Breathless Peaks Read online

  "Hold tight, Heidi." He positioned himself behind her, his breaths pluming hotly against the side of her face.

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Help you with your concentration." One of his large hands slid inside the front of her pants as he plastered himself to her body, and she sucked in cold air.

  "You can't do that here. Someone might see us."

  His fingers drifted closer to her stiff clit, folding back the lips of her labia. She couldn't help it when a groan escaped her lips.

  "You like that?" he asked as his cool fingertips feathered over her lips and around her clit. "You're wet, Heidi, so wet."

  "Kolt," she tried to deny the desire he was banking inside her.

  "Keep your hands on the anchor and your feet notched on the ledge. Don't move, Heidi. Not an inch."

  Two fingers entered her vagina. "Nice, Heidi, very nice. You're so hot and wet and tight. Spread your legs."

  She inched her feet out, felt the passion building to a roaring blaze that could melt the snow on the peaks above. She was finding it hard to control her breathing. She shuddered with pleasure as his fingers sank deeper.

  "I won't let you fall, Heidi. Do you trust me?"

  Showers of sparks leaped before her eyes. "Yes," she gasped. His fingers curled inside her and she groaned again. "I can't take much more."

  "Yes, you can. Hold that thought. Don't you dare topple over the edge until I tell you."

  "I don't think I can hold on."

  "Of course you can. Give yourself to me. Completely."

  "I am."

  "No, I can feel you holding back. Relax and yield. The mountain won't hurt you. And neither with I. Do you believe that?"

  His fingers were spreading her, her juices flowing. He touched a spot and she thought she was going to die from the pleasure, right there. "Do you?" he demanded an answer.

  "Yes," she managed to vocalize, but just barely, she was so swamped by the sensations overtaking her.

  "Release the anchor," he commanded.

  "What?" If she let it go, she was likely to fall and take him with her.

  His feet were planted just outside of her own, one hand thrust inside her pants, the other now curled around her waist.

  "Do it," he demanded, his warm hand cupping her moist mound. "Let go."

  Taking a deep breath, she did as he said and suddenly felt the air sing around her as he powerfully pushed them away from the wall, dropping, and then spiraling out and coming around the face to land on a wide ledge. One brush across her clitoris and she was still flying, thrusting high, singing over the peaks and drifting back again into his arms. It was the most amazing experience she'd ever had in her life.

  He pulled his fingers out of her dripping pussy and she dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. The drop was not as high as some, being perhaps a couple of thousand feet from the ground, but certainly enough to get her adrenalin pumping as she'd put her life in Kolt's hands. Even now, her heart thundered in her chest.

  He undid her harness and pulled it from her body. She felt so weak she couldn't even help him. She heard it clatter to the ground. The cool breeze fluttered across her hot cheeks, her closed lids.

  Kolt lifted her to her feet where she stood, weaving slightly. Her eyelids shot open when she realized he was divesting her of her shoes, pants, and shirt.

  "What are you doing?"

  "What does it look like I'm doing? Just help me get rid of these damn obstacles."

  His hands were on her, all over her. Hot and hard and demanding. He leaned down to capture her lips in a long, drugging kiss that seemed to suck her very soul from inside her, leaving her weak and helpless in his arms.

  When she was completely naked, he pushed her backward until she was pressed up against the stone face of the mountain. Her nipples were hard and dark, budding tightly with the coolness of the mountain air. The breeze drifted over her hot pussy lips, slick with her juices.

  He lifted her arms and locked them above her head, his molten gaze tracking over her body.

  "We're getting married as soon as we get down off this mountain." He dipped his head and sucked in one of her nipples, drawing it into his mouth, nipping it with his teeth.

  She gasped, was unable to get two thoughts to meld together into something coherent as she arched against him.

  His hands on her wrists were like manacles, binding her to the rock. She was breathless with the sensations that overwhelmed her.

  Kolt wanted to marry her. This rugged man that she had lusted after since she was sixteen wanted her to be his wife.

  He moved to her other nipple and drew on it. She cried with need, wanted him inside her. She opened her eyes and her gaze took in the vista across the horizon. A layer of thick, fluffy white clouds spreading over the sky. It was like they were in another world entirely. Their world, and no one else existed but them. This amazing, bold man wanted her forever.

  "Kolt, oh God, do you mean it? You want to marry me?"

  He looked up at her, his eyes black and bottomless. "Do you really think I would have become your lover if I wasn't ready to marry you? Your father would cut off my balls if he thought I was just playing around with you."

  He went back to tasting her body, but by then it had been as though a cold rush of water from a mountain falls had drenched her.

  Duty. That was all it was. He hadn't loved her. He hadn't wanted her. Just like her father, the only mistress he would ever have was the mountain.

  Cold reality had crushed any hope she might have had that her love was returned by this tantalizing lover she had taken for her own.

  Chapter 4

  * * *

  "Have you come to a decision yet?" her mother asked her several days later.

  How did she answer that? She was still so torn. She knew exactly what was going to happen if she did go back and she wasn't certain if she was ready to face the consequences.

  "I don't think I have much of a choice, do I? Not if I don't want Maura to inherit."

  Her mother picked up one of the sugar cookies resting in a flower-patterned china plate. "I can't tell you what to do. You're the one who must live with the choice." She gave Heidi a very intense look. "Why are you going back is the real question. Is it just for the inheritance? Is it strictly because you're concerned about me?"

  Heidi felt the heated flush of embarrassment rise up into her cheeks. Her mother obviously knew more than she was saying.

  Lorene reached out to take Heidi's hand into her own elegant clasp. "Heidi, I had my own reasons for leaving. They were selfish reasons, I realize that now. I was prideful and in the end I threw away the one man I loved with all my heart rather than make concessions. Don't make the same mistake I did. It was never the same once I walked away. It never could be." She stopped speaking and then leaned back in her chair, still watching Heidi. "You are not me." She smiled. "You were always your father's daughter, more than mine. Do you think I don't know what you turned your back on to come with me to the city? I do, but again, I was selfish in that I wanted you here, with me."

  She shook her head and sighed. "I should have let you go. Should have let you lead your own life. You don't want to be here. There's something missing--something vital. And I don't want you to sacrifice any longer. That damned mountain is in your blood, the same as it was for your father."

  "If I go, you'll be left alone, Mom. That's not right either. I don't need the mountain, not the way Dad did."

  "Yes, you do, Heidi. You just don't want to admit it. And you need Kolt Harris. And you don't want to admit that either. Your father and I both knew you and Kolt were lovers, but we didn't want to interfere."

  "That's all that it was--just a summer fling."

  Again, her mother got that knowing expression on her face. "It was more than that--a lot more. Your father and I talked about it not long before he died. He says Kolt was never the same after you left. He turned in on himself somehow. And I saw the same thing in you. Why did you leave?"
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br />   "He asked me to marry him," Heidi blurted out.

  "And that's why you left the mountain? But you loved him, why would you do that? Not that I would have wanted you to marry at such a young age, but you never said anything."

  Heidi sighed. She hadn't said anything to Kolt either. She'd just said she wasn't ready to get married and had retreated. She'd never gone back, making excuse after excuse. "I didn't think he loved me. He offered to marry me because of Dad, nothing more."

  "Are you sure?"

  Was she? Was she totally certain that was the only reason he'd asked her to marry him? She'd thought so at the time.

  She wiped a hand across her face. "I don't know anymore, Mom. I really don't."

  "Then I think it's time you went back and found out for certain, don't you?"

  "He probably hates me after leaving him like that. And never going back."

  "I'm inclined to think not. But you're going to have to face...all of it. Do you think you're ready?"

  She had no idea if she was or not. But she knew one thing and that was that she would have to try, to see if there was anything left.

  She knew one thing more--he wouldn't be the one to bend. Like the mountain, he was rock solid. And maybe that's what frightened her the most, because she'd been on her own a long time and Kolt would expect to change that. Was she willing to submit to his brand of loving? To give him the control he demanded? Is that what she had run from? His complete possession?

  She honestly didn't know the answers, and it was about time for her to find them out. Whatever they might be.

  And she was determined to kick Maura off that mountain, one way or the other. Heidi wasn't the type of person to hold grudges against people, but something told her Maura had never been in love with her father; she was just using him. If she thought she was about to enter easy street, she could think again.

  And then her skin went cold as she wondered exactly what part Maura might play in Kolt's life? Would Maura turn to Kolt for comfort? Would they comfort each other after the loss of Hugh?

  God, she couldn't think about that. Suddenly it was imperative she get to that mountain; there was no more time to waste. The clock was ticking, a time bomb about to explode right in her face.

  She said a quick good-bye to her mother and hurried home, packing her bags as fast as possible. She called and left a message at work that she was taking vacation. She had several weeks built up she hadn't used. What might occur beyond that, she had no idea. She'd take it one step at a time.

  She found herself digging in the back of her closet and located her climbing gear. That was something she hadn't looked at in a very long time. It would all have to be checked. Of course, she was so out of shape she wouldn't be doing much real climbing, but it was always better to be prepared. She stowed it and her bags in the trunk, then locked up her apartment.

  There would be no calls to let anyone know she was coming. She wanted to catch them by surprise, without warning. Then she'd really know what she was up against. Her father's attorney had provided her with a set of keys to all the cabins at the lodge and to the office, so she didn't need anyone to let her in.

  The drive would take at most a couple of days, time for her to think about what she would be facing when she got there, including her father's ghost, that probably still roamed those mountains. He was not one to give up easily. And she guessed she should have realized she was just like him, more so than her mother.

  She loved her mother dearly and hated leaving her alone, but it was past time for her to face her own ghosts. Whatever the outcome might be.

  Chapter 5

  * * *

  Heidi turned into the entrance of the Rivers & Harris Ltd. grounds. It hadn't changed all that much from what she remembered. She parked her car in front of the office and got out of the car. It was silent, too silent. There should have been people around, clients and the part-time college students who helped out during the summer season. But it was as though the place was deserted. Had Kolt closed the place down in mourning for her father and the others who had been lost during that fateful rescue mission? It was quite possible.

  Hood's rapid change in weather had led to more than one tragedy; her father's had not been the first. There were many who underestimated the dangers of the mountain. In this part of the country, located so close to the ocean, it made the area particularly susceptible to sudden whiteouts and heavy, wet snows. Certainly not a mountain for the uninitiated to tackle alone, without a guide, or at least an experienced climbing partner.

  But not everyone had the common sense to understand and respect the mountain. And they often paid a heavy price.

  Mt. Hood rose to just a little over eleven thousand feet. The mountain was named for Lord Samuel Hood, the British Admiralty who had sponsored an expedition to explore the Pacific Northwest in 1792.

  Heidi had studied the history of the mountain closely when she was younger, even learning about the Cayuse, whose folklore believed that fire and evil spirits emanated from the mountain. All of it had been fascinating to her. And now she was back once again to face all those evil spirits down. She hoped she was up to the challenge. But of one thing she was certain. Her father had not raised her to be a coward.

  She turned away from the awesome view of the sleeping volcano and walked into the office, surprised to find the door unlocked and still no one around. Very odd. After she'd checked all the rooms, she headed back outside and made her way to her father's cabin.

  He and Kolt had converted the main house, where he'd lived with her mother those first few months in the early years, to a rustic restaurant. He'd said he didn't need it any longer. His needs were sparse, consisting mostly of his own climbing gear and a shelf full of books. Not much else. Just enough personal items that would fit into a knapsack when he climbed. As she remembered, he had one picture of Heidi and her mother when Heidi was about twelve years old and nothing more recent.

  Everything he did was about the mountain, especially after her mother left. After that, he didn't even have to pretend he enjoyed the company of civilization.

  She left the office and steeled herself to make her way to her father's cabin on the other side of the grounds. Just as she reached for the handle, she heard a low, female scream erupt from inside. She pushed opened the door, afraid of what she would find.

  The main part of the small cabin was unoccupied, then her glance shot to the bedroom at the back of the cabin--a small room added on after her father had moved in. The screams were coming from there, but they certainly didn't sound like life-threatening cries.

  Curious as to who was there, she quietly made her way to the door and her eyes widened at the scene that greeted her. She was rooted to the spot by the vision of two naked young men and a woman cavorting on the bed. The woman she recognized from a photo her father had sent to her. It was Maura, the woman who had supposedly been in love with her father.

  There was a heavy look of passion on her hollowed, flushed cheeks. She was on her knees before one of the young men who had his fingers wound tightly into her hair, his cock entrenched deeply into her mouth as she slurped away at it like a tasty treat.

  Heidi's jaw dropped as she watched the threesome. The second man had his hands on her pale, plump cheeks, separating them, his cock about to breach her small, tight hole.

  Heidi couldn't seem to tear herself away from the sight. Couldn't believe what she was seeing. She watched the second man slowly push his penis inside her anus, heard Maura's throaty purr as he finally lodged completely inside her.

  "I'm in," he said in a deep, gasping voice.

  Heidi saw her wiggle her hips and the young man slapped her on her ass.

  "Ow," she mumbled around the glistening cock practically buried in her throat.

  "Hold still then." He grabbed for her hands and yanked them back, pulling her up off the first man's stiff erection. The wet cock popped out of her mouth, bobbing eagerly. He pulled her up and arched her back. He looked up and grinne
d at the other man. "Now. I'm sure she's ready. More than ready, aren't you, Maura? How long has it been?"

  Her lips drew back in a snarl. "You know how long. I didn't expect you to bring along a friend this time."

  He laughed. "You're gonna love it and you know it. If the old man hadn't kicked the bucket, just think what you'd be missing right now. It's gonna be a real tight fit, Ted, so get ready for the fuck of your life."

  Heidi couldn't believe what she was hearing, what she was seeing. Before she could make sense of it, the young man had fit the tip of his broad, stiff penis at Maura's opening and slid in completely.

  Maura threw back her head and screamed. "Oh, gawd, yes."

  That was enough, more than Heidi wanted to know or see. She started to take a step forward when a hard hand gripped her arm and yanked her back away from the door. She was about to say something scathing as he dragged her back out of the cabin and then she recognized the giant of a man who towered over her, dark eyebrows drawn together.

  As he pulled her outside, he shoved her up against the wall of the cabin, hands over her head, pressing his body close to her.

  "It's been a long time, Heidi. Welcome home." And then Kolt's hot mouth sealed with hers. And she puddled like the spring snow melt, just as she'd known she would.

  Chapter 6

  * * *

  She tried to get some coherent thought back into her head. She knew she should end the kiss, she should be outraged by it. But all it felt like was that she had finally come back home to where she belonged.

  After what seemed like forever, Kolt at last lifted his head and his dark eyes bore into her.

  "What now, Heidi? Are you going to turn and run again?"

  She bit her kiss-swollen lips, tasted blood and licked it away. "It wasn't like that Kolt. You don't understand."

  He pulled away from her and leaned negligently back against the wooden railing of the porch, arms crossed. "Then tell me how it was."