“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
He opened his eyes.
“Because wanting isn’t permission.”
The Young Woman stepped closer.
Her hand reached his chest.
“Then ask.”
The Mountain Man stared.
“Can I kiss you?”
The Young Woman whispered:
“Yes.”
He did.
Slowly.
Almost painfully slowly.
His hand touched her waist.
Nothing more.
Her fingers curled into his shirt.
She pulled closer.
The kiss deepened.
The Mountain Man stopped.
The Young Woman opened her eyes.
“Why?”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Because I need to know you still want this after the first kiss.”
She smiled.
“I do.”
He kissed her again.
Trust grew in inches.
Not leaps.
That mattered.
Some nights they slept separately.
Some nights she asked him to sit beside the bed until she fell asleep.
Eventually she invited him to lie beside her.
Clothed.
On top of the blanket.
He did.
She rested her head against his chest.
Listened to his heart.
Steady.
One evening, she climbed into his lap beside the fire.
The Mountain Man stopped breathing.
The Young Woman noticed immediately.
She smiled.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“Yes.”
She settled sideways across his thighs.
One arm around his shoulders.
His hand hovered.
She took it.
Placed it at her waist.
The Mountain Man stared at her.
The Young Woman whispered:
“You keep acting like I’m going to break.”
“I’m trying not to become something you regret.”
She touched his beard.
“You are enormous.”
He raised one eyebrow.
She laughed softly.
“You are.”
“And?”
“And intimidating.”
The Mountain Man’s hand tightened slightly at her waist.
“You shouldn’t tease someone you’re calling intimidating.”
The Young Woman leaned closer.
“See?”
“What?”
“You’re scared.”
He smiled faintly.
“You enjoy saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
The Mountain Man looked at her.
Long.
Quiet.
Then:
“I’m afraid you’ll wake tomorrow and think tonight came from fear.”
The Young Woman’s teasing expression disappeared.
She took his other hand.
Placed it against her waist too.
“Then hear me clearly.”
His eyes stayed on hers.
“I’m not sitting here because I need protection.”
“I’m sitting here because I want you.”
The Mountain Man’s breathing changed.
The Young Woman moved closer.
“If I say stop…”
“I stop.”
“If I say no…”
“Everything stops.”
“If I change my mind?”
“You owe me nothing.”
Her eyes filled.
The Mountain Man frowned.
“What?”
She smiled through it.