Sean (2 page)

“I guess I’m a turkey wrangler,” she laughed.

I took her arms and put them up on my shoulders so she could rest without having to tread water. She floated around to the back of me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt her breasts against my back and her chin on my shoulder. I turned my head and kissed her on the cheek. She leaned in closer to me and we watched the waves roll in. It was really nice.

***

“How do you get to and from work?” I asked as I pulled up in front of her building.

“I ride with other girls I work with,” she said. “I pitch
in for gas and usually it works out fine. Once in a while I have to take a cab, but not very often.”

“Do you have a ride tonight?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “Thanks for everything. I had a lot of fun. See you tomorrow then?” She had the door open and one foot out.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I told her. I wat
ched her until she entered the building.

I called Gia when I got home.

“Brynn and I had a great day at the beach,” I told her.

“That’
s awesome! I was hoping she’d have enough courage to call you. She’s really sweet, Sean, be careful with her, okay?” Gia and I had never talked about Brynn’s past or why she was in therapy. That would’ve been inappropriate, not to mention a complete lack of respect for Brynn’s privacy, so I knew this was Gia’s way of simply reminding me that Brynn was like us, and needed unconditional acceptance.

“I will. How’s everyth
ing going there? Good to be home?”

“Ev
erything’s perfect. Ethan had so many surprises for me. I know you helped him with some of them, thank you.”

“He’s a good man
, Gia, not to mention lucky as hell.” He had her.

“Aww, you’re sweet.
I emailed you a list with the rest of the summer’s concerts. You promised you’d come, so let me know when and I’ll take care of everything. I’ve got to go. Ethan and I are headed to the store. I’ll talk to you soon, love ya.”

“
Okay, love you, too. Tell Ethan hi.”

I pulled up the list Gia had sent. There were a lot of good shows. I’d need to give it some thought. I couldn’t wait to se
e her and spend some time with them, away from California. They’d become the best of friends, especially Gia.

I switched gears and brainstormed about my date with Brynn. I wanted to do something fun with her. I had a feeling she didn’t get
too far away, since she didn’t have a car, so I wanted to take her out of the city.

Chapter 3

I was excited as I knocked on her door. I heard her little footsteps coming toward me and then the clicking and sliding of all the locks being freed. When she swung the door open, the rush of her sweet scent hit me. I smiled.

“Good morning,” I said to her beautiful smiling face
as I handed her the yellow bouquet I’d picked up on my way over.

“Good morning.” Her eyes grew
big as she took the flowers and immediately held them under her nose, taking in the fragrance. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. You look beautiful this morning.”
She was wearing jean shorts and a white linen shirt that flowed when she moved. I could see her white bikini top underneath and the contrast between that and her dark tan was sexy as hell. Her hair was French braided and she had a hint of sparkling on her eyelids and cheeks.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. My heart raced and
I gave her a wink.

“I wasn’t sure what we were doing, but from the looks of what you’re wearing, I’d say I’m dressed appropriately?”

“Yes, you’re dressed perfectly.”

I watched as she pulled the door shut and locked it
. I took her tiny, soft hand as we walked out to the car. It felt really nice and I caught her smiling, so I think she liked it, too.

“I want to take you zip-lining this morning. Would that be okay?” I asked her as I pulled out of her lot.

She gasped. “Really? I’d love that…I think…I mean, I’ve never been, but always wanted to. Thank you!” I laughed at her response. She was excited and appreciative of anything and everything. It was refreshing.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun today,”
I said.

She relaxed in her seat and sighed as she looked out the window. I was glad she felt more comfortable with me. I wanted her to have fun and be herself so I could see who she really was.

We didn’t have a lot of conversation as we made our way up the mountain, but it wasn’t awkward silence. She was taking it all in as she watched the trees get thicker the higher we climbed. She seemed to be seeing it for the first time and I let her have her peace. When I pulled into the parking lot, she turned to me and gave me an anxious smile.

“Are you nervous?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

She nodded.

“Don’t be
.” I took her hand and kissed it. “I’ll be right there with you and it’s very safe, okay?” She squeezed my hand and nodded.

“Have you eaten?” I asked her as we walked across the parking lot
, hand in hand.

“I had
a little something when I got up.”

“They have good food here. Let’s eat before we get started.”

I assumed she was nervous because she barely touched her food, but as I ate I told her about the summer I’d worked up there. I think it made her feel better, knowing I had a lot of experience with it. It was right after I finished my own therapy, but before I’d decided to become a therapist. There was something about sailing through the trees and getting lost in the breathtaking views that made me see my life so much clearer. I also felt like I was seeing so many things for the first time, which is how a lot of people feel after treatment, and I hoped Brynn was in that place in her life.

We finished eating and made our way to get our harnesses on. I was happy to see one of my old buddies
, Adam, who still worked there. I introduced him to Brynn and we made small talk while I put my harness on and he looked for a smaller one for Brynn. I finished just as he found one and knelt in front of her. She looked at me nervously.

“Hey
, Adam, I got it,” I told him as I knelt beside him and took Brynn’s hand. I squeezed it and she let out the breath she was holding.

“Oh, okay,
” Adam said. “Have fun, you two!” And he was off to the next set of people.

I held the harness as Brynn stepped into it. I pulled it up and tightened it around her hips, making sure it was secure, yet comfortable.
I worked cautiously with the straps on her upper body and around her waist as not to offend her in any way. She watched me carefully and when I’d finished, she gave me a thankful nod. I winked and took her hand, leading her out to our first platform.

“This is her first time, can we go double?” I asked the guy waiting to clip us in.

“Sure,” he said as he made the necessary adjustments.

“Relax,”
I told Brynn when I saw she was holding her breath again. She nodded and released it. I took her hand and we sailed out over the trees. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the view under us. She laughed and glanced up at me, just for a second. Then she leaned back slightly and closed her eyes, giggling. She loved it. I was relieved.

“Oh my god!”
she said when we reached the next platform. “That was awesome!” Her eyes glistened from the wind.

“I’m so relieved you like it,” I told her, smiling from ear to ear. “Do you want to go solo this time?”

“No, not yet.” She squeezed my hand and our eyes met. She didn’t shy away that time though, they stayed right on mine and I was seeing her for the first time. I was holding my breath for a change, and she was relaxed.

“Check out the view this time,” she said as we were about to soar again.

“What do you mean? The view I had last time was one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.” I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

She giggled and I watched the wind take her breath as we pushed off. She looked down again and then back and off to the sides, before she was back to me again. She leaned toward me and I took the opportunity in a heartbeat as I leaned the rest of the distance and kissed her sweet, soft lips. My harness tightened around my arousal
, and when we hit the platform, I felt like it might burst from the impact. Brynn stepped up like a pro and I wondered if the kiss had affected her at all.

Ignoring the instructions from the guy at the platform, she took my face in her hands and pressed her lips to mine. She parted my lips with her tongue and I was lost in the perfection of her execution. She giggled when she pulled back and saw my expression. I was speechless and stood staring at her with my mouth agape.

“C’mon, now! We have people landing in a minute!” The guy was not amused.

“Uh, sorry,” I said, trying to
remember where I was and what I was doing. Brynn was glowing and her smile lit my way back to the present.

We quickly got set up again. “Lean back and cl
ose your eyes with me this time,” Brynn said. She was making each line a new, memorable experience while I was acting like a sixteen-year-old with my first hard-on. I did as she asked and tried to ignore my hormones. I knew we only had one zip left until we got to the waterfall where we’d go swimming. I hoped to kiss her again then.

Brynn saw the waterfall from the sky and poi
nted to it. “Look!”

“Wanna go swimming?” I asked her.

She looked at me with big eyes, “Can we?”

“Of course. That w
as the plan, anyway.”

When we got to the platform
, I helped her out of her harness. It felt like I was undressing her and it turned me on again. I was glad my t-shirt was long enough to cover my situation. We quickly descended the steps to the forest floor and stopped for a breather.

“Sean, this is really great. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you, Brynn. I’m having a lot of fun, too. Especially what happened on that platform back there.”

“You mean when you almost didn’t
catch the landing?” She giggled and it made me hot.

“No,” I sa
id, putting my hands on her face. “When you took my breath away.”

She smiled and put her hands on my arms. “Oh, that. Yeah, that was pretty fun for me
, too.” I was lost in her sweetness. “You don’t need my permission…” That was all I needed.

I put my lips on hers and our tongues met again. She slid her hands up my arms and into my hair
, making me remember how good it felt to be touched like that. Her lips were soft. Her tongue was sweet and chased mine with an erotic playfulness. I loved the way she kissed and I didn’t want to stop when she pulled back. We rested our foreheads on each other, catching our breath.

“Let’s go swimming,” she said.

I took her hand and we walked a short distance before we turned the bend. She stopped in her tracks and sucked in the moment. The water roared and the mist hit our faces. I watched her as she closed her eyes and felt it. She was as awe inspiring to me as it was to her at that moment. I loved watching her do what I assumed she’d learned in therapy and take in the beautiful moments fully. She didn’t take anything for granted.

She opened her eyes and we continued to get closer. As soon as we reached the edge
, she pulled off her shirt and shorts.
Mmm, her body is amazing.
I just stared at her. Her bikini was all white and the bottoms tied on the sides and had a little ruffle around them. Her nipples were hard and I didn’t want to take off my shirt because I was, too.
Fuck.

“
What do you want to be today?” she asked, bringing me out of my dilemma.

“Huh?”

“Monkey’s uncle, rotten egg, or turkey wrangler?” She laughed at that last one before she dove into the water.

I pulled off my shirt, thankful she wasn’t there to witness what I’d been hiding, and jumped in after her.
Luckily the water was somewhat cool, which took care of my situation before I reached her behind the waterfall.

She grabbed me and wrapped her arms around my neck. She was smiling and panting from the swim. Water droplets ran down her face before she shook her head and sent them flying back to where they’d come
from. Her hair still dripped and the pieces that’d come free from her braid clung to her skin. I swam her over a few feet so we could reach the bottom. I couldn’t tread water and kiss her at the same time and I was dying to kiss her.

As my feet became stable on the sandy floor
, I put my hands around her tiny waist. Her eyes were playful and stayed open as I kissed her soft lips and slowly sucked her tongue in. I ran my hands up her back and it felt as soft as anything I’d ever felt. Her eyes smiled, so I ran my hands back down and up again as she leaned into me.

She ran her fingers through my hair and then slowly down my back, grazing her fingernails along my spine and giving me goose bumps
and another boner.
Dammit!

“What’s wrong?” She stopped.

“You’re driving me crazy,” I told her.

“I’m sorry
.” She pulled her arms back.
No!
“Maybe we should slow down?”

Hmm, was that a question?
“First of all, you don’t have to be sorry for being sexy as hell and turning me on. Secondly,” I put her arms back up on my shoulders, “you don’t have to stop touching me. And lastly, is that what you want? To slow down?”

“Um, no, I don’t
want
to, but I don’t really know how all this works. I’m just living in the moment and doing what comes naturally.” She was really honest and sweet, but I was a little confused.

I tilted my head to the side and looked deep into her innocent eyes. Her face turned red and
I raised my brow.

“I’m a virgin.” She looked away from me, off into the distance, embarrassed. I gasped.
Holy shit! What the fuck? Holy shit!
I took a deep breath. I started to say something, but nothing came out. I took another deep breath.
Fuck! What am I going to do here?
I was completely shocked. I wasn’t handling it very sensitively.
What is wrong with me?

I put my hand under her chin and turned her to face me. She tried to look down
, so I kissed her. I wasn’t sure what the right thing to say was yet, but I knew I didn’t want her to feel ashamed about something which most people would’ve applauded. She
was
sweet and innocent, just as I’d seen her, so what was my problem? Oh, yeah, my problem was in my pants, begging to be taken care of. That was my problem.

“Say something, anything,” she said. “Just tell me what you’re thinking.”

So I did. “Honestly, I’m in shock. I’m sorry. I’m very rarely at a loss for words as I am now.” Her eyes turned downward. I bent my knees until I was under her, looking up at her sad face. “Hey,” I whispered, “I’m not in any way disappointed or anything even close to it.” She stayed in my eyes as I slowly stood tall again. “My body is saying one thing and my conscience is saying another. I’m just trying to sort it out. I’m glad you told me before things went any further.”

“I’m not
.” She tried to look down again, but I wouldn’t let her. “Now you’re scared to touch me, and I want you to keep touching me, like you were. I want to keep touching you, too.” She took a deep breath. That was hard for her to say.