by Aubrey Cara
Her breath hissed out as he lined himself up and slid into her with one slow thrust. In this position she could feel every inch of his length stretching her. He felt even bigger than usual as she flexed her inner muscles around him. She wanted to cry out and thrust back against him. He leisurely kissed her neck and shoulders, slowly sliding his cock out and back in. Holding himself inside her, letting her feel every inch of his length. Teasing her with his maddeningly slow rhythm. Tormenting her. She bit her lower lip to keep from begging him to move faster, harder.
Her thigh muscles were trembling in an effort to stay splayed wide. Her toes curled. She wanted so badly to get her knees under her and thrust back onto his erection until she was crying out in what she knew would be a glorious orgasm. She let out a needy whimper and his low chuckle rang in her ear, firing her blood even more.
He was kissing the side of her neck, grinding against her, he hit her clit at every turn of his hips, causing her back to arch as she bit the sleeping bag to stay quiet. His voice was rough as he whispered, “You wanna come, star shine?”
She frantically nodded her head. He wedged his hand under her belly to press and rub down two fingers against her clit, the same time he started thrusting hard, hitting her in just the right spot. Overcome, she covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, muffling her shout as her body detonated. Her core pulsed rhythmically around the hard length working inside her, driving her higher as stars danced before her eyes.
Her orgasm seemed to trigger his own. He pounded deep into her swollen channel, setting off sensitive nerve endings. His body hammering into her’s, heedless to sound. She arched, muffling her screams as her sex spasmed around him again and again. He finally cried out after her second orgasm, his warm seed filling her body.
They rested, panting for a while. His body completely covering hers. His arms wrapped around her.
He eased up to turn over her limp form before lying down next to her. Their legs seemed to naturally intertwine as he propped himself on his elbow to look down at her. He leaned in, kissing her gently as she came around. She was happy to notice his breathing was still a bit ragged too. He smoothed her hair out of her face, as her breathing calmed. “God Del,” he said. “I could watch you come undone like that forever and never get tired of it.” He was grinning down at her. “You moved your hand,” he said, referring to his early instructions to hold onto the sleeping bag. “You've earned yourself a spanking when we get home.”
“That's not fair,” she mock pouted, even though his words sent a thrill through her system. “I was keeping quiet.”
“I hate to tell you this, star shine, but you weren't very quiet.”
She could feel herself blushing there in the dark.
He smiled, kissing her lips before saying, “I guess that means I owe you two spankings when we get home.”
She didn't reply. She was looking forward to being the recipient of those spankings and they both knew it. He stretched out next to her before gathering her back in his arms. She was just about completely asleep when he whispered, “I love you, star shine.”
Delia laid there, breathing evenly with her eyes shut, hoping he thought she was sleeping. She knew it was cowardly. She still hadn't told Jake she loved him, but she did. Desperately. Part of her was just scared to say it out loud. It would make it too real. And if it was all taken away from her it would hurt that much worse.
*** ***
Delia woke up feeling weak and nauseous. She wondered if she was iron deficient. Jake was still sleeping but nature was calling, loudly. She shimmied out of the sleeping bag holding back a groan when the motion upset her stomach all the more. She quickly pulled on panties, shorts and a tank top. Sliding her shoes on without tying them, she grabbed the toilet paper and unzipped the tent.
Stepping out, she marveled at what a beautiful day it was. This is why people camped. The air out in the woods was crisp and clean, filled with the scent of earth and trees. New dew was evident on every leaf. Everything was so peaceful. Her tranquil moment only lasted a second before she recalled her predicament.
Not about to hike the half mile to the dilapidated outhouse, she resigned herself to squatting in the woods. She had been avoiding this for as long as possible. She chose to trek from the center of the camp, moving out as far as she could go without losing sight of the tops of the tents. Pulling down her shorts and panties, she squatted down to relieve her bladder and almost lost her balance mid-stream. She grabbed at some plants to keep her balance hoping she wasn't clutching anything poisonous.
Finishing as quickly as she could, she moved to pull her shorts up and realized she had stepped in an ant hill. They felt like hundreds of creepy crawlies all over her legs, even though she only could spot a few on her skin. She screeched, frantically brushing at her legs and feet. The majority of the ants were all over her shoes and legs. She thrashed about in circles, dancing away from the ants while kicking off her shorts and shoes, the items casualties in the war against the army ants.
Once she had stumbled far enough away she took inventory of her legs. A few stinging bites were already swelling, but she had probably gotten off easy. Suddenly dizzy, she put her hands on her knees, taking a few calming breaths. She was hunched over like that, calming her breathing, when she saw a huge, black, lumbering shape in the distance.
A bear. A real-life bear.
She threw herself to the ground, not wanting to be seen. Panicked, she belly crawled only a few feet before getting up on all fours. Half crawling, half walking on hands and feet, she scurried back the campsite. She stopped every few feet to pop up and check on the bear's location. He seemed to be sniffing the air, heading in her direction.
Delia dropped all pretense of stealth. Pushing up off the ground, she sprinted back to camp. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, heedless of branches and twigs cutting at her. She had to warn the others.
*** ***
Jake woke up to the sound of Del zipping up the tent as she left. He groggily rubbed his eyes, yawning. It was still early enough that the boys were still sleeping. He allowed himself to relax a little longer hoping to get in a morning cuddle with Del when she got back. Stretching his arms high over his head he felt all the aches and pains of sleeping on the ground. He had brought a thick pad for them to sleep on, but realized he may be getting to the point where getting one of those blow up mattresses would be nice. He wasn't a cowboy out on the trail. It wouldn't hurt to have some luxuries while enjoying mother nature. He thought it may be wise to rent a cabin for them all the next time he and Steven felt the call to commune with nature.
Del was putting on a good front but he knew she was struggling just the same. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking. He had been so excited for her to experience real camping that he'd forgotten a few things. He had thought it would be romantic and the perfect time to get her by herself. Tell her how much she meant to him, and needed her in his and Steven's life forever.
Steven turning twelve was a big deal. Steven could legally claim Jake as a father and say he wanted to live with him. Jake had always been reluctant to fight for custody of Steven on the off chance he might lose. Or that his real biological father could come out of the woodwork. Chey was crazy, and she had abandoned her son, but she wasn't a criminal. And she was his biological mother. She could claim all sorts of things against him. Maybe even say he took Steven away from her. And it would all be his word against hers. She was capable of being spiteful for no reason, and Jake hadn't wanted to poke the viper's nest by riling her. Now was different. Now he'd be prepared if she did anything crazy.
Yesterday he had realized his mistake in thinking a camping trip was the right time and place to propose to a woman. Roughing it was something him and Steven had always enjoyed, but they were simple creatures. They also didn't have to squat in the bushes every time they needed to pee. He inwardly winced knowing she was out there having to do just that. His excitement over having all the legal paperwork claiming Steven his so
n had made him even more determined to marry Del. Hell, he wasn't even sure if she'd say yes. He never could predict how she'd react to anything. She still hadn't told him she loved him. He was sure she did, but what if he was wrong?
He was lost in contemplation when he heard the SUV door slam shut. Jake shot up, wondering what the boys were doing. He was just putting on his pants when the front of the tent zipped quickly open. A wild-eyed Del yanked him out of the tent by his arm chanting, “Bear, bear, bear, bear.”
He stumbled out, holding his pants up with his free hand as she yanked at his arm. “Dammit Del,” Jake cursed.
She cursed him right back, “Dammit Jake, run!”
He looked up just as a huge black bear came slowly into the clearing on the other side of their campsite. Without a thought, he had Del thrown over his shoulder as he ran to the SUV. Throwing open the passenger door, he tossed her in. Climbing in behind her, he slammed the door closed. She climbed over the console to the driver's side to give him room.
The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins as he watched the bear make its way through their camp. It sniffed and pawed their tents, moving around the fire pit. Jake took inventory of the back seat making sure all three boys were accounted for. Wide eyed, they sat staring out the window, visually tracking the bear. They'll have an exciting story to take home, he thought with an inward groan.
Then he looked over at Del. Her curls were a messy tangle all over her head. Leaves and twigs were caught in the mass. Her arms and legs were covered in dirt smudges and scratches. She had on her loose tank top, long enough to cover her lap, but Jake could see her shoes and shorts were missing. She also had what looked like angry bug bites on her calves and ankles. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked.
She looked taken aback at his question. “I went pee. In the woods,” she said. Her voice had a bit of an edge and came out high pitched. “Then I stepped in ants, because I was peeing. In. The. Woods. With a bear. Cause bears live. In. The. Woods! I half crawled back to our campsite, 'cause I didn't want it to see me. I got the boys to get to the SUV as quick as I could, but I could see it coming our way before I got to our tent to get you.” Her eyes were filling with tears.
“If you saw it coming, why the hell didn't you just get in the SUV? You could have been mauled by a bear!” Jake knew it was a fool thing to say the second the words left his mouth. He had been ready to get out of the tent himself and would have just as likely gotten mauled.
An apology was on the tip of his tongue when she shouted, “Because I love you, you ungrateful son of a bitch! You're such a jackass!” Tears were spilling down her cheeks and her lip was quivering. All he could do was sit there staring at her. He knew he was wearing a stupid grin. He had been wondering what it would take to get her to say she loved him, and now he knew. “You always surprise me, star shine.”
She sniffed blinking back tears. “Good surprise?”
He gave her a tender look as he wiped a tear that had escaped down her cheek. “Yeah, good surprise. Best surprise. Perfect surprise.” Cupping her face, he leaned to give her a kiss full of all the love he felt. “If you weren't sure, I love you too,” he said.
“Oh, Jake— ”
Whatever she was about to say was cut off by the sound of three twelve year-old boys gagging from the back seat. Steven whined, “Gag Dad! Get a room.”
“Hey quiet down back there. I have a room. It's in the house I own. Which means technically all the rooms are mine. Including the one I let you stay in,” Jake said.
Steven pulled a face and stuck out his tongue, reminding him so much of something Del had done so many times he couldn't be annoyed with the little shit. Jake just grinned, happier than he had ever been.
He looked out at the bear, now sitting by the side of the fire pit as if he were a regular camper contemplating roasting some marshmallows. Jake loved that bear. He wished he could get the marshmallows out of the cooler tied to the rope up in the tree and give them to that bear. That beautiful bear got Del to finally confess she loved him. Yeah, she insulted his mother and called him a donkey's behind, but she loved him.
He was sitting there grinning like a fool, watching his best buddy the bear head out away from their campsite. Little strawberry blonde-headed Evan said from the backseat, “That must have been the bear we heard last night. Did you and Ms. Delia hear that last night Mr. Forrester? It was making weird grunting sounds and must have been slapping a tree or something.”
Jake and Del looked at each other in realization. She looked slightly horrified and was blushing as she just shook her head and shrugged. “Nope not me,” she said, all innocence.
He tried not to laugh as he said, “Me either, I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.” Which was technically true.
They waited a little while longer to make sure the bear was well and truly gone. He got out first and checked the area before waving the boys out. “I don't know about you boys,” he said. “But I think I’ve had enough excitement for one morning. How about we start packing up and head out?”
This announcement was met with some groans, but they were so hyped up from the bear encounter they quickly started rolling up sleeping bags as they talked about the 'awesome', 'wicked', 'deranged' bear. Jake just shook his head as he went to the tent he and Del shared. Throwing on a shirt, he grabbed his shoes and a change of shorts and shirt for Del, who was still waiting in the car. He came around to the already open driver's side door. Del sat with her legs hanging out the side waiting for him. Setting his bounty on the console behind her, he took her delicate little face in his hands as he leaned in and kissed her. He meant it to be just a light meeting of the lips, but he found himself drawn into her. After the kind of kiss that made his own toes want to curl, he pulled back. Still occupying her space, not willing to lose contact just yet. Her thighs bracketing his hips, he still held her face.
He pulled a twig out of her hair, then one leaf, and another. She began to giggle. It warmed his heart. This woman was perfect for him. She was even willing to save him from a bear. “Del, I love you so damn much.”
She gave him a watery smile, filling him with so much love and hope. Before he realized what he was doing he was down on one knee looking up at her. He pulled the ring out of his pocket. He had been carrying the ring around for days, in a constant state of worry he'd lose it.
“I wasn't planning on doing this,” he said. “Well, I was, but then I wasn't. I thought I needed a perfect moment to propose to you. But then, just now, I realized every damn moment with you is perfect.”
“Jake?” She looked perplexed, if not a good bit shocked.
“I'm making a hash of this aren't I?” She shook her head in a negative, prompting him to continue. “Delia Marie Myers, you are the only person in this world that could possibly ever complete me. Will you marry me? Be my wife and mother to my son?” When she just sat there with tears running down her cheeks he added, “I promise to never leave you. And I'll chase you down if you ever run from me. In a non-threatening way, that is.” The last was said as an afterthought and he nervously chuckled. “Not threatening at all,” Del said in a watery choked voice.
He waited for that one word. Yes. That's all he needed to hear. But she just sat there staring at him. It was making him nervous.
*** ***
Delia thought her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Will you marry me? The words kept echoing through her mind. Jake had proposed. The man she loved more than anything in this world had just said no one else could possibly complete him. No one but her.
He was standing now, brushing tears off her face. She hadn't realized she had been crying. She was shaking too.
“Del, star shine. Say something. You're scaring me.” He did look worried.
“Yes,” she said. It came out croaked and she was afraid he hadn't heard her. “Yes!” She knew he heard her that time because Jake was there, kissing her. Before she could react, he pulled back to put the ring on her finger
. It was a little square cut diamond on a platinum band that looked like tiny little roses circling her finger. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
He brushed her tangled frizz back from her face. “You all right?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, but I can't stop shaking.”
He grinned. “I feel pretty shaky myself. I've never proposed before. And, well, you have a history of running from me. So there was cause for concern.”
She laughed. “I'm too scared of that bear to get farther than our tent right now.”
That made him laugh. “I really do love that bear,” he said. He kissed her a few more dozen times before he let her get dressed. Only then did he come around to the passenger side to sit down and put on his shoes.
They quickly packed up their campsite, leaving it as if they'd never been there. Like good boy scouts. The only memento they left were Del's shorts and shoes. Those were now presumably property of the six-legged soldiers, who had won them fair and square. Jake had said he'd go get them, but Del said she'd rather he stick close. He promised to buy her new shoes. She was fine without shoes as long as she had him.
EPILOGUE
They dropped Evan and Will off at their homes. Jake and Del assured their parents they had behaved admirably and they were safe and sound, despite all their exaggerations on the monster bear that tore through their camp.
That night they had a celebratory dinner in honor of Del and Jake's engagement. Steven's actual birthday wasn't for a few more days so she asked what kind of cake he wanted. Steven seemed genuinely excited she was going to marry Jake, which greatly soothed her nerves. She told him so too.
He said, “Don't worry Del. You're going to be the best mom. Even if my friends have seen you in your underwear.” That had made her blush bright red, and Jake laugh.
After another two days of waking up sick and going to bed early, she went to the local doctor in town. The doctor said her iron was a little low. What he said was the reason for her low iron almost made her faint. She still felt a little woozy thinking about it. Woozy and punch drunk happy.