“Wow! That was...”
“Yes, it was.”
“My head is spinning.”
“Mine too.”
“We should go down for breakfast.”
“We should take care of our...anxieties, first.”
“What if he comes back?”
“We can be quiet about it.”
“I don’t think I can...” His lips were on her neck. “You’re not fighting fair...”
With his lips still against her neck he said, “I’m not fighting at all. You’re the one fighting it.”
“Grr...I’m just...”
“Chloe honey,” a soft rapping sounded on the door.
Derek’s face looked so painfully funny that Chloe actually did laugh out loud this time.
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
He was still trying to kiss her as she led him into the bathroom and left him there with a quiet, “You might want to use cold water,” before she closed the door and left him there...alone.
––––––––
S
amantha had been at the door wondering if Chloe liked her eggs poached, boiled, scrambled or fried. Chloe felt her lips twitch at the thought of poor Derek in the cold shower as she told her, “Anything is fine,” she said, “You really didn’t have to go through all of that trouble.”
“I love to cook. It’s not as much fun when you’re only doing it for two people,” she said. “I’m sorry if we’re a bit overzealous...we’re just so happy to have you here.”
“You’re not overzealous at all,” Chloe said. She was sure that Derek would beg to differ at the moment.
“Thank you for saying so, but we know we are. Trevor’s gone out to bring the horses in just in case you two want to go for a ride this morning.”
“That sounds like fun,” Chloe said. “I better get some coffee in me before then.”
She followed Samantha downstairs, leaving poor Derek to his own devices. When they stepped out onto the patio, Chloe saw what her mother had meant about being “overzealous”. The table was laden with food. There were scrambled eggs and a platter of ham...a bowl heaping with fried potatoes and several tureens of fresh sliced fruit sitting in ice. There was a basket of croissants and a platter of toast, bagels and cream cheese and some kind of apple tart. Coffee and tea sat out in steaming carafe’s and orange juice and water were served out of lovely glass pitchers.
“Wow! Samantha...you really shouldn’t have gone to all of this trouble.”
She laughed. “It’s ridiculous, I know. I’ll have to pack up the leftovers and have Trevor take them into town later to drop off at the shelter. I got carried away.”
“It looks amazing though. Thank you.”
Chloe sat down and Samantha poured her a cup of coffee and handed her a plate. As Chloe fixed hers, Samantha sat down next to her.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes,” Chloe lied. “The bed is very comfortable. Thank you again for having us.”
“I never could have imagined or believed that this day would come,” she said, gazing at Chloe adoringly. Suddenly realizing she was getting emotional again she said, “I’m sorry. I’m finished for today with the sappy stuff, I promise. Derek better get down here if he wants a hot breakfast.”
“I’m sure he’ll be down any minute. I hogged the shower last night, so he’s taking his this morning.”
“Good morning, Chloe.”
Trevor came up behind her and Chloe jumped. There were some old habits that would be harder to break than others. She turned and looked at him. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He looked so cute that she had to smile. She hadn’t seen him in casual clothes until today.
“Good morning.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Well,” she lied again. “And I got up to all of this. How lucky am I?”
Trevor bent and kissed her on the cheek and then suddenly looked abashed. “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t just assume that’s okay...”
“It’s okay,” she told him.
He smiled warmly and said, “I’m going to wash up and then I’ll join you for breakfast. I brought the horses in just in case you and Derek would like to take a morning ride.”
She thanked him and he went to wash up just as Derek came down looking yummier than the breakfast in a light blue polo shirt that matched his pretty eyes and a pair of well-worn jeans. He gave her a look and she stifled a smile as Samantha fussed over him, pouring him coffee and juice and even trying to fix his plate. They feasted and when Chloe was finally so full that she thought she might pop she pushed herself back from the table and said, “Thank you so much Samantha. That was probably the best breakfast I’ve ever had.”
“Yes, amazing,” Derek said, patting his own belly.
Chloe stood up and picked up her plate.
“Huh uh! Samantha told her in an authoritative voice. “No cleaning up for you today.”
“I really don’t mind. You did all of this work.”
“Nope, you and Derek are either going for a ride or a walk or just having some quiet time in the back yard. You’ll be stuck with us all afternoon while we barbecue and have a fire...Oh crap!”
“What is it Samantha?” Derek asked her.
“She looked at Trevor who just came back out through the sliding glass doors and said, “There are a few ingredients I forgot to pick up at the store yesterday. I need them for tonight’s dinner.”
“Oh, that’s ok. I’ll run into town after a bit and get some, don’t worry.”
“If you wait until Chloe and I get back from our ride, I’ll go with you,” Derek told him.
“Great!” Trevor told him. “I’ll wait, but no rush.”
Chloe laughed and said, “I’ll have him back way before then. I’m not even really sure I can do this horseback thing.”
Trevor put his hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch. It did her heart good to realize that she was healing...little by little.
“You’ll do just fine. Derek’s an expert on a horse. He’ll be a good teacher.”
Chloe went upstairs and changed into a full pair of jeans. By the time she came back down, Derek and Trevor had the horses saddled. She went over to where they were behind the fence and looked at the beautiful creatures. They both had tan bodies with dark brown manes and tails, and the only way Chloe could tell the difference between them was that one of them was a lot taller than the other.
“Is mine the short one?” she asked.
Derek smiled, “Yes, Chloe...Rocket. Rocket...Chloe.”
She pet the horse along his long nose and looked into his big brown eyes and said, “Hello there, Rocket. I’d appreciate it if you go easy on me.”
“He’s a sweetheart,” Trevor told her.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“Wait!” Samantha hollered at them before Derek helped Chloe onto the horse. She came running out of the house with a wicker basket on her arm and a little red and black plaid blanket.
Derek shook his head and said, “What is all this?”
“Lunch.”
Chloe and Derek both laughed. “You just fed us enough for an army.”
“That was breakfast. This is just in case you’re having too much fun to come back in time for lunch.”
Derek took it from her hands and strapped it to his saddle. “Thank you,” he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Samantha put her hand on his cheek and then Chloe’s and said, “Have a great time.”
Derek laid the blanket over his horse behind the saddle and then took Chloe’s hand. He showed her how to put her left foot in the stirrup and then he said, “Okay, now just throw your right leg on over.” Chloe did and suddenly she was sitting up six feet off the ground. “How does it feel?” he asked her.
“Good, I like it up here...as long as he’s standing still.”
Derek laughed and handed her the reigns. “Rocket won’t make a move unless you tell him to. Just hang on to those for a minute.” He mounted his horse and Chloe couldn’t help but re-visit the tingle low in her belly that she’d had early this morning as she watched him. “Okay, here we go.” He clicked his tongue and his horse and Rocket both began to advance forward slowly.
“Whoa!”
“Do you need to stop?” Derek asked, pulling back on his horses’ reigns.
“No, we just started.”
“You said, whoa!”
She laughed, “I just meant whoa, this is cool.”
“Oh,” he said, laughing. “You’re confusing Rocket.”
She patted the horse on the side of his neck and said, “Sorry Rocket. I’ll get this.” They rode along the trail side by side until they came to the little creek at the end. Chloe pulled back lightly and Rocket stopped. “I’m not sure about this,” she said.
“Don’t worry; just give Rocket some slack on the reigns. He knows what to do.”
Chloe did as he told her and just as Derek said, the horse treaded lightly down one side of the small embankment and up the other. She couldn’t stop smiling as they rode across the deep grass underneath the sun. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect and Chloe’s heart felt at peace.
“You want to trot them for a bit?” Derek asked her.
“Do you think I’m ready?” she asked.
“Rocket will help you,” he said.
“How do I do it?” she asked.
“Just click your tongue at him and loosen the reigns.”
“Okay, let’s do this.”
They both clicked at the same time and the horses took off at a steady trot. The soft breeze caught Chloe’s hair and whipped it around her face. It made her feel...free. She followed Derek at a slow trot towards one of the small grassy knolls. The beauty around her continued to inspire awe and once they got to the bottom of the hill they reined in the horses and she said, “It’s so beautiful up here.”
Derek looked at her and said, “Yes, it is.”
“I meant the landscape,” she told him with a grin.
“That too,” he said. “I used to ride up here often. It’s good for the soul,” he said.
“I think I can feel mine getting lighter already.”
He reached over and clasped his hand behind her head. He pulled her over slightly and kissed her lips. “Mmm, even better now.”
He grinned and said, “Follow me, I want to show you something.”
She followed him up the side of the hill. She was a little nervous riding sideways, but once again, Rocket seemed to know what he was doing. When they got to the backside of the hill he said, “Look down.”
Chloe did and what she saw literally took her breath away. The meadow below them was blanketed in a lush carpet of yellow wildflowers.
“Derek, it’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah, it’s my favorite part. There’s a tree over there a ways where you can smell the wildflowers. I thought we’d try out that picnic basket.”
“You’re hungry already?”
“No. I just thought that sounded better than, “try out the picnic blanket.”
“Out here, in the open?”
He laughed, “There isn’t a soul around for miles. You haven’t lived until you’ve made love in the great outdoors.”
“How do you know I haven’t?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I’m sorry I just...”
She laughed. “I haven’t. Let’s go!”
She clicked her tongue at Rocket and he took off in the direction of the big tree. Derek caught up with her and when they got there, he slid off of his horse and helped her down off hers. He kissed her and then tied the horses to the tree. Then he spread the blanket out and they both sat down on it.
Derek leaned forward and put his hand on her neck underneath her hair. His touch was sizzling and Chloe felt the tickle begin again deep inside her core. He put his other hand on her waist as they kissed. He kissed her like that for a long time, long and slow and then he pulled back and looked at her face.
“I love being out here with you like this. You seem so relaxed.”
She nodded. “I am. I love it too. The only thing that could make it better would be making love in the great outdoors.”
Derek didn’t need any more subtle hints when his hands slid up her top and cupped her breast. His lips smashed into hers with such intensity that it took her breath away. They couldn’t shed their clothes fast enough as their bodies glistened with desire in the morning sun.
His mouth dipped down and took in one of her nipples and licked and sucked gently as he slipped his fingers into her silken core and Chloe's eyes fell shut. There was no resistance as Chloe spread her legs wider to grant him all access as his fingers dove deeper inside her taunting her inner walls. She couldn't help but to rock her hips against his hand as she moaned out softly.
When he looked at her she saw his primal need for her reflected on his face and with the same fierceness, Chloe claimed his mouth and reveled in the feel as their tongues explored every corner of each other. Derek worked her body into a frenzy and she swayed to his rhythm as she inched even closer to her own utopia.
Reaching down, she grabbed his cock and began stroking, feeling every vein. She breathed into his ear, "I need you now."
Rolling on top of her, he grabbed his throbbing cock and in one fluid motion, he entered her sweetness. Her tightness gripped him, like wrapping him in a complete sheath of need and want...pulling him in deeper. Derek groaned with pleasure as she wrapped him with her warmth, digging her nails into his back.
A low moan escaped from the back of Chloe's throat and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he thrusted deeper, hitting her back wall. She felt as though she might float away as the pleasure swept over her entire body and he plunged in and out at a faster pace.
Chloe gasped out loud as her body shattered into a million pieces. Her body shuddered as her orgasm took hold and consumed her. Derek dipped down brushing kisses across her mouth before leaning his head in the crook of her neck and following her to climax with a forceful release and groan.
Derek crushed her body as she pulled against him, welcoming everything as he emptied inside of her. Both of them lay still trying to catch their breaths before Derek took her mouth. The warm wetness and intensity of his caress branded Chloe with love and lust in that exact moment.
It seemed like time had stopped around them before they found themselves finally getting dressed and enjoying the lunch that Samantha had packed for them.
––––––––
D
erek couldn’t stop smiling. Even when they got back to the house, he could still feel that he had a goofy grin on his face like a teenager. Chloe was amazing and he was so happy that they’d gotten to have this time together. He loved seeing her happy and relaxed. He already knew he loved being around her, but now it was becoming more than want...it was need.