Never Far Away (The Never #2)(21)
“Ok, but if you start to feel badly, we’re leaving.”
“Ok, deal.”
His plan had worked and by the time they made it to the lookout the crowd had thinned to just a few tourists, making the viewpoint much more enjoyable. Ella stepped up to the railing and gasped at the view.
They were hundreds of feet up the bluff and the viewpoint was, quite literally, hanging off the edge of a cliff, giving Ella the illusion of being dangled over the edge. Looking out farther, she could see from both sides of her trees lining her vision until they gapped and then opened up into the gorge of the Columbia River.
Ella has always known she lived in a beautiful place, but views like this cemented in her mind that Oregon rivaled other famous cities for its gorgeous landscapes. She felt lucky that she could drive for thirty minutes and see this breathtaking view anytime she wanted. The view was only enhanced when she felt strong and warm arms cage her in as Porter came from behind and placed his hands on the railing next to hers.
“Thanks for bringing me here, Porter. This is beautiful.”
“Mmmmm,” was all he said as he nuzzled his nose into her neck, sending shivers all over her body. She leaned back into him, letting him take her weight, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him.
“How many women have you taken up here?” She smiled as she asked, not really expecting a serious answer. He lived more than two hours from here and she knew it wouldn’t be a popular date destination for him.
“I’ve only ever been here by myself, and only a few times. Before you came along I never really dated anyone. Not more than one or two dates anyway.” She turned her head to look at him.
“Why not? You seem like a hot commodity.” She smiled at him, but he didn’t seem entertained. He shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know,” he said, finally meeting her eyes. “I guess I was waiting for you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to maintain a regular breathing pattern, even though her heart was racing and electricity was coursing through her.
“So, then, the wait is over?” She asked shyly. He reached a hand up and ran the back of his fingers over her cheek.
“Babe, it was over for me the day you walked into my life. There will never be anyone but you.” She turned in his arms and her hands found their way to the back of his neck as she pulled herself up to kiss him. She loved how his silky brown hair slid between her fingers as she ran her hands through the strands at the nape of his neck. His hands gripped her hips and dug into her skin and she was a little surprised that his roughness only heightened her need for him.
Suddenly, like lightening had cracked in her skull, blinding pain shot through her head right behind her eyes. She pulled away from Porter, covering her eyes with her hands, drawing in deep breaths through her teeth.
“What is going on, Ella?” He asked, gripping her by her shoulders. The pain in her head eased a bit to a throbbing ache.
“I don’t know. I just got a terrible headache. Like, there’s a rock concert going on inside my brain headache.”
“Ok, well first your eyesight’s blurry, now you’re getting headaches; I think it’s time to go.”
“I’m sorry, Porter. I don’t want to ruin the afternoon.” She really didn’t; she loved spending time with him, and she didn’t want to scare him, but her head was killing her. Even the sunlight was causing her pain.
“Don’t worry about me, Ella. Let’s get you back to my truck.”
“Ok.” They walked slowly down the trail. So slowly, in fact, it took about three times longer to get down than it had going up. He kept asking her if she was ok or if she wanted to rest. She put on a brave face and soldiered on, but in reality she felt like she was living through someone drilling into her head with power equipment. It was unbearable.
The pounding in her head was getting worse. Two or three times as they were walking, she became dizzy and the blurred vision came back. She didn’t want to let on to Porter how freaked out she was by the whole thing, so she continued down the path trying to seem like nothing was wrong and they eventually made it to his truck.
On the drive back to her apartment, Ella kept her eyes closed and her head against the passenger window. It might have looked like she was sleeping, but she was actually using every part of her body to keep herself from crying, or being sick, or both.
Porter kept his hand on her thigh, every few minutes asking her if she was sure she didn’t want to go to the hospital.
“No, Porter, please just take me home.” That’s all she could get out of her mouth before the nausea took over and she clamped it closed again.
She vaguely registered when they pulled up to her apartment, and he helped her in, using her keys to unlock the door. She went straight for her bedroom and slowly crawled into her bed.
“What can I do for you?” He asked, sounding worried and helpless.
“Excedrin, in the bathroom. Water,” was all she could manage. He brought her what she asked for and after she swallowed the pills, he set her glass down on her bedside table.
“I’m going to be in the living room, Ella. Let me know if you need anything.”
“No,” Ella groaned. “Please, lay with me.” She felt the mattress dip, and his warm body came up behind hers, spooning her, covering her from head to toe with his body. She couldn’t form full and complete sentences, but she could feel a tiny bit of relief as she relaxed into him. She let his warmth carry her off to sleep.