Data…

From the treeline, I saw her ride up and watched her stop; the awe at what I’d done to our tree was naked on her face. She approached cautiously, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. She looked for me, but Trigger had helped me with where to hide and if ever there were an expert at hiding, it was the trained military sniper of our outfit.

She dropped the bike in the grass and went for the card, and when she had it open, I made my move, slipping out of the tree line and making my way around. She whirled when I made some intentional noise, the tall grass rustling against my pant leg.

Her face was a study in both beauty and raw emotion. Her eyes filling with memory and hope. I smiled and held open my arms and she rushed to me, tucking herself tight into my body. She held me tight and I put my arms around her and sighed.

“You nut,” she declared. “I love you so hard!”

“I love you, too, baby.”

I took a step back and sank down onto the blanket, tugging her down next to me. She sat and stared up into the lights in our tree and said softly, “I didn’t think it would still be here, you know?”

It almost wasn’t. The property had sold, the house had been torn down, and the tree had a fluttering ribbon around it. I’d google-searched some shit and found out it had been marked to be cut down. I couldn’t let that happen, only this time, I didn’t use my techno-mojo. I’d done it the old-fashioned way. I’d bought this place. She didn’t need to know that, though.

She looked over at me and her look softened, all trace of sadness gone, and I felt the weight of worry lift off of my heart.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured and I shook my head.

“You’re beautiful.”

I leaned in and did what I should have all of those times we’d been out here as teens. I kissed her. Softly, gently, tasting and asking her. Asking for permission, for her to stay with me, to make a life with me here.

She pushed me back onto the blanket and threw a leg over my hips, grinding her body against mine, her mouth growing insistent. The kiss grew wild, emphatic, and I smoothed my hands along her thighs even as her hands drifted from my chest, down my body.

She sat up and fumbled at my belt and I laughed, digging into a pocket and pulling out a condom.

“You know me so well!” she exclaimed in a low, sultry purr.

She had me free, stroking me up and down. It had me gasping for breath and I tore open the condom with my teeth, fumbling it between my fingers just like an awkward teen with my eagerness. I rolled it on myself and Mali rose up on her knees, moved her panties aside, and sank down onto me.

She wasn’t quite ready, so we had to work at it, fight for every inch, but it was a good fight and, like anything we’d faced in this life, we won. She rocked her hips with me all the way in and I gasped.

“Take your pleasure, baby. I wanna watch you.”

She was an angel, haloed in the light from the flickering stars and lamp lights. She rocked slow and steady, taking her time, making love to me and I caressed her hips over her sexy-as-hell little punk girl school skirt.

Her nipples pebbled under her thin, faded black tee, and I could barely glimpse the glimmer of the piercings through the fabric. Not something you would even see unless you were looking for it.

“Oh yeah,” I moaned as she raised up and her hot, wet cunt stroked me, grasping with even and controlled muscle movements on her part.

She threw back her head, her long hair loose and wild, flowing down her back. She’d dyed the ends black last week, so it was back to normal, and as much as I’d enjoyed the colors, I enjoyed her being wholly her and natural more.

A bright light flicked on, blinding us, and Mali raised her hand to shield her eyes, exclaiming, “Shit!”

“What’re y’all doin’ out here tonight, huh?”

Fucking cops…

“Enjoying the evening, officer,” I said, keeping my hands up, palms flat so he could see them. He moved the light out of my eyes and back into Mali’s. She put her hands up and bowed her head.

“Stand up,” he ordered her and she sighed out “I can’t, he’s inside of me.”

“I’m just going to put myself away,” I said, and the cop’s light shot to my face, then my hands which I was, painfully slowly, moving towards Mali’s skirt.

“Stop right there! I don’t know if you have a weapon. Now I’m going to ask you a few questions.”

“Okay.” Mali and I both froze.

“Do you know whose property you’re on?” he demanded.

“Yes,” I answered evenly.

“Oh, yeah?” he said, like he didn’t believe me, “Whose is that, now?”

“Mine,” I said evenly. “If you come around to our other side, my wallet and the deed to this property are in the picnic basket, along the side. “

Mali’s eyes fixed on mine and she asked levelly, “Yours?”

“They were going to cut down our tree, I couldn’t let that happen, so I bought it,” I said with a shrug. Right now, I was more interested in getting this cop to put away the gun he had pointed at us.

He flipped open the basket, and the gun still trained on us, which we sure as hell weren’t moving, he shone his light down inside.

Wine, cheese, crackers, some fruit, and the wallet and deed should be in there. He came up with the wallet and opened up, squinting. Then he unfolded the paperwork. He looked from it to us, and demanded, “What’re you doing out here, exactly?”

“Romantic picnic?” Mali said, and I’d definitely grown soft.

“Sounds like you’re asking, not telling me.”

“She didn’t know what the plan was. I did a scavenger hunt… can I put myself away, now?”

“I don’t know if you have a weapon.”

“Oh for fuck's sake,” Mali said, and lifted her tiny scrap of skirt. We were pretty much hidden by our bodies being joined but the cop could clearly see there was no gun. She dropped the skirt and he nodded.

“All right now, you have to understand it’s dangerous for me –“

“We get it”, she snapped and lifted herself up onto her knees. I tucked my hands beneath her skirt and got everything buttoned up. She waited and I patted her thigh.

“I’m standing up.” She did so and I followed her.

The cop asked a bunch of questions and blustered a minute about indecent exposure. I rolled my eyes and asked, “At one-thirty in the morning on a Tuesday morning? Would you have even known we were here if it hadn’t been for the lights?”

“Look, we weren’t doing anything wrong and we’re on his property.” Mali added when the silence stretched on too long.

“Right, um…”

“Just call in the all-clear, and we’ll clear out.” I said.

He cleared his throat, blushing hotly and asked, “Anything I can do to help? Uh, any place I can call a cab and have them take you?”

Mali looked me right in the eye and said, “No, officer, we’re fine. We’re home…”

I smiled, and peace settled over me and in my heart. She was right. We were home, and I was never letting her out of my sight again.