so it didn't take much for Mitch to get me to agree. We'd had our heavy-petting sessions leading up to it, so I felt I was ready for the deed, but once it started, it felt wrong and I'd broken up with Mitch shortly after prom. I used the excuse that we were going to different colleges and a clean break was for the best. He didn't put up much of a fight, so I concluded he'd gotten what he wanted.

  Lying in Mason's arms was as different as night and day. Way different than anything I had ever experienced with Mitch.

  "Kimberly," he said after several minutes had passed.

  "Yes," I said in a high-pitched voice I didn't recognize.

  "Will you do me a favor?" he asked.

  "Uh, sure," I said, expecting him to tell me to control my raging hormones.

  "Will you look at me?" he asked.

  I lifted my gaze, expecting to see humor on his face for busting me in my most embarrassing predicament yet. "Uh sorry, I was dreaming," I said lamely, finally looking into his eyes.

  "I figured that," he said huskily.

  "Swell," I said, going for sarcasm as I started to pull back.

  "I don't think so," he said, dragging me close so I was sprawled over his chest with my face inches from his.

  My eyes darted to his lips as the sensations from the dream resurfaced.

  "You are literally killing me," he said, threading his hand through my hair and pulling me even closer.

  "I am?" I squeaked.

  Without answering, he propelled me the remaining distance and fastened his lips onto mine. I moaned against his mouth, giving his tongue the access it needed. I leaned in closer, shifting my body against his, trying to quench the fire that had flared back up in me. When he moaned against my lips, I thought his passion matched mine, until I felt his lips release.

  "Mason?" I asked, pulling back.

  Sweat had beaded up on his forehead and his complexion was ashen.

  "Mason?" I asked again, more urgently. "Are you okay?"

  "It's my goddamn leg," he mumbled.

  "Oh God, I'm so sorry," I said, realizing I had jarred his leg.

  "Not your fault, beach bunny. Believe me, I wanted you that close. My leg just decided it needed to be the ultimate wet blanket," he said, obviously in pain.

  I pulled out of his arms. "I should have been more careful," I said, switching the flashlight on so I could see his leg better in the dim light.

  "Not your fault," he repeated, opening his eyes. "How does it look?"

  "Not good. The wound is still oozing and the skin around it looks more red than yesterday," I said, leaning in so I could get a better look at it. "We definitely need to cover it."

  He nodded.

  I was busy cleaning the vinyl raincoat with one of the alcohol wipes when a sudden thought hit me. "Um, Mason, I don't know why I haven't thought of it until now, but do you have to go to the bathroom?" I asked, turning slightly pink.

  He coughed, looking equally embarrassed. "I went last night," he said sheepishly, pulling the newly filled water bottle from its hiding place between him and the wall.

  "Ahhh, I see. Here, give it to me so I can dump it so you have it for next time," I said, trying not to laugh as he flushed bright red this time.

  "This f…ing leg is seriously screwing up my coolness factor," he said, reluctantly handing the bottle to me.

  I laughed at how uncomfortable he looked and headed outside to dump it and relieve my own bladder. "This definitely pushes our relationship to a whole new level," I mumbled to myself, still smirking at how uncomfortable he had looked. It was nice for the shoe to be on the other foot for once.

  Chapter 12

  Mason still looked grumpy when I returned and I worked to hide my smirk. I tore open a second wipe and cleaned the angry looking skin surrounding his wound. His language took on a whole new colorful level, and I couldn't help laughing as he strung them together into phrases.

  "Sorry," I said, shooting him a sheepish look. "It's just kind funny how you can make swear words sound lik
e a dialogue."

  "It's a gift," he said with his eyes closed, but I saw his mouth pull up slightly into a smile.

  While he was still smiling, I lifted his leg and placed it on my lap. I draped the clean side of the raincoat over his leg and used the rest of that gauze tape to wrap around it to hold it lightly into place. I set his leg back down when I was done and let out a wheezing cough I had been holding in.

  "Wow, just in the nick of time. I'm sure you would have appreciated my germs on you," I joked, crawling up beside him.

  "Yeah, because you're not helping me at all," he said sarcastically, making me smile.

  "So, what do you and Rick do when camp's not in session?" I asked, deciding a change in subject was in order.

  "We have a house in Golden and I go to Red Rocks Community College while Rick schmoozes rich people for funding for the camp."

  "How does he get income to live on?" I asked curiously.

  "He has some trust his grandfather set up for him. Over the years, I've gathered through things he's said, that his family wasn't happy he didn't follow in the family footsteps of being a lawyer. They pretty much disowned him when he told him his idea for a summer camp, but they couldn't touch the trust fund his grandfather set up."

  "Rick, as a lawyer?" I said snorting. "Have they met Rick?"

  "I know, right? The ironic thing is I Googled the family once and they're loaded, but they won't give Rick a dime for the camp."

  "I guess that whole 'blood is thicker than water' analogy doesn't apply to them," I said, disgusted with the blood relatives I had never met.

  "To each their own, I guess," Mason said, pulling me snugly up against his body.

  His sudden move distracted me and I momentarily lost my train of thought as the heat of his body warmed mine.

  "So, um, what are you studying?" I asked, pulling my thoughts away from how good he felt.

  "An assortment. I haven't picked a major yet, so I'm taking classes that interest me, mostly biology and science classes. I'm happy working at the camp and Rick has been grooming me on fundraising, so it's all good. What about you?"

  "Well, I haven't really decided either. I know I want to do something in art. For years, I figured I'd open up a small studio in one of the beach communities near me, but I've been rethinking that plan lately."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, as much as I rejected the idea of teaching this summer, I actually like it better than I ever thought I would. Sure, some of the kids are complete smartasses, but the ones that get art are complete sponges. I can't think of anything better than helping them discover their passion."

  "That's great, Kimberly. Your dad would be happy to hear that."

  "You think so? I feel like I've been nothing but a big disappointment to him this summer," I said, letting some of my insecurities creep in.

  "Disappointment?" he asked incredulously. "You couldn't be further from the truth, beach bunny," he said, calling me the name that had now oddly become like a term of endearment.

  "Did you really hate me when I first got here?" I asked bravely.

  He didn't reply right away and I started to squirm uncomfortably, wishing I hadn't brought it up. After several seconds had passed, he finally answered. "No, I never hated you. You scared the shit out of me though."

  "I did? Why?"

  "Because you came crashing into the nice safe bachelor lifestyle I had planned for myself. After my mom died, I watched how broken up my dad was and I began to question if love was worth all the heartache. Once I moved in with Rick, I began to see the benefits of living the single life, but then you showed up with your long brown hair, drop-dead eyes and smile that could light up a room. I felt like I had been sucker-punched. I started thinking about you all the time—the way you would flush angrily when I teased you, or when you'd throw your head back when you find something funny. The harder I tried to not think about you, the more you crept in. It wasn't until the earth decided to open up underneath us that I realized how dumb I've been all these years. When the right person comes along, love is totally worth all the baggage."

  "Are you saying you love me?" I asked incredulously.

  "No, I'm saying I'm in serious like with you," he teased.

  I pinched his arm, showing my annoyance over his glibness.

  "Kidding, I'm sure some people would say it's too early for love, but I know I can't stop thinking about you," he said, tucking my head under his chin.

  His words made me warm from head to toe and I couldn't help raising up so I could nip lightly on his chin.

  "I think I'm in like with you too," I teased.

  He mock-growled at me and then kissed me on the forehead.

  I tilted my head up and captured his lips with mine. After a moment, I pulled back.

  "If this isn't what love feels like, than I'll keep this instead," I said, running my hand up over his face.

  "Agreed," he said, dropping a more passionate kiss on my lips.

  We continued kissing for several more minutes, but stopped when things got too heavy and his leg became a hindrance.

  Instead, we continued to shoot questions back and forth. Many subjects we felt the same about, but his views on the CW shows made my blood boil and I had to lay into him about the fact that towns with all pretty people did exist. He mocked me openly when he found out I was a diehard vampire fan. We moved on from TV shows to all-time favorite movies and I was surprised that his taste ran with the Marvel variety while mine was all about the horror flicks.

  "If you could live anywhere, where would it be?" I asked once we exhausted TV and film.

  "I wouldn't mind seeing the ocean, but I want to live here. I've been trying to talk Rick into building us a couple of cabins up here for years."

  "I'm surprised he won't. It's obvious he loves this land."

  "He feels it's not convenient. I keep telling him I could stay up here and he could take care of things in town."

  "What would you do all by yourself up here?" I asked intrigued.

  "I think we should open up the camp for skiing. There's plenty of land. All we would have to do is bring in the gear."

  "What about the chairlift thingies?" I asked.

  "It would be a cross-country skiing camp, so a chairlift wouldn't be necessary. It'd be cool for the kids since most of them have never had an opportunity like that."

  "I think it sounds like a great idea," I said, meaning it.

  "You do?" he asked surprised.

  "Hell yeah, 'follow your dreams' has always been my motto, obviously," I said, grinning in the dark.

  "Is that what you do, follow your dreams?"

  "I always have. My venture here wasn't exactly my dream since I didn't know about Rick until two days before I got here. Now my dreams are little hazier."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to Rick just yet, among other things…"I said, letting my voice trail off.

  "Am I among the other things?" he asked as I tilted my head up.

  "Is that presumptuous of me?" I asked before mentally kicking myself. I really did need a latch for my mouth sometimes.

  His lips found mine. I turned to face him, looping my arm around his neck. "Not at all," he finally whispered against my lips. I shivered as his hands pulled at my layers of clothing, seeking the bare skin underneath. I tilted my head back as his lips trailed a path down my jaw line, stopping at my neck before dipping lower to my collarbone.

  A wracking cough from me ruined the moment and he pulled back and tucked me back in the crook of his arm.

  "This rain needs to stop so they can hurry up and fucking save us," he said frustrated.

  I was surprised by his mood change and harsh tone. "Hey, it's all going to be okay," I said, using the practical voice I'd used for years.

  "You could die in conditions like this by getting sick," he said.

  "I'm fine. Besides, I'm more worried about you," I said, trying to tamper back the urge to cough again.

&nbs
p; "This whole thing is messed up," he said, pounding his fist against the dirt floor. "You're not supposed to be catering to me. I'm the man. I should be running out in the rain, finding shelter. I should be taking care of you."

  "Wow, equal rights much?" I asked, aggravated by his tone. "Last time I checked, I'm doing a damn good job with those things," I said, choking out another cough.

  "That's not what I meant, beach bunny. I'm just mad that you're shouldering all of this by yourself," he said, sounding more like himself. "But you sure are cute when you get all riled up," he added, finally chuckling.

  "Whatever, I'm taking care of us fine," I grumbled, still coughing.

  "You are," he said, running his hand over my back. His touch relaxed the rest of my temper away and I soon became drowsy.

  My dreams twisted and turned as I went from lying in the freezing snow, yearning for the sun, to lying on the beach with the sun beating down on my skin. I welcomed the warm kiss of the sun until the pleasure slowly began to fade and the heat became unbearable. Sweat began to pour off my body, leaving me yearning again for the ice-cold snow.

  I sat up, startled to find that the heat from the dream had followed me into reality. My sudden movement made Mason's arm fall away, and with it, the blanket of heat that surrounded me was lifted. I switched on the flashlight and shined it on the roof of our shelter so I could see.

  Mason was fast asleep. Reaching a hand up, I swiped it across his forehead and was shocked to feel it burning up. All that heat I had felt in my dreams had manifested from him. I propped the flashlight up against a rock and leaned in so I could look at his leg, carefully unwrapping the gauze and piece of vinyl I had applied the night before. It stuck slightly to the wound and I had to peel it slowly away. When it was finally free, I picked the light back up and shined it on his leg. It was a putrid angry mess. The wound oozed thick yellow tinted liquid and the skin had changed from red to purple in color. How had it gotten so out of control? Had I made a mistake covering it?

  Chapter 13

  I was still sitting by Mason's leg when morning rolled around several hours later. His fever continued to blaze out of control, and his sleep was fitful as he woke several times only to fall back to sleep almost instantly.