Previously:
"You know," she told him, "I never did tell you one of the things I would never change about you. Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes."
She stopped and turned to face him. "I've always felt safe with you, Clark. Even before I knew about Superman, I always felt safe just being around you."
"Safe," he repeated softly. 'Safe' was the last thing in the world he had expected her to say. Her safety was the reason he had broken up with her. He shook his head ruefully. 'Safe' was all he had ever wanted for her. "Remember how I said I thought you were sometimes reckless?"
"Yes." Her stomach clenched, fearing his next words.
"I would never change that. I meant it when I said I admire that in you. Your fearlessness, your drive, just... you, really. That take-no-prisoners way you pursue anything that interests you. It's... sexy."
"Sexy?" For a moment she was certain that her heart had stopped beating. "Was I being reckless in your dream this morning?"
"No," he whispered and shook his head. "And, obviously, I wasn't very safe to be around."
"I was safe," she whispered back. "I was just surprised."
"I'm still sorry." He ducked his head. "If I had been more awake, I never would have..."
"I know that." She wanted to reach out and touch his hand, but she didn't dare. Touching him now would be reckless - too reckless even for her. She hesitated for a moment longer and then reluctantly turned and continued walking down the trail back to camp.<><><>
Platonic
Part 7/?
<><><>
Only Dave was in camp when they returned. He broke into a grin as they emerged from the trees. "Looks like you two found the waterfall."
Lois put a hand to her still partially wet hair and gave him an embarrassed smile. "Yeah."
Dave looked at the towel she had bundled in her hands and asked, "With soap and everything?"
Lois nodded happily.
Dave stood up and leaned in conspiratorially towards them. "If I were you, when Rich asks, the answer is 'no soap'. Unless you want to see him freak out about the environment."
"Oh," Lois said with an understanding nod, "thanks."
"So how did you manage to find the waterfall?"
"That was me," Clark said. "I took a walk two nights ago and saw it."
"A walk?" Dave furrowed his eyebrows. "You must be a great walker, Clark, to have wandered that far away. And in the dark, no less."
"He's always out walking. Half the time I'm not even sure where he is," Lois put in quickly.
"Uh huh." Dave looked at both of them curiously. Then he clapped Clark on the shoulder. "Try not to wander too far afield on those walks of yours, okay? At least not while you're on my watch. If we lose a camper I'll have to find a real job."
<><><>
Lois could barely keep her eyes open. The fire was warm on her face and she was seated between Clark and Dave on the log. She had long since lost track of the conversation the others were having. Her head nodded, then drooped, and then came to rest against Clark's left shoulder. For a moment she was tempted to give in and fall asleep right there. Then she blinked a few times and sat up straight again. "Sorry. I guess I'll, uh, turn in now."
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes," Clark told her.
Lois stood up and said good-night to everyone and then made her way to their tent. She was grateful for Clark's decision to stay at the fire. Faced with the prospect of bedtime she was suddenly wide awake and nervous. Last night had been different. She had been half-asleep when she asked Clark to zip their bags together. She had been tired, miserable, and vulnerable - a thousand things that she wasn't tonight. Tonight it seemed much more deliberate, more sensual somehow, to crawl into that sleeping bag knowing - expecting even - that he was going to join her.
She could unzip the bags and Clark probably wouldn't say a word. But then she would miss out on the solid warmth of him. She had slept better snuggled up against him in a tent than she ever had in any bed. She owed it to herself to see if that was a fluke. Besides, in just a few more days they'd be leaving and she'd probably never get to sleep next to him again. And that would be a shame, especially considering what she had seen at the waterfall that afternoon.
She changed into her flannel pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved t-shirt and then climbed into their bed. She stared at the flashlight's bright circular glow on the tent's roof. If she turned the light off, he'd know she was finished and had gone to bed. How long would he stay at the fire? Would he give her time enough to fall asleep first?
Lois closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths as she thought about what had happened between them this morning. What if she hadn't tried to be funny and had just told him the truth when he asked if he was dreaming? Would he have stopped kissing her then and there? She should never have kissed him. How could they possibly work through all their issues if she kept complicating the situation?
If only it hadn't felt so... right. If only he hadn't kissed her back like that. If only he hadn't touched her like that. She bit her lip and wished that it had gone on for just a little longer. Just long enough for her to have fully comprehended what was happening. Long enough for her to have memorized what his hand on her bare skin felt like.
Lois rolled onto her side and punched the pillow a couple of times; ostensibly to fluff it up, but in reality it was more out of frustration. What on earth had possessed her to kiss him in the first place? She should have just given him a quick little kiss and left it at that. He hadn't kissed her back, not at first. That should have been a screaming clue to her that he wasn't really cognizant of what was going on. She should have stopped there. She shouldn't have been so... reckless.
"...That take-no-prisoners way you pursue anything that interests you. It's... sexy."Lois smiled to herself. What if
he was the one being pursued? What if kissing him hadn't complicated their situation? What if she had actually simplified it?
He still wanted her. He still loved her - he had said so last night. He had gone so far as to offer to give up being Superman for her. While that option was unacceptable; it did show that he hadn't written off the possibility entirely. The way he had kissed her back with authority and touched her as if he had every right to do so was proof enough that Clark had not yet given up the idea of being with her. She just had to find a way to show him that there wasn't some vast global conspiracy waiting for Superman to fall in love so they could exploit her.
Lois turned off the flashlight and wondered how long it would take him to come to bed.
Less than a minute passed before she heard the slide of the tent's zipper. She kept her eyes closed and fought a smile even though it was probably too dark in the tent for him to see her. She listened to the soft sounds of his clothes rustling as he changed into the sweat bottoms and t-shirt he was wearing as pajamas.
You are in so much trouble, Clark Kent, she thought. Because I will be taking prisoners tonight.
Clark eased into their bed behind her, trying very hard not to disturb her. He crossed his arms in front of him, trying to take up as little space as possible in the bag. Lois shifted restlessly, turning onto her back and sighing into the darkness. There was precious little room left in the bag now and the thought crossed his mind that she was deliberately invading his space. Just as quickly, he discarded the idea. He decided to wait until she was asleep and then move her to her side of the bag.
Then she rolled onto her side again, edging even closer to him in the process. Was she cold? If she was, why didn't she just ask him to hold her? He grimaced as he realized why she wouldn't ask him. She had trusted him and he had violated that trust. She shifted again and her rear end brushed against his groin. This was going to be uncomfortable for both of them if she didn't stop soon. He decided to forgo his own happiness at having her sleep so close to him in favor of their mutual peace of mind.
"Lois, you're squishing me," he whispered.
"I am not," she shot back. "I'm pretty sure you can't be squished. Besides, there's a rock under this tent."
He blinked in surprise. She was nowhere near being asleep and she sounded far too self-satisfied at his discomfort. "There's no rock under this tent," he told her. "I checked very carefully before we put it up here."
"What? You did some kind of sonar reading on the ground to pick the only rock-free place to pitch a tent?"
He grinned into the dark, suddenly comprehending her motives. She was doing this
on purpose. Two could play at that game. "We could trade places," he suggested.
"Too much effort," she sighed.
"Okay, then," he said, touching her shoulder. "Lift up for a second."
"What?" Lois was confused by the request but did as he asked. "Why?"
Clark slipped one arm under and the other arm over her and pulled her firmly against him. "Like this."
"Oh," she whispered. This had seemed like such a good idea but now she felt off-kilter. "But there's still a rock..." Her words ended in a gasp as she felt the ground disappear from beneath her. She grabbed his wrist and asked, "What are you doing? Are we floating?"
"We're only about an inch off the ground. Are you more comfortable?"
The answer was yes and no. The hard ground was gone. But the solid body behind hers was more than a little distracting. She put her hand down and found that his estimation of an inch was being generous. They were barely above the ground. How in the world could he do that? She could understand
him hovering, but how could he make her do it, too?
"Do you do this a lot?" she asked. "Float while you sleep?"
"I can't really sleep and float. It's more like a waking nap," he said.
"Don't you get tired? Don't you need to sleep?"
"Of course I get tired. And I do need to sleep. Just like you."
"So how can you get me to float, too?"
"Must be my magnetic personality."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't think of anything to say back. She wasn't sure how to flirt with him now. It was impossible to even form a cohesive thought when he was suspending them like this. Not to mention the fact that, by his own admission, he wasn't going to get any sleep this way.
"Clark?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Are you tired? Tonight, I mean. Are you tired?"
"A little," he admitted.
"We don't have to float," she told him.
"It's okay." He let his cheek rest against her hair. Even though she had sat by the fire, he could smell the shampoo she had used that afternoon. He let out a breath slowly as he remembered the unintentional eyeful she had given him at the waterfall. She would have been better off to have stripped naked for that shower. Naked was naked - it was just a fact of life. Lois in wet transparent lingerie that clung to her every curve was an image that was going to haunt him forever.
His body seemed so tense and Lois felt terrible. Obviously the effort to keep them airborne was going to rob him of sleep. "Clark? I really am okay. Sometimes I like to complain just to complain."
Clark kept them hovering, clenching his right hand to stop himself from remembering the silky feel of her bare skin beneath his fingers. What must she think of him? Did it mean anything that she fit so perfectly in his hand? Was that some kind of cosmic serendipity or merely his own wishful thinking?
"Clark, please. I want you to be able to sleep. I'm okay. Really, I am."
He wavered and then asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes." She stopped short of telling him the truth - there was no rock under the tent. She wasn't about to admit that all she had wanted was for him to hold her. Well, okay, so she had wanted to tease him a little, too. That seemed like such a stupid idea now. She was kidding herself to think she could simply seduce Clark into making up with her.
She felt the press of the ground against her hip and almost sighed in relief. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you were only doing that to be nice. It's not that I didn't appreciate it, honest. I'm just not sure I can sleep on air."
He suddenly felt ashamed of using his powers to one-up her. Then again, it wasn't as though Lois always fought fair. Remember that she pushed you in the lake, he reminded himself. She's not always this nice. She can be petty and she'll hike miles out of her way to hold a grudge.
And yet, she had forgiven him for his knee-jerk overreaction. She was willing to trust him with her heart again - something he knew had to go against every instinct she possessed. Not for anything would he ruin that trust or his chances at being able to hold her like this every night for the rest of their lives.
If she could trust him; he would be trustworthy.
<><><>
Clark awoke to the muted clank of the cow bell from across the meadow. He realized that Rich was about to wake them all up. He wondered if it would be better to wake Lois gently, rather than having the cow bell jar her into consciousness.
"Lois." He softly squeezed her shoulder. "Lois, it's time to wake up."
"Mmm." She patted his wrist and mumbled, "Five more minutes."
He smiled and tried again. "I can hear Rich, he's about to come around with the bell."
"Rich?" she asked sleepily. "Rich who?" Outside she heard the cow bell begin to clang furiously. "Oh, that Rich."
Clark's arms disappeared from around her as he slid out of the sleeping bag. She immediately missed him but even she couldn't make herself believe it was because the air was cold. Lois sighed and flopped onto her back with one arm thrown across her eyes.
"Remember when I said that I didn't want you to fulfill my every little whim?"
"Yeah." Clark glanced over at her, debating whether he should get changed or not. She had her arm over her eyes so he hurriedly pulled off his shirt.
"I didn't mean it," Lois told him. "So if that bell suddenly goes missing, I promise I won't say a word."
"Rise and shine!" Rich's shadow passed over their tent. "Up and at 'em!" The clanging continued past their tent.
Clark finished dressing quickly and reached over to pat her foot. "Come on, Lois. Rise and shine."
"Mmphhff," was her reply.
<><><>
As they were finishing up breakfast, Rich rose and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Today we all need to dress in layers. Lots of layers. We're going to be hiking to the summit and it tends to be very windy up there. I think you'll find the view is worth the hike."
"How far of a hike is it?" Jim asked.
"Not far. It's only about thirteen, maybe fourteen, miles roundtrip," Rich said with a dismissive wave.
Debbie leaned closer to Lois to whisper, "Is it just me, or does Rich look even more deranged than usual today?"
Lois fought a laugh. Rich always looked just a little too gleeful about their wilderness treks for her taste. This morning he looked positively giddy. That could only mean that a very long day lay in store for them.
"I don't think 'deranged' even begins to cover his brand of madness," Lois whispered back. "Since when is a fourteen mile hike 'not far'?"
"Are you kidding me?" Clark asked from the other side of her. "This from a woman who hiked at least ten miles out of her way to prove me wrong?"
Lois turned her head to glare at him. "Ten miles? That's an exaggeration! And that was different."
"No." Clark shook his head slightly and grinned at her. "That was deranged."
<><><>
It wasn't until the final mile that Lois began to question the wisdom of the hike. They had started by paddling their canoes to the trail on the other side of the lake. For the first few miles the trail had wound its way through the woods. The trees had gradually given way to steeper terrain until they were high above the tree line. They worked their way along a steep ravine and then the trail became steeper. The wind Rich had promised had yet to materialize and they had all stripped down to their first layer of clothes, tying their shirts and jackets around their waists. Their progress was hampered by the need to rest about every half mile or so for most of the group to catch their breath.
"You've done this before, haven't you, Clark?" Rich asked during a break.
"What makes you say that?" Clark asked.
"For one thing, you're the only one who doesn't seem to be affected by the altitude." Rich gestured at the puffing and panting group around them. "You're from Metropolis, which sits at sea level, so you must do a fair amount of hiking to be able to adapt so easily."
"Clark's a big walker," Dave said, giving Clark a wink. "Lois says he never stays put."
Rich laughed. "I can understand that impulse." He turned to address the rest of the group. "You should all put on your layers again. We're just about a hundred yards away from the saddle and I promise you it's going to be windy when we get there. There won't be much room to maneuver on the trail, so I'd rather you got dressed here."
True to his word, the wind was materialized as they came into the saddle of the peak. The sun hat Lois had been wearing was blown off, sailing away from her before she could make a grab for it. She shot Clark a disgusted look and he shrugged. What did she want him to do? Fly after it?
The trail was now nothing more than a narrow track worn through a steep shale slope. On the right side of the trail the slope continued for only about thirty feet in length before it disappeared in a sheer drop that Dave informed them was at least a few hundred feet. Rich assured them it was perfectly safe - as long as they didn't leave the trail.
They worked their way carefully along the trail as the slope on their left side became smaller and smaller until they were standing on a long, flat stretch of bare rock that was eight feet across at its widest point. An outcropping of rock was hunched against the wind on the far side of the summit.
Lois stood in awe of the view. In every direction there was only pristine wilderness. Small amethyst lakes glinted in the sun between the rolling patches of dark green. The most distant mountains were a dark gray that was almost purple. Clear blue skies arched overhead, seeming incongruous with the chill of the wind.
The wind was blowing hard enough that their clothes were whipped against their bodies. Jim and Brenda and Debbie and George headed straight over to the outcropping to find a little relief from the wind. Lois moved behind Clark, using him as a wind break. On impulse, she slipped her hands in his jacket pockets to keep them warm. Clark put his hands on top of hers, lacing his fingers with hers.
Lois leaned against the solid span of his back and closed her eyes. She sighed and tightened her arms around him. He squeezed her hands gently and then pulled them free of his jacket before he turned to face her.
"Are you cold?" He touched her cheek, using the slightest pressure from his thumb to tilt her head back so he could see her eyes.
"Maybe a little," she admitted.
Clark wrapped his arms around her, pulling her inside his jacket to warm her. "We could go over by the others."
"No." She shook her head and slid her arms around his waist beneath the jacket. "I like the view from here."
He let out a low chuckle that she felt more than heard. "How you can see anything with your face buried in my jacket?"
"I have eyes in the back of my head, don't you know?"
Clark grinned and put one hand over the back of her head. "How can you see anything with my hand over your eyes?"
She giggled. "It's x-ray vision."
"Yeah? And where did you get that?"
Lois dropped her voice to a whisper. "I don't know whether I should admit this or not, but I've been sleeping with Superman."
His fingers tightened in her hair and he leaned close enough so that she could hear him murmur, "Really?"
She tipped her head back and gave him a mischievous smile. "Don't worry. He's not nearly as exciting as you might think. He never finishes anything he starts."
For a moment his eyes widened in amused surprise. Then his smile turned knowing and he whispered in her ear, "Maybe that's because Superman's such a safe guy?"
Lois let out a little gasp. 'Safe' had never sounded so dangerously sexy before. "What about you?" she asked.
"Me?"
"You could take a chance - be reckless, for once. Start something you won't finish."
He leaned down and kissed her lightly. "How's that?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could do better than that."
"Probably," he admitted. "But not right here."
<><><>
After a cold and windy lunch, they started back down the trail towards camp. Clark was hiking at the end of the group. Suddenly Debbie let out a loud squeal that ended in a scream as she stumbled on a rock and then staggered off of the trail. After a couple of rolls she landed on her rear end but continued sliding further down the slope. Debbie dug her heels into the loose rocks on instinct and managed to stop herself just a few feet from the edge. Above her everyone froze, not quite believing what had just happened.
"Debbie, don't move!" Rich yelled, tossing his pack off and opening it in search of a rope.
Debbie shrieked, "Help me! Oh god, somebody, please!" The only thing that seemed to be holding her in place was the debris that had accumulated at her crotch when she had slid.
Lois looked at Clark and saw his face had become grim, his eyes racing between Debbie, the edge of the cliff and Rich. Their eyes met for a moment and then he gave her the briefest of nods. In the next moment he had started working his way down the slope towards Debbie.
"Clark!" Dave yelled. "Come back up here."
"No, it's okay!" Lois tried to keep her voice even. "He's done this kind of thing before."
Rich looked up from his pack, a length of rope in his hand. "Oh my god," he said as he caught sight of Clark picking his way down the slope towards Debbie. With each sideways step Clark took shale and loose stones rattled away in an unstable shower that tumbled off the edge of the cliff.
"Clark, catch the end of the rope," Rich called out. When Clark looked up, Rich tossed the end of the rope to him and Clark took hold of it.
Debbie slid a couple of inches more, letting out a high pitched wail of terror.
Lois was absolutely terrified. Only months earlier she would have been afraid for both of them - Clark and Debbie. Now, however, she was frightened only for Clark. What if Debbie slipped further? Lois knew Clark would catch her. Debbie, even if she didn't realize it, was going to be fine. But Clark - god, all it would take would be one little slip and Clark's secret would be out in the open.
"I'm almost there," Clark said to her soothingly. "Just don't move, Debbie. I'm almost to you. It's going to be okay, I promise."
Clark moved closer and closer as fast as he dared until he was only a few feet behind and to the left of Debbie. He braced himself against the slope and reached out to catch hold of the waist of Debbie's pants.
"Okay, Debbie. I've got you. Scoot backwards towards me. Slowly," he instructed her.
Debbie did as he asked, even though her arms and legs were trembling almost uncontrollably. She whimpered softly as she moved incrementally further up the slope until Clark was able to loop one arm across her chest and pull her even with him. Lois and everyone else exhaled in quiet relief when Clark tied the rope around her waist.
"Can you walk up the slope?" he asked her. "Just hang on to the rope and Rich will pull you up."
Debbie shook her head. "I don, don, don't think I can m-m-move," she said through chattering teeth.
"That's okay," Clark said soothingly and sat against the slope next to her, keeping one arm around her for reassurance. "We can take a rest until you're ready."
"I jus- just want to get out of here," she quavered.
"I know. But we're going to have to climb back to the trail to get out of here." He looked up to see everyone's worried faces watching them. His eyes met with Lois' and he saw her apprehension clearly.
"Come on, Debbie," George called to her. "You can do it, honey."
Debbie took a deep breath and let it out in a long shuddering sigh. "Okay," she said quietly.
Clark looked up at Rich and nodded. "She's ready to go."
He watched as Dave and Rich pulled Debbie back up the slope. A couple of times her legs shook and almost buckled, but she soldiered on. When she reached the trail she clung to George as Rich loosened the rope from her waist. He tossed the rope back to Clark and they "helped" him come back up the slope.
Lois wrapped her arms around Clark and shivered. "You scared me," she whispered into his shirt. "You really scared me."
<><><>
The hike back to camp had been somber. By the time they reached their tents everyone was frazzled and exhausted. Dave had suggested they all take some down time before dinner.
Lois sat cross-legged across from Clark on their sleeping bags as he shuffled the deck of cards he had brought. All the way back to camp her mind had been replaying his rescue of Debbie; thinking of everything that could have gone wrong. She realized that she had never really worried much about Clark, even before she knew about his powers. There had only been a few occasions when she had felt fear on his behalf. She shuddered at the memory of the night she had believed him shot and killed in front of her. That had been the longest night of her life.
What about the time he had been weak on the floor of Arianna's apartment as she removed that Kryptonite bullet from his shoulder? She hadn't known it was Clark she was saving that day - how much more terrified she would have been if she had known the truth? Was that how he felt? Did he get that same sick feeling each and every time he heard her call out to him for help? For the first time she began to appreciate the toll her recklessness must take on him. She could almost understand his impulse to try and remove a factor or two from the scenario.
"What if you'd had to fly to catch her?" Lois whispered.
"Then I would have had to fly to catch her," Clark answered quietly.
"I never realized what a balancing act this must be for you."
He didn't answer but he set the deck of cards aside and stared at his hands.
Lois silently willed him to meet her eyes. "What if they had all figured it out? What would you do then?"
"Debbie's life was more important." He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I know that. But we're talking about your life, too. One little slip and, poof, no one will think of you as just Clark anymore."
He looked up and met her gaze. "They wouldn't think of you as just Lois anymore either."
"Yes," she said softly. "I know."
She reached over and took his glasses from him. It was suddenly astonishing to her that he would risk his entire life on nothing more than a thin steel frame to disguise him. Her hand began to shake and she set his glasses on his backpack. "That's what you're so freaked out about, isn't it? It could all change so fast?"
He nodded, his eyes not moving from hers. "Yes."
"I'm sorry," she told him softly. "I never realized until today just how scary it is to see someone you love taking a risk like that."
"I'm sorry if I scared you today. You were the one person I thought wouldn't be worried when I went after Debbie."
"What would you do? If someone found out, someone you couldn't trust to keep it a secret?"
"That's exactly the problem. I could live somewhere remote or become Superman full-time or change my name and, I don't know, grow a beard and live somewhere else. I don't care about what happens to me. Unless they have Kryptonite, no one can really do anything to me. It's what would happen to my parents and to you that keeps me awake at night."
"So we'd all change our names and dye our hair," she said, feeling the flippancy of the words.
He sighed. "And that would make you happy? Living the rest of your life in hiding?"
Lois shook her head in disbelief. "What is wrong with you? How can you sit there and think of all these terrible things that
might happen to me or your parents? That's just morbid, Clark. It's... it's deranged." In spite of herself, she smiled at the word and her tone became softer. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life worrying? What do you really want?"
"I want you," he said simply, feeling as if a huge burden had slipped from his shoulders. "These past couple of days I've realized that all I want is to be with you." He reached out to take her hands in his. "Being with you, being able to hold you, these past couple of days has made me realize that I was wrong. I want it to work, Lois. I want to be with you. If you're willing to take that risk, then so will I."
Lois felt as if her breath had caught in her throat. For a moment she was almost convinced she was dreaming their entire conversation. "What?" she managed to whisper.
Clark moved closer to her, raising one hand to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry for the whole mess. It was entirely my fault. I overreacted. Can you forgive me? Will you trust me again?"
Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded. "I trust you, Clark. I, I love you."
She saw a flash of his relieved smile and then he was kissing her. He seemed almost hesitant, as if he, too, sensed the fragility of what they had just achieved. She met his hesitancy with eagerness, coaxing his mouth into opening for her so that she could kiss him deeply. When the kiss ended they were both breathless.
"Didn't you want me to start something I couldn't finish?" he asked as he left a kiss just in front of her ear.
She smiled and smoothed her fingers over the stubble on his cheek. "Kiss me again," she said softly.
Clark obeyed, taking her by the waist to push her back gently against their sleeping bag. His body settled against hers and she moaned her pleasure into his mouth. They shared several long, slow, delicious open kisses as the rest of the world melted away until there was only the sensation of now. Clark slipped his arm low around her waist, drawing her closer against him. His lips played against hers in a teasing rhythm before they pressed hungrily to hers again.
Lois threaded her fingers through his hair in encouragement as she freely released the confines of her mouth to him. The fear of the day and the sorrow of the past month all seemed to disappear to the deep pull of lust inside her. God, he felt good. Every shift of his body against hers had increased her need to have him closer until she was certain she couldn't get him close enough. Her leg hooked over the back of his in invitation.
Clark groaned and broke the kiss, leaving both of them panting for breath. The inevitability of where their kisses were leading pounded in his head and through his veins. He stared at her mouth, fascinated by the way her lips were swollen from their kisses. At that moment he was absolutely certain that if she kissed him again he would not be able to pull away.
He brushed his fingers over her cheek before tracing the lush fullness of her lower lip. "If you want me to share a sleeping bag with you tonight, we have to stop."
"Or what?" she teased. Her fingers combed through his hair, sending a shiver down his spine. "What happens if we don't stop?"
Clark let out a shaky laugh. "Do you really need me to explain it to you?"
"You could show me." Lois trailed one hand down his back, sending another shiver through him. She smiled at the thought of Clark ravishing her while everyone else sat around the campfire. It was a darn good thing their tent was at least thirty feet away from anyone else's.
His eyes slipped closed for a moment as he fought for a vestige of control. "I'm serious, Lois. We have to stop."
"Or what? You'll unzip the bags?" she teased dreamily. Was thirty feet enough distance? Or would they have to be quiet? She giggled at the thought.
Outside the cow bell began to clang.
"That's dinner," she told him with a disappointed sigh as he pulled away from her. "Looks like you've been saved by the bell."
<><><>
End 7/?
Nancy - I don't know if you've ever hiked Mount "T" but, if you have, hopefully you recognized the final push to the summit. 
