Chapter 11
"Okay…"
Vallea would've smiled up at him if it wasn't for the sun baking her from the inside out. Sunblock would only go so far, but luckily, she burned and then tanned instantly. Monique hated her for it, complaining about burning in the sun, which was why Vallea had a nice bronze tan on her skin. It wasn't too dark or too light, a perfect blend.
"SHIT!" One of the rocks had given way, forcing her to slip, but luckily Vallea caught herself on another one and took a deep, shaky breath to slow her now racing heart. "Keep going, I'm okay!" She called up, noticing Jon had stopped, and continued pushing herself up the mountain.
This was definitely a workout she wouldn't soon forget.
How ironic would it be if she managed to fall here?
That was how they had sort of met, so Jon could believe it would be how they ended, or her anyway. Fate was a tricky bitch that way. "Take a minute to breathe, and check the tape on your hands!"
He used gloves, mostly because he worked with these hands; he wasn't risking cuts or scrapes on a part of him that spent a lot of time touching oily men. That sounded wrong, even in his head. After a few minutes, she flashed a thumbs up and Jon nodded, resuming the climb. Eventually, he reached the top, a relatively flat area, and moved to the side to watch her progress as well as give her room to come up over the ledge. If he were honest, there was nothing sexy about rock climbing. It was fun and there was a rush, but it left a person a hot, sweaty mess, and yet…she was pulling it off. He was doomed if he was already thinking that way, icy blue eyes narrowing.
The view was spectacular and well worth the climb as Vallea pushed herself to stand and felt breathless all over again. The sweat caked on her body, the slight dizziness she felt from the altitude – all worth this moment. Nothing a little water and rest wouldn't take care of. It wasn't too bad and the dizziness melted away at the sheer beauty of Vegas high up. Why would anyone ever want to move anywhere else? This was the perfect place to live, or damn close to it.
"This isn't real. It can't be real." She murmured, feeling as though she could reach up and touch the blue sky, hazel eyes sparkling in the sun.
Jon just stood there and watched her, her profile in his line of vision. When she actually extended a hand, fingertips stretched out, he smiled. Quietly, he moved to wrap his arm gently around her. "Doesn't it feel real, Val?" Jon rasped softly, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. He still needed to shed his satchel, the backpacks already lying a few feet away from the ledge.
"No, it feels like a dream. I know that's cliché sounding and corny as hell, but it's the truth. I feel like I'm in a dream." It was like another world up here aside from the chaotic mess the actual world was in. The country was divided on so many topics and it was heartbreaking to see. "I felt that way about Red Rock Canyon too when I first climbed it. Getting to the top – it was nothing compared to this though. This is…I don't even have the words to describe how incredible this is." Breathing in the fresh mountain air was also a huge plus and being with a man who loved climbing mountains and rocks as much as she did. "Thank you, Jon."
"You're welcome." Eventually, she would have found her way here. Jon knew that without a shadow of a doubt because Vallea was that kind of person. She liked adventure, that was glaringly obvious. "Help me get the tent up." He didn't plan on having a fire, not unless they managed to find something to burn. There was what looked like a cluster of fairly dead trees not too far off. "And when the sun sets, you'll really think this is a dream."
Kissing his cheek, Vallea pulled out everything from the bag with him to set up the tent, showing Jon she knew what she was doing. It didn't take long to put the tent up and she grabbed the huge sleeping bag, spreading it out on the ground inside to make it comfortable. Once that was finished, she walked out of the tent and stretched her arms in the air, taking the water Jon handed her to take a long pull from it.
"I saw some dead trees a little ways from here, if you wanna help me find some brush and wood, we can build a fire." She suggested, not realizing Jon had noticed it already and knew it would be chilly tonight.
"Sounds good, doll." She had read his mind.
Jon was seriously contemplating asking her out past this dating thing and into relationship territory, or at least, exclusive territory. It wasn't like he had taken anyone else to bed in a while and he didn't even want to think about her sleeping with another guy. The idea of it made him irrationally angry. He'd think about it. Following her, he procured his pocket knife, eyeballing the brush and wood.
"Watch out for snakes, Val."
"Got it. They can be real bitches."
Vallea had been bitten by a rattlesnake from her own backyard and it hadn't been pleasant. The venom had worked fast, but luckily, she had gotten treatment in time and it hadn't caused any permanent damage. The scar on her ankle was a beauty though and it reminded her to be more careful in nature in Vegas. The brush wasn't too bad and would burn well, at least long enough for them.
"Watch out for scorpions too, you never know where those cocksuckers are too."
"Scorpions are considered a delicacy in some places abroad." Jon informed her, grinning at the disgusted expression that flitted across her beautiful face. "Just letting you know. They taste weird though, almost have a bitter taste to them." He then proceeded to stomp the piss out of one that scurried out from beneath the deadwood he lifted, finally eyeballing the bottom of his boot. Gross. If either of them wound up being bitten by anything poisonous out here, it was going to royally suck to be them.
Any other woman would've screamed bloody murder and demanded to leave, but not Vallea. She had jumped slightly, but that was it, and continued piling brush in her arms, finally rising to her feet. "Come on, let's get the fire going before the sun sets and then we can finally enjoy and relax up here."
They made their way back to where the fire would be built and she had found some rocks as well, beginning to outline them in a circle. It wasn't perfect, but would also make do and keep the brush and wood inside. Once the fire was built, she stepped back while Jon started it by using a lighter. Jon smoked, not often, he chewed more than smoked and she found the fact he chewed oddly hot.
"So, what did you concoct or bring up here for us to eat for dinner?"
"Mmm, good question, I don't remember what I stuffed in the bag." Jon laughed, shaking his head. He knew he had plenty of dry rations because they were light to carry in bulk. "Oh yeah, a pot and ramen noodles." Because those were also small and light, and he had brought a lot. At her look, he began grinning, trying to reign in the laughter. "I can add some scorpion for flavor?" If she killed him up here, he would probably deserve it and nobody would fault her for it.
"Very funny, Good." Vallea muttered good-naturedly with a roll of her eyes, rather enjoying his dry sense of humor. "I'll try it if you will." It was her turn to laugh at the disgusted look on his face and slapped her knee. "That's what I thought. Ramen noodles are fine by me. Give me the pot and I'll start them up."
Jon handed it over along with the food and she proceeded to put it over the flames of the fire on a grill Jon had brought. It was rather light, but would also work for what they needed it for. They would be able to sit and eat while watching the sunset and it was already starting to drop in temperature a little. The grill thing was a Walmart special from a clearance section. Jon was a man with a retirement plan and, quite frankly, old habits die hard. He had grown up beyond poor and, while he knew he was fine now, he had that little niggling fear of being poor again. Jon had a healthy-sized bank account due to this fear.
"I'll go see about bringing that dead log over here, making sure nothing's nesting in it and we can use it to sit on." He watched Vallea set up shop at the fire a second longer and then headed over to do it.
Watching him walk away, Vallea admired his beautiful backside in those shorts and smiled, itching to get her hands on him. They hadn't had sex in a couple of weeks due to their busy schedules and not being able to meet up in Vegas. This was nice to be able to disappear from reality and come to a stunning place like this, where they were completely isolated and alone. To most people, the desert was an unforgiving, treacherous place to be, but Vallea thought it was the most beautiful and giving since she'd met Jon. Christ, she really had it bad for him and had to shelve her feelings, just in case this didn't pan out the way she wanted it to. Lost in thought, she stirred the noodles a little more, seeing the water start to boil, and looked up when Jon brought back the scorpion, bug-free log, both of them sitting on it.
"The noodles are almost done."
"Good." Jon peeled off his shirt, muscles rippling with every moment, and draped it over the tent before stretching his arms over his head. "Last I knew, there wasn't any nearby water source, so I brought traveling wipes to clean up with, doll."
Not as good as hot water and soap, but it was better than being straight-up grungy and nasty. Vallea had to learn how to breathe again, wondering if she'd ever tire of seeing the man shirtless. No, probably not. If they were having sex tonight, which Vallea assumed, she would want to clean up as much as she could to be as fresh as she could, given the circumstances.
"A con to being on top of a mountain, unfortunately." Though, other mountains did have water sources, just not this particular one. "While dinner finishes, I'm gonna go change out of these clothes really fast."
Pecking his lips softly, she slid into the tent, with the wipes he handed her and grabbed her bag, contemplating if she should put the nightgown on she brought. It was still a little warm outside, but the temperature would drop once the sun was fully gone. Deciding to take a chance, she slipped into it, along with fresh garments, after cleaning herself up with the wipes the best she could, and put the sweaty clothing in a separate part of her bag. The nightgown was simple black, went to her knees, spaghetti strapped, and was a silk yet comfortable material. Just as she finished brushing out her hair and deciding to leave it down, Jon came into the tent to let her know the food was done. She stepped out with him and sat on the log again, taking the bowl he handed her along with dry food he'd brought, more jerky and fruit.
Who in the hell brought THAT camping? Jon was not complaining by any stretch, but it was also a first. He brought sweatpants to sleep in and not much else. The weather here at night did not faze him a bit, not after Ohio winters in unheated projects. He balanced his bowl on one knee, the dried stuff on the other, openly admiring her.
"You might regret that when the bugs come out." He said, sounding a bit sad because he bet she had a hoodie or something for that event.
"It'll be a little too chilly for the bugs to really bother us, not to mention the fire will keep them away. I'm not worried. Besides, I have a hoodie if they get too bad."
She didn't know where they were going; Jon had only told her she wouldn't be home until the following morning, so she brought sleep clothes, naturally. Granted, she would probably be naked come morning and would have zero complaints. They ate in companionable silence, filling their bellies after the strenuous climb their bodies endured.
"I didn't…cross a line earlier with you when we were at the halfway point, did I? Because if I did, I'm sorry."
Jon stared at her, wondering just what on earth she was talking about. Then it came to him and he had an 'oh yeah' moment, considering Vallea thoughtfully before finally shrugging his shoulders. "No, not really. I just don't like talking about myself." Which was mostly true. He'd talk about himself in terms of the present, but the past was something he usually considered off-limits. He had never been with someone long enough, liked them, or trusted them enough, to discuss his childhood.
"You do realize, if we want to get to know each other, you're gonna have to talk about yourself eventually." Vallea pointed out in a joking manner, nudging him playfully, and reached up to caress his bearded face with her hand. What could've happened to him in his past he didn't want to discuss? There were so many mysteries about Jon and Vallea found herself wanting to unravel them all. "I won't ask about your past again. I can tell it bothers you. So, new topic, what time do we have to leave this beautiful place and go back to reality tomorrow?"
She could get to know him as he was and his past was his business. If they got serious enough, he'd explain that to her. As it was…they were friends with benefits. Maybe, he didn't know how to describe it and he wasn't entirely comfortable with labeling it either.
"You in that big a hurry to get out of here already, doll?" He teased, chuckling when she gave him an exasperated look. "I have to be on a plane at 5 tomorrow night and we're walking down, so it won't take much time getting down the mountain. We'll have time to sleep in if that's what you want."
"I don't think either of us will be getting much sleep tonight, Jon." Vallea informed him with a sly smile before turning her attention to stare into the fire, having watched the breathtaking sunset with him while they ate. It was glorious – she would never forget this date as long as she lived and it would honestly be hard to top. "And no, I'm not in any hurry, I just wanted to know how much time I had with you before you have to go back on the road again. That's all." Scooting closer to him, Vallea felt his arm wrap around her waist and she snuggled into his warm chest, shutting her eyes momentarily to soak everything in.