Chapter Twenty-Nine
Aiden
The windows are open, and the wind blows through her hair. The Eagles are blaring, telling us to “Take It Easy.” We heed the advice and sing along. Her naked feet are propped on the dashboard, her toes colored in a fresh coat of pale pink. Damn, she’s flexible. I follow the lines of her long, long legs all the way to those cargo shorts. She’s looking out the window, staring as the scenery rushes past us.
The light streams around her, casting her in a brilliant glow. I am the farthest thing from a virgin, but Emma represents many firsts for me. The first time I held a girl after sex. The first time I’ve spent the night with a girl. The first time I’ve been comfortable in a bed for as long as I can remember.
Quit making me fall in love with you, Emma.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
She moves her long legs until they are on the floorboard. “The trees here are really beautiful, don’t you think?”
I shrug. “I haven’t really noticed.”
She turns toward me. “They’re so tall and the trunks are wide. A few of them are even curved. It reminds me of something.”
Shit.
My fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Maybe it’s the engine revving or road as it passes under us, but her stare is hungry. Fuck, it’s lusty. She bites her lower lip and twists a strand of hair around her finger.
I shake my head and focus on the road. In my peripheral vision, I watch as she uncaps a bottle of water, tilting her head back. She licks her lips, placing a hand on my knee. The edges of her lacy purple bra peek through her tank top. She inches her hand up.
“You wanna play, Kitten?”
She lifts her brow. “I’m up for a game.”
I take her hand and move it right over my dick. “Play with that.”
Her mouth drops open. I expect her to jerk her hand away and the pale pink blush to crawl over her chest. But instead, her fingers slide along the outline of my shaft. It only takes a few seconds before I’m a complete rock.
“Emma, don’t start a game you can’t finish.”
She purses her lips together. “Who says I can’t finish it?”
She unzips me. Her fingers go inside my boxers.
Oh fuck.
She strokes me, her thumb circling my tip. She unbuckles her seat belt and leans over. She takes my head into her mouth. I’m a man who can multitask with the best of them, but as all the blood in my body flows downward, I can feel my concentration slip. A trucker passes us blaring his horn. No doubt he got a nice eyeful.
“Get up, Emma. This is not the time.”
She straightens. I adjust myself and zip my jeans. “Put your seat belt on.”
“Sorry. You’re right.” She buckles herself back in.
I pull off the expressway. We go past the restaurants and gas stations lining the exit.
“Where are we going?”
“Thought you might want to get a closer look at the trees.” I pull off to the side of the road, where there is a wooded area.
She smiles, unbuckles herself and bends down again.
“Oh no, Emma. Not like this.”
“No?”
“Nuh-uh, we’re gonna play a game of tag. Guess what? You’re it.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I’ll even give you a head start.”
“I don’t need a head start.” She looks confused.
“I think you do.”
“Why?”
I bring my face close to hers. “’Cause I plan to chase you all across these fucking woods. Then when I catch you, I’m gonna fuck the hell out of you.”
She takes the rubber band from her wrist and binds up her hair. “You better run real fast, Aiden, ’cause I plan to sprint.” The challenge in her eyes surprises me, but before I can even respond, she darts out. I lock the car. I take a condom from my wallet, place it in my pocket, and take off after her.
I run through the woods, leaves rustling under me and branches snapping to announce my progress. I hear her somewhere in the distance, her laugh echoing, but she’s nowhere in sight. I scan the tree line until my heart pounds, but I can’t find her anywhere. Yet the laugh mocks me, turning me on and frustrating me at the same time. I circle back.
“Where the fuck are you, Emma?”
Our game of chase has turned into hide-and-seek. A leaf lands on my head. I call for her again. More leaves fall. I look up, and there is Emma staring down at me.
“I can’t believe you climbed a fucking tree.”
“Well, you’re faster than me so I had to find an advantage.”
She stands on a branch. I watch it jostle and my heart plunges. “Jesus, Cooper, what do you think we’re playing? The Hunger Games?”
She laughs, the branch shaking slightly, my heart pumping wildly.
“Did you watch the movie, Aiden?”
I have no idea what she’s talking about until I remember the reference. “I read the books. You should come down now.”
She smiles as if it’s normal for us to have a conversation while she’s fifteen feet off the ground. “Me, too. I loved them. It’s cool we have that in common.”
I sigh in frustration. “You know what else we have in common, Cooper? Gravity. Now get your ass down here.” I would climb up after her, but the branches look a little too spindly for my weight.
“Okay, keep your pants on, Sheffield.” Her grin turns wicked. “Or you can take them off and save me the trouble.”
I would laugh, but I’m not exactly in a joking mood. She shimmies down the tree like a monkey. She jumps off the lowest branch, landing directly in front of me.
“Hi.”
“Hi. You know you freaked me out, right?”
She pats my chest. “I’ve been climbing trees since I was a kid.”
“Still.”
She stares at me, assessing my sincerity. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t, but you really need to relax. It’s not as if I climbed the most dangerous mountain in the world or anything.”
I’m silent because she put me in my place and calmed me down at the same time. Before any response even comes into my head, she falls to her knees. “Now, since you didn’t take your pants off, I guess I’ll have to do it.”
She unbuttons my jeans and takes me in her mouth. Is this really happening? I’m used to being in control, even in this position, but Emma breaks down every fucking barrier. I grip a thick branch adjacent to my waist. I need something to balance me. The branch moves with my weight. Because her hair is up, I can see her pretty mouth work. She gags as she tries to take all of me. It sounds weird, but I like how she tries so hard to please me. I love what she’s doing for me. It feels fucking amazing, but I need more. God, I want to bury myself inside her and forget the world still exits.
When I pull out the condom, my hand is shaky, my body driven to a place where I no longer have directions. I hold it next to her.
“Emma, please, put this on me.”
She moans. She fucking moans with my dick in her mouth. The vibrations go up my spine through every damn cell in my body.
“Now, Emma. I want you.” I need you.
She finally takes the condom from me. She turns her face up, her eyes wild and lusty. I have to grip the branch even tighter when she rips the gold foil package between her teeth then takes the condom and slides it down my erection.
I grasp her shoulders and pull her up, then I unbutton her shorts. They fall to the ground. I lift her. Keeping a good grip on her, I place her on the branch. I can’t say I’m romantic and I whisper sweet things in her ears. I’m so fucking hungry for her that I fuck her without apology. She gasps at my entry. Her moans fill in the space between us and echo all around the woods.
The branch yields so that whenever I thrust, the tension brings her right back to me. I unbind her hair, letting it fall loose in silky waves. I twist it in my hand and pull it back. I bite her shoulder and neck. She screams my name, scratching my back so hard, I can feel it though my shirt. I rip her top when I pull it down. I bury my head against her breast, sucking her nipples with such force they will be sore. She arches her back, begging me for more. Her slender fingers fist in my hair. The sound that escapes me isn’t a moan or a grunt…it’s a fucking growl.
“Yes, Aiden. Fuck me, Aiden. Fuck me hard.”
This isn’t romantic. It’s not what Emma deserves, but it is who I am. I thank God she understands, which is odd for me in general but even stranger in this specific setting. But I say a silent prayer just the same because in her eyes I see no judgment, no fear, no reprimand. Only lust. I’m sure my face mirrors hers.
We lose ourselves. She starts to shake, signaling she is close, which is great because I can no longer dam up my own natural conclusion. It’s a tidal wave threatening to spill forth no matter how much I want to hold it back. The only thing stopping it is how badly I need to see Emma in that state of bliss, knowing it was me who got her there. As soon as she comes undone, I thrust once more. Hell, I fucking propel inside her, holding her close.
We stay in the position for a while, getting our breath under control. I help her down and we dress. She knots the ripped fabric of her shirt. She looks at me oddly when I wrap the condom in a leaf and take it with me.
“What? I don’t litter.”
She gives me a half smile. When we get back to the car, I throw the condom in a plastic bag. Reaching behind me, I unzip my duffle and pull out one of my shirts for her. She slips it over her torn shirt without protest. It’s huge on her, and really her bag is closer, but I love seeing her wear my shirts. We drive as if nothing happened. I pull over at the gas station flanking the freeway to throw away the condom and fetch us a few drinks. I top off the car since we’re here and squeegee the dead bugs from the windshield, looking at Emma through the window. She’s in deep thought and I wish I could peek inside her head.
When I get in, she thanks me for the water before taking a long swig.
“Emma?” I want to ask her if she’s okay. I know she didn’t ask me to stop in any way, but I was rough with her all the same. Now I just want to take her in my arms and hold her.
“Is today still the twenty-third?”
“Yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. She’s thinking about bus schedules again. I almost don’t want to ask, but my curiosity and fear won’t let it rest. “Why do you want to know?”
Her long exhale lifts a strand of her hair over her forehead. “I was pretty sure you fucked me into next week.”
Relief courses through me. I laugh and kiss the underside of her wrist. “I got carried away. Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah, never better.” She gives me a huge, satisfied smile, which I feel in my heart. “What about you?”
“Pretty fan-fucking-tastic, Cooper. You were right.”
“Right about what?”
“Trees are fucking amazing.”