by Amy Brent
“Kylie, you saw it today. If you left my dad’s company, every day could be like that for us. You could work for me and make the money you want to make, and I’d be more successful with your support.”
“I could make some broccoli with the chicken. How does that sound?” I asked.
“Kylie.”
“How could you think I don’t support you already?” I said as I slammed my refrigerator closed. “I do support you—in every way I possibly can. I give up whole weekends for you and I sit in on your test audiences and I come with you to the casting calls and sit there and give you my opinions. How could you honestly insinuate that I don’t already support you? Why do I have to quit a job I enjoy to show you I support your dreams, Adam?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Well it came out that way, Adam. I was the one who encouraged you to drop out of college and chase your dreams. Me. And now I take one job with your father that could take my dreams to new heights and every time I turn around you’re saying I should quit. I thought you were okay with this. You told me you were okay with this.”
It was like I had no control and my filter slipped out of place. I was fed up and done with these issues between us. I compromised a great deal to be with Adam, but I wasn’t compromising my career for him.
He had another thing coming if he thought I was going to do that.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know. I did say that. And I am happy for you. I just know there’s the potential to be happier if we work together given how today went. That’s all I meant. I don’t want to fight anymore, Kylie.”
“I don’t either, Adam, but you have to pick a side. Either you’re okay with me taking the job with your father or you’re not.”
“I am okay with it. I promise,” he said. “Let’s just back up a few minutes. Rewind.”
“I think maybe you should go home.”
“Kylie.”
“Look, we’ve got a semi-vacation coming up. You booked us a place, right?”
“I couldn’t find a hotel, but I did find a nice campground that specializes in yurts. I got us one with a little hot tub out back and everything.”
“Good,” I said. “This is just rising tension, more proof that the two of us need to get out of the city for a little while. Just, let’s retreat for a little bit and breathe. Then after the meeting tomorrow at your father’s office, we’ll start fresh.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“I’m positive,” I said.
I looked over at Adam and watched him nod in defeat. The truth was, I didn’t trust my mouth around him any longer. I didn't trust the things I might say if he stuck his foot in his mouth again. All he was giving me was more proof that made me doubt the move we were about to make. More proof that maybe this wasn’t what he really wanted at all. I watched him walk out the door to head home, and relief washed over my body.
Relief.
There was no way I should feel relief at my boyfriend walking out the damn door.
As I began cooking up the chicken and broccoli, I thought back to our vacation coming up. Ryan had been more than willing to give me a little time off, especially once I’d explained to him the tension Adam and I had been under with the move. He was so understanding, almost too understanding at times. It made me wonder what all he had endured with Adam’s mother. I couldn't wait to spend a couple nights outside Portland wrapped up in Adam’s arms. Wrapped up in his body underneath the stars. I needed that break. I could feel its necessity deep in the marrow of my bones. I flipped the chicken in the pan and microwaved the bag of broccoli, listening as it steamed and whistled out into my studio apartment.
I couldn’t wait for our vacation. It had to fix something. There was no other choice.
This vacation had to work. Otherwise, I didn’t know if Adam and I stood a chance.
Adam
I waited in my father’s office for the dumbass meeting to get over with. I’d been sitting there since ten, as I had thought it would only take a couple hours. But the more I glanced at my watch, the hungrier I became. It was almost noon before people started pouring from the room, and I was relieved when I saw Kylie and my father walk out of the conference room.
My father’s headquarters held a quiet decadence I’d always hated. My entire life had been filled with it, with blatant showcases of his money he thought were subtle. Like the marble countertops in the kitchen that conveniently matched the marble floors of his home. Or the ultra-plush carpet someone could practically sleep on that lined all the bedrooms. The mansion I’d grown up in was filled with that kind of muted glamor. Expensive artwork hung on walls. Genuine leather furniture was polished and shined weekly but not meant to be sat on. Maids were willing to get on their hands and knees and scrub floorboards, and a butler and a private chef had come at my every beck and call and fixed whatever I wanted for food.
His office was filled with that same muted richness.
It was just a physical embodiment of the shadow he cast over my entire life.
Everyone expected me to amount to what he was. Everyone expected me to eventually take over his company. But I didn’t have a passion to run his business. I had a passion to run my own. But no one cared about that. They only cared whether I would take over my father’s spot one day. This is Ryan’s boy. You’re Ryan’s son. You’re Mr. Tucker’s kid!
I didn’t have a damn name growing up.
I watched as Kylie and my father paused in the hallway to talk. She looked up at him and laughed, and I watched my father’s eyes light up. The way he was looking at her, the way he loomed over her…it was an interaction I’d never seen before. My father had been around Kylie regularly for the past four years, and not once had I ever seen him look at her the way he did in that moment. His eyes danced around her face while Kylie waved her hand in the air, regaling him with some story or anecdote that made him smile and laugh.
I felt jealousy bubble in my gut before I realized how idiotic I was being.
He was my father. I was being irrational. My father was a friendly man, generous to everyone he took underneath his wing. I should've figured Kylie would’ve been no different. And plus, I’d never seen them interact in a professional capacity. The walls of his office were starkly different than the walls of a restaurant.
But still, the look in his eyes had my gut bubbling.
“Adam!”
Kylie’s voice ripped me from my trance as she smiled at me.
“I’m sorry it took so long. One of the investors had a lot of stupid questions,” she said in a whisper.
“Now, now, there aren’t any stupid questions in a meeting like that,” my father said. “But yes, they were stupid questions.”
I laughed off my own insecurities as Kylie threaded her arm through mine.
“Thanks for giving her the time off, Dad. We both really appreciate it,” I said.
“Not a problem. Taking a step the way you guys are is bound to bring up some stress. Have fun. Get away for a bit. And, Kylie?”
“Yes, Mr. Tucker?”
“I’ll see you bright and early Thursday morning. But come prepared to have a long day. We’ve got a lot of stuff to go over from that meeting.”
“I’ll make sure I’m ready,” she said.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
“Got a small bag packed and everything. Let me go get it from my office.”
She scurried off to get her things and my father turned to go into his office. Kylie came back out with a massive smile on her face, and I could’ve sworn I saw my father staring at us through the frosted glass surrounding his office door. I shook the feeling from my body as I wrapped my arm around Kylie, guiding her toward the elevator so we could get the hell out of there.
I was ready to have her against me in the wilderness.
“I already ran by the store to pick us up a few things,” I said. “The campground has a little hut-like restaurant with burgers and stuff, but I f
igured we could build our own campfire and cook our own stuff.”
“Oh, did you get hot dogs?”
“Of course I did,” I said. “I also got the condiments, a lot of chips, some pretzels, sodas, some instant coffee we can make, a couple gallons of water to boil, and some other things we can munch on.”
“What, are we feeding an army?”
“I plan on burning a lot of calories while I’m out there.”
I squeezed her ass as the elevator closed, and she jumped. The squeal that fell from her lips made me smile. Then she playfully turned and slapped my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her to me, fisting her skirt as our lips collided. I bunched up her skirt until the tips of my fingers grazed the bare skin of her thigh, my tongue stroking the inside of her mouth.
She moaned into me before the elevator came to a stop.
Soon, the two of us were cruising out of Portland and heading to Tryon Creek. I pulled up to our rented yurt and watched as Kylie pushed herself out of the car. She ran up to the small deck and threw her arms out, the wind of the forest cascading over her body. It caught her shirt and fluttered it against her, pulling tendrils of her beautiful hair out from the bobby pins that held it back. I leaned against my car, taking in the beauty of her form against the backdrop of Mother Earth. Kylie had always felt at peace outside. She constantly walked trails and hiked up mountains and found creek beds to throw rocks in.
She turned toward me and smiled, then held her hand out to beckon for me.
I walked over to her and stood there with our fingers laced together. I closed my eyes and took in the moment, committing it all to memory. Wind whipped through the trees and the grass around us rustled. I heard the hot tub gurgling, waiting for us to slip into its small container and enjoy its muted comfort.
That was what I enjoyed: muted comfort.
Not muted decadence.
“Let’s get set up,” I said.
I looked down at Kylie, and she smiled up at me. I raced her to the car and we tugged everything out of my trunk. She piled it all inside the yurt and got our sleeping bags set up while I set out to build a fire. There was a lake off in the distance, and we heard the sounds of giggling children before they splashed down into it. I gathered sticks and brought out some matches, then struck up a fire and got it going in front of our campground. It was just the two of us alone in the wilderness, at peace for the first time in months.
“Ready for dinner?” Kylie asked after a bit.
I turned around and watched her come out in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. She carried some things in a bag and came to sit down beside me before she handed me a wire hanger she had unraveled. She pulled out the hot dogs, the buns, and all the condiments, plus a bag of chips I knew would be gone by the time we were done fisting them into our mouths.
“You have another hanger?” I asked.
Without a sound, she took the hanger and bent it in half.
“Genius,” I said.
“I do what I can,” she said with a proud smile. “I can’t wait to eat those.”
“I’ve never seen a woman inhale as many wieners as you do in one sitting,” I said.
“I just can’t resist that juicy meat in my mouth,” she said through her giggles.
“It’s sad that joke is still funny. It was the worst one I ever cracked when we started dating.”
“But it’s still my favorite memory of you. The second I shot back, you should’ve seen the look on your face. It was a mixture of horror and delight.”
“Because I knew I’d found my match, and it both horrified me at how similar we were and brought me great joy that my search had finally ended.”
I panned the hanger over to her so she could slide her hot dog off the end.
“Ketchup, mustard, and cheese, please,” she said.
“It still kills me that you don’t put banana peppers on yours,” I said.
“That’s a thing you do. That’s not a thing I do. Ever. I hate peppers with a passion.”
“Except you suck back red peppers like they’re the last you’ll ever eat.”
“Because they’re nice and sweet.”
“Which is weird because you're not a sweets person,” I said.
“Do you want to get laid while we're out here? Because calling me weird isn’t going to help with that.”
“I figured we’d slip into the hot tub naked later and I’d put the moves on you,” I said with a wink.
She giggled while she made her hot dog, and every ounce of tension between us disappeared. It felt just like things used to feel before real life came barreling at us a thousand miles a second. We cracked jokes as the fire dwindled and ate our fair share of hot dogs and chips. We leaned back in the two chairs I had brought and held hands with nothing but the stars above us and the crickets surrounding us.
“This was a good idea,” Kylie said. “Thank you for setting this up.”
I brought her hand to my lips to kiss, holding my touch there a little longer than usual.
“Anything for you, Kylie,” I said. “Anything to make you happy.”
Kylie
The fire crackled to a slow ember as Adam traced his thumb along my skin. My stomach was full and the night was thick around us. My tummy hurt from laughing and my throat was hoarse from all the talking we had done. The moon hung heavily in the sky, and every other campsite around us had quieted down and gone to bed for the evening. No more children were heard splashing around in the lake and no more four-wheelers were heard driving about in the woods behind us.
It was just Adam and I…and the dwindling fire as the stars twinkled above us.
I looked over at him and found him already staring at me. His shadowed outline loomed closer to me, his warmth encompassing me as he leaned over. I met him for a kiss. It was a silent, tender moment between two lovebirds who had lost their way when life came running at them full force. I tasted the mustard on his tongue, his soda on his lips. His hand slid up my arm before he cupped my cheek, deepening our kiss. My body tingled for him. My skin jumped alive underneath his touch. My mind came to a grinding halt as he got up from his seat, dipping between my legs and wrapping his arms around me.
I hummed into his kiss, feeling his hands splay across my back as he pulled me to the edge of my chair.
We’d had such a great evening reconnecting, and I felt closer to him than ever before. I felt like I had when we had first started dating. The tension thickened between us and my tits rose to painful peaks, threatening to poke holes through my shirt. His hands slipped underneath the fabric of my top, running along my skin. I shivered against him, wrapped my arms around his neck, pulled him closer to me as his movements grew more desperate.
“I need you in my life, Kylie,” he said in a whisper. “I need you next to me.”
“You have me,” I said breathlessly. “Now take what’s yours.”
He picked me up from the chair and settled my back on the ground next to the fire. Slowly, our clothes came off as the light of the dimming fire illuminated our bodies. It warmed us underneath the cool spell of the moon that draped along the forest. His eyes heated, darkened with lust and desire for me. His lips pressed kisses in all the places that made me jump. My neck. Behind my ear. Against my nipples. Between the valley of my breasts. I didn't care who saw us. I didn’t care who heard us.
All I wanted was to make love to the man who was meant for me.
He dipped between my thighs and ate his fill of dessert. His tongue lapped up my slit, gathering my juices before they hit the ground. I wrapped my hands in his hair and pulled him closer, wanting to feel more of him as his stubble raked against my pussy lips. He slid one finger in, then two, crooking them at that glorious angle that made my toes curl and my heels dig into the dirt. I bucked into his face and coated his cheeks with my arousal. I bit down onto my lower lip to stifle my moans just in case someone was lurking.
But in the back of my mind, I knew we were alone.
It was j
ust the two of us surrounded by nature without a care in the world as to what was left back in Portland.
“Adam. Oh yes!”
He rushed up my body, my pussy beginning to throb, and quickly slid into my pulsing warmth. He rocked into me, setting a steady pace as his trimmed curls ground into my sensitive clit. I jumped at the feeling. I breathed the air he panted. I looked into his eyes as his forehead fell to mine, feeling his entire body shaking with the effort to bring me pleasure.
Bring me joy.
Bring me happiness.
“I love you so much,” I said breathlessly.
He stilled his hips against me and dropped his lips to mine, answering my statement with an action.
He pulled out from between my legs and eased me over, then lifted my hips into the air. Oh shit. I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if he did this to me. His cock painted my ass with his precum before he slid in, filling me to the brim and bottoming out against me. I groaned into my hands, allowing my head to fall to the ground. Then I felt him grip my hips and pull me closer to him.
“Let me hear you,” Adam said. “Let the whole world hear you.”
He pulled out and slammed back in as a whimper fell from my lips. Every part of my body came alive with electricity as our fire slowly died out. With every thrust against my body, my whimpers grew to moans. And those moans grew to groans. And those groans grew to cries.
“Adam! Holy shit. Yes! Please!”
He snapped against me, jiggling my ass for his viewing pleasure as my tits bounced against the grass. I gasped and shook. My juices dripped down my slit and found their way onto me. I felt him fall against my back, cloaking me in his strong form as his hand wrapped around my stomach.
“Adam, no. I can’t. It’s too much. I can—”
But the second his fingers connected with my clit, I was done for.
“Oh, shit, Adam. I love you. I love you so much. Fuck me. Harder. Don’t stop. Oh, holy hell. Oh baby. Baby. Yes. Oh shit!”
My hips pressed into him as I came around his cock, pulsing and throbbing as his hips stilled against mine. His fingers pressed into my clit, feeling it throb with release as he groaned into my back. Kiss after kiss was pressed into my skin as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Stars burst and colors sizzled, and for a few seconds the world was bright with the sun. His cum coated my walls, pumping me full until it spilled out onto the ground. I quaked against him as he slid his cock against my walls one last time, allowing my pussy to milk him before we both collapsed.
