by Mia Ford
As she finished her story with finesse, she realized that she was standing and gesticulating, describing the story with her body and flinging herself around in the hot tub. Keep it together she said to herself as she spun a little. Jared reached out to steady her and she sat down on his lap, immediately feeling his hardness press into her. Groaning in surprise she turned to look at him. Jared had a look of restraint on his face as he held his hands in place on her waist.
Suddenly Suzie stood up, her breasts bounced under the wet blue triangles, she turned and pulled Jared up to his feet and he enveloped her. She said goodnight to Jeff and Jason and Jared followed behind her, close enough to grasp. Staggering a little, they walked downstairs to their room. Wet skin on skin, they ravished each other pulling quickly at their sticky suits and they stood naked, regarding one another with lust. Suzie lay back on the bed as Jared crawled toward her. Caressing her thighs, he kissed them, moved between them and lavished her. Wet, ready and aroused, she moaned deeply and came quickly, shuddering as he moved his fingers inside her. Then he moved up to her breasts, gently brushing them with his lips as he guided himself into her slowly. Face to face they moved together as he writhed with impatience on top of her. She stroked his neck and back and grasped his bum cheeks firmly encouraging him. Building up rhythm, the intensity increased as Jared shuddered on top of her and then went still. They both fell asleep almost immediately.
In the morning, Suzie stretched and watched Jared sleep for a time. She had slept hard and had seemingly been satisfied as there were no more sexual dreams. Instead, she just looked at Jared and tenderly thought about all that she had learned about him in just a few short days. Though it was still early morning, Suzie felt restless and decided to go sit on the deck and enjoy the early morning in the forest. Not wanting to wake anyone, she slipped out the back door and avoided the kitchen, though a hot mug of coffee was calling to her to clear her foggy head.
No more drinking like that, she reminded herself. She was fortunate she hadn’t made a fool of herself last night. Usually she stopped after a few social drinks but apparently this family liked to party, which surprised her because Jared was pretty straight laced. She became lost in thought about the Tiefson family dynamics and daydreamed about what it would have been like to have a big family or any family at all.
When the coffee cup was set with a thunk in front of her, Suzie jumped in surprise. Jeff sat down across from her and asked her if she wanted anything else in it.
“No. Black coffee cures hangovers,” Suzie replied.
Jeff tilted his head and gave her a strange look. Then he nodded in agreement. “I would not have guessed you were a black coffee kind of girl.”
“And I would not have guessed you were an early morning kind of guy,” Suzie replied and then sipped the bitter beverage. His dark eyes seemed to search her and she looked away from him. “Is Candy feeling better this morning?”
“Don’t know, she’s still asleep,” Jeff replied stretching out his arms and legs. He was long, as tall as Jared, but built sturdier, his muscles bulged with girth and rippled with definition. Though he and Jared were twins, Jeff’s rugged appearance and course dark hair made him look older. His hair was thick and curly on his head, arms and legs. Suzie’s mind drifted to the dark patch of hair she noticed on his lower stomach yesterday and shivered. He reached out and covered her hand with his. It was rough and calloused. “Are you alright?”
Shaking her head Suzie nodded, “Yeah, just a little cold this morning, I guess.”
“That’s because we are sitting around. Let’s go for a walk. That will warm us up,” Jeff suggested.
“I wanted to do that when I came out here this morning but did not know where the path would lead me and was unsure about wildlife,” Suzie said. “Is it safe?”
“Of course it is,” Jeff said. He told her he would bring in the coffee cups and leave a note and they could get going. When he returned, Helen was with him. “Found Mom inside and she was just getting ready for her morning walk so she is going to join us.”
Helen smiled at Suzie and they set out. It was a smooth boardwalk trail, through the pine and willow forest. The sun was just starting to peak through the trees and everything sparkled with dew. Suzie loved being out in the morning and the fresh air invigorated her. Jeff had been right, she was warm now. During their walk, Helen and Jeff chatted with Suzie about Jared, the forest and other topics. They completed a circular path and returned to the yard, just behind Helen’s studio.
“You should come to the studio today,” Helen said to Jeff. He looked at her with his eyes narrow and dark and then mumbled something about being busy, said his goodbyes and left. “And you are still coming to paint with me again right?” Helen looked at Suzie.
“Around four right?” Suzie asked.
“Yes dear. I do so like to have someone to paint with. I apologize for turning in early last night. Having my whole family together is an exhausting blessing.”
They walked back to the house in silence. Once inside, the kitchen was bustling with activity as Jared was flipping pancakes while his niece and nephew shouted all the shapes he should make. Johnny and Jeff were arguing over their favorite band’s new album. All in all, it was chaos. After breakfast the chaos spilled outside where the sound was dulled by the trees. Suzie sat on a bench swing and watched Jared and his brothers chase the little ones around.
Eventually, Jared walked over and sat down next to her.
“You’ve been pretty quiet this morning,” he said.
“It has been a lovely morning,” Suzie replied and smiled, patting his knee with her hand. “This place is magical.”
Jared’s eyes lit up and he kissed her quickly on the lips. “Yes, that’s why I wanted to bring you here and show you this.”
“Thank you,” Suzie said, looking into his kind eyes. “This is really special.”
“No, I am going to take you somewhere really special tonight. After supper, it is just me and you. I want to show you something.”
“Sounds like a nice way to spend our last night. We have to go home tomorrow already.”
Hugging her tight, he asked if she minded if he spent some time with his dad for a couple of hours before supper. Suzie told him it was perfect because she was going to be painting with his mom. Happily, he put his arm around her and leaned her head on his chest. They sat and rocked, looking out at the rest of the family. After a while, Jeff walked up and sat on the adjacent swing. He and Jared talked and caught up with the animosity of the previous night. In general, Jeff seemed less agitated and Candy had yet to make an appearance, though Suzie was not sure if the two things were related.
After lunch, Jared and his dad headed out for a walk. Suzie found herself glued to the bench swing as the rocking motion felt relaxing. Sometime later, she realized she had fallen asleep and felt drowsy and unsure of time or place. Warmed by the sun, she stretched and sat up. The sun was getting lower in the sky and Suzie figured it was at least four, or around four as Helen had put it. Heading to the kitchen for a drink, Suzie confirmed it was past four and noted the whole cabin was silent. The older two brothers had just headed out and the rest of them must be hiding somewhere. Thirst quenched, Suzie slipped out the door and followed the stone path to the studio.
The door to the studio was wide open and Suzie could hear music coming from within. It seemed a little too hard rock for Helen but this family seemed full of surprises. Stepping through the door, Suzie smelled the wet paint and looked toward a large canvas. It was unlike any of the others she had seen Helen paint. It was bright, yet dark, emotional and simple. It was one hand covering another, but it went deeper, with the color adding texture and layer. Suzie was entranced by it and was only half done. Behind her a door opened and a shadow moved behind her. Suzie turned smiling. Her mouth dropped into an oh of surprise as Jeff, covered in paint, walked up behind her.
“You’re not Helen,” Suzie said slowly, looking from Jeff to the painting and back.
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“Not even close,” Jeff said, picking up his palette and brush and adding to the painting. “She has not been out here yet today.”
“You painted this?” Suzie asked, in awe.
“I am painting it, yeah.” Jeff looked at her puzzled. “Can you not tell anyone you saw me out here though? No one but Mom knows I paint. It is not something I like to share.”
Suzie was surprised by the question as Jeff had not seemed like the type to care what others thought. Nor did he seem like the expressive artist type, come to think of it. “Sorry, yeah. I can go. I was just here to meet Helen,” Suzie said, backing towards the door.
“No, Mom told me you’d be here. I meant to leave earlier, just got carried away.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Suzie said, gasping again at the beauty and raw emotion of the painting.
Jeff laughed and stared at her. “Well come on then, the other easel is still set up; you are here to paint aren’t you?”
Suzie nodded and stepped in front of the easel she was using the previous day. She could feel Jeff standing close by though she could not see him. His painting was less powerful close up and provided a barrier and something to look at other than Jeff’s piercing eyes. Painting silently side by side, Suzie was nowhere near as relaxed as she had been the previous day. Wiggling with pent up energy and feeling a strange new vibe from Jeff, Suzie was uncomfortable. It was an arousing discomfort that made her squirm and reminded her vaguely of her dream the first night she stayed here. Biting her lip and forcing herself to look at her painting, she argued with herself about what she was feeling.
Finally, too riled up to sit still, Suzie crossed the room for a drink of water. Now, standing behind Jeff she did not feel quite so out of breath. She watched him paint and was fascinated by how graceful his thick fibrous arms were as he danced the brush strokes on the canvas. He turned and caught her watching him. She froze as he stared into her eyes, turning the light tickle inside her into a wave of urgent desire. Jeff stretched, still looking at her and stepped back to put down his brush, then he walked over to her. Suzie forced herself to stare at the painting, shocked and unsure at what was going on inside her.
“Hey, am I talking to myself here?” Jeff repeated his question and found Suzie completely unresponsive, focused simply on one goal. Jeff grabbed Suzie’s arm. “Are you okay?”
A shock of electricity surged through both of them as Suzie was able to murmur, “Yes.”
Moving in front of Suzie he put one arm on either side of her, pinning her to the wall. Jeff lowered his gaze, his dark eyes meeting hers. “What are you doing to me?” he growled, his voice low and close.
Suzie licked her lips. She could hear his deep breathing inches away from her, she could feel his heat and smell him but above all else was this electric current drawing her to him. He was all wrong but she wanted him to make her his. A small moan escaped her lips and she brought her hand to her mouth. Still, with no movement but the eyes, Jeff seemed to be having an internal struggle. His breathing got deeper and Suzie moved her hand to touch his face. Moving his face, he kissed her hand and then pushed it aside with his cheek. Stepping closer, Jeff kissed her forehead, smelling her hair and then tilting her face to meet his; he kissed her hard on the mouth and pushed her up against the wall. Suzie opened her mouth, her tongue seeking and exploring his mouth. Pulling away with a gasp, she whispered, “No.”
Standing still, Jeff didn’t move. He stood with an arm on either side of her, keeping Suzie pinned to the wall. Her eyes were wide and unsure, like a deer in the headlights. Her mind was panicking, what was she doing here? What was Jeff doing here? He knew she was with Jared, why had he kissed her? Wait, didn’t she touch him first and what was this strong underlying current, sizzling between them? Suzie took a breath.
At that moment, there were footsteps coming up to the studio. Jeff stepped away from her and turned to the door. Helen entered, flushed and out of breath.
“What are you still doing here?” she asked him, and then she spotted the painting he had been working on and gasped. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him over to it. “Jeff. This is amazing. You have a natural raw talent. Why don’t you paint more? Come out here more often, or better yet go to Jacquie’s studio in the city, she…”
Jeff cut her off. “Enough Mom. Nobody knows I paint except you and it is going to stay that way. Besides, Suzie has been waiting over an hour for you so I am going to leave you two alone.”
“Gosh, Suzie I did not even see you there, I assumed I missed you. I am so sorry.” While Helen explained to Suzie why she was late, Jeff gathered his things to leave.
“I was not here today. Got it?” he told them both.
“If you insist, but we are not done talking about this,” Helen said sternly. Suzie could only nod, her mouth agape as he walked out the door.
Instead of painting, Suzie helped Helen clean the studio, put away paint and brushes. All the while, Helen showed Suzie artwork and chatted about painting, nonchalantly describing Jeff as a tough guy with the soul of an artist, though he tried to bury it. Suzie smiled and responded when appropriate, or she tried to. Inside she was freaking out and wanted to run. If only she would have walked away when she saw Helen was not there. If only she had not touched him, kissed him. Trembling as she thought of that kiss, of his muscled arms holding her captive, she mumbled something about needing some fresh air and went outside.
Suzie walked down the trail behind the studio. After she had distanced herself and was surrounded by trees, she sat on a log. Gasping deep breaths she tried to regain her composure. In a minute she would have to make her way back to the house for supper. After supper, Jared was taking her somewhere special. How could she tell him she kissed Jeff? How could she hurt him? Standing up quickly, Suzie jogged a short distance for an energy release, knowing she had to face everyone; she turned around and walked back the way she came.
At the edge of the yard, she could see everyone gathering around the outside table to eat. After giving herself a pep talk, she walked up to join them. Jared smiled and patted the spot next to him for her to sit down. Obliging, she sat and asked him about his day. Holding her hand, he talked about his hike and encouraged her to eat a big meal because she would need it for their adventure. Suzie tried but could hardly eat a bite. It did not help that Jeff sat across from her, his outstretched legs under the table bumped hers sending a jolt of electricity through her body. Looking unfazed, he smiled and joked with everyone and had one arm around Candy who had finally left her room.
After supper, Jared and Suzie changed into hiking attire and she followed him down another trail that curved steeply uphill. Suzie was silent as she tried to find a way to tell Jared what happened. She had promised not to talk about Jeff’s painting so that made the truth even more difficult. But why was he keeping it a secret from his twin brother? Surely Jeff didn’t expect her to keep it from Jared. Was that it? Was the kiss a sibling rivalry thing? That must be it. They competed over everything. Suzie sighed with relief. Surely, she was not the first girl they fought over.
Another ten minutes and they had reached the summit. The sun was just beginning to set and the rocks provided a cozy shelter. Jared set his bag down and spread out a blanket. Sitting on it with his legs spread, Jared pulled her down to him. She sunk into his chest and he wrapped her in his arms. Breathing in his distinct scent she settled in and relaxed. His arms tight around her made her feel safe and she closed her mind to all other thoughts. The safety, security and trust she had for Jared were immeasurable. He was her rock. The sky turned brilliant pink and orange as the sun dipped low in the horizon. Jared held her as they quietly watched the sky illuminate the hills and valley below them.
“This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” As she said it, a picture of Jeff’s painting flashed in her mind and she shook it away. “I love this place.”
“And I love you,” Jared said holding her hand in his. “I have never brought anyone up here before and I wanted
to share it with you because I love you.”
Suzie’s mouth dropped open and her heart hit her stomach. Jared had never said those words before, no one had ever told Suzie they loved her. Feeling like a traitor, she looked down and stammered, “Oh Jared. I. Love you too.” She said it because she had to, because there he was bringing her to the most awe-inspiring place she had ever seen. Opening up to her and treating her like royalty, he was a dream come true. Suzie had never said those words to anyone before and maybe she meant it. She was not sure what love is supposed to feel like.
Grabbing her tight, he kissed her until she kissed back. The heat of his lips warmed her and she could almost forget everything else. This was her Jared. He cared for her, protected her and apparently loved her. This was her future, not horny Jeff who was just trying to compete with Jared or piss him off.
The first stars twinkled in the sky before Jared said they had to head back. And still Suzie had not said a word about her and Jeff’s interaction. They walked down the hill listening to the night time forest come alive. Jared led with his flashlight and Suzie followed, the lump in her throat growing. She felt like she lost her chance to be honest and was now hiding something from the man who loved her. Back at the yard, Jared pulled her in beside him, wrapping an arm around her waist. He asked her why she was so quiet and she explained that she was just tired from all the excitement. Still when they reached the deck, they sat down to talk with Jared’s mom and dad.
