The Sauna Part 89

When we reached Zoar, Jon and I led the way to our favorite spot and I had to laugh as Jon acted like a local, having been there all of twice now. He pointed out the path that led to the scene of Richie’s arrest, but we chose not to revisit that spot and went to my favorite overlook on the edge of the cliffs where I had first taken Jon. Lainie caught her breath, not expecting such a view, as the entrance into Zoar was less than spectacular.

Jon pointed to another path, one we hadn’t yet explored together, and we headed off in search of undiscovered territory. I didn’t remember this path myself and we followed it deeper into the woods until we came out into a clearing where the bright sunlight illuminated a fair sized pond. I was tickled with delight when I saw a movement in the water and upon closer inspection we saw that it was a beaver cavorting with his mate in the reeds.

We sat down in the tall grass to watch and Jon uncorked the bottle of red wine he’d brought along. We passed it back and forth, drinking straight from the bottle as we had no cups or glasses. It was warm in the sun and the cool shade of the forest was beckoning to me as I was anxious to see if I could spot any rare plants in this undisturbed woodland. I also wanted to give Elaine and Richie some privacy since they’d be saying goodbye soon enough and Jon followed me as I traipsed off towards the edge of the woods.

“What do you think will become of Lainie and Richie? Has Richie said anything to you?” I asked, wondering if they’d talked at all about the budding relationship.

“He hasn’t said a word to me, has Lainie said anything to you?” he asked back and I admitted I knew no more than he did.

“I hope they make some plans to keep in touch at least, but if I know Elaine, she won’t bring it up” I said, knowing how she could be about emotional involvements.

“Well, Richie wears his heart on his sleeve, and I doubt he’d say goodbye to her without some sort of plan to get together. But the distance could be a problem. He’s not one to want to be alone for too long” Jon said thoughtfully.

“I’ve wondered about that too. I think they are good for each other, but I suspect the distance would suit Lainie just fine” I commented, stooping to inspect a wildflower.

“Maybe that’s what Richie needs rather than someone who’ll run headlong into him with both barrels blazing. It might do him good to have to work at it a bit and then they can see whether they really are meant for each other” Jon observed.

“Yeah, just like we did, huh, husband?” I laughed as I straightened up, looking at him over my shoulder.

“I’m not Richie and you’re not Lainie” Jon said softly, slipping his arms around my waist from behind and brushing my neck with his lips.

“How true” I sighed, leaning back into his arms.

****************************

Back in the meadow, Richie and Elaine were laughing and joking as they watched the pair of beavers frolicking in the water. Richie was lying on his back and Elaine sat beside him, tickling his nose with a blade of long grass. He grabbed her wrist to stop her and pulled her down on top of him instead.

“It seems everyone is a couple these days” he said, jerking his head in the direction of the beavers.

“It does seem that way” Elaine answered warily, wondering where Richie was headed with the conversation.

“And what about us, Lainie?” Richie asked, tilting her chin so that she had to look directly at him.

“What about us, Richie? We’ve known each other a few days. That hardly makes us a couple” she said bluntly.

Richie was taken aback by her sudden brusqueness. He wasn’t used to a woman who didn’t fall all over him and he thought he’d melted her icy aloofness. But he also wasn’t a quitter.

“Is that what you want, Elaine? Do you want us to just part friends and go our separate ways?” he persisted, pushing the issue.

Elaine dropped her eyes, regretting her words the instant she’d spoken them. She’d hurt him and she hadn’t meant to hurt him. She just simply didn’t want to be hurt either. She’d refused to let herself think about where this was headed so that she could avoid being disappointed when it went nowhere, which was what she expected. But it wasn’t what she wanted.

“I didn’t say that” she replied softly, showing a little chink in her armour.

“What do you want then?” he asked, pushing her more.

If this relationship had any chance at all, he thought, she was going to have to open her heart or forever hold her peace. He wasn’t going to be the only one here willing to be vulnerable or take a chance. Heather had been an ice princess and he wasn’t looking to repeat that, no matter how much he stilled cared about her.

“I don’t want to see ‘us’ end, Richie. But I also don’t expect anything from you. You don’t owe me anything” she said finally, thinking it’s up to you now, buddy, the ball’s in your court.

“What a strange woman you are at times” he laughed, not quite the reaction she was expecting, or hoping for.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, a little defensive.

“Just that you’re so afraid of feeling anything that you call me hither with one hand and you push me away with the other. Make up your mind, woman. Do you want to see me after today or not?” he said, tiring of the game. He was getting too old for this.

Elaine stopped short in her indignation. No one had ever seen through her that quickly and it was unnerving. And appealing. Perhaps she’d met her match. Someone who could call her out and demand that she open up and be honest. Someone who wouldn’t play her game. Maybe he really wasn’t a player after all. And maybe it was time to stop hiding behind old wounds.

“Okay. You want to know what I want? I want what Trish and Jon have, but I honestly don’t know if I’m capable of it” she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Richie smiled then. It wasn’t just him she didn’t trust. It was herself. But despite that, she took the risk. She made the leap. That’s all he wanted. He was willing to find out if this could be it as long as she was willing to try too.

“I want that too. And I don’t know either. But we’re not Jon and Trish and I don’t know that we need to be. But I’d like to find out what Richie and Lainie might become” he offered.

Elaine understood. And she was grateful that he didn’t romanticize them as a couple just yet because it wouldn’t have been reality. And Elaine was, above all things, a realist. She wasn’t head over heels in love with Richie, but then, that wasn’t her style. If the relationship was meant to last, it would have to develop slowly and it had to be built on more than mind-blowing sex. But the sex was a great start.

She smiled then, a really genuine smile, without any of the playfulness or intentional seduction of the past few days. She smiled from her heart as she relaxed finally, thinking to herself maybe, just maybe this time.

“I think I just might be able to trust you because you’re honest enough not to say what you think I want to hear” she said meaningfully.

“Elaine, I’m too old to play lovers’ games. And this is too important to be anything other than brutally honest. I don’t want to be hurt again either” he said finally.

*************************

Back in the woods, Jon and I succumbed to the growing arousal that we had begun feeling. There was something about the woods. Maybe it was the earthy scent, or the soft blanket of pine needles or just the all-encompassing love we felt for each other that made us unable to resist the slightest temptation.

We were sitting on the ground, Jon propped against an old hemlock tree as I unzipped his jeans, freeing his erection which was struggling for escape. I lowered my head to kiss the fleshy tip, but he stopped me, one hand on my face, the other cupping my breast under my shirt. I looked into his smiling face and raised my brows in question.

“No, baby, come sit on my lap” he crooned, as he lifted my skirt encouragingly.

I raised my leg and straddled him, hovering just above his cock which was almost pointing at me. Jon eased me down with a groan as his fingers proceeded to creep under my shirt. He pushed it all the way up, exposing my bare breasts and licking his lips. I held my breast in my hand, inviting him to suckle and his lips puckered in response. I leaned closer and my protruding nipple disappeared inside his hungry mouth.

I threw my head back as I began to grind against him in a circular motion, the head of his penis rubbing the sensitive spot inside my canal and I closed my eyes briefly as I absorbed the sensation. Jon bit my nipple teasingly and I heard him mutter through gritted teeth.

“Look at me” he commanded.

I opened my eyes and he withdrew his mouth, his stiff tongue flicking like a snake’s at my nipple. His arms reached around my lower back, pulling me closer, and he tightened his grip as his tongue slid up my neck, tickling beneath my chin and I giggled. He slithered down across my shoulder, sinking his teeth into the sensitive flesh and I yelped with pleasure.

I gripped his muscular arms to steady myself as he held me tightly against his chest. He bucked beneath me and I felt myself beginning to come, trying to hold on until I sensed he was ready.

“Harder!” I demanded and he bit my shoulder with force and I came with a stifled cry, but he was right behind me.

I felt his hot load empty inside me and his muscles grew slack as he groaned “Baby” into my shoulder, kissing it tenderly now. My knees were locked and I sagged against him as his hands reached under my ass, cradling me. We rocked softly as the spasms subsided and we came back to earth. We dimly heard the sound of footfalls approaching and I lifted myself up, sliding off of Jon’s glistening penis. He pulled my shirt back down, covering my exposed breasts and I sat beside him, tucking him back inside his jeans as I yanked the zipper back up. We were sitting there innocently enough when a man approached with his son, a rifle pointing directly at us.

“Hey! What are you doing here? This is private property! I nearly shot at you, thinking you were a deer! Didn’t you see the signs?” the man yelled.

Startled now, we sat up straighter and looked around, but neither of us had noticed the “Posted” signs until now. Jon stood and gave me his hand, pulling me up to stand beside him. My legs were shaking, both from the intensity of the orgasm as much as from fear that we could’ve been shot.

“Hey man, I’m really sorry. We didn’t see the signs, honestly. I guess we wandered farther than we thought” Jon said apologetically.

The man softened as he realized we meant no harm and that we weren’t poaching on his land. He shook his head and lowered his gun.

“Damn kids. Go on now, get outta here and next time watch the signs” he muttered, still holding his gun, but pointing at the ground now.

Jon and I didn’t hesitate and we hurried off in the direction we’d come from, wasting no time escaping from the unpleasant encounter. As we reached the clearing we looked back and now noticed the orange signs, warning that the forest was the beginning of private property.

“That was a little too close. We’ll have to be more careful” Jon observed as we made our way back towards Richie and Elaine.