His eyes followed her movements to those pink lips. There was green paint on her pinkie, and seeing that, his heart expanded. As he wrapped his hand around the one on her mouth, he realized he was absolutely crazy about her. Pulling her into the living room, he kept going until the backs of his legs hit the couch and he sat. Bethany climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Dawson stopped breathing as he tilted his head back, and she lowered her mouth to his. The kiss was deep and scorching, endless. Not breaking contact, she unzipped her hoodie and he pushed it off her shoulders. Running his fingers up her bare arms, he grinned against her mouth when she shivered.
He could feel the cells in his body striving to change as he slipped his fingers under the hem of her shirt, going up and up until she was making soft little sounds. The rush of sensations firing through him drowned out everything else. When she started moving against him, his hands dropped to her hips, his fingers digging into the denim of her shorts.
Thank God no one was home, because they would’ve gotten an eyeful.
And that snapped him out of the haze. He clasped her cheeks, his thumb stroking along her jaw. “We…we have to stop…or I won’t be able to.”
For a second, it seemed like Bethany didn’t get it, and then her face turned cherry red. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, his eyes dropping to her swollen lips. God, she was beautiful to him—perfect.
Bethany shuddered. “We don’t have to stop, you know? I’m…I’m ready.”
He almost lost his hold then. The images her words brought forth tested what self-control he had. Wanting nothing more than to carry her upstairs and show her just how much she got to him, he wanted their first time to be special. Dinner, a movie, maybe some flowers and candles—not doing it on the couch or on his unmade bed in his messy bedroom that had socks and God knows what else strewn across the floor.
“Later,” he promised, meaning it.
She snuggled in, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Soon?”
“Very soon…”
Several minutes passed and then she said, ““So…back to the shoes. They’ll work, right?”
“They’re perfect for where I’m taking you.” They were going hiking again. Two weekends ago, he’d taken her on the trails, but today, he wanted to show her one of his favorite lookout spots. They were supposed to go last weekend, but it had rained for days, saturating the ground.
Bethany climbed off him. It was time to get this show on the road, because if he didn’t, his best intentions were going to fly right out the window. He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and they headed to his car.
They drove about a mile down the road, turning onto a little-known access road to the Seneca Rocks. Park Rangers steered clear of this part. Mainly because it led to the colony deep within the forests surrounded the Rocks. And tourists were forbidden. Signs warning against trespassing were everywhere.
Parking about two miles from the entrance, they hoofed it for about forty minutes. Bethany laughed and chattered the whole way. Several times they stopped so she could take pictures of the scenery she wanted to paint later.
When they reached the base of the mountains, Bethany swallowed hard. The slope running up the side to the little outcropping that gave a decent view was for beginners, no gear necessary, so Dawson wasn’t worried.
“Are you sure I can climb this without killing myself?” she asked, shielding her eyes with her hand.
“You’ll do fine.” He bent down, kissing her cheek. “It really isn’t that hard, and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
She smiled at that and spent the next ten minutes snapping pictures of the glittering rocks. Then they started up the rocky hill bathed in sunlight, moving slowly so that Bethany could get a feel for the terrain. Pebbles and loose dirt streamed down behind them as they made their way up.
“This really isn’t bad,” she said, stopping and glancing behind her. “Whoa. Okay. Remind me not to look back.”
He turned around. Beth’s spine was ramrod straight. “You okay?”
She nodded.
Backtracking to her, he slid a little as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Face pale, she gripped his arm. “Are you sure?” he asked, worried.
“Yeah, I just don’t think I’ve ever been this high up before.”
Dawson smiled. “We aren’t that high up, Bethany.”
Her throat worked. “It doesn’t feel that way.”
Was she afraid of heights? Oh crap, if that were the case, this was a bad idea. “You want to head back down? We can.”
“No.” She shook her head, giving him a wobbly smile as she pried her fingers off his arm. “I want to do this with you. Just…just go slowly, okay?”
Part of him wanted to pick her up and zip her back down to the meadow below, but she insisted and he trusted her to tell him when she’d had enough.
Twenty minutes later, he scrambled up the flat rock and reached down to her. “Give me your hand. I’ll pull you up.”
Eyes narrowed with determination, she placed her hand in his. Warmth cascaded through his chest in response to her trust. Tugging her up, he held her until she was ready to stand. And when she did, he noticed that her legs shook a little as she turned around.
Bethany clutched the camera hanging around her neck. “It’s beautiful.”
He rose to his feet, placing his hands on his hips as he took it all in. The sky was that rare, perfect kind of blue. Clouds were fluffy, looking like they were painted in. Tips of ancient elms rose up, concealing the ground below.