Page 14 of Obsessed and Naughty Mountain Man

I nod, curling the rope around my hand. "Like in the library? Everything in its proper place."

"Exactly. That's my world: safe and tidy. Up there..." Her eyes follow the line up the rock. "There's just so many variables out of my control. The rock. The wind. The rope... you."

She meets my gaze and I speak with more conviction than I've ever known, "I'm one variable you can always trust, Luna."

"I feel like that's true. I want to believe it is. If I had to choose anyone to help me face my fear of heights, it's you. I just don't know if I'm ready to surrender that much control and let go..."

This conversation is about so much more than climbing some stupid rock. At least, it is for me.

"I'm scared too, Luna. Terrified." I let the belay line go and gather a small length of rope from my pack. "I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life."

She smiles and shakes her head. "You climb for a living. You're not scared like I am."

"Scared of you." I step up to her so that she has to crane her neck to hold my gaze. My grip tightens on the rope. "Scared of us. This... obsession that's taken hold of me. It feels like my first climb. Only this... you... feels so much higher."

I can see green forests in her eyes, swaying as the wind blows. Those supple lips curl inward, and a strand of her hair whips across her face like a flame.

"Yeah," she whispers. "I'm scared of that, too. You're an adventurer. You've seen the world. What happens when you get bored of me?"

"That'll never happen," I growl.

Luna shudders.

Her eyes dart to the rope in my hands.

"People have left me, Lucas. My parents… I didn’t grow up with people I trust,” she says. "I want to be brave for you. I want to face my fears with you. But... I need you to show me how. I need you to take control."

Maybe she thinks I'll walk her over, get her in the harness, hook her up, and force her to climb the rock. Maybe that's what she wants. Maybe she just needs that push. But I'd never force someone to climb when they don't want to.

That's not what I had in mind when I picked up this rope.

"Take off your clothes."

Goosebumps rise all over her flesh. A stammering breath bounces on her lips. "W-what?"

"You heard me, Luna." I nibble her ear between each word. "Take. Off. Your. Clothes. And do it slowly."

"What are you doing?"

I smile and kiss her neck. "Taking control. Trust me."

Just as she reaches for my face, I pull back and deprive her of the kiss she's desperate for. I keep an arm’s length between us, gesturing for her T-shirt to come off.

Luna laughs nervously.

I don't even smile.

"Now," I grunt.

Finally, she obeys. Luna’s full pale body meets the breeze as she loses her white shirt, her denim shorts, and her sandals. She flexes her toes in the hard-packed dirt.

My eyes feast on everything that her humble bra and panties fail to conceal.

"And the bra," I say, slowly circling her. "Keep those panties on. The red looks so fucking good on you."

Luna hesitates, but I know what this is doing to her. She can't stop squirming. Her thick thighs rub together like lovers in bed. Her nipples are hard pink knots on the peaks of her snowy breasts. And every time our eyes meet, I feel like she's silently begging me to take her in my arms.

"This is crazy. I've never done anything like this, Lucas."

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