Evergreen

19

Songs: Honey thighs - strongboi, Beige - Yoke Lore.

"If you vomit on me I'll put a hole in you."

I'd managed to get him into a harness and more than halfway down the tree, I'd told him to take his time, to go slow but that just made things worse with his fear of heights. He was doing better than last time I'll admit.

I'd already been to the forrest floor with our supplies, it was quicker without Henry. I was always cautious of the first few minutes on the ground, you never knew what you were dropping into. But after last nights storm I doubt those dogs were all the way out here, we were on higher ground. All the groaning the wind produced it sounded like the weather crashed half the forest down.

"You're spinning, everything is spinning." He sounded like he was about to have a fit.

"Nothing is spinning, you're a big boy now stop squeezing so hard and you'll be down before you know it."

And just like that he flew past me and hit the side of the trunk, moss and dirt exploded around him. The specs fluttered down gracefully in the sunlight. Panicked and clamped down on the equipment, Henry did the exact opposite of graceful. Sending both of us bobbing up and down on the taught rope, I swear if I don't kill him the trees will.

"Right I've had enough of you."

"It's hard!"

"No you're a baby."

***

She made it look so effortless, she pushed off the trunk and swung to the rope holding me up, sending me swaying as she connected the two some how. My shoulder was aching from the impact and I think it sent my virago into over drive. The world did stop moving a little as I looked up.

"I catch you staring at my ass, I'll cut you down."

"I'm not staring at your. What are you even..." It was quite a view...

I heard a whirring noise then she slid down the rope and stopped level with me, cutting my words out.

"Just maintain that death grip you've got going on a second."

She wrapped her legs around my torso, hooking her ankles together squeezing me... with those thighs.

"Now who has the death grip spider girl."

Clearing my throat I didn't know where to look we were so close, my mind was most definitely not on the ground. Clinking gear and pulling rope through metal rings above my head. My eyes were level with her stomach, my nose grazing her skin every time she stretched. She'd worn a green sports bra today, pairing it with thin hiking leggings. If my hands weren't clamped on my rope out of terror, they'd instinctively be grabbing onto her.

"There now, hold still and let me do all the work, because clearly you're incapable."

"I'm sure I'd get the hang of it. Eventually... I just. It's hard ok!" Her raised eyebrows and telling look made clear she didn't believe me.

She loosened her grip on me and slid down my body until she was wrapped around my waist instead. The friction of the action drove me insane, our bodies met in all the right places was she doing this on purpose?

She seated herself, leaning back and wiggled around a little while she fussed with the mechanism in her hands, pulling it down so it rested in-between us. This woman would be the death of me.

Leaning to the left she threw out the lines of rope untangling them. She had to be doing this on purpose.

"Right you can let go of your line now."

"But you said not to let go at any point." I was sweating could she see that I was?

"And now I'm taking over and telling you to let go." Her stern face stared up at me, she was so small even with her straddling me I had to crane my neck down towards her.

"Is this our Tarzan and Jane moment short stuff?"

I allowed myself to look out into the forest, the sun struck in random beams through the trees, suspended here it really was pretty. With her face lit up like that, laughing at my stupid joke I swear I felt my heart beat again.

"Just trust me. Find the sky remember? Don't look down."

"I can't help it." That's where she was, I was completely trapped by her. Looking down at her was exactly where I wanted to be.

She grumbled her annoyance at me and began to ready her grip on the main mechanism, I let go of mine peeling one finger off at a time. Breathing through the anxiety I just kept my focus on her eyes, they had little specs of green in them I hadn't noticed that before. In this light they were a perfect mix of green and blue.

"Where... where do I hold on to now?" I dropped my voice partly because I was so nervous, partly because I knew the obvious answer.

"Me. Henry, you hold onto me." Her tone was flat and honestly she looked grumpy, when I was going through all sorts of emotions. My body weight was still held by the rope and harness but she was in total control of the decent.

My hands were trembling, fuck. I could do this.

Gripping behind her knees I slid my hands along the length of her strong thighs, feeling the rock hard muscle currently at work it made my breath hitch and her concentration move from the task to following my path, her expression lightened and she met my gaze. She gave nothing away she just looked straight at me.

My calloused skin caught on the soft leggings puckering them along the way, it was the only noise I could hear, it was as if the whole forest remained still for us. This was beyond dangerous territory and not because of the dizzying heights, I was barley keeping it together, she had to feel whatever this charge was right now.

She didn't even flinch when I didn't stop at the top of her thighs, lifting her by her firm ass I pulled her closer on to me, raising her up slightly. She weighed nothing to me, her stare didn't balk. She was fully pressed up against me. It made for a better position for us to hang here, it felt... god it felt good holding her like this.

***

I froze, half terrified half in anticipation.

His large hands clasped me against him. I could feel just exactly what this was doing to him.

A phantom breeze gently whispered past my ears, my hair filtered my vision, I'd began our decent without thinking about it, tighter than I'd normally hold I kept us at a slower speed. I'd done it one handed as my other arm had found itself wrapped around Henrys neck.

I'd threaded my fingers through the wild curls at the nape of his neck, his tightly coiled curls bounced and fluttered as we moved. The chestnut colouring flashed auburn in stray flecks of sunlight, I got glimpses of his skin through his coarse beard. He had a small patch of brown in his left iris it lit up gold in contrast to his deep blues. Our breathing matched.

His feet met the ground, my hand let go of the gear and joined the other in his hair, I could hear the leaves brushing against one another now. He leant back on the trunk still holding me firm, his eyes flickered to my lips. I knew what was about to happen, but was he waiting on my first move. I couldn't this was already too much. My heart was leaping like a rabbit, my chest felt as if it was being weighed down by a truck.

That's when the sound of a twig snapping made my blood run cold.