Love in Greener Pastures

by Bretz, Amanda

  She chuckled softly. “No, not unless I’m too young for you.”

  Gabby leaned in closer to Jake and kissed him softly on the mouth. She pulled back to look him in the eyes. She saw two blue orbs of desire staring back at her. Jake raised his hand to her face and gently pushed a few stray hairs away and moved her braid over her shoulder. He drew Gabby closer to him and dropped feather-light kisses on her bare shoulder.

  “I can’t believe we’ve only known each other a week, it seems like I’ve known you a long, long time,” he said as he held her face between his hands and stared deep into her eyes.

  “I feel the same way,” she said.

  Jake pulled her toward him once more and kissed her squarely on the mouth. As their kiss deepened, Gabby opened her mouth to Jake’s probing tongue, while his hands lifted her bottom so she was straddling him. Gabby twisted her hands in his hair and let out a small moan. Beneath her legs she could feel how his body was so hard and muscular, yet his skin warm and soft beneath her hands.

  Gabby broke her mouth free from his so she could kiss his earlobe and neck. Her nose caught a whiff of his cologne, mingled with the shampoo he had used on his hair earlier. Inhaling his masculine scent, she used her tongue and teeth to suck and nibble his earlobe.

  “Gabby,” Jake breathed. He began pulling her shirt over her head. Gabby drew herself away from Jake long enough to let him take her tank top completely off. His eyes travelled over her chest, took in her black lace bra and tanned skin before he pulled her back on top of him. Jake splayed his hands across her back, while his mouth worked a searing trail toward her chest.

  Gabby felt the clasp on her bra give way and Jake’s hands were on her breasts in no time. She shook herself loose from her lingerie and gave Jake a moonlit glimpse of her bare form. He fairly growled with desire as he pulled her left nipple into his mouth. Gabby drew her breath in sharply and held his head fast against her. Instinctively, she started moving against him in a savage rhythm.

  “Gabby,” Jake said against clenched teeth. His hand slid up her thigh to where she was sitting on him. He lifted her bottom slightly to unbutton his shorts, to relieve some of the pressure building up there. Gabby took this as a signal he wanted to go further.

  “Do it now Jake, it’s okay. I’m on something,” she whispered.

  He hesitated for half a second, but when he looked at her beautiful body writhing on top of him, he knew it was right. With a couple swift maneuvers he situated himself and bunched her skirt up around her hips. Jake lifted her ever so slightly, pushed a lacey scrap of material to the side and positioned her on the tip of his shaft. They both moaned with pleasure at the feel of their bodies uniting as one.

  Gabby began to rock her hips while Jake held onto her tight. It felt so good; to not only make love to Jake, but to do it out in the open this way. Never had she felt so free. Soon the tide of pleasure began to wash over Gabby, she moaned and called out Jake’s name in one long, loud exhalation. He wasn’t far behind her, and bit his lower lip to keep from crying out too loud.

  Spent, they were both lightly panting when it was over. Gabby collapsed on top of him. Jake wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hairline.

  “What a rush, huh?” Gabby asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah, and if I wasn’t sweating earlier, I definitely am now,” Jake said.

  “Wanna go skinny dipping?” Gabby asked with a glint in her eyes.

  “Yeah, why not?”

  Gabby disentangled herself from Jake, and stood up long enough to pull her underwear and skirt down in one quick shove. She turned to walk toward the lake, giving Jake a delicious view of her naked backside.

  “Cool tattoo,” he remarked as he whipped his shirt off his head.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  Jake was fully naked and was taking Gabby by the hand into the water. “If you’re going to steal a peek at me, you better look now, because once I come out of the water, it’s not going to be a representation of my best self. You know what I mean?”

  Gabby laughed and nodded. “Yes I know what you mean. It’s okay. I don’t need to look just yet. I’ll save that fun for next time,” she said as she kissed his cheek.

  They reached the water’s edge and walked out until they could no longer touch bottom. At Gabby’s suggestion they swam across the small estuary to one of the grottos.

  “Come on, it’ll be nice and cool in there,” she said of the cavern.

  Once they were inside, Jake was surprised by how much light from the moon had leeched inside. Between the opening to the cavity and a few holes in the roof of the cave, moonlight was seeping in and reflecting off the small pool. The water was only waist deep, which provided Jake with an erotic view of Gabby.

  “Come here,” he said in a low voice.

  She happily obeyed and found herself wrapped in his embrace quick enough. Their kiss rapidly turned sensual and Gabby wanted to know more of Jake. Their time together on the shore had been so frantic.

  “Jake.”

  “I know, I want you, too,” he whispered.

  “Jake,” she said again. “Look at me.”

  She slowly drew her hand down the length of his torso and found him in the shallow water.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said quietly.

  “I beg to differ,” he said around a groan.

  She released him from her grasp. “No, I mean I’ve never been like this before. Not with anyone,” she whispered.

  “I know. Me either. But it feels right, doesn’t it?” Jake asked as he stroked her jaw with his thumb. Gabby nodded in agreement. Neither of them said anything for a while, they simply stood that way, looking into each other’s eyes as Jake stroked her face.

  Jake looked into what he thought was the most beautiful face in the world. He loved the way her hazel eyes appeared almost golden in the moonlight. Her sculpted cheekbones were even more defined by the lunar light. Her full lips looked ripe for the picking. Jake drew her in even closer and leaned down to kiss her ready mouth.

  He took her hand and led her toward a flat rock near one corner of the grotto. He was going to take his leisure this time. Gabby reclined on the cool, hard surface of the cave and pulled Jake to her. His mouth and eyes roamed her body freely and slowly as his hands did as well.

  Gabby also took in his body through sight, sound, taste and touch. When she dropped her eyes to his pelvic region she was impressed. His body was toned and defined from running, while his arms and chest were nicely sculpted from using his hands in his mechanic work every day.

  Gabby wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him down on to her. She ran her hands down the length of his sinewy torso. When they were once again intertwined together Jake slowly lowered himself into her and sunk his hands into her damp hair. He began to drop kisses across her face, down her neck and along her collarbone.

  Together they began to move in unison and soon the sounds of their pleasure were echoing off the cave walls, which only heightened the experience for them both. Afterward, the two of them sat on the rock ledge, Jake reclined against the stone wall and Gabby rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them felt the need for words at that moment.

  ***

  Gabby quietly shut her bedroom door and stripped out of her tank top and skirt. She turned on the tap and began to fill the tub. When there was enough water to cover the bottom of the claw-footed bathtub she sank into the warm water and added her favorite lavender bath salts. She let out a contented sigh and leaned back. Her body was both aching with pain and humming with pleasure.

  She honestly still couldn’t believe she’d slept with Jake. Her behavior was so out of character for her, Gabby wondered if she was reverting back to her days of teenage rebellion or if she was simply releasing some pent up stress. She’d certainly been through a lot lately. She considered this point and mentally counted off everything that had happened in the past month.

  There was the excitement of graduating college, she’d been on a
few job interviews, but her dad’s accident happened shortly after, and then she’d uprooted herself and came back to Clear Lake. She’d taken the job at the Lake Breeze, she had the expense of fixing her car, she was worried about landing a job in Chicago, and she’d met Jake. She’d had a lot on her plate, but she wasn’t completely sure stress was to blame for her sleeping with Jake so soon.

  There was something else there between the two of them. After they’d made love a second time last night, they’d sat and talked for hours on the shore of the Hollow. The time had gone by so quickly neither realized how late it was until they noticed the sky changing colors in the east. Jake had checked the clock in his truck to confirm it was five in the morning. They had spent hours in each other’s company.

  Reflecting back on their time at the Hollow, Gabby thought the night had felt more like a couple hours, not ten. She’d never been able to sit and talk for hours with a man before. The two of them had shared stories about their childhoods, their relationship with their mothers and everything in between.

  In her mind she was struggling to figure out what was happening, but the rest of her was buzzing with excitement. Beyond anything that had happened last night, she’d had fun. It was fun to just be with Jake. She hadn’t relaxed and spent so much time outdoors since she’d moved from Clear Lake.

  ***

  Gabby wasn’t tired. Even after her hot bath. Even though she’d been up all night. She fingered her cell phone and toyed with the thought of calling Jake, it was Sunday morning. He was probably at home, she reasoned. Then again, he was probably asleep, unlike her. She flung the covers off and stalked out of her room.

  In the hall, she heard the familiar sound of her father’s blaring TV.

  “Morning, Daddy,” she called.

  “Good morning yourself, or should I say goodnight, huh?”

  “What do you mean?” Gabby feigned confusion.

  “I know you came in early this morning. Had a fun date with Jake?”

  Gabby felt her cheeks warm at the mention of her date with Jake. She’d always had an open relationship with her parents. As an only child she had been very close to both of them. She knew her dad wasn’t naïve, but at the same time, she didn’t think she wanted to discuss her sex life with her dad. Knowing how much her father liked Jake, Gabby decided to play it cool.

  “It was all right,” she lied.

  “Well, it had to have been more than all right for you to stay out all night,” he said with a chuckle.

  Gabby laughed and shook her head at his comment. “Daddy, sometimes I wonder about you. Aren’t fathers supposed to be protective of their little girls? I can’t believe you’re trying to get me to spill the beans about my date last night.

  “Jake took me to the Hollow last night. We had a picnic dinner, watched the sunset and talked all evening,” Gabby said.

  “Sounds like a great date to me, Boogs. You know, I remember the first time your mom and I stayed up all night talking. That’s when I knew she was the one, when I knew I was in love with her,” her father said expectantly.

  “Daddy,” she said irritably. “I’m not in love with Jake! I just met the guy. We’re just…getting to know each other, that’s all.”

  “Whatever you say, sweetie. Whatever you say.”

  “I’m. Not. In. Love. With. Jake. Just forget it, can we change the subject? What would you like for breakfast,” she asked somewhat hastily.

  “Whatever’s easiest for you, Boogs. Cereal, eggs, anything’s fine.”

  With her father’s indecisive answer to guide her, she spun on her heel and headed toward the kitchen. She pulled down a box of corn flakes and two bowls from the cupboard. She dished up the cereal and added a sliced banana to each. She’d made her father coffee to go with his breakfast, but she preferred juice.

  “Here you are,” she said as she sat his tray down in front of him. “What time will the dayshift nurse get here?” Gabby asked as she eyed the bedside clock.

  “Should be around eight.”

  “Okay, I think I may try and revive the garden this morning, before it gets too hot. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll at least get enough tomatoes for me to make a decent size marinara and we’ll have some cucumbers and lettuce for salads,” she said around a mouthful of cereal.

  “Thanks, hon. I was keeping up with the weeding and watering until,” he gestured to his form lying still on the bed. “I can’t wait until I can start doing some physical therapy and get out of this bed!”

  Gabby put down her nearly empty bowl and placed a sympathetic hand on her father’s shoulder. “I know how it must be killing you just lying there, Daddy. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I know once you start therapy you’ll be walking in no time,” she said sincerely.

  Gabby was like her mother in the sense that she hated idleness. She liked to be active, to have a project or something she could work on at almost all times. She knew her father was the more sedentary of her two parents, but still he must be miserable cooped up indoors all day, every day. She wished she could do something for him. A knock on the front door interrupted her thoughts.

  “That’s probably the nurse. Here, I’ll take that,” she said as she gathered his tray and stacked their bowls.

  She juggled the tray in her arms long enough to open the door and let the nurse in. After a quick greeting, she walked down the hall to check on Gabby’s dad. Placing the tray on the counter and dropping the bowls in the sink, Gabby decided she’d go ahead and get started watering and weeding the garden. Maybe the task would keep her mind from wandering to her date last night.

  She stepped back into her room to grab her sunglasses and cell phone. She noticed her message waiting light was blinking, so she sat on the bed to see who had either left a voicemail or sent a text. She tapped the screen and saw she had a text message. From Jake.

  Good morning, Beautiful. I can’t stop thinking about last night. I know you’re probably sleeping, but when you wake up, come over to my place. Call me and I’ll give you directions.

  Gabby leaned back against her headboard and hugged her phone to her chest. So she wasn’t the only one thinking about their date. It had left as big of an impact on Jake as it had on her. She felt warm and tingly all over as she recalled the way Jake had held her and kissed her all last night. Gabby resisted the impulse to call Jake that very second and head over to his house. They’d barely been apart for three hours. It was crazy to want to see him again so soon.

  She’d go about her business around the house, and then she’d call Jake. Gabby gathered up her things once again and headed outside. She knelt by one of the flower beds her mother had planted long ago and put her hands to work pulling weeds. As Gabby stared at her hands, her mind drifted back to last night, and all the things she did with her hands on Jake’s body. As she leaned forward to reach some of the weeds at the back of the flower bed, her cell phone slipped out of the front pocket of her T-shirt.

  She scooped it up out of the dirt and noticed her message indicator light was still flashing. Did she get another text? A couple of taps showed her she had a voicemail. When had she missed a call? Gabby cradled her phone on her ear and shoulder and waited for her message to play. She heard a voice she didn’t recognize speaking in clipped, business-like tones come on the line. She listened to the message in its entirety and hit the button to replay the message as soon as it finished. She couldn’t believe it. Gabby had to talk to someone about this, but whom?

  ***

  In the end, Gabby decided to confide in Stacey before she headed over to Jake’s.

  “Hey, Gab,” she said when she opened the door. After taking in the excited look on her friend’s face, Stacey moved out of the doorway and let her friend inside. “What’s up?”

  “I’m so excited! I got a call from one of the magazines I interviewed with right before I graduated. The interview was several weeks ago, and honestly, with moving back to Clear Lake and everything that’s been going on with my dad, I kind of forgot abo
ut it. I assumed I didn’t get it since I hadn’t heard from them and the interview took place so long ago. They called me back yesterday morning to see if I’m still looking for a job,” Gabby stopped for air.

  “They want me to come in for a second interview with the senior editor this week. I don’t know how I’m going to get away from Clear Lake without my car, or how I’ll manage time off from work, but I’ve got to do it.” Gabby stopped to look at Stacey.

  “I know you think I should stay here in Clear Lake, but aren’t you the least bit excited for me, Stace?”

  “Of course I’m excited that my best friend is such an awesome journalist that some big city magazine wants to hire her, but my opinion hasn’t changed. You belong here.”

  “Some help you are in making a decision. That’s probably going to be my problem with anyone I ask here in Clear Lake,” she said as her shoulders sagged.

  “Everyone’s biased and wants me to stay here. Stacey, this is what I’ve been working for, all through college. This is it. Not only would I get out of Clear Lake for good, but I could be a staff writer on a real Chicago magazine. You know it’s my dream to be a real writer.”

  Stacey let out a sigh and tossed the laundry she had been folding back into the basket with a look of contempt. “But what about your dad? He needs you, and what about Jake? You two make a cute couple.”

  “I don’t know what to do about my dad. Honestly, I don’t see what me staying here has helped anyway. I still have to work, it’s not like I’m at home taking care of him all day, his nurse does that. Maybe if I get the job I can come back and forth on the weekends? I don’t know. I can figure that out when I need to. All I know is if I get a chance to leave this town again, I’m taking it.”

  “I disagree. I think just knowing you’re here in town and sleeping in the same house as him has probably helped your dad more than you know. I hate to even say this, but you weren’t around the last time you left, you weren’t here to see the sadness in his eyes after you went back to Chicago after your mom passed,” Stacey stopped for a moment when she knew she’d struck a chord. Gabby was looking at her with big, sad eyes at the mention of her mother’s death. Stacey knew if she was going to get through to Gabby, she couldn’t be subtle.