Chapter Thirty

Trig

After a lot of going back and forth, I manage to convince Maggie to enroll in summer school. It’s no trouble to pay for classes, I tell her, but I can tell it bothers her. She insists on paying me back when she graduates.

When the bill comes, they’ve knocked seventy-five percent off and I honestly thought she might start crying when she tells me. Her advisor says Mr. Hendricks lined up a bunch of grants from local businesses. They had to be used up by fall so the school allowed them to go towards her tuition.

A few days before her classes start, the boys finish their school year. Every year, the boys come to my house for a camp out to celebrate the beginning of summer. I make hamburgers and they sleep in tents. The tents aren’t set up outside. We tried that once and Thomas had a melt-down. The past couple of years I set the tents up in the basement.

It’s pretend-camping. The best kind.

This year, Maggie’s here to help. The two of us make hamburgers together and we eat outside. After, we go fish in the pond for a half-hour before sun set. Everything’s muddy from the rains and the creeks moving fast. The boys have muddy boots, but they’re happy and Maggie looks like she is too.

I go downstairs with all the stuff we need for s’mores. The boys sit around the fireplace while Maggie sits cross-legged on the bed I’ve set out for myself, telling them a scary story. Not too scary, but scary enough to keep their attention firmly on her.

Which is right were my attention is, too. Her hair hangs loose. She wears no make-up. Her shorts and t-shirt show off her slim, toned body. I love seeing her here. Relaxed. Smiling.

We make s’mores and while the boys polish off the last of them, Thomas makes an announcement. “Maggie’s sleeping down here, too.”

“There’s no room for her,” I say. “Sorry Maggie.”

Thomas looks crest-fallen. “She said yes.”

She gestures to my bed, a king-sized air mattress I bought two years ago, especially for this little party. For the boys, it’s all about sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag. I have two tents for the four of them. I’m not interested in a sleeping bag. I’m interested in comfort.

“No girls allowed,” I tell him.

Maggie smiles. “That’s okay. I can sleep in my own bed.”

“Aw, c’mon, Uncle Trig,” Thomas wails.

“Yeah, that bed’s big enough for two,” Seth argues. “She’s not even that big.”

Maggie blushes and shrugs. “This wasn’t my idea.”

All four boys look at me, pleading silently.

I didn’t see this coming, but if I don’t agree, I’ll look like the bad guy here.

“Maggie says she’s never been camping before.”

I scrub a hand over my face. This isn’t actual camping, I’d like to point out.

“She can stay for a little while,” I tell them. “Go get into your pajamas and brush your teeth.”

Maggie’s the first one to respond. She pops up off the bed. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

The boys run after her and I’m left alone in the basement, next to the fireplace. Shit. For months, I’ve ached to hold her in my arms. I’ve kept away from her, fought my need every minute of every day. Now she’s going to lie next to me on a camping mattress with four little boys a few feet away.

Great.

Upstairs, I pass Maggie in the hallway and try to keep my gaze from drifting down the front of her. Her eyes glint with amusement. She doesn’t look like a woman who’d be traumatized by my touch. I’m sure I saw a hint of challenge there. A look I’ve never seen before. It only takes an instant to ignite primitive lust inside me.

She heads back down with the boys. I change into a pair of sweat-pants and t-shirt and follow.

The boys are already in their tents, the zipper zipped. Beams of flashlights zoom around wildly until the boys get settled with books. If things go like they have in the past, they’ll read a while and then snap off their flashlights and go to sleep.

Maggie’s on the far side of the bed, lying under the blanket and illuminated by the dying fire. I know the boys are only a few feet away, but all I want to do is yank her into my arms. I drop my weight down to one knee. The impact of my weight makes her bounce and she almost falls out. She turns and gives me a how-could-you look.

Lying down in the middle of the bed, I sink a few inches and slowly she slips down towards the dip. I hear her gasp and she tries to keep from sliding down towards me. She grips the edge but it’s no use, gravity pulls her down.

My self-control crumbles and I gather her in my arms. She laughs softly as her body sinks against mine.

“We shouldn’t do this,” I whisper.

“I think we should.”

Her lips brush my neck and that’s all I can take. My restraint falls away. I lift onto my elbow, press her back and kiss her lips. A shudder rolls down my body. Blood burns along my veins. My whole body is instantly hard. She responds with the smallest moan, parting her lips when I brush my tongue against her lips.

I’ve wanted this for so long. Having her in my arms feels unreal, like a dream.

She runs her fingers along my back, her touch softly exploring my shoulders. I’d always worried she’d be fearful or that I’d stir up some old trauma, but she seems as eager for my touch as God knows I am for hers.

Still, I take it slowly. I’d love to tear that scrap of a nightie off her and have her naked, but won’t show her that side of myself the first time I give her a real kiss. Good thing the boys are right here. I won’t let anything progress with them a few feet away.

Angling to deepen the kiss, I lace my fingers through hers. I stroke my tongue past her lips. She’s sweet. Her kiss is perfect. Every nerve in my body is aware of her, feeling for any sign of retreat, but she welcomes me. She presses against my cock. Tentative, but not shy. I want her so badly. I’m almost grateful the boys are a few feet away. They’re helping me tap the brakes and keep from taking what I want.

“I never imagined the first time we’d make out it would be on an air mattress,” she whispers.

“Pretty sexy, huh?”

“Mmm… I think I like camping.”

I kiss her neck, drawing a deep breath to inhale her sweet scent. When she writhes, it’s easy to let her slip further into the dip running down the middle of the air mattress. Soon she’s beneath me. I’d like to scoop her up and carry her to my bed, instead of kissing her here in this damn camp bed.

The sound of the zipper stops me and I tug her beside me. Thomas emerges from his tent.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Go on, then,” I say.

My voice sounds rough and when he’s gone I groan with discomfort. My cock’s eager for more than just a make-out session. I can’t believe I have Maggie in my arms but it’s not enough. She settles next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

Thomas takes forever. I consider getting up to check on him but don’t want to leave her. I hear him upstairs, his footsteps heading into the kitchen, probably looking for more marshmallows. The little rascal. Her breathing deepens. I can feel her sinking into sleep. Finally, Thomas returns. I put my finger to my lips and he shrugs and disappears into his tent.

For a long time, I lie awake. Her body feels perfect. I’m aching with need, but strangely, I feel content. Elated. She’s lying in my arms and welcomed my touch, my kiss, and that’s something that makes me happier than I’ve been in a long damn time.