I think dinner went pretty well. Adam never seemed to notice anything was off, never noticed when Gray held my hand under the table, stroking his thumb back and forth over it as Adam talked about being gone for six weeks. He was too excited about everything with the job and the trip to pay attention to much else that was going on around him.
The first thing I thought about when he announced his upcoming trip was about how Gray and I would be here, alone, for six weeks, and it thrilled me. Then, I felt like a shitty mom, because I was too busy thinking about all the rooms we could get it on in while he was gone, rather than truly paying attention to all the details my son was spouting off about the program he was enrolling in.
In just one day—one incredibly erotic, pleasure-filled day—I managed to lose sight of my priorities and turned into a selfish whore. Yay me…Mother of the Year candidate for sure.
Now, lying here in the bath, I’m ashamed and guilt-ridden, but at the same time, still excited and confused. I know Adam has encouraged me to start a new life, to find happiness, but I’m pretty positive he didn’t think that would include me screwing his best friend.
And it’s not that I’m even silly or naïve enough to think that what happened between Gray and me today is anything but what it is—sex in its simplest form, but along with my painting, it’s the biggest step I’ve taken in discovering who I am, who I want to be. For the first time since Mark left, even well before that, this morning I left all of my hesitations and reservations at Gray’s bedroom door and allowed myself to indulge in mind-blowing sexual pleasure.
And I know it’s going to happen again.
A lot.
Because I want it to.
A lot.
The following morning, I awaken to a huge racket downstairs. I hear multiple male voices downstairs, not just Gray and Adam’s. Hurriedly, I climb out of bed, brush my hair and teeth, and throw a robe on to go investigate.
As I reach the bottom of the staircase, I find the front door wide open, allowing all of the air-conditioning to escape outside, and as I turn around to yell at Adam, he comes barreling around the corner carrying our big blue ice chest.
“Morning, Mom! Sorry if we woke you,” he says way too cheerfully to be seven in the morning. Unlike me, my son is not a morning person, especially on weekends or during the summer.
“What’s going on?” I ask, confused.
Before he can answer, Gray and their friends, Braden and Shawn, come walking through the front door, which is still open, cooling the neighborhood on my dime. Now I’m even more baffled.
“Morning, Adam’s mom,” Shawn says as he passes me.
“Hey, Mrs. S,” Braden says with his signature charming smile. His eyes peruse up and down my body, lingering a bit too long for comfort on my legs. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You look great. I’m digging the new hair.”
Suddenly self-conscious about standing here in front of these other men in just my short robe, I cross my arms over my chest and take a step backward to put more space between me and them.
Gray shoves his shoulders from behind, propelling him past me. “Shut the fuck up, Braden,” he growls. “Make yourself useful and come help me grab the other fishing poles and tackle box from the storage room. Shawn, come with us. We need to get the other sleeping bags.”
“What’s going on?” I repeat to Adam once we’re left alone.
“Last night, Gray and I were talking about how we wouldn’t get to take any trips together this summer with me being gone and not coming back basically until school starts,” he explains. “So we decided to plan an impromptu guys’ camping trip at Lake Oconee. We’ve almost got Gray’s truck loaded up, so we should be outta here soon.”
“Oh, okay,” I reply softly. I don’t mean for my disappointment to be as evident as it is, but he picks up on it immediately.
“Mom, we’ll only be gone three nights. We’re coming back Monday, and I promise we’ll spend some good bonding time together before I go.”
His eyes plead with me to give my blessing, and honestly, I don’t mind that he’s going. After all, he’s a twenty-year-old guy who needs to hang out with his friends; I get that. I just…well, I haven’t stayed at home by myself for more than a night, only every so often, when Adam’s stayed at a friend’s.
But that’s a me problem, and it shouldn’t be anything he needs to worry about, so I force a bright smile and bob my head up and down in approval. “I think it’s a great idea, sweetie. Can I help you with anything? Do you need any money?”
Picking me up in a tight hug, he kisses my cheek. “Thanks for understanding, Mom, and no, I’m good on money. Dad still makes the monthly deposit into my account.”
“Okay, good. Well, I’m gonna go get dressed for the gym. You boys have fun and be careful. Call me if you need me.”
Gray and the other two guys return with the supplies, and I say goodbye to all of them before heading back up the stairs, honestly a little saddened he hasn’t as much as looked my way this morning, and now he’s going to be gone for several days. I guess I’d been a little too hopeful.
A few minutes later, right as I’m slipping my nightie over my head, Gray walks into my room without knocking, closing the door behind him. I freeze when I see him, completely caught off-guard by his sudden appearance, especially since I’m topless.
In two long strides, he’s directly in front of me, one hand smoothing around to my lower back as the other affectionately cups my chin. “I only have a minute, but I didn’t want to leave without giving you a proper goodbye.”
His lips crash down on mine in a demanding kiss. My mouth opens naturally to welcome his warm, sugary tongue against mine, relief washing over me that he didn’t just leave. Breaking his mouth from mine, he leans his forehead against mine, his smile lighting up his chocolate brown eyes.
“Six weeks. Get ready, mi cielo.”
When Adam brought up the idea of the all-guys camping trip last night, I was completely on board. He and I haven’t had any good male bonding time since last summer, before I left. It seems like it’s been a bunch of bullshit drama since I’ve been back, between getting kicked out of my house and breaking up with Jess.
Then there’s this whole thing that’s popped up with Mia. I don’t even know what to think about it all, but I sure as hell know it’s not going away any time soon. Mainly ‘cause I don’t want it to.
Yesterday was nothing short of fucking phenomenal. I’ve been with my share of chicks, and I’ve never been so turned on in my life, nor have I been able to get hard again nearly immediately after I just shot my load. I’d think maybe because she’s older, she knows some secret sex tricks or something cool, but based on the douche she was married to for so long, I highly doubt that.
Anyway, I thought getting away with Adam and a couple of our friends would be good for me, a reprieve of sorts before whatever craziness will ensue with Mia and me living alone together for six weeks. And the sky’s the limit with my imagination when it comes to the crazy things I want to do with that woman.
“Just a couple miles out,” Adam announces when we make the final turn toward the campground. “Can you think of anything we forgot? There’s a little store up here on the right we can stop.”
I shake my head, glancing up in the rearview mirror to make sure Braden and Shawn are still behind us. “Nah, I think we covered everything and then some in the four bills we dropped at the grocery store,” I jest. “We should be able to eat for a couple weeks.”
“True,” he laughs, “but remember over a hundred of it was on beer alone. We’re four very thirsty boys.”
“That we are,” I agree as I pull into the park. “You want me to find the closest place I can to the water?”
“Yeah, the shorter the walk, the better.”
After an hour of fighting with the damn tent poles, I’m about ready to get in my truck and drive home. I’ve never claimed to be much of an outdoorsman—hunting, fishing, and camping weren’t excursions my
mom took me out on as a kid—but damn if I couldn’t follow a simple five step process to pitch a piece of shit tent.
“You need some help, man?” Braden asks, standing next to me with a shit-eating grin as he guzzles a beer. “I had mine and Shawn’s up in ten minutes.”
“Fuck off, Braden,” I grumble as I wipe the sweat from my brow, threatening to drip into my eyes.
He already pissed me off earlier with the way he blatantly eye-fucked Mia in the foyer. Possessiveness coursed through me as he stood there staring at her, and it took every ounce of self-restraint I had to not punch him in the face and yell “Mine!” like a stingy little kid. Of course, she isn’t really mine, and I haven’t even considered what our relationship is at this point, other than a physical one, but it still made me see red.
“Suit yourself, pretty boy,” he sneers. “I’m going to meet our neighbors. If all goes well, I won’t be sleeping in my tent tonight anyway.”
Unsure of what or who he’s talking about, I pop my head up from the canvas mess tangled around my feet to take a look. Not thirty feet from where we’ve set up our campsite, a group of college-aged girls are setting up shop. Running around in bikini tops and booty-hugging shorts, I do a double-take of the foursome, unable to deny they’re more than easy on the eyes. I see Adam and Shawn have taken notice too.
The weekend just got a lot more interesting.
Somehow, I finally manage to get the tent Adam and I are supposed to be sharing upright. The damn thing may collapse on us in the middle of the night, but I’ll deal with that then. For now, all I want is to sit down by the lake with a beer and chill.
Stripping out of my sweat-soaked t-shirt and filthy shorts, I change into my board shorts and grab a brewsky from the ice chest. Just as I’m about to tell Adam I’m heading down to the water, Braden and Shawn walk back over to our camp from the neighbor girls’ and announce they’re going to join us.
I know I should be excited about this; I’m usually the first of our group to welcome some hotties to hang out with us, especially now, with Jess out of the picture. But, I’m not. Not at all.
Minutes later, I’m introduced to Kayla—the busty strawberry-blonde, Tonya—the sporty brunette, Sierra—the tattooed chic with jet black hair, and Kathryn—the leggy ginger. Awesome, it’s like a sampler platter of co-eds on the menu, and for some odd reason, I’m not feeling very hungry.
The eight of us make our way down to the lake, cooler full of beer and snacks in tow, where we all jump in the water immediately, eager to find relief from the oppressive heat. It doesn’t take long to figure out who’s attracted to whom, and since I’m not the one trying to dip my cock in a piece of ass, it’s kind of amusing watching everyone in action.
Within minutes, Braden’s shallow ass is damn near drooling all over Kayla’s tits like he’s never seen a chick in a bathing suit before. I almost feel bad for him, but then I remember how he acted around Mia earlier, and the feeling passes. Fucking douchebag. She seems to be eating up the attention though; her nasally laugh may even be more annoying than Jess’ fake baby voice. Let’s hope he keeps that mouth busy so I don’t have to hear too much of her.
Shawn and Tonya have taken a canoe out to the middle of the lake, and from the looks of both of them, they’re probably discussing their supplement regimen or their fastest time running a mile. I’m all for being in shape, but those two look like they could be on the cover of Muscle and Fitness. If they end up hooking up, I bet they count the calories they burn in the process.
Not far to my left are Adam and Sierra discussing tattoos. I can hear bits and pieces of their conversation, and when he told her about Lynx, his Aunt Stella’s tattoo parlor, her face lit up as she said that’s where she got her first piece done. Now, they’re bonding over an ink show-and-tell; he’s drooling while she shows him all of her tats, telling the story behind each one. He seems extremely interested in the one that curves around her hip, the one she has to pull the side of her bottoms down in order for him to see the great detail. Right…
So that leaves me here with Kathryn. Yep, the one with the long red hair, big green eyes, and of course, my weakness, toned legs that stretch out for a mile. Under normal circumstances, I’d be all over her like white on rice, charming her with my captivating good looks and amazing personality. I’d ask her questions about herself, since girls always like to talk about themselves, and then I’d find ways to inadvertently brush my hand against her skin, causing goose bumps to pop up all over as she succumbs to her body’s desires. It wouldn’t take long before she’d be naked beneath me—or maybe on top, depending on my mood—screaming my name in pure ecstasy.
But it’s not normal circumstances…and I’m not sure why.
“So, are you from Athens originally, or are you just there to go to school?” she asks, trying to make conversation.
I realize I’ve been completely silent since we sat down on the beach fifteen minutes ago, lost in my own thoughts and rudely ignoring her. Feeling bad, I turn my head toward her and flash a friendly smile. Damn, why does she have to be wearing that skimpy ass bikini?
“I was born and raised there,” I reply. “What about you?”
She shakes her head, returning the grin. “No, I’m from a little town outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My dad went to UGA, so he always wanted me to come here when I went to college.”
“That’s cool. I like Georgia, but I’m ready to get out as soon as I graduate. I spent last year studying abroad in Spain, and it made me realize how much I want to travel all over, live in different places to experience other cultures. Ya know?”
Twirling a piece of hair around her finger, she nods. “Definitely. I couldn’t wait to get out of Soddy-Daisy. With a population of less than fifteen thousand, it was one of those places where everyone knew everything you said and did, sometimes even before you said and did them. Coming here two years ago was the best thing in my life. Nobody cares what I do or don’t do; I’m just one of thirty-something-thousand students, blending in with the masses.”
I smirk as a deep chuckle escapes my chest. “Blend in? Don’t give me that crap. You would stand out in a crowd of a hundred thousand and you know it.”
Pink stains her cheeks as she giggles nervously, and instantly, I know I’ve fucked up. Flirting is like second nature to me; I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but I don’t want to give this girl false hope something’s going to happen between us, even if it is for the night or two we’re here. She seems sweet enough, probably innocent to boot, and I don’t want to send her mixed signals.
“Kathryn, can I be brutally blunt?” I ask, holding her emerald gaze with mine.
Biting nervously on her bottom lip, she nods, having no idea what to expect. “Yeah, sure.”
“I came on this camping adventure with my friends to have some guy-time, to spend a few days with my best friend before he leaves for the summer, but apparently,” I motion my hand around to the other three couples in and around the lake, “with your friends around, they’ve got different ideas.”
Already feeling insecure, she draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms protectively around them.
“Please don’t think I’m just saying this, but usually, I’d be all about it…about you. You’re gorgeous and you seem really sweet. I just got a lot of shit going on, and I don’t want to—” God, what in the fuck am I saying? I sigh as I scrub my hands over my face, hoping I’m not coming off like a total dick. I’m still not sure why I’m not trying to get in this girl’s pants.
“Hey,” she reaches out and soothingly touches my arm, “don’t worry about it. Seriously. I’ve had a guy back at school that none of my friends liked. Part of the reason for this trip was to help me deal with this funk I’ve been in since we called it quits. They think if I hook up with some random guy, it’ll help me get over him, but they don’t understand what our relationship was like. I’m not ready to move on.” I can see the struggle in her eyes, torn between some guy she’s obvious
ly attached to, and her friends.
That’s when the idea comes to me. A win-win for both of us. I’m a fucking genius. “I’ve got a proposition for you. Why don’t we let our friends think we’re hooking up? You and I can hang out while we’re here, and they can assume whatever they want. If we end up sharing a tent, which I should warn you mine is unstable at best,” I smile at her, “I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I think the rest of them will be too caught up in whatever they’re doing to really notice us honestly. And this way, neither of our friends gives us shit.”
Her face fills with hopefulness. “Really? You think it will work?”
“Why wouldn’t it? We look hot together, and as long as we act like we’re into each other around them, they’ve got no reason to think otherwise.”
“Wow, thank you so much,” she beams. “You may be the most perfect guy I’ve ever met.”
“See, you’ve already got the right mindset,” I tease with a wink.
She laughs so hard she snorts, which in turn makes me double over at the waist. Yep, anytime I may start feeling a little frisky, I just need to make her laugh, and that snort will cure my problem.
Thankfully, the rest of the weekend goes off without a hitch. Kathryn ends up being a really cool girl, a bit naïve and a lot prissy, but cool nonetheless. When it’s the two of us hanging out alone, she talks a lot about her ex and I try to play therapist. Though from the way she’s described him, I think her friends are right; she’s better off without him. I don’t talk much about myself, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
In the evenings, the eight of us hang out around a campfire, drinking beer and telling funny stories. Kathryn sits between my legs and we do enough touching and cuddling to make everyone believe we’re fucking when we all split off into the separate tents. I end up giving her a few chaste kisses here and there, but I feel nothing as far as arousal, which is weird as shit. In the mornings when I wake up, I barely even have morning wood. By the time we pack up our vehicles on Monday morning, I’m afraid maybe Mia broke my dick.