1606010409-A-Psychic-Hitch-Lynn.doc

by Psychic Hitch (lit)

  “Hey, what went through your head just now?”

  “You.”

  “That’s not very flattering considering the terror I saw. If it’s me you’re worried about, I clean up after myself and I can cook.”

  She turned away. “I’m going to put the food in the fridge until we’re ready to go.” Footsteps told her he went down the hall and she rested her forehead on the refrigerator door. I’m a glutton for punishment. She put the food away and started a mental list of supplies to gather for a night on the beach. Night? Evening.

  Cheri went down the hall to her room to change into jeans and wondered if Allen thought to bring a jacket. The nights still cooled down here. She stopped by the bathroom to ask, but heard water running. Well, if not, maybe she had one of her brother’s stored in the closet. She’d check after she changed and gathered what she normally took with her when she did night fishing.

  The bedroom door opened and she turned as her skirt fell to the floor. “It’s customary to knock...” Her eyes trailed down his bare, hairy chest to the obvious arousal tenting the towel wrapped around his waist.

  He dropped his bag inside the door and moved toward her. “No her room-his room. No barriers.” With quickness, the towel disappeared and he pushed up the shirt she wore and pulled it over her head.

  Her hands ran up his arms and circled his neck as his mouth came closer and she felt his breath. “Where were we when we were interrupted?”

  “I’m not sure I can resume foreplay right now.” He lifted her and laid her on the bed. “I’m so hard I’ll come if I attempt it.”

  She pushed at the narrow band of her thong. “Please, I wouldn’t want you to suffer on my account.”

  In one swift movement, he had the scrap of material off her and moved between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. He took her with one deep thrust. Her muscles quivered as she rose into him.

  “This is going to be fast, hon.”

  “I need it to be.” She stared into his eyes and saw them the close. Within seconds she bucked, moaning as her body shuddered with his. Tears filled her eyes.

  Allen frowned and turned their bodies to hold her in his arms. “Hey, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “No, not at all. I’m amazed it really happened again.”

  “Oh.” He smiled.

  She ran her tongue over his bottom lip. “Do you need to get some sleep before we head out?”

  “No.” He rolled her onto her back. Anticipating his intentions, she opened to him. With her eyes closed, she nearly purred when his tongue moved through her swollen lips and over her clit and back down, doing sweet things only his mouth could do. He swirled his wet tongue inside the path his cock had taken to fill her and back out. Her moans urged him on and she succumbed to the erotic rush. She grabbed the pillow as she pressed her throbbing center into him and tightened her thighs around him as the internal orgasm neared. He pushed them away and hungrily mouthed the inner folds of her lips. “Oh wow… so good.” Thrusting in and out with his fingers, his tongue flicked her erect clit sending her into convulsions. She grabbed his head and pressed into him, moaning, “Oh, oh, oh.”

  Gasps and groans filled the room as a flash of light blinded her under closed eyelids and filtered through her body in waves of torturous contentment.

  Through ragged breaths, she mumbled, “How is this possible?” His lips skimmed her quivering flesh as he moved up her body. With his teeth, he freed her breasts and drew the tip into the warmth of his mouth. He pumped in and out of her and she couldn’t believe the overwhelming need that spurred quakes from within. The constant spasms were overwhelming. “Wait,” she gasped. He moved alongside her, caressing her face.

  “Wow!” She took a deep breath, trying to level her breathing. “That was amazing.” Her head turned into his hand and she kissed his palm. “How have you remained single all these years?”

  He moved away and got up.

  Surprised, she stared at him. “Allen?”

  “Give me a minute and I’ll help you with whatever we’re going to need.”

  She watched him pull clothes from his bag and walk out of her room wondering what the hell happened. After pulling on her bathrobe, she went into the bathroom. The shower had already steamed the room, but she didn’t care. “Allen, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I…” Suddenly, it hit here. “Look, I never thought… It didn’t occur to me… Am I intruding on someone else’s territory?”

  He looked around the shower curtain at her. “I wouldn’t be here if I had woman.”

  “Then why the quick get-away?”

  He stared at her and she couldn’t tell what ran through his mind. “Want to join me?”

  She bit her lip, tempted, but not ready for that step. “No, I have things to gather.”

  Ten minutes later, he came out into the living room. “Looks like we’re going camping.”

  “Not exactly, but close enough.”

  “Get your shower and I’ll stuff the car.”

  “Ha, ha.” She left him to it and went to shower and dress.

  * * * *

  Cheri maneuvered through traffic seeming to backtrack toward the restaurant, but veered off to take Route 6 to route 29 and into Chillicothe. At least that’s what he gleaned from the road signs.

  The highway appeared to run between fields before it turned to forest. “You aren’t going to take me out and dump me somewhere, are you?”

  “No, I’m not finished trying to figure out your secret.” She gave him a sideways glance that made him uncomfortable. But, she couldn’t know he was keeping something from her.

  “Oh, it’s nice to be kept around for sane reasons.” He grinned and shook his head.

  “Isn’t it?” She smiled at him, then glanced in the mirror and changed lanes. “This spot I’m taking you to is my favorite place to fish when I want to be alone.”

  “Are you nervous about this?”

  “Maybe.” She sighed. “Yeah, I am. If all you get out of this is seeing the stars, you won’t be disappointed, will you?”

  He reached across and caressed her neck with his fingers. “Nothing you do or don’t do would disappoint me. It’s part of getting to know you.”

  “I hope you realize this thing going on between us has a dead end.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  She slowed to match traffic and he noticed the speedometer had dropped near the actual speed limit. They rounded a bend and there sat a cop car. “Speed trap.”

  “Oh, yeah. Occasionally, they get lucky and catch someone who isn’t on to them.”

  He pulled his hand back and looked around as they entered Chillicothe. It seemed to be a booming town. There were stores, restaurants, gas stations or a car dealership everywhere you looked. Sort of took away the small town mentality where you expected to see a church on every corner. Here it was a bank or funeral home.

  When it seemed they were driving straight through town, she turned onto a road in much need of repair. They went about four blocks and she veered to the left down a gravel road. He read the sign. “Peoria Casting Club. This isn’t Peoria.”

  “I don’t recall all the particulars in the name and why Chillicothe was chosen.” When she rounded the bend to the familiar parking lot, she groaned. “There’s a lot of guys out fishing today.”

  “Wouldn’t that be in the realm of casting?”

  “Ha, ha. Some of them can be chatty.” She slowed to a near crawl as she went up the small incline where the clubhouse sat. A guy came out from the end of the building and held up his hand. She stopped and rolled her window down. “Hi, Paul.”

  “Oh, Cheri, hi. I didn’t recognize the car.”

  She peered out the window at him. “I thought everyone knew I’d gotten a new car. Sorry.”

  He walked down to the rear and back giving an appreciative whistle. “What a set of wheels. You sure you want to take it back there?”

  “It’s ok since they’ve cut the branches back.”<
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  He leaned on the door, peering inside. “This isn’t the ‘68 you’ve always wanted, but damn, it’s a jewel.”

  “You’re drooling, Paul.”

  “Your point?”

  “I’m introducing a city guy to the fun of outdoors and all he’s seen is a grown man’s slobber.”

  He looked across the car and stuck his hand out. “Hi, I’m Paul and if the kid here wasn’t the sister of a friend, I’d date her for one turn behind the wheel.”

  “Allen,” he said as he took the man’s hand, unsure whether or not the man should be taken lightly. Cheri’s face had reddened and he sensed they had a past, brother’s friend or not.

  “Hey, Allen. We welcome new members.”

  “Is the gate open?” Cheri asked.

  “Yes, it’s been busy today.”

  “Thanks, tell Maggie and the kids hello for me. We’re going to settle in and try to catch a couple of nice ones before it gets dark.”

  He backed away, eyeing the car, and gave another whistle.

  She put the car in gear and moved toward a narrow path parting the trees. With a glance at Allen, she saw the question in his eyes, or she thought he was wondering about Paul. For some reason, it mattered what he thought. “A lot of the guys down here are like additional big brothers, sometimes a pain, sometimes not. Don’t pay him any mind.” The gravel turned to rutted dirt.

  “So, there was never the younger sister having the crush on the brother’s friend so she tagged along thing?”

  “Nope.”

  He looked out the side window feeling closed in and wondered if the limbs were scratching the car. It didn’t sound like it, but he still checked. She’d been right in saying they’d been cut far enough back.

  “Hey, I promise, there is an end and I’m not going to leave you out here alone.”

  She had no more than said it when a clearing appeared and he could see the river and a big metal object floating in an alcove. She slowed to a stop and leaned across his lap. “See the big blue bird sitting on the barge?” He scanned and didn’t see it until she pointed to the far end of the metal thing.

  “What is it, a crane?”

  “Technically a blue heron, but when I was little I called it a pterodactyl, now I call it a modern-day pterodactyl.” He looked from the bird to her. She watched the bird with as much wonder as a child at the zoo.

  His heart pounded and he turned her face up to his. He swallowed the words that nearly spilled out. It felt like forever since they first met online and now, after a week, he realized he had the same jitters he’d had when he realized he wanted to marry Erin. It unnerved him. He never thought he’d feel like that again. He search her worried face, her concerned eyes and knew she wasn’t ready to hear his confession much less his feelings.

  “Allen, what’s going on? First, you run from my bed and now you seem like… I don’t know. Talk to me.”

  He caressed her chin with his thumb. “This is perfect, you’re perfect.”

  Taken by surprise, she stared at him. The softness of his touch, the gentle desire in his eyes caused her to pull back behind the wheel. He shouldn’t be reading more into this than what it was. A new experience. She bit down on her lip, unsure of the truth, then told him, “There’s a little parking spot up here then we’ll have to walk the rest of the way. That’s the part where the mosquitoes can be the worst, but if we hurry it won’t be so bad.”

  “No problem.”

  After a short, bumpy ride, she parked and looked at him. “Ready?”

  “Yep.” He climbed from the car as he looked around. The wooded area had no undergrowth, just bare, packed dirt with a protruding root here and there. “Is this a flood plain?”

  “Yes, it is. But there wasn’t enough snow or rain up north to flood us this year.” She handed him the picnic basket, two of the citronella candle buckets and a fishing pole. “We only need one pole. You’d have to have a non-resident fishing license.”

  “Does your mind always work this way?”

  “What do you mean?” She draped the blankets over her arm, grabbed her tackle box, net, and fish basket.

  “The way you seem to work things out down the road and plan accordingly.”

  “Its part of my job that falls over into the rest of my life, I guess.” She closed the trunk and started toward the river and he moved along beside her.

  Allen swatted the clanging buckets in the air. “You’re right. The mosquitoes are thick here.”

  “We can walk faster.” She picked up the pace and he watched the dirt floor to avoid tripping over roots as he followed her lead.

  * * * *

  When they reached the clearing along the beach and set the equipment down, she looked up at the sky. “I guess we have some time before the stars come out.”

  “A few hours, yes,” he said while spreading a blanket. “Why don’t you go ahead and throw the line out.”

  “I could.” She helped straighten the blanket before she sat with her legs under her and wiped her sweaty hands on her thighs. “Do you like catfish?”

  He stretched out on the blanket and grinned. “Are you going to catch dinner for me?”

  She reached for the basket where her night crawlers were stored. “I’ll see if I can catch a couple nice ones for dinner tomorrow night.” She pulled the small square Styrofoam container out. After prying the lid off, she shook the bait up to stir the worms and grabbed the first one she saw move. The fat creature squirmed until she had it threaded on the hook. She knew he watched her, but had to ignore him to make sure her cast was clean. It would be embarrassing to have it catch in the trees behind them, or worse—hook him.

  “Did your father teach you how to fish?”

  Cheri handed him the rod and stood. “I’ll be right back.” The unexpected question felt like a pin pierced her heart. Her father was a taboo subject, but he had no way of knowing. With a purpose in mind, she walked down the beach. Her hands clenched open and shut to work out the knot in her stomach. Thanks for the reminder of why I’d rather raise a child alone. The last thing she needed was to have another man put her first and die as a result.

  Cheri rounded the bend and walked over to the place she’d learned long ago the larger rocks washed up and sat. She chose one the size of a soup bowl and found a stick forked enough to hold the rod and headed back.

  When she returned, she kneeled in the sand and stabbed the ground with the stick.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Allen said.

  “You didn’t. My brothers taught me to fish before I could read.” She took the pole from him. “Thanks.” After propping it in the fork of the stick and securing it with the rock, she cleaned her hands with the wet wipes and sanitizer she kept in her tackle box. Now what? If she’d come alone, she’d be building a sandcastle or looking for shells while she waited for the fish to bite. Nervous, she rejoined Allen on the blanket and wrapped her arms around her knees.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, no, but I will be.” Deliberately, she looked out across the water. It was going to be a long night if she couldn’t shake the feeling of doom and just simply enjoy being with him, since he was here.

  “Anything I can do?”

  She shrugged. “Fishing I can handle. The restaurant I can handle. Sex I can handle. You… I don’t normally bring anyone out here with me.” She looked over at him. “I don’t know what to do about you.”

  “Well, you could try talking. I think we’re comfortable enough to handle it.”

  “Are we? This whole thing is—” A noise drew her attention and she glanced at the pole. It wasn’t bobbing.

  “Hey, sis.”

  Cheri looked over her shoulder. Wonderful, her not so subtle big brother. “Brad, what are doing here?” she asked, relieved they hadn’t been caught in a compromising position.

  “Paul said you brought a guy out here.” He extended his hand to Allen. “Hi, I’m Brad, the kid’s oldest brother.”

/>   Allen reached out and took the hand. “Allen.”

  Before Allen could say too much, she spoke up, “Allen is up from Florida for a couple days. I thought I’d treat him to some cat fishing and mosquitoes.”

  “And, from the looks of things, you plan on night fishing.”

  “What’s Rhonda fixing for dinner?” She arched her brow giving him her take the hint and scat look.

  He grinned and said, “Its Thursday—meatloaf, I think.”

  “You might want to stop off for a bottle of ketchup or some spicy mustard.” She continued to give him the look. “Or, you could grab a burger on the way home.”

  “I’m leaving, little sister. You don’t have to push me.” He turned, placing his hand on his back to demonstrate.

  Cheri couldn’t help but laugh as she watched him walk back toward the club. “You got off easy. I’m surprised he didn’t interrogate you.”

  “Does your family know how we met?”

  “No.”

  “So, what is your family going to say when you come up pregnant?”

  “Oh, that they know about. The mishap on the beach they don’t.” She lay back, drawing her knees up. “Do you have any siblings?”

  “One of each. I’m the middle child.”

  “So am I. I have six brothers and sisters.”

  “A large family. Must have been interesting growing up.”

  “I imagine not much different than yours, just noisier.” She stared up at the sky, wishing time would move a little faster so the sky would darken. Alone like this, she felt too vulnerable, too uncomfortable. If he started talking the weather, she may as well pack up and take him back to her apartment. At least there, she could put something on the television so they wouldn’t have to force conversation.

  He turned toward her, resting on his forearm. “I guess you’re pretty close knit and I’ll have to watch my step.”

  Allen reached out and traced her ear and she swallowed at the sweetness of it. “Maybe.”

  “I’ve been curious about something.”