A/N - not a chapter for the faint hearted!! ;)

Carly felt the world turn, she almost pinched herself to see if this was a dream, but as Lucas slipped, lost his footing for a second, her heart surged to her mouth, and she knew that this was real. He was here. He looked pale, Carly could tell, despite the hat pulled down over his ears, and the pink tinge that the gale force wind had caused.

She watched him approach, drinking in every nuance of him. Her memory hadn't done him justice. His angled features, warm eyes, were all familiar, yet so foreign to the one dimensional figure that had occupied her dreams.

He slipped again, sending a cascade of loose scree over the cliff edge, to crash on the rocks below. It was at that moment that Carly realised he was well out of his comfort zone, in fact, it may be the precarious ground and the lack of confidence in his footing that was making him look white.

She uncoiled from her position and turned to him, wanting to smile, but wanting to lash out too. Let him know how much he'd hurt her.

                "What are you doing here?" she shouted over the swirling wind.

                "Apparently committing suicide!" he exclaimed as once again he slipped. 

She wanted to laugh, but it was too tense a moment, instead, Carly leapt over the rocks in her usual confident manner until she landed in front of him, "there's a bench up here. Will that be better?"

He nodded nervously before tracing his steps back to the path above, "shit!" He exclaimed lowering himself to the bench, "your Dad said it was a path for the experienced scrambler, but I didn't believe him!"

                "You've met my Dad?" Carly's heart was racing as she looked down at an increasingly more healthy looking Lucas. The thought of him in the compact lounge of her family home, talking to her father...it all terrified her, for reasons she couldn't fathom.

He nodded, and it was only then that he broke into a real bonafide Lucas smile, "told him I was the idiot who'd let you down."

Carly groaned, "you didn't let me down Lucas."

His gloved hands reached for hers and he pulled her down next to him, "you were right Carly. About everything."

With him looking at her so intently she could barely follow the conversation, she had no idea what she was right or wrong about. When she didn't answer, Lucas panicked.

                "I do keep myself aloof, and I hate to take risks. That's the truth..." This was more difficult than he imagined. "The thought of you leaving hurt...it’s ridiculous, rather than accept that I could change that, change things, I hid behind it. I'm sorry!"

Carly didn't know what she was expecting, and didn't know what his words meant. It seemed some sort of apology, but then they were so far past that.

                "You make it sound like I wanted to go. But I couldn't stay..." she stared at him emotion ravaging her face.

Lucas smiled, "I know that, and I should never have made it sound like you did...I'm not good at this!"

Carly wanted to laugh, share in his discomfort, but she was barely breathing, "who is?"

He looked down at her hand, so small in his large ones, and ran his thumb over her palm, "why were you up here? Alone?"

Carly glanced out into the distance, "it's my escape. I find my life here so claustrophobic, but here, I can breathe, relax...see a future." She looked back to him, "do you know what I mean?"

Grinning he gave an involuntary shudder, "it seems like the end of the Earth. It scares me!"

Nodding, she moved her eyes back to the horizon, "that's what thrills me. I came back here determined that I wouldn't slot back into the life I had, I had so many ambitions, but I've..." She shrugged, "I've lost the desire for life I'd found in Austria."

Lifting one hand he pulled her chin back so that she had to face him, "you've not lost that, maybe you're just having a break, letting life move on around you? You've had such a difficult few months, been through so much..."

It annoyed her that tears threatened to fall; she always seemed only a step away from crying, "I suppose you're right."

                "You wanted to travel?"

She nodded, "I want to see the World, but I don't want to see it alone, I just don't think that the person I want to see it with is willing to let go of their own ghosts."

He took a rapid intake of breath and stared at her, "you really feel that?"

Shrugging, she evaded his eyes, "you're hiding in Austria, that job is no more special than the next one. You speak four languages, you're dynamic, enthusiastic...and yet you are happy to work in a reception of a mediocre hotel. To me you're settling for some sort of security."

                "You've got strong opinions on this?"

                "I've had a long time to think about it."

He nodded slowly digesting her words, "I don't agree."

Carly looked at him for a long moment, she SO wanted this story to be different. "Why are you here Lucas?"

She had been so pleased to see him, but now her fear was that she was being selfish. What gave her the authority to judge him? Nothing really, but she did think she knew him now. And he was so much more genuine, intelligent, work hardy than anyone else that she'd worked with in Austria. Surely that changed his agenda from everyone else?

He was pondering in a similar fashion, and it was a while before he answered, "I missed you. I really needed to see you. Just because I'm not in a position where I can drop everything and follow you to the ends of the earth doesn't mean I don't miss you."

That was music to her ears, and at least some sort of starting point in any relationship between them.

She offered a smile and Lucas' face lit up, then she said, "I'm sorry if I sound like I'm bullying you...it's just..." she took a deep breath, confession time, "I really like you, more than I thought possible. But a Konig owned resort is out of the question for me, and I don't want to think about us getting any closer and then you returning there, leaving me."

Lucas realised he hadn't thought this through, he'd come here on a whim, well a bit more than a whim, but it was on the basis that he missed Carly in a way he hadn't thought possible. But now he could see that any emotional involvement would come with a sacrifice from someone - Carly and her dreams, him and his security.

                "Can't we try and work that out as we go along Carly? I mean we have to see if there's more to this than us just missing each other's company? Neither of us can promise the other a lifetime, not now, not at this moment. We need to try, then think about what we're going to do, do you see that?"

She nodded, "that makes sense." She'd dreamt of his proclamations of undying love, him dropping everything to be with her, and she could see how unrealistic that was. But a girl can dream...

He slid along the bench toward her, "I do speak sense sometimes..." his voice was husky as he moved closer, "I have wanted to do this for SO long..."

And with that he swept down to cover her lips with his.

Carly could barely function over the pounding of her heart. She'd been kissed before, but it had never felt like this. She felt as though she was on fire! His lips were warm, soft yet insistent and he instantly had control over her. To Carly it was mesmerising. She had a sudden need to be under his skin and she clung to him as though her life depended on it.

For Lucas it was equally overwhelming. He had to physically fight to stop his hands pulling open her coat, partly because he didn't want to ravish her here, on a desolate cliff, and partly because it was too bloody cold!

Pulling back he looked down at her face, her eyes were still closed, an expression of pure bliss occupying her features. With a delayed reaction to his lips leaving hers, her eyes blinked open and she studied him equally intently. "I've booked into a hotel Carly, come back with me?"

Their arms and bodies were entwined in a way that it was difficult to know where one person ended and the other began. Carly knew what going with him would mean, that she'd give in to the desire and lust erupting between and around them, and whilst she wasn't sure if this was the right thing for her, if she'd come out of it with her sanity intact, at this very moment in time her desire for him was winning the battle. Giving a nod of her head, she accepted his hand and led him across the rocky terrain towards the nearby town.

Carly felt like a naughty schoolgirl as Lucas led her across the reception of the only hotel nearby. The receptionist was an old school friend, and the manager was her father's bowling companion. So she was happy to spirit up the stairs without anyone noticing.

The door of the small but efficient room closed behind them and it was only then that Carly let out the breath she was holding.  Lucas smiled at her, there were a thousand things he wanted to say, but instead he pulled her close and kissed her firmly on the lips, the overriding need to quench his thirst was of utmost importance. Again it was like lighting a touch paper, and he felt her dissolve in his arms.

They were both wrapped up for the cold and so between snatched kisses came attempts to divest each other of coats, hats and gloves. By the time they'd got down to their normal clothes they were crazy, biting, clawing and dragging at each other.

                "Carly," he mumbled into her hair, "I've wanted this for so long!"

She smiled, pulling back to look up into his eyes. His usually immaculate buzzcut had grown since she'd last seen him and it now consisted of long tufts pointing in various directions, reaching up she smoothed it down, "me too."

With a groan Lucas dropped his mouth back to hers and devoured her once again. His hands reached for her shirt and not anticipating his own strength, he pulled it apart with a tear, buttons pinging off the wooden floor.

                "Sorry!" he mumbled lowering his mouth to her neck. Carly shrugged the shirt off, it wasn't a favourite anyway. She wished she'd anticipated this moment when she'd dressed that morning, her black lacy bra definitely didn't match the cotton knickers she remembered sliding on under her jeans after she'd showered that morning. She was hardly going to be the most irresistible woman he'd ever met.

Before she'd even finished the thought, a ping signalled that the much thought about bra was unfastened. Laughing she met Lucas' eyes and loved the lust she saw there. He held her gaze for a moment as his hands slid the straps over her shoulders.

Carly felt her breasts free from the lace and her nipples, hard anyway, seemed to throb as the fresh air hit them, and also with anticipation of his eyes lowering too. How would he view her? Her breasts were large, that was never normally a complaint, but who knew what he thought. His hands ran up her trunk until they settled beneath her breasts, all the time desire and passion pulsing from his eyes to hers. When he finally lowered his gaze, dramatically and intentionally, Carly could barely control her emotions. Her legs were weak and her whole body throbbed. Swallowing, desperately trying to moisten her dry throat, she watched the top of his head as it followed his eyes lower and lower.

When his tongue lashed out and circled her nipple Carly swooned, heat swirled in her pelvis and she was aware of clamping her thighs together, desperately trying to stay standing upright.

                "Beautiful..." he murmured and the warm air that was his breath felt delightful over the damp flesh. As his head moved to lavish attention on the other side, Carly pulled him up to join her.

                "My turn..." her voice was hoarse and he chuckled as she reached for his sweater, lifting it over his chest, then up his arms as he elevated them like a well behaved child at bed time.

 His body was beautiful, lithe, muscular and strong with just the right amount of dark hair swirling around each dark flat nipple, and a similar amount trailing down from his navel to the waistband of his jeans.

It was his turn to hold his breath as she stooped to return the gesture of laving his nipple with long hard lashes of her tongue, punctuated by little nips that made him gasp.

                "Shit Carly!"

She lifted her head, and this time it was Lucas' turn to fall apart. Pulling her into his arms he revelled in the sensation of her naked body enveloped in his, the soft contours a stark contrast to the firm chiselled edges of his own body. Wrestling for some form of supremacy he backed her towards the bed, and when she swayed at the pressure of the mattress against the back of her knees, he lowered her to the bed, tugging at her walking boots and pulling them off one by one, tossing them over his shoulder, all the time his eyes absorbing the gentle softness of her body as she lay almost displayed on the bed in front of him.

Her socks followed her boots, and then he encouraged her to unfasten her own jeans. From the end of the bed he tugged them over her hips, eyeing her simple cotton knickers with a raised eyebrow. Blushing she rolled onto her knees and started to unbuckle his belt.

His boxer shorts, once she'd shed his jeans, brought a smile to her lips, he'd obvious had more time to plan his wardrobe, crimson red, and tight, snugly fitting around his pert bottom and the rather ample erection that strained eagerly.

Running one finger nail along the length of him, his response was an animalistic growl as he threw her back on the bed, ripping at her panties as they went. Completely naked, Carly found that her anxiety and nerves of being there with him had gone. He was nibbling again, as desperate to devour her, as she was to be devoured.

His hands were all over her, hers anchored him to her. And when they threaded their way over her tummy and to the join of her thighs, neither could take any more. As Lucas hovered over her, she breathed the word, "condom". Groaning then uttering a profanity under his breath, he reached for his jeans and from them his wallet. It took longer than necessary, his hands were shaking as he rolled it on, and then with almost a beg, he entered her, filling her and driving her wild. 

Carly was slumped over Lucas. At some point they'd changed positions with her straddling him, it had given his hands free rein to add to the pleasure his body was giving. His breath against her skin caused ripples of goose bumps to erupt over her body.

                "That was amazing," he whispered, "I knew it would be."

She sighed, trying to stretch but his body restricted her, "mmm," was all she managed. He slipped out of her, then rolled her to his side, wrapping her in his embrace, and pulling a sheet over them.

Carly was in that great place, halfway between sleep and wake where everything was hazy and fluffy. Each time she stretched she found another part of him touching another part of him, and just his touch, the briefest contact felt like an electric shock charging her back to reality.

Within moments the gentle calming stoke of Lucas' fingers along her arm, became a more suggestive investigation. Carly laid back allowing his ever hardening body to explore hers with free reign. He knew exactly how to arouse her, to tease her body like a toy. Instead of fighting him, she gave in and let her body rise to peak after peak of extreme pleasure. Jens had been a dominant and aggressive lover, and whilst she benefitted greatly from his technical expertise, she'd never felt equal or even, whereas immediately with Lucas she didn't feel as though he was overpowering her, her pleasure was vital to him and he gave far more than he took.

It was mid afternoon, but sleep was the most natural thing in the World. Carly'd struggled to find peace since returning from Austria, but here, now, with Lucas, she relaxed, curled and entwined with him, then closed her eyes.