Time was turning gold. Autumn would arrive in only a few short weeks; closer still vacation's end, and mere days until Courtney moved away. After that she would be far from here, with her parents, starting high school in a new state. Her idea, it was, to spend our last Sunday at the lake, a long cycle ride from home.
We started out in the early morning, the sun still low, in a cool that hinted at fall to come. I rode mostly behind her, on the narrow roads to the entrance to the park. I liked watching her. We both did a lot of cycling, and her lean legs and tight shorts moved in interesting patterns.
The cove we sought was well back from the main camp road. From the furthest boat ramp it was about two miles of dunes and dirt track. A difficult ride, but a fun one, and we were laughing as we slid down the last sandy slope.
Courtney had brought the food. Her treat, she'd insisted. I'd brought soft drinks and a couple of blankets to sit on. We rested our bikes against a small willow, and I spread out a blanket for us while Courtney unpacked.
When she stood, I took her arm. "I've been thinking," I said, "about how we could get together over Christmas..."
She turned and gave me a small smile, then brushed her fingers over my lips. "Shh," she said. "I don't want to talk about the future, Tyler. Let's let today be today. Now. You and me, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed, and hugged her. She responded with a quick squeeze, but then released me.
"But what I want to do after that ride," she said, "is go for a swim."
"Already? But the water will be cold."
"Uh-uh," she said. "This is a big lake. It takes a long time to cool down."
"Okay," I said, unconvinced.
I fished my towel and swimsuit out of my pannier, and wrapped the extra blanket around me to change. When I was done, Courtney did the same. I couldn't help but feel a stirring as she took off her tee shirt and shorts, knowing she was naked under the blanket, wishing childishly for a sudden gust of wind... I watched her wriggle into her swimsuit, and finally stand to fold her clothes and the blanket.
She looked good - when had she ever not? - in the lime green two-piece. As swimsuits go, it was fairly modest, and it contrasted nicely her dark brown curls and darker eyes. Then she flashed me a grin, grabbed her towel and ran to the water's edge.
I followed her into the water gingerly. I didn't believe her reassurances that the water would be warm. In fact, she was right - and wrong. The water was quite comfortable, but as hot as we'd gotten from the ride, we hadn't realized how cool the air still was. We were warm enough swimming hard, but shivering if we stopped to play around, and our limbs wanted relaxation, not more exercise, so we called it quits after about fifteen minutes.
Toweling off, we headed back to our private clearing. I picked up the extra blanket as we sat. I wrapped it around us both. "I'll warm you up," I said.
"Good," she replied, and we snuggled,
Not long after we'd started dating, Courtney had come over to my house while my parents were out. We'd kissed on the couch, and when things got a lot more intense than we were used to, I unsnapped her bra and fondled her breasts. She didn't object - far from it, she seemed to be getting into it as much as was. But when I tried to undress her further, she stopped me, and pulled away.
I'd tried to apologize. "It's fine," she'd said. "That felt really good."
"So why stop?" I'd asked, petulantly.
"Because... it felt good enough to make me scared," she'd said. "I guess... I'm not ready to feel that way. Not yet."
"Tell me when you are?" I'd asked.
"I will," she'd said, and kissed me gently on the lips as she fastened her bra.
I'd wished on more than one occasion since then that I hadn't made that request. Because I felt constrained to wait for her, when maybe if I'd just been free to try a little romantic exploration, she'd have responded favorably.
As now, when I had my bikini-clad girlfriend lying along my body, and all I could do was stroke the small of her back and chase her tongue with mine. Which was all wonderful, but if things had been different...
Courtney rested her head on my shoulder. "I've got to get this top off," she said.
"I was just thinking the same," I said, truthfully.
She turned her head to glare at me, but the corners of her mouth twisted up. "I'm sure you were," she retorted, "but likely not for the same reason. I haven't worn this swimsuit in a while. I think it shrank."
Sitting, she pulled the tee shirt over her head. "Since it's what you want, you can help me out of it," she said.
I fiddled with the snaps until I had it unfastened, then helped her get the straps over her arms as she held the garment against her. Once she was freed, I ran my fingers over her unencumbered back, then under her arms, nuzzling her neck. Grinning and pushing me away, Courtney lowered her tee shirt down and pulled the top free.
She didn't lie down again. We got a couple of soft drinks and talked about nothing in particular. Certainly not about her move.
That had been hanging over our heads for most of our relationship. Before the summer vacation had started, her father had been laid off from his work. He'd taken some weeks to find another job, and the new one was out of state. He was there already, while Courtney's mom had made arrangements to sell the house. Courtney and her mother were leaving midweek, giving her just a few days to settle in before school.
We'd talked about staying in touch; finding cheap long-distance, email, possible trips during vacations - but neither of our families had a lot of money to spare, and it wouldn't be easy. Still, I'd sworn to find a way to see her whenever I could.
Ever the realist, Courtney had pointed out that we had two years of school and probably another four of college ahead of us. She didn't want me to make promises I couldn't expect to keep. For her part - she wouldn't make any commitment. But as her time grew short, she spent as much of it with me as she could, and I was glad.
The morning had turned quite warm when Courtney opened up the food. She'd brought sandwiches, a fruit salad, and cold roast chicken - all of which, she pointed out, she'd made herself. Nothing from the store. It all tasted as good as it looked, and it was hard leaving some to eat before the ride home.
After I'd packed away the trash, we went for a walk in the sparse woods. That wasn't much more successful than the early swim, because it's hard to navigate through brush with your arm around a girl. So we went back to our blanket to cuddle some more.
Of course, holding a girl in a loose-fitting tee shirt is no less arousing than a swimsuit-clad girl, when you know that there's nothing under the shirt, and you could just slide your hands up her side... and Courtney's attentions weren't calming. She rolled me onto my back, lay down on top of me, trapping my arms under her elbows, and brushed her lips over my eyes and cheek, touching my lips, but not letting me close them on hers.
When she relaxed against me, nuzzling my neck, I freed my arms and caressed her back. She nibbled my earlobe and purred into my ear, making me shiver. I stroked her butt and her back, moving higher under her tee shirt with each stroke, eventually reaching her shoulder blades. Beyond that... I was nervous. I didn't want to screw this up by upsetting her.
I turned my face to hers. This time she let me join my lips to hers. For a moment, then she pulled back. "You're all sandy."
I chuckled. "I noticed," I responded. "Your hair is sandy. I got some in my eyes, too."
She wiped sand from my face with her finger, then kissed me again. This time I broke away. "We could rinse off in the lake," I said. "It should be warm enough now."
Courtney frowned. "My top was uncomfortable enough when it was dry. Now it will be wet and sandy."
"You could swim like this," I suggested.
"I guess," she agreed, "or... okay."
She rolled off me, and stood. We shook the sand off the blanket and replaced it carefully, then took our towels down to the water's edge. "Turn your back," she instructed, and I did so, puzzled. I heard splashing as she entered the water, then "Okay, you can come in."
Behind me were her towel and tee shirt, while Courtney was out deep enough that only her head was above the water.
Oh. God.
I waded out to join her. The water wasn't as deep where she was as I'd thought; she must be kneeling or sitting.
"Is that a good idea?" I asked, though I wasn't sure if I meant for her sake, being in sight of passing boats, or for mine.
"In this water? Who's going to see anything?" she said. Then she pushed forward and swam deeper.
Courtney did well at keeping her body submerged. Of course, my eyes were constantly drawn to any possible slip-up. To compensate I found myself staring intently at her face. She must have understood my quandary, because her expression was amused.
"Are you avoiding me?" she called, throwing water in my direction.
"Only the splashing," I lied.
"Okay, I've stopped," she said, lifting her arms to demonstrate, her neck bouncing dangerously far out of the water. "Come on."
She was kneeling again, and when I reached her I towered over her.
"Down," she said, "unless you want me to kiss your bellybutton." She poked my stomach in illustration, and I squatted down to join her.
"Closer," she insisted. "You can move more easily than me."
Raising a finger to my chin, she drew my face to hers. "Mmm," she said a moment later, "not sandy now," and parted her lips as they met mine.
She lifted her hands to my shoulders, then around my neck, holding my face to hers. I managed to get my hands around to her back without incident. Under water it wasn't really possible to caress her skin, but I kneaded with my fingers, and felt her shuffle closer as I held her.
As her body touched mine underwater, I pulled her still closer. I couldn't see anything below her shoulders, and the water suppressed any real sensation of her skin against mine. I couldn't feel her breasts against my chest even as much as when she was wearing her tee shirt, but just knowing that her bare chest was pressed against mine...
Moving my hands down to her ass, I squeezed her more tightly to me, straightening slightly. Courtney lifted herself higher, sighing once as she worked her mouth against mine. Her breasts reached the surface of the water, making tantalizing shades in the murk.
Her eyes were closed as she rocked her face against mine, but she must have felt the waterline moving against her chest as she moved against me. She sighed again as I pressed my tongue to hers, her nipples surfacing as she floated higher.
Relaxing again, I released her butt, though her grip on my neck didn't let her sink far. I walked my fingers up her back, over her ribs, and was just about to move them forward, when Courtney pulled back. "Let's get out," she said.
"Okay," I agreed, not sure if I'd gone too far.
We swam in close to shore. She didn't tell me not to look as she stood, but I turned to sit in the water and look out over the lake while I heard her toweling herself dry. Then, "Come on," she said, and I left the lake. Courtney had wrapped her towel around her chest, looping it into a knot. She picked up her tee shirt and threw me my towel.
Drying off, I followed her back to the clearing. There, she dropped her tee shirt, then picked up the second blanket and spread it out as she lay down, covering herself with it. A moment later she drew the towel out from under the blanket, rolled it up and rested her head on it, looking up at me.
"So, where were we?" she asked, quietly.
My swimsuit was tight, wet and cold. This was a Good Thing, because it kept my erection in check. As it was, I was in some discomfort as I lay down beside her - on top of the blankets, not daring to venture between... yet. Though her invitation was clear.
"Right about here, I think," I said, moving my lips to hers.
We shared a gentle kiss as I caressed her neck and upper back, drawing my fingers over her smooth skin. Her arms around my neck didn't dislodge the blanket, but didn't hold it in place, either. I was careful to avoid moving it too far as I held her more tightly to me.
Courtney responded by moving closer, her thighs pressed to mine, her chest against my ribs. Her jaw worked deliberately against mine, and my heart was thumping when she moved her face to the side. "This is nice," she whispered.
"Uh-huh," I agreed, before rolling away from her far enough to lift the covering blanket and slide under it.
Snuggling close again, I stroked her waist, then drew her to me. Her arms slipped around me as her body nestled against mine. Her eyes bored into mine as my hand moved up her side, over her ribs, to the edge of her breast.
Courtney moved her face close to mine and touched her tongue to my lips. As my thumb explored the line of her breast, she pressed her mouth to mine. I spread my fingers out over her boob and squeezed as our tongues met.
The intensity of our kiss grew, and I squeezed harder. That seemed to make Courtney respond even more. I felt her nipple hardening between my fingers, and she sighed, then ran her fingers over my cheek.
Still kneading her breast, I drew my face from hers and caught her fingers between my lips, sucking them and playing my tongue over them. Then I lowered my face to kiss her neck, and on down, over her collarbone to her nipple.
The sight of her smooth breast and swollen pink nipple so close to my face made my swimsuit even less comfortable. Courtney stroked my head as I sucked on her boob, then moved slightly, so I could get to the other. I alternated kissing and fondling each breast, hearing Courtney's breathing get heavier as I worked.
I ran my hand down her side, and over the back of her swimsuit bottoms, squeezing her ass. She pressed her thighs against me and breathed deeply, then took my face between her hands and lifted it back to hers.
Courtney's excitement was clear as we kissed, and she sighed as I resumed kneading her breasts. Her fingers roamed my chest and belly. Prompted to do the same, I ran my fingertips down to her belly. She pulled back slightly to give me room to explore.
She jumped as I ran my fingernail close to the line of her swimsuit, but it seemed to be turning her on, and I kept it up for a time before moving my hand back to her boob.
I moved my lips to her ear. Courtney shivered as I breathed, and as I lowered my head she moved so that her breast was to my lips. I kissed it, drawing my fingernails over her belly again, making her gasp. Then I trailed my fingers lower, over the front of her swimsuit, and though I felt her tense for a moment, she soon relaxed, rolling further onto her back.
Sliding my fingers down, I gripped her, pressing my palm against the front of her swimsuit and squeezing in a slow rhythm. Courtney's thighs tautened against me, and soon she was rocking them slightly against my palm.
Releasing her breast, I sucked her fingertips as I slipped my hand up, then back down inside her swimsuit. I could feel her pussy against my palm, and moist flesh where my fingers touched her sex.
Courtney wasn't moving against me anymore, she was as still as a rock, but she hadn't pushed me away. She twitched as I moved my fingers against the pliant center. I looked into her eyes, finding an indecisive, slightly nervous expression, but I could feel her becoming wetter as I worked. A moment later, she stopped biting her lip and took a shuddering breath.
I covered her parted lips with mine, and as our kiss became confident, I felt her thighs tensing against my hand slightly.
I tried to get my finger inside her, but her swimsuit was too tight. I gave up and just focused on finding what movements most turned her on. From her low sighs and the rocking of her hips, I figured I was doing okay.
After a time, that didn't seem enough. Courtney was pushing her pelvis harder against me, and her kiss was demanding more. So I broke away from her and took hold of her swimsuit with both hands. She lifted her hips to let me pull it down. Naked, she rolled onto her back and parted her legs as I slipped my hand between them.
Her expression was soft, now. Tender. "Tyler?" she whispered.
"Uh-huh," I responded, hoping she wasn't going to ask me to stop.
"Remember when I wasn't ready to... have those feelings?"
"Uh-huh," I said, again. "You think you're ready now?"
She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. But I'm enjoying them anyway."
"So am I," I agreed, as I slipped my finger inside her.
I didn't know what I was doing, but it was easy to figure what felt good to Courtney as I played around. I found the small nub that made her gasp, and worked around it. Her hips moved firmly now, pressing against my hand. and low moans of pleasure came from her lips.
Rubbing my nose against her right nipple, I tongued her breast, then drew the nipple between my lips and sucked gently. I felt her body shiver, and sucked harder. Her legs tightened around my hand. I sucked her breast father in, rubbing it with my tongue, and she moaned.
Finding the nub of her sex, I pressed against it, scrubbing with my finger. Her thighs twisted, and her back arched. "Mmmm..." she cried out. Then, louder, "Wait! Uhhh..."
I stopped rubbing. Her body seemed to have stiffened. "Wait," she gasped again. "Uhhh... Uhhh...." My finger was still pressed to the pleasure spot, my tongue against her nipple, though I stopped sucking. Her breathing slowed, her thighs relaxed a little, and she lowered her back to the ground.
But she kept groaning, and I felt her legs shiver. Then they squeezed my wrist again. "Unhhhh!" she moaned. "Ohhhh... God...." Her back arched again, sharply. "It's too late. Uhhh... please don't stop."
I scrubbed her nipple with my tongue and her sex with my finger. "Ahhh!" she yelped. "Ohhhh! Ohhhhhh! Ohhhhhhhh! OHHHHHH!"
She collapsed onto her back, her whole body shaking. Her legs tightened spasmodically against my hands. I glanced up at her face. It was damp with a sheen of sweat, and her eyes were closed.
"Mmmmmhhh!" she groaned. "Mmmmmhhh! Mmmmmmmmm!"
Still gently stroking her sex, I released her swollen nipple, and lay beside her quivering body. "Why did you want me to stop?" I asked, as she recovered her breath.
"I wanted you to share," she said, her breath still catching.
"I was," I argued. "Do you think I'm not enjoying this?"
"Not as much as you could be," she said, pushing my hand out of her as she sat. Then, with some effort, she stood, and walked over to her bike. I watched her boobs shake as she moved.
She threw me a small brown bag, and came back to the blanket to sit beside me. Inside the bag was s box of condoms.
"You planned this?" I asked.
"No," she objected. "I didn't. I hope... I just thought it might..." She shrugged. "Look... I just want for us to have sex. Can we argue about it later?" Her nervousness was making her defensive.
I kissed her arm. "No need to argue, Courtney, now or later," I said. "I want it too. You know I do."
She nodded, mollified, and lay down.
Courtney kissed my nipples, then trailed her fingers down, over my straining cock. She tugged at my swimsuit, and after a good deal of effort - and some pain, on my part - she had freed me.
Then she laughed.
My stomach lurched, and my erection immediately started to fade. She must have seen the dismay on my face, because she was immediately contrite.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't meaning... erm... I was just thinking..." her face had turned cherry red, "how the hell did that fit in there? And then... did you ever see that movie, Mary Poppins? When she takes all those things out of her bag, that could never have fit? It came to mind, and it was just the wrong thing to think of..."
Understanding now, I chuckled, and she finished pulling off my swimsuit and lay back down beside me. Her face was still flushed as she touched my cock with her fingertips, which recovered its stiffness in short order.
"So," she said, "how did it fit?"
"Well, it wasn't very comfortable," I said, "and I wouldn't be able to get those back on."
"Good," she said, squeezing me. "I don't want you to try."
Opening the box, I took out a packet. Courtney took it from me, unwrapped the condom, then unrolled it onto me. Then she rolled over onto her back and opened her arms to me.
I lowered myself onto her, and kissed her. Then I felt her fingers take my erection, and she wriggled as she tried to guide it inside her. I lifted my hips to help her get me positioned, and felt her body against he head of my cock. I couldn't quite make myself believe we were doing this.
Then the sense of her body moved up my shaft slightly, softness surrounding the tip. I pushed.
"Owww," yelped Courtney. "Gently."
She made me back out slightly, then in, slightly further each time. Occasionally she grunted in pain. When I was mostly in, she relaxed. "Just wait a moment," she said, "I think I'll be ready soon."
"Are you hurting?" I asked.
"No, just... tight," she said. "I didn't know it was this awkward."
I moved my hips slightly, rocking against her without pushing. After a time, I began to feel that my movements were getting easier. My cock was sliding more smoothly out, its travel more lubricated. I still didn't enter her further, though.
Courtney's hips started to move, too, in sync with mine. I was definitely moving more freely inside her. She pressed her lips to my chest, sucking my nipples as we moved. Then she grunted as I felt her hips press tightly to mine. I stopped moving, letting her take me at her own speed, feeling my cock sink more deeply inside her.
With a little more effort on her part, I felt her body press tightly to mine. I was completely inside her now, and she lay back.
"There we go," she whispered.
"Does it feel okay?" I asked.
"Mmm," she said, smiling up at me. I felt her hips start to move slowly. "I don't think okay is the right word."
I joined in the rhythm she'd set up, moving gently. Already I could feel a tingling growing in my belly. My cock was completely surrounded by warm softness, and as we moved it felt stimulated over its whole length. Each wave of arousal was stronger than the last.
Relaxing, I rested more weight on Courtney, so that I could get my hands on her boobs. As I did, she leaned her face up to mine, and our lips met. I felt her shudder as my questing tongue met hers, and the excitement in my belly became an urgent demand. She moaned as my movements became stronger, and matched them with her own.
I had to release her lips to breathe as my need took over me. I squeezed her breasts hard, feeling the change beginning in my groin, losing control of my arousal. Fire poured into my cock, and I groaned as it became first an unbearable, exciting tension, and then the thrill of delicious release, spurting fiercely inside her.
Courtney must have sensed me reaching climax. "Don't stop," she panted, thrusting her hips faster against mine. I matched her movements, pressing strongly against her.
Then, "Uhh... uhh... uhh," she gasped, "uhh... Ahhh! OHHH!!!!" Her body shook as she came. She stopped moving, her legs stiff. I pushed my cock as deep into her as I could. "Mmmmm!" she sighed, then started moving again, slowly, her sex twitching around me.
As the day progressed we made love again, and yet again, and it was with a huge sense of regret that I finally packed my panniers to leave.
We rode home slowly, wearily, in silence, our energy spent on each other. Following her, I felt the familiar twang of desire as I watched her muscles working, both more excited and more content with the feeling, now that I knew what we could be to each other.
And there, between rows of trees turning an early ochre in the late summer drought, I came to understand what Courtney had done.
She hadn't given us this day to be our first time as lovers, but our last. She knew what I'd refused to accept - that as young as we were, with separation in years and miles before us, that our time together was drawing to a close. She'd given me - we'd given each other - the one thing we could never give again.
Our love made perfect in one brief moment, never needing to fade, though our paths would ever be separate.
When we arrived at her house, I rested my bike against her garage wall and put my arms around her. Her face was flushed and her eyes glistened.
"Courtney," I said, "I... I think I understand. But I still think we can..."
"Shhh," she whispered, putting her finger to my lips. "Not today." She hugged me tightly for a while, then, "You need to go now," she said.
"Do I?"
I felt her nod. "Uh-huh," she said softly, and her breath caught as she added, "I don't want you to see me cry."
So I returned her embrace a moment longer, then mounted my bike and left for home. Away from the lake, the sand, the sunlight through the trees. Away from Courtney and my first taste of love; as our time waned to golden memory, as our summer faded slowly into fall.