I awoke to a cacophony. In the hubbub of the city it's hard to imagine how small sounds can seem deafening without the constant noises of traffic and human activity. Here, through the canvas, the dawn chorus was welcoming me to the island. And had been for a while, I realized, interfering with my dreams. It must be getting late, but I had no need to hurry. Still, I checked my phone and laughed to realize that it was only six-thirty.
A light scent of pine flavored the cool, still air. Brittany and Taylor's second annual camping trip was going well.
A year or so earlier, Brittany and I had decided on a whim to go camping. Having no real idea what we were doing, we bought one tent between us and had an unworkable assortment of cooking gear, but the weather was perfect, and, give or take a couple of meals at Denny's, we did just fine.
After that learning experience, we figured we'd try again, but this time with a little planning. Air mattresses (one thing we learned was that the ground is hard, even through padded sleeping bags), two tents instead of one (to fit the mattresses and our extra gear), a good portable stove, lightweight cookware, a gasoline lantern and a large cooler filled the trunk of Brittany's car. We'd come to a lakeside state park, much further from home than the previous year's trip, for a three-day weekend. We'd made a reservation in plenty of time, because we knew we'd arrive late and didn't want to have to deal with a crowded campsite in the dark.
As it turned out, crowding hadn't been a problem. Arriving at dusk, we'd grabbed our tents from the trunk, and crossed a rickety wooden bridge to the island where the primitive camp sites were located. There we'd found empty space all around. Apparently the weekend hadn't been as popular a time for camping as we'd expected. Likely the forecast of rain has scared some campers away, but we'd paid a deposit, and rain wasn't going to deter us.
So I had figured out how to light the bright gasoline lamp and had hung it on the steel hook by the picnic table, and we'd raised our tents before heading back to the car for the rest of our belongings.
Brittany had made coffee on the cookstove and we'd sat at the table and talked into the night, until sleep began to take hold, and we'd repacked the cooler and went to bed.
The air mattress had been far more comfortable than the ground had been, but even so I'd lain awake for a long time, just lying there enjoying the fresh air.
Now the dissonant intrusion of avian voices was inviting me to make the most of the morning. As early as it was, I felt refreshed, and knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, so I unzipped the flap and let the cool morning air drift through the tent.
The loose fuchsia sleepshirt I'd brought wasn't really good camping gear, but it was comfortable, and I figured it would allow me to postpone dressing for the day. Dressing was another reason for the separate tents. Two people trying to manage clothing inside one cramped tent was likely to lead to bruises. That wouldn't be a problem this time, but still, it could wait, and all I needed to do was pull on flip-flops to leave the tent, rinse out the coffee pot and start the stove.
A few minutes later I heard another zipper, and Brittany's head poked out of the other tent. "Coffee!" she croaked.
"What's it worth to you?" I asked.
"Everything! I'll swear a vow of chastity for coffee!"
"You?" I laughed.
"Yeah, I will! I vow to not even think about sex until I've finished my coffee!"
"That, you might be able to keep," I said. "Two minutes until it's done perking."
"Perfect." She dove back into her tent and emerged a moment later, her dark curls disheveled, in a baby- blue tee and white shorts.
I poured coffee into two plastic cups and turned off the heat. "I'll start breakfast in a few minutes," I said.
"Oh, I'll help," said Brittany, taking her cup.
We sat at the table in silence for a few minutes. The cackling squeals of the birds didn't seem quite so loud with other sounds in the mix - the occasional 'blish' of tiny waves on the lake, the ping of the cook stove as it cooled, the slurping sounds as we tried to drink too-hot coffee.
"Morning, ladies!"
I jumped at the shout. Brittany's eyes widened as she looked over my shoulder, and I turned to find its source.
Two guys stood maybe seventy-five feet away, partially hidden behind a bush. Through its branches I could see a large tent, much further away.
The dark-haired one in the front had a hand raised in greeting. "Seems we're no longer the only ones on the island," he continued, "and I wanted to say hi."
"Oh, hi," I called back.
"Morning, fellas," said Brittany.
"I figured we should let you know we're here," he added. "That's all. Don't wanna disturb you." He took a step back.
"Oh, that's fine," I replied. "Nice to see someone else here. I thought we were alone."
"You want coffee?" called Brittany. "We've got plenty?"
"Sure," he nodded, and both of the visitors started heading in our direction.
"I think I just broke my vow," Brittany muttered.
"I didn't make one - fortunately," I whispered back.
He was - umm, he was gorgeous. They were both good-looking guys, but the closer one could have been a model. He was no more than an inch taller than my five-seven, had tight black curly hair, a slender face and close-cropped beard outlining a pointed chin. Bright white teeth flashed in an outgoing smile, and his eyes, when he was close enough to see, were a rich chocolate.
The other, behind him, was taller - maybe five-eleven or six foot - and had short, sandy hair, and green-brown eyes. Clean-shaven, and a friendly smile on his face, but without the other's easy confidence.
"I hope you don't mind the disposable cups," I said, standing. I wished that my sleepshirt came a little further down my thighs as I bent over to take the plastic pack of styrofoam cups out of the cooler, and my face felt warm as I broke the pack open.
I turned back around to see pretty boy's eyes fixed on Brittany, as she brushed her hair back from her neck. He glanced up at me, and said, "Oh yeah, that's great. Of course." Then his gaze returned to my friend.
I fought down a wave of jealousy, then poured the coffee.
"I'm Nick," the taller one said. "Thanks!" as I handed him a cup.
"Brandon," said pretty boy, looking back at me, smiling broadly enough to make my throat tighten.
"Taylor," I said, right as Brittany gave her name. We laughed, and introduced ourselves again.
"You here fishing?" asked Nick. "Hiking?"
"Driving," I said, meeting his eyes a little resentfully, because his attention freed Brandon to ogle Brittany again. "We're going out to the bayous today. Camping here because it's convenient and quiet, not because we're seasoned hikers."
He nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."
"You?" I asked.
"Fishing," he said. "Weekend break from the rat race. We have - well, Brandon has - a boat."
"We didn't see one when we arrived last night. Is it already on the water?"
Brandon answered me. "Parking lot's not easy to navigate with a trailer. We left the truck near the boat ramp."
He held my eyes as I looked at him. The look in them made my sex tingle. "What time will you put out?" I asked him.
At that, Brittany yelped and started laughing, hard enough to make her cough.
I felt my face burn. "You know what I mean. That's right, isn't it? You put a boat out to sea?"
Nick came to my rescue. "Right after we eat," he drawled, with perfect composure. "That's late for the best fishing, but it ain't a contest, and we're here to relax."
"You wanna eat with us?" asked Brittany. "Taylor was about to make us breakfast."
"I was?" I said. "I guess I was. Yeah, please join us."
"Only if we can help," said Nick. "Wouldn't want you ladies to get the idea we came to mooch."
The "we" who helped turned out to be Nick, while Brandon stayed at the table with Brittany. Which was fine, in one sense, because the pan was small and there wasn't much room for more than one person. But Brandon sitting with Brittany was not fine, and I seethed and tried to avoid bumping into Nick too often.
We only had eggs and bacon in our cooler; Nick brought link sausages and a can of biscuits from his, and showed me how to fry biscuits in a covered pan. I've only ever baked them, but they were good and added variety to breakfast.
After we'd eaten, the guys - both of them, this time - cleared around for us and we repacked what we were leaving in the tent.
"You all wanna stay with us and fish?" asked Brandon. "Boat only takes two, but we could take it in turns to head out."
I could see Brittany considering the idea, but I answered for her. "No, thanks. We do want to visit the bayous."
"Well, we'll be here this evening," he said. "Stop by and say hi, okay?"
"Will do."
Bayou country was sunny and warm and about 150% humid. My forehead was wet, and sweat kept dripping into my eyes and making them sting. It was very peaceful, though. The constant chittering of bugs and burbling of frogs only made it more so. We found several places to park to get photos, and walked where we could.
Predictably, our talk was about the guys we'd met, especially Brandon. We wondered aloud whether he could live up to his promise between the sheets. I said I doubted it.
"Hey, you're just jealous 'cause he's all over me," said Brittany.
I agreed, reluctantly.
"Tell you what," she said. "You can have him when I've worn him out."
I rolled my eyes.
"You think they'll still be there when we get back?" she asked. "It's raining on them now."
"It is?"
"Looks like," she said, and pointed out the clouds to our west. She was right, they looked pretty serious.
"What about our stuff?" I asked.
"It'll be fine," she said. "Everything's waterproof, and the campsite's on a slope."
"Shouldn't we go back to be sure?" I said.
"Oh, so now who's wanting to see the guys?"
"It isn't that," I objected. "It isn't. But, you know, if the weather does drive them away, we haven't gotten their numbers, yet?"
We stuck to our schedule anyway, and when we got back to the camp, several hours later, the ground was damp, but the sky was clear. More importantly, the guys' tent was still there. We walked over to their camp, and I noticed the faint but mouthwatering smell of cooking chili.
"How was fishing?" yelled Brittany.
"Didn't do a lot," said Nick, looking up from the cooking pot. "Got a bit wet here."
"Yeah, we saw that," she replied. "Wondered if you'd leave."
"And miss seeing you two again?" he retorted, his eyes catching mine. "Fat chance."
The tent they shared was huge. Family sized, I guess, much bigger than Brittany's or mine. Pretty boy Brandon emerged from it and gave us a broad smile. "Boat's still on the water. Want to go for a ride?"
He directed the question at Brittany, who agreed enthusiastically, and they were gone.
"I'm gonna go build a fire at our camp for when it gets dark," I said to Nick. "I hope you'll both join us."
"Y'all gonna sing marshmallows and toast girl scouts? I'm in. Let me help you with the fire."
"Okay," I said, and he followed me to the car.
There was no current burn ban - we'd checked - but gathering wood wasn't allowed, so we had kindling and split logs in the trunk. Without Nick's help it would have taken me several trips to bring them to the fire-pit. As it was, we managed it in two. I stacked kindling and a couple of logs, and put the rest of the wood in the shelter of the tent to stay dry.
"Gotta go check on food," Nick said, when we were done, and I followed him back to his camp and sat at the picnic table with him after he'd tended to the chili.
Eventually, Brittany and Brandon returned. Brittany's face was flushed, her eyes were alight, and her hair was an unkempt tangle. Brandon was grinning and his face was damp, and if we hadn't heard the noise of the engine while they were out I'd have thought they were doing something entirely different.
Of course the guys asked us to join them to eat. Nick brought out Fritos and a bag of grated cheese, and served chili, which was especially good for the feel of being outdoors.
When we were done eating, Brandon threw Nick the boat key. "Your turn, bro," he said. "Show the lady a good time," which made me bristle. "We'll clear up, right, Britt?"
Nick looked at me, and I shrugged and followed him to the boat. He moved us away from the shore, then cranked up the engine.
We skimmed along the surface. It seemed at times we were flying through turbulent air rather than on the water. Wind roared by my ears, drops of spray stinging my face. It was awesome.
"So, this is fishing?" I yelled into Nick's ear.
He gave me a crooked smile.
"You really need a boat as powerful as this?"
"No, 'course not," he shouted back. "This ain't what I'd get if I wanted a bass boat. But I love it all the same."
He turned the boat hard to the right. The force of the turn pressed me against him. "Hey, now," I yelled. "Sneak!" Then I laughed, and he kept the boat turning in a large circle, keeping me pinned to him.
The sun was setting when he turned us back to shore, and I saw Brandon's truck by the boat ramp. Nick took us in slowly, and we helped the guys hook the boat up to the trailer. Then Brandon parked the truck away from the ramp, and we all strolled back to our camp.
It took a while to get the fire lit, but a little lighter fluid that the guys had with them helped. When it was burning well I sat on the ground, beside Nick, whom I was beginning to believe was the more interesting of the two. Brandon had the looks and sexual arrogance, but Nick was quiet but confident, knew his own mind, and was very a whole lot smarter than the lazy drawl implied. I found myself warming to him.
But lust isn't rational, and I still lusted after Brandon. It bugged me that from the moment he'd seen Brittany I hadn't had a chance.
In spite of my frustration, it was a lovely evening. Nick brought blankets from the truck and set them on either side of the fire so we wouldn't have to sit among the small stones and dried dirt. He sat with me, while Brandon - of course - shared a blanket with Brittany.
We laughed at Nick's funny stories, and I rolled my eyes at some of Brandon's flirting - he may have fixated on Brittany, but he was aware enough of me to throw several suggestive remarks in my direction, which, I was pleased to see, annoyed Brittany.
The air cooled, and the fire was relaxing to sit around. The gasoline lamp gave us a little island, a small circle of comfort, with the soft sounds of the lake drifting in from the dark outside.
But when the fire burned low, we didn't bother to add more wood. Brittany stood, saying she was going to shower - there was a small block of showers by the car - and we all decided to do the same. I threw my toiletries, sleepshirt and towel into a bag and took my jacket for the walk back.
I followed close behind Brittany, as she'd brought the flashlight, and the uneven ground with exposed tree roots was difficult to navigate in the dark.
My chestnut hair was longer than Brittany's, and probably just as matted. I scrubbed it well, working knots out. I knew I was taking longer than I usually would, but even so I was surprised when I heard Brittany yell, "Okay, I'm out. See you later!"
She was gone before I could ask her to wait. Dammit, she had the flashlight. How was I going to get back? The footbridge was easy to find, there was enough light to cross it safely, and the camp light was clearly visible - I wouldn't get lost. But walking across that ground without a light was going to be be painful.
Angry at her thoughtlessness, I finished my shower and toweled off, drying my hair as much as I could by hand. I tugged my sleepshirt over my head, and bundled the clothes I'd been wearing into the bag. After wrapping the towel around my head, I slipped my jacket on against the chill, and left, still fuming - to find Nick waiting patiently on a bench outside the showers.
"Need a light, ma'am?" he drawled, waving his flashlight.
I laughed in relief. "What the hell was that?" I said.
"Was what?"
"Brittany running off like that," I said, as I fell into step beside him. "I've never known her to be so thoughtless."
He cleared his throat. "I've a pretty good idea," he said.
It took me a moment. Then, "God. Really?" I said. "I guess I should have seen that coming."
A twig caught my flip-flop and I stumbled. Nick caught my arm to steady me. "Yeah." He released my arm. "Brandon can have that effect."
"I guess they set it up while they were out on the boat?"
Nick shrugged. "Probably."
"She didn't say a word. Huh. Afraid I'd make a play for him."
He glanced over at me. "Would you have?"
"No," I said, shaking my head, but trying to keep a niggling resentment from showing. "I'm not that comfortable around him, to be honest. I know he's your friend, but... he's very full of himself, isn't he?"
Nick looked at me again, the corner of his mouth turned up in a wry grin. "Yeah. He is."
I followed Nick into our camp area, picked up wood from the stack behind the tent and added it to the embers in the fire-pit. The air had cooled a little and I shivered, but as the wood began to burn, its warmth worked through my jacket. I unwound the towel, draping it over the end of the table to dry, then crouched before the fire on the blanket.
"Don't be too hard on Brittany," said Nick, sitting beside me. "Brandon seems to have that effect on women."
I knew the truth of that, but I wasn't about to admit it. I started combing out my hair again to dry it. "This happens a lot?"
"Something like," he agreed. "I'll tell you stories, if you like."
As flames licked over the log I unzipped my jacket, then scrunched it into a ball and threw it into my tent.
"That's no excuse for leaving me behind in the cold and dark," I said. "I'm still furious with her." I tugged at a knot in my hair, tearing out a few strands instead of untangling the knot. "Oww." I picked the long hair out of the comb, balled it up and threw it onto the fire, where it crackled briefly. "I wouldn't have been so inconsiderate to her."
I realized that what I'd said implied that I would have gone with Brandon, given the opportunity. I felt my face warm, and became more annoyed.
"What are you gonna do?" I demanded. His sleeping bag would be in the tent he shared with Brandon. All he had was what he'd brought back from the shower. "You can't take Brittany's tent. We don't know when she'll be back. I guess I could take her tent, and you could have mine - but it pisses me off that I'd have to move for her."
"I can sleep in the truck," he said. "I'll take these blankets back. I'll be okay."
"But that's unfair, too," I replied. "What were they thinking you'd do?" Then a thought occurred to me. "They're expecting us to fuck, aren't they? They think it's okay to kick you out of your tent, because you'll be in mine?" Another suspicion gripped me, and my anger grew white hot. I turned to face him. "Did you arrange this? Did you and Brandon set this up? He'd get Brittany and you could have me?"
Nick looked hurt. He remained seated, and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Taylor, I swear. I knew nothing about it. I can't say I'm shocked, Brandon being Brandon, but no, I didn't know."
I scowled at him, only slightly mollified. "Is that true?"
"It's true, Taylor. I promise."
I relaxed a little and sat back.
"I think you're reading too much into it," he said. "They're not thinking about what you and I want. We don't exist to Brandon, and that probably carries to Brittany, too. He doesn't think about other people. All he thinks about is getting laid, and it seems most girls are happy to oblige. I've seen much worse than leaving a friend in the dark."
"Personal experience?" I asked.
"Yeah..." He looked into the fire. "I forgave him, eventually."
I winced at another knot.
"Want me to do that?" he asked. "Here, give me the comb."
He knelt beind me, and I tried to relax, still irritated, as he worked on my hair.
"He stole your girlfriend, I guess?"
"Fiancée," he replied. "Well, almost. I'd asked. She wasn't sure. She thought I was pressuring her. So she poured her heart out to Brandon, and next thing I knew she'd fucked him and blamed me."
"Jesus," I said. "How is he still a friend?"
I felt him shrug, then the comb moved through my hair again. "Did me a favor, there," he said. "Didn't think so at the time, o' course, but when I'd gotten out of the situation I realized how much of a drama queen she'd been. I'd been lucky to escape. That don't make it right, what he did, but for occasional partying, fishing trips... he's okay, as long as I'm always on my guard."
"So it was just the one time?"
"Ain't that enough?" He laughed. "Once for me, but there have been other... situations. If I'm seeing anyone I avoid Brandon."
"But I gotta say," he added, "I'm disappointed in him. Even for Brandon. He's the one who's engaged now, and he promised his fiancée he'd quit womanizing. I wouldn't have shared the tent if I'd thought he'd do this."
I turned my head sharply, my hair tugging the comb out of Nick's hands.
"Ouch," I said. He caught the comb and started to untangle it. "He's getting married?"
"Uh-huh," said Nick. "I guess his vow really meant 'I'll be faithful unless she's hot.' And Brittany is hot. But I thought he'd at least try to restrain himself, or I might have 'accidentally' mentioned wedding plans. Does that help you believe it wasn't a setup?"
"I do believe," I said. "Don't beat yourself up over it."
I glanced back to find his eyes lingering on my neckline. It wasn't especially deep, but the shirt hadn't settled quite right after my shower, and the fire made deep shadows within the loose top. I smiled inwardly, pleased by his interest.
He was holding a clump of hair behind my ear, gently combing it down to my back. The knots were gone, my hair was almost dry, and the touch was pleasantly intimate - especially knowing where his eyes were wandering. I leaned back against him.
I had been hearing an occasional fizzle from the fire, but it wasn't until I heard a low, distant grumbling that I realized what the sound meant.
"You know it's starting to rain?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, "it's very light, but I think it might pick up."
I reached up and took the comb from his fingers. "Thanks," I said. "Before that happens, I've a mind to see what's going on in the other tent. You gonna come with?"
"You really want to?"
"Hell, yeah," I said. "I don't know this guy. He could be digging a hole to bury my best friend's dismembered body." I grinned. "No, I'm going to play voyeur. I'll find a way to embarrass her with it later."
I stood, and started to walk towards the other campsite. "Coming?"
"Wait!" He caught my arm.
"Don't try to stop me," I said, "or I really will wonder what's going on there."
"No, no, I'm not," he said. "But the lamp is bright, and if you go that way, you'll cast a shadow on their tent."
"Oh," I said, abashed. "Right."
"If we go around the bushes, we can get there from behind," he said.
The bush blocked the light from the lamp. Nick clicked the red filter button on his flashlight and lit the way, avoiding shining the light towards the far tent. I took his hand to let him guide me, and a minute or two later we were close enough to his tent to approach the picnic table in the shade. I lowered myself quietly to the bench, and Nick sat down beside me.
I felt an occasional chill as a drop of rain touched me, but the only sounds I could hear were the frogs beside the lake, and a solitary nearby night bird. I took Nick's arm and leaned close to him. "Are you sure they're in there?" I whispered.
He chuckled and I felt him nod.
"Gonna see if I can see any shadows," I mouthed, then stood and worked my way around to the side of the tent farthest from the lamp burning at our campsite. I lowered myself down and stared at the tent, but the light wasn't bright enough to penetrate through all of the layers of tent fabric.
But after a moment I did hear a rustling as I crouched. The tent shook slightly as someone moved within it. Yes, they were inside.
After a moment I heard Brittany giggle, followed by a barely-audible deep voice.
Then silence, then the deep voice, and a comment from Brittany, too quiet to hear. She laughed again at something he said.
I stood slowly, mission accomplished. Carefully I traced my way back towards the picnic table. Inside the tent, bodies shifted, with more subdued conversation.
Then Brittany's voice without words. "Mmmm," followed by a soft laugh. "Mmmm," again. Rustling. Then, quiet, but perfectly audible, "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, that's - mmm - that's good, right there."
More muttering from Brandon. "Yeah," I heard Brittany reply. "Yeah, that would be... mmm... oh, yeah! Oh... fuck, yeah!"
I stumbled at the table. Nick's hand shot out and grabbed my arm, preventing me from falling. After I'd recovered my balance I stood still, waiting to see if the tent occupants had heard me.
Brittany's excited sigh reassured me. Whatever she was doing, small sounds outside the tent weren't going to interfere. I heard a rhythmic swishing sound from within the tent.
Gripping Nick's arm, I whispered again, "Sounds like she's happy enough."
"Yeah," he replied. "Want to head back now?"
"I'd like to collapse the tent on them," I said, "but I guess that wouldn't be smart."
I held Nick's hand as he led us around the back of the tent and up to the bush. Behind us, before we were out of earshot, I heard Brittany start to moan. I felt another wave of resentment - part of me still felt that should be me in there.
But I realized that my annoyance was turning into arousal, as the sounds of Brittany's pleasure faded behind us. Just knowing what she and Brandon were doing was a turn-on.
I felt a drop of moisture kiss my forehead as we walked back to my tent, but the rain was still doing little more than making the fire hiss once in a while.
"Sit," I said, and Nick settled. I rolled up the towel and stuffed it into my tent, since it wouldn't be getting any drier, then I stepped over to the other blanket, picked it up and shook it out.
After draping the blanket over his shoulders, I sat down in front of him, facing the fire, and took both ends of the blanket, pulling them tight around us.
"Cold?" asked Nick.
"Nuh-uh," I replied, "except where the raindrops land. This should keep the rain away as long as possible, so we can stay out for longer."
"Sounds good," he said. "I'm happy to postpone cuddling up to a gear shift."
"That's not gonna happen," I said with a laugh. "My air mattress is a double. We'll just take these blankets and share. I think my sleeping bag unzips all the way to make another blanket."
"Oh. I thought you were avoiding the trap that Brandon and Brittany had set for you."
"Trap?" I echoed. "Oh, because they expected me to share with you? Well, I hate being predictable, but sometimes I might just reach the same conclusion?"
I felt his hands steal onto my hips, and I leaned back against him.
"Oh yeah?" he said, his lips just behind my ear. "Well, thank you. I know I'd have been cold and uncomfortable in the truck."
"Yeah, and the two who thoughtlessly messed up your life are warm and comfortable. Maybe comfortable isn't the right word."
"Warm enough though, I'm sure," Nick said.
I laughed. "Think if we'd eavesdropped much longer I would be too," I said. "Strike that. TMI."
"Too much information?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.
"Yeah, you did not just hear me admit that spying on my friend turned me on."
"Alright, I didn't," he agreed, his tone amused. "It did?"
"Maybe. A bit. Not like, horny, more, you know, pleasantly tingly. Why am I telling you this?"
"I don't know," he said. "I heard nothing." His fingers caressed my waist. "But feel free to tell me more. I promise I won't hear it."
"Oh, no," I said. "I'm done. Besides, you don't want to hear that I'm turned on. It's Brittany you think is hot."
"That ain't what I said," he objected.
"It is exactly what you said," I disagreed.
"She's hot. I said that, yeah. I didn't say that she was the only one. Or even that she was the most hot. Hotter? Hotterest?" His touch migrated over my hips to stroke my thighs.
"Oh?"
"I'll tell you something personal," he said, "since you just did. I think Brandon fucked up. He doesn't do it often." His fingers drew the hem of my shirt back slightly, to caress my belly. "He should have hit on you instead. I'm glad he didn't, because then I would have been jealous. Well, if you'd gone along with him, I would."
I smiled and nodded, feeling the pleasant sensations of Nick's fingernails drawing patterns over my belly.
"Maybe he could sense that Brittany would be easy to play, but you'd resist his charms?"
"Actually, Nick..." I cleared my throat. "I don't think I would. I'm not feeling very proud of that, especially now that I know what he's like, but I've spent the day resenting Brittany. It wasn't until this evening that I began to realize that he's kind of an empty shell. You're not, I think, but if Brandon had hit on me, I'd be in the tent with him now."
He kissed my ear, then whispered, "I'm glad you're not."
Holding the blankets together with just my left hand, I freed my right to stroke the fingers roaming my belly, then wriggled slightly as I tugged the back hem of my sleepshirt free.
Resting my hand on his right knee, I continued, "I feel a little sorry for Brittany, now."
"A minute ago you said she and Brandon were turning you on."
"I'm turned on by what she's doing, what I figure she's feeling, not who she's with," I said. "He's a husk. But thinking about what's happening just a hundred yards over there... yeah, that gives me a nice tingly glow. I can't help it. And, you know, even if he is a husk, and for all his arrogance, I'm guessing that he is pretty good in bed."
Nick's fingers circled higher against my stomach, his thumbs on my sides. "So I've heard," he murmured, his breath tickling my ear.
Lightning flashed, causing the edges of the clouds to gleam. The rain was still light in our area, but that could change at any moment. I relaxed against Nick, my head resting on his collarbone, and smiled.
There was a growl of thunder in the distance. "Did you count?" I asked.
"What should I be counting?"
"The time between the flash and the bang. How far away the storm is."
"I wasn't paying attention," he said. "Sorry."
"I'm okay with that," I said, turning my face towards him. His lips brushed against me, and I parted mine and stroked them across his.
I shivered slightly at the unexpectedly strong wave of desire, and turned my face into his shoulder.
Nick's hands moved to my waist, then began wandering up and down my sides, from my hips to my rib cage. I wriggled my lower back to press tightly into his stomach. I raised my face to meet his again.
My heart raced as our lips moved in tandem, barely touching. Nick's fingers slid gently across the edges of my breasts, and I heard myself make a small sound of excited contentment. He pressed his mouth more firmly against mine, and I felt a deep need form within me, responding for a moment, before slowly drawing back and looking away.
His fingers still drifted over the edge of my breasts. "Is something wrong?"
I shook my head. "I'm just in no hurry. I don't want to rush into anything just because I've been too frustrated all day or too horny now."
"There you go again," he said, with a chuckle. "Way TMI."
"If you haven't already figured that out, I'm disappointed in you," I said. I turned to run my tongue over his neck.
His fingers circled my breasts, and he squeezed them and began toying with my nipples. His touch made my groin twitch with tension.
Lightning flashed again. Nick started to count, lightly pinching my nipples with each number until thunder rolled on a count of nine. "Three or four miles," he said. "It's moving slowly."
"Or it's passing us by," I said. "Give it another minute."
I parted my lips to his, and felt my arousal grow as we kissed. Nick's tongue touched mine as he squeezed his hands against my chest. I groaned, and pressed back against his tongue before drawing back and kissing him rapidly.
Finally I pulled away, slightly breathless.
"I guess we need to go inside," I said.
"Getting too wet?" asked Nick.
I experienced a genuine moment of confusion before I realized what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah. Because of the rain. Yeah."
He smirked at me and I looked away in a moment's embarrassment before shooing him away to collect the blankets.
Nick doused the fire with water before following me into the tent. Inside, I lit a small LED camping light and hung it from a supporting loop while we got everything arranged, which wasn't easy for two even in a three-man tent.
I had him re-inflate the mattress with the rechargeable inflator, as it was too soft. While he was doing that, I spread out both blankets - which were damp, but I didn't think they'd be too uncomfortable - then unzipped my sleeping bag all the way and lay it on top of them.
By the time the arrangements were finished, the rain was light but steady. We sat together on the air mattress and listened to the insistent drumming of raindrops on canvas. Nick put his arm around my back, and I rested my head on his shoulder.
"I've never been camping in the rain," I said. "I hope I've put the tent up well enough."
"Ain't no water getting in," he replied. "Are you warm enough?"
"Yeah," I answered. "The tent seems to lose its chill faster with two than it does just with me."
Nick grinned. "Strange how that works."
Thunder rolled. It seemed louder, but I hadn't noticed any lightning with the LED camping light on. I turned it off, then realized that I still needed to extinguish the gasoline lamp. I postponed that chore.
"This seems so peaceful," I said.
"Peaceful thunder. Right."
I cuffed the back of his neck. "You know what I mean," I said. "Peaceful, not quiet. Like the noise, the rain, isolates us even more."
"Yeah, I do understand," he said, quietly. "It's the atmosphere. You know, I often listen to rain and thunder when I'm working. Same thing, I guess. I mix thunder and music and cut myself off from distractions."
"I think I'd like that," I said.
Lightning flashed. We both counted to six before the sound of thunder followed it.
"We could try it now, if you like," he said. "I have the albums on my phone. Unless you think music would make it less peaceful."
"Do it," I replied. "We can turn it off if it isn't working out."
I had to turn the tent light back on while he found his phone. In a few moments there was a background of mellow music below the rain patter. I turned off the light, and as Nick sat down on the mattress, I took his arm. "I approve," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder.
His lips touched my forehead, and I lifted my face to his. I held both of his hands in mine as we kissed, slowly.
After a minute or two he freed one hand, setting it on my waist and using it to draw me closer. I put my arm around him, happy to oblige as his tongue danced gently with mine.
Disengaging, I eased him down onto the mattress and lay alongside him. We kissed again, his hand stroking my hip. I rolled closer, my body stretched along his, enjoying the feel of him as our lips met and parted playfully. We laughed, deliberately keeping our kisses undemanding and fun, but with promise, the soft music and rain making a perfect soundtrack.
Eventually excitement began do displace play. I could sense Nick's passion in his tongue and in the way he held my hip, pressing me to him. My own desire was becoming hard to suppress. I groaned as I kissed him hard, pressing my body to his. Then I released him.
"I need to go get the light," I said.
"You'll get soaked!"
"I'll only be a couple of seconds," I said.
Before he could object again, I unzipped the tent flap, dove out into the rain, and ran the few feet to the stand where the lamp hung. I doused the lamp, and then realized my mistake. In the now-complete darkness I couldn't run back.
With the after-image of the light in my eyes making my blindness even more complete, I stumbled in what seemed the right direction, waving my arms around until I found a guy string, which let me feel around for the flap and climb back inside.
"That was stupid," I said. "Now I really am wet."
"Are you cold? Do you have something to change into?" asked Nick.
I grabbed the towel from where i'd left it, rubbing it through my hair and likely undoing all of Nick's good work. In the total darkness I stripped off my shirt, dried a little, then wrapped the towel around me.
"Just to be clear," I said, "my shirt wasn't staying on much longer anyway, right?"
"That's up to you," Nick replied.
"But it was your goal?"
"Oh, yeah," he agreed. "No question."
"Then I guess I don't really need to find a dry one," I said as I patted myself dry.
I loosened the towel, holding it one handed, lifted the blankets and climbed onto the air mattress, which bounced and jiggled as I lay down. Then I slipped out of the towel, tossed it beside the tent flap, and wriggled up to Nick, lying against his side. "Goal achieved," I whispered.
He laughed and caressed my waist. "When I say goal," he murmured, "it's only a... an intermediate goal. A partial objective."
"Are you calling me a sex object?" I griped.
"No, no... a sex objective. That's different."
I leaned forward and kissed his neck. "That's okay, then. I'll be your sex objective." I lifted his shirt and tongued his left nipplle. He shivered, and I lifted the shirt higher.
He sat up to take his shirt off, then lay back down and I worked on his nipple some more. He ran his fingers through my hair.
"What's the music?" I asked, looking up for a second, then lightly drawing my teeth over his chest.
"Bliss," he replied.
"I don't know it. It's nice." Then I lightly kissed his nipple.
A few moments later, I belatedly realized that I'd seen him taking his shirt off. The darkness wasn't as absolute as I'd thought. My night vision had been ruined by looking at the bright camp light when I turned it off. Now it was returning.
But that meant...
"Uh, Nick..."
"Hmm?" he responded.
"When I was drying off, well, before I got the towel, were you watching me?"
"Sure was," he admitted.
My face felt hot. That wasn't logical, given that I was topless and lying on him, but still, I hadn't intended it. "I thought it was darker than it is.
"And I thought you were giving me a special show. I couldn't see much in the dark."
I sighed. "I guess I'm not usually this forward with a guy, and I don't want you to think I'm completely shameless."
"I understand," he replied, caressing the edge of my boob. "I won't tell. If I say I liked what I saw does that make me too shameless?"
I kissed his neck. "Saying anything else might be bad for your chances of not having to cuddle your gear shifter."
His fingers slid further around my breast. The rain on the canvas was constant now, but it blended well with the music.
As Nick cupped my breast, I stretched out my toes and stroked his foot with them.
"Are you warming up?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah," I replied.
My nipple was hardening to his touch. He continued to toy with it as he explored and squeezed my breast.
"So you never did tell me," I said. "Did spying on Brittany and Brandon turn you on?"
"It might have done," he said, "if I hadn't been pissed at Brandon for cheating - again - and at both of them for abandoning you."
"You weren't fantasizing coaxing those sounds of passion from Brittany?"
"No, I wasn't," he said. Then a moment later he added, "Although, maybe, just maybe, I was fantasizing hearing them from you. But I'm admitting nothing."
I laughed, feeling my breast ripple against his touch. "You're likely to be disappointed," I said.
"Oh, did I... miss something?" His tone was hesitant.
In response I moved further onto him and met his lips with mine, finding his tongue and doing battle with it until he grabbed my hips and moved me completely onto him, my boobs squeezed to his chest, until our mouths finally separated, my body tense with excitement, completely recovered from the chilly excursion to douse the light.
"No, you didn't miss anything," I whispered. "Just, I don't usually make a lot of noise. It might not be enough for your fantasies"
"So what sounds do you make?" he asked, his voice husky.
"I'm sure you'll find out for yourself." After a second I added, "I'll be even more sure if you kiss my breasts."
He started to lift me but I wriggled out of his hold and fastened my lips to his again instead, kissing him until he groaned. Then I let him do what I'd asked of him.
Barely had he begun to suckle my left breast when I felt his hand roam down my side and under my hips. I rolled enough to give him access, and his palm began to cup and squeeze my pussy.
My heart was racing with the feel of his tongue against my rapidly hardening nipple, then pounded in earnest as he splayed his fingers around my sex and began to move them against me.
I brushed my foot against his, and along his calf, panting softly. My sex was a core of warmth, radiating into me, an insistent thrill growing in my clit. I was wet and excited, and I wanted to rock my thighs and thrust against his hand, but I managed to hold back.
Rain on the tent made a sparkling, drumming sound, and the cool scent of the damp grass offset the heat in my belly. I pictured the fire, earlier, as I'd added extra wood to the embers. The glow of the spent wood grew to enfold the new tinder, just as my arousal was lighting a passionate response within me.
As I thought that, the tingling made my thighs clench slightly, pressing my groin against Nick's palm. He returned the pressure, his hand still sliding against me, and the sudden stimulation flared in my clit, making my muscles tighten further.
I shuddered as I tried to relax, and gasped.
"You okay?" His breath touched my nipple as he whispered, making me quiver. The movement energized the delicious tension in my clit. He lifted me with his left hand until he could suckle my right breast, and when he started I took his fingers and brought them to my lips.
I felt his lips on my breast respond to me suckling his fingers. The base of his palm pressed into me above my clit, and I yielded to the temptation to move against it. His fingers curled, pushed my panties aside and entered me, then his hand moved in counterpoint to the roll of my hips. We moved quite slowly - with about a two second rhythm - but the effect was hugely erotic. My thighs tightened in time to our movements, and my breathing became fast and shallow.
He maintained that pace, my body rocking in time. I released his fingers and panted gently, my lips parted. Then I whispered into his ear, "Kiss me."
Nick released my breast, and I settled against him, more firmly into his gripping hand. I lifted my face to kiss him, but he just touched his tongue to mine without closing his lips around it. Instead, he licked my upper lip, then sucked it into his mouth, rubbing his tongue and lips hard against it.
Sighing at the sensation that flowed into my clit, I tried to squeeze his hand between my legs to make him move faster, but now he was setting the pace, holding me back, and I resigned myself to follow.
Freeing my lip, he met my mouth with is and suckled my tongue. I moaned softly into the kiss. As I did he began to squeeze his hand against my sex, faster than before. My clit caught fire with the movement, and my thighs tensed erratically. His left hand began to squeeze my right breast, then he lifted me, breaking the kiss, and flapped his tongue against my left nipple before lowering me, my boob against his face as he suckled hard.
Suddenly there was nothing I could do to postpone the inevitable. Nothing I would have done, even if I could. His tongue on my nipple amplified the driving need inflaming my clit. I felt my back start to arch as I groaned aloud.
I felt my body rushing up the last steep slope of the long, glorious climb. "Ohh, Nick..." I whispered.
He sucked hard, shaking his face against my quivering breast, fingers rubbing firmly against the outside of my sex. "It's going to happen," I whispered. "Oh, God, Nick, this feels so good."
My clit tensed, on the edge of release, and my hips pressed forwards. "Ohhh, fuck," I yelped, seconds later. "I'm coming!" My orgasm ignited, wondrous sensation filling me, and continuing as his fingers delicately but effectively kept me soaring.
Slowly the world returned to normal. My breathing eased and I became aware of the loud splattering sound of rain on the tent, a background of thunder almost constant, with frequent lightning flashes. The air had a heavy scent of rain, and a woman's sensuous voice sang about kissing. I'd only been vaguely aware of the storm intensifying, so much was I focused on what Nick was doing to me.
"What was that about being quiet?" he asked, with humor in his voice.
"I was! Wasn't I? Though that was kinda intense." I plucked his right hand from my thigh and sucked on his middle finger. "Was I really loud?" I asked as I rubbed his fingertip with my tongue.
"Nah," he said, "but way more interesting than listening to your friend."
"Yeah, well," I said. "Interesting doesn't come close to what I was feeling. More... whoa!"
"Nice," he said.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Is your music on loop? I love the effect."
Nick rolled away. "I'll check." Then a moment later, "Mm-hmm," and he rolled back to face me.
Lying back down, I pulled the blanket and sleeping bag back up to our shoulders, then felt along his body until I found his shorts. There was a knot in the front that I untied.
"I want you inside me," I whispered.
Nick cleared his throat. "Uh... my condoms are in the other tent..."
I tugged his shorts down from his waist.
"I didn't want to assume I'd be needing them," he said, "so I didn't say anything. I'm sorry."
I sighed. "What you mean is, you didn't want me to assume that you'd made that assumption, so you didn't mention it?"
"Something like that," he said, his tone amused.
"Maybe, if you'd think the situation through, maybe you could think of a way to reach your goal?" I ran my finger over the front of his shorts and felt him jump. "Call it a stretch goal?"
He chuckled uneasily, but didn't know where I was going.
"Surely it's occurred to you that the girl is no virgin? I think she's implied it pretty strongly. Perhaps she might be prepared for a romantic situation?" I sat on his legs and reached for my purse. "Perhaps you could ask her for options before admitting defeat?"
Even in the dark I could see the glow of his grin as a box of condoms landed on his chest.
I set my purse back down and lay beside him. "You're going to have to take your own underwear off," I said. "I might damage something, especially in the dark."
I slipped off my panties as he worked on his clothing. "And yes," I added, "the box is open. You don't need to know why, but it has been a good investment, and it's a better one now."
Nick had been laughing at my monologue, at ease with my teasing. "I wasn't going to ask," he said, "but I'm damn happy that you have them."
I held out my hand for one, and he gave me a packet. "Set the others by your phone where you can get to them," I suggested. "You never know, we might need another... or two, or three."
"There are six more after that," he said, rolling to set the box aside.
"I know," I replied. "I think we're covered for now."
Nick's cock was long, but not completely hard. I opened the packet, and started unrolling the condom onto him, following with my tongue. By the time I had finished he was fully erect. Even so, I spent a couple of minutes nodding my head up and down, feeling his body shudder with pleasure until he asked me to stop.
"This air mattress might be a problem," I griped. "Have you ever made love on one?"
"No," came Nick's voice from below me.
"Me neither," I said. "I don't think it will explode, but the rhythm's going to be all wrong. We might need to keep things slow."
I squatted on his thighs, facing him, then lifted my hips and began to lower myself onto his shaft. It wasn't easy. The unstable mattress pushed me too fast at times, which hurt, but I was wet enough that I managed to get him inside without serious problems.
Holding both of his hands in mine, I began to rock against him. Everything moved at the wrong speed, the mattress bouncing back too quickly against a rapid move, but then deforming to slow moves so that we'd have to reposition.
But having him inside me while we were finding a pace was arousing all by itself, so when we found one I was already well on my way to needing release. I still held his hands, and could feel my breasts bounce. His eyes seemed to be on them. I don't know whether he could see me in the dark, or could sense me. Lightning flashed occasionally, some close, some barely gleaming in the tent, but when it did his eyes were either on my face or my chest, his lips parted.
He freed his right hand and tweaked my left nipple, hard, and the thrill made me lose the pace for a moment, but made me want more. Then he freed his left hand too, setting both hands on my thighs, and pressing his thumbs to my sex, putting sideways pressure on my clit. I gripped his waist as I moved and moaned.
"Is this okay?" he whispered.
I looked down at him. His face gleamed in a brief glimmer of lightning. "Babe," I said hoarsely, "we left okay behind a long time ago."
His thumbs began to circle, increasing the stimulation without increasing the motion or speed.
I was on fire. My senses were being assaulted with passion. I began to pant. I walked my hands up his side to his shoulders, then lifted him, leaning forward as I did, to press my left breast between his lips. He suckled, hard.
That was all I could take. My hands grasped his shoulders hard as my body stiffened. "Oh, Jesus," I whimpered, as my sex tensed and erupted in pulsing ecstasy. My thighs squeezed together tightly, increasing the sensation of Nick's shaft deep within me.
He pulled out of me before I was completely through, lifting me from his shaft. I curled up, my thighs against my chest, the muscles in my legs still twitching to the waves of feeling flowing from my sex.
When I could move freely, I rolled onto my right side, facing Nick. The rain had eased off quite a bit. Thunder was constant, but it seemed further away. In the otherwise almost-complete darkness, lightning flashed - usually dim with distance, but occasionally quite bright - and frequently enough for me to see clearly. As I planted contented kisses on his face, I could see him for a moment, and I noticed that he was frowning. "Are you okay?" I asked.
He smiled. "Yeah, I'm great. I almost lost it, there. Your excitement was infectious."
"Oh, babe," I said, "I want you to lose it. I want to feel you come inside me."
"Yeah, me too," he said. "But I'd like to make it last for as long as we can, first."
"Mmm," I said. I stroked his nipples. "That sounds good."
Nick's music against the weather sounds still gave a sensuous, mellow feel. I felt that the rich feeling was aiding my ability to be aroused.
"Are you ready, baby?" I whispered, stroking his cock.
"Yeah," he said. "Are you?"
"Fuck ready," I said. "I want you."
I felt Nick draw me on top of him. My breasts flattened against his chest as we kissed, and he caressed the sides of them. Then he pushed himself down the mattress a few inches, while lifting me, so that he could fix his mouth against my left breast, playing with the right with his fingers.
When my nipple was hard he switched, suckling my right breast.
"Do you have any idea how good that feels, Nick?" I asked.
"I can tell that it turns you on," he said.
I stroked his hair as he sucked. "Yeah," I said. "It does."
He released my boob and squirmed back to the top of the mattress, while I moved back down him so that our faces were level. I kissed him, and he responded hungrily. His fingers stroked my waist.
Reaching back between my legs, I found his hard cock, then pushed it carefully inwards, until I could spear myself on it. Carefully easing his whole length inside me, I rocked my pelvis gently until we were comfortably locked together. He seemed to reach deep within me.
Caressing his face, I said, "This feels good, too. Having you inside me feels very right."
"To me, too," he said, his hands moving over my back.
I relaxed, my body sinking down onto his.
"Jesus, Nick," I said. "I'm so glad I didn't go with Brandon. He's superficially sexy. You're deep-down sexy. I want to make love to you. I want to make you feel good."
"You are, Taylor," he said.
I set my arms against his chest and started moving my body against his, slowly. "I know," I said. "I can tell."
Nick rocked his pelvis as I moved, sliding his cock maybe three or four inches out of me before pushing it firmly back into place. I could feel the movement throughout my sex, but the tingling warmth it made wasn't confined to my sex, but radiated out into my belly, even into my fingers and toes.
He ran his hands up my back to my head, turning my face to his, and kissed me slowly, his jaw rocking against mine in time to the movement of our bodies. My desire built, my chest tightening with erotic sensation.
As we kissed he held my hips and picked up the pace. I groaned at the new level of intensity, and broke free from his lips, focusing on the movement and the feelings it was producing. The air mattress made it hard to get the rhythm right. It had been fine with slow or small movements, but when we moved more powerfully against each other it interfered. Sometimes it seemed to be hard to move at all, sometimes we started bouncing like a trampoline, which made us laugh, but we eventually made it work to our advantage, as it pushed us into a strong motion with little effort.
Almost as soon as we'd regulated our movements I began to recognize the budding excitement of another release beginning to grow. Far from tiring me out, the earlier explosions of pleasure seemed to have left me more sensitized. Well, that and Nick felt so damned good inside me.
Releasing his lips, I asked him, "Are you going to be able to come?"
"Not yet," he said. "I was really close to being too late, earlier. It kinda takes a while to get back there when that happens."
"Okay," I nodded, then rested my head on his shoulder and tried to clear my mind. For moment I considered trying to wait for him... but I doubted that I would be able to, and hell, he seemed to be enjoying my reactions almost as much as I was.
Still, I was in no hurry, so I relaxed as much as I was able, just savoring the feeling.
His fingers explored, squeezing my butt, then running over the edge of my breasts. I smiled, still relaxed, and stroked his face. I felt his hands on my shoulders, then he lifted me away from his chest, his thumbs squeezing my nipples. I moved my arms to support myself, so that he could fondle freely. In another dim flash I saw him watch them jiggle for a moment. Then I grinned at him, and he caught my lips with his and sucked hard on my tongue as he started to knead my boobs.
He moved his face lower, and suckled my right breast. "Mmmm," I breathed. So much for trying to stay relaxed. My body tensed with pleasure, which flowed straight to my sex. I parted my lips and tried to slow my breathing, trying to keep my feelings under control, even as Nick's goal was to inflame them. A whistling sigh of pleasure escaped my lips.
Nick lay back, and I kissed him savagely. I moved my hands to his shoulders, and used my grip to slam my body against his. Grasping the edges of my breasts, now wedged hard against his chest, he kneaded them, and I moaned into his mouth as I came, my thighs tightening my grip on his cock as my sex pulsed.
Nick kept thrusting against me, and I sensed that his excitement was increasing. I pushed the blanket away completely, and rolled to the side, bringing him with me. After a little wriggling, I was underneath him, and we were working on finding the magic rhythm that wasn't spoiled by the air mattress.
I ran my hands over his back and butt. His pleasure was clearly growing. I lifted my legs, wrapping them around his back, so that he could penetrate further. "Oh, yeah," he whispered as he bounced against me.
"C'mon, baby," I said, softly. "God, I want you. I want you so much."
"What about you?" he asked.
I shook my head, then realized he probably couldn't see me. "No, babe, I'm done. It's your turn."
Gripping his back with my thighs, I tightened myself against him. "This feels so good, babe," I breathed.
"Yeah," he said. "Oh God, yeah."
I shook myself against him, and he groaned. My own breathing was heavy, and the sounds I was making seemed to excite Nick more, so I sucked his earlobe and breathed into his ear as I moaned.
He thrust harder against me, and grunted with exertion. His cock felt harder within me, and seemed to be probing ever deeper. "Ohh, baby," I groaned, feeling him fill my body.
Then his muscles tensed, he groaned, and I felt his cock start to pulse inside me.
Either the feel of him coming aroused me more than I'd have expected, or getting to that point had done more for me than I'd realized, as focused as I was on bringing Nick pleasure. "Oh, Jesus," I said. "Nick - I think I lied. Please don't stop," I begged.
And he didn't. He continued thrusting, groaning in his own passion.
"Ah," I cried. "Oh... oh... oh, wow..." and I stretched my legs out on the ground as my back arched. I stopped moving as my climax hit, and Nick pressed himself against me, his shaft still deep inside, and still feeling hard.
Some time later I lay on my back, with Nick on his side facing me. His music still played in the background, and the thunderstorm seemed to be making another pass at us. Lightning flashes were less frequent but brighter, with only a few seconds between light and sound. He had straightened the blanket and sleeping bag over us, and had been running his fingers around my pussy for a while. I was still very wet, and still very turned on, and was enjoying his attentions.
"So I guess you're not always quiet," he said, sounding amused.
"I think I said 'usually'," I responded.
"Uh-huh," he agreed.
"And that last... I guess it took me by surprise. I wanted it to be good for you, and it turned out to be pretty good for me, too."
"Well, it was very good for me," he said.
"Mmm," I said. "As great as you made me feel, I wouldn't want you to be disappointed."
I felt his face move close to mine, and we kissed for a time. He had two fingers inside me, and had been circled them around. As our lips touched he started sliding them in and out, making the kiss doubly sensuous.
"Uh... was I really loud?" I asked him, a few minutes later.
"Not so much," he said. "You were still perfectly demure."
"Oh, bullshit," I laughed. "I'm pretty far from demure. Although I do wonder, when I said I was usually quiet, was that... umm, what's the word? Indelicate?"
"How's that?"
"Since 'usually,' means that I've had enough experience to know how I react when I'm with a guy. That may be something I shouldn't share with another guy, especially one I want to fuck."
"Yeah, I thought that might be what you meant," he said. "Can I say something indelicate, too?"
"Well, yeah," I said. "Of course."
"So, to tell you the truth, when you said that, it made me hard."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," he continued. "See... no, I didn't think you were a virgin, or a prude. I had my hands on your body, and you seemed to be enjoying it. But you never really know if you're going to get to 'Hey, guy, thanks for the back rub, but goodnight,' or even if she's into you but just not that into sex, so when you're with a girl you really want to sleep with, you're on edge. 'Yes, I think it's going well. But I'm not a hundred percent...' and then you said 'I don't squeal like Brittany, but I like having sex.' And suddenly I knew that if you did like me enough, you wouldn't stop short of making love... and that was a huge turn-on."
I grinned. "Then I said suck my boob and you get to find out."
"Exactly!" He laughed. "I wanted you so hard right then."
"Well, you were right," I said, "and I do like you. And... mmm... I like what you're doing, too."
"Good," he said.
"So..." I added. "You say that if you're not single you avoid Brandon. So there's no-one right now?"
"No, no-one. You?"
"Mmm," I said again, squirming slightly at his touch. "No." Then a moment later, "I'm not asking because of cheating. I figure you manage your life better than Brandon is doing. But I, uh, I think I'd like to see you again."
"I'd like that, too," he said. "I might have to start avoiding Brandon again."
"No need," I said. "I'm forewarned. He wouldn't have chance to screw us up. And I don't do threesomes."
He laughed at that.
"But that's up to you," I said. "I just wanted to say something before we see Brittany and Brandon tomorrow and either of us starts to think that there's no difference between their one-night stand and what we're doing."
"I don't think I would, but yeah."
I smiled. Lightning flashed at that time, but I don't know if he saw me. I reached out and drew him close, and kissed him, my lips parted wide, my tongue seeking his. His fingers kept moving inside me, but he pinched the outside of my sex gently with his thumb, and a gentle pressure against my clitoris fed my passion.
My pelvis tilted, pushing me more firmly against his hand for a moment before I relaxed.
"Does this feel okay?" Nick asked.
"Very okay," I said. "You know how to turn a girl on."
"I want to make it feel even better," he said.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Not for that," he replied, "but I can still make it feel better."
"I don't want to be greedy," I objected.
"Hush," he said, lowering his face to my breasts. He suckled, hard, coaxing both nipples erect, while his thumb started sliding against my clit.
Then he slid further under the blanket. It took him a few minutes to position himself in the confines of the tent, but my arousal soared as his tongue explored my clit. Soon I felt him start to lick my labia, and when he sucked my clit I groaned in ecstasy.
He used the fingers inside me to push my sex against his face, and I shuddered as he worked. I rocked my pelvis against him.
I lay back, and as his mouth stimulated my clitoris I squeezed my breasts, pinching my own nipples. The stimulation flew straight to my clit, and his tongue made me writhe in the sensory overload.
Then he shook his fingers, hard against the inside of my sex. My breath caught, then a strangled cry escaped my lips. I pinched my nipples hard, and suddenly pulsing joy overwhelmed me. I groaned softly, released my breasts, and smiled.
I was disoriented in the morning, and had trouble accepting everything my senses were telling me. My comfortable bed seemed to have become spongy and low, and the soft sheets were thick and warm. The light in my room seemed to be coming from the wrong direction. And it was red, and the air smelled fresh, and I was naked. Wait, I was naked? And in a strange bed? And aching slightly in some unusual places?
And then reality began to filter in. Tent. Outdoors. Sex. Nick!
I couldn't feel him against me. I reached behind me - no-one there. I opened my eyes fully and turned over - no, no sign of him.
Then he hadn't spent the whole night. It didn't mean anything negative, but somehow I'd hoped... but if he'd gone back to his tent, that must mean that Brittany was back.
There was a clanking sound outside the tent, so I unzipped the flap and looked out, to see Nick getting two cups. I grinned, then found a dry tee that could double as a sleepshirt. It was a little short, but I could live with that. I slipped it over my head, then opened the flap all the way and clambered out of the tent.
He looked up as I approached, and his face lit up. "Hey, Taylor!"
"Hey yourself," I said, then put my arms around his neck. "I'm disappointed. I was hoping we could continue on from last night."
"Mmm." He kissed my cheek. "You were out of it when I woke up."
"Oh, sorry," I said. "I guess I didn't want to leave my dreams."
"Well, it was dry, and I don't think it's going to stay that way, so I figured I'd make coffee and recover my bag from the tent." He gestured at his duffel, sitting on the seat of the picnic table.
"Were they both there?"
"Uh-huh," he said. "I woke them up. They're going to come here for coffee, when they're... uh... awake. Then they're going to take the boat out, and maybe get breakfast in an hour or two." He stroked my neck. "If the weather does get rough again, we might need to find something to do out of the rain."
"I'm sure we'll figure something out," I said, with a quick grin. Then I detached myself from him. "Maybe I should check the guys."
Nick looked puzzled. "They'll be here any moment," he said, "and if they're not... maybe it's best not to disturb them."
It took me a moment to work my head around the misunderstanding. "Hah. No, not those guys. After last night's storms I want to be sure the tent is secure."
"Oh, right," he said.
I took the mallet and smacked a couple of the stakes, but they were solidly in the ground. Then I bent over to tug on the rubber tension bands that were hooked over the stakes.
Feeling eyes on me, I turned to see Nick gazing intently at my butt. "See something you like?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "Those guys look fine."
I rolled my eyes and finished my inspection. Then I grabbed my towel, tennis shoes and toiletries. "I'll be back in a few," I said.
"When you come back..." he said. "I haven't told them where I was last night. We can, up to you. I don't care if they know."
The water was warm, but the showers were unheated, and the air was much cooler than the previous night, so I kept my visit short and toweled off well. Even so, I was still shivering when I got back to the campsite. I threw my things into the tent.
"There's coffee," said Nick, pointing at two full cups.
"Great," I said, rubbing my bare arms. "Warm me up first, though?"
He raised his eyebrows and held out his arms. I let him hold me close, my arms folded between us, for a few moments. Then we kissed, slowly, and I lost my chill very quickly, and hugged him to me.
His hands roamed my back as our lips moved together. I felt a slight sense of excitement, but it was something distant, something that would only turn into need when we wanted it to. When we allowed it to.
Nick's hands caressed my upper back, spending enough time around my shoulder-blades that I could tell he found the lack of a bra appealing. Then they slid down my back, and over my butt, roaming extensively from the small of my back to the top of my thighs.
The movement of his tongue and lips became more heated. I realized he'd been a moment coming to the conclusion that I also wasn't wearing panties, and it seems he hadn't expected that. As he became convinced he also became more aroused, drawing me into a more passionate kiss.
Pushing his thigh slightly forward, he held me against it, squeezing my butt, pressing himself to me rhythmically. My own excitement didn't feel so distant, and I felt myself starting to get aroused.
I bit his tongue and he groaned slightly, his fingers firmly squeezing my ass.
"Hey guys!"
We separated guiltily at the sound of Brittany's call. My face became warm, and Nick quickly sat at the picnic table, crouching forward to hide a distinctive bulge in his shorts.
Brandon walked slightly behind her, with his hand on her shoulder. They both had merry expressions. "Sorry to interrupt," she continued, cheerfully. "I need my things. And you said there'd be coffee?"
"Yes, of course," replied Nick, and poured two more cups.
Brandon and Brittany sat at the table. "So I'm guessing you two didn't get too much sleep last night, either," she said.
"Brittany!" I objected.
She raised her eyebrows. "Suddenly bashful?"
"While he's sitting right here with us? And Brandon too? Damn right!"
She took a sip of her coffee, then directed her words to Nick. "So if she's too shy to tell you about herself, give me a call... any time."
The innuendo finished there, and before too long she'd collected what she needed and they left. From the campsite, through the bushes and across several hundred yards of water, we could see the boat ramp, and we watched Brandon backing the truck up, and both of them working on getting the boat off the trailer. Brittany parked the truck before joining Brandon in the boat, and I heard the distant sputter of the engine as they headed into deeper water.
"What did she mean, too shy to tell me?" Nick asked.
I shrugged. "Brittany being Brittany. The key phrase was 'give me a call'. I'll tell you pretty much anything you want to know. You can tell I'm not shy."
I stood to collect up the coffee cups and rinsed them out to make later washing easier. As I stacked them, I felt Nicks arms encompass me from behind, and I leaned back into his embrace.
"Tell you what," I began, "I'm glad they came when they did, not five minutes later."
Nick cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah."
I turned to face him, his hands sliding around to my back. "Which reminds me..."
His lips met mine, and we kissed slowly but sensuously, our mouths parting and rejoining as we each sought passion in the contact. His hands stroked my back, and squeezed my butt, which again seemed to feed his desire. I fit my thighs around his left leg, and he pressed me against him, squeezing his thigh against my groin in a slow rhythm.
The picnic table was only a couple of feet behind me, and I stepped back, drawing Nick with me, so I could lean against it. Nick moved his hands from my butt, lifting them to my upper back, using his grip and the table to hold me more tightly against him.
Then he turned slightly, getting his left arm further around me for support, but freeing his right. He caught my left hand and lifted it to his lips, sucking my fingertips. I started to feel my heartbeat pulse in my groin.
He released my hand, but I left the finger he was sucking between his lips as his right hand found my waist, then slid up and around my left breast, stroking and squeezing.
I withdrew my finger, then grabbed his neck and pulled him close to kiss, meeting his tongue with mine. His breathing was as heavy as mine was becoming.
Breaking away from me for a moment, he brought his lips to my ear. "Should we move to the tent?"
"Not yet," I replied. "It's so awkward in there."
"What if anyone comes by?"
"I can see enough of the footbridge through the brush," I said. "No-one can see us, and if they come to the island I'll see them."
"Okay," he said, squeezing my hardening nipple, then he kissed me again, sucking my upper lip.
Even as I felt myself start to get wet, Nick released my breast and slid his hand down between us, backing away to fit his palm between my thighs, beneath my shirt, pressing against me with the base of his thumb as he cupped and squeezed my pussy.
"Mmm." My heart skipped a beat.
"Is that okay?" he whispered.
"Yeah," I said. "Feels good."
He stroked my pussy for a time, then released it, and backed away, taking his left arm from my back, but still moving his lips against mine. He cupped both breasts, kneading them firmly, and I gripped the table for support.
Lowering his face to my boobs he kissed them through the thin tee shirt, toying with my nipples with his fingers and lips. Then he knelt, dropping his hands to my thighs, and lifting them up inside the shirt to squeeze my butt.
Still squeezing with his left hand, he moved his right around to caress my labia, sliding his fingers just slightly inside to run along the moist interior. The tingling in my belly was delicious.
Then he crouched, lifted my shirt over his head, and stroked my pussy with his tongue. I gripped the table harder as the sensation made my arms feel weak.
When he parted my labia and penetrated me with his tongue, I felt a rush of lust for more. "Whoa..." I exclaimed. "God, Nick."
After exploring my pussy inside and out, he pressed his tongue between my labia and started nodding his head. My shirt bounced up and down. I would have laughed if I'd been able, but my breathing was heavy.
He didn't change his pace, though it must have been a strain on his tongue. I felt myself getting wetter, and my thighs started to tense in anticipation.
While he still kept my labia parted, I felt a touch against my clitoral hood. He must have stretched his fingers up to touch it lightly on both sides. The stimulation ramped up my arousal, and I started to pant.
Then the fingers started to move, the change in pressure between them incorrectly caressing my clit, and my thighs squirmed with the sudden feeling. Waves of electric arousal flooded into me, and I felt my body driven past the point of no return. My thighs clenched, my clit tensed, and instantly my sex quivered as my climax exploded, Nick's tongue refining and extending my excited delight.
"Whoa," I said again, when he finally disengaged. "That was intense."
"I'm glad," he whispered, and kissed my nose.
"We need the rubbers from the tent," I said, "and I don't think I have the energy to get them."
"No need," Nick replied, picking up his duffel. "I have mine, now, remember? But if you have no energy..."
"That's a temporary problem, lover," I said. "Let me have one. I'm sure we can figure something out."
So I tugged his shorts and underwear down far enough to release his rigid cock. I carefully placed the condom over the tip and smoothed it down around him. Then I turned to face the table, lifted my shirt, and used my hand to guide him into my vagina from behind, taking him very slowly, until he was deep, deep inside me, pressing against my G-spot.
Then I rested my elbows on the table. "See?" I said, "even drained, I can do this."
A couple of drops of rain landed on the back of my neck as Nick held my hips and bounced his thighs against my butt. As long as the rain stayed light I didn't want to interrupt our activity. The G-spot stimulation was beginning to focus my arousal, and I wasn't willing to give that up. Besides, the rain wasn't cold.
Still glowing from the consequence of Nick's efforts with tongue and fingers, my excitement was rapidly gaining ground. I realized that was going to be able to come again, but I tried to relax. I wanted Nick to come with me. More rain landed on the back of my head as his body slapped against me, and the cool sensation helped distract me.
It wasn't too long, though, that his insistent motion began to overcome my attempts to delay the inevitable.
"Hey, Nick," I gasped.
"Yeah, babe?"
"You feel too damn good. I don't think I can wait for you."
"That's okay, Taylor," he said. "I want to make you come. Let it happen."
Needing no further encouragement, I tensed my sex around him, the erotic pressure in my G-spot increasing until I couldn't hold it back. My body stiffened and my climax slammed down hard. Then I couldn't keep moving, even to try to get Nick to his own peak, and I rested my head on my hands and waited out the inertia, Nick's motion sending waves of feeling into me.
As my breathing slowed I noticed that my hair had become quite damp with the occasional raindrops. But the rain was still very light, and I wasn't ready to interrupt our amorous encounter. I eased him back out of me, keeping the condom in place, then turned around.
"I want to see you," I whispered. As we kissed, I lifted myself onto the edge of the table and lifted my legs while I guided his cock back inside me.
He slid into me easily, and I wrapped my legs around his back as we started to move, my arms and legs holding me tightly to him, the edge of the table supporting me.
As he rocked rapidly against me I lowered my hands, still gripping him, but holding his ass, to squeeze him against me. We kissed again, hungrily, and I felt his breathing becoming rough.
I caught a raindrop in my eye, which stung, but the fire in my belly more than made up for any discomfort, as Nick's body trembled, and he grunted into our kiss.
His movements slowed, and his face glowed with pleasure. "Did you?" I whispered.
"Uh-huh," he said. "What about you? Got another one in you?"
"Maybe... Doing it in the open like this, it's... kinda hot."
He nodded, then sped up his movements, moving his hand to my left breast as he did, fueling my arousal. "Are you cold?" he asked.
"Nuh-uh," I said.
"Okay," he replied. Then he took the hem of my shirt, and slid it upwards. When it was over my breasts, he supported my back with his left hand, and continued lifting the shirt with his right. I raised my arms, and between us we worked it all the way off.
With his hands back on my butt, he lifted me. I had to grab his shoulders for support, and as he bounced me strongly against his hips, he sought my left breast with his lips.
He tongued and sucked my nipple, and the sight of my breasts quivering in the open air together with the feeling of his mouth on my breast sent an erotic charge deep inside me. I groaned with pleasure, and a few moments later found myself panting at the approach of climax.
I sighed as my body slipped over the edge, thrilling to the pulsing deep inside me. When that ended, I relaxed. "Thanks," I said.
He raised his eyebrows at that, then took hold of the condom and worked himself out of me. "Not a moment too soon," he said, with a laugh, and I could see that he was rapidly losing his erection.
Standing there naked, leaning against the table, I suddenly felt very exposed. What was I thinking, having sex in the open? I looked around - there was no-one in sight, but what made me flustered was the thought that I wouldn't have cared if there had been. I grabbed my tee shirt, quelling an urge to wrap it around my breasts for modesty, and dove into the tent.
"Problem?" Nick asked, following me in.
I zipped the tent closed behind him. "Yeah," I said. "You're still wearing pants."
Epilogue
Brittany took me aside that evening and told me she'd figured out that Brandon had a girlfriend.
"Fiancée," I corrected, without thinking.
"Really?" she responded, then shrugged. "I don't know her, she doesn't know me, and tomorrow it will all be over anyway."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"Why? She's not going to be able to keep him to herself. Better that she figures that out, but it's between her and Brandon. I always knew he wasn't a keeper. If she has half a brain she knows it too."
"That's pretty callous," I said.
She shrugged again. "I'll miss the sex. Want to come out with me Monday to drown my sorrows?"
"Can't," I replied. "I have a date."