“It’s tough, right? Having family that’s not family,” Vicki whispered.
“Toughest thing in the world.” Hope pressed a hand to Matt’s face. “Then one day you get a taste of the other side, and figure out why people rave about it.”
Silence fell. Joel wasn’t sure what he would say, if he did speak up.
They hadn’t actually come out and said Vicki’s family was a pain. That Hope’s family had been a disaster as well. The fact was there, though, hovering.
Joel wanted to apologize for his good fortune in having scored a family that knew something about sticking together, yet that impulse sucked. It was wrong. It wasn’t right to try to cast off the good he’d had to make someone else’s pain less.
That kind of attitude diminished what his dad and ma had worked for all these years. He appreciated his lot, never wanted to take it for granted, but the contrast—
With every breath it was clearer he had a good thing, and he’d never really noticed until now.
“Look, a shooting star.” Vicki pointed skyward, and they all twisted to follow the trajectory.
A welcome peace floated over them, with nothing but the crackle of the fire carrying through the air.
“What did you wish for?” Matt asked Hope, his words soft but audible.
“Nothing doing. If I tell you, then my request won’t come true.” Hope stroked his smiling face to soften her denial.
“Maybe if you tell me, I can make sure all your dreams come true.”
Oh, God
. Vicki’s heart fluttered at the sheer romanticism of the moment as Hope whispered
I love you
and kissed Matt, right then and there.
In so many ways, this camping trip had been more of a learning experience than Vicki had expected. She turned away from the other couple and gazed into the darkness. The cold wrapped around them, but Joel’s arms were warm and gave her a sense of security, real or not.
Vicki hadn’t been sure about sharing earlier, but it seemed right. The setting, the people, all of it worked together to make her want to open up. As if they wouldn’t consider it a bid for sympathy, but more a statement of reality. Her reality.
She didn’t often get to talk about what her life had been like.
Joel’s lips nudged her temple. “You ready for bed?”
“What time is it?”
He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. It’s dark, and the fire is burning low. We don’t run on clocks while we’re camping.”
Nice. “You’ve obviously never been to a kids’ camp, then. Trust me, you run on clocks.”
“What, breakfast at eight, archery at nine? Sounds pretty cushy compared to getting up early in the dead of winter to do chores.”
“Try waking at five to suck back a coffee before putting that breakfast together.” Joel shuddered under her, and she nodded. “And don’t forget, the worst part is after you’re done? There’s only four hours before lunch is served. Whoever put breakfast and lunch so close together should be shot.”
“We’ll have breakfast whenever we want it.” Hope spoke as she rose to her feet. “Since I don’t have to open the shop, I’m sleeping in as long as possible.”
“As long as I’ll let you…” Matt scrambled up, avoiding her halfhearted swing. “Come on, let’s leave these two bed-breakers out here. If we’re lucky, we can get to sleep before they start making too much noise.”
Joel flashed a finger at his brother. “Whoever makes the most noise tonight gets to crawl out of their warm sleeping bags and make coffee in the morning.”
Vicki hid her face for a moment. All this plain talk about having sex embarrassed her. She’d had dirty words and accusations hurled at her when they weren’t true. She knew how to deal with that. This was a whole other matter.
Joel stroked her hair as
good nights
were shared, the night air sneaking past them cool and edging toward cold.
“If you’d like to sit by the fire for a while longer, I should add a couple of logs,” Joel offered. “Otherwise, I’ll put it out and we can call it a night.”
If they sat up longer, she’d have to share more. Which wasn’t high on her agenda right now. “I’m kind of sleepy.”
Joel helped her find her feet. “Mountain air. You’re about to get the best damn sleep of your life.”
Vicki watched as he stirred the coals and put out the fire. “When I wasn’t upset about the horses, or exhausted from the cooking schedule, I did sleep well at camp.”
He rocked back on his heels and looked her over, something between sadness and confusion painting his expression. He didn’t say anything. Just escorted her to the washhouse, the glow from his flashlight jumping ahead of them on the uneven ground.
By the time she’d brushed her teeth and washed up, she really was feeling sleepy. She pushed open the washhouse door to find Joel leaning on the railing, staring into the star-filled sky, his towel draped around his neck.
It was cold enough there were no bugs flying about the lights.
“By the way, thank you for picking a campground with flush toilets.” Vicki accepted his hand, transferring her bag to her other shoulder.
“No problem. Roughing it is fun at times, but having an actual shower in the morning? Bonus. They’ll be turning off the water in a couple of days, so we timed it just right.”
Vicki nodded before she realized he couldn’t see her response in the dark. A yawn escaped her, though, and he caught that.
“You really are tired, aren’t you?”
She went for honest. “Tired, but still interested in fooling around. As long as it doesn’t take too much energy.”
Joel knelt and unzipped the tent fly, gesturing her inside. “I’m pretty sure I can muster up enough energy for the two of us.”
Vicki squirmed her way to one side, attempting to make room for him, the swinging flashlight turning the space into a dance-floor lightshow before he clicked it off. “You sure this is a two-man tent?”
He laughed. “This is a four-man tent, darling. Feeling cozy?”
“Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.” She slipped her pants off, pausing to wonder what exactly she should be stripping to. It was dark. Like hand-in-front-of-face-and-can’t-see-it dark. “Joel?”
His hip bumped her. Or maybe it was an elbow. “Yes?”
She fought the giggles that wanted to escape. “I have no idea where my bag is or the sleeping bag or…anything.”
“Hmm, then this could be a lot of fun.” A hand brushed her arm, and he wrapped his fingers around her. “Feel your way.”
Sounded fun indeed. Vicki stretched out her hands cautiously though. “If I poke you in the eye, it’s your own damn fault.”
His laughter rang loudly before he muffled it. “I promise not to poke you in the eye.”
Oh
jeez
. “You’re such a perv, Joel Coleman.”
“Well you did offer to do something about my hard-on the other day.”
That was enough. Vicki was mortified at the thought Matt and Hope could hear this conversation. “Use that mouth for something better than talk, mister.”
He tugged the top of her shirt. “Give me something to sink my teeth into.”
Her shirt vanished, her bra went next. She was sure he’d be all over her chest without any delay, but it seemed he had an agenda—
get Vicki naked.
Which,
hello
, fine with her.
She was equally busy, shoving the fabric of his shirt up, the back of her hands dragging against his chest. Naked skin under her fingers—she couldn’t get enough of it, couldn’t get enough of him.
She’d just popped the button on his jeans, pausing to cup the heavy erection pressing the front of the material, when he picked her up and laid her on something soft.
Naked skin, cold night. Her nipples were tight from more than being turned on like crazy.
“Should I crawl under the covers?” Her teeth might have rattled.
Heat blanketed her, his breath brushing past her cheek. “I’ll keep you plenty warm, darling.”
Her lungs seemed impossible to fill. He wasn’t crushing her with his weight, just overwhelming her with his presence as he lay over her. Skin to skin, his hips between her thighs.
Then it started. Delightful torment. A whirlwind of kisses to destroy her equilibrium, followed by physical devastation of the best kind.
He slipped away from her lips to nibble along her jaw. A kiss was pressed to the base of her throat before he sucked lightly and had her arching her back, begging without words for more.
Two nights ago she’d been able to see every move before he made it. The advance warning had been wonderful because of her lack of experience. It allowed her to consider, prepare, even anticipate. This was the opposite situation and still perfect. Without being able to see, her skin grew more sensitive, and each caress came out of nowhere, lighting her on fire.
Her breasts ached until he cupped one in his hand, plumping the mound and twirling his fingers over her nipple. If she expected a repeat performance on the opposite side, this time she’d have lost the bet, because it was his mouth she felt next. Or more specifically his tongue, circling in ever-tightening loops until he finally,
finally
, reached her nipple and drew it into his mouth.
Vicki used her hands as well, learning him as much as she could considering he insisted on moving. She dragged her fingers through his hair, caressed his shoulders. When she got creative and rubbed her foot along the nearest thing she could find, a growl-like groan was her reward.
Oh yeah, he had a nice ass, no matter what she stroked it with.
After his joking about blowjobs, she wondered if he would at least ask her to touch his cock this time, but again she was on the receiving end of intimate kisses. Joel rubbed his chin on her inner thigh, the rasp of his unshaven jaw leaving her craving.
And his mouth? Seriously addictive.
“Joel,” Vicki whispered in desperation as she tugged his hair. He licked and lapped her closer to the point of no return. She was very aware they weren’t alone in the campsite, no matter how far away Matt had moved their tent. “Oh hell, stop. Stop, or I’m going to come.”
He dove in harder, ignoring her warning. The resulting pleasure was too much to resist, and her climax hit, a gasp floating from her lips as her limbs shook violently.
Before she’d finished, while her body was still squeezing, Joel shifted position. There was a crinkle of a condom wrapper briefly before his cock nudged between her thighs, just off-center. He adjusted and thrust in all the way.
“Joel.” This time a shout escaped—
damn it
.
Once he’d filled her, though, he remained motionless, breathing heavily. When he’d slipped inside, he’d triggered a second wave of pleasure, and white spots floated in front of her eyes.
She didn’t care how dark it was. At that moment Vicki swore she’d seen stars.
“Oh darling, that feels so good.” A kiss landed on her cheek, his masculine scent twining around them and filling the enclosed space. “You happy?”
“So happy,” she whispered back. She squeezed her muscles around his erection. “And you’re still hard.”
“I think I can do something about that pretty quick.” A stroking touch slid up her side past the edge of her breast without stopping. He caught hold of her hand and carried it above her head. “Put your hands together.”
She reached up, intending on linking her fingers. Instead he caught her wrists, both of them in one hand, and stretched her beneath him.
It was a different sensation, pinned in place, unable to shift away. Not that she wanted to escape, but the option was now removed. And when he rocked his hips, dragging his cock nearly all the way out, she held her breath.
Lost all the air as he drove forward hard.
Deep and fast he moved, taking her again and again. So different from their previous session of sex where he’d been careful and tender with her. This was a taking.
Pleasure unfurled through her body, the intimate strokes of his cock only one part. His chest rubbed hers, her nipples tightened and her breasts grew heavy with desire. Their breaths mingled, sharp gasps cutting off as they fought for air. Yet the need for each other overpowered basic essentials.
Another blistering kiss surprised her with the demand she open and give to him even as he gave in return. Yet another burst of pleasure was nearly on her, and when he added a twisting motion to his hips, she gasped his name.
He lowered his head to the mattress beside her, heavy breathing echoing in her ear as he slammed in once more then stilled. Inside her, his cock jerked, and she lifted her legs around him, pulling him deep as possible as his orgasm flashed.
Tangled like a pretzel around him, she couldn’t find the energy to do anything at that moment. Not lower her legs, not pull her hands free. Just lay and let her racing heart slow, matching speed with the big man who somehow still balanced himself above her.
“Wow.” She got the word out on an exhale. It was the only way she could speak.
“Hmm, yeah.” His lips touched her cheek again, tender and soft. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” The absolute relaxation stealing through her limbs meant she wasn’t even sure she had the energy to crawl under the covers properly.