Page 21 of Entranced in the Mountains
We pass the final trees and the trail opens up onto the spectacular lookout. Ellie gasps when she sees it. Icarus’ Launch Point is a large, flat ledge of stone that juts out over the valley far down below. The valley is covered in millions of colorful wildflowers with a lazy river snaking through it all. Surrounding the valley are the most majestic towering mountains on the planet. It’s breathtaking.
But I don’t look at any of it. My eyes are fixated on Ellie as she takes it all in for the first time, looking like she’s filled with a sense of wonder and awe. She’s so beautiful it hurts.
“This is unreal,” she says as she takes it all in. “So gorgeous.”
The breeze is nice and cool up here, tingling on our sweaty skin.
“I can smell the flowers,” she says as she inhales deep and smiles.
“This is my favorite place in the world,” I say as I gently take her hand and look out at the scenic view. “I didn’t think it could get any better, but I guess I was wrong.”
She smiles shyly and then rests her head on my shoulder as we stare out at the beautiful world, hand-in-hand.
I need to say some words to her. It’s probably a bad idea, and I bet Cara would tell me to wait for at least the second date before I spill my heart out, but I can’t. I’m not the kind of guy who can hold back. When I find something I want, I go for it with everything I got. And I want her. God, do I want her.
“I know this is fast,” I whisper as an eagle soars across the vast blue sky. “And I know we haven’t even finished our first date.”
She lifts her head and looks up at me. Her blush deepens, and I see it—she feels it too, the same pull that’s gripping me.
“But I don’t want you to leave,” I say, throwing it all out there. “I’ve never met a girl like you and I don’t want it to be over.”
The wind catches her golden hair, lifting it off her shoulders, and I swear my heart forgets how to beat.
“I know we’re far apart in age,” I say, putting it all on the line. “But I don’t care about the years between us. I just know that when I saw you, something in me stopped searching. Something in me clicked.”
Her lips part, her blue eyes soft and wide. “Ryland…”
I close my eyes, waiting for it. If she feels differently, I might just have to leap off this cliff to end the pain.
“I like that you’re older,” she says and my whole body floods with relief. “I think it’s sexy.”
The breeze picks up, brushing her hair against my chest. She tilts her face up toward me and I can’t hold back any longer.
I slide my hand onto the back of her neck and lower my mouth to hers.
She moans when I kiss her.
The kiss starts slow and gentle, hot and romantic. I taste her mouth and slide my tongue against hers like I’m kissing the most precious thing in the world. Her lips are so soft and warm,trembling just a little, and the sexy sounds she keeps making—oh fuck—they undo me completely.
I pull her closer, and she melts into me, her hands resting on my chest like it’s her safe space. I’ll be the safety net this girl deserves. I’ll be everything for her.
The world drops away as I deepen the kiss, holding her tighter, tasting her sweetness.
I’m in deep now. I’mobsessedwith my angel.
Her heart beats against mine as she leans into me, her tongue sliding into my mouth. There’s no going back now. She’s not leaving. I don’t care what I have to do.
I slide my hands into her hair and her hat tumbles to the ground. We don’t stop to pick it up. We don’t stop for anything.
My heart is pounding when we finally pull apart, both of us breathless. Her fingers trace the line of my jaw, her eyes studying mine like she has a million unanswered questions behind them.
“Okay…” she whispers.
“Just okay?” I ask with a grin.
“Not the kiss,” she says with a shy smile. “That was… more than okay. Okay to staying for a few more days. If you’ll have me.”
I feel like the luckiest man on Earth.
