“Eager, eager,” said Maddy.
“It’s not me. It’s it.”
“It knows what it wants.”
“But I don’t think it’s got much of a clue how to get there.”
“That’s the whole point of practicing.”
“Are we still practicing?” said Rich. “I thought maybe this was it.”
Maddy pushed herself against Rich’s cock, loving the sensation of his body’s longing for her. She felt a warm tingling inside.
“Stroke me,” she said, drawing his hand to her breasts.
Rich stroked her breasts, feeling gently round the nipples. Then he bent his head down and kissed her nipples, one after the other.
“I like that,” she whispered.
“I’m getting a bit excited myself,” he said.
“Is it hard to hold out?”
“It might be. I can’t tell. I’ve never done this before.”
“Maybe we’d better get on with it, then.”
She felt for the head of his cock and guided it between her legs. He moved to lie over her.
“Will it be okay for you?” he whispered.
“I don’t know. I’ve never done it before either.”
“So it might hurt.”
“No. I don’t think so.”
She wriggled her hips and guided him until the head of his cock was nuzzled up against her soft slit. Then she found her clitoris and pressed it with the tip of one finger.
“I’m going to stroke myself a bit.”
“That’s good,” he said.
She felt little shivers of pleasure start to flow through her body. Rich eased his cock forward, and then back. With each push she opened up a little more. But progress was slow.
“Sorry,” she said. “Can you last a little bit longer?”
“I think so.”
She drew her hand away from her crotch so that he could lie fully against her. He gave another push and she felt his cock enter her.
“Lie still,” she said. “I have to get used to it.”
“Oh, Maddy,” he murmured. “Oh, Maddy.”
“Don’t come yet.”
“No. Oh, it’s so warm.”
“Of course it’s warm. What did you expect?”
Rich hardly dared to move lest he unleash the flood. His entire body was in a state of electric arousal.
“Oh, Maddy.”
They heard a sound outside. A long black nose appeared in their tent doorway. They froze, feeling each other’s hearts beat.
A call from the woodland track.
“Susie! Here, Susie!”
The flash of a torch. The dog padded away.
Rich started to move again. His cock pushed in a little further.
“Lie still,” said Maddy again.
He lay still, gazing down at her face in the darkness. But he could see her.
“No one could ever be as beautiful as you are now,” he said. “You’re perfect.”
“Do you love me, Rich?”
“Yes, I love you, Maddy.”
“Will you still love me afterwards?”
“And after that. And after that.”
“Me too. I’ll love you after that, and after that.”
He laid his head on the pillow beside her head and felt the tickle of her hair against his cheek.
“You can move again now,” she said.
He moved, and suddenly he was all the way in.
“Warm!” he exclaimed again.
“There,” she said. “You’re there now.”
“I can’t hold out much longer,” he whispered.
“That’s okay.” She found his cheek with her lips and kissed him. “Only practicing.”
He gave a long sigh. She felt him ease his cock back and then ease it forward again. He gave a shudder. His cock twitched inside her. Then he lay still.
She stroked his back with slow movements of her hands. Her whole body glowed with a sensation of sweet heat. So close, she thought. Closer than close.
Then came an unexpected rush of tenderness. She found she was crying.
“Was it okay?” she whispered, kissing his face so he wouldn’t see her tears.
“Yes,” he said. “Yes. I couldn’t stop it.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“But you. I didn’t give you time.”
“I don’t mind. Really I don’t. Next time. Or the time after. We’re only beginners.”
“Maddy, it was so wonderful. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was. Still is.”
“I loved it too.”
“I’ll get better. I’ll make it wonderful for you.”
“It is wonderful for me.”
And she meant it. She felt proud and happy in a way that took her by surprise. Part of it was the pleasure she got from seeing Rich so overwhelmed, and knowing that it was her doing, her body, her gift. His joy in her gave her joy in herself too. And part of it was the discovery that sex and love could be the same after all. At least for her and Rich. At least on this day.
“I do love you, Rich,” she said.
She could feel his cock dwindling. And now it was out.
“Feel in my bag,” she said. “I brought some tissues.”
He sat up and fumbled about until he found them for her.
“Really it’s your mess.” She dabbed at the trickle between her legs. “But it’s always the girls who are left to clean up.”
He lay down once more by her side.
“I’m so happy, Mad.”
“It’s over now. You’ve had what you want. I expect you’ll fall asleep in a minute.”
“No. I want to go on feeling this way.”
A patter of raindrops fell on the canopy of the tent above them. Within moments the patter had become a heavy shower. The rain drummed on the green canvas.
“Do you want a brownie?” said Maddy.
“Did you really bring brownies?”
“Of course. I said I would.”
She got them out and they had one each. Rich ate his slowly, looking out through the crack in the tent door at the falling rain.
“It’s really good.”
“Only from a packet mix.”
“It’s the best brownie I’ve ever had in my life.”
“You’re easy to please.”
Then for a while they lay quietly in each other’s arms, waiting for the rain to pass.
“Sorry about the rain,” said Rich.
“I don’t mind,” said Maddy. “Do you?”
“Oh, I don’t care about rain now,” said Rich. “Let it rain.”
“Let it rain,” said Maddy.
WILLIAM NICHOLSON says: “I’ve long wanted to write a love story for teenagers: something that reflects the reality of love—the self-doubt, the insecurity, the intense longings, the mistakes, the misunderstandings, the hurt, the pain, and of course the passion and the joy. I wanted to tell the story from both sides, so that girls would get some idea what it’s like to be a boy, and vice versa. I wanted it to show the process of two young people discovering love for the first time. And I wanted to make it as true as possible.”
Mr. Nicholson is an award-winning fantasy author and playwright, as well as an acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter, whose work includes Nell, Shadowlands, and the Oscar-winning Gladiator. He lives in England with his wife and their three children.
Rich and Mad Page 25
