by Mj Fields
He pulled her head against his chest and whispered into her ear, ���Damn Tessa, you are so hot.���
She said nothing in return; she was still basking in the glory of her first real kiss. She was pretty sure she did well. He certainly did. Lucas pulled her even closer to him.
Someone cleared their throat, and Tessa and Lucas looked up to find Jade and Tommy looking at them.
���You ready to go?��� Jades voice squeaked.
Lucas smiled. ���See you tonight, birthday girl.���
She climbed in the truck and wondered what he meant as she waited for Jade.
Jade got in, and Tessa pulled up beside Lucas, ���Hey this is yours. I washed it,��� she said as she threw it to him.
She put on her sunglasses and drove toward home.
Tessa pulled in her driveway just as her phone chimed, and she picked it up and read.
- why did you give it back?
- what back?
- The sweatshirt
- it didn���t smell like you
I actually sent it! What the heck possessed me to do that! Am I losing my mind? I must be.
- good to know
���Did Lucas tell you Alex invited him and Tommy to tent camp with them tonight?��� Jade asked as they walked into the farmhouse.
���What! You���re kidding me!���
Jade laughed. ���Oh, that���s right, he wouldn���t have had a chance to tell you anything with his tongue lodged down your throat.���
���Jade, seriously, why? Did he say why?��� Tessa pleaded.
���Nope. All I know is that they had to agree to go to church in the morning with us,��� she laughed.
���And they did?���
���Yeah, Tommy had to call his parents to make sure it was alright to miss church with them, and they said yes.��� Jade beamed.
Tessa groaned as they walked into the house. She dropped her school bag on the floor of her room and started packing for the campout. She and Jade went through the house together, gathering flashlights, blankets, and snack food. Tessa hesitated in front of the liquor cabinet before finally grabbing a bottle of Schnapps.
Jade looked at her, ���What are you doing Tessa?���
���It���s my birthday party, and I may want a drink. I may also want my favorite cousin to have a drink with me,��� Tessa laughed.
���I don���t think that���s a good idea, Tessa������
���It may not be, Jade, but it���s my eighteenth birthday.���
CHAPTER FOUR
Tessa and Jade got to the pond and saw that the boys had already set up the tents but weren���t there. Jade and Tessa were unloading the truck when Alex, Tommy, and Lucas walked in with their arms full of grocery bags. They were talking about the game, going over it play by play. Tessa grabbed a white cardboard box and broke it down. She grabbed some markers out of the drawer and wrote DOE CAMP in big block letters, coloring in each as she drew it. She set it on the counter and loudly cleared her throat.
���What���s that supposed to mean?��� Alex laughed.
Tessa smiled at Becca and Phoebe as they arrived with their overnight bags.
���My dearest brother, we watched an almost three hour game. As a matter of fact, I believe your mother videotaped it. I have to suffer having a chaperone that is just a year older than I am, who invited friends to join him. While you���re in here for the next eighteen hours, it���s Doe Camp, not testosterone driven kill stories, farting, and burping. And no more football today. As a matter of fact, I���ve decided you���re not my chaperone tonight; you���re my servant. You may find yourself painting our toenails.���
���I am absolutely positive that���s the most I���ve ever heard you say,��� Lucas laughed.
���If you would keep your tongue out of her mouth long enough, she may be able to talk more,��� Jade joked.
Alex covered his ears. ���I don���t want to hear anymore, but it best not go any further than that.���
���Seriously,��� Tessa gasped, scowling at Jade.
She felt Lucas looking at her, and she looked up at him, smiled, and looked quickly away.
���Alright boys, the princess has spoken, so let���s go cook some grub,��� Alex said.
���What���s for dinner?��� Tessa asked.
���It���s a surprise,��� Alex said.
���What���s this about a tongue down your throat, Tessa?��� Phoebe asked after the boys left the camp.
���Let ME give you the details,��� Jade said, ���because I had front row seats to the second act.���
Jade told them what happened to her and Tessa after the game. She talked forever about how much of a gentleman Tommy was, unlike the way Lucas acted with Tessa.
���Did you like it, Tessa?��� Phoebe asked. ���I mean, did he taste nasty? Did you want to push him off you?���
���No, Phoebe, he tasted hot and sweet, a little like cinnamon. To be honest I didn���t want him to stop. I wished it could have lasted forever.��� She spoke innocently, like a child.
* * *
Lucas cleared his throat from the door. ���Dinner is ready ladies.���
The girls started filing, but he put his arm out when Tessa got there, stopping her before she could leave.
���Let me pass, Lucas. I���m too embarrassed to look at you right now,��� she said in a shaky quiet whisper.
���Look at me please,��� Lucas begged. She looked up at him. ���You are so cute right now, so incredibly innocent. Can I ask you a question?���
���If you let me look away so I don���t throw up on your feet,��� she said. He started laughing. ���You���re an ass,��� she snapped trying to duck under his arm.
He grabbed her and spun her around so her back was to him. ���Is that better?��� She nodded. ���Okay, now my question; how many guys have been lucky enough to kiss you?���
���Five,��� Tessa answered.
He laughed out loud, and she elbowed him hard in the stomach. ���Tessa, don���t be angry with me.��� How could I not be, you ass, she thought. ���How many were not related to you?���
���Is it any of your business?��� she asked, trying to pull away from him.
���I want to know.��� His voice was suddenly gentler.
���Fine. None that was my first real kiss, Lucas. Are you happy? My first kiss.���
���I am so glad,��� he said his breath hot against her neck. ���Tessa I have kissed a lot of girls, and you are by far my favorite, so curious, so receptive, and so incredibly hot. Thank you for answering my question. Will you look at me now?��� Lucas asked, letting her go.
���I don���t know,��� she said.
���Can I take your hand and walk with you to dinner?���
���No, you can race me.��� She took off running.
When they got to the table Lucas sat next to her. When a dish was passed, Lucas asked her if she wanted it, and if she said yes, he put it on her plate for her. They ate crab legs, Tessa���s favorite, with corn on the cob and an assortment of salads.
When dinner was done Becca and Phoebe grabbed blankets and laid them on the ground near the bonfire. They turned on the radio. Tessa sat on the blanket with the girls and Tommy. Alex and Lucas stood by the fire.
* * *
���Are you having fun?��� Jade asked Tommy. ���What do you usually do on a Saturday night?���
���I���m with you, so of course I���m having
fun. A normal Saturday night? I don���t know. Well last weekend we had a bunch of people over to Lucas���s pool for an end of summer bash. What would you normally do?���
���This, pretty much ��� hang out with family and just���hang out,��� Jade said. ���To some it���s boring but to use, it���s life. I hope its okay with you I mean you probably go out with girlfriends, on dates and stuff a lot right?���
He smiled and shook his head no.
���How many girlfriends have you had?��� Uh oh, she thought, did she really want to know.
���Three,��� he answered.
���How long was your longest relationship?���
���Six months,��� Tommy said, never loosing eye contact.
���Would you tell me about it?���
���Sure, she was in my grade at our old school, and we broke up at the end of last year. She goes to a different school now. That���s it.���
���Did you love her?��� she asked.
He laughed and ran his hand through his hair. ���I suppose I thought I did. But now I don���t think so.���
���Oh.���
���Is that it for the questioning?��� he asked quietly. She nodded. ���Can I ask you a question then?���
���Sure.���
���Can I take you for a walk and kiss you, Jade? I mean, really kiss you? Please?��� His eyes were intense.
She looked around. Everyone���s back was to them except Tessa���s, but she was busy talking to the girls. ���Okay.���
He stood and pulled her up. As the walked he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. ���You asked me a lot of questions. I���m only going to ask you one. Have you ever had a boyfriend?���
���I don���t know,��� she said.
���It doesn���t matter to me if you���ve had none or a hundred, Jade.��� He took her face in his hands. ���I���ve wanted to do this since I saw you walking out of the water over there.���
He kissed her neck slowly down one side and then worked his way back up the other side of her face. As he kissed her face, he ran his finger across her lips and then traced it with his tongue. He kissed her lightly, then pulled away and looked at her. He continued again with another slow kiss; one hand tangled in her long black hair, the other pulling her body close to him. He opened his mouth then closed it, pulling on her lips. While his tongue stroked her lips, she opened them slightly, allowing him to move it further into her mouth. When she pulled back, she let out a breath, and he put his mouth around hers. Their tongues danced and caressed each other. His hands lowered to her butt, but she quickly moved it up to her lower back. As he kissed her harder and deeper,, she fell into him, willingly taking his assault. He pulled her head to the left and kissed her neck down to her shoulder. Then he leaned up and kissed her lips hard all over again. She opened her mouth and grabbed his head as they kissed until their lips hurt and they couldn���t breathe. Jade pulled away, laying her head on his shoulder and taking deep breaths as he rubbed her back.
���Thank you, Jade,��� he said, breathing deeply as he went on. ���That was amazing, and I hope you understand that I may not ask next time I kiss you, because I don���t think I���ll be able to help myself.���
They walked back to the fire hand in hand. Tommy kissed her cheek and then headed toward the guys, Jade toward the girls.
���And then there were four,��� Tessa giggled. ���Where did you two disappear to?���
���Heaven,��� Jade said falling into them.
They laughed.
���Speaking of heaven, we brought a cake,��� Phoebe said. ���Do you want to go back and have some?���
���Hey Alex, we���re going back down to have cake if you guys want to join us,��� Tessa called as the four girls skipped arm in arm down to Doe Camp.
* * *
The guys put out the fire and walked to meet up with the girls, who had started a fire in the fireplace and changed into more comfortable clothes. The girls insisted on singing Happy Birthday and put eighteen candles on the cake for Tessa.
���Present time,��� Jade announced.
���Jade, I���m not twelve. It���s not necessary.��� Tessa was really embarrassed.
Lucas smiled as he watched her face turn red. She was not like any other girl he had ever been attracted to. She was smart, kind and feisty, he liked her. A lot.
Jade gave Tessa a Pearl Jam CD from the concert they attended the past summer in Albany, and a gift card to the movies. Becca and Phoebe gave her a gift card to a movie as well; they all knew that was her favorite escape. There were two other packages. One of them was from Tommy and contained a ski pass to a nearby ski resort. The last package was from Lucas, a Vera Bradley book bag containing a teddy bear that smelled like him, the sweatshirt she had given back to him, and a note that said READ ME LATER.
���Thank, guys,��� she said. ���You���re the best.���
���Group Hug!��� Jade laughed.
Tessa finally let out a breath as they all hugged. The rest of the night was spent playing cards and laughing,; listening to music and laughing some more when they took turns changing the words to the songs. It was a perfect night, a welcome distraction from the tension going on in her life.
* * *
About midnight, the guys headed to their tents. Alex and Tommy fell asleep, but Lucas couldn���t. He watched the girls��� shadows dancing as they acted silly in the cabin. When things finally settled down and the cabin appeared quiet, he texted Tessa.
- So? Did you read my letter?���LL
He saw a light glowing from the back porch and received a response a second later.
- doing it now���Tessa
He walked out back and stood about ten feet from her as she read. He watched her smile and bite her lip.
- you seem happy, why can���t you be that way when I���m looking in your eyes?
- I don���t know
���It���s not that hard, Tessa.��� he said moving towards her.
She jumped, then started to laugh. Lucas quickly put his hand over her mouth so she wouldn���t wake anyone.
���Sorry,��� she whispered smiling.
���I love your smile, Tessa,��� Lucas whispered. She looked away, and he picked up the note. ���So can you answer me, or do you need time?��� He pulled her to sit in front of him, knee to knee. He held her face in his hands. ���Please don���t look away.���
���Okay.���
���Tessa Ross, will you date me exclusively?��� he asked.
���There are a lot of crazy things going on in my life right now,��� Tessa said. ���I don���t want to jump into a relationship that���s going to fail or that I can���t give one hundred percent to.���
���Then don���t,��� Lucas smiled. ���Don���t let it fail. I see what���s going on in your life and it sucks. I get it, but we could be good together. I have very strong feelings for you that I don���t want to push under the rug until a better time that may not ever come. But if I���m reading you wrong, let me know, and I���ll stop pressuring you. This can be a good thing. I think we both know it.��� he pushed her hair away from her face. ���What do you say, Tessa?���
���Okay, let���s try it,��� Tessa closed her eyes.
He grabbed her face and kissed her lips. Again he tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth, and she responded by opening and letting his hot sweet tongue in her mouth again. She willingly let him explore. He put his arm around her w
aist and pulled her into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper. Raindrops hit the tin roof of the cabin. She pulled away, and Lucas put her head to his chest. She could hear his heart thumping as she tried to catch her breath. He lifted her chin, and they smiled at each other and the rain came down harder.
* * *
Tessa smiled as she looked at her phone. It was 12:15, her eighteenth birthday, and she had a boyfriend. It was going to be okay, not as bad a year as she���d anticipated. She walked into the cabin as Jade was creeping in the front door. They both started laughing.
���What���s going on?��� Becca asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
���It���s raining out,��� Tessa said quickly.
���Oh no, the boys are in the tent,��� Phoebe yawned.
Jade and Tessa laughed again.
���Why is that funny?��� Becca asked.
Just then, the boys stumbled in. ���Looks like we���re crashing in here,��� Alex announced.
Lucas smiled at Tessa as he followed Alex.
The boys went up in the loft.
They all crashed hard but everyone was up bright and early in the morning.
They packed up camp at eight o���clock and all left at nine in the morning.
When they finally got back to the truck, Jade and Tessa laughed as they looked at each other.
���How was your night?���
���It was amazing, Tessa,��� Jade said. ���He���s amazing. He���s funny, too, and we kissed a lot. I swear my head is spinning.��� Jade was beaming from ear to ear. ���He asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. I mean, why wouldn���t I? How did your night go?���
