Along for the Ride

by Michelle M. Pillow

  ‘What does it look like?’ Douglas asked, only to add, ‘Vincent, get the chart.’

  ‘Red face, yellow and black body,’ Ryan said, taking a picture.

  ‘I don’t see it,’ Douglas looked through his binoculars, angling them back and forth to follow the direction Ryan’s camera had pointed. ‘Ah, there it is.’

  ‘Tanager, maybe,’ Vincent said. The paper chart he held rustled in the wind as the bird took to flight.

  ‘Let’s see if we can find it again.’ Douglas led the way deeper into the trees, away from the picnic area.

  After a minute of quiet hiking along the worn forest trail, Douglas stopped. ‘Look there. I think it’s old gravestones.’

  ‘What are they doing in the forest?’ Vincent asked. ‘There is nothing around here.’

  ‘Might have been an old settlement near by at one time or a farmstead. I’ve run across these old sunken graveyards a time or two in Kansas as a kid.’ Ryan walked into the trees, kneeling by a weathered stone. He ran his fingers over the top, shivering at the idea of how long the site could have remained untouched. The carvings were faded, the names long ago erased from history. There were only about a dozen gravesites, at least from what he could tell of the sunken markers. Some of them were overgrown with plant life and covered with years of fallen leaves.

  ‘I should go get Kat,’ Vincent said. ‘She would want to see this.’

  ‘Yeah, let’s go get something to eat and we’ll bring the girls back after,’ Douglas said. ‘Ryan, you coming?’

  ‘Just a second, I want to get a few shots. You two go ahead.’

  ‘Where’s Ryan?’ Kat asked, drawing Megan’s attention up from the plastic bag filled with roast beef on wholegrain sandwiches.

  ‘We found graves in the woods,’ Vincent began.

  ‘What?’ Megan stood in instant concern, her brain humming to life as she automatically switched to detective mode. ‘How old are they? You didn’t touch anything, did you? The police will need the crime scene exactly like it was left so they can search for clues. Kat, quick, give me your cell phone. I’m going to try and call the local police department. Mom, I’m going to need some string, or rope to make a barrier. What? What is so funny?’ Megan arched a brow at her father.

  ‘It’s an old sunken graveyard,’ Douglas said. ‘I doubt the police will be very interested.’

  ‘Ha! You should have seen your face, Megan.’ Sasha pointed and laughed, as if she’d been in on the joke when clearly she hadn’t.

  ‘Oh, neat, I want to go see.’ Kat began walking towards the forest.

  ‘Hold it right there,’ Beatrice ordered. ‘Let’s eat before the bugs get it.’

  ‘OK,’ Kat mumbled, kicking at the dirt.

  ‘Megan, go find Ryan and tell him to come get something to eat,’ Beatrice ordered.

  ‘Just down the trail,’ Vincent said. ‘On the right side. You can’t miss it.’

  ‘Kat can go,’ Megan said. Her sister wanted to anyway.

  ‘No,’ Beatrice ordered. ‘I told you to go. Kat will get distracted and we will never see them again.’

  ‘She’s got a point,’ Sasha agreed.

  Kat shrugged. ‘Yep. Mom’s probably right.’

  ‘Fine,’ Megan grumbled, going into the woods. ‘I don’t know why I have to get him. He’ll come back when he gets hungry.’

  ‘Thank you, dear!’ Beatrice called cheerfully after her.

  Megan lifted her hand and waved acknowledgement. Birds chirped in the distance, but were drowned out by the sound of her feet crunching on the leaves and twigs lining the trails. Her eyes focused forwards, she looked for movement along the side of the trail. Suddenly, a hand shot out from behind a tree and grabbed her. Megan stiffened, ready to fight, but held back as she saw Ryan’s face. He tugged her into his embrace, holding her against his body.

  ‘Worried about me?’ he asked, making a soft noise of appreciation as he ran his hands over her hips. He glanced back. ‘Are we alone?’

  ‘Yes and no,’ she said.

  ‘You were worried about me?’ A slow seductively cocky smile crossed his features.

  ‘I meant, yes we are alone and no I wasn’t worried.’ Megan tried to pull back, but Ryan gripped her hips tightly.

  ‘Mm, not so fast. I want to show you something.’ His mouth was a hair’s breadth away from her.

  ‘I already heard about the old graves,’ she said.

  ‘Come see them,’ he urged her, his gaze steady.

  ‘Do I have to?’ The breeze stirred gently at her back, pushing loosened strands of her hair towards him. They hit his chest, caressing him as she wanted to do. Her body ached with uncertainty in light of his tender look.

  ‘Yes, you have to.’ Ryan pulled her behind him, leading her deeper into the woods.

  Megan saw the old rocks on the ground, nearly shapeless masses only recognisable by their arched appearance and the weathered engraving of a cross barely visible along the bumpy front.

  Ryan pulled her body along his, letting her feel the beginning arousal that pressed against his jeans. ‘I want to fuck you here.’

  ‘What? Here?’ Megan forced a frown.

  ‘It is good luck,’ he assured her.

  ‘You made that up.’ Lifting her hand to his chin, she rubbed her palm against the coarse hair on his jaw. The shade of the branches overhead cast his face into shadow and strands of his hair caught the narrow rays that managed to filter through.

  ‘No, it’s true. Honest.’

  She lifted her other hand, pulling his face to hers to kiss him lightly. Her tongue traced the line of his mouth, while her hands pulled at the back of his head to urge him closer. His firm mouth moved expertly against her, giving her what she sought. The tight feel of his body drew her to him, until she melted against his length. She tried to get him to deepen the kiss by nudging his lips with her tongue. He groaned, opening his mouth to hers. A mutual flame coursed through their bodies in shared desire.

  The isolation of the forest combined with the forbidden imagery of what was around them. Megan pulled back, her chest heaving for air as she glanced around. The others waited for them and she found a secret thrill at the idea they might be caught. Even though she had the comfort of knowing her family would wait before sending someone in after them.

  Ryan let go of her. ‘Take off your pants. I want to fuck you right here, right now, in this forest. I don’t want you to ever forget this moment, or me.’

  How could she forget something like this? It was the story she’d be thinking of when she was eighty years old talking about the good ol’ days. He motioned for her to follow, leading her into the forest away from the old stones.

  Ryan took a condom out of his pocket and placed the corner of the wrapper between his teeth as he quickly undid his pants. Megan kicked her shoes from her feet, using her toes for leverage, only to stand on them to keep from walking on the forest floor barefoot. She tugged her jeans and panties down at the same time, standing exposed and naked. Then, slipping her feet back into the shoes, she waited as Ryan tore open the package with his teeth and spat the wrapper aside. He unrolled the thin latex rubber over the stiff length of his cock, stroking himself in the process.

  ‘There is so much I want to do to you, but we don’t have the time.’ He kept his voice soft, as if they might be overheard. Megan was glad he couldn’t see her face in the shadowed enclosure. All thoughts of how they came to be together fell from her mind until it was only the moment before them.

  ‘What would you do to me?’ Megan kept her eyes on his as she picked the best spot she could find, an old curved tree with barren limbs just about the right height to hold on to. ‘Tell me. I want to know.’

  ‘First, I’d kiss and touch every inch of your body. Then, I’d bury my face between your thighs and make you come.’

  ‘Is that all you got? Surely you have wickeder thoughts than that. Aren’t you artistic types supposed to be creative?’ Megan arched a brow in challenge, even as sh
e leant her back against the tree and lifted her arms. Spreading her legs in invitation, she smiled naughtily and licked her lips.

  ‘I was only starting,’ he assured her, coming to her ready body. He fisted his cock, running his hand up and down as he neared her. ‘I’d only fuck you with my mouth after you were tied up, handcuffed to my bed and helpless to escape. I’d leave you like that, too, making you suck my dick as I straddled your face beneath me. And, with the taste of my cock on your lips and the flavourful cream of your pussy on mine, I’d kiss you until you were ready to be fucked again.’

  ‘Ahh,’ Megan panted. He took her by the hip, angling his arousal towards her sex. The cool rubber slipped between her folds as the tip probed her.

  ‘You like that, don’t you?’ he asked, shading his eyes. ‘You like being tied up and controlled?’

  ‘I’ve never . . .’ was all she managed to get out.

  ‘Oh, so the little darling detective likes to be dominated. Interesting,’ he mused. ‘Is that what you like, Megan? Is that what you need? You need to be con-trolled, to be told what to do?’

  Arousal hit her hard and she barely registered his use of the damned nickname the newspapers gave her. ‘Ah, please, hurry.’

  ‘Mm, maybe I should make you crawl and beg to suck my cock,’ he whispered, his hot breath fanning her neck. His fingers ran passionately over her upper body to find a home on the soft curve of her breasts. He massaged the globes gently, peaking the nipples through her shirt. He grabbed her waist and lifted her up until she was face to face with him. With a barbaric growl, he leant to give a quick kiss to the top curve of her lush breast. ‘I could keep you naked for a week on your hands and knees, body ready for me whenever I felt like taking it, your sweet pussy always at my disposal.’

  ‘Try it and your little game just might backfire on you,’ she assured him. To hear him say the words turned her on, to actually be forced to be a man’s sex slave for a week was another matter. Submissive in the bedroom was one thing, being a full-time submissive was a completely different one that she would never agree to. She was too decisive a person to take that many orders.

  ‘It’s just talk, sweetheart. I would never do anything you didn’t want.’

  His very nearness empowered her. Ryan was so strong, yet so gentle. His lips devoured her neck, pushing her harder against the tree. Megan purred in the back of her throat. ‘It might be you in chains as I make you beg.’

  ‘OK,’ he said, grinning as he pushed his hand between her thighs, denying her his cock. ‘And what would you do with me, my sweet mistress, as you had me chained to your will?’

  His chest grazed hers and she arched her back in pleasure. A sweet low moan escaped her lips as she gasped for breath, unable to answer. He held the back of her head captive by her hair. Forcing her chin into the air, he bit lightly at her ear. The hand between her thighs continued to stroke her – a mindlessly precise rhythm.

  ‘Ah, take me,’ she demanded, forgetting his question as the need became too much.

  He groaned, the smile fading as his cock replaced his hand, teasing as he rubbed the tip back and forth over her swollen clit. His mouth ravished her throat in hot oscillations of desire. Her hands glided over the firm length of his tightly drawn flesh, needing to feel him. She caressed the deep folds of his muscles, wishing they had time to strip completely.

  ‘I love the feel of you,’ he said, ‘and the taste.’

  To prove his point, he licked her neck and groaned loudly. His words hummed delightfully in her veins, making her dizzy. She grabbed the branch above her head, lifting her body as she spread her legs wider. He thrust up, entering her hard.

  ‘Every time I look at you, I want you.’ Ryan’s hips pumped in wild abandon.

  Arching her back, she thrust forwards. His body slid into her with ease. Megan let out a loud moan of satisfaction. She seized the tree branch above her head for support, as his hands supported her ass, spreading her cheeks slightly. His movements became more fervent and the rhythm of his hips quickened, urging her to her climax.

  ‘So good,’ he whispered, stringing along unintelligible compliments as they neared release.

  Megan bit her lip to keep from crying out, trembling with the crescendo of her desires. Suddenly, his throaty grunt joined hers as he climaxed, their joined flesh trembling in perfect unison. Her heavy breath mingled with his. As the shaking pleasure subsided, Megan’s arms weakened and dropped from the tree on to his shoulders.

  Her body sated, she was compelled to act. ‘We need to get back before they come looking for us.’

  ‘I know.’ He brushed a kiss along her lips before letting her go. ‘But first, I want to take a picture of us. Here in this place.’

  Megan glanced down. ‘You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you take a picture of me like this.’

  ‘Don’t trust me?’ He quickly pulled up his pants.

  She laughed, refusing to answer.

  ‘Fine, put your clothes on. I don’t need a photograph to remember how sexy your legs are.’ Ryan grinned, eyeing her naughtily from head to toe. ‘But, if you ever change your mind, I’ll be more than willing to give you a private sitting in my studio. No charge.’

  ‘No, thanks.’ Megan shook her head, thinking, I really don’t need any other compromising photos taken of me.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘Come on, Megs, get off your ass and dance!’ Kat yelled as she jumped around the deck, twirling around Sasha who drunkenly pumped her arms. Stars filled the moonlit sky, marred only by the drifting haze of grey clouds.

  Vincent and Ryan laughed at the spectacle the two women were making on the deck turned dance floor. Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ played loudly from the DVD player inside. Blue moonlight combined with the soft glow of firelight from the circular free-standing fire pit in the middle of the deck.

  ‘Whoo hoo, shake it baby!’ Kat ordered, pointing at Megan. ‘Come on, big sista, dance with me.’

  ‘I think I’ll pass. You’re being a big enough ass for the both of us.’ Megan lifted her beer, angled it in a silent toast only to take a long drink.

  It had been three amazing, if not slightly surreal, days since she’d made love with Ryan near the graveyard. Though things did not change between them, an easiness developed, if not somewhat of a silently agreed acceptance to follow the course of nature wherever it took them.

  Often, the mood took them in their shared bedroom – never on the creaky bed, but on the floor, against the wall and even once on the rocking chair. It had been a precarious feat, one they agreed not to try again. He’d sat down with her sitting on his lap. In theory, the rocking motion of the chair should have been fun, but, in reality, it took a lot of muscle-straining work to get the rhythm right.

  Twice, the course of nature took them during the now routine family picnics around lunchtime when they’d escape to a private place to be alone. There was something exhilarating about the mountain, the wide-open view. Even once, the mood took them in the early dawn hours with Megan kneeling over so he could take her from behind, hidden along the backside of the cabin where there were no windows, with only Ryan’s sweatshirt to comfort her knees from the hard rocky ground. And the more they had sex, the more she became enthralled with the spontaneous forbidden passion of their acts.

  ‘Spiritless wench,’ Sasha yelled, drawing Megan’s eyes back to her.

  ‘Stop using old words, college girl,’ Megan said.

  ‘Read a book once in a while, tough chick-a-dee.’ Grabbing Kat’s hand as they half danced, half hopped in a circle, Sasha turned her attention to Vincent. ‘Come dance with us, Vin.’

  ‘Oh, he won’t dance to this kind of music. It lacks class,’ Kat said. ‘But Ryan will dance with us, won’t you?’

  Both sisters sauntered over to him, not giving him a choice as they grabbed him by the arms. He didn’t put up much of a fight.

  Laughing, Ryan joked, ‘Sure, I’ll dance. I lack class.’

&
nbsp; The music changed, blasting out another 1980s hit: ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’.

  Vincent slid into the seat next to Megan, taking a sip of his red wine. ‘Man, I love your sister. Just look at her. She’s amazing.’

  Megan glanced at him, then followed his eyes to where Kat was bobbing her head back and forth, somewhat like a chicken, while thrusting one flattened hand in front and another in back. To Megan, Kat looked like a dork – a loveable dork, but a dork nonetheless. ‘Yeah, amazing.’

  Then, seeing Ryan dancing just as crazily as her sister, Megan couldn’t help but laugh. He really didn’t care what he looked like, as he mimicked their movements. Suddenly, the three dancers conferred among themselves, only to hurry into a straight line, one behind the other, with Ryan in front. Standing so their bodies couldn’t be seen, Sasha and Kat wiggled their arms to the side to make Ryan look as if he had tentacles, as they occasionally poked their heads out on either side.

  ‘You seem to be enjoying yourself,’ Vincent said. ‘Vacation going well so far?’

  ‘Kat told you about what is going on, huh?’ Megan’s laughter died some.

  ‘Oh?’ The sound was unconvincing.

  ‘Don’t bother. I know she’s in on this little scheme, just as I know you had nothing to do with it.’ Megan sighed.

  ‘Kat loves you, you know. She thinks Ryan can make you happy. That is why she did it.’

  ‘It’s not her place to decide, is it?’ Megan took another drink from her beer, needing to change the subject. There was nothing Vincent could say to make her feel better about the situation. ‘I tell you what, if I get dragged to another museum I’ll gag – mountain folk, miners, dinosaurs, airplanes. Enough is enough. Besides, at the rate we’re sightseeing, Zoe is going to miss all the fun.’ The last word was drawled out and dripping with sarcasm.

  ‘I don’t know about that. If your mother keeps pushing to drive the four-hundred-mile scenic loop, I think there will be plenty of fun for everyone.’ Vincent chuckled.

  ‘Yeah, I’d hate for Zoe to miss out on the twenty-hour car ride Mom will turn that adventure into. And, between Ryan and Kat, it might even be longer if they keep stopping us to take pictures.’