Gidget tested the grass before she let her white jeans touch the park lawn. She kneeled, peering through the lens of her camera, where Butch stood as a placeholder against a tree trunk.
“Good. Now hang on.” She adjusted a few settings on the camera and tripod, and then lined it up again. Even better. She stood, gesturing for them to trade spots. “Now take as many pictures as you can.”
Gidget smoothed her hair into place and gave herself a final once-over before leaning against the tree. She had a sheer blue top on over cropped white jeans, part of her Final Hurrah to Labor Day post she had planned for her blog. If anything, she’d use this time in Shreveport to cultivate her brand and keep her followers engaged. She didn’t post where she was, she’d found the most generic tree she could, and she’d turned off the geolocating on her phone, just in case the Skulls got crafty and followed her on social media. But being a target didn’t mean she couldn’t look good and build her brand.
Butch smiled as he took snapshots of her, his smile widening with every new pose. She knew how to work the camera, it was basically her second nature. But showing off for Butch was a special thrill. She liked roping him into her Instagram plans and blogging adventures.
Being in a new city had provided for plenty of unexpected adventures. Butch was eager to show her parts of the city that he loved, and each new part he showed her inspired a new photo shoot. After two weeks in Shreveport, their to-do list was steadily growing.
“Okay. Now, pick up the camera and take shots however you feel like.”
Butch hesitated, rubbing his thumb over the bulky knob on top. “You sure?”
She nodded. This was her chance to see herself how Butch saw her. “Just try it. There’s no way to do it wrong.” She paused. “Unless you cover the lens with your hand.”
He pushed to standing, holding the camera like it was something that had fallen out of the sky. But after a moment he must have rallied internally, because he stepped closer, bringing the camera up to his face.
“Here we go.” He took a few snapshots, paused, and then a few more. He swung out wide, nearly tripping over a hidden root. The camera went click-click-click as she laughed.
Butch lowered the camera slowly, looking down at it. “That was cool.”
“First time taking pictures?”
He jerked his head into a nod, coming closer. She pressed herself against the tree, batting her eyes at him.
“Well you seem like a natural at it.” She grabbed her camera, scrolling through the pictures he’d just taken. One or two weren’t centered how she liked, and one was even blurry, but the rest were…magnificent. Especially when he’d caught her laughing.
“Wow.” She squinted at the small screen, zooming in. “Butch, this is great.”
He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
She smiled up at him, relishing the hot breeze making her top lift up a bit. “I might use this as my new profile picture.”
His eyes lit up, but he regained his cool a moment later. “Really?”
She nodded, studying it a moment longer. “Yeah. I’ll bring it up in my photo editor later and have a closer look, but it seems perfect to me.”
He nodded. “Good. Glad I can help.”
She stuffed the camera back in its case and swung the bag over her shoulder. “So. Where else are we off to today?”
Butch slung his arm over her shoulders, pulling her in tight. They’d been fucking and flirting and having fun for two weeks, but it felt like an eternity, like this was the most natural state she’d ever known. She’d thought holing up with someone in a tiny motel room would feel claustrophobic after only a few days. Especially with sharing the same bed. But she only wanted more of him. Was desperate for more of him, really.
“I got this one place you should see,” he said, his southern drawl more pronounced ever since they’d come to Shreveport. “It’s not too far.”
They wound down the path, past geese and tiny bridges crossing ponds, and headed for the bike. Dusk was approaching—Gidget had wanted to capitalize on the golden hours of the evening for today’s photo shoot—and the looming night air made her giddy.
“Let’s get on it.” She settled into place behind Buch on the bike, wrapping her arms around him. She sighed a little as she did. Would this feeling ever get old? It had only been a couple weeks but this thing with Butch, whatever it was, seemed like it had a long life-span ahead of it. Sure, it was fucked that they were hiding out and on the run, technically, but there was something deeper and truer than all that, pulsing steady between them.
Something told her Butch felt it too, even though they hadn’t talked about anything of the sort. She was too damn afraid to bring it up, too. Because what would she say? Sometimes she imagined the conversations in the shower while she scrubbed at her face. Butch, what would you say we have between us? The question alone made her laugh. They had a shitty circumstance between them, that’s all it was. And she could hear the sarcasm in his response every time she imagined it.
Besides, she knew Butch would insist they drop this, whatever it was, as soon as they headed back to Sturgis. He wouldn’t be into the idea of showing back up at the clubhouse with a romance, especially with the president’s daughter. That much was clear. So it seemed whatever they had would just be for now. For this blip in time, the firework burst of passion that lived and died in Shreveport.
Couldn’t that be enough?
Gidget buried her face in the back of his shirt as they zoomed along, feeling sadness claw at her. God, her period was probably gonna start. Getting emotional about something like this was not in her standard repertoire. But Butch is different…
The thought repeated like a mantra in her head. Butch was different, which made everything so much more complicated. He had walls that towered like skyscrapers, and any attempt to climb them made him lock up like a prison guard. Certain questions about his childhood went chronically unanswered. The more he showed her around town, the more she could put together on her own. But so many holes remained. The only thing she knew for sure was that Butch came from sadness.
And I can help you be happy. Like we have been here. Like we will be together.
She sighed into his back, willing the thoughts away. They were dumb, unhelpful thoughts that would only muddy everything. She needed to remember that, too. Besides, what was she hoping for with Butch anyway? Sometimes she felt like Shreveport was a dream world. A fantasy oasis they were living in for a few weeks while everything in the real world took shape and congealed back into its normal form. And then they’d return, and be forced to continue doing what they knew best: Butch being aloof and alone, and Gidget living up her twenties in all the ways she knew best.
By the time they pulled into the entrance of what looked like a nature preserve, Gidget felt exhausted from all the roiling emotions. She stumbled off the bike, gripping onto Butch’s arm to steady herself.
“You okay?” His dark eyes glinted, a big hand sliding down to the small of her back. Tingles erupted up and down her legs. She jerked her head into a nod, sliding her arm through his. He led her toward a gravel path that wound through a dense cluster of trees. They strolled down the path, arm in arm, stones crunching underfoot. The heady scent of moss and the pending dusk invaded her nostrils. There was something so sweet about sharing moments like these with Butch. It hadn’t seemed possible.
“I used to come here when I needed to get my head straight,” Butch said after a while.
“So you came here a lot?” She looked up at him, smiling like maybe it was a joke, even though she meant it seriously.
“Damn near every day,” he said.
She rested her head against his arm, lacing her fingers through his as they strolled. “It’s so nice here.”
“It is. I’ll show you my favorite spot.” They headed deeper into the preserve, weak shafts of sunlight breaking through the trees overhead. After a few turns, Butch led her to a small clearing. They stepped through the tall grasses, coming up to a wide, thick oak tree.
“This is my tree.” He patted it, like saluting an old friend.
“It’s a nice tree,” she conceded, looking it up and down.
“Used to come here and…do everything.” He sent her a mysterious smile.
“Oh? Like what?” She pinched his side.
“Too many things to mention.” He tipped his head back, squinting up at the branches. “Good times at this tree.”
“Maybe we can do one more thing at this tree.” She grinned, tugging at the lapels of his cut. “If you know what I mean.”
Butch grinned, pulling her into him with a swoop of his arm. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Their lips connected roughly, something raw and hungry emerging there, like the open air and the settling dusk gave them greater liberties than normal. Gidget clutched at his face, nails digging into his jaw, wanting more of him, to be closer to him. Butch’s hands smoothed down the sides of her body, hooking behind her thighs, and then a moment later he popped her into the air. She giggled, straddling him, tossing her head back.
“You like me on top,” she murmured, loving the sparkle in his eye as he carried her toward the tree.
“I like you all ways,” he said, voice coming out a growl. He pushed her up against the trunk, the rough bark biting into her back.
“Even against your favorite tree?”
“Especially there,” he whispered into her ear, his belt buckle clanking a moment later.
She nuzzled the hollow of his neck. “Dicks out already? I haven’t even taken my pants off.”
“I’m getting there.” He suctioned his lips to her neck, leaving a moist trail down to the front of her chest. Then he pulled back, letting her slide to her feet. She stood on wobbly legs, smirking at his jeans crumpled around his ankles.
“Never thought it would be so easy to get a big bad biker with his pants around his feet,” she taunted, slipping a finger under the waistband of his boxers. The tenting there was delicious-looking, could make her salivate just from imagining it when she was alone.
“Something about the open air,” he said, reaching for her. “Come here, babe.” He jerked his head toward the base of the tree. “I want you on all fours.”
She looked at the mossy ground, took note of the forming dew. “Not in these pants.”
Something dark crossed Butch’s face, like this was a challenge. “We’ll take them off first.”
“You want me to get butt-ass naked in this state park?” She laughed at the absurdity of it.
“Next time wear a skirt.” He slid his hands around her waist, made her feel like a tiny doll in his grip. Shivers ran up her spine and she let her head fall to the side. Okay, so she’d do what he wanted.
When his hands moved to the button of her white pants, she didn’t stop him. He pushed her pants down over her hips, and using his shoulders to steady herself, she stepped out of them cleanly. He made a big display of tossing them over a low-hanging branch.
“Perfectly safe and clean,” he said, bringing her up against him, forming a seal with their bodies. She rubbed her ass against his groin, groaning as the thick ridge of his cock met the pulsing of her pussy. Before she knew it she was on all-fours on the mossy grass, Butch letting a low, appreciative moan as he palmed her bare ass cheek.
“I had no idea you put these on,” he murmured, thumbing the thong of her panties.
“Just for you,” she purred.
He pushed the scrap of fabric aside. A second later his warm cockhead pressed against her pussy, making her gasp.
“There it is,” he said, his voice jerky. He dragged his cock up and down her slick folds. Her pussy throbbed, desperate for the penetration. Her entire body buzzed with anticipation.
“Give it to me.” She dug her nails into the dirt. Totally unlike her, but this was new territory. She’d take a bath later. “Please, Butch. I need it.”
“Yeah?” He let a throaty laugh. His cock nudged her clit, sending a jolt through her. “How bad?”
“The fucking worst.” She wiggled her ass against him, like this might convince him to take the plunge. He palmed an ass cheek again, then cracked his hand against it. The curt slap rang through the humid dusk.
“I’ll give it to ya.” His hands traveled the length of her thighs, then he gripped her by the hips, leveling her. He pushed his cock inside her slowly, the same respectable pace as always since he was a big boy. She tensed, whimpering as he eased in, her knees sinking in the damp earth as she braced herself against him. He groaned low, driving into her steadily. Her pussy stretched and received him; with so much practice over the past few weeks, she’d become an expert at adapting to him. To taking every last inch of him.
She arched her back, wiggling her hips to find the last few inches of space as he sunk deeper. The heat churning insider her threatened to push her over the edge. Maybe it was the nature aspect to this trip—or maybe Butch was just her soul mate, the inexplicable match her body and being that couldn’t be described.
The thought shuddered through her, but she was distracted by his slow pumping, in and out, strong yet sweet, his hands gripping the narrow part of her waist. She let out a small noise as he fucked her, the size and heat of him starting the electric churn in her core.
“Jesus, Gidget.” His voice was raspy. He was close—she could tell just from his tone.
“Come on,” she said, bucking up against him. The pleasure roiled through her, sinfully sweet. Her vision went gray with each thrust. “I’m close. Fuck me, Butch!”
He grunted, the damp slap of their skin steady rhythm as he drove into her, over and over again, sending her spiraling over the edge. She swallowed a squeal, pushing her ass back against him as the heat spilled over into a flood. Her pussy quaked as she came, the space behind her eyelids turning black and then blinding white.
Butch stilled against her, his breath coming out in jagged pants as he finished inside her. They stayed like that for a few moments; Gidget didn’t want to break the sweet reverie of the orgasmic bliss, the cadence of the crickets around them, the fragrant, mossy bubble around them that preserved this moment forever.
A few moments later, Butch kissed the small of her back and slipped himself out of her.
“That,” he said, “was the best damn time I’ve had at this tree.”