by A. J. Wynter
She looked up at him and parted her lips slightly. He wanted to pull that shirt of his over her head and do something he’s always dreamed of doing, make love to a sexy girl in a canoe. “But Serena, I care about you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants and yanked him towards her. And that was the end of his good-guy willpower. He held her face with both of his hands and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped into his mouth and he felt her body shudder before kissing him back hungrily. He swept her up in his arms and carefully walked across the rocky shore in his bare feet, kicking at the wooden latch on the cabin door until it creaked open. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before stepping in and tossing her on the single bed. Thank you, volunteers he thought to himself. Good Samaritans kept the cabin stocked and cleaned. Serena eased back onto the sheets and rubbed her feet together, her eyes trained on his every move.
Freddie crawled on top of her and nipped at her collarbone while she clawed at the back of his T-shirt. He straddled her and raised his arms, allowing her to pull the shirt up over his head. She tossed it on the ground and then started to unbutton the flannel shirt she was wearing. He wanted to rip the shirt open, buttons be damned but fought that urge and lit a candle on the bedside table. The flame crackled to life, casting a glow on Serena’s face as she slid the shirt from her shoulders, her creamy skin luminescent in the dim light.
He pressed his body on top of hers, their warm skin making its first connection, her nipples hard and cool against his chest. They eased down onto the bed together and Freddie kissed along Serena’s jawline while she gripped his ass with both of her hands. He ran his thumb along her cheek and then cupped the back of her neck in his hand drawing her lips to his again.
He pulled back and looked in her eyes, “You’re beautiful, Serena,” he whispered.
She smiled at him and fumbled with the button on the top of his pants. “And you’re sexy as hell,” she replied. “Now, get these pants off,” she whispered. Freddie almost came right then and there. “You are my fiancé after all,” she smiled.
He laughed, “My beautiful, hillbilly fiancée.”
She drew her fingertips to her lips.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Your teeth aren’t what makes you beautiful.” He placed his hand on her chest, “This is.”
She pulled Freddie’s face to hers and kissed him both hard and soft at the same time, which Freddie didn’t think was possible. When she pulled back, he wiped away a lone tear from her cheek with his thumb.
Serena ran her feet up Freddie’s legs, hooking her toes onto the waistband of his pants before drawing them down his legs. He raised his eyebrows at the monkey move and finished the job, kicking the pants off his feet. He eased her down beside him and pulled her striped panties down to her knees, kissing at her lower belly before pulling them off her feet and tossing them onto the worn floorboards of the cabin. She wrapped her smooth leg over the top of his waist and he could feel the strength in her thighs as she gripped his body. He kissed her and she playfully nipped at his bottom lip, her eyes meeting his, and then she nodded. He was hard, throbbing, and ready.
Freddie wanted to make love to Serena all day and all night but knew that if he kept going at this pace, he wasn’t going to last long. Just her touch was able to bring him to that critical moment, the point of no return. He pulled his body away from hers. Serena’s breathing had been heavy, her moans the only sound in the quiet cabin air. With his retreat, her eyes snapped open and she looked at him questioningly, propping herself up on her elbows. Freddie grinned and pushed her thighs open wide, kissing and nibbling at the softest skin on her body. Serena’s fingertips rested in his hair as he took his time between her legs, her moans and whimpers of pleasuring feeding his own desire. She gripped the sheets and arched her back, her hips bucking as her orgasm coursed through her body. Freddie looked up at her heaving chest from between her legs. He kissed his way up her body, goosebumps trailing behind where his lips had been. He reached down and felt for his backpack, crossing his fingers that at one point he had some condoms stashed in the front pocket and he breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt the foil packet.
“Really, Freddie?” Serena smiled at him as he bit off the corner.
“You never know,” he said as he rolled the condom into place.
“Did you pack that thinking you were going to get lucky today?”
“It’s best to be prepared,” he said skirting the question and kissed her. He always had condoms within arms’ reach, but she didn’t need to know that. She wrapped her legs around his body and pulled his hips forward with her heels. Freddie didn’t need any more coaxing and he moaned as he finally pressed into her. She gasped every time he thrust, digging her nails into his back. They rocked together like they had been in each other’s beds for years, the experience of a couple who knew how to move together but with the excitement and novelty of new bodies.
FREDDIE AND SERENA climaxed simultaneously and collapsed into each other’s arms, breathing as if they had just finished a marathon. She nestled into the nook under Freddie’s arm and rested her head on his chest, running her fingers through his brown chest hair. For such a blondie, she was surprised at the darkness of the hair on his chest and other parts of his body.
It had been over a year since she had been with a man, and it had been worth the wait. Freddie was a considerate lover, and for a couple that were just getting to know each other, being naked in his arms felt easy and comfortable. She didn’t know if it was him, or the fact that he was from a small town, but Freddie was different from every single man that she had dated. Those guys were out romancing and dating every woman they could. She didn’t get that feeling from Freddie. Was she naïve? Maybe, but something in her gut told her that Freddie was different. If this hadn’t been an arranged relationship - if they had met organically - she knew that he would call her tomorrow. That he wouldn’t move onto the next girl in line. She looked up at him and kissed his jaw. She felt a stirring in her lower abdomen that rushed to her heart. Oh no. ‘Stop it,’ she thought to herself. She couldn’t fall in love with her fake fiancé.
He trailed his fingertips over her shoulder and she practically purred. “Can we stay here forever Freddie?”
She felt the pause of his breath under her cheek. “Wouldn’t you miss all the fancy restaurants and expensive shoes?”
“I could be happy here.” She meant in his arms.
“Here in this cabin, or Chance Rapids?” he asked and twirled her hair around his fingers.
Her question had been hypothetical, bordering on fantasy, but she realized that Freddie was taking the conversation seriously. Could she live in a small town? She hesitated. “I don’t think I’d miss that stuff.” But with the exception of Megan and Charlotte’s coffee shop, Chance Rapids was seriously behind the times. There was no nightlife, no turbo spin studios, there was nothing in Chance Rapids for Serena, except Freddie.
“Could you live in the city?” she asked, already knowing the answer. The feeling of Freddie’s fingers in her hair was divine and almost putting her to sleep.
“Maybe,” he said.
She sat up abruptly. “Maybe? Freddie, you hate the city.”
“There’s one good thing about it,” he reached his hand around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She could feel his hardness through the tousled sheets.
They made love again, but this time Serena could feel another layer of emotion between them. Sadness, as if they both knew that each other was lying to themselves. Freddie couldn’t move to the city, Serena knew that. Asking him to do so would be cruel, like caging a tiger.
Serena heard Freddie’s breaths slow and grow deeper. Even if they couldn’t be together, she needed to remember this moment forever. However, instead of reaching for her phone, she studied his face, saw how there was a touch of ginger in the stubble on his chin, and that his eyelashes were longer than hers and they were
just so light they were almost transparent.
“Freddie,” she whispered but was only met with his deep breaths. Good, she didn’t want him to hear what she was about to say. “I think I’m falling in love with you.” She held her breath as she watched for any acknowledgment that he had heard her. When there was none, she didn’t know whether she was relieved or secretly hoping that he would say the same thing. She pulled the wool blanket up over her shoulder and over Freddie’s chest and fell asleep listening to the thump of his heartbeat.
A SUDDEN METALLIC BANG startled Freddie and his eyes snapped open. Serena had been sleeping in his armpit and had bolted upright with him. The sharp bangs continued like someone was pouring buckets of bb pellets on the roof of the cabin.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It’s rain,” Freddie said and relaxed back down.
“It’s so loud.” Serena pulled back the curtain and peered out the window. “I guess we’re not going back anytime soon. Freddie sat up beside her, his hair a messy compass, pointing both east and west.
“These heavy rainstorms pack a punch, but they usually don’t last too long.” Freddie looked down and realized that he was still naked. He patted the sheets in search of his boxer shorts, but couldn’t find them. He shrugged and then rolled out of the bed. He pulled out a sandwich and chugged back one of the water bottles.
“Should we be trying to conserve water?” Serena asked as he handed her the second bottle. “You know, in case we are stranded here?”
Freddie chuckled. He knew that while it would be a wet walk, they would be able to head back to the car at any time. “You’re right,” he said and put the cap on his water bottle. “We could be stuck here for a while.” He pulled the wrapping off the sandwich and took a huge bite. Their lovemaking sessions had taken a lot out of him and he was famished. He handed Serena the second sandwich and waited for some kind of gluten objection, but she surprised him and devoured the entire thing.
“You have more food right?” she said as she rolled the wrapper in her hands.
“That was it. You just ate all of our rations,” he said as he finished off his sandwich.
Serena grabbed the backpack and pulled out the energy bars. “I guess we still have these.” Her hands were trembling.
Freddie sat down on the side of the bed and patted her knee. “We’re not going to starve. There’s another trail out of here, I can have you back to the truck in twenty minutes.” He had thought about playing into her fear, but after the canoe incident, figured she’d had enough adrenaline for the day.
She smacked his arm. “But it took us hours to get here.”
“I know, that route is way more scenic. I thought that it would be better for the photos. Speaking of which, we should probably get on that.” Freddie realized that Serena had hardly pulled out her phone all day.
“Freddie, can I tell you something?” she asked.
“Of course,” he replied.
“I hate what I do for a living. It’s deceptive. People think that I have this great life when in reality, I’m...” she hesitated, “lonely.”
He pulled her to him and squeezed her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back. “What do you want, Serena? YOU. Not what’s best for those around you.” He asked and waited through the silence for her response.
He counted the breaths, it took her five to respond, “I’d like to get back into my design work. Have a community of friends, like you have here. I’d like to just enjoy my life, not document a fake version of it.”
“That doesn’t sound like it’s too much to ask.”
“What about you, Freddie? What do you want?” she asked.
Freddie hadn’t thought about what he wanted in years. He was a go with the flow kind of guy. He was happy with where he was, or at least he thought that he was. “Well, I like my job. I actually really love my job.”
“That’s something most people don’t have,” she replied.
“I’m not the kind of guy who sits around thinking about what he wants, Serena,” Freddie said but as the words left his mouth he realized he was wrong. He saw what his brother had with Charlotte, and how Megan and Josh were each other’s best friends. He wanted that. He pulled back the curtain and saw that the rain had stopped and that the sun was peeking out as the dark clouds subsided.
“We should get going. Aren’t we scheduled to go taste wedding cakes tonight?” Freddie asked.
Serena checked her watch. “Oh, no!” She hopped out of bed and plucked her bra from the lampshade. She shook the covers out and shuffled the pillows around on the bed.
“Looking for these?” Freddie grinned and held out her panties.
“You...” Serena jumped at Freddie as he held her panties hostage. As she stood on her tiptoes, reaching over his head, Freddie realized that what he had been looking for, his missing piece was standing right in front of him. While Serena was distracted, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her in to kiss her on the lips. Her flailing subsided and she dropped her hands to rest on his shoulders. He looped his other hand around her back, still clutching her panties.
“Hey, Serena.” He pulled back from their kiss and gazed into her eyes.
“Yes?”
He wanted to tell her. “I...” his voice wavered. “I...” Her eyes were searching his, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words that were burning into his soul because it was crazy. Serena was a pain in the ass and she was going to be gone from his life for good next month. “I can help you with these,” he stated as he stepped back and knelt down in front of her.
She looked at him quizzically, but let him lift up her foot as he fumbled to unroll the panties to slide them up her legs. Serena held onto his shoulders for balance as he pulled them into place. He let his fingers linger in the thin lace waistband and then turned away from her. “Thank you, Freddie,” she said.
“We should get going,” he replied. He pulled her clothes down from the rafters, they were damp, but dry enough for her to wear.
“What about the sheets?” she asked from behind him.
He handed the yoga pants and top to her and pulled the sheets off the bed, rolled them into a ball and shoved them into his backpack. “I’ll take care of them.”
Freddie blinked as they stepped out into the last of the daylight. “We’re going to lose the sun if we don’t hurry,” he said. Serena reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. “You might want to get some pictures of that,” he pointed to the pink clouds surrounding the white peaks.
“You’re right,” Serena replied. She took a series of several photos, instructed Freddie where to stand and what to hold, and for most of the photos, she insisted that he hold the paddle. For the last photo, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and held her phone up to capture the cabin in the background. “Smile, grouch,” she joked. Freddie did his best to turn up the sides of his lips into a smile.
“That’s better,” she smiled.
He turned to look at her as she snapped the last photo. He didn’t know it at the time, but she had captured the exact moment that Freddie decided to save himself from being hurt. From her.
He turned and started to trudge down the shortcut to the truck. He kept the pace fast enough that Serena was practically jogging to keep up behind him.
Chapter 18
THE COFFEE SHOP WAS closed for the day and Megan had several cake samples lined up along the bar for them to try. Freddie had been running hot and cold the entire time she had been in town, and the air between them had reached arctic level.
“How about this one?” Megan presented Serena and Freddie with a vanilla bean cake with a white chocolate icing.
Serena snapped a photo of each of the samples before taking a bite. “This one is amazing.” Serena practically melted at the same rate as the buttercream frosting in her mouth.
“What do you think, Freddie?” Megan asked.
Freddie shrugged. “They’re all good Meg.”
<
br /> “Well, you two have to agree on one of them,” she replied.
Serena felt a twinge of guilt as she knew that the cake would never be made. “What about that one?” she asked, pointing to one of the bakery’s signature pastries under the glass dome beside the register. Megan turned to look at what she was pointing at and Serena got up to make a video of the Sugar Peaks pecan cupcakes.
“Ummm. Freddie’s allergic to pecans...” Megan stood and replaced the glass dome over the offending cakes.
“Right, I forgot...”
The phone rang. “You’ll have to excuse me,” Megan said. “I’m waiting on the orders for the bachelor auction cupcakes. You won’t believe what the committee wanted me to try and make with fondant...” she laughed and waddled off in only the way a very pregnant woman can.
“How allergic?” Serena whispered under her breath.
“Not dying allergic,” Freddie replied. Then he leaned in a little closer and whispered, “I just hate nuts.”
Serena smiled. “That’s a good way to get out of eating them. But now Megan thinks I don’t know that my fiancé has a food allergy. That’s something a fiancée should know,” she whispered and leaned into Freddie.
“You’re thinking too much about it,” Freddie replied.
“I’m tired of looking like a lunatic.” Serena found herself enjoying the company of Freddie’s friends, but knew that except for Charlotte, they were all dubious about the strength of their relationship. But she had the feeling that on an ordinary day, one where she wasn’t lying through her teeth, that she could be friends with Freddie’s Chance Rapids crew.
Serena tried to lace her fingers through Freddie’s under the table, but he flinched when she touched him and pulled his hand away. He grabbed the last piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth. Ever since they left the cabin, he seemed like a different person. He practically sprinted down the trail and on the drive into town he had turned up the radio so loud they couldn’t talk.
