Liam's List (27 page)

“
Yep.” I nodded. “That’s
exactly what it’s called. It’s in Glacier National Park and I
believe it runs east to west for fifty miles or so.”

“
Hmm. Going-to-the Sun
Road,” Viv mused aloud. “I think I like the sound of
that.”

I’d planned a two-week trip for us, taking
into account three days to drive there and back. We left early the
next morning, with instructions for Julian, who was only too
willing to take on doggie daycare duties while we were gone.

The route I planned essentially followed
Interstate 15 from end to end, taking us through Nevada,
Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and finally Montana.

All in all, I made pretty good time, driving
eleven hours the first and second day, consuming land and sky. By
the third day, we had crossed into eastern Idaho and I was driving
on a rural country road without a single car in sight.

I was using cruise control and trying not to
fall asleep at the wheel when Vivian unbuckled her seatbelt and
began brushing a hand over the front of my jeans.

“
Have you ever had road
head before?” Her voice was a smoky whisper.

“
No.” A ragged groan
scraped from my throat as she cupped a hand over my
bulge.

“
Keep your eyes on the
road.” Her breathing was a slow, seductive rasp as she pulled down
the zipper and freed my raging erection.

Staring straight ahead, I kept one hand
firmly on the steering wheel and placed the other over the back of
her neck as she leaned over in her seat.

My breath caught as she licked the blunted
crest, circling her tongue around the sensitive head. Tasting and
teasing, she licked me, rubbing her tongue beneath the head. Then
over the head. Again and again until I could no longer bear it.

“
Suck me, Viv,” I gritted
out.

Briefly, I glanced down in time to see her
plump lips forming a perfect circle just before she sucked me into
her hot, wet mouth. With one hand, she started stroking the base of
my cock. And as her mouth traveled up and down the length of my
shaft, her hand followed right behind it, stroking and sucking in
one continuous motion.

Fuck.
I winced at the acute pleasure. Each time her hot, enticing
mouth sank down the stalk of my cock, my hips arced forward,
burying my shaft deeper inside her mouth

“
Vivian
,” I groaned, my voice thick and hoarse as her tongue and
lips devoured every inch of me. “
Vivian,
stop.
” I clenched my jaw, straining
beneath her mouth. My fingers twined in her hair, making a tight
fist and jerking her back.

She stopped. But only to come up for air, and
then she sank down my shaft, cinching her lips around my hard
flesh, taking me even deeper.

Whatever scraps of resolve I had were quickly
disintegrating. Blood roared through my veins and I felt my cock
jerk in her mouth as my release shot down the back of her
throat.

I slumped back with a groan as she swallowed
audibly, sucking me off and licking me clean. As I relaxed my grip
on her hair, she softly blew on my cock before pulling up the
zipper, the sharp metal rasping loud over my ragged breaths.

Then she sat upright, pulled down the visor,
and smoothed her hair over her shoulders as though nothing had ever
happened.

I shook my head, unable to wipe the idiotic
grin off my face.

Viv was the kind of girl I could bring home
to my mom, but she’d likely give me road head on the way there.

Portions of Going-To-The Sun Road traversed
over steep drop-offs and curvy mountain roads that hugged the face
of the canyon. I steered through tight curves, driving slowly so we
could take in the majestic scenery and wildlife.

“
Look, there’s a billy
goat!” Viv exclaimed as we rose up above the valley
floor.

With each turn, we were treated to vistas of
breathtaking beauty. “And look to your left!” she practically
yelled. “Bighorn sheep! A whole herd of them.”

Her enthusiasm was infectious. “Let me know
when you see a grizzly bear,” I told her.

At nearly seven thousand feet, we crossed the
Continental Divide as we passed through Logan Pass. “What about the
glaciers?” Vivian asked. “Are we really gonna see glaciers out
here?”

“
Of course.” I smiled at
her excitement. “We’re in Glacier National Park, so you bet we’re
gonna see some glaciers.”

“
When?”

“
Soon,” I assured her.
“Once we get to Jackson Glacier Overlook, we’ll be able to spot
some. And tomorrow, we’ll be hiking right up to a
glacier.”

What?” Her eyes widened. “Are you for real?
You’re not kidding me, are you?”

“
Nope.” I shook my head.
“Not at all.”

Early the next morning, that was exactly what
we set out to do—hike right up to a glacier. But to get to the
Grinnell Glacier trailhead, we first had to catch a boat ride that
took us across Swiftcurrent Lake and to a land bridge with a short
trail.

This trail led us to Lake
Josephine, and we had to take another boat ride across
this
lake, which finally
took us to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead.

It was a rugged trail, and I held Viv’s hand
as we ascended a foot or two with each stride, traversing along the
edge of ice-cut cliffs and up a waterfall staircase.

The views were breathtaking, the air cool and
crisp. I drew a deep, cleansing breath into my lungs when we caught
a glimpse of Grinnell’s steel-white face.

We were almost there, but not quite. The
trail continued to cut back and forth through cedar forests and
windswept alpine meadows. We crossed several small creeks, passed
crystal clear mountain lakes, and then finally, we were there,
standing at the edge of Grinnell Glacier.

“
I can’t believe we’re
here,” Viv breathed, somewhat in awe. “We’re at a glacier. We’re at
a freakin’ glacier!”

“
I know.” My arms went
around her waist, gathering her close. “We made it.”

I felt so alive, so exhilarated, and I was
happy to share this experience with Vivian.

But it wasn’t long before we came crashing
down from our high.

“
It’s partially melted.”
Viv spoke quietly. “It’s vanishing soon…”

I nodded, staring out at the melting glacier,
half of which resembled a giant ice bath. “I read somewhere that
all the glaciers in this park will be gone in twenty years.”

In a time when glaciers here were facing
rapid extinction, this place felt extra special.

Surrounded by the vast and open wilderness, I
felt nature’s tenderness and her might, man’s genius and his
shame.

And as I stood staring at these mountains
worn down by centuries, I felt humbled.

The glacial-carved valleys, the floating
icebergs that bobbed on by us… it wasn’t perfect, but it was raw
and earthy and beautiful.

I turned, watching Vivian’s reaction, her
profile golden in the glow of morning, and I knew she felt the
same.

And I knew this was the right time, the right
place, and the right person.

Taking a deep breath, I got down on one
knee.

My heart climbed into my throat and I
swallowed hard around it.

Just as I was about to retrieve the box from
my pocket, Vivian got down on her knees to retie the laces on her
hiking boots.

My heart was a drum in my chest, but I waited
until she’d finished her task, which for some unknown reason seemed
to take an eternity.

When finally she stood, I slipped the small
box from my pocket and gazed up at her beautiful face.

“
Oh.” Surprise marked her
features. “Oh, Liam.” Her voice shook.

The expression on her face was one I knew I’d
never forget. No one had ever looked at me that way, with such
tenderness, with so much love.

My hands wouldn’t stop trembling as I opened
the turquoise box. Inside was the diamond-encrusted infinity ring
I’d picked out at Tiffany’s.

Initially, I’d wanted to put a rock on her
finger the size of Grinnell Glacier.

But Vivian—the biggest history buff—had once
told me about the infinity symbol and how it dated back to the
Egyptian era. Apparently, the Egyptians called it an Ouroboros, and
their symbol depicted a serpent eating its own tail.

In their mythology, the infinity symbol
represented rebirth, renewal, and eternity.

And that was what I wanted for us.

A fresh start.

Two lives woven together.

A love that was unbounded and limitless.

“
Vivian Marie Sorenson.”
The words came out stronger than I thought they would. “I love you
so much. These glaciers around us are receding, and after a time
they will disappear. But my love for you will always be there. I
will always be there for you. When you laugh, I’ll be there to
laugh with you. When you cry, I’ll be there to hold you. And when
you need someone to talk to, I’ll be there to listen to you.” I
swallowed hard. “I know I’m not much… just a broken-down soldier
madly in love with you. But I promise to always be good to you. I
promise to grow with you and not apart. I promise to share in your
dreams and support your goals. I promise to read out loud passages
from your dirty novels… and I promise to
love
you always.”

My gut clenched like a fist as I gazed up at
her tear-stained face. I couldn’t recall ever aching like this for
a woman.

God, I love her so much.

“
Always,” I repeated,
folding her trembling hand into mine. “Viv, you mean everything to
me, more than my own family. I know you’ve always said without
family, we are nothing. For me, family is the best friend I choose.
The lover I choose. The partner in crime I choose. And I choose
you.”

I squeezed her hand and took a slow breath
before continuing. “I know our lives together won’t always be
perfect. I know we’re going to have hard times, that we’re going to
struggle, and there are going to be times when one or both of us is
going to want out. But I choose you. I choose you because we make
an awesome team. I choose you because you make me want to try… not
to be more than I am, but to be all that I am. I choose you because
you are the one I want by my side for life. Always. No matter
what.” I took a deep breath. Exhaled. “Will you choose me, too… and
marry me?”

“
Oh, Liam.” Her eyes told
me her answer long before her lips could form the words.
“Yes.”

“
Yes?” My jaw worked; my
racing heart stumbled. I needed to hear her say it
again.

Sunlight danced around the band, making the
surrounding diamonds twinkle. But Vivian wasn’t looking at the
ring; she was looking right at me.

Smiling, she pulled in a breath, the sound
uneven and shaky. “Yes, yes, yes.”

Relief flooded my lungs until my chest ached
with it.

Even as I slid the ring on her finger, her
hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

My
hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

I had barely stood upright when she launched
herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, crushing her lips
to mine in a passionate, open-mouthed kiss.

Curling my fingers in her hair, I deepened
the kiss, swallowing her moans as I lost myself in the velvety
softness of her lips, nothing but our sweet confessions
interrupting the connection.

We stayed like that for the longest time, and
I cherished her lips, tasting the salt of her tears.

In Vivian’s arms, I had sanctuary.

And I didn’t want to let go.

Now I would be able to hold her tonight.

And for the lifetime after that.

With reluctance, I gently broke the kiss.
“Let’s go somewhere private.” My breathing had taken on an audible
rasp. “Now.”

There was no civilization to be seen in any
direction, just a few hikers sitting on the rocks, enjoying the
view with friends. A couple folks were having lunch down by the
lake.

I caught Viv’s hand and we wandered down the
glacier on the northerly side, avoiding the wettest areas as we
made our way around a large rock wall.

Here there were no hikers, no tourists. Only
the two of us and the surrounding glacier.

Viv gazed at me, a tiny smile flitting across
her lips. “Are we really doing what I think we’re doing?”

“
We most certainly are.” I
drew her into my arms and rested my forehead against hers,
breathing heavily, trading the same air back and forth between us.
“Sex on a glacier is now officially on my list.”

“
But…” Worry creased her
brows. “Is it safe to even walk out onto the glacier?”

“
We’ll stick very close to
the shore.”

“
Okay.” Her tongue darted
out to moisten her lips, sending a jolt of desire straight to my
groin. “Sex on a glacier is now officially on my list,
too.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Vivian

Liam had me stay back
while he walked out onto the glacier, sticking close to the shore
as he scouted the area. When he was finally convinced he’d
found
the
spot,
he came back to me.

With a small grunt of effort, he scooped me
into his arms and carried me out onto the glacier.

A delicious shiver ran up my spine as he laid
me down on the hard ice.

Nimbly, his fingers plucked open the buttons
of my shirt, exposing my throbbing breasts.

Cool air clung to my skin and my nipples grew
painfully hard, gathering to tight, prominent peaks.