Beep beep. Beep beep.

Teagan opened her eyes. She glanced at the clock: 5:00 a.m. already.

She glanced over at Aaron, who lay on his stomach with his arm slung over his pillow, impervious to her alarm. She got up and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. In Aaron’s clean glass shower, she gave herself the thorough scrubbing she’d never quite managed at the campground. She kept it short, dried off, and combed through her freshly washed hair. In the reflection, she spotted her aspen tree tattoo with its orangey fall leaves.

She heard a voice in the other room and realized it was Aaron talking to Patton. It was time. Time for her to get going before somebody did something to ruin a perfect night. She searched for her body lotion, hoping to hydrate her desert-dry skin. Then, a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she said, opening the bottle and squeezing the lotion into her hand. She didn’t worry too much about covering up her nakedness. The jig was up; he’d seen pretty much every last bit of her.

The door opened and Aaron stood there in his boxer briefs. She smiled at him as she slathered her lavender lotion on her legs. Aaron paused, watching her for a few moments before he finally spoke. “I… made coffee. Is there anything you want for breakfast? I’ve got cereal, eggs… not much else…”

Teagan finished with her lotion and found her towel, wrapping it around herself. She noticed that he was hard, his briefs unable to hide his arousal. She wanted to stare, to drink it all in, knowing it was the last time she would see it. But she averted her eyes. It was the next morning. He needed to get to work, and she needed to get home.

What did he ask her? She couldn’t remember.

Aaron leaned against the threshold. “I liked it better the other way.”

“Which way?” she said, unsure what he meant.

“Without the towel.”

Teagan smiled. And for reasons she couldn’t account for, she tossed the towel aside and faced him, as if daring him to stare at her some more.

He did, his eyes slowly raking over her. “Much better.”

Teagan stood there, lotion forgotten, towel forgotten, everything forgotten but the sight of him standing in that doorway, eyeing her like he wanted to taste her all over again. He approached her, his eyes steely and his smile nowhere to be found, until they stood half an inch from one another and she could feel his body heat. He put his hands on either side of her, gliding them up to her breasts, where his thumbs slid over her hard nipples. Down one hand went, right between her thighs, stroking her wetness. She gasped and closed her eyes, clutching him for balance as he slid two fingers inside her. She let out a little moan as he fingered her gently, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that took her breath away.

He continued to stroke her, their hot breath mingling together as their breathing became more rapid. Needing to feel him and have her hands on him, she slid her hand down the front of his briefs and stroked him.

Before she could get much further, Aaron pulled his lips from hers and his fingers slid out of her. He lifted her onto his vanity, spreading her legs wide. Teagan grabbed him and pulled him closer, her hands reaching into his briefs until she grabbed his behind and let his hardness meld against the soaked area between her legs. He groaned, crushing his lips to hers again as he grinded against her.

Suddenly, he pulled away again. “Stay here,” he ordered.

Yes, sir.

Teagan waited as Aaron left, quickly returning without briefs and another condom, which he put on quickly. He stared at her for a moment, his steely blues boring into hers, as if preparing her for what was coming. He spread her legs again, stroking her, watching as she opened for him. Then he pushed inside her.

Teagan let out a breath of approval as he filled her up once more. She wrapped her legs around him, letting him deliver another dose of him, and then another. She smiled again at how great he felt, and then opened her eyes and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his jaw set with determination, as if working to control himself. When he opened his eyes, his pupils were gigantic and his eyes almost wild, and he grabbed her legs and pulled them up and over his arms. Teagan leaned back on her hands as Aaron’s thrusts got harder and more rapid.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Just like that.”

She surrendered to it, uttering tiny cries of pleasure until she could stand it no longer and it all blew up, her head falling back and her body losing control as Aaron kept her stable on the vanity. She cried out again, loudly this time, unaware of anything but how great he felt. Aaron cursed and gave one final thrust, his hands gripping her legs so hard that she thought they might bruise. He froze, letting his release go.

When Aaron finally lightened his grip on her, one of Teagan’s legs began to fall. He caught it, and they went still for one last moment of shared pleasure before Aaron pulled out. She pushed herself upright again as Aaron lowered her legs.

“Jesus,” she muttered. She felt like a pile of mush as she held onto the edge of the vanity, her mind still swirling with starry pleasure.

Aaron chuckled. “You alright?”

“I will be. I’ll be right out.”

Aaron took his cue and left, closing the door behind him. Teagan stepped off the vanity, her legs rubbery. When had a guy ever made her feel like that? Um… never.

She got cleaned up and dressed in a knit racerback t-shirt dress, ideal for driving long distances. She found her underwear and t-shirt from the previous night near her things; Aaron must have picked them up for her. She packed them away with her toiletries and zipped up her duffle bag. She glanced at her watch. 5:35. Time to go.

Aaron sat at his kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee. He’d put on a pair of shorts and set out three boxes of cereal. Teagan hauled her duffle bag out to her truck, the first light already in the morning sky. She grabbed her portable coffee cup from the console. Back inside, she poured herself some of the fresh brew, lightening it up with a little cream before taking a sip.

“Mmm,” she said. “Good coffee.”

“Breakfast?”

“No, thank you. I need to get on the road.”

Aaron nodded. “Will you do the whole drive in one day?”

“Probably. If I get too tired, I’ll stop off near Santa Fe, where it’s cooler. Are you on duty soon?”

“At seven.”

“Then I won’t keep you.” She smiled. “Thank you, for everything.”

He stood. “I’ll walk you out…”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re fine.”

Teagan walked over to Patton, who stood excitedly near the front door, hoping her leaving meant he too got to go outside. She kneeled down and scratched him behind the ears. “Bye, Patton!”

She stood and picked up her purse, looking at Aaron again, who stood with his coffee and his blue-gray eyes and his bare chest. She smiled again, giving him a wave. “I’ll see you.”

And Teagan left.