Chapter 15
Eve couldn’t contain the whoop of delight that escaped her as Aspen throttled their snowmobile out of a sweeping turn to take the oncoming uphill straightaway at speed. She tightened her grip on Aspen’s waist as the trees whipped by in her periphery and felt a thrill that had nothing to do with the ride when Aspen leaned back into her.
The view as they crested the incline was absolutely breathtaking, and she was about to tap Aspen’s leg to signal she’d like to stop when the sled slowed, and Aspen steered them to a controlled stop near the side of the trail.
She waited until Aspen killed the engine to climb off the back and trade her helmet for the beanie she’d tucked into her jacket pocket before stepping away to admire the view.
“Not bad, right?” Aspen asked.
Eve nodded slowly as her gaze drifted over the gray, angular rocks on the mountain beside them whose steep pitch left them exposed, and the curving swaths of evergreens that surrounded them that were split by chutes of unblemished snow. “No. Not at all.” She tore her gaze from the view to look back at Aspen as she pulled her camera bag off over her head. “Where are we?”
Aspen smiled and ruffled a hand through her hair in an entirely distracting way. “Near Maroon Bells.”
“Do you mind if we hang out here for a bit and I take some pictures?”
“Only if I can watch.”
Eve laughed. Surely there was something more entertaining for Aspen to do than watch her wander around with her camera. “You really want to watch me take pictures?” When Aspen nodded, she asked, “Why?”
Aspen pursed her lips shyly and lifted her right shoulder in a small, lopsided shrug. “I want to see the world the way you do.”
Eve’s stomach fluttered as she drank in the warm, open honesty that softened Aspen’s voice and shone in her beautiful brown eyes. That was, beyond a doubt, the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her. Her hands trembled as she carefully set her camera bag onto the snowmobile seat before she stepped into Aspen and captured her lips in a kiss that she hoped conveyed just how touched she was. Her eyes drifted shut at the heavenly feeling of Aspen’s arms wrapping around her waist to hold her tight, and she looped her arms around Aspen’s neck as she surrendered to the perfection of the moment and melted into her. One kiss became two, three, four, each somehow deeper and more electric than the last, and while the view might have been breathtaking, it was Aspen who left her literally breathless.
She blinked her eyes open slowly as their kisses slowed to a string of gentle, lingering pecks. “My god.”
“Indeed,” Aspen hummed, her eyes crinkling with her smile. “I’m definitely not complaining, but can I ask what brought that on?”
Eve kissed Aspen again softly. “You did.”
“But…” Aspen’s brow pinched slightly as her eyes swept over Eve’s face. “I didn’t do anything.”
It was clear Aspen meant it, and affection bloomed in Eve’s chest as she shared, “You said you want to see what I see.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
Eve silenced her with a kiss. “I’ve never been with anyone who was actually interested in my art.”
“Oh, my beautiful girl,” Aspen exhaled. Tears sprang to Eve’s eyes at the emotion in Aspen’s voice, and there was no holding them back when Aspen continued ardently, “Of course I’m interested in your art. It’s part of who you are . And I am fascinated by you.”
Eve’s voice trembled as she whispered, “Yeah?”
Aspen nodded. “Very much.” She sniffed and pressed a kiss to Eve’s forehead before pulling her into a crushing embrace. “God, you have no idea.”
Eve buried her face in the crook of Aspen’s neck as the conviction in Aspen’s words settled inside her chest, warming her from the inside out. She’d never felt more seen and appreciated in her life. I wish I could keep you.
Though she knew she hadn’t spoken the wish aloud, part of her wondered if Aspen heard it all the same, because Aspen slid a hand up her spine to press between her shoulder blades as if trying to push their hearts together. Or, at least, that’s how it felt to her, as hers swelled until it strained mightily against her ribs.
“I’m fascinated by you, too,” Eve confessed.
A puff of laughter caught in Aspen’s throat. “That’s really good.” She ducked her head to kiss over Eve’s forehead, and when she pulled away, her expression overflowed with tenderness. “Because I’d hate to be in this alone.”
“You’re not,” Eve whispered.
A beatific smile lit Aspen’s face, and she chuckled wryly as she said, “I’m gonna need you to stop saying stuff that makes me want to kiss you, okay? Because otherwise you’re never gonna take any pictures.”
Eve laughed. “You started it.”
“Me?” Aspen’s eyes danced with laughter. “You kissed me first.”
Eve marveled at the ease with which the mood shifted from deep and emotional to light and playful. The change could have been jarring—should have been, really—but it wasn’t. Like everything else with Aspen, it simply felt like the most natural thing in the world. “Because you said the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
“What can I say?” Aspen smiled. “I guess you just bring it out of me.” She dropped a light kiss to the tip of Eve’s nose before stepping away and lifting her arms in a come on, already gesture. “Will you teach me how to take pictures some time?”
Eve shook her head fondly at Aspen’s playfulness. “Yeah. I’d love to.”
“So, I’m realizing that I’ve never asked,” Aspen started as Eve unzipped her camera bag. “But, like, what’s your thing? I mean, I know Lydia said something about a volcano, and you mentioned orcas and the northern lights, but… Are you a nature photographer?”
Eve considered how to answer Aspen’s question as she unscrewed the protective cover from the back of her favorite utility lens. “Sometimes. I don’t actually have a thing ,” she shared as she snapped the lens into place. She draped the camera strap over her neck and, as she turned to look at Aspen, explained, “I just photograph whatever catches my eye.”
“Whatever catches your eye…” Aspen echoed as a mischievous smirk spread across her lips. “Is that, like, artist speak for nudes?” She waggled her eyebrows. “Do you take pictures of naked women, Eve?”
Eve huffed a laugh, and shook her head at the way Aspen’s smirk morphed into a full-blown grin. Yeah, well, two can play this game. “Is that your way of offering to model for me?”
A measure of pride mixed with surprise flashed across Aspen’s face at the quip, but she recovered quickly. “I mean… It’s a little cold, so we’ll need to be quick.” She tugged the zipper on her jacket down below her breasts. “But I’m game if you are.”
“Oh my god, Aspen,” Eve snorted. “No.”
“But you…” Aspen jutted her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout. “You don’t want to photograph me?”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Of course I do! But not at the risk of your gorgeous ass getting frostbite!”
Aspen abandoned her pout as she preened at her, instead. “You think my ass is gorgeous?”
“Aspen…” Eve sighed and hooked two fingers in the open V of Aspen’s jacket to tug her close. “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met,” she murmured against Aspen’s lips before kissing her soundly. “And I love that you are trying to keep things light and easy, but it’s very distracting because it’s making me remember how beautiful you looked in bed this morning. So I’m going to need you to stop for a little bit.”
Aspen groaned. “That’s not exactly making me want to keep my clothes on.”
Eve chuckled and gave Aspen’s behind a playful smack. “Tough.”
“Christ, neither is that,” Aspen whined. “Woman, you’re killing me!”
Eve winked at Aspen as she lifted her camera at her and snapped off a quick picture. She glanced at the screen on the back of the camera to see how it turned out, and smiled when she saw that the off-the-cuff shot had captured the warmth of Aspen’s smile and the laughter dancing in her beautiful brown eyes perfectly.
“Good?”
“Stunning. Just like you,” Eve assured her.
“Oh, well…” Aspen smiled shyly and held out a hand.
Eve’s heart swelled, a feeling of genuine happiness enveloping her in a gentle, golden halo as she placed her hand in Aspen’s. “Come on, gorgeous. Let’s go take some pictures.”
“So, what are we looking for?” Aspen asked as Eve led them down the trail.
“Anything that catches your eye. And, yeah, I know that’s vague, but it’s just… The world is beautiful, but everyone is always so busy running from one place to the next that the little things don’t get noticed, y’know? Like, yeah, volcanoes and whales are cool. But so is the way shadows line up like they’re actively pointing your attention toward something. Or the silhouette of a woman standing at the edge of a cliff with the wind whipping her hair. Or the way the sunset colors the gaps between leaves on a tree.” She stopped in front of a gnarled and weathered aspen that seemed to stand sentry in front of a collection of evergreens. “Or maybe it’s the way a tree trunk is juxtaposed against the things behind it.”
Aspen’s expression was thoughtful as she studied the scene that had caught Eve’s eye. “What about this stands out to you?”
Eve shrugged and lifted her camera. “I like the shadows in the snow where it ripples around the base of the trunk, and the way the white bark stands out against the green behind it,” she explained as she knelt down and manually adjusted her focus to zoom-in on the pillows of snow that hugged the trunk.
She snapped a few shots and pushed to stand, not bothering to check how they’d turned out. She’d sort through it all later.
“What about that?” Aspen asked.
Eve looked to where she was pointing and smiled. “Our footprints?”
“Yeah, I like how they crunched down the tracks from the sled.”
Eve flipped the autofocus on and then pulled the camera from her neck to hand it to Aspen. “I think you better try to get that shot, then.”
Aspen hesitated. “I don’t want to break your camera.”
“It’s just a camera. As you can imagine, I’ve got a few,” Eve said, chuckling as she tried to push it into Aspen’s hands. “And, if it makes you feel better, this is the one I take on trips when I’m just exploring because it’s smaller and lighter. I bring my bigger, more expensive Canons and Nikons when I know I’m going to work.” What she didn’t say was that the lens cost more than this particular camera. “So as long as you don’t drop it, it’s fine.” Eve stepped in close to loop the strap over Aspen’s head. “And, see,” she said as she laid the camera against Aspen’s chest, “it’s not going anywhere.”
“Okay,” Aspen said as she carefully lifted the camera. “So, what do I do?”
Eve moved to stand behind Aspen so she wouldn’t be in her way as she said, “Line the little rectangle in the viewfinder up with what you want the camera to focus on. It’s in autofocus mode, so you can just play with the zoom on the lens here.” She gently guided Aspen’s left hand and slid it to the part of the lens that rotated the lens in and out to change the zoom. “Then it’s just a light press on the shutter button to focus, and a little firmer to shoot.”
“Right…”
“Just play around with it,” Eve encouraged as she stepped back to give Aspen space to fiddle without feeling like she was being watched.
Aspen’s lips pinched as her index finger tensed on the shutter button, and her expression relaxed into a small smile when she pulled the camera away to check what she’d done on the display. Eve was pretty sure she’d never seen anything more adorable in her life. “So how did you get into photography?” Aspen asked as she turned to look for something else to take a picture of.
“I needed an art class when I was in high school to fill an elective requirement, and since I can’t draw a straight line to save my life, I decided to try the photography course. And the rest, as they say, is history. Once I got my hands on a camera, I was hooked.”
“Why’s that?” Aspen asked as she angled the camera toward the top of a copse of trees.
Eve shoved her hands into her pockets as she followed her at a polite distance. “Do you want the answer I give when I’m interviewed, or the real one?”
Aspen lowered the camera with a thoughtful frown. “What’s your canned answer?”
“The human experience has become so focused on careers and income and wealth that the natural beauty of the world around us has gotten lost. And that’s a shame, because there is so much beauty to be found if you just slow down and really look around you,” Eve recited with a wan smile. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, either.
“That’s a lovely answer, but what’s the real one?”
Eve shrugged. “Photography was the only thing I had one-hundred-percent control over. My parents didn’t care about it, so they left me alone. It was the first time in my life I was free to create and express myself, and, I mean, what’s not to love about that?”
“Oh, Eve” Aspen held out a hand and murmured, “Come here.”
“It’s not as awful as it sounds,” Eve said as Aspen’s hand slid delicately over her jaw to urge her closer.
“It kind of is,” Aspen pointed out, the brutal honesty of her assessment tempered by the kiss that she dropped to Eve’s lips. “I’m so proud of you for sticking with the thing that makes you happy.”
Eve lifted her hand and wrapped it around Aspen’s wrist, letting her eyes flutter shut as she leaned into the warmth of her touch. “Me too.” She smiled when Aspen kissed her again softly. “I like that.”
“Me too,” Aspen whispered. She brushed a smile of a kiss over the corner of Eve’s mouth. “Are you trying to distract me with your kisses so I don’t keep bugging you to teach me how to take pictures?”
Eve laughed. “You’re the one kissing me.”
“Well, I mean, it’d be rude not to when your lips are, like, right there,” Aspen joked, kissing her again to prove her point.
“Do you want to make out or take pictures?”
Aspen hummed. “Can we take pictures of us making out?” When Eve laughed, she pointed out, “Look, it’s not any stranger than you asking me to get naked.”
Eve slapped Aspen’s shoulder. “I didn’t ask you to get naked.”
Aspen’s eyes danced with amusement, clearly delighted at having shifted the tone of their conversation. “Um, excuse you. You totally did? Have you seriously already forgotten soliciting me to model for you?”
“Soliciting?” Eve sniggered. “First, I was joking. Two, calling it that makes it sound so dirty.”
Aspen giggled. “It wouldn’t be?”
“It’d be art,” Eve replied with an air of playful haughtiness.
“Ah, right. Got it.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Are you gonna take more pictures, or what?”
“Depends. What would you do if I chose ‘or what’?”
“Take the camera back and go take some pictures myself.”
“Oh, well, in that case”—Aspen grinned—“yeah, I wanna take more pictures.”
“Of course you do,” Eve muttered.
Aspen smirked and danced away from her, holding the camera up like it was a prize. “Hey, don’t be mad that you don’t get your toy back. I’d’ve given it to you if we were doing your whole highbrow ‘art’ thing.”
Eve laughed. “Aspen…”
Aspen stopped and batted her lashes prettily. “Yes?”
Eve bit her lip as she drank in the playful joy that lit Aspen’s entire being. I seriously think I might be falling for you , she thought, even as she said, “You’re ridiculous.”
Aspen’s smile was sweet and warm as she closed the distance between them to kiss her softly. “I really like you, too, beautiful girl.”