Page 42 of Learning at 40

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Me: I know it will be late, but do you think I could still see you tonight? Signed, pirate captain.

River: Pirate captain? Is this a demand or a request?

Me: Negotiation. I know where there might be buried treasure.

River: Will we need a map?

Me: Giving out clues. This is my treasure hunt.

River: Oh, I like this. What clues do you have for me?

Me: Only one – Midnight at the ship.

When midnight arrives, I’m crammed inside the tree fort that looks large and spacious from the outside, if you aren’t six foot three. My ass hits one wall while my feet rest against the other. I’ve been sitting here for roughly twenty minutes, setting everything up first and then taking time to recall memory after memory of playing in the fort my father built.

Noah and I spent hours on that first platform when we were young, and then we hid on it when our parents occasionally fought. My brother would make up games for us to play to distract us. Only one night, we couldn’t avoid the noise coming from the house. Something shattered, and Noah jumped from the platform, bypassing the ladder. I followed after him in time to find my mother holding her cheek on the kitchen floor.

He didn’t mean it, she kept saying despite the fear in her eyes. Noah went off somewhere screaming at our father. I later learned his explanation was the same. He’d never meant to hit her. He had never done it before. He didn’t have the chance to do it again. He was arrested months later.

Tipping my head back, I swallow around the memory and close my eyes, listening to the rustle of leaves overhead and the lake rolling against the shore at the base of the cliff. Inside my mind, I’m still that child making up games and decide my suggestion that River meet me in this new tree house seems silly.

Then her head pops through the small opening. “Hey.” Her voice is light. Her smile is bright. Her eyes twinkle. “What’s all this?” She finishes climbing through the hatch and crawls over to me. There isn’t space for her to stand but enough area for her to sit next to me. I’ve spread out a sleeping bag to prevent our backsides from numbing against the hard wood and set out candles Anna had.

“They’re battery operated as I didn’t want to risk real flames in a freshly built fort and in a tree.”

“Very responsible of you,” River teases.

She thinks I’m a tight-ass at times. After my father was arrested, I was uptight, working hard to prove myself in all matters. My father might have been a criminal, but I was still smart, still athletic. I went to college and law school and graduated with honors. I owe Ben and friends for most of that motivation. They allowed me to push myself and then pulled me back, forcing me to enjoy those four years at the university, not just let them pass with my nose in pre-law texts. I was a self-made man after that and I didn’t waste a dime, or barter it, or gamble it. My watch was one of the most frivolous purchases I’d ever made. After that, every nice thing I had I bought only when I could afford it. Thankfully, my profession was lucrative, but I didn’t take my paycheck for granted. I worked hard to earn it.

“You okay?” River interrupts my thoughts.

“Yeah, I’ve been a little distracted today, but I’m better now.” I slip an arm around her and tuck her into my side, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She makes things even better for me, and I wish I could bottle her up like an elixir to drink on occasion. These weeks could have been spent wallowing in Ben’s loss and cursing under my breath at my boys, but I’ve actually enjoyed my time here.

You make time for love.

“So, buried treasure?” River questions, placing her hand on my belly. “Did you find it yet?”

“It just magically appeared,” I flirt. “But there are many pieces in the treasure chest.”

“Oh really.” She laughs and, God, I love the sound of it. That trill alone is worth more than gold or diamonds or a fifteen-hundred-dollar watch. She has other parts worth even more.

Cupping her jaw, I turn her chin, so she looks up at me and I lower to her lips, kissing her first in slow measured sips before opening wider and taking her tongue with mine. She shifts beside me and the kiss deepens. Tongues move in unison as our lips meld together. She’s wearing a linen dress so lightweight and thin, I can feel her ripe breasts through the fabric pressing against my arm.

“Treasure one,” I whisper against her mouth before restoring the kiss. Gently, I maneuver her over my lap.

“Treasure two and three,” I mutter, lifting both my hands to cover those swollen globes peeking at me through sheer material. She isn’t wearing a bra and she has no idea what that does for me. Her breasts are large and firm, filling my hands. With her center positioned over my quickly hardening dick, her mouth returns to mine. I continued to massage her breasts, squeezing the heaviness before pinching the already stiff nipples.

Breaking the kiss, I glance up at her hair and brush it back. “Treasure four.” The spun-gold color has a value all its own and curtains her face, tickling my shoulders as she undulates over me. I twirl several strands around my index finger before releasing them.

“Treasure five,” I murmur, slipping my other hand, still on an ample breast, to cover her heart. Underneath her skin, the organ beats rapidly, and I like that I’m the one causing it to race. She does the same to me.

“Treasure six,” I hiss, buck my hips and forcing my hard length against her soft center. I’m wearing sport shorts tonight, and the silky, track material easily slides over my shaft. There isn’t much barrier between us and if I have any say in this night, there won’t be any others in a matter of minutes.

“How many pieces are in this treasure chest?” she softly strains as she rocks back and forth over my hardness. Her hands cup the back of my neck as her lids lower.

“It seems endless, and I want to possess all of it.” Her eyes slowly open wider, and she bites the corner of her lower lip, forcing me to lean forward and take the soft puckered skin with my own. We kiss again and again, growing warmer in the confined space. Our desire grows hotter as well.