Between the extremely romantic dinner, Shannon had set up out on the balcony Friday evening, to the hot make out session that almost ended in sex, right there in the hot tub later in the evening, I was having a blast. He made me feel so special and loved, catering to my every need and making sure I thoroughly enjoyed our snowy escape.
The couples massage on Saturday was so relaxing and worked out any remaining tension left in my body. I felt so calm, that I allowed Shannon to talk me into him teaching me to ski. Unfortunately, I fell on my ass so many times that my poor body was aching. Yeah, never again, I swore. I certainly don't have the patience, skill, or balance required for skiing, but once I quit, Shannon enjoyed himself. I sat back, just watching and cheering him on.
Sunday morning Shannon woke me extremely early and even brought me breakfast in bed. He had been hinting about a surprise the whole weekend, but apparently felt the need to wake me before the sun even came up to give it to me. I begged to know what he had planned while I drank my coffee, but he only laughed as he lay there stretched out across the bed, watching me and occasionally texting someone. While getting ready to leave, he had the most ridiculous grin on his face. "Bring a jacket and wear your boots, you might get cold." The sun was just starting to come up when we got in the car.
It wasn't until we were almost to our destination that I realized what we were about to do. This sneaky man planned a hot air balloon ride and before we even exited the car, I was shaking. Heights don't normally bother me, but this was a little different than flying in a plane or driving up a mountain.
From the moment I stepped into the giant wicker basket, I thought there was a real possibility that I would lose my breakfast over the side. Shannon stood next to me, but once we were off the ground, he quickly ended up behind me. With his arms around me and his big, strong hands gripping the edge, I finally stopped shaking. Surprisingly, it wasn't really cold, but I was thankful I wore my boots.
It felt as if we were floating and I was mesmerized by the sights. From the wildlife roaming freely on the ground to the varieties of beautiful colors in the trees, I didn't know where to focus my attention. Shannon pointed over to the snow covered mountains and I glanced in that direction as he kissed my neck. Pulling my phone out, I dared to snap a few photos, but didn't continue for fear of dropping the device from two thousand feet up.
Time seemed to fly by while we were up there and I was seriously impressed with the effort Shannon put into planning this weekend. I couldn't help but think of poor Jared back at home and my heart ached a little. Being with Shannon made me miss him even more.
We landed and the crew drove us back to our car. Once alone inside, I stared at Shannon, watching him chew on his gum and adjust his sunglasses as we drove away from the site, back toward the hotel. I'm not sure how much time passed when he finally spoke. "What?" He said without taking his eyes off the road. "You're staring."
"I just wanted to thank you for that amazing adventure. You are so thoughtful and I'm lucky to have you in my life." My palm moved over his and he brought it up to his mouth.
"My pleasure, sweetheart. Thank you for coming with me. To be honest, I was a little worried that you wouldn't want to see either of us after what happened in New York. You know after the way you acted afterward, I knew you were a little confused and emotional."
I shook my head and smiled. "That will never happen. I don't think I could ever stay away from either of you." I could feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out to see a message from Sara.
'Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but Ryan's been working overtime and the girls have been giving me hell! Maybe we can do pizza tonight if you aren't busy. I miss you and feel like we barely talk anymore. Call or text when you can.'
"Fuck!" I felt bad for becoming so preoccupied with my own crazy, drama filled life, that I hadn't even tried to keep in touch.
"Who was that?" He asked, shoving the sunglasses up on his head.
It was Sara. She was asking if we could hang out tonight, but..." I watched him nod, "I'm a little busy, so that's not going to happen." I laughed. Holding the phone up and leaning toward Shannon I smiled, snapped a photo and sent it to her.
"You know she hates me." He laughed, turning into the apartment parking lot.
"But I love that you took that picture. Let me see it."
After the car stopped, I opened my door and waited for him to walk around the car. I handed him my phone and he stared at it as we walked to the door. "This isn't a good one. Wait, I've got a better one." He opened the door and we walked inside. His arms slid around me, pulling me against his strong body. The look on his face was serious and I wondered if he knew how crazy that made me. It made me want to feel every inch of his skin. Then he kissed me like he couldn't control himself, like I was the best thing he'd ever tasted. Clothes were flying in every direction and the next thing I knew we were on the floor and Shannon was whispering into my ear how much he loved me as he took a photo.
