Overflow: The Carpino Series (20 page)

“You’re a very efficient shopper, you know,” I comment on
his shopping skills. 

Taking this as a compliment, he mutters, “Thanks.”

As we leave the grocery store, Jude says, “We’ll stop for a
quick bite.  It’s cool enough, the groceries should be good.  They don’t have
salads, but they do have great BBQ beef sandwiches and fish tacos made with
fresh trout.  Is that okay with you?”

“Sounds great.  Anything’s fine, Jude,” I respond thinking
this is different, being in new surroundings with Jude, on his turf and not
mine. 

We eat our lunch, the fish tacos are delish, although I
could have eaten anything I was so hungry.  We quickly load back up and Jude
starts telling me about where we are.  “This Grand Lake, it’s small, but near
Rocky Mountain National Park.  Once we get up a little higher, you’ll be able
to see mountain ranges that go on forever.  We’ll be outside of Grade Lake.”

Realizing that Jude is in his element, I ask, “Do you spend
a lot of time here?  It seems like you know it like the back of your hand.”

Looking at me a beat, he simply says, “Yeah.”

We drive even higher into the mountains for a few miles
before turning off onto a dirt road.  Driving another mile or so, we stop and
Jude gets out, unlocks a swinging gate, opens it, gets back in to drive
through.  Then he gets out locking it back up.  We drive on a narrow dirt road,
winding back and forth until the trees open up to a clearing and we come up to
a mountain home.  Much larger than what I would consider a cabin, it has a two
car garage attached to the fully log covered home.  The house is two stories
with a small covered front porch and a steep green metal roof.  You can tell
from the clearing that the house has amazing views from the back. 

Jude turns to me and says, “We’re here.”

Smiling big and wanting to see more, I lean up, kiss him
quick letting out a little, “Yay!” and hop out of the Jeep.  Grabbing as many
grocery sacks as I can, I skip up to the front door to wait for Jude to follow
me with his own load of groceries.  Unlocking and swinging the door open, he
pushes me through.  I walk through a mud room, mostly empty with only a short
bench on one wall, then through another entryway.  I look immediately through
the home and out the vast wall of windows through the back of the house that go
clear to the vaulted second story.  It’s great architecture but I don’t see
anything else for the view.  The view that goes on for what seems like forever
with mountains decorating the horizon.  It’s a view that you could look at for
a lifetime and never fully appreciate its beauty.

Jude pulls me out of my Rocky Mountain Trance and says,
“That’s Indian Peaks, sugar.” 

I turn to my left and look at him in a kitchen that is large
but needs updating.  It’s a walk through kitchen with a long island separating
it from the great room with the great view.  The counters are the ugliest
laminate I’ve ever seen and the appliances have been around a few decades but
the light pine cabinets still look to be in great shape.  The floors, looking
like they have been updated unlike the appliances, are covered in slate tile
from the mudroom and throughout the kitchen, leading into wood floors in the
great room.  Looking back to the amazing view, there is a deep deck running
what looks to be the length of the house with some plastic deck chairs and a
covered grill.  I notice the furniture is older, too, but still comfortable looking.  
In front of me between the kitchen and great room is an old oak round kitchen
table with chairs that don’t match.  There is a forest green sofa with two club
chairs in a manly plaid in the great room, all centered for maximum viewing
potential in front of a big flat screen TV mounted on the side wall between two
side windows.  The best part about the great room is the enormous, very tall
and very wide antler chandelier hanging from beams in the vaulted ceiling.  I
never knew such an antler chandelier could be so beautiful and I’m a
decorator!  I haven’t seen the rest yet, but this area of the house is very
spacious and could use a lot more furniture. 

“What do you think?” Jude pulls me out of my mountain home
assessment.

“The view is amazing and the house is great,” I answer with
meaning.  “Did you rent it or borrow it for the weekend?” I ask while looking
down a hall to my right and I’m wondering where those doors lead. 

“No babe, I didn’t rent it.  This is my cabin.”

I swing my head around to look at him and he’s standing in
the kitchen with arms out, leaning on the island looking at me. 

“This is your house?” I whisper.

“It’s just a cabin, sugar.”

“Jude,” I start as I make my way through the room and around
the island to him.  “This is no cabin.  A cabin is a tiny little hut that has a
bed in the middle of the room with a kitchenette.  This is a mountain home. 
It’s yours?”

Grinning at me now, he says, “I know better than to argue
with you, Gabby.” I make it to him and put my arms around his waist and he
pulls me in the rest of the way and finishes, “But, yeah, it’s mine.”

“How long have you owned it?”

“About six years.  This is only a short drive from Denver
and we would come here for day trips when I was young.  I’m not big on touristy
Colorado ski towns but this is out of the way, so when I was looking to buy,
this is where I wanted to be.  Even though I don’t live close, my dad is here
to help me look after it and I come as often as I can.  I’d rather pay for this
and keep a crap condo or apartment wherever I live and know I have this to come
to.”

“Wow,” is all I can say.

“I’m glad you’re here, Gabby,” he says softly and leans down
to kiss me.  “Do you want to see the rest?”

“Are you kidding?  Of course!”

He takes my hand, leads me down the hall I was looking at
and it leads to the interior garage door, a utility room, a half bath and an
interior room that looks like it’s used for storage.  Back out through the
great room and off the back of the house are stairs leading both up and down. 
We go up to a huge loft that juts out over the kitchen and part of the great
room.  There isn’t much in the loft, a card table with some chairs.  Off the
Loft is a small hallway and going both left and right are nice size empty
bedrooms.  Between the rooms is a full bathroom.  Going back downstairs, Jude
takes me to the basement that is a walk out to the lower level patio under the
deck upstairs, but the basement itself isn’t finished.  It looks like there
could be another family room, a guest room and full bath still l leaving for
storage.  Going back upstairs, just beyond the great room on the back of the
house is Jude’s master.  It’s large, with French doors leading to the deck and
a king size bed that is made of big pine logs.  His bed seems to be the only
newer piece of furniture I’ve seen because it sits with an old oak dresser and
one nightstand.  The master bath is off the bedroom and seems to have been
refinished recently.  It has a big corner Jacuzzi bathtub, separate vanities
and a large shower with coordinating tile, matching the grey, green and black
slate flooring.  Off the bathroom is a small walk in closet and now I realize
why Jude only brought a feather light gym bag.  There are plenty of clothes
hanging and folded in there to get him through the weekend and then some. 

Turning back to him, I say, “Thank you for bringing me
here.”  I go to him fitting myself to his front and lean up to kiss his jaw. 
Looking into his melty eyes, I go on, “Thank you for everything.”

Jude leans down to kiss me, starts walking forward and me
backwards out of the bathroom.  I feel the backs of my legs hit his bed, he
pulls me in deep for a kiss, and before I know it, his hands are in my armpits
picking me up tossing me up and back onto the bed.  Letting out a surprised
scream and giggle, I try to right myself as he pulls off my shoes.  His hands
come to the button on my jeans, he grins and rasps out at me, “I’ve been
looking forward to having you here, Gabby.  In my cabin, my bed.”  

“It’s a mountain home, Jude, and I could have been looking
forward to it too, if I knew it existed.” I say as he yanks my jeans off by the
bottom hem, pulling my panties down with them.  “You’re full of secrets, Jude
Ortiz.  What else do I need to know about you?”

Jude stills for a nanosecond before he pulls my legs apart
and puts a knee to the bed leering over me.  “There’s not much more to me that
this, sugar.” 

My hands go to the hem of his long sleeve t-shirt and he
bends to help me get it off.  Then he whips off my sweater and bra
lickety-split but my hands go to the button on his jeans.  He stands up to help
me, pulling them down taking his boxers and socks with them.  Crawling back up
over me, he slows down, looks into my eyes and traces my hairline with his
fingers.  Leaning down, he kisses me softly as his right hand finds my left,
pulling it up and over my head, pressing my hand into the bed.  With our
fingers entwined, Jude makes love to me in the Rocky Mountains.  And he does it
slow, sweet and perfect. 

Sometime after as we lay here tangled, he turns his head and
with his lips to my ear he rasps in a whisper, “It seems like an eternity since
I’ve felt settled like I do right now.   I don’t know what I did to deserve
this, but it feels right.  It feels perfect.  You do that for me, Gabby. 
You.” 

“Jude,” I breathe.  I turn, tucking my face into him.  I
feel his lips below my ear and his tongue dart out tracing my neck. 

His breath comes to my ear again and I hear the simple but
profound word repeated, “You.”  I bring my hand up to the side of his face
again to keep him close to me.    He presses close while kissing the side of my
head, cocooning me in. 

We lay intertwined and quiet for what seems like a long
time.  Something weighty has happened.  I don’t know what it is but I know it’s
good.  No.  Amazing.  Almost as if Jude has moved us to a new level, a
significant level with his few words.  But now he’s quiet, almost reflective. 
Finally, he whispers, “I don’t want you to get cold.  We should get up.  I need
to go put the rest of the groceries away and you can get settled.”

He tries to pull away, but I tighten my arms and he stops,
looking down at me.  Pulling him close to me again and sucking in a breath for
courage, I say quietly while looking into his melty but reflective eyes, “You. 
It’s you for me, too.  You know that, right?”

Jude takes a beat to look into my eyes and then crushes me
into him once more.  I hold him just as close, needing him as close as I can
get him.  He finally leans back, kisses me soft and with our foreheads tipped
to one another he says, “Thank you, sugar.  You don’t know what that means to
me, Gabby.  It means everything.” 

My legs ache.  Seriously.  I’m a runner, I thought I would
fare better.  I lean back further into Jude with his arms and legs around me and
let the hot water of his big Jacuzzi tub in his master bathroom relax my
muscles.  His arms come around me to pull me in close. 

“Babe, you need to drink more water in the mountains,
especially during a hike,” Jude informs me for about the ten millionth time
today. 

“That’s what I hear,” I mutter sarcastically with my eyes
closed.  Immediately I feel Jude’s arms tense around me as his legs, knees
hitched up with his feet to the bottom of the tub, squeeze me tight. 

This makes me giggle as he mutters, “Smartass.”

Today was great.  We slept in a little later than usual,
drank coffee on the deck while gazing at the amazing views.  I did this wearing
Jude’s big sweats and wrapped in a blanket because the air was cool, thinking
that next time (and I really hope there’s a next time) I’m bringing a winter
robe to Jude’s mountain home.   He said it wasn’t unusual to have major
snowfalls in October but it could also be warm.  This time of year is
unpredictable in the Rocky Mountains.  After coffee and breakfast, we packed
some sandwiches, snacks and water in preparation for our big hike.  Jude
informed me I could handle a moderate trail and I wasn’t about to argue.   I
was feeling pretty optimistic, thinking I could hike the Continental Divide in
my new pink trimmed clunky shoes!  I was gung ho!  He took me to a trail near
Grand Lake named Little Yellowstone.  With Jude wearing a small daypack carrying
our lunches and a lot of water, we were all set!  The almost ten mile round
trip hike was breathtaking.  The aspens had just turned a bright yellow with
the season change and from different vistas we spotted moose and elk.  Once we
got to the top, we ate our late lunch, rested and took in the views. 

Watching Jude in his environment is different.  Different in
a wonderful, I-can’t-fathom-how-wonderful-it-can-be, kind of way.  Not that
Jude doesn’t seem settled in Omaha, but he seems content here, more relaxed
than I’ve ever seen him.  While we were making dinner last night, getting ready
for our day today, or even just looking at him look at the mountains, this is
his place in the world.  He’s relaxed here.  I find myself warm and fuzzy
watching him look so happy.  I can’t remember ever feeling so happy just by
seeing someone else happy!

We were on our way back down the mountain and Jude was a
step or two in front of me but still to the side.  Jude was telling me about
how his family used to come up to camp in the summers.  He shared how he and his
brother got lost one time when they were both pretty young.  It scared both of
them, but it turned out they were barely around the bend from their campsite
and they only thought they were lost but their parents could hear them the
whole time.  There were stories about how he and his friends would come up on
their own in high school and mountain bike on trails, doing crazy shit (his
words).  It was a miracle no one went off the side of a mountain.  He talked
more about himself than I’ve ever heard and I took it in, asked questions all
the while loving every minute of it. 

As Jude’s childhood stories continued, I let my brain
wander.  And my brain starts thinking about how lucky I am that my high school
friend married a big time gun trafficker and I was lucky enough to be at her
house finishing her OTT laundry room on the day Federal Agents decided to raid
her home.  Then my crazy brain thinks that I’m lucky I was patted down, cuffed,
interrogated and then mentioned in not great ways on a wiretap so that I get to
be here today with Jude.  I mean, how did this happen?  I’ve avoided
relationships for years, yet somehow God put me in a myriad of crazy
circumstances and by some means that can only be Divine, I’m hiking on the side
of a mountain with Jude Ortiz.  And I have never been happier. 

“Gabby?” Jude calls out to me rather impatiently and I stop,
almost running into him.  Looking up to him, his brows are furrowed and he goes
on, “What the hell?  You look like you’re in another world, sugar.”

“What?” I ask.

He barely chuckles when he says, “Babe, where’s your head? 
Or am I boring you to death?”

“No,” I say giving my head a little shake.  And then because
I can’t help it, I let my eyes rake over him.  He hasn’t shaved since Thursday
morning and has almost three days of growth on his face.  It looks amazing with
his dark chocolate eyes, long lashes and uber dark hair.  He’s wearing an old
grey faded Air Force Academy sweatshirt with track pants and his own clunky
shoes, but his have seen some major miles unlike my new ones.  With his big
frame and the height difference that separate us, he’s towering over me
wondering what in the hell is wrong me. 

“No,” I repeat, taking in a big breath.  I wave my hand
around a bit and keep on, “It’s just you.  I can’t believe I’m really here with
you.  I mean, who meets someone during a Federal Raid looking for guns for heaven’s
sake?  How does that happen?” I ask.  He’s now looking at me like I have horns
growing out the top of my head, so of course I go on.  “I mean, look at you. 
I’m learning so much about you, watching you in your mountain home and how much
you love it here.  And you chose me, to share this with me, on my birthday, no
less?  How did I even get here?  It’s all very overwhelming, but in a good way,
you know?  I’m really happy and I don’t remember that last time I was this
happy.  It makes me happier to watch you here.  You say you don’t have a home,
Jude, but you’re not paying attention.  This is very much your home.  Thank you
for sharing it with me and bringing me to be here with you.” 

As I finish my mini rant and explanation for zoning out on a
mountain, I miss the change in Jude’s face.  He’s not looking at me like I’ve
grown horns anymore, but rather soft, yet significantly, straight into my
eyes.  He brings his hand up to cup my cheek and slides it under my ear and
into my ponytail looking at me. 

Then he rasps softly to me saying, “It means everything to
me that you’re here, Gabby.”

Then, because I can’t help it and because he has to know, I
inform him, “Honestly, Jude, I thought you were hot in your police getup the
first day I met you and you can sure rock the cowboy look, too.  But, I think
you’re really a mountain man disguised as an FBI Agent.  None of it compares to
you in the mountains with your three day shadow.  I know it’s going to be
scratchy on my sensitive parts later, but you can seriously work it in the
mountains.”

His hand flexes on my scalp and his mouth barely turns up
and he mutters, “Shit.” 

All of a sudden, his hands are under my arms lifting me,
giving me no choice but to wrap my legs around him and hold on.  I let out a
small scream of surprise!  I feel us moving and find my back up against a pine
tree trunk with his tongue is my mouth.  Wrapping my arms around his neck to
hold on and keep up with him, I kiss him back as his hips press me hard into
the tree.  We go at this awhile before he finally slows down, touching his
forehead to mine, pushing my head into the tree trunk.  He looks into my eyes
and says, “Sugar, you think you’re overwhelmed, there are days I can’t believe
this is real and today is one of those days.”

I can only assume he means this in a positive way because I
can see his eyes smiling, looking content and happy again.  Plus, he’s pressing
his hips between my legs in a good way that is easy to feel through my leggings
and I can’t help but feel the tingles.  But what I say to him is, “Jude, I’m
going to get sap in my hair from this tree.”

“I’ll wash it out,” he says into my neck and I feel his
tongue dart out under my ear. 

“But, you’re going to snag my new pink puffy vest.  It’s my
birthday present and it was expensive.  I was there when you bought it,
remember?” I go on, like he’s doesn’t remember. 

He chuckles into my neck, pressing his groin into me one
more time for good measure before he steps back and puts me down on my clunky
shoes.  He leans down, kisses me again and then taking my hand, he leads me
back to the trail we veered off of for our up against a tree make out session. 
“Let’s go home, Gabby.” Then looking back at me with a devilish grin he says,
“I need to wash your hair and you have sensitive parts I need to see to.”

My eyes get big and I feel myself shiver from the thought of
him seeing to my sensitive parts.  I skip to catch up with him, still holding
his hand as my other hand goes to my hair feeling for sap, or worse, bugs!  Not
feeling anything in my hair, but feeling all kinds of good about everything
else right now, we double time it down the mountain to get home so Jude can
wash my hair and hopefully see to other things as well! 

*****

Standing in front of the mirror, I can’t believe I’m just
going to waltz out there like this.  I barely dried my hair, Jude seems to like
it wavy and a little crazy.  After our bath, where Jude did wash my hair as
promised, we ate dinner sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. The
fire warmed the room, taking the evening chill out of the air and making Jude’s
mountain home super cozy, although he can really use some area rugs!  I’ve had
three glasses of wine and feeling more courageous than normal, I’ve decided now
is the time to break in my new nightie. 

I’ve never bought anything like it before.  Its midnight
blue, lace over my breasts that is cut so low it barely covers my nipples. 
Below the bust, it sheer and see through, hitting the top of my hips above my
ass with a thin band of lace along the edge.  The thin spaghetti straps go over
my shoulders and down my back, cutting very low well below my shoulder blades. 
The matching lace panties are Brazilian cut and not covering much, either.  The
whole ensemble doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but the color looks great
on my olive skin making my eyes look bluer than normal.  It’s flowy, sexy and I
know Jude went out of his way for me on my weekend full of surprises so I
wanted him to have one as well.  Even though he already saw it since he was
digging through my suitcase, darn it.  But, whatever.

“It’s not like he hasn’t seen every inch of you, suck it up,
girlie!” I whisper to my reflection.  And with that, I let my liquid courage
take over, turn, walk my barely clad body through Jude’s bathroom, bedroom and
into his great room.  The fire is crackling, the lights are low, just one lamp
is shining next to the sofa and the TV playing a college football game with the
volume set low.  I can barely see the back of Jude’s head over the back of the
sofa where he’s lounging, feet to the coffee table drinking a beer.  Quietly on
my bare feet, I tippy toe around the side of the sofa and sensing movement, I
see Jude’s eyes instinctively come to me as he’s lifting his beer to his lips. 
With his beer suspended midway to his mouth, his head turns to follow his eyes
and he takes me in from tip to toe.  Feeling even more courageous, I spin
around, pull out the hem of my little nighty and say, “Well?” 

Jude’s eyes aren’t melty, they’re on fire and he lowers his
beer to his thigh.  Bringing his hand up, he points his finger down and makes a
little circle with it rasping low, “Turn around again, sugar.”

Grinning at him, I turn again but slower this time and when
I come full circle, I lift one eyebrow at him giving my head a little shake and
say with more emphasis, “Well?”

Jude’s eyes narrow on me and he slowly leans forward,
putting his beer on the old ugly coffee table as he says low and deep, “Baby,
watch out, you prance your sweet ass out here in that little thing, I’m comin’
after you.”

The look on his face makes my eyes go big and he unfolds
from the sofa, making wide strides toward me.  Something in the way he is
moving makes me squeal slash giggle and I turn and skip slash run back toward
Jude’s room!  Feeling a hand on my arm, he yanks me around catching me behind
my back, swings me up and my legs fly every which way before they are swung up
over his arm.  I scream again, out of surprise this time, as he strides
purposefully into his room where he puts me down in front of him beside his
bed.  My heart is beating from the chase, but I grin up at him and he takes a
step back holding my hand.  He takes another good look before he pulls his hand
up and across our bodies doing a semi dance move, flipping me underneath and
pulling my back to his front.  His hand comes up and across to my breast at the
same time his lips go to my bare shoulder.  Cupping my breast, his thumb runs
across my nipple over the lace and the feeling of the two makes me shiver.  His
other hand comes up to my stomach, dipping up under my nighty and he pulls me
in tight to his chest. 

"Gabby, you're beautiful," Jude rasps against my
shoulder, giving me a squeeze.  His hand at my stomach goes south straight
into my panties at the same time his other hand gently pulls my nighty down to
expose my breast. 

"Jude," I whisper as my head falls
back against his shoulder. 

“Beautiful,” he repeats, and then goes on, “I didn’t know
you could be more beautiful, but you are sugar, here, in my cabin and my bed.”

His fingers keep working between my legs lightly, but I’m
still able to mutter back to him, “It’s not a cabin, Jude.”

I feel him smile against my temple and I lose his hands on
my body and the next thing I know he’s whipping my nighty up and over my head. 
Turning me around, he pushes me down on the bed and I scoot to the middle at
the same time he grabs my panties pulling them down my legs.  Then he pushes my
knees apart and crawls up in between my legs.  I see his head descend, his lips
hitting the inside of my thigh and I feel his tongue dart out.  My head
collapses to the bed and my hands fist the covers below me.  He works his way
up, licking, kissing, biting.  Then I get to experience Jude’s three day shadow
on my sensitive parts.  It was scratchy like I thought it would be, but
scratchy in a defy-gravity-off-the-charts-amazing way.