When Love Breaks (24 page)

LOGAN

T
he next, and final, three zips are the longest ones, and we have plenty of air time to take in our surroundings. The springtime canopy is in its full luster, with every color green you can imagine around us. After dealing with Jake’s flirtations for long enough, I decide, after he’s already zipped to the next platform, that I’m going next. If he wants to tell funny stories and flirt with someone, he’ll have to do it with me from now on. I don’t think Elora is even aware of what’s been going on, but I’m going to put a stop to it. Sure enough, as soon as Jake realizes it’s me coming across, his expression is somber.

The last and longest line measures out at 1100 feet and after we all get across, we get another surprise.

“This is called a quick jump. You’ll be attached to this box, which is sort of a spring loaded cable. You’ll free fall for about ten feet, then feel the line catch, and then you’ll be lowered 60 feet to the ground. Any questions?”

“W-we have to
jump?
” Elora stutters.

“Yes,” he says.

She looks at the ground, then at me, with concern written all over her face.

“Do you want me to go first?”

She looks down again.

“And there’s no other way down?” she asks Jake. He shakes his head. I watch her throat move as she swallows reflexively. “No. I want to get this over with. I’ll go first.” She swallows again. She’s really nervous. Cody, who’s on the ground already, calls up to her trying to ease her mind. She turns to Jake. “Can you push me? There’s no way I can voluntarily step off this platform.”

“I’d be delighted to,” he says with a smirk, and I grimace at the thought that he has to touch her. “It’s better to go backwards though. You can’t see where you’re going.” She reluctantly agrees, and he moves her to the edge, facing him. “Ready?” She nods. “On three. One…Two.” And he pushes her off before getting to three, by way of laying his hands against her chest and pushing abruptly. She screams as she freefalls, but I hear her giggle as the line catches.

“Thanks for nothing, Jake!” she calls up to him. “What happened to three?”

He looks down and chuckles.

“Sorry about that, but I didn’t want you to chicken out.” He laughs, and my jaw clamps down tightly, as I wonder if he told her to go backwards on purpose.

“You can stop flirting with her,” I say, because I just can’t take one more minute of it. His eyes shift to mine.

“Was I flirting? I didn’t realize,” he says, but his eyes dance wickedly at his words.

“You know you were. She won’t give you the time of day though. She’s in love with me.”

He shrugs.

“I didn’t say I wanted to marry her, but it’s fun to flirt with pretty girls in dangerous situations. You get to
touch
them…out of safety, of course.” His grin makes me want to punch him in the face, but I grab on to every bit of self-control I can muster.

“You’re done touching her.”

He grins even broader.

“Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.”

My fingernails dig into my palms as I ball my fists. I have visions of knocking him off this platform, but I seem to
need
him to get me down from up here. With a smirk I’d like to wipe from his face, he connects my harness. I elect to jump forward, so I line myself up at the edge. Just as I’m about to go, he adds one more thought.

“Nothing like challenging the man who hooks your straps on. Good luck on the way down. You may need it.”

I shoot him a
fuck you
stare, just before jumping. I don’t even remember the fall through the malice I have for him. Elora claps politely as I make it down to her. When she sees my face, hers falls.

“What’s wrong?”

I shake my head.

“Nothing,” I say in an attempt to cover my emotions. “It was just really hard to jump off.” I chuckle uneasily.

She smiles lovingly and wraps both arms around my waist.

“Aww. You’re safe now, and it’s all over,” she says to console me. I place my arm around her, kiss the top of her head, then look up at Jake.

“Yep. The danger is gone.”

Just then, Jake shows off by falling backwards from the platform in an inverted dive. Elora claps appreciatively, and he bows when he gets to his feet. I roll my eyes.

Asshole.

After walking back to the building, we remove the equipment, and thank everyone kindly. I usher her into my car and take off toward our next destination.

“Where to now?” she asks.

“You’re not in a hurry to get home, are you?”

“No. Not at all. What do you have in mind?”

“How about a secluded cabin in the woods?”

Her eyes dance delightfully at my words.

“Really?”

I nod.

“Well, it’s more like a treehouse in the sky.”

Her hands fly to her mouth, then clap gleefully in front of her while she bounces in her seat.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.” I reach over and squeeze her leg. “I already have reservations. We’ll just need to stop and get some food for the night.”

ELORA

W
e stand at the foot of wooden bridge, which leads to a log house above the ground. With foliage all around the small building, it looks as though a cluster of trees simply lifted it from the ground as they grew. There are notches cut out, allowing the tall timbers to live in harmony with the man made structure, not just beside it.

“Can we go in?” I ask.

“Of course. I’ll get the rest of the gear later.”

Rest of the gear? He really has thought of everything.

I walk upward to our home for the night and the closer I get to the top, the more like a bird I feel. Logan takes out a key and turns the lock. The cabin smells of nature, but not in a bad way. As I walk in farther, I can see a kitchenette to my left, with only a sink, microwave, and small refrigerator. To my right is a closet and a bathroom. Straight ahead is a roomy queen sized bed with a plaid comforter, to give it a little more rustic feel. I spin 360 degrees.

“So, what do you think?” Logan asks.

“I think it’s wonderfully perfect. It’s wonderfect.”

He laughs loudly.

“By the time we’re old and gray, you’ll have made up an entire language of your own.”

I beam proudly.

“What should we do first?” I ask.

“After I get the rest of our things from the trunk, why don’t we go on a hike? We can gather sticks and twigs for making a fire this evening.”

I grasp his shirt and pull him down to me.

“I love you, Logan Turner.” Then, I kiss him. His arms find their way around me, and he deepens our kiss, but he breaks it off as quickly as he started it.

“We can’t start this now. We’ve got work to do.” I frown, so he kisses the tip of my nose. “Later,” he says, then raises and lowers his eyebrows seductively.

After emptying the trunk of the rest of its contents, we head toward a foot trail which leads through the woods. Hand in hand, we walk along the dirt path, admiring the natural beauty of this place. I stoop down every now and then, on our journey, to pick up suitable kindling for our campfire later tonight. He does the same. We’re reminiscing about our earlier adventure, as we stroll leisurely along.

“You did a great job today, considering you’re afraid of heights. I’m proud of you,” Logan says as he smiles affectionately down at me.

I return his grin.

“Thanks. It was a little intimidating at first, but once I realized that I wasn’t in any real danger, I was able to relax and let go. How was it for you? Did you get the sensation of flying that you were looking for?”

He closes his eyes briefly and breathes in through his nose.

“Yeah,” he says, which sounds more like a sigh. “It was so good to hear the wind rushing past my ears, and to feel it pushing against my body. I closed my eyes at one point, and I could imagine what it must be like to be a bird. There’s no freer feeling, I’ll bet.”

The expression on his face is pure bliss. It warms my heart to know just how much he loved it, and the fact that I got to witness this, is priceless.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”

He looks at me, confounded.

“Thanks for being open minded. I was hoping you’d at least be okay with it, but upon hearing you squeal all the way across, my heart was filled with pride. It was wonderful watching you having fun. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.”

I smile and nod, knowing that we’re on the same page.

While looking around at this serene setting, I have to ask.

“Do you think your mother will ever come around? I mean, I’d like to think she’ll like me someday…or at least find a way to tolerate me.”

His expression is one of dismay as he peers down at me.

“Don’t worry about her. I’m sure she’ll see who you really are. But even if she doesn’t, I don’t care. I love you, and that’s all that matters. Her opinion, in that aspect of my life, makes no difference to me.”

“It sure would be easier if we got along though…for your sake.”

“Maybe. But, what about Daniel? Would you change anything based on his opinion of me?”

“No,” I say adamantly. “I don’t care what he says, you weren’t the cause of everything that happened. We both had a hand in it. If anything, he should be grateful to you for fixing the problem.”

“I don’t think he sees it that way. I don’t think he’s impressed at my ability to pay off a bully.”

I stop walking.

“You didn’t have to do that. He’ll see what you’ve done for me as a good thing…eventually. Honestly, I’m not sure what’s gotten into him lately. He’s not usually like that.” We begin walking again.

“He’s very protective of you. I’m glad, in a way.”

“Yeah, more so lately than normal though.”

“I can handle him.”

I look up at his confident face.

“But you shouldn’t have to. I’ll talk to him. Maybe I can get him to see that you’re not a bad guy.”

He scoffs.

“Hey, now. Don’t ruin my reputation.”

I giggle and roll my eyes, as we continue our stick gathering mission.

“Do you think we have enough kindling to start our fire?” I say, looking at our haul.

“Probably. Want to head back?”

I nod, and we turn in the direction of our campsite.

Night has fallen, and we’ve made the last of the s’mores. The meal Logan cooked before that, was perfect. There’s nothing like hotdogs toasted over an open fire.

Now, as we snuggle under a blanket together while relaxing on a lounge chair, I have time to reflect on the past months. I’m leaning with my back against his chest, as I gaze up at the countless stars. The serene feeling is heavenly.

“This is so peaceful, you know?” I say.

“Mm,” he replies.

“It’s hard to believe that our troubles are behind us.”

“Shh. Don’t say it out loud…you might jinx us.” I hear his slight chuckle. Then, his arms give me a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you feel at ease.”

“I do. This is the only place I want to be.” I pat his hand which is draped across my torso.

A gentle silence settles across our campsite, as we sit in the calm, just listening to the crackle of the fire and each other’s breaths.

“So, where do we go from here?” I ask, breaking the serenity.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we no longer have to worry about hiding our relationship, and it seems as though there are no more challenges to overcome. Now what do we do?”

I hear his smile, as if the answer is as easy as one plus one.

“How about if we just enjoy each other’s company, and savor the journey we’re on. I think we both deserve a little happiness, don’t you?”

I smile and nod.

Yeah. Neither of us needs anymore drama.

I yawn, then settle further into him.

“Are you tired? Do you want to go to bed?”

“A little, but I don’t want to leave this spot. It’s comfy and warm.”

“The bed is even more comfortable. Why don’t we call it a night?”

He attempts to sit up, but I get up and turn to face him. Each of my legs straddles one of his, as I sit in his lap, effectively holding him in place. I then casually lace my fingers behind his neck.

“This is one of the most romantic places we’ve been since we’ve met. I’m not going to end this night early just to satisfy my need for sleep,” I say. “We can sleep when we’re dead, now let’s make the most of the time we have here.”

I lean into him, pressing my mouth against his, and then feel his arms envelope me, pulling me farther up against him. His readiness is apparent. I wriggle a bit and welcome the friction. He moans softly and pushes his hips upward. We continue to kiss, as our desire for each other explodes. In the back of my mind, I wonder if anyone is close enough to witness this display, but eventually I adopt an
I don’t care
attitude.

His hands inch their way up my shirt at the back, and in a split second, my bra is unclasped. They then glide around to the front, as he finds my breasts. I throw my head back, and his mouth finds my throat. I moan, not knowing how much longer I can take his seductive touch.

“Let’s go to bed,” I whisper, after reuniting with his lips.

“No…Here.”

I pull back slightly, as I don’t think I heard him correctly.

“Here?” I whisper.

He nods, and his face reveals his intentions.

“Right here,” he says. “We’ve got some cover.” He lifts up part of the blanket. “And, the darkness will mask anything else. What do you think? Are you up for another adventure?”

I giggle, then cover my mouth to hush myself.

“Seriously? We can’t.”

“Why not? No one else is near us. It’ll be perfect. Just you and me, making love under the stars.” He lifts his eyebrows as a silent plea.

He’s serious. Can I really do this? It feels so naughty. I giggle again.

“Okay, but just for a little while, then I want to go inside.”

He lets out a frisky growl and bites at my neck. I giggle at his playfulness.

“Shh,” he chides, so I bite my bottom lip to stifle my glee.