The Cliff

by Gucker, Christie A. C.

  Now all sorts of things ran through my mind. Did he know about when we were younger? Did he know I knew he was there? Was he on his way over? I hoped he would get up the courage. And then the phone rang. Oh my God, it must be him. I could feel myself turn a bright red. I jumped down from the sill and grabbed the phone. It was Samantha. I proceeded to fill Samantha in on the entire night. And she actually made this squeal noise when I told her about the kiss. Then I fessed up the window thing.

  “Lanie, I am so impressed! I didn’t think you had it in you,” she teased.

  “Yes, Samantha. I am a slutty whore at heart. Are you proud?”

  “Oh very. I can’t wait to tell Chelsie.”

  “No! No. You can’t tell Chelsie.”

  “Lanie, don’t be silly. We need her help. We have to make sure you and Grant don’t both chicken out. We need someone to whisper in his ear to egg him on.” I pondered this for a moment. Yes, that would be helpful. Have an insider’s track on what Grant actually thought.

  “You can tell her.”

  “We’ll be over for breakfast and you can tell her yourself.”

  “I can’t, I’m meeting Grant at the stables. Plus we have that storm coming in and I don’t want you to get trapped here.”

  “Lanie, you just gave me the best idea ever.”

  “What? What did I say?”

  “You’re going to get you and Grant trapped at one of your houses for the storm. It’s perfect.” I could hear her clapping over the phone.

  “Samantha. We live right next to each other. How am I going to pull that off? That’s silly.”

  “No, it’s perfect. You’ll have to tell him you don’t want to be alone. Tell him the storm scares you.”

  “Samantha. I love storms. Grant knows that.”

  “It’ll work. You’ll think of something. You need to wear something really hot tomorrow.” That was Samantha, always thinking about what outfit to wear for any occasion.

  “I’m sure I’ll have it covered. Look, let me get some sleep. I’ll call you after the stables. You can call Chelsie now.” I think I heard her say goodbye, but the phone went dead.

  I snuck to the window to see if he was still there but his bedroom lights were out. Feeling a bit disappointed, I got into bed and spent the next hour lying there thinking about nothing but our kiss. I was so worked up and confused but happy and hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

  My alarm cat went off at five in the morning. Gee, thanks so much, Woof. I couldn’t go back to sleep and had a few hours to kill before I had to be at the stables.

  I went down the kitchen and fed Woof, who was now affectionately rubbing all over my legs. I could feel him sticking to them and realized I needed to better prepare my body for anything that might happen today. I flipped the weather report on while sipping my coffee, I listened to them discuss the potentially damaging winds and storm duration.

  So the storm would be here this afternoon. This storm was huge. They even predicted it could stall over us, which would mean possibly more than a few hours of hunkering down with Grant. More like hunking down. He was so hot. And presently, I sounded like a boy-crazed teenage girl. My hormones sure seemed to be in sync.

  As the sun began to lighten up the sky, I could see the bands of clouds over the dark gray sky. They were moving pretty quickly. Stepping out onto the terrace to feel the warm breeze gently caress me, I was immediately brought back to Grant’s hands on me last night. How reverently he had touched me while we kissed. As soft as this breeze. Like I was a china doll he was afraid to break. Did he really think I was so fragile? I would show him I wasn’t today. I was going to give him everything I had pent up inside.

  And then I thought about Dane. We had made a pact and Grant and I were going to break it. Maybe Dane wouldn’t care. He had been with Lori for four months now, and apparently right before I returned home she had basically moved in. I had enough on my mind dealing with my feelings for Grant, and what was happening between us, to worry about Dane right now. I felt guilty, but I needed to focus on the things at hand.

  It was still very early, so I grabbed Woof and my coffee and headed up to the one place, the one person, I had yet to visit since I’d been home, the widow’s walk, and Nicole. Maybe my mom could give me some sort of sign. When I got to the walk, I realized it was the one place Grant hadn’t prepared for my return. It was my private place and apparently everyone respected that. I sat in my big comfy chair and sipped my coffee while watching the night sky turn to day, while remaining just as dark. This was going to be one hell of a storm.

  “Hi, Mom. I’ve missed you. I know you saw what happened between Grant and I last night. Am I doing the right thing?” She never replied. Well, that wasn’t completely true. Thoughts that seemed not mine would always pop in when I spoke to her. Maybe it was just me working things out. It was comforting for me to think it was her, just the same.

  I picked up my sketchpad and began to draw the angry ocean and sky. Whenever I drew something, I would go into some kind of trance. My mind would completely open and communicate directly with my hands; I was just a bystander watching. Very soon, my image turned into something other than the storm. There in the clouds were both Grant and Dane’s eyes. Huh. Was this the sign my mom was subconsciously giving me? Showing me the storm on the horizon that would brew between my guys when Dane found out the direction Grant and I were headed? And where exactly were we headed? I stayed and sketched for a while longer and then headed down to get ready.

  I showered and shaved everything all nice and smooth and applied some light make-up to look pretty but not overdone. I debated what to wear. Right. Guess I really didn’t have it covered. I considered calling Samantha, but it was only seven o’clock, and she would be sleeping.

  I opted for a tight pair of jeans that made my ass look even better than it normally did. And then I added a cute tight white V-neck tee shirt with a great push-up bra, jeans jacket and boots.

  With almost an hour left to kill, I headed out to the stables early. They were situated behind Grant’s house. We each had a horse and there were two spares for Chelsie and Samantha.

  My horse, Magic, was a beautiful Palomino. His coloring was typical of the breed, but his legs were dappled and he had a gorgeous light cream mane and tail. I decided it had been too long since I rode and saddled him up.

  I took the trail down the cliff and through the dunes until it opened up to a narrow stretch of beach. Magic moved with me like we were one. I loved riding him and imagined it would be the same when I finally rode Grant. Wait. What was wrong with me? Why was I thinking like we’re going to go all the way today? It was Samantha’s fault. In my head, I kept running over scenarios as to why we needed to ride out the storm together. Riding. Riding Grant. There I went again.

  I ran Magic back and forth the length of the beach, which was walled in on either side by our cliff. I looked up and I could see Dane’s house on one side, Grant’s on the other and mine sitting cozily in the middle.

  I had spent many days with Grant and Dane on this beach. This was our private beach. There was no way to get here except through our land, by boat or swimming. Perhaps one in the wrong frame of mind might consider cliff diving to get here.

  I thought Magic had a good enough workout and being mindful of the time, headed back towards the trail and the stables. I felt like a little girl. The closer we got the more butterflies I felt.

  When I reached the stables I was still about fifteen minutes ahead of Grant’s arrival. I had time to remove the saddle and get Magic hosed off and back in his stall and then proceeded to feed and water all the horses. While pulling some of the equipment into the empty stalls, I could hear the wind kicking up even more. I loved the wind before a thunderstorm and was eager to stand in it until Grant arrived. Just as I walked out, Grant was walking down the path with two cups of coffee in his hands. He beamed at me when he saw me. Beamed.

  “Hey,” he said, handing me a cup. It smelled so good I immediately k
new it was Kona coffee, my favorite. I just had a feeling this was going to be an epic day.

  “Kona?”

  “You’re good.”

  “I know my coffee.”

  “And I know my stables. I see you’ve been busy. What time did you get here?”

  “Well, the alarm cat you bought me works great. Woke me up at five o’clock, so I feel like I’ve had a full day already.” I ran my hand through my hair and leaned against the side of the stable. “So, how was the rest of your night?” I looked at him through my eyelashes and hoped I wasn’t blushing.

  “It was quite an interesting night. I spent some time at my window.” He put his forearm against the wall above my head and leaned into me. I froze. It was my own fault for leading the conversation. I looked down, sure I was blushing now, not sure what to say next.

  “I was really enjoying the view. Stunning.” He lifted my chin with his other hand and smiled this quirky grin at me. I could feel the flush all over now.

  “Of course, it’s not the first time the view out from my window has been so beautiful. I’ve been enjoying it for many, many years.” He winked at me.

  “I—Grant, I, Look, I—” I was at a loss. All I could do was stutter. This was me not being confident at all.

  “Lanie. That is a view I hope to get a much closer look at. I’ve wasted too many years being a watcher and never taking advantage of the scenery.” I smiled and then his was gone. “I didn’t mean take advantage of. I meant …” he stumbled over his words.

  “I know what you meant. And I like what you said. I’ll see if that can be arranged.”

  He moved closer to me and pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear before running his fingers across my cheek. I felt the warmth rising between us and then something interrupted the moment. Out of the corner of my eye I could see …

  Chapter 5

  You Smell Good Enough to Eat

  … movement. Something was running towards us. I turned my head to see. So did Grant. Before we knew it, Dane was sprinting into the stable. Grant quickly stepped away from me as Dane slowed, sounding like he had just run a marathon.

  “Hey. What’re you guys doing here so early?” he puffed at us.

  “Good morning to you too,” I said.

  “We’re getting the stables ready for the storm.”

  “I see I’m just in time to help.” He wiped the sweat from him brow with his sleeve. He certainly didn’t seem dressed for a morning run or helping with dirty work.

  “The more the merrier,” I said and shot Grant a sideways glance. He smiled at me and handed me a pitchfork. I guess I was on mucking detail. Oh joy. I turned and headed to the stalls and glanced back to see both of them staring at my butt. I accentuated my sway for the fun of it. I released the horses into the paddock and began mucking. Grant and Dane moved anything that could be blown away inside and closed and secured any windows or doors. Around noon, we were about finished and I decided I was in need of another shower. I told them I was leaving and would be back in about an hour to bring the horses back in.

  “Timing will be good. The storm looks like it’s going to hit by then,” Grant said and he gave me a little wave and a look. Dane had a look on his face, too. He looked … smug?

  I headed home, discarded my boots at the door and went to the kitchen to grab something cold to drink and a quick bite to eat before my second shower of the day. I sat at my computer and quickly looked through a graphic presentation for our company, which had to be approved and sent by Monday. I was ahead of the game. It was only Friday. Great. Work done. Now I could relax.

  I went through my routine again, this time opting for a white sheath sundress and brown cowboy boots. It was unseasonably warm, probably the storm. I sprayed myself with vanilla perfume. I loved smelling sweet.

  The dress didn’t allow for a bra. It was pretty thin material and the fabric rubbed against my nipples, making them hard. Oh great. I guess it added to the allure I was trying to accomplish.

  I made sure to pair the dress with a cute white lace thong. I wanted to be prepared. I had every intention of making Samantha’s plan come true. I looked like a virgin all in white. Heck, I practically was. It had been so long. I had only been with one man, anyway. He had definitely been a mistake.

  I headed back toward the stables to gather the horses and saw they were no longer in the paddock. I entered the stable and there was Grant. He was also freshly showered and looked amazing. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a button-up shirt. He looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back and walked over to him.

  “Hey, where’s Dane?”

  “Funny thing about Dane. As soon as you left, he suddenly remembered something important he had to take care of and took off. He said something about having to go to see Lori’s parents’ house tonight and he would be back tomorrow.”

  Yes. The coast was clear. I didn’t have to worry about Dane interrupting and catching Grant and I again before anything even got started. It had begun raining when I entered the stables and Grant walked over to the door to take a look.

  “That puppy is going to come down in buckets any minute now.” The doorway was pretty big. Big enough for horses to move through with plenty of room, yet Grant moved so he was pressing lightly against my back. I sighed when I felt him wrap his arms around me.

  “Are you cold?”

  “At the moment my temperature seems to be on the rise.” I leaned into him and he tightened his grip.

  “I smell cake.”

  “That would be me.”

  “Mmm. You smell good enough to eat.” He said it in a low growl that made my heart stammer in my chest. I love my vanilla perfume.

  The wind suddenly began blowing ferociously and the rain tried to rival it. I heard a rumble of thunder and then little clicks on the roof.

  “Hail!” Grant said.

  “It’s getting mighty stormy out there, maybe we should make a run for it.”

  “Let’s wait a bit, until the hail stops. I don’t want it to knock any sense into you.” He laughed and then gave me a gentle nuggie. I play-struggled enough to turn myself around and now we were pressed against each other face to face.

  “Lanie,” Grant was suddenly serious. He stared into my eyes and I could feel his hands moving down my back and pulling all of me closer to him. I could hear the rain become a downpour. My panties felt doused as well.

  “Grant, it’s really raining out there. We need to decide whose house we’re going to spend the storm at. I need to run or you’ll be able to see everything if this dress gets soaked.”

  “That’s something I think I’d like to see.”

  “Oh really? You don’t say.” I poked lightly on the tip of his nose and he stuck his tongue out and licked it.

  “You just licked my finger.”

  “You just poked my nose.”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “No.”

  “Yes. You were supposed to tell me whose house we’re running to before … well you know.”

  “Yes. Interesting. You want to get stuck together during this entire storm?”

  “Oh, um, I thought it would be fun to have company.” My face flushed. I was pretty sure I wasn’t misunderstanding his intentions, but I might be moving too quickly. He said he wanted to take this slowly. I think he could sense my sudden apprehension.

  “Lanie, I would love to spend the storm with you. There is nothing I want more, except maybe watching that dress become transparent.” His voice was velvety smooth and dripping with suggestion.

  I had to tease him just a bit. “Is that a dare?”

  “That is a triple dog dare.” He cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “Well, I for one, have never turned down a triple dog dare.” I kissed his lips and pulled away. He seemed to not want to let go until the very tips of his fingers could no longer touch me. I stared into his eyes, and with a sly smile on my face, backed right out the door and into the rain. I was immediately pelted with hug
e drops. It felt more like stepping into a waterfall. I could feel everything getting soaked, and I mean everything. The expression on his face went from one of bewilderment to one of amazement. His eyes darted from my face to my breasts, which I knew were quite visible now. I could feel the fabric rub against them as his gaze burned into me. My dress was basically transparent now.

  “Lanie, fuck.” His lips parted, and before I knew what happened, he was standing against me in the rain, his hands grasping my face and our lips only millimeters apart.