by Kinney Scott
“God, no Natalie. I’m falling….” He froze, stuck on the word that they both knew was hanging between them, deciding instead to scoop her onto his lap.
“I’m falling too Seth, falling hard,” she said kissing him with tender care. Holding his face in her hands, pulling back, she whispered, “of course I’ll stay with you.”
***
Driving home that evening Nate saw an approaching storm. “Those clouds are building. I hope we get a display tonight. I haven’t had a chance to take shots of lightening in a long time.” Natalie leaned forward to get a better look at the black clouds through the windshield of Seth’s truck. By the time they pulled into the drive the tall clouds towered, stacked in billowing columns to the east, pillars of energy poised to erupt. Natalie rushed to set up her camera on the back deck, perched on a tripod, poised for the light show to begin.
While waiting, she pulled out her second camera just in time to capture a hawk in flight, skimming treetops. With the weather app on her phone, she watched the satellite feed, checking for recent lightning strikes in the area. Moving from Eastern Oregon, the storm rolled north and slightly west in a counterclockwise spin. Shouldn’t be too long, she thought. Seth grilled chicken and potatoes on the BBQ that Natalie had marinated that morning before they left for the day. “Wine or beer tonight, sweetness,” he asked.
“White wine, please.” Seth poured as Nate began following the path of a hummingbird with the lens of her SLR. The quick, friendly bird investigated pink and yellow flowers planted in a ceramic pot on the deck. Guiding her lens to follow the metallic shimmer of hummingbird’s iridescent wings, her camera’s high-speed shutter snapped rapidly, taking multiple shots nearly simultaneously.
From behind the camera she added, “Next summer even more hummingbirds will come, so long as the flowers are here.” Will you be here with your hummingbirds? He thought, as he watched her bend to capture the shot. Her movement calmed Seth, daily life with Natalie held an ease of pace that Seth sank into.
The camera rapidly clicked, and her words continued from behind the lens. “In Seattle some hummingbirds overwintered, but most left in September. It always made me sad to see them go.”
By September, she will be gone. Seth watched as she panned the flight of the hummingbird to seek new moments with her lens, specks of time forever captured.
The path of the hummingbird crossed in front of Seth, bringing his face into the field of the viewfinder. The rapid fire of the shutter instantly trapped his fear of losing her.
“I’m so full, that chicken was perfect.” Seth stood, after finishing the last of his wine. They began clearing dinner from the round table on the deck. Natalie carried in a stack of plates and bowls, just as a loud rumble rolled across the valley.
Seth smiled, “Perfect timing, I’ll clean up, go ahead and get behind your camera.” She practically jumped up and down with childlike excitement. Quickly piling the dishes in the sink, he joined her for the show.
Natalie captured several bolts far in the distance before the storm began to move overhead.
“Oh, Seth did you see that!” The lightening snaked bright tendrils of white-blue fingers across the entire horizon.
“Were you able to get the shot?”
Before she could answer he gasped as a bright bolt streaked, followed almost instantly by a boom that shook the windows. “Crap, that was close, Natalie at least scoot under the overhang of the house.” He warned as she squealed.
“And miss this? It’s worth the risk.” Her smile sparkled in her eyes. The girl had no common sense when it came to thunder storms.
A grey haze blanketed the sky in the distance, and the air cooled rapidly. “Looks like rain!” The din of approaching hail swallowed up Seth’s words.
She yelped as hailstones bounced off the wood surface of the deck. Large trees bent and swayed as wind pushed in from the south, carrying a scent of wet earth and pine. Natalie scooped up her camera equipment just before the wind driven rain blew in, curtaining Seth’s home, shutting out the rest of the world.
Now that he had her trapped indoors, he decided to take advantage of her confinement, “let’s watch the rest of the storm from upstairs.” She needed no encouragement, as clothes left a trail along their path.
Occasionally another lightning strike would cast a blue flash across the bed where Seth and Natalie made love. Slick with sweat, seared with heat, his slow penetration was lit up by nature’s show. Patiently he brought her with him on a slow ascent, breathing as one; their release united them in a moment of perfection, souls permanently imprinted upon the other.
Staying locked inside her heat, already hardening again, Seth spun their bodies bringing her over him to worship her breasts. Natalie now took control, rocking down, pulling almost completely off his shaft, only to impale herself again. His fingers dug into her soft hips while his teeth and tongue rasped and bit her nipples, followed by tender soothing strokes.
As her breathing became erratic, and her gaze desperate, all it took was one final thrust of Seth’s hips to propel a tempest of sensation from her core to the tips of her fingers. Thunder mingled with her pleasured screams, before she collapsed on his chest. Stroking her back the slight tickle brought her back from her dream like state.
Now, Seth needed her again, his balls ached for release after the sensual display she just put on while riding him. He groaned as he pulled out of her hot sheath. Turning her to her stomach while easing Natalie toward the edge of the bed, Seth bent and kissed each hollow dimple at the sway of her back, tasting the salt on her skin mingled with the vanilla scent of her body lotion. “Sweetness, can I have you once more tonight? Or are you too spent.”
Natalie looked over her shoulder to take in his male form, eyes dark with desire, cock jutting powerfully, “I’ll never get enough of you,” she smiled. Rounded globes of her upturned ass beckoned to be pinkened with a playful slap, and he took the opportunity to see how Natalie would react. One sharp smack landed on her right cheek that bounced back from the impact. “Ouch, oh God, Seth that was…. Hot.”
“Oh, yeah, that cheek looks a little warmer,” he soothed the sting with his caress. Waiting, as she held her breath, he didn’t know which one of them wanted this more... Slap! Another sharp sound cracked the air, followed by a moan. He stroked her ass cheek, and then plunged a finger into her wet pussy. Fuck yeah, she loved this, she was dripping and so tight. Natalie pressed her pussy onto his fingers as he added a second.
One more slap on each warmed cheek had her writhing with desire. Unable to wait a moment longer he dipped the plum colored crown of his cock a fraction of an inch into her begging pussy. Coated with her honey he teased her from clit to ass with the slick tip, dipping a little deeper he repeated the journey from the clit to rosebud twice more.
Natalie surrendered to his expert manipulations. Finally, he plunged in one swift movement fully encasing his rock hard cock in her pulsing heat. “So. Fucking. Tight.” he growled each word punctuated with a powerful thrust, balls slapping. As he continued his hungered onslaught, her body again responded, as the crown of his cock raked across her bundle of internal nerves.
Seth dipped his fingers in the honey of her arousal and began gently massaging her back entrance. Unprepared for this intimate touch, Natalie pulled away slightly, “I’ve got you, sweetness, trust me.” Unbelievably aroused she relaxed, absorbing the new sensation.
Again, he returned to the slow withdraw and deep plunge, circling with his finger each time. Every pass of his body left her panting with heightened need. She arched her back, angled to take him further within, enthralled in all Seth delivered. The deeper penetration sent her cascading into a mind-blowing orgasm. Natalie’s heat tightly fisted his cock and his shaft exploded deep within. His roar almost brought her back to reality, after waves of pleasure from her release slowly faded.
“Stay still,” he murmured, and went to grab a cool washcloth. He soothed her warm ass, and then massaged her soft bottom, hips, and back with
her favorite vanilla lotion. Thunder rumbled in the distance, while he caged Natalie in his strong frame, slipping deep into sleep, slipping deep into her heart.
CHAPTER TEN
After grabbing sandwiches from the counter at the Stop and Shop, Kelsey, Molly, Mandy and Natalie made their way over to the small park near the river that ran right through town. They found a table, under the shade of a pine, to share lunch. Inside a plastic container, Nate hid a dozen snickerdoodles, made fresh this morning using Elsa’s fantastic recipe.
She had dropped half of the batch off at the shop for the guys, collecting a thank you kiss from Seth for the thoughtful surprise, before meeting the girls. “What’s hidden in the Tupperware container, I hope it’s for me?” Kels asked as Nate pulled the lid off. “Elsa’s cookies! You read my mind. I needed a fix of that sugary-cinnamon goodness. Thank you, I love you Nate.” She said as she bit into the tender cookie and moaned with pleasure. “If you lived at my house, I would beg you to make these every damn day.”
“What are you talking about? Where are you living Natalie?” The twins asked almost simultaneously.
Shooting Kels a steely glance, “I’ve still got a lot of my stuff at Kelsey’s but Seth asked me to stay up at his place. I guess I’m up at his house most nights,” she shared.
“Seth! Finally, thank God we wondered if he would ever find...” Molly stopped mid-sentence, aware that she may be overstepping a line.
“I know about Chelsea and the divorce. We are keeping this as casual as we can. After my little house is finished, I will need to move on,” Nate shared.
Not one of the girls believed that anything about the relationship between Seth and Natalie was casual.
Kelsey moved the conversation to plans about this weekend’s road trip, “I wish I could go with you three to Seattle, what do you have lined up?”
“The fair at Lake Washington will be in full swing this entire week, and the crowds totally insane. At least we won’t have to look very far to find a ton to do,” Natalie took another bite of her sandwich, but her mind was on the cinnamon cookie that was warming in the sun.
“I’d like to try to see the torchlight parade. What do you think Molly?” Mandy asked.
Molly had plans of her own in mind, “I don’t care what we do so long as I can grab a beer, and check out all the guys in uniform for fleet week. Who doesn’t love a hot guy in uniform?”
“Being with you two is dangerous! Men can’t help fantasizing anytime they see a pair of hot twins. I will need a Taser just to control the masses of testosterone,” Nate laughed.
“Never ever going to fulfill some sicko-guy’s twin-fantasy”, they called out, in unison. Maybe a little too loud, and at just the right moment too.
Kent walked up behind and snaked his strong muscular arms around their necks, “damn, girls I’m disappointed. Don’t you know the only reason I hang out with you two gorgeous girls is to eventually make good on my twin fantasies?”
“On second thought, for you Kent, anything,” they laughed planting kisses on his cheeks and neck. “Yummy, you’re delicious.”
“When do you three leave for the big city?” he asked squeezing between the girls, grabbing two cookies.
“Tomorrow morning, first thing. But we will only be gone for a little over a week. You won’t even have time to notice we are gone,” Nate replied.
“Seth will notice, he has been moping around the shop all day. I’m glad it will only be a week. Please don’t extend your visit. All of us at Whitewater homes would pay the price. How about you Kels. What trips do you have planned?”
“I’m only here for one more day. More family float trips have been scheduled…not exciting, but that’s where the money is. We do have a group that may want a guide for a paddle on the Sandy. I hope I can manage to snag that job, but there are a couple more experienced guys that may bump me from that trip.”
“Shit Kels, the Sandy. That river will not tolerate errors. Let me know if that pans out for you.” So I can go along and keep an eye on you myself.
“Jealous?”
“Not for the Sandy kayak trip. No. I have to admit, I only envy the lucky guy who will finally get his twin fantasy realized.”
“Shut up!” “Perve!” the twins landed a couple of solid smacks, on Kent as he scrambled out of his seat between them on the bench.
“Ladies, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks for the cookies Nate. I will see you all soon!” he wandered off, worrying some about the twins partying in Seattle, but more concerned about Kelsey landing a spot on that trip down the unforgiving Sandy River.
***
After the girls arrived in Seattle Natalie texted Seth, Great day in Seattle. We saw an awesome concert on the lawn at Gasworks. Going to dinner at Elsa’s tonight with Molly and Mandy. I’ll text tonight after dinner. Miss you.
From his perch on a stool at Northside, Seth texted back, Miss you too. Tell Elsa hello. He added, and hit send.
Feeling a little lost he decided to order another beer. “Hey Iris, can I have another IPA?”
She noted that this was his third, and this double IPA had a particularly high alcohol content, “Sure thing Seth, but what can I get you to go with that?”
He took her not so subtle hint, “I guess I better get some chili fries to soak it up.”
Iris filled another pint for him as a familiar woman snaked up behind Seth. Tonight might not be so dull after all, she thought.
Seth felt the heat of a familiar warm body from behind. When he didn’t respond she took a seat next to him at the bar. “Hey Seth, I stopped by the shop, I’m surprised to find you here so early.”
“Why did you stop by the shop, Chelsea? Did the guys tell you I was here?”
“No, I was on the way to your place, and spotted your truck. I was planning on a visit tonight. Are you up for some company?” She added, with that look that clearly begged for hot, tie-her-up-sex.
Chelsea slid onto the barstool next to Seth, ordered a beer, and waited for the answer she had grown to expect since their divorce. Whenever she craved off-the- charts, back-to-back orgasms, she showed up in Ashwood.
“Yeah Chels, about that.” Silence hung between them. Seth took a long draw from his beer, to pull his thoughts together, but he didn’t have the chance to speak.
She blurted out, jealousy dripping from each word, “so the rumor is true, you’re seeing someone? What’s her name? Do I know her?”
Avoiding eye contact, he mumbled, “Natalie, her name is Natalie. I’m building a house for her.”
Chelsea seemed to relax, secure in the thought that Seth was just seeing someone temporarily. “Well, that makes sense, how long is she here? Where is she staying?”
“Chels, I don’t really want to go over this with you.”
“Seriously Seth. As if you could have any secrets in this town.”
“Find out your gossip from someone else. This is my life, not your entertainment.” He was well aware that she had been using him for personal amusement for years. But hell, he used her too. Done with that shit.
Chelsea stood, abandoning the last of her beer, “Whatever. Call me when she leaves town. We can hook up like we always do.”
Seth didn’t bother to respond. Looking back on the past few years of random, out of town, short-term girlfriends, and his regular hookups with Chelsea he was disgusted with himself. God how pathetic. “Shot of Jack,” he mumbled when the chili fries arrived. Might as well get drunk.
***
Natalie texted Seth that evening around 10:30. No response. Strange, but maybe he was working late and had power tools running. She just could not sleep. Grandpa Pete’s house had lost any sense of home.
The contents of her apartment, what she had not brought to Ashwood, waited in neatly stacked boxes in the guest bedroom. She had sold her futon and the thrift store furniture she had accumulated while living in her old studio. The thought of parting with grandpa’s belongings made her feel ill. His leather couch reminded her of
crosswords they worked on together. The small dining table held memories of Sunday night dinners. She decided that his office was the best place to start sorting. There weren’t so many personal memories in his office.
Music drifted through the condo from a classic rock station while she opened drawers and sorted piles. I can do this. Important documents sat to her left, documents to ask the lawyer about in the middle, personal stuff to her right, and garbage in a box. Later, she would drag that box down to the large shredder in the basement of the complex.
Sifting through his desk, she found personal cards and letters from Elsa. Those she placed in a pile to return to Elsa tomorrow. Pictures of family, friends and dozens of photos she shot occupied an entire drawer. grandpa always loved her photography. All around his condo, her best photographs hung in simple black frames.
In a file cabinet, with titles and information about his boat, condo and truck she discovered something unexpected, a manila envelope with Osprey Lake, Ashwood neatly typed on the top left corner. Bending back the metal clasp, she opened the envelope, and removed a title for land, a sketch of some lake front property, and a few small slightly faded photographs. The photos detailed boundary lines, some kind of small outbuilding, and a stunning view of Osprey Lake across a wide pebbled beach. “Oh my God,” she gasped looking at the title. Twenty-two acres of water front property.
By three in the morning, after sorting, research, and more sorting, she could scarcely see straight. Natalie brushed her teeth and crawled into her old bed in an attempt to get some sleep. Seth had never texted her back, but the distraction of combing through Grandpa Pete’s office kept her from obsessing about Seth. As she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of sitting on a log, watching a boat floating on the surface of Osprey Lake.
***
Late in the morning, on his office couch, Seth woke to a puddle of drool pooled between his cheek and the warn leather. How in the hell did I end up here? The pounding of nails matched the pounding in his skull. His truck was not parked outside; thank God I didn’t drive here. A note from Kent was stapled to his shirt. Stapled? Seriously. Now that just pissed him off. Clearly, that was the intent. The note read, I Drug your sorry ass over here, before you made a bigger fool of yourself – YOUR WELCOME, Kent