by Alice Ward
“I can do both, if you need a rest.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. We’ll get it done faster if we work together.”
“Okay,” he said with that same amused grin. “Then let’s pitch the tent first. We have a few more hours of daylight left. We should have time to gather some rocks and build a proper pit before we start the fire.”
“Sounds good.”
We got the tent up quickly and then James gathered rocks while I searched for kindling and larger firewood. I used the ax to cut large, fallen branches into manageable pieces and then carried them near the tent. I caught James staring at me a couple of times, which sent my heart racing.
Am I imagining things? Or is James Parker really checking me out?
We worked fast and James lit the fire just as the sky started to turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, pink, and purple. We hadn’t had room to pack camping chairs, so I rolled my sleeping bag out next to the fire pit and settled in for a long, quiet night. I half expected James to retreat to the tent, but he rolled his sleeping bag out next to mine.
“I didn’t pack a ton of food, but you’re welcome to share what I have,” I offered. I unzipped the cooler again and pulled out jerky, string cheese, and another apple. James silently walked back to Seven and retrieved a liter of Jack Daniels from his saddle bag.
“I brought this to share with your dad… you’re welcome to as much as you want, if you can handle whiskey,” he told me as he returned to the fire. He studied me as I unscrewed the lid and took a long drink straight from the bottle. The whiskey burned as it went down, but I refused to follow it with a chaser. I was certain that James was testing me and I was determined to show that I could hold my own. I passed the bottle to James. He raised an eyebrow and gave me another amused look.
“What is it?” I asked again.
“Nothing… I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Surprised?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
James tossed back the bottle and chased it with a Coke from the cooler. He cleared his throat and passed the bottle back to me. “I was under the impression that you’re a spoiled little daddy’s girl. I expected you to act like a delicate princess. I see now that I was wrong.”
You couldn’t have been more wrong… but I think I’m spot on about you.
He rifled through the cooler and pulled out a piece of string cheese and a cold chicken breast. I took a second swig of whiskey that went down much smoother than the first. I was offended by his impression of me and I didn’t know how to handle it. I stared at the sunset for a few minutes before replying.
“I don’t know why the hell you thought that,” I told him. My words were harsh but my voice was calm. “You don’t even know me.”
James swallowed a mouthful of chicken and washed it down with his Coke. “I remember you from high school. You always had the best clothes, the nicest car. You seemed so sheltered, so naive. And you still live at home, so I thought…”
The conversation was giving me knots in my stomach. James wasn’t the first person to assume that I was spoiled and I hated that people had that impression of me. I tossed my uneaten food back in the cooler and turned to him. “I had the best clothes and the nicest car because I’ve been working since I was twelve years old. Did my dad spoil me a little? Of course he did. But he didn’t just hand everything to me. And for the record, I left home for four years and went to college. I moved back after I graduated because it would have cost a small fortune to set up my breeding program somewhere else. And I like working in the same barn my mom worked in. It makes me feel closer to her.” I was desperate for James to understand me, though I didn’t understand why.
“Like I said, I misjudged you,” James replied. He held my gaze for a moment before looking back at the fire. “I’ve watched you today. You obviously know your way around a horse, you chopped firewood like a man, and you seem perfectly capable of surviving on your own in the middle of the wilderness. I’m surprised… in a good way.”
“Well, would you like to know my impression of you?” I asked with a nervous laugh.
James raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Probably not… but go ahead and give it to me.”
I took another drink of whiskey to steel my nerves.
I can’t believe that I’m sitting here laughing with James Parker.
“Go easy with that, or I’ll think I make you uncomfortable,” James teased.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay… my first impression. You obviously know you’re attractive. And you seem to think that means you don’t have to be nice. You’re an adrenaline junky, and I doubt you’ve ever had a real girlfriend. You seem more like the type to have an endless string of one night stands. And for the record, I’m not the only one here who still lives at home.”
I was afraid I’d offended him, but James shrugged and smiled. “Guilty on all accounts… you’ve got me pegged pretty well. But I own who I am, you have to give me that.”
“You acknowledged that you misjudged me. I owe you the same,” I told him. “I think I was right about a lot of it. But I also think there’s a lot more to you than your attitude.”
He studied me for a moment, slid closer, and took the bottle from my hands. The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving thin ribbons of blue and purple in an otherwise black sky. My heart raced at James’s closeness, and I forgot that I’d ever been annoyed by him.
I’ve got to keep my cool. The whiskey’s making me think crazy things. Flirting is harmless, but I can’t let it go any further.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” James said. “Almost… romantic.”
I turned to look at him. His chocolate eyes glowed with the light of the fire and I was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss his soft, full lips. I looked away quickly and searched for a reason to put some distance between us.
“I don’t want to leave Mayhem saddled all night. I should go take care of that, want me to get Seven’s too?” I asked.
“I’ll take care of both of them,” he insisted and rose to his feet. “They’ve probably stripped the grass around the trees. I’ll move them too. You just sit here and relax.”
James unsaddled the horses and moved them to trees near a fresh patch of grass. I stared into the fire and watched the flames dance around the wood. James returned to his sleeping bag and slid it even closer to me.
“You know, there was one thing I left out when I admitted what I thought about you,” he told me, his voice low and soft.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” I asked without looking at him.
“You’re incredibly beautiful, Willow.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.
James Parker just said that I’m beautiful. And he’s touching me. I must be dreaming.
“You’ve already admitted you think I’m attractive,” he continued. “And we’re out here, alone in the wilderness. What do you say we take advantage of our situation?”
I turned and looked at him. “How do you suggest we do that?”
“Willow, you’re a smart girl,” he whispered softly. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
James gently cradled my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. They were even softer than I imagined and I melted into his touch.
I am kissing James Parker. How many times did I imagine this back in high school? This is a horrible idea… I should stop… I should pull away… fuck it, I want him.
I opened my mouth and James slid his tongue between my lips. We kissed eagerly, hungrily, as if we were starving for each other’s touch. James slid his hands down to my breasts. He moved his mouth to my neck as he fumbled with the buttons of my flannel shirt.
“Do you have protection?” I whispered.
“Always,” he replied.
I pushed him away and looked longingly into his eyes as I unbuttoned my shirt. I tossed it towards the tent, kicked off my boots, and laid down on the sleeping bag. James s
tood up, stripped down to his boxer shorts, and lay down next to me. His long, stiff cock poked through his waistband. I rolled over on my side, rested my head on his chest, and slid my hand down his shorts. He gasped as I teased him with long, firm strokes. He lifted his hips off of the ground and pushed his shorts down to his ankles.
“Kiss it,” he moaned.
I normally don’t appreciate being told what to do in bed, but I obeyed James immediately. I wanted him in my mouth; I wanted to taste him.
I kissed the head of his throbbing member, flicked the underside with my tongue, and took as much as I could into my mouth. I bobbed up and down on his cock, relishing the taste of him. Even his sweat was intoxicating. I was dripping wet between my legs, but happy to delay my own pleasure while I gave James what he wanted. After a few minutes, he groaned and pulled away.
“One of us is overdressed,” he said as he unhooked my bra and kissed my shoulder. He tossed it to the ground and pushed me onto my back. I stared up at the stars as he unfastened my jeans and pulled them down my legs. For a moment, I wished that I was wearing sexier underwear. But James ripped off my panties without paying any attention to the juvenile floral pattern on the white cotton. He pushed his face into my breasts as he teased my sweet spot with two fingers. He slipped one inside me, pulled it out, and licked my juices off his finger.
“I want you, Willow,” he told me. “I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember.”
He did? He must be lying. Stop thinking. Enjoy this moment.
“I want you too,” I moaned, pulling my thoughts back to the moment.James pushed his fingers back inside me and tenderly nibbled my earlobe. “Admit it,” he whispered sweetly. “You’ve wanted this for a long time too.”
“Oh… yes,” I moaned as he lowered his mouth to my breasts. He lashed my nipples with his tongue, sending chills of excitement through my body. I instinctively pushed my hips towards his and James pulled away.
“We’ll get there, Willow,” he promised. “But first, I want to lick and tease every inch of you.” He rolled me onto my side and lay down next to me.
James propped himself up on one elbow and nuzzled his face into my neck. He blazed a trail of kisses from one shoulder to the other while teasing my back with soft, teasing strokes. His calloused hands were surprisingly gentle and I felt safe in his arms. I rolled on to my back and James sat down beside me, turning his attention to my tired legs. He pulled them into his lap and gazed down at me as he massaged my calves.
“I was watching you in the saddle today,” he told me with a smile. “These legs got quite a workout. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them…” James moved his hands up to my thighs and mixed light, teasing touches with his firm, kneading strokes. I’d never felt so relaxed and turned on at the same time. I bent my knees and let my legs fall open. James took the hint; he crawled between my legs and pushed his face into my wet, eager pussy. I looked up at the stars and gave myself over to the sensations.
A gentle breeze blew through the mountain, but I hardly noticed the chill in the night air. The fire roared beside us, but its heat was nothing compared to the way James was making me feel. He probed, sucked, licked, and teased me, pushing me to the edge of release but not letting me go over. I didn’t want to go over… not until he was inside me.
“James,” I moaned. “I want you… I want you inside me when I come.”
“Oh God, Willow,” he groaned in pleasure. He rose to his knees again and reached for his jeans, fumbling in the pocket for a condom. I watched the light of the campfire dance across his firm, muscular chest as he opened the package and slid the rubber down his long, thick cock. James moved on top of me and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
James reached down and guided his cock into my wet, waiting pussy. He pushed just the tip in and rocked his hips in circles, teasing me and stretching me to take his width. I grabbed his ass and cried out in satisfaction as I pushed him deeper inside me.
“Are you okay?” he whispered through labored breath.
I wanted to tell him that I was more than okay, that I’d never felt anything as amazing as his cock. But all I could muster was a breathy “yes.” I dug my nails into his ass cheeks and pulled myself towards him as he thrust into me. My body tingled and I knew I was close to ecstasy. But I wanted to hold it at bay. It was our first time together, and I wanted us to reach release at the same time. I relaxed my hips and slowed my movements.
“If you don’t slow down, I’m going to come,” I warned.
“I can’t hold myself back, Willow,” James moaned. He upped his speed and spasms rocketed through my body. “I almost came just tasting you,” he continued. “I can’t stop now.”
I wrapped my legs around his waist and clenched my pussy muscles around his cock as he drove in and out of me. James cried out and I opened my eyes just in time to watch his roll back in his head. I watched his beautiful face as the waves of my own orgasm overtook me.
James collapsed on top of me but quickly rolled over onto his back. He pulled me into his arms and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“God, Willow. That was amazing. Are you okay?”
I lifted my head and looked him deep in the eye. “I’m perfect,” I purred.
James’s breaths were still labored. “Do you want to move to the tent? Or do you want to sleep out here tonight?”
I wanted to stay outside and sleep with him under the stars. But it was spring, and I knew that there were plenty of snakes and other wild animals roaming about. I didn’t want to be startled awake by an unwelcome visitor.
“Let’s move to the tent,” I replied. “I’ll carry the sleeping bags in if you’ll check the horses and hang the food from a tree.”
“You got it,” he agreed.
We stood up and set about our tasks, neither of us bothering to get dressed. I pulled our sleeping bags into the tent and zipped them together, making one big bed. James looked surprised when he joined me, but he didn’t say anything. We curled up together under the blanket and I drifted off into an easy sleep.
CHAPTER 4
I woke up the next morning, certain that the night before had been a dream. I felt a welcome ache between my legs and realized it had all been real. James was still asleep, so I slipped out of the sleeping bag and stepped outside. Our fire had died out and fresh, thick dew covered the forest floor. There was a chill in the air and I raced to my saddle to retrieve fresh clothes from my bag. I dressed quickly and surveyed the campsite. I was confident that with a little work, it would be the perfect spot for overnight trail rides.
I wanted to get back to the ranch and check on the horses, but I knew we still had work to do. I let James sleep and started clearing the area of debris. As I worked, I replayed the previous night over and over again in my mind. I still couldn’t believe it. James Parker was finally mine. By the time he emerged from the tent, I’d done everything that could be done with the equipment I had.
“Good morning,” James said with a yawn.
“Morning,” I smiled back at him. “Did you sleep well?”
“Pretty good. You?”
“Like a rock. I didn’t hear anything moving outside, I think this will be a perfect spot to set up the first campsite.” James pulled on his jeans while I spoke. I walked over to his saddle, retrieved a clean pair of socks, and tossed them to him.
“Thanks,” he mumbled without looking at me.
What… suddenly he’s shy?
“We’ll need to bring the chainsaws out, of course,” I continued. “We should also dig a deeper pit and haul up a charcoal grill, or at least a grate for the fire. A strong box of jerky, canned goods, and bottled water would also be good. And we’ll need to work fast, with the group coming on Saturday.”
“We?” James asked. He nervously shifted his weight from leg to leg and stared down at the ground. It dawned on me that he may not be as thrilled as I was that we’d slept together.
“Well yes… I thought I’d help out since we don’t ha
ve much time. Unless that’s a problem for you…”
“It’s not a problem… it’s just... look Willow, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about last night.”
“I see… what’s the right idea?” I pressed. I knew what he meant, but I needed to hear him say it.
“Like you said last night, I’m not really a relationship kind of guy. I was completely upfront with you about that… I’m happy to fool around whenever you want, but you shouldn’t expect more than that.”
I turned away from him and started packing up the campsite.
I should have known… I DID know… what the hell was I thinking? Just play it cool. Don’t let him see that you’re rattled.
“I’m not expecting anything from you,” I insisted in a harsh voice. “Except your help taking down the tent. I’ve done everything we can do without more equipment and I’d like to get back to the ranch as soon as possible. I’m sure Daddy and the guys have the fence back up. He can come up here with you next time. I’m better with the horses than manual labor.”
“Willow, please don’t be upset,” James said, sighing and running a hand through his hair.
“I’m not upset at all,” I told him. “I’m just in a hurry to get home. And I’m starving. You hung the cooler too high.”
James walked over to the tree and retrieved the cooler from the tall branch. “You should have woken me up,” he said as he passed it to me. “I could have helped you clean up around here. It looks great.”
“Thanks, it wasn’t a big deal. I was perfectly capable of doing it on my own. If you’ll saddle the horses, I’ll take down the tent and we can get going,” I answered shortly. I was mortified that I’d read too much in to our night together and all I wanted was to get away from James.
“Fine, whatever you want,” he replied, repeating my short, clipped tone.
James walked to the horses and I busied myself with the tent. It went down easy, but I had a hard time wrestling it back into its small bag. I was determined not to ask for help and after a few minutes of struggling, it was finally packed well enough to load onto my saddle. I turned and saw James watching me.