Eyes Wide Open (Healing Hearts #2)

by Renee Dyer

  One foot in front of the other, I work my way up the slap of hard rock. My hands feel like they only inch up the rope even though I know I’m moving faster. My mind is working me over and I need to get off this rock and onto a different terrain so I feel more stable. It’s funny that softer ground is going to be more comforting to me than the solidity of granite beneath my feet, but the sheer drop has my heart falling to my feet. I scramble the last few feet up onto the ledge where Adriana waits for me and she pulls me into a hug as she giggles at me.

  “That wasn’t so bad now was it?” I can see her working hard to restrain her laughter and I just shake my head at her. She chuckles, drops her arms from my waist, and starts back up the path. I give her a slap on the ass and smile to myself in satisfaction at the little yelp she lets out. Teaches her to giggle at my discomfort.

  It’s not long before we leave the tree line and the remaining hike is all granite. It’s not steep like the slab we scaled a few minutes back, but I still feel butterflies swarm my stomach. The peak is before us and the excitement of that almost overtakes my nervousness. Adriana looks back at me and the smile she graces me with is nothing short of angelic. I swear the light of heaven shines in her eyes when she smiles at me. Her whole face is lit up right now and I’m lost in her radiance. The morning sun shines down on her and the entire image of her before me is nothing short of breathtaking.

  I follow her in a trance to the top of the mountain, the whole time, my mind swirling with thoughts of how incredible I think she is. I can’t stop myself from wondering if I’ll be enough for her. I hate that doubt creeps into my mind. She has shown me nothing that should make me feel this way, but I still worry that what we have is short lived. I worry that the distance will prove to be too much or she’ll realize dating someone in my line of work is too hard. I know she’s avoided reading the articles and we’ve had some removed, but not all were flattering about her. I want to protect her from my life, from me, but I’ll be damned if I can stay away from her.

  She stops and I see that we’re at the top. I turn in a circle, taking in the view around me. Below me, the tree line bursts forth in the colors of autumn. The reds, yellows, and oranges so bright, it appears as if the mountains are engulfed in flames. The wind moves the branches to look like flames dancing in the morning sky, the leaves floating in the air like embers. I’ve never seen anything more majestic. It takes my breath away.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Adriana asks as she wraps her arms around my waist from behind. I hear the awe in her voice, the same awe I feel.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” I answer honestly. “It’s almost as beautiful as you.”

  She lets go of my waist and walks around until she’s standing in front of me. A smile graces her perfect face. In this place of splendor, her beauty outshines all the magnificence around me. “You have a way of making me forget all the hurts in my life. You know that, Tucker? You make my heart smile.”

  I pull her face into my hands and kiss her softly. If only she knew how much she has healed my heart already. There are all these tiny pieces that have found their place back into my heart, pieces I thought were lost forever. Some of those pieces still hurt, but as Grams always says, in order to heal, you have to first be broken.

  We drop our packs onto the flat top of the peak and explore around for a few minutes. We take pictures with the sign at the top. Adriana never stops beaming. She can’t stop telling me how happy she is that she is with me for the first mountain I hiked. She has thanked me numerous times for planning this. I wish I had known that hiking a mountain would bring her this joy. I would have found a way to do this sooner. She flits about, snapping shots with her camera of every angle she can capture. I lay out a blanket so we can sit down, have a snack, and relax for a bit before we start our descent.

  Although the air is crisp, the sun is warm as I sit down and pull out water and the homemade trail mix we brought. I can’t keep my eyes from wandering over to where she is crouched down, fixated on something she has to have a picture of. After a minute, she turns to me and I can tell the pictures she’s taken excite her. The smile never leaves her face and I know I’ll do anything to keep that smile there.

  “Did you see the eagle, Tucker?” Her excitement slams into me. It skitters down my spine and works its way through all the nerves in my body. I can feel her in every cell. “He was the most incredible creature I’ve ever seen and I think I got some great shots of him.” She rambles the words at me, slurring some of them together as her enthusiasm runs over. She runs over to me, launches into my arms, almost knocking me off my feet, and slams her lips into mine.

  The tingling in my spine is back, but I think it’s for a different reason and I feel my cock come to life. Bad fucking timing on my part. We’re on the top of a mountain. This is not the time to decide I want to take her.

  She bites down on my bottom lip and plunges her tongue into my mouth. Her legs tighten around my waist and I try to tell myself all of the reasons why taking her right here on top of this mountain is a bad idea. I start counting them off in my head. Bugs could bite my ass, people could catch us, and it’s kind of cold. What if a bear came strolling out while my pants are around my ankles? None of these reasons are making me feel any less turned on and the way she’s attacking my mouth is making me want to lay her down on the blanket and see how far she’ll let me take this.

  I haven’t heard any sounds of other people hiking all morning, we do have a blanket, and we don’t have to get completely naked so we won’t get too cold. Can’t stop the bugs or animals, but right now, the only animal Adriana needs to worry about is the one in my pants. The thoughts roam through my head the longer Adriana’s lips stay on me. Her soft, wet tongue probes my mouth and her silky lips tease me with promises I want her body to keep. Unable to hold back, I walk us to the blanket and lay her down.

  I go as gently as I can because of the granite below her back, but I need to be touching her and she still hasn’t released my mouth from her clutches. Sliding her camera off her shoulder, I move it to the side so I know it won’t get damaged, and then I run my hands along her side. Her warmth radiates through her clothing and it teases my senses; lights me up knowing beneath those couple of layers, lies a treasure that’s ready to be plundered.

  Adriana molds herself to me like a second skin—her arms going around my waist and up into my shirt, her leg finding its way between my legs. Our tongues still dance together and she’s letting out soft whimpers into my mouth. She wraps her other leg around my hip, pulling me into her, and I know at this moment, I’m taking her, on this mountain, no matter what reservations I may have had before.

  Not wanting her to lay on the hard surface of the granite with my weight on top of her, I roll so she’s on top of me. She pulls away from my lips and her hazel eyes stare into mine. The blue sky behind her only adds to her radiance. Her ponytail blows in the breeze behind her and wraps around her shoulder. Her hands press into my chest. I wish I could read her mind. I know she knows what I’m thinking. My erection is pressing into the dip between her perfectly rounded ass cheeks.

  As much as I want to sink into her, I find myself entranced by her beauty, by the angles of her face. Her cheeks are rosy from the wind and her nose is a little pink. Her lips are glossy from the chap stick she keeps applying to keep her lips moist. But, it’s her eyes that keep drawing me in. In the sunlight, they’re almost green and right now, they have golden flecks sparkling through them. I can’t look away from her and I find myself scared of the level of intimacy going on between us. I’ve never been this in need of… anything with a woman before and it’s frightening. I don’t think I’ll survive it if she walks away from me again.

  “What are you thinking about, Tucker? You look so serious.” Her head tilts to the side and I want to tell her that I’m thinking I love her, but I still can’t force those words past my lips. There’s still too much fear in my heart of her rejecting me, but I do know, with all that I
am, that I am completely in love with this woman.

  “You’re beautiful, sweetness.” It’s all I can think to say.

  She smiles so big, I think her face may split and I decide I’m going to tell her she’s beautiful more often. Her hands go to the hem of her shirt and I’m frozen as she lifts her two shirts over her head, exposing her—what the hell? This woman and her crazy bras. I burst into laughter while staring at her aqua blue bra with little bunnies all over it. “Bunnies?” I question through tear-blurred eyes, trying to calm my laughter.

  “What?” she asks, mock irritation in her voice. “I thought you’d get the innuendo in this set. Guess not.” I stop laughing and look at her.

  “Innuendo?”

  She looks at me and shrugs. “You know the saying about bunnies, don’t you?” I know what they say about bunnies, but I want to hear what she has to say so I decide to play this out.

  “I’m not sure I do. Why don’t you tell me?” I work extra hard to keep a straight face, but damn, it’s killing me. She looks hot, even in her silly bra and I worry she must be getting cold.

  “Aw well, people say, ‘fuck like rabbits’. You’ve heard that before, right?” She looks at me and I just raise my eyebrow at her. She huffs and puts her arms under her breasts, which only pushes them up, making me want her more. “Do you want to fuck like rabbits or not?”

  “De-fur me, sweetness.” Her eyes gleam and she goes to work at getting me naked. I lay there, letting the cool air whisper across my skin as she kisses her way up my legs. All the hair on my body stands on end. Every part of me wants to touch her, but she’s just out of my reach. My fingers dig into the blanket as she slowly works her way from my calves up to my thighs. Every few kisses she adds in a soft bite and I want to scream out for her to bite me harder. She’s going too slowly and she’s making me crazy. I understand what I do to her now, but there’s no way I’ll let her know that. I’ll lay here and let her play her game.

  I focus on the clouds floating by to keep me from grabbing on to her, bringing her flush with me, and demanding she get naked. Now! I try to make pictures of them, but her finger skimming along my balls has my back arching. Holy fuck this woman is going to be my undoing. She knows how to work me up. Cloud pictures, Tucker. Look at the clouds. You need to hold out, man. I mentally berate myself for the shaking I feel as her tongue runs up the length of me. I want to shove my cock into her mouth and push it straight to the back of her throat, see how she likes me taking charge. But, I stay in place and let her roam my body.

  Her moans and the slurping sounds she’s making assault my ears. Her mouth is like velvet magic, working its tricks. My legs are tingling. The faster she works me, the harder it is to focus on the clouds or the coolness in the air or the sounds of the breeze or… shit! I can’t focus on anything other than her mouth and the warm wetness moving its way up and down over my hard shaft.

  “Fuck, woman. You’re killing me!” Her head pops up and she looks at me like an animal ready to tear into its meal. I want to be that damn meal.

  “What do you want me to do, Tucker?” She licks her lips and I wonder if she had some of my flavor still lingering on her. Can she still taste me in her mouth? The thought has my dick growing harder.

  “I want you naked. Naked, now,” I growl out through clenched teeth. My control is snapping. I need to show her what she’s doing to me.

  Adriana stands up and I continue to lay there, watching while she kicks off her shoes. She slips her fingers into her pants and slides them over her hips, lowering them, much too slowly in my opinion. If I weren’t so turned on, I would lose myself in laughter again at her matching bunny hipster panties. All I can think of though, is her asking me if I want to fuck like rabbits.

  “Naked, Adriana. Faster.” I need her and she’s not moving fast enough. She quickens her pace and loses the last few scraps of clothing. I almost miss the little bunnies that adorned her skin, but seeing her naked with nature’s scenery all around her is the most glorious I’ve ever seen her look. I’ve never been one for sex outside, but I think I may just change my mind. “You. Here. Now.” I’m beyond coherent sentences at this point and I want to make her feel as good as she did me a few minutes before.

  She walks over to me and sits down, straddling me. I grab her by her waist and pull her forward until her core is above my face. She’s glistening and seeing her wet and aroused, ready for me, stokes my arousal. I can smell her arousal and I need to taste it. My tongue darts out and I lick up her middle, from the opening to her clit, catching all her juices as I go.

  “Tucker, oh fuck!” Her legs tighten around the side of my head and I smile before diving back in. Like a man starved, I dine on the meal before me, drinking in all the flavors of her sweetness. I feel drunk off her by the time her body jerks and I feel her ripple against my lips.

  I suck on her until every last wave has rolled through her body and her screams have subsided. Her legs unclamp from my head and I let her slide down my body. My hands never leave her body; only slide the length of her as she shimmies down me. Her eyes are glossed over in satisfaction as she looks at me. I smile at her. She takes her bottom lip into her teeth and all I can think is, good God, I want in this woman before I fucking explode. “Sweetness, I can’t wait any longer.” My voice is strained and I can feel the tightness in all my muscles.

  Her lip pops free of her mouth and I watch in slow motion as she sits up a little. Hunger burns in her eyes and without warning, she drops down over me. “Argghhhh! Fuck!” I suck in a deep breath and try to reign in how amped I am so I can last more than a few minutes, but she’s swiveling her hips in a circle. I’m not going to last long with how she’s moving. She’s panting and her nails digging into my chest are making me fucking crazy.

  I need her harder.

  My fingers dig into her ass, lift her up, and slam her down onto me. I hear her scream out, hear the sound bounce off the rocks, fly out through the trees, and carry away on the wind. I do it again and listen to the sounds, let them fuel me on, work my overly sensitized body into a frenzy that is already about to go over the edge. I feel the granite dig into my back and I welcome the pain; the pain and pleasure melding into one. Adriana’s walls start to contract around me, milking me, and it’s a heaven I would willingly die from. I know she’s close to coming again.

  My balls start to pull up, my stomach warms, and I know the storm is about to hit. “Come with me, sweetness. I want to hear you scream.” She throws her head back and crashes down onto me. I lose control of myself, spilling into her and roaring into the quiet around us, her screams following mine. All around me, our shouts of pleasure sound out.

  She drops onto my chest, heaving. I can’t tell whose breathing I hear, we’re both gasping so loudly. I run my hands up and down her spine, trying to warm the chill on her back. As hot as I feel from the exertion that we put our bodies through, our skin is starting to chill. Still, I’m not ready to let her out of my arms. I place a kiss to the top of her head and hold her tight to my body, relishing the moment. Our breathing has calmed and the serenity of being here, on top of the mountain, with the woman I love, has me feeling a peace I’ve never known before.

  “Oh my God, Tucker, what’s that?”

  “What’s what,” I ask her, completely confused. Her panicked voice shatters the tranquility of the moment.

  “Don’t you hear that? It’s people talking. Shit. There are people coming up the mountain. Hurry up and get dressed.” She flies off my body, almost elbowing me in the face in her hurry to get to her clothes. She throws my clothes at me. “Why aren’t you moving, Tucker? Don’t you hear them?”

  I do hear them now, but I understand how sound carries in the mountains and I know we have plenty of time to get our clothes on. Watching her hop around would humor me much more if I weren’t afraid she might tumble down the mountain from losing her footing. “Calm down, sweetness, and take a breath. Yes, I hear them, but sound carries out here. Slow down before you trip
and I have to chase you, bare ass, as you tumble down the mountain.”

  She stops with one foot raised, trying to put her sock on and looks at my dick. A small laugh bubbles up her throat and escapes past her lips. I’m pretty sure she’s imagining me running down the mountain, trying to catch her, with my wanker flapping in the breeze. I chuckle a little at that thought too. I shake my head at her and start getting dressed.

  “Do you think they heard us?” she asks, keeping her voice quiet. I can see the embarrassment in her face. I don’t have the heart to tell her that anything or anyone within several hundred feet heard us. Probably further with how loud we were being. I simply shrug, unable to lie to her.

  Fully dressed, I pack the blanket away and grab a handful of trail mix. Adriana grabs her camera and asks me to take a few more pictures with her, which I’m more than happy to do. I’ve never done something this normal with a woman before. Pictures with Victoria were always taken by the paparazzi or during scheduled shoots. If they weren’t scheduled, they were still captured by someone who was there because we were promoting the show. I can’t remember if we had any pictures of us that weren’t related to work, pictures where we weren’t primped and posed.

  Being with Vic was nothing like what I feel now with Adriana. With her, I never fully let my guard down. I never trusted her enough to let her into the most private parts of my life. I never would have tried to plan a day outing. I can’t imagine Vic going without make-up and then taking pictures with me this way. This is what I want in my life. Simple pleasures. Days out with the woman I love.