by Vivian Wood
Alex sipped his sweet tea and watched the water. The moon grew higher and smaller. “What time is it?” Faith asked. Her voice, sudden in the night, was like thunder.
He glanced at his watch. “Nearly midnight.”
“They’re not coming,” she said.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Not tonight.”
“I’m tired. Are you tired?” she asked.
“I could sleep. Ready for bed?”
“I guess so.”
Alex crawled into the tent while she “did her face regimen.”
“Alex?” she called.
“Yeah?” He’d just gotten into Caleb’s old sleeping bag.
“You in there for the night?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I’m going to change into my pajamas out here.”
“Pajamas? Just sleep in what you got on.”
“No! I packed them, and I want to be comfortable.”
“Are you serious? Actually, go for it,” he said. “And bring the clothes you got on in here for a pillow.”
“You didn’t bring pillows?”
“This isn’t glamping.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you know what glamping is.”
When she finally crawled into the tent, he turned on the solar-powered flashlight so she could find her way. “What are you wearin’?”
“Hot yoga shorts,” she said.
“Looks like underwear.”
“Underwear? What kind of women’s underwear have you seen that are this big?”
“I dunno.”
“You need to get out more.”
“I don’t need to be goin’ to no yoga places if that’s how y’all dress.” He watched her slide into his old sleeping bag and fuss at her bundle of clothes for a makeshift pillow.
“This isn’t so bad,” she said. “But I wish I’d known. I wouldn’t have packed clothes with so many buttons and zippers.”
“Sleep always comes easy in a tent,” he assured her.
He wished it were true for him. It was awkward sleeping next to another person. The same as the night they’d spent together. She rolled away from him and fell asleep almost instantly. Her hair had uncoiled and fanned out wildly, and Alex watched the even rise and fall of her body with every deep breath.
The moonlight shone with ferocity through the thin summer camping tent and lit it up like an intimate bar. He’d forgotten that small birthmark on her left shoulder. The night they’d been together, he’d lingered over it with the tip of his tongue.
Shit. Just thinking of that night got him hard. She’s right there. And already asleep. Apparently, Faith didn’t share his discomfort.
Alex closed his eyes and willed himself to be still. Get some sleep. I need some sleep if I’m gonna be out here three days.
He counted breaths, just as one of those therapists had taught him to do. Even count in, even count out. He was hyperaware of his stiffness. Would it be so bad just to brush myself? There is a good foot of distance between them. No, stop it.
At some point, he must have fallen asleep. The tent was roasting hot. When he opened his eyes, it was still dark out, but Faith was curled up against him. She’d pulled herself out of the sleeping bag and was spooned next to him, one leg thrown across him. Even through the thickness of his own sleeping bag, he could feel her heat as it burned into him.
In the night, his own sleeping bag had become partially unzipped. How the hell did it get so hot in here? He felt a flicker on his stomach and glanced down. His T-shirt was halfway up his torso, and Faith’s hand rested on his stomach. He was hard again, or still hard from earlier, he couldn’t tell. Her fingers were just inches away.
He looked at her closed eyes with those thick lashes that fluttered in sleep. A small smile played at the corner of her lips. Whatever she was dreaming about, she seemed miles away. Would it be so bad to just kiss her? Wake her up with my lips on hers?
Alex wanted so badly to just take her right there. Rip those little shorts off and bury himself deep inside her. And he knew she’d be wet fast, just like the first time. He craved those little moans she gave when he fingered her, how her breath caught when he licked her clit.
Faith stirred and murmured something in her sleep. Her hand went an inch lower and hovered at the top of his shorts.
Shit. Carefully, he took her hand and moved it away. She tucked it under her head and sighed in her sleep.
Alex unzipped more of his sleeping bag as quietly as he could. It took him a good three minutes to get out of the tent. He had to unzip the opening one inch at a time, otherwise it would squeal and she’d surely wake up.
He crawled outside and slid on his shoes. As he zipped Faith back up in the tent, he saw that she’d rolled onto her back. Her tank top was so loose, it had fallen to the side. One of her breasts threatened to spill out completely. He could see the outline of one of her nipples, which made the hardness in his shorts almost unbearable.
Alex stood up, grabbed the flashlight, and sat in the chair. The moon had lowered again in the sky. Why the hell am I even resisting anymore? He dug through the cooler for one of his protein bars, anything to distract himself.
It’s not like she’s not into me. Most guys would kill for a girl like that for the summer.
But that was the kicker. It was just for the summer. Why feel so deeply for someone who’s just going to leave? And this time, it was for certain. Anything he and Faith might have came with an expiration date. That was something he just couldn’t handle.
Chapter 28
Faith
When she’d woken up, Alex’s sleeping bag was rumpled, and he wasn’t in the tent . Outside, she found him with the thermos of cold brew and mussed up hair. “Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
“I slept enough,” he replied, though his face betrayed him. He looked exhausted.
For most of the day, Faith perched herself on a smooth rock to soak up the sun. She hitched up her shorts and rolled up the sleeves of her T-shirt in hopes of an even tan. Although she’d wanted to catnap, sure nobody would be brazen enough to sail onto the island in broad daylight, she couldn’t sleep.
Faith spent the day with her eyes on Alex. Mostly, he stuck close to their camp immersed in busywork. “What are you doing?” she’d ask occasionally. He was full of endless excuses about why particular small jobs needed attention. She wanted to ask him to relax but knew that would be pointless.
It wasn’t one-sided. Numerous times she caught his eyes on her. By the afternoon, she was restless. The way he looked at her, with no sunglasses to hide his expression, it was clear he wanted her. She relished the attention, the hungry glances.
Is it wrong to want to push him, see if he will break? Faith let out an audible sigh to get his attention. She sat up and pulled off the T-shirt to reveal the triangle bikini top beneath. As she rolled down the waistband of her shorts to create makeshift denim briefs, she was aware of her every movement.
Her arched back and pushed-out chest caught his attention. She flipped onto her stomach, sprawled across the single towel he’d packed, and poked her ass into the air. “You just Gonna lay around all day?” Alex asked.
Faith pushed herself onto her forearms. Her breasts were dangerously close to spilling out. “You have a better idea?”
“If you wanna get in some kind of shower before dark, might wanna get to it.”
She pushed herself up and stretched overhead. “The creek?”
“You got a better idea, ma’am?” he asked.
“I’m ready,” she said.
She followed him down the small hill to the cool creek that snaked through the island. At the bank, Alex pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. He pushed down his cargo shorts to reveal black boxer briefs. Faith sucked in her breath as he hitched up the boxer briefs. Is he going to leave them on? She felt a rush of disappointment run through her when he waded into the crystal-clear water with the boxer briefs still on. “Comin’?” he asked over his shoulder.
Sh
e toyed with the idea of making use of the potential double entendre, but thought better of it. Instead, she pulled off her own shorts and followed him into the water in just her bikini.
“God, it’s freezing!” she said as Alex shot up from his dip under the water.
He laughed. “It’s not so bad,” he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest and felt her nipples as they poked through the material. His eyes went to her breasts, and she dropped her arms.
After she’d tied her hair on top of her head, she held her breath and forced herself into the water to her shoulders. Alex started to swim lazy laps back and forth from one bank to the other. “You don’t swim?” he asked her on his return.
“Not in water this cold,” she said. She shivered below the calm surface.
“Swimmin’ll warm you up,” he told her.
“I’m good.”
She covertly ran her hands beneath her breasts and between her legs whenever he turned his back to her, an attempt to get as clean as possible.
“I’m getting out,” she said.
“All right. Gonna be dark soon, anyway.” She heard him splash out behind her, and could feel his eyes on her ass.
Faith did her best to towel off, but kicked herself for bringing no clean clothes. She pulled on the little shorts while Alex stepped into jeans and a new T-shirt.
“Cold?” he asked, his eyes firm on her erect nipples.
“Kind of,” she muttered.
“Can I interest you in a fleece, ma’am?” he asked. He pulled a navy-blue fleece zip-up out of his backpack.
“Don’t you . . . don’t you want it?” she asked.
“I’m not cold,” he said with a shrug. “ʼSides, I brought it down here for you.”
She smiled and took the warm, soft material from him. Once she’d pulled it on and zipped it up, the sleeves hung nearly to her knees, and the hem brushed the top of her thighs. Faith felt like it was a game of dress up. She glanced down and saw nothing but her long legs and the tips of her fingers. “I look like I’m naked,” she said.
She saw Alex stand straighter at the remark. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. His breath had quickened. There was a desire in his eyes stronger than anything she’d seen before. He was this close to snapping, she knew it. “Let’s go,” he finally said and started up the trail back to camp.
Frustrated, she stomped after him. The sun had nearly set when they arrived at the tent. “What do you want for dinner?” she asked him as she started to look through the cooler. “Your choices are basically ham or chicken breast sandwiches.” Once again, she felt his eyes on her and leaned over farther while she straightened her back. From this angle, he’d just barely get a glimpse at where her thighs kissed slightly at the top. It would really look like she had nothing on below his fleece.
“Not hungry,” he said finally. “Actually, I’m goin’ to bed early.”
“You’re going to bed now?” she asked in disbelief. Faith turned around to face him, one of each sandwich in her hands.
“Some of us only got a couple hours of sleep,” he said pointedly, though he hesitated at the tent and looked at her. Is she supposed to join me?
She watched, incredulous, as he unzipped the tent. “You just put on fresh jeans to go to bed?” she asked. “How is that comfortable? Who sleeps in jeans?”
“No,” he said slowly. “I put on jeans so the nettles and blackberry shrubs wouldn’t scratch me up on the walk.”
Faith looked down at her own unmarred legs. When she glanced back up, Alex had pulled off the jeans and set them aside. The boxer briefs clung tight to his toned legs.
Once he’d zipped himself into the tent, she looked around their little campsite with a sigh. Faith shoved the sandwiches back into the cooler and dutifully strung it back up the tree. “Goddamn it,” she said as she struggled with Alex’s complicated knot system.
By the time she’d figured it out, it was nearly dark. What, are we not even going to keep a lookout tonight?
In the tent, she could make out a tiny light. Alex’s phone. He’d let it charge all day with a solar-powered charge kit, though they were far from reception. What the hell is he doing?
Faith shivered and walked to the tent. She unzipped it just as he put down the phone. “What are you doing?”
“Setting the alarm for a few hours.” She could barely make out his shape in the sleeping bag.
“A few hours?”
“We’re on a stakeout, aren’t we? Figured you were taking the first shift.”
She mewled in frustration. Faith could tell he watched her but couldn’t make out anything distinct in the dark tent. It is now or never, she thought. Enough of this cat and mouse game.
Faith stood up, aware that the circular opening of the tent would frame her perfectly. Slowly, she reached under the hem of the fleece and unbuttoned her shorts. Straight backed with locks of hair that reached toward the ground, she pulled the shorts down and tossed them aside.
She stepped out of her flip-flops and crawled into the tent. “I’m cold,” she said, with the most pitiful voice she could manage. She unzipped his fleece and pushed it to the edge of the tent. Immediately, her nipples responded again to the cold. The tiny bikini was still slightly damp from the creek. Faith bit her lip. “Can I share your sleeping bag?”
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the moonlight streamed through the tent opening. Alex had watched her over his shoulder, and now he rolled to face her. She delighted in his eyes as they traveled across her body.
Just as she thought he’d offer up a snarky remark, he bolted out of his sleeping bag and was on top of her. Faith sucked in her breath as she felt his mouth on her neck. He sucked with ferocity, the heat of his bare chest on hers. As she started to pant, his mouth found hers, and his tongue delved deep.
She felt his hardness pressed into her center, just thin material between them. Faith spread her legs wide, her nails dug into his lower back and she pressed herself closer against him. Even through his briefs and her bikini bottom, he was partially inside her.
Faith tried to topple him, to climb on top, but he wove one hand through the hair near her scalp and firmly stopped her. He was possessive, dominant. It made her flood through the slip of a bikini bottom.
With his other hand, Alex reached down. With a single pull, he untied one side of her string bikini. He bit her lower lip lightly as he dipped a finger into her. “You’re so fucking wet,” he whispered.
Quickly, he pulled down his boxer briefs and buried himself deep inside her. She cried out and whipped her head to the side. But he didn’t move. Faith wiggled and squirmed, desperate for him to fuck her, to feel his length slide firm against her G-spot.
“Stop it,” he said. His voice was domineering, but she heard the playfulness deep inside.
He tightened his grip on her hair and kissed her softly. His hand traveled to her breasts. A thumb ran across her rock-hard nipples. Alex released them from the triangle of spandex, the material bunched at her rib cage. He kissed his way along her jaw, down to the hollow of her throat and finally—with pleasure so intense it bordered on pain—he flicked a tongue across her nipple.
Faith felt a new surge of wetness, a trickle of juices that made its way down her legs. Alex took a nipple between his lips and sucked. She let out a cry, and finally he started to fuck her.
With every thrust, she felt herself get wetter. Alex released her hair and brought his mouth back to hers.
When she started to get close, he gripped her waist and rolled onto his back to pull her on top of him. Faith straddled him in the little tent that now felt hot as a sauna. The bikini bottoms were still loosely tied to one of her thighs, and her breasts bounced above the pulled-down top. She braced her hands on his chest, let her head fall back, and rode him with a wildness she’d never felt before.
Alex grasped her hips and slowed her down. “Not yet,” he said. “You don’t get to come yet.”
As she began to match t
he rhythm he commanded, he circled her clit with his thumb.
“Alex,” she groaned.
He spanked her smartly on the ass. “Quiet,” he told her. “We’re on a stakeout, remember?”
She leaned over him and pressed down on his hand that worked her clit expertly. Every time she bore down on his cock, she delighted in the pressure against her G-spot. Faith teased him, her nipples inches from his mouth. When he licked at them, pulled a nipple into his mouth as she rode him, she felt the first waves of an orgasm start.
“I’m going to come,” she whispered. “You’re making me come.”
“Yes,” he said lowly. With his permission, the tremors began at her center. “Come for me, Faith,” he urged her.
“Now,” she groaned. “I’m coming now.”
“I fucking love you,” he said.
Her eyes shot open, and she felt him release into her at the peak of her climax. As she felt his hot juices shoot into her, it brought on a fresh wave of orgasm. He held her hips firmly with fingers that dug into the crest of her ass. As his grip loosened, she pushed against his hardness a few more times. The aftershocks of her orgasm spread through her entire body.
Finally, she dismounted and fell beside him. His eyes were closed, and his breath had just started to return to normal. Faith rolled onto her side and ran her fingers across his chest. A thin layer of sweat stuck to her palm.
Their combined juices began to leak from her and spread onto Caleb’s sleeping bag. She didn’t care, enjoyed knowing she carried a part of him with her.
She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the right thing to say. Wordlessly, Alex shifted and welcomed her into the crook of his arm.
Faith fell into him, happy. His last words to her rang in her head.
Chapter 29
Alex