Natural Impulse

by Anna Durand

  "A fire truck?" I tried not to laugh, but come on, the guy was acting like more of a scaredy-cat than my little sister had been when she saw a big old wolf spider for the first time. Bailey had been six, so I cut her some slack. The jerk in the tree didn't deserve any of that. "You can jump down. It's only, like, six feet to the ground."

  "No way. It's at least twenty feet."

  Oh jeez. Nico was freaking out more than Mara had when she walked into the dining hall and saw all the nudists for the first time.

  Nico whimpered again.

  "Are you afraid of heights?" I asked.

  He glared at me. "No, I am not."

  "Okay then, get some cojones and slide off that branch."

  "Could you at least pile up some leaves to break my fall?"

  I spread my arms, indicating our surroundings. "It's spring. There are no dead leaves, and I'm not denuding the frigging forest to make you feel better. Oh look, there's some moss down here. Aim for that. Time to suck it up, princess, and get your own ass out of the tree."

  He scowled at me for a few seconds, then slid his body off the branch with all the lightning speed of a sloth. Which meant he did it so damn slow that I probably developed gray hairs watching it. Seriously. It took him at least a minute to get one leg off the branch. Finally, he was hanging by his arms. Which were wrapped around it like he was dangling over the open jaws of a great white shark. He gaped at the ground like it was a man-eating beast.

  "Jump," I said. "Take a breath and just do it."

  Nico squeezed his eyes shut, whined like a freaking dog, and let go of the branch. The second his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled. He fell into a heap on the grass.

  And he started whimpering again.

  "What's wrong with you now?" I asked.

  He bent his leg toward his chest, bent his knee, and hugged it while whimpering some more. "I broke my ankle."

  Yeah, right. Mr. Whiny-Ass broke his ankle.

  "Let me have a look," I said, kneeling beside him. "You have to let go of your leg if you want me to check out your ankle."

  He eyed me with deep suspicion, like I might rip his ankle clean off his leg. "Are you a registered nurse?"

  I rolled my eyes. "No, princess, I'm not a nurse. But I've taken first aid classes, so I'm qualified to look at her your ankle without killing you."

  Even though I'd kind of like to do that. Never in my life had I fantasized about murdering someone, but I did now. And the more time I spent around Nico, the more gruesome those fantasies got. The one that went through my head while I palpated his ankle involved a chainsaw.

  He squealed. Seriously. Like a little pink piggy.

  "Calm down," I said in my patient, professional voice, the one Eve had taught me. She'd told me everyone needed to have a voice like that for dealing with annoying people. Damn, she was right. I told Nico, "I'm barely touching you, so just try to relax while I gently feel your ankle to check for injuries. Okay?"

  He nodded, his bottom lip quivering.

  And yeah, he had tears forming in his eyes.

  I focused on his ankle. Once I'd finished checking it out, I said, "No broken bones. But if it keeps hurting"---I held up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth, to complain, no doubt---"I'll take you to the hospital. But only if it's super painful. Got it?"

  "Yeah," he mumbled.

  A squirrel chattered from high above us.

  Nico screamed.

  My ears hurt. I was kneeling right beside him, a few feet from his big mouth.

  "That's a squirrel," I told him when he stopped screaming. "It won't hurt you."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Positive." I sighed. "I'll help you get up, and you can lean on me while we walk back to the guest house. If you can't manage that, I'll go get somebody to help me carry you. Okay?"

  "Yeah. Thanks."

  Nico was being polite. I'd known the guy for maybe an hour, but he'd acted like a jerk the whole time. I guessed getting injured while fleeing from a raccoon had made him humbler. At least for now.

  I shoved my arms under his and hefted him up, careful not to bump his ankle or get it bent wrong. He threw an arm around me, and I kept my arm around him. Oh yeah, this was how I'd imagined spending my afternoon. Hugging Mara's ex-husband.

  We started down the trail. It was slow going, with Nico limping, but we made gradual progress toward the trailhead. Nico got winded twice, and we stopped so he could rest. Maybe his ankle really did hurt a lot. I had to assume it did and give him the benefit of the doubt. When we trudged out of the woods, Val saw us. He'd been standing at the edge of the lawn, at this end, so he ran over to help me get Nico into the main house. It was closer than the guest house.

  Nico didn't even bitch about a naked guy assisting him.

  After a lot of wrangling, we got Nico on the sofa in the living room, lying lengthwise on it with his ankle propped up on pillows.

  "We have Tylenol and Advil," Val said to Nico. "Would you like either of those?"

  "Advil," he said. "Thanks."

  I sat down on an armchair across from Nico. "How's your ankle?"

  "Kind of better. Still hurts like a son of a bitch, though."

  "Maybe I should get you some ice."

  "That might help. Thanks."

  By the time I got the ice, Val had given Nico the Advil, and Mara and Eve had come to see what was happening. We finally decided Nico didn't need a doctor---and he actually agreed. His room in the guest house was upstairs, so Eve and Val offered to stay there instead so he could sleep in their room here.

  Mara's parents seemed kind of annoyed by Nico's needy, whiny behavior. Because yeah, the guy kept complaining and demanding everybody get him things, like water "not from the tap but with electrolytes" and "organic gluten-free crackers with sea salt." Luckily, we had bottled water and those funky crackers, though not organic ones, thanks to Eve's insistence we try to accommodate anything our guests might want. Some people genuinely needed gluten-free foods, but Nico just wanted that because it was trendy. I knew because I asked if he had any food allergies, and he said no.

  When Mara and I finally got to our rooms in the guest house, we were so tired, mentally and physically, that we kissed each other good night and went to bed.

  Man, what a day. Mara's parents. Her ex. My ex. Jeez, what would happen tomorrow?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mara

  The next day passed in a blur, with Ollie too busy to spend much time with me and Nico constantly texting me to ask for food or a drink or whatever thing he decided he had to have at the moment. I didn't see my parents much either, since I felt like I had to take care of Nico so Ollie, Eve, and Val could do their jobs instead of catering to the needs of my annoying ex. By the end of the day, I needed a break from all of it.

  Nico tried to get me to sit at his bedside all night to "watch over" him, but I said no. He had dumped me. I'd given up my day for him. Why should I tend to his needs all night? It wasn't like he was dying. He didn't need a twenty-four-hour nurse for a twisted ankle. Once I'd explained that to him, Nico pouted but stopped demanding I stay with him.

  I met up with Ollie in the guest house, and we walked upstairs hand in hand.

  At the door to my room, we stopped. I pushed the door open and leaned against the jamb while Ollie slanted in to kiss me. It started out sweet and soft but swiftly intensified as I thrust my tongue between his lips and slid my hands up his neck to link them at his nape, tugging him closer. He groaned and responded with increased hunger, but despite the need growing inside us both, he kept the kiss heated but slow, taking his time while we both savored the taste and feel of each other.

  He pressed his body into mine, the rigid line of erection prodding my belly.

  God, I wanted him. Naked. In my bed. Right now.

  I moaned and wrapped my leg around his.

  Without severing the kiss, he picked me up and carried me into the room. I heard t
he door slam shut---he must've kicked it closed---and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bed with him on top of me. The weight of him felt so good. I moaned again, tunneling my fingers into his hair, wishing he would strip my clothes off and make love to me right now. We kissed and kissed and kissed, with Ollie driving me wild with the need to have him inside me, and the velvety heat of his tongue making me so crazed my moans turned into greedy little grunts.

  He pulled his head back to look at me, breathing hard. "Mara, damn, can you kiss."

  "Mm, I love kissing you. It's so much more fun than it was with any other guys." I trailed my fingers down his back and up again, cradling his nape. "Especially Nico. He thinks he's a great kisser, but ugh, he really is not. I'm so grateful I found you---or fainted in your arms is more like it."

  "I'm glad too." He brushed his lips over mine. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

  The best thing that ever happened to him? Me? My throat grew tight and dry. No man I'd ever dated described me that way. Hearing Ollie say it gave me a warm feeling in my chest that bloomed outward, intensifying into a delicious, liquid sizzle.

  "Make love to me, Ollie."

  He kissed me again, and this time it didn't stop there. We shed our clothes without disentangling our bodies, which required quite a bit of twisting and pulling, but we got it done. He made love to me slowly, with a languid intensity that turned sex into more than physical pleasure. It became a joining of our bodies, our hearts, our everything, in a way I'd never experienced in my life. I'd known Ollie for less than a week, but I felt like we'd always known each other, like all the failed relationships and heartbreaks had been preparation for this moment, in this time, with each other.

  We fell asleep together.

  And we woke up together too. Ollie roused me with feathery kisses on my neck, moving lower and touching his lips to my skin more firmly when he realized I'd woken up. I lay there with my eyes closed, reveling in the decadent sensation of his mouth exploring my body, his tongue flicking out to taste me, his fingers following the same trail down my skin. By the time he got to my feet, I was wet and aching for him.

  "Yes, Oliver," I moaned. "Please, yes."

  He drew my little toe into his mouth and suckled it.

  I gasped at the strangely exciting sensation. Nobody had ever done that to me before. It felt... "Ohhh, yes. Do more of that, Oliver."

  Releasing my toe, he chuckled. "You like toe sucking. Who knew? I learn more things about you all the time, and every single of those things makes me hot for you."

  "So fuck me, Oliver." I did my damnedest to mold his name into an erotic come-on.

  And it worked, because he let out a soft growl and pounced on me. With his face an inch from mine, he said, in the sexiest voice ever, "Your wish is my command, baby."

  Oh God, I loved the way he called me baby.

  Someone banged on the door. "Ollie, are you in there?"

  It sounded like Eve Holt.

  Ollie rolled off me and groaned, but not in a sexy way this time. "Yeah, what is it, Eve?"

  "Your friend is here. Damian Petrescu?"

  "Damian?" Ollie sprang upright. "What's he doing here?"

  "I don't know, sweetie, but he swears it's urgent."

  "Okay, I'm coming."

  "He's in the office."

  Jumping off the bed, Ollie scrambled to find his clothes. "Tell him I'll be right there."

  "Who's Damian Petrescu?" I asked, sitting up.

  "My old high school buddy. I mentioned him before, remember?" Ollie yanked his pants on and began the hunt for his shirt. "We went to college together too, but we haven't seen each other as much since we graduated. I got a job in Arizona, and he got one on the other side of the country, in South Carolina. We keep in touch mostly by text and email, though Damian insists on at least one phone call a month."

  "It's nice that you have a friend like that. I've never had that kind of person in my life."

  Ollie paused in pulling on his shirt to look at me. "Never? You said that before, but it's still hard to believe."

  "Most people think I'm weird."

  "What's wrong with that? Weird can be awesome." He finished getting his shirt on, tucking it into his pants. "I love your weird hang-ups, your weird...everything. I'm not exactly normal either." He points at himself with both hands. "Naturist here. That's way weirder to most people than screaming when you see nudists in the buff."

  "But I don't scream when I see you naked."

  His lips eased into a smoldering smile. "Sure you do. But it's a different kind of scream, and it only happens when I'm fucking you."

  I bit my lip, my cheeks turning slightly warm. "That's true. I don't mind screaming then."

  Ollie leaned over the bed to kiss me. "I gotta go. Have a shower if you want, then meet me in the dining hall, okay?"

  "Sure."

  He hurried out of the room.

  I lounged in bed for another few minutes, reminiscing about last night with Ollie. I hadn't screamed that time, but it had been the most incredible sex of my life. Everything with Ollie was a revelation. I'd learned things about myself I'd never realized before, like that I love getting it on in the woods. Being here, with Ollie and the other nudists, had forced me to face my hang-ups and figure out the root cause. I couldn't blame my mother for all of it. I had gotten more and more uptight over the years, because I kept listening to people like Nico who told me I wasn't good enough.

  Ollie showed me every day how much he appreciated me, just the way I was.

  After a quick shower, I got dressed and left my room, heading down the hall toward the resort office at the end. When I turned into the doorway, I froze.

  He stood by the desk with a gorgeous, nude blonde leaning so close to him that her breasts nudged his chest.

  The blonde was Heidi Mackenzie. His ex-girlfriend.

  "Please, Ollie," she said, "can't you give me one more chance? I screwed up. I'm sorry, and I miss you, and I---"

  "Stop, Heidi. You dumped me, remember?"

  Neither of them had noticed me yet, since they stood at an angle to me, turned slightly away. I should've announced my presence, but I couldn't make my voice function. My muscles decided to stop working too, leaving me trapped on the threshold.

  "That was such a huge mistake," Heidi said. She placed a hand on Ollie's cheek. "Can't we try again?"

  "I'm with Mara now."

  "But we have history."

  She tried to kiss him, but he turned his head away.

  And saw me.

  "Mara," Ollie said, shoving Heidi away. "This isn't what it looks like."

  Heidi stumbled and grabbed the desk to stop her fall.

  I stepped into the room. "She's trying to seduce you, right? It's not that hard to figure that one out."

  Ollie frowned at Heidi. "She might've been trying, but it was not working."

  "Sorry," Heidi mumbled, then she raced past me, out into the hall, her bare feet slapping on the wood floor.

  "I'm not into Heidi anymore," Ollie said, coming up to me, grasping my upper arms. "I'm with you, Mara. Only you. That's all I want or need."

  I glanced around the office. "Where's your friend? I thought he was waiting for you here."

  "Damian was here. I gave him the room I was going to sleep in, which actually works out great since I'd much rather bunk with you." He scrunched up his nose. "We shared a dorm room in college, and Damian farts while he's asleep. Really stinky ones."

  "Ew. I didn't need to know that."

  Ollie laughed, pulling me into his arms. He kissed the top of my head. "Sleeping with you is way more fun. Are you okay with sharing a room?"

  "We'd better be sharing more than a room. I want you in my bed every night."

  "Yes, ma'am." He skimmed a hand down my back, gliding it over my bottom. "It's my job to ensure guests get everything need."

  "In that case, I need you twenty-four seven. Can y
ou be my personal concierge?"

  "Not sure Eve and Val would go for that, but you can always text me if you get...needy."

  "Mm, good." I snuggled into him, my arms around his waist. "Why is your friend Damian here? I mean, if it's a super personal thing, you don't have to tell me."

  "It's nothing like that. He wanted to get away from the city, and he knows how much I love it here, so he decided on a surprise visit."

  "You must be glad to see him."

  "Sure. It's always good to see him." Ollie crooked a finger under my chin and lifted it until I met his gaze. "Damian is my top guy friend. You're my number one best friend."

  "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me." I hunched my shoulders and wanted to avert my gaze, but I made myself keep looking at him. "You're my best friend too. I've never had one before."

  "About time, then." He cupped my ass in both hands, lifting so my heels came up off the floor and our eyes aligned. "Mind if I kiss you? I'm having a Mara craving, real bad."

  I grinned. "Please kiss me. I'm having a serious Ollie craving."

  He gripped my ass more firmly, and our mouths collided. Just when things started heating up, someone coughed from the doorway.

  Ollie and I turned our heads at the same time.

  A man stood there. A man about Ollie's age.

  "Damian," Ollie said, not letting go of my tush. "Settled in already?"

  "I didn't bring much luggage," Damian said. His attention settled on me, and the corners of hi mouth ticked upward. "Who's the sexy girl glued to you?"

  While Damian swept his gaze over me, I did the same to him. He had a physique somewhere between Val's enormous muscles and Ollie's more subdued buffness. His skin had an olive undertone, accentuated by his dark eyes and hair. That hair flowed down to his shoulders in wavy locks.

  Damn. Were all of Ollie's friends as hot as he and Damian were?

  Ollie rolled his eyes at his friend and let go of me. He took my hand, clasping it in both of his. "This is Mara Severins. She's my girlfriend."

  "Yeah, I figured. Good going, Ollie. She's bodacious."

  "She's also sweet and smart and amazing."

  Damian grinned. "Not trying to steal your girl. She seems one hundred percent attached to you. Physically. I'm surprised you didn't need a laser to separate your bodies, the way you two were going at it a minute ago."