“Hey, baby,” I say softly and she whips her head to me in surprise. I’m surprised, too. I can’t believe I just called her baby.

I try and play it off. “Take it easy on yourself, okay?” I pick up the sketchbook and see a very rough sketch of the view. You can tell that she tried to be as detailed as possible but then got frustrated and started pressing the pencil harder until the end broke off.

“I can’t do it,” she says.

I close up the book with a snap and smile at her. “But you just did. Now it’s forever in this book. It’s immortal. The day has been captured and when I look at it, I’ll remember this. Isn’t that what the point of all of this is? To rewind life a bit?”

She looks unsure. I help her to her feet but I don’t let go of her hand once she’s up. Amber turns to look at us as she shoves the remainder of her sandwich in her fringe purse.

“Is this a new development?” she asks cautiously, pointing at our hand-holding.

Gemma tries to take her hand away but I only grip it harder and raise it in the air.

“I think I’ve finally worn her down,” I say to Amber with a cocksure smile.

Amber grins. “Took you long enough.”

But Gemma still manages to wriggle out of my grasp and walk beside Amber.

I know I still have my work cut out for me.

The next day is a long, arduous journey through torrential rain from Kaikoura to the ferry terminal at Picton. Any hopes of a beautiful view are obscured by fogged windows and the endless gray outside of them. The inside of the bus feels damp with sweat and everyone is cranky and uncomfortable. Even though we’ll soon be staying at Gemma’s mother’s place and it’s bound to be a bit awkward, seeing as it’s Christmastime for the family and all that, I’m actually looking forward to it. It will be nice to have a place to stay and unpack for more than a day. It will be good to get out of this bus and the constant Pink Floyd.

The clouds follow us across the choppy strait to the North Island, where we speed toward an unexciting-sounding town called Masterton. Once again we’re staying in a hostel and once again I’m cursing Gemma for booking us in another dorm. I know she’s doing this to save our broke asses money, but still.

This time there are only two bunks, but that still means there are two other people in the room when I need there to just be me and her. Aside from the hand-holding stint in Kaikoura, she’s becoming standoffish again, at least physically, and I’m getting a permanent case of blue balls just by looking at her.

Especially today. She’s wearing her denim short shorts again and a thin, low-cut white tank top with a lacy red bra underneath. The rain has her shirt looking a bit see-through and the delicate material of her bra has her nipples poking out like nobody’s business.

I can barely contain myself.

When we settle down in the room—the other bunkmate is absentee except for their backpack—Amber and Gemma go to check out the rest of the hostel. I quickly shut the door behind them and lock it.

I go over to my bed, taking my cock out of my pants, and lie down. There’s nothing around to make things smoother and I don’t have time to go rummaging through the girls’ bags for skin cream or anything. I spit on my hand and start stroking quickly. The need to come is so great that I know it won’t take long. All I have to do is imagine Gemma’s soft, wet lips around my head, a wicked look in her eyes. Maybe she could play with herself at the same time.

Oh god, I’m close.

A knock at the door pulls me back from the edge and the door handle jingles repeatedly.

“Josh?” Amber calls out from the other side.

“Goddamnit!” I yell slamming my fist down beside me. Frustrated, I shove my cock back in my briefs and zip up my jeans before I go over to the door and yank it open.

“What do you want?” I groan in exasperation, leaning against the door frame.

Amber and Gemma stare at me, puzzled.

“Why is the door locked?” Amber asks, coming inside the room and looking around warily. She sniffs the air like a hound.

“No reason,” I say, pushing past Gemma into the hall.

“Where are you going?” Gemma asks as I start to walk away.

“To the shower so I can masturbate in peace,” I answer. Then I pause and turn to her. “Care to join me?”

“Wow, TMI, Josh,” Amber says from inside the room.

But Gemma is still staring at me and I can see the lust coloring her eyes.

“I’m serious,” I tell her, lowering my voice. “You can just watch if you want.”

She rolls her eyes, even though I know she’d gladly drop to her knees if no one was around. The sexual tension between us has been ridiculously high ever since our last fuck, and I’ve caught her looking at me hungrily more than once. She wants me as badly as I want her.

“Fine,” I tell her and lean in closer so I’m whispering in her ear. “But just so you know, I’m going to explode inside you tomorrow. Taking the edge off now might make things easier, but it’s your call. You’re going to get it bad.”

I slowly pull away, my eyes trained on hers until she feels their heat. Then I turn, a crooked smile on my lips, and head over to the shower stall to get rid of my raging hard-on once and for all.

Chapter Seventeen

GEMMA

I don’t realize it’s Christmas Eve the next day until we pass the town of Norsewood and I see a gaudy Santa display on someone’s roof. I can’t believe the month has flown by like this and that this holiday, of all holidays, has snuck up on us. If I were at home this whole time, I would have been subjected to Christmas songs on the radio and annoying jingles on TV. On the road, though, I’ve just seen unadulterated scenery and the pure spaces outside the cities, untouched by commerce.