The Weekend Getaway Ch. 04

The sun had already started to rise when the alarm clock went off. Brianna looked over at Ken as he started to stir from the noise. She reached over to him and stroked his chest gingerly, playing with the chest hair that she loved so much. She noticed the lump in his pants and started to reach for it, but then Ken sat up on his elbows and smiled at her, and she realized that they needed to be going soon.

"Good morning, my precious. How are you this morning?", Brianna asked in her still somewhat sleepy voice.

"I feel wonderful. I am looking forward to our weekend so much. Last night was the perfect kickoff, but we need to get on the road soon so that we can make it there by evening."

Each one got up out of bed and started to stir about the room getting the last things together before they started on the trip. They both had a bowl of cereal and some juice for breakfast. Brianna was first to get a shower, and then Ken grabbed a quick shower while Brianna finished packing the last of her toiletries and personal things. Ken emerged from the shower, the sunlight gleaming on his body, and Brianna caught herself almost gasping as she let her eyes roam over his entire body as he got dressed. Yes, he wasn't the hunk that some women craved, but he was more man than any other man she had ever seen or met. She began to think that he had even surpassed her memories of Paul. Damn. There he was again. Somehow Paul always had to creep into her memories. "This has got to stop" she told herself. She had to find someway to push Paul back into the further recesses of her mind, and let her new memories with Ken take front row.

"Do you have your entire luggage ready?" Ken asked Brianna.

"Yes, it is set and ready to go. I don't mind helping carry some of it out."

"No, I can get it. You pack pretty light for a girl. Most women carry the whole dang house."

And so they went out to Ken's car and started the journey. Brianna put in the address of the cabin into her new GPS unit that she had bought after they last encounter. She figured that she was going to need it as it seemed they were going to be finding new adventures and locations to enjoy each others company.

The drive would take several hours to get to their destination, so Ken put the top down on the convertible. Brianna laid back and reclined the passenger seat so that she could see out the windshield and still be able to look up at the heavens as they drove through the mountains. Most of the ride was on two lane roads, and the closer that they got to the mountains, the more the roads curved and twisted, sometimes making Ken slow down to an almost crawl as he negotiated the hairpin turns. There were places where there were rockslides with boulders that had come to rest on the shoulder of the road. And in other places there were sheer cliffs that stretched to the heavens, or so it seemed. The rock face would rise so high above the car that Brianna couldn't see the tops. Sometimes water would be trickling down the slopes making the rocks glisten in the sunlight as it was rising in the east. Brianna found herself mesmerized as she followed the scenery, and was jolted back to her senses as she felt the car pulling off to the side of the road.

Ken had turned into an overlook parking area that the national park service had made for visitors to look out at the adjoining mountain ranges and the valleys below. Ken found a parking spot and stopped the car. The he went around to the other side and let Brianna out of her side of the car and they walked hand in hand to the cemented area with the steel painted railing where the wonderful views were. There was a trail just to the left where visitors could walk down to another ledge that faced about thirty degrees to the west of where this overlook was.

"Hey Bri, do you want to walk down the trail and see what it looks like from another angle?"

"I'm not sure Ken. I have never been very good at negotiating narrow spaces like that."

"Not to worry, I'll be right behind you keeping you steady on your feet."

"Ok, let's give it a shot then."

So Ken and Brianna started down the path with Ken right behind Brianna and close enough that he could reach out and grab her at any moment. The trail had some loose dirt in places, so caution had to be exercised at every moment. Brianna stepped carefully as she descended to the next overlook, but as she neared the overlook area she found herself slipping and Ken quickly reached out and grabbed her by the back of her arms and steadied her back to her feet. He kept his semi-hold on her until they were both safely on the rocky outcrop.

"That was a little bit scary back there. Thanks for coming to my rescue Ken."

"Yes, you gave me a bit of a scare. But this is even more beautiful than the scene from above, so I'm glad we tried it."

Brianna just smiled at him and then turned her attention to the scenery before them. The mountains seemed to go up and down in waves, with trees covering them almost completely. There were a couple of stone facings on the sides, and one on the top of a range to their west that closely resembled what Dolly Parton is so famous for. Ken chuckled to himself at the thought of that. Brianna's were nothing of that size, but like his grandfather had always told him, "What a man can't put in his mouth is wasted anyway." And Brianna's were perfectly sized, leaving very little "waste" when he devoured her breasts in their lovemaking.

"Love making." Yes, that is what it was. They were past the point of just having casual sex. He could feel the intensity of their feelings for each other being passed from one body to the next as they explored their sexual feelings together. He knew he was definitely falling in love with Brianna.

"Ken, I think it's time that we started back up the slope and get on our way to the cabin. My feet are getting a little bit tired from standing, and after that slip coming down, I need to be on my game going back up the trail."

"Ok, let's be on our way then", Ken replied.

They both were very careful in their journey back to the top overlook, and doubly so when they came to the area where Brianna had slipped earlier. Ken took Brianna's hand as they reached the top and lead her back to the car, stopping to open and close the door for her as they reached the car. Then Ken started the car and pulled back onto the road again. It wasn't long before the sign said that they were at the city limits and Brianna looked up the directions to the cabin that Ken had reserved for them, and she led Ken right to the door.

"Hey, you make a really great co-pilot Brianna!"

"Well, you had written out the directions very plain, so it was easy for me to follow them", Brianna replied as she put the paper in the glove box in case they needed them again.

"Thanks for the compliment dear." And with that Ken got out of the car and came around and grabbed Brianna's hand as she got out of the car, and they walked side by side up to the office to check in and get the keys to the cabins that were situated to the rear. The office was an old log cabin that had been moved from its original location, and set on this property and restored. The owners then had a set of cabins built on the side of the mountain, with each one on a different level, and each one turned toward a different view of the mountains. Ken paid for the weekend and then they got their keys and started back out to the car to retrieve their luggage. Ken toted the heavier bags, and Brianna went on ahead and opened the screen door, and unlocked the main door and held it open for him.

Ken set the luggage down at the closet and then suddenly felt two arms reaching around him. He turned and there was Brianna's beaming face peering up to his. Ken bent his head and kissed those lips that were being offered up to him. Brianna hungrily leaned into Ken and returned the kiss fervently, moving her arms from his waist to his neck and pulling him closer to her so that she could more easily have access to the lips that she wanted on hers. Ken reached his arms around Brianna and drew her close to him and they both explored each other's mouths with their tongues. As Brianna felt Kens tongue explore deeper into her mouth, she took her lips and begin to suck on Kens tongue, letting it slip slowly out of her mouth and bringing his lower lip to her lips with more of a sucking motion, yet lightly biting on it as she let it slip totally from her mouth.

Brianna then pulled back from Ken and stared at him for a moment. Ken wondered what was going through her mind, but decided to play along, as she had never failed to disappoint him yet in any of their sexual exploits. Ken could hear her breathing and realized she was breathing as heavily as he was.

"Ok, we need to unpack our luggage", Brianna said as she gazed up to his face. "If we don't, it may be awhile before it gets done, and I want to go see some sights around the town."

"Yes, there will be plenty of time to continue this later", Ken agreed.

They both pitched in and it was not long until every item of clothing had been put in its place. They looked around the cabin to see what amenities it included. The website had some pictures of the cabins inside and out, but warned that not all of the cabins were pictured and that some of the decorations and scenery would be different in each cabin. There was a living room area with a large stone fireplace in the middle of the wall, with the master bedroom door just to the left of the fireplace. The master bath was to the left of the bedroom, and a set of French doors looked out onto the wooden deck that faced toward the west. There was a settee that had been placed in the corner of the room, with a dresser and a chest of drawers on opposing walls. The bed was a king size sleigh bed with a quilted comforter atop of linen bed sheets and thick pillows.

Back in the living room area on the wall that faced the front door was a wooden staircase that led to a loft area that held two overstuffed chairs and a hide-a-bed sofa with scattered tables and lamps that overlooked the large triangular shaped windows that faced the mountain ranges.

On the left side as you entered the front door was the large kitchen with an island kitchen that included a jenn-air range and a metal sink at opposing ends. All of the kitchen utensils and pots and pans were included in the rental, and Ken had already thought about cooking Brianna a dinner before their weekend was up. He didn't cook a lot anymore, as it was tough to cook for just one. He had mainly been living off of restaurant food and sometimes a frozen dinner from the supermarket. It would be nice to be back in the kitchen again.

"Ok, it looks like we have seen everything here in the cabin. How about we go explore the town while it is still light outside?" Ken asked as they came back into the living room area.

"Sounds wonderful to me, Ken" Brianna replied as she started for the front door.

Ken quickly followed her out the door and down the path to the street below. Ken came up to Brianna's side and reached for her hand and together they started toward the main street area. There were shops of all types. Most of them were geared toward tourists, with souvenirs plastering the windows and shelves. They found an antique shop further down the street, and as they entered the shop they both noticed the smell of the shop. It was in an older building that had an almost musty smell, mixed with the cedar and oak aromas blending in, giving the shop a rustic charm with all of the older pieces scattered around in the store. There were shelving units in the middle of the shop that held the smaller pieces. Some antique frames and signs adorned the walls of the shop, and Ken recognized some of the brands that were no longer in business. He found an old metal Coca-Cola sign hanging that he liked. It had a little rust around the edges, but it was in otherwise good condition.

"That is a popular style of the Coca-Cola sign, and hard to find" he heard a voice from behind telling him. Ken turned and realized the shop keeper was talking to him.

"Yes, it brings back memories of when I was a child. During the winter when we would have a decent snowfall, we would take a sign just like this one to the big hill behind the house and set it down with the logo facing the ground and sit inside the rim area and go flying down the hill on the snow, leaning as we went to try to steer the sign in between the trees at the bottom of the hill. Sometimes we would miss and crash into a smaller pine. Everyone would burst out giggling, and then race down the hill to make sure that the "crasher" had survived the wreck. Then someone would grab the sign, and take off back to the top of the hill to try it all again."

"Ken, that sounds like it would have been a lot of fun." Brianna piped up. "Too bad we think we've outgrown things like that as we grow older. I always want to be able to enjoy a second childhood as I grow older."

"You know Brianna, you're right. It is time we start to relive our childhood again. We're not getting any older!" Ken replied.

With that the shopkeeper chimed, "Well, folks, how about I wrap that sign up and let you take it home and make some more memories. You know, winter isn't that far away."

"Sounds great, but I live in Central Florida now and snow is not on our list of weather phenomena during any year." Ken replied.

"Ken, we could leave it at my house. We don't get a lot of snow, but there is usually one storm a year that leaves a couple of inches of snow on the ground for a few days. There is a hill just to the north of the house at the end of the cul-de-sac that would be perfect for a little sledding. And when it is not in use, we'll find a place on a wall to hang it for a decoration."

"Oh sweetie, that would be fantastic." Ken replied.

"Alright folks, let me get this rang up for you, and I'll wrap it in some protective wrap for you to keep it safe until you reach home."

So the shopkeeper took Kens credit card and finished the transaction by wrapping the sign in bubble wrap to keep it from getting scratched on the trip back home. The shopkeeper then offered to hold onto the sign until they had finished their shopping and were headed back to the cabin. Ken accepted the offer and thanked him and then he and Brianna went back out of the shop.

"Ken I'm getting hungry. Let's see if we can find something nearby to eat."

"That sounds good to me. My bowl of cereal has definitely worn off"

There was a sandwich and ice cream shop just down the street. They went inside and ordered the lunch special which included a six inch sub, potato chips, and a medium drink.

As they sat down to enjoy their meal, Ken spoke. "Brianna, thanks for offering to let me keep the sign at your house. I will miss having it hanging on my wall to look at."

"Well, that will just give you another reason to come to the house more often now, won't it?" Brianna smiled as she spoke, letting the corner of her mouth turn up into a small grin.

"Quite honestly, to be with you is enough reason to be at your house as much as I can."

"I know how you feel" Brianna replied. "I have been thinking a lot about us, and how much I miss you and want you when you're back at your home."

"Well, it's not exactly a home without you being there. More like a house, just four walls and a roof over my headed to come home to each night from work."

"Wow, I hadn't thought of it in those terms. Now that I think about it, you're right. Mine feels the same way when I am not with you. And that is what I want to talk to you about. Ken, you have made me happier than I have been in a long time. But the driving distance that we now have between us is killing me. I want to be able to see you when I can. My boss owns a couple of businesses and he just lost the manager of one of the businesses that he had hired years ago. He died of a sudden heart attack. I took the liberty of telling him about you, and your skills. He wants to meet and interview you if you are interested in the job."

"Brianna, that sounds interesting. I too would love to be closer to you, and not have to depend on our weekends when we can get them. But I don't know if I'm ready to take that big of a step and move to another town so far away. I have my friends back in Florida that I would miss terribly. What about the years that I have been employed with my company? I have a lot of seniority that allows me a lot of privileges."

"Well, do you have a 401k plan for your retirement with the company?"

"Yes, I have quite a bit put back in my retirement savings."

"Alright, you can always transfer that over to another to another 401k plan at the new job. I have a wonderful plan with the company, and I'm sure he will probably offer you an even better deal with you being at management level."

"Well what about the house? The housing market is not in exactly the best shape right now. Although I do admit that it would do me good to get away from all the memories that were made in it. Some of them were wonderful, but there toward the end, a lot more bad than good."

"Ken, I'm not saying it has to be immediate. And yes, I do realize that there are a lot of things to consider. But I want you with me. I want to come home to you. To be able to hold you, smell you, feel you, touch you, make love to you when I want."

"Brianna, nothing would make me happier. I too want the same things. But can I have some time to think about it? This is not a decision that I am going to take lightly, nor am I going to rush into it. We've only been together a couple of months, and this is not something that can be rushed into without thinking everything through."

"That will be fine Ken. I want you to take the time and make sure that this is going to be what you want to do for the rest of life. Take the time to think it through, and when you're ready you can give me your answer. Just know that whether you say yes or no, I will still love you the same no matter what."

"Brianna, you're so wonderful. I promise you that I will make a timely decision and not keep you guessing. And no matter what I decide, I hope you will always remember that I am madly and deeply in love with you."

They finished their meal in silence, stealing glances at each other as they took their bites of food. Ken was the first one finished with his meal, and as he sat there watching Brianna finish her sandwich and chips, he pondered what had just taken place. Brianna had finally put her cards on the table and said what he had suspected earlier that she was thinking. He couldn't imagine being with any other woman, or being without her. He knew that he had to really give this some deep thought and then be able to live with that decision for the rest of his life.

Just then Brianna finished her meal and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Ken stood and reached for her hand, and they walked arm in arm out of the sandwich shop and back onto Main Street. The crowds had picked up a little bit and they started back toward the antique shop to retrieve the sign that the shopkeeper was holding for them. Ken thanked the shopkeeper once again, and they went back outside. Ken had the package tucked under his right arm and with his left hand he interlaced his fingers with Brianna's and they made their way back down the street, and eventually they were back at the cabin.

Brianna held the door open for Ken, while he set the package down to the side of the front door. With his arms now free, Ken reached out and drew Brianna close to him and kissed her with all of the love that he felt inside of himself. Brianna returned the kiss and what seemed like hours later they broke the embrace.

"Hey Bri, how about you let me cook supper for you tonight? You had a chance to cook for me, now I want my chance to do the same. I don't really get to cook at home since I'm by myself. And it would please me to fix your dinner for you."