Page 72 of Free Fall

The way his ass clenches around me is too much, and I fill the condom as I stare down at his luminescent eyes, his wide mouth, and his high cheekbones. He’s beautiful and he takes my dick like a dream.

“Dan…”

“Mm,” he says, sweat standing out on his skin and his hair a mess.

“I don’t think I can do the waterfall again today.”

He laughs and tugs me down to kiss. “We can use the campground’s shower block. Though it’s not much warmer.”

“And not nearly as clean.”

“No.”

His lips are swollen from all the kissing, and he has a red mark from where my incoming light beard has scraped his chin. I feel the beard burn on my own chin too.

When we exit the van on trembling legs to head to the shower block, I’m sure we both look like fucked-out messes, but I don’t care what the families in the tents and campers around us think. I only wonder how I’m going to report to work tomorrow when I’m sore from climbing, sore from sleeping on a rock, and sore from fucking Dan’s ass into next year.

“Hey,” Dan says later, as we climb back onto the motorcycle to go get my car.

I tighten my grip around his middle, rest my helmeted head against his back, and sigh. “Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Just thinking about last night and today. I don’t want it to be over yet.”

“Don’t worry, Doc,” Dan says. “There’ll be more days like this.”

He starts the engine and we’re off, driving into the unknown future where I don’t know how long I get to have him. I have to believe that no matter what…

Beautiful memories always stay.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Dan

5 weeks until free solo ascent

“What on earthis that all about?” Peggy Jo asks as I climb into her truck.

I look to where Peggy Jo is staring at Sejin dancing to KPop—a song from girl group called Twice, I think—with some kids from a few campers over. The two oldest look to be around eight or ten years old, and the little ones are between three and five, probably. I’m not great at kids’ ages, but that’s my best guess.

They’re dancing by the open door of my van, from whence the music is streaming, and my van’s keys shimmer in Sejin’s hand as he shakes them in time to the beat.

“He’s showing them some choreography,” I say, adjusting my seatbelt and settling my backpack at my feet.

“Yes, I can see that.”

“He slept over.”

“I can see that too.”

“He’ll lock up the van, and I’ll get the keys from him later at Papa Bear.” I pause. “He works there.”

“I know.” She looks at me and then back to Sejin. “He’s slept over a lot lately.”