Instead, Tam had been forced to remain behind when her father had been hospitalized suddenly the night before. Karen had offered to stay home, too, but Tam would hear none of that. Not only would they have forfeited the deposit on their lodging, Tam had argued, but she couldn't bear to disappoint her young son, David, who'd also been greatly looking forward to the event.

Karen's melancholy lifted slightly as she felt his warm little body shift beside her, and she smiled as she put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

Karen and Tam had chosen Silver Mountain especially with David in mind because they'd be able to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and then bike downhill all the way back to the lodge. The 12-year-old had been mountain biking as long as she and Tam had, but was a little small for his age and didn't yet have quite their stamina on longer rides.

So they'd chosen a long, easy ride that they could all enjoy because it was reported to pass through thick, fragrant forest and flower-filled meadows. They'd wanted to help David build an appreciation of nature's beauty without associating it with the physical suffering that many mountain trails could put riders through.

David looked up at Karen with a smile of his own and put an arm around her waist, resting his head against the side of her modest bosom as he returned his gaze to the scenery below.

Karen sighed again, though this time with contentment. She'd lived with David and his mother since the boy was three years old, and had helped to raise him as if he'd somehow been a manifestation of her love for Tam. David had turned out to be a beautiful and gifted child, and Karen felt a great sense of pride for her part in it. So much so that Karen had often told Tam that the only regret she had about their relationship was that Tam couldn't get her pregnant so she could have their baby. Tam had been touched by her sentiment and had jokingly told her that if she didn't have so much invested in her makeup and wardrobe, she'd consider a sex change. Karen had laughed and replied that she probably wouldn't let Tam near her with a big, hairy old prick even if she COULD somehow make it shoot sperm.

They had seriously considered artificial insemination -- or even a one-night-stand -- for Karen, but Karen couldn't get around the fact that she wanted Tam's baby, not some man's she didn't even know. So now, at 32, Karen was still without a child of her own, at least technically.

All too soon, the cabin came to a rumbling stop at the upper station. The three-mile journey was reported to have been the longest single-stage gondola ride in the world, but it had seemed so very short to Karen. David hugged her and looked up at her with a huge smile. She could tell he'd enjoyed the ride very much, and she hugged him back and gave the top of his dark head a quick kiss. Oh, how she loved this boy!

They wheeled their bikes out onto the platform and followed the directions to the head of the trail they'd selected, and Karen spent a few minutes making one last check of their bikes, equipment, supplies, and protective gear. It was a whole-day bike ride back down to the lodge, and they'd distributed a light, nourishing lunch between them, as well as some basic survival items.

Karen took extra care with David, making extra sure everything was in order, especially his helmet and pads. When she lifted his chin to secure his helmet strap, his exotic brown eyes met hers and she felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her. Her nipples hardened and her hands began to tremble a little.

"Gosh, he's a beautiful kid," she thought to herself for the zillionth time, managing a tight smile as her hands fumbled with the strap. David was the only male who'd ever had that kind of effect on her.

Tam, his mother, was second-generation Chinese-American, while David's estranged father had been Caucasian, and the boy seemed to have inherited the most beautiful traits from each ethnicity. His body was small and lithe, with a smooth complexion of light olive. His almond-shaped eyes -- with their doe-like long lashes and light, gracefully-arching brows -- slanted gently upward over his high, delicate cheekbones. He still sported a small, boyish nose and had lush, almost feminine lips. If he had pointed ears, he'd look like your classic elf. What wasn't immediately obvious was his incredible intelligence. He was a straight-A student, spoke and wrote English and Mandarin fluently, was an accomplished violinist, and traveled widely as a lead treble with his boys' choir.

"A boy like this might make even me go straight," she added as she finally got the strap tightened and turned back to her bike. She froze suddenly as her mind conjured an image of her and David in bed together, naked and sweaty, his glistening little body on top of hers, plunging his stiff little manhood into her. She had to take a deep breath and shake herself, shocked at even imagining such a thing.

But the image wouldn't easily be banished from her mind, and she had to force herself to act naturally as they headed off down the trail.......(cont)