Page 82 of Off the Trail

Next time. I couldn’t be more excited that we get to have unlimited next times.

“All right, how about you scream into this while I suck you off?” I say, tossing him a flannel-encased pillow.

“I don’t think I’ll need it, but thanks.”

“Whatever you say.” I pull his boxers down, and his dick slaps against his furry belly, mouthwateringly hard. It tastes fresh and clean, and I can take more of it now with the practice I’ve had. I pull off to suck on his balls, one after the other, and when I look up again, he’s not screaming into the pillow, but he’s got two knuckles in his mouth, an echo of what I had to do to shut myself up. It’s fucking hot, and he grunts as I slide down his shaft again. I suck him hard, and he spreads his legs, planting his feet on the bed so he can thrust up into my mouth. I take it, loving the feeling of his hips rising and falling as he fucks my throat. Then I take him a little too far—I don’t cough or pull away, but I make some kind of sound that has him tugging at my hair. I come all the way off, blinking up at him in confusion.

“Baby, you’re too good at that.”

“Yeah?” I whisper, my voice a rasp at this low volume. “You wanna come?”

“So bad. Come here.” Then he’s hauling me up so he can kiss me while he jacks himself with nothing but my spit coating his dick. He sticks his tongue in my mouth. I suckle it eagerly, a pseudo replacement for what I was just sucking on. We’re fused together, mouth to mouth, when he spills with a surprised moan. I chase his tongue when he tries to pull it away, but we finally have to break contact.

He makes an unintelligible noise and flops back onto the mattress.

I sink down next to him, resting my head on his chest. “Well, maybe we were quieter than it felt like we were. Either that, or we traumatized your sister.”

He sighs. “Whatever. She’s moving out anyway.” And then he laughs, and I can’t help but join in.

Chapter 37

Blaze

Friday night. Bonfire night. It’s clear and cold, with barely any wind. Perfect conditions to light a fire the size of a small house on the shore of Sanctuary Lake.

Halloween is a few days away, and there’s a waxing moon so bright it makes it hard to see the stars around it.

I don’t need to see the stars to know they’re there.

The townies start trickling in, bringing thick woolen blankets and beach chairs, and the occasional piece of furniture destined for the burn pile. Gail and Billie from the bed-and-breakfast show up, along with Jim from Laketon Woodworks, and his wife Cora. The staff of the retreat is here, of course—Nolan and May, plus Davy, Nita, and Roger. Marika’s the perfect hostess, flitting around and greeting everyone, making sure all feel welcome. The guests from the retreat filter out of their cabins and join us on the beach. When there’s a sizable crowd gathered, Marika nods at me, and I hand a lighted torch to her so she can touch it to the enormous pile of wood and sticks we’ve assembled for our annual pyre.

It takes a minute to catch, then the smaller stuff goes up in a pleasing whoosh and crackle, and before long we have an honest-to-god rager on our hands. It’s bright and beautiful and dangerous and awe-inspiring. We made this; we control it, but we have to tend it, lest it get out of control.

I take the first shift, watching to make sure no flying embers go where we don’t want them. We’ve got barrels of lake water stashed all around the perimeter, and I’ve done this enough times I’m reasonably confident that everything is good.

Shawn ambles up to me, and god, it’s still astounding to me that he’s here, with me, instead of half a continent away cheering on the Laurels in game one of the World Series.

He doesn’t seem like he regrets being here instead of there when he slides his hand into mine and gazes at me, expression soft, his green eyes reflecting the bonfire’s flames.

Someone nearby has the game on the radio—we don’t have cell service, but we still get radio waves out here. I’ll check the score later.

“You warm enough?” I ask, edging closer to him.

“Oh, yeah.” He moves his lips to the shell of my ear and murmurs, “But if you want to get me warmer, I’d be happy to slip away with you.”

The proximity of his mouth to my skin is definitely turning me on, but we’re surrounded by so many people I have to keep myself in check. “Baby, you’re killing me. You know I have to be a grown-up tonight.”

He laughs lightly and steps back. “You’re right. I get carried away sometimes.”

To be the person Shawn Camden gets carried away for.

“I was thinking about partaking of some kind of beverage,” he says. “Want anything?”

There’s a table set up with a hot chocolate dispenser, coffee, and various libations to doctor them, should that be one’s cup of tea.

“I’ll take some hot chocolate,” I say. “Virgin, though. I’m still on fire duty.”

“You got it—oh, hey, there are the guys.” He waves, and I look across the crowd to see Luis, Leo, Cord, and Raphael have arrived. Shawn goes over and they take turns giving him half-hugs and slapping each other on the back. It’s amazing how easily he became a linchpin of their crew.