“Hey.” He settles next to me near the fire. “Do you keep the fire going all night?”
“No, I’ll put it out when we turn in for the night.” He leans closer, and I wrap an arm around him. “Are you cold?”
“Just a little.”
We sit on the log for a bit, and Ethan tilts his head back to look at the night sky. “When I was a kid, we lived in this one place away from town. No streetlights or anything. Even though houses were around, it got so dark it felt like being lost at sea, even though you had solid ground under your feet.”
“City lights don’t let you see this, that’s for sure.”
“Nope.” He sighs and shifts closer to me. “I used to watch the stars a lot when we lived there. Mostly when I walked home from my friend’s house. One night, walking home, I was so into the stars that I didn’t notice the dog. They had one of those giant dogs, an Irish wolfhound. Do you know those dogs?”
“I do. They’re big all right.”
“Anyway, their dog followed me home one night, and I didn’t know it was there. Scared the ever-loving shit out of me. I thought it was a wolf and screamed so loud they probably heard me in space.” Ethan doesn’t laugh, and when I turn my head, he’s watching me closely.
“That’s why I was afraid to come out here. Statistically, I know it’s fine, but I remember that dog more than I do the stars. Which made me miss the stars, and I wanted to see them again. With you.”
We sit in silence for a touch longer, watching the fire, and I realize Ethan is the first man in years I’ve shared something like this with. It shouldn’t have me in knots like it does.
“I’m glad you came.”
He bumps his shoulder against mine, and I turn my head toward him.
“Can I kiss you?” he whispers.
The light from the fire catches his profile, making his jaw seem softer. He’s the most beautiful thing in the entiremountain range, and with aching certainty, I know this is the best risk I’ve ever taken and the worst hurt I’ll ever endure.
“Always,” I answer, and Ethan brings his lips to mine in a tender kiss. My hand grips his neck as I hold him close, not wanting to stop kissing him. It doesn’t take long for our hands to wander, and for me to wish we were anywhere but here.
Resting my forehead against his, I pause for a breath. Ethan brings out everything in me I’ve stuffed down for so long; it’s sometimes overwhelming.
“I need to put out the fire, and then we need to get some rest,” I murmur against his lips before stealing more kisses.
“Darn.” He laughs softly. “I can wait.”
With the fire down to mostly coals, I scoop some soil onto the embers and pour from the jug of water on top. When I’m satisfied the fire is out, I hold out my hand for Ethan. He glues himself to my side as I shine the flashlight ahead of us toward our tent.
“Wait!” he whispers, and I freeze.
“What?”
“I have to pee.”
“Just go over there. I’ll point the light.”
“Colt,” he whines. “It’s still dark, and I don’t want to be by myself.”
“You asking me to hold it for you, too?” He actually stops to think about it. “Never mind. Come on.” Leading him away from the site, I lean against a tree and motion to the other side of it. “Just go. I’m right here.”
Ethan does his business on the other side of the tree while I wonder why I’m less embarrassed over having his dick down my throat than I am being his pee buddy in the forest.
“Okay. We can go now.”
After holding the tent open for him and watching him stumble around to get into the sleeping bag and get comfortable,it’s glaringly obvious that Ethan isn’t an outdoor camping kind of guy.
But when he burrows next to me in the sleeping bag and fits just right against my side, I’m okay with that.
There’re a lot of things I’m okay with if it’s with Ethan.
