Mistaken Identity

by Jay, Donna

  Lucy had taken to the bike like a pro. Kelly wasn’t a fan of carrying nervous pillion passengers, but Lucy’s body moved with hers as if they were one, leaning with her into each corner and straightening as they exited.

  And there were a lot of winding roads between Palmerston North and Apiti.

  If it wasn’t for the heat of her body, her arms wrapped tightly around Kelly’s waist, and the tantalizing feel of her breasts pressed into Kelly’s back, Kelly would’ve forgotten she was there.

  After climbing a steep incline and descending the other side, Kelly coasted over an old bridge, tapped Lucy on the leg and pointed to the river below. It was a spot Kelly loved and had stumbled upon quite by accident.

  A few meters past the bridge, she slowed as a gate barely visible from the road came into view. Her headlight flashed across BARTLETS RESERVE as she turned onto a narrow gravel path. Day or night, Kelly rode with her headlight on. It gave her a sense of security that she would be more visible to motorist.

  Once the path gave way to grass, she continued to the far end of the clearing and parked alongside a thicket of blackberry bushes.

  The air was humid and carried the scent of dry grass. Kelly put the kickstand down and pulled off her helmet. Lucy climbed off the bike, tugged her helmet off, and shook out her legs.

  “Wow, that was fantastic.” Lucy beamed, her smile brighter than the sun. “Even if I have got a numb bum.” She rubbed her backside as if to prove her point.

  Like a ghost, Kelly sidled up next to Lucy and pinched her butt, delighted when Lucy squealed and jumped.

  “Ow.”

  “I’d say you’ve still got plenty of feeling there. If you’re not sure, I’ve got other ways to test the theory.”

  “Really?” Lucy draped her arms around Kelly’s neck.

  Birds chirped, and the gurgle of the river faded into the background as Kelly lost herself in the green depths of Lucy’s eyes.

  Her temperature spiked, and it had nothing to do with the sun beating down on them. As tempted as Kelly was to relieve Lucy of some clothes, she refrained from doing so. Kelly hadn’t shared this place with another soul and she wanted Lucy to experience the beauty as she had.

  Breaking their intense gaze, Kelly pulled the backpack off Lucy’s shoulders and grabbed her hand. “Follow me, and be careful.”

  Minutes later, after tramping down wayward blackberry vines, and holding others up while Lucy ducked underneath, they emerged onto a riverbank. A few stray vines had snagged Kelly’s forearms but other than one or two surface scratches she was none the worse for wear.

  And, she would endure cuts ten times worse to see the awestruck look lighting up Lucy’s face.

  She stood with her hands on her hips, taking in the scenic view. “Beautiful.”

  A bead of sweat trickled down Kelly’s back. “And bloody hot.”

  She pulled a towel out of the backpack and spread it out on a relatively even patch of ground.

  “You’re not wrong.” Lucy shucked out of the jacket Kelly had loaned her. It was too tight to zip all the way up, but no way would Kelly let her on the bike without long pants and long sleeves.

  Kelly had only had one spill and the unrelenting surface of the road had torn through her jeans and jersey, leaving her knees and elbows grazed and bruised. The memory of that day made Kelly shudder. It didn’t even bear thinking about how much worse her injuries would’ve been if she’d been wearing shorts and a tee.

  Within seconds, they’d discarded their jackets, socks, and shoes. Kelly wiggled her toes imagining the cold water washing over her feet.

  The rockface on the opposite side of the valley cast shadows over the ground. It had to be at least sixty-foot tall. The tip of two power poles and their dangling wires peeked over the top. If they were the only thing that peered over the cliff, Kelly would be happy.

  She suspected the cliff bordered the edge of a dairy farm they’d past a few kilometres back.

  “Skinny dip?” Sitting on the towel, Kelly rocked her backside and slid her jeans down her legs.

  A coy smile tilted the corner of Lucy’s mouth. “I’m not skinny enough.”

  “Are you kidding? You’ve got curves in all the right places. And who cares, anyway? There’s no one within a country mile.” Kelly gave Lucy’s thigh a reassuring squeeze.

  “True, and you’ve seen it all before anyway.”

  The saucy wink Lucy shot Kelly made her insides tingle. If Kelly didn’t need to cool off, she would’ve jumped Lucy right then and there.

  Sitting beside her, Lucy worked her jeans down her legs, then yanked her shirt over her head and tossed them on the pebbled beach.

  And there she sat, looking fucking gorgeous, in a pink bra and matching briefs.

  Kelly fanned her face. “Goddamn you’re sexy. I don’t know what’s wetter, me or the water.”

  A snort bubbled out of Lucy. “Such eloquence.”

  When Lucy stood, Kelly’s gaze roamed up her legs, coming to a rest on the dark triangle hidden beneath her briefs.

  Saliva pooled in Kelly’s mouth when a plan Lucy wasn’t yet privy to bubbled to the surface.

  Oblivious to her sweet backside taunting Kelly with each stride, Lucy hollered over her shoulder, “Last one in’s a baked potato.”

  Chuckling, Kelly pulled her shirt off. Feeling brave, she ditched her bra and glanced up just in time to see Lucy wince when she stood on a sharp stone.

  With no intention of doing the same, Kelly slipped her feet into her boots, not giving a damn how ridiculous she looked.

  The heavy clomp of her footfalls gave her away as she closed in on Lucy.

  Lucy’s head whipped around. Her surprised expression gave way to amusement when her gaze dropped to Kelly’s feet.

  “Laugh all you like.” Kelly slapped Lucy on the butt as she sped by. “I like baked potatoes.”

  “Roast, not baked.” A pebble hit Kelly square in the back.

  Rather than react, a wicked smile spread across Kelly’s face. Lucy would pay for that.

  Chapter 21

  Refreshed after a quick dip in the river, Kelly piggybacked Lucy from the water’s edge back to their makeshift blanket. The feel of her wet body plastered to Kelly’s back was exquisite torture. Kelly wasn’t strong enough to carry Lucy for long, but she also never wanted to put her down.

  The squelch of her feet in her boots made Kelly rethink her wisdom. In her haste to outdo Lucy, she hadn’t taken a towel to the riverside.

  Once she made it back to their clothes, and towel, Kelly lowered Lucy to her feet.

  A frown creased Lucy’s forehead. Fairly certain she knew why, Kelly bit back a smile.

  “How am I supposed to dry these?” Lucy plucked at her wet bra, and snapped the waistband of her briefs. The worry line morphed into a grin. “Or are we going to live dangerously and ride home commando? ”

  As much as Lucy would love that, Kelly had other plans. If she didn’t, she would’ve told Lucy to pack her bikini as well when she’d texted Lucy to bring jeans.

  “Sorry, I have a hard rule about appropriate clothing for riding. Looks like we’ll have to spread them out to dry.” Kelly pointed to a fallen log a few feet away. “We shouldn’t have to wait for long.”

  Although it was no longer unbearably hot, the afternoon sun still held plenty of heat.

  “And how do you propose we pass the time, Kelly?” Lucy cocked her head, a sexy smile on her face.

  “That’s Miss Kel, to you.” Kelly slipped her proverbial domme hat on. “And, I do believe I owe you a punishment.”

  A spark of desire flashed in Lucy’s eyes. “What for?” She narrowed her gaze.

  A jolt of arousal shot through Kelly when her fingers connected with the rope she’d stashed at the bottom of her backpack.

  She stood and addressed Lucy. “Did you, or did you not, toss a stone at my back? And don’t even think about lying to me, young lady. ”

  Like a perfect submissive, Lucy bit her lip and low
ered her gaze. “It was a pebble, Miss Kel.”

  Okay, perhaps not perfect, but perfection was overrated. Kelly admired Lucy’s sass. Rather than chastise Lucy for answering her back, Kelly took the opportunity to throw some of Lucy’s words back at her.

  “I’d peel these off.” Kelly tugged on Lucy’s briefs. “But I don’t make a habit of going into people’s drawers without their permission.”

  Lucy’s lips twitched, confirming her innocent comment had been nothing of the sort.

  Thankfully, unlike that day at the café, Kelly could now find humour in the comment rather than have a coronary. Sure, her heart was racing, but that was for entirely different reasons.

  The loud snap of elastic on wet skin echoed in Kelly’s ears when she released the waistband. Elation shot through her when Lucy didn’t so much as flinch, just held Kelly’s gaze as if awaiting further instruction.

  Kelly put her hands on her hips. “Strip.”

  A hint of worry skidded across Lucy’s face. Her gaze flittered left, then right, over Kelly’s shoulder, across the river, to the top of the rockface, then settled back on Kelly.

  Apparently, like Kelly, Lucy wasn’t an exhibitionist. As much as Kelly liked the element of surprise, she had no intention of exploiting Lucy’s worries.

  Intent on erasing Lucy’s fears, Kelly walked behind her and kissed her shoulder blade. She ran her tongue over a droplet of water that dripped from Lucy’s hair. Her skin was hot and slightly pink, another good reason to get out of the sun.

  Slowly, Kelly undid the hooks on Lucy’s bra. One. Two. Three.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tie you up for all the world to see.” She trailed a finger under the crease of Lucy’s left breast.

  Lucy shivered, goose flesh erupting on her skin.

  “This gorgeous body is for my eyes only.”

  Hanging on to Kelly’s every word, Lucy looked incredibly beautiful and vulnerable, the combination was a heady drug. Lucy trusted her. And that was everything to Kelly.

  Lucy sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as Kelly slid the straps down her arms.

  Questions swam in Lucy’s eyes, but she didn’t voice them, further cementing her trust in Kelly.

  Kelly picked up the towel, shook the grit off, and handed it to Lucy.

  As if reading Kelly’s mind, Lucy wrapped it around her body, knotted it above her breasts, and kicked her underwear off.

  After spreading their wet clothes over an old log, Kelly plucked up the length of rope and grabbed Lucy’s hand, towing her behind her.

  “I have the perfect way to pass the time while these are drying. Did you notice the big tree on our way to the riverbank?”

  “I did!” Lucy said, her voice shrill.

  Her enthusiastic response revved up Kelly’s excitement. It also led Kelly to believe Lucy suspected what Kelly had in store for her, and she didn’t intend to disappoint.

  Halfway along the narrow path from the reserve to the river, stood a tall birch tree, with a clearing approximately ten-feet in diameter surrounding the base.

  The gurgle of water turned to white noise as Kelly’s senses honed-in on Lucy and their surroundings.

  Slithers of sunlight crisscrossed the ground. A tall tree pierced through the foliage of wild blackberry vines surrounding them like black and red curtains.

  In that moment, Kelly felt like a director on a stage, and it was fucking exhilarating.

  Kicking at the ground with the toe of her boot, Kelly cleared away some stray vines. Lucy did the same, then toed off her shoes. The promise of what was to come, and not wanting a foot full of blackberry thorns, halted any would-be jokes about their attire.

  With a sharp tug on the knot of the towel, it fell to the ground. Kelly backed Lucy up until the tree brought them to an abrupt stop. Their lips met in a bruising kiss. There was nothing gentle about it. Teeth clashed, tongues duelled. Hands roamed.

  The rapid increase of Kelly’s heart from something as basic as kissing Lucy, never ceased to amaze her. She wanted Lucy with a passion that left her breathless.

  “Goddamn, you’re one fine woman, Lucy-Lou.” Kelly grazed her teeth over the tendon on Lucy’s neck, loving the feel of Lucy’s strong pulse.

  Exhaling a soft whimper, Lucy gripped Kelly’s backside, dug her fingers in, and pulled her close.

  “Tut-tut.” Kelly stepped out of her reach and waggled a finger. “You don’t get to take liberties. You’ve been a naughty girl.”

  An adorable pout formed on Lucy’s lips.

  “Don’t give me that look, missy. Turn around and hug the tree.”

  A frown.

  “Don’t make me ask twice. Wrap your arms around the tree.” Kelly pulled her belt through the loops of her jeans and then kicked them off, glad to be free of them chafing on her centre.

  What on earth Lucy enjoyed about going commando was beyond Kelly. The only reason Kelly had slipped her jeans back on, without underwear, was so they’d be nearby if she needed them in a hurry.

  Cutting Lucy some slack—for not complying immediately—Kelly basked in the attention as Lucy’s gaze wandered over her body. Her scrutiny was so intense, Kelly felt it like a physical caress. Her nipples tightened, and her pulse raced.

  “I think I’d rather look at you, Miss Kel.” Lucy batted her eyelashes.

  As tempting as it was to smile, Kelly refused to reward Lucy’s bratty behaviour for a minute longer. If she wanted Kelly to take control, then she needed to learn how to follow instructions.

  “Turn around, now. Put your arms around the tree,” Kelly gritted the words out, slow and controlled, leaving no room for argument.

  It had been the right call. All traces of humour vanished.

  Lucy’s eyes glazed over. “Yes, Miss Kel. I’ve been naughty, please punish me.”

  Fuck, could she say anything hotter?

  Once Lucy had her back to Kelly, her arms as far around the tree as they would go, Kelly took a minute to admire her body. The slope of her back, the round globes of her buttocks, her curvy thighs.

  Then, Kelly lingered a little longer, letting anticipation build, tormenting herself as much as Lucy .

  When a loose bit of bark above Lucy’s head caught her eye, Kelly reached for it, pressing her breasts into Lucy’s back.

  The sudden contact made Lucy jump, but she held her position, arms glued to the tree trunk.

  “Good girl,” Kelly whispered into her ear. “Don’t forget your safe word.”

  She didn’t intend to flog the life out of Lucy, but Lucy might freak for whatever reason.

  “I trust you won’t hurt me, Miss Kel.”

  “Much.” Kelly chuckled, dragging the strip of bark down the length of Lucy’s back.

  Kelly slashed the birch across her hand, testing the weight, imagining the sound it would make when it connected with Lucy’s bare flesh.

  Like a cat stretching, Lucy arched her spine. It was all the encouragement Kelly needed.

  “Count for me.” Taking care to warm Lucy up, Kelly landed a soft blow.

  “One, thank you, Miss.”

  Like a pro tennis player, Kelly delivered two blows in quick succession; forehand, followed by a backhand .

  “Two. Three. Harder please.”

  A jolt of desire shot from Kelly’s nipples to her clit. She appreciated the guidance given she couldn’t see Lucy’s face to read her expressions.

  “Your wish is my command.” Kelly wound up and delivered a hard blow. The ensuing red stripe intersected with the crease of Lucy’s arse forming a perfect letter t.

  A quiver rocked Lucy’s body. “Four.”

  The husky tenor of her voice turned Kelly on. Soothing the burn, Kelly ran her hand over the offending mark.

  “Can you take two more?”

  “Yes, Miss Kel.”

  The scent of soil wafted up from the ground as Lucy shuffled her feet, moving them further apart, as if to brace herself.

  When the next blow landed, Lucy groaned. �
�Five.”

  Her resilience sparked a fire deep inside Kelly. She was tempted to make the last strike really count, but at the same time, Kelly didn’t want Lucy to be too tender to lean back against the tree. As it was, the wood would probably scratch her bare flesh.

  Eyeing up the crease where thighs met butt-cheeks, Kelly swished the birch strip one final time.

  “Six.” Lucy’s body sagged.

  Desperate to get her hands on Lucy, Kelly ate up the small space between them and spun her in a circle.

  Lucy’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes full of desire. Their lips met, and like always, the passion that flowed between them robbed Kelly of her senses. Lucy’s arms wrapped around her and Kelly melted into the embrace.

  When the need to devour every inch of Lucy became too much, Kelly broke the kiss. “You took your punishment well.”

  “Thank you, Miss.”

  “Now for your reward.”

  Lucy watched with rapt attention as Kelly picked up the rope and ran it through her fingers. It snaked across Kelly’s palm like a rough caress. “What do you think I’m going to do with this?”

  For the second time that afternoon, Lucy’s eyes darted left, then right. “Tie me up?” she asked, her voice excited, her gaze wary .

  Kelly tied a knot in one end of the rope, forming a small loop.

  “Correct, I’m going to bind you, but loosely enough that you can slip free if we need to make a quick exit.”

  Kelly smiled, and any tension that had been between them vanished on a gentle breeze.

  In seconds, Lucy’s wrists were bound, the front of her gorgeous body completely exposed to Kelly. Arms back, breasts thrust out. It was another image Kelly added to her mental snapshots of Lucy.

  “How do you feel?”

  Flashes of their first night together ran through Kelly’s mind when Lucy replied in kind.

  “Exposed, vulnerable, excited.”

  While Kelly could relate to the last part, she was in awe of Lucy for putting herself in such a vulnerable position.

  The mere thought of being restrained, especially out in the open, freaked Kelly out. Thankfully, that would never happen. Kelly couldn’t imagine Lucy ever ordering her to do anything, much less Kelly obeying her commands.