What's His Passion 2 - Climbing the Savage Mountain
Read What's His Passion 2 - Climbing the Savage Mountain Online
Authors: Chase T. A.
Climbing the Savage Mountain
ISBN # 978-1-78430-795-0
©Copyright T.A. Chase 2015
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright September 2015
Edited by Sue Meadows
Pride Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2015 by Pride Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Pride Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
What’s his Passion?
CLIMBING THE SAVAGE MOUNTAIN
T.A. Chase
Watch the Video
After conquering the world’s tallest mountain, loving Toby shouldn’t be so scary.
Jensen Brockhoff wins his way back into Toby Schwartzel’s heart, but it won’t be that easy to erase the pain of the past. He has two more mountains to conquer and they’re the most difficult.
Toby understands Jensen’s obsession with the highest peaks in the world. He’s willing to wave goodbye as Jensen leaves on his trips, but he can’t help worrying that Jensen won’t come back. That the lure of the mountains will prove too difficult for his love to fight.
Climbing has always been Jensen’s way of escape, yet loving Toby is proving stronger and Jensen must choose between the man he loves and the passion that saved his life. Will Jensen give up his climbing gear to build a new life with Toby?
Dedication
To Sue, my awesome editor who made sure I got the climbing components right along with everything else. To Jackie Nacht: sprinting with you is such fun. Thank you so much.
Author’s Note
Climbing the Savage Mountain
was written before the tragic earthquake and avalanche in Nepal. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the climbers, Sherpas and people of Nepal who lost loved ones.
Also, this story was written before the Supreme Court decision making marriage equality legal in all fifty states.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Gore-Tex: W L Gore and Associates
Botox: Allergan, plc
iPad: Apple, Inc.
Everest Summit Lodge: Everest Summit Lodges
Legolas: J. R. R. Tolkien
Flickr: Yahoo Inc.
Gatorade: The Gatorade Company Inc.
Iron Man
: Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Disneyland: The Walt Disney Company
Legoland: Merlin Entertainments
Hallelujah
: Leonard Cohen
McDonald’s: The McDonald’s Corporation
Lego: The Lego Group
Part One
Mount Everest
The first question you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, ‘what is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer at once must be, ‘it is no use.’ There is not the slightest prospect of gain whatsoever. Oh, we might learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purpose of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.
—George Mallory
Chapter One
My mind is in a state of constant rebellion. I believe that will always be so.
—George Mallory
Toby let the door slam behind him as he entered his house. “Jensen? Are you here?”
No answer and Toby’s heart started to race. He tossed his keys in the bowl on the table in the foyer before he took off his jacket. Even a year later, he always panicked when he came home and Jensen wasn’t around. One would think he’d be over worrying that Jensen would leave him again.
Last year when Jensen Brockhoff had shown up out of the blue after disappearing for six years, Toby had convinced himself to forgive him and give Jensen another chance. Hell, Jensen had promised he’d never leave Toby again, and for the most part, Toby believed him. Yet there was just a small piece of his heart that figured Jensen’s wanderlust would kick in, and Toby would come home to an empty house with only a note explaining where Jensen had gone.
“Jensen?” he called again, picking up his briefcase before stalking down the hallway toward the back of the house.
Sometimes Jensen would be in the kitchen, wearing headphones while he cooked their supper. Toby had told him a hundred times just to plug his iPod into the stereo system that ran through the entire house, but Jensen said he liked feeling surrounded by the music—whatever that meant.
He left his briefcase in his study then walked into the kitchen. No Jensen. Toby took a deep breath, trying very hard not to start thinking bad things. He’d known something had been bothering Jensen the past week or so, but when Toby had asked him about it, he just brushed it off as mid-winter blues. He’d let it go because he’d been swamped at work.
Next time don’t let him distract you. Keep at him until he tells you what’s wrong. He’ll leave if you don’t get him to talk.
Toby stripped off his tie then unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt. He’d hung his suit coat on the banister, so he’d remember to take it upstairs later. After flinging the tie on the island counter, Toby braced his hands on the edge of the granite, closed his eyes and took two deep calming breathes.
“Hey man, I didn’t hear you come in. Been home long?”
Jumping slightly, Toby whirled around to watch as Jensen strolled in from the back yard, a pair of tongs in his hand. His headphones were hanging around his neck, which Toby took to mean he really hadn’t heard him yelling or the car pulling into the driveway.
Jensen set the tongs near the sink before coming over to Toby. He encircled Toby’s waist then pulled him tight against his body. Their mouths met and Toby sighed as all the tension he’d been feeling drained from him. He buried his hands in Jensen’s long hair, twisting his fingers to keep his lover still while he bit his bottom lip. Toby swept his tongue in when Jensen opened for him.
“Hmm…” he hummed, tasting something spicy as he kissed him. When they broke apart, he grinned. “Are we having chips and salsa along with our steaks tonight?”
“I might have already sampled the salsa.” Jensen winked. “Have to make sure it’s just spicy enough for my guy.”
Toby rolled his eyes, but didn’t try to move away when Jensen kissed him again. This was one of the things he’d grown to love now that Jensen was back and they were living together. It was something they hadn’t had when they were dating the first time. It had been more like friends with benefits, though Toby had always wanted more. Jensen had disappeared before Toby was able to say anything.
He whimpered when Jensen slid his hands to get two handfuls of his ass and squeezed. When Toby let his head drop back, Jensen licked a trail from the corner of his lips down to the soft skin at the base of his throat. Toby shuddered at the thought of wearing a mark like that as a sign that he belonged to Jensen. Keeping his hands in Jensen’s hair, Toby pressed his mouth a little tighter to his skin, wanting it more than he could ever voice.
Finally, Jensen exerted enough pressure to break free of Toby’s hold on him. He stepped back a few inches and smiled. “I need to go check the steaks. Why don’t you grab the salad out of the fridge? The table’s set and I made some apple cider for us.”
“Can I go change first?” He gestured to his dress clothes then to the ripped jeans and long sleeve sweater Jensen wore. “Someone’s a little more comfortable than I am.”
Jensen chuckled. “Go ahead, man. Wouldn’t want you to get your work clothes dirty. I can finish getting everything on the table.”