Head Over Heels

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Head Over Heels ISBN # 978-0-85715-348-7 ©Copyright Annemarie Hartnett 2010 Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright November 2010 Edited by Stacey Birkel Total-E-Bound Publishing This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing. Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution. The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork. Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

HEAD OVER HEELS Annemarie Hartnett

Dedication For Leshia: thanks for being my cheerleader for this one!

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Speedos: Speedo International Limited Formica: Formica Corporation Jacuzzi: Jacuzzi Hot Tubs Betty Boop: King Features Syndicate and Fleischer Studios iPhone: Apple Computer, Inc. iPod: Apple Computer, Inc. iTunes: Apple Computer, Inc. Dr. Pepper: Dr. Pepper Snapple Group XBox: Microsoft Corporation The Simpsons: Fox Broadcasting Company Frisbee: Wham-O Toy Company

HEAD OVER HEELS

Annemarie Hartnett

5

Chapter One

Chrissie Lowe felt like she’d been on the hiking trail for hours. Her feet hurt. Her calves hurt. Her back hurt. Her libido was amped up to such a degree that she felt like sinking her teeth into something. Sinking her teeth into Sam Ferguson’s ass, to be precise. He had been behind her, but when they’d reached the embankment about a quarter of a mile back, he’d jumped ahead of her so he could help her up. Now she was stuck staring at his backside. And what a backside it was. Nice and round and clenching with every step he took. Those cargo shorts were going to be the death of her. It wasn’t just his ass. His upper body was obscured by his backpack but the entire lower body got a standing ovation. He had thick thighs and muscled calves that were dusted with blond hair. Even the scratches and scuffs on his bare legs were sexy. She could hear his breath coming in hard spurts as he hoofed it up the incline and occasionally grunted. Delicious sex sounds. Every such sound went right between her legs. “I can see why they took the long way,” he said and glanced over his shoulder. “They probably beat us to the lake.” Chrissie bobbed her head and took a moment to catch her breath. “Is this where you stop being Mr. Outdoors and admit that this is killing you?” “I admit nothing except that I’m not in the shape I was in five or so years ago.” There was sweat on the back of his neck that formed a ring around the collar of his grey T-shirt. The shirt was coming off soon. It always did after he started to sweat through it. When it did her palms would itch from wanting to run all over that hard chest. His shorts would slip just a little over his narrow hips and she’d get a flash of the black waistband of his jockeys. The hot flashes she’d been having would turn into a full-body burn, and then the real suffering would start. This vacation had seemed like a good idea at the time. All of it had been orchestrated by Chrissie’s friend from university, Tony Reade, who was currently on the easy footpath

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with their other friend, Laurie. It had been a week on the road to take in the entire East Coast of Canada, sleeping in vacation houses and motels. A party of ten friends and mutual acquaintances had converged at the airport in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and after a brief introduction piled into five rentals to navigate the scenic coast. They’d seen every fishing village, every fort, and every sight there was to be seen. Starting on day seven, their party began to dwindle in number. Those who had a second week of vacation would leave Newfoundland and take on the rest of the Atlantic Canadian provinces. After a particularly lively farewell party, the last two married couples had been dumped off at the airport in St. John’s looking like reanimated corpses. After an exhausting ferry ride from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia and a few stops around Cape Breton Island, there were now just four remaining: Chrissie, Laurie, Tony, and Sam. Sam. Thank God for Sam. He was a grade school buddy of Tony’s and hoo-boy, was he something else. Six feet of muscle and golden scruff wrapped in camo cargoes and v-neck tees. He made these long treks worth it. “Damn it!” Chrissie jolted and smacked the back of her neck. Sam turned, panic flashing on his tanned face before turning to sympathy. “Horse fly?” “Yes! Jesus Christ!” She pressed the tips of her fingers to the sore spot just beneath the hairline. “Why do they keep eating me?” “I’d eat you,” he said as he stepped towards her. Chrissie’s gaze snapped to his and his mouth popped open. “If I was a fly, I mean. Wow.” He laughed. “What I meant was that you have dark hair and you’re wearing dark clothes.” Chrissie smiled but she sure as hell wasn’t going to laugh, not when her entire lower half had lit up like a landing strip. She tried not to stiffen as he turned her around and flipped up her pony tail to examine the bite, and then she tried not to melt as he gently circled the swelling flesh with the tip of one finger. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck and gritted her teeth as the hot stream ran down her spine. “That’s just an old wives’ tale,” she said. “It’s probably that lime stuff I put on. I just smell better than you.”

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“I kind of doubt the flies are impressed by your personal hygiene. Besides,” he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, “there’s no way you smell better than me. I smell awesome.” He did smell awesome. He smelled like cocoa butter with a hint of the cinnamon gum he was always chewing. And then there were the swimming trunks. The second she’d seem him emerging from the North Atlantic with rivulets of saltwater running over his lean body she had fallen in lust. Had he been in Speedos he would have given Daniel Craig a run for his money, but even in the baggy swimming trunks he was quite the challenger—after all, Speedos might make a neat package but wet trunks moulded to the male form allowed for a better, clinging assessment of what was underneath. She stood before him, practically chest to chest. With just the two of them alone on the pins and needles path with nothing but the sound of the leaves shuddering high above their heads and the peep of a single bird somewhere in the bushes, it could have been the perfect moment. She could have closed the gap between them, stood on her toes, and kissed him. She could have slipped her arms around his neck and he could have wrapped her up in his, pulling her so close that she’d be surrounded by his warmth. His hands could move over her body, palms flat and fingers sprawling along her back and following the curve of her ass. Her tongue could tip past his lips and finally answer the question of whether Sam tasted as good as he smelled. Instead he smiled and turned away from her. “I’ve got a first aid kit with me. Tony has the calamine lotion but I’ve got some rubbing alcohol if the bites start to bug you.” “It’s okay. I’ll live.” “Fine. In the meantime, I’ll tell you a dirty joke to keep your mind off of the itch. So, there are these two guys driving around looking for something to do. One of them says, ‘Hey, why don’t we get us a hooker,’ and the other guy says…” Chrissie rolled her eyes. As hot as he was, Sam was as much of a doofus as Tony, who had yet to grow out of the junior high mentality. In the last two weeks he had introduced various dirty words and jokes into her vocabulary. Chrissie had seen him attempt terrible pick-ups on their journey, awful cringe-worthy lines like, “I seem to have lost my phone

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number, could I borrow yours?” and, “I think you owe me a drink, honey, because when I saw you from across the room I spilled mine.” Yeesh. As bad as his attempts were, she found him entirely adorable. He was a total geek wrapped in a nice package. In her eyes that made him better than an ice cream sundae. Her only consolation was that his juvenile tendencies were so off-putting to most women that she didn’t have to think about him cuddling up to some random bar girl. “…and so he told the cop, ‘How was I to know? I’ve never fucked a sheep before!’” He turned and threw his arms out. “How was that? Wasn’t that funny?” “I much preferred the one about the old lady who took her dentures out.” She narrowed her eyes at him and the corner of her mouth twisted up. “Is that really a joke or is it a true story about you and one of your buddies driving around town?” “I only divulge that kind of information to those who pay for it.” He grinned. When he turned his back Chrissie quietly sighed as the tickle of having that smile beamed on her ran to her toes. “If the water is okay we should take a swim.” “I don’t have a suit and neither does Laurie.” “On behalf of both myself and Tony, I fail to see how that is an obstacle, especially now that we’ve all watched one another pee in a bush at least once.” She tried not to think too much about the prospect of being naked and wet in the vicinity of Sam. If she did, the ache would reach that peak when her head pained from grinding her teeth together to stave off the urge to throw herself at him, and she’d have to suffer through the next few hours between the island and their cottage destination on the mainland with bitchiness on the tip of her tongue. God, why did I make that no nookie rule? The last group trip she’d been on had spawned a fling between two members of the party that went very badly, very quickly, and ruined the trip for everyone. In hindsight, the embargo was the worst idea ever conceived in the history of bad ideas. The more time she spent with Sam, the bigger the crush. Worse yet, while she was bunking with Laurie, she couldn’t even get herself off at the end of a long day. She really missed her vibrator and planned to spend some serious quality time with herself as soon as she had her own room.

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She didn’t think it could get any worse, at least not until they reached an incline. He sprang up and teetered on the brink. “There they are. Hey! Tony! Oh fu--” Sam flailed his arms and started to fall back. He lurched, and at the same time Chrissie leapt forwards and threw her hands up to catch him. The second the adrenaline of nearly being crushed drained away, it was followed by the realisation that she had Sam’s ass, in all its perfection, in her hands. Sweet merciful Jesus. His hiking boots proving less than effective against gravity, he was still sliding backwards and she was squeezing down. By the time he’d finished, his hands were flat on the ground and he was wriggling to push himself upright. At the back of Chrissie’s throat was ticklish ball of leftover panic and naked delight at having been so close to Sam. The ball was about to burst and she couldn’t tell whether or not it was going to come out as a groan or uncontrollable laughter. She clenched down on it, her gaze riveted to the dimples her fingertips were making on his ass. “Holy motherfucking hell,” Sam breathed out as he went down on his knees and sprawled across the littered trail. The ball burst and its contents came out of Chrissie in a pitiful whimper. She clapped her hands over her face and sucked in a deep breath. At Sam’s bark of laughter, she peeked between her fingers. She found him still flat on his back and shaking with hilarity. “I almost squashed you,” he said. “We would have had to call the parks department to get a rescue team out here because I sat on your face. It would have been on the local news and everything.” He pushed up and squinted at her. “You okay?” “Uh huh.” She dropped her hands and took another deep breath. “You?” “My balls are still quivering a little but they’ll recover.” He rolled to his feet with a groan and wiped the pine needles and bits of debris from his shorts. “Great. Hey, what do you say you let me walk ahead on the way back?” She pushed past him and walked to the incline. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. Her heart thumped against her chest as he effortlessly lifted her up. “Are you sure?”

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“After that, yes.” She took his backpack from him and stood aside to watch his second and more successful attempt. Sam shrugged. “I figured you liked walking behind me. For one, if a moose comes out at us it’ll stomp me to death first. For another, you got to stare at my ass for a half an hour.” Heat flared into her cheeks. “I was not staring at your ass!” “You were. It’s okay, you know. I’ve been told my ass is kind of sweet.” “Oh God.” She jogged ahead of him a little. When she glanced back she found him right on her heels with a big grin on his face. She couldn’t stop her giggle. “Shut up.” “It’s true. My ass has been compared to Michelangelo’s.” She stopped and turned. “Who?” “Michelangelo. The naked dude in the museum.” This time her laughter came out as a snort. “You mean Michelangelo’s David.” “Whatever. My point is that you almost died the sweetest death ever—smothered by my butt cheeks. Now you’ll never know true bliss.” Chrissie gaped at him. In a blink his expression went serious, lips pinched together in a scowl and his brows drawn together, but his nostrils flared as he held back his laughter. She drew a breath to make a retort but instead her giggles got the better of her. “You fool,” she said and swung around. Up ahead she could see their friends standing at the water’s edge. “No, you’re the fool. You’re depriving yourself by walking ahead of me now.” He went on with laughter riding every word while Chrissie’s giggles got giddier and giddier. This was why she had such a crush on Sam. This was why she had volunteered to take the woodland trail instead of the nice, sunny path leading to the lake. He was so damned goofy, even more so when he tried. Maybe it was because her dating history was filled with men who took themselves and everyone else too seriously, but Chrissie was a total sucker for a guy who could make her laugh. It wasn’t just the body. The body only helped things out. She could feel the glow on her cheeks as she trotted towards Tony and Laurie. She glanced back at him. He held his backpack in one hand and was tugging the hem of his Tshirt with the other. Her humour dissipated, replaced once more with a flash of heat as his tanned chest was revealed to her. Turning back to the path, she blew out a puff of air and trotted to the water’s edge.

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It took every ounce of restraint not to squeal as she approached Laurie. The other woman was facing the lake and looking far from impressed with the panorama of nature surrounding her. Chrissie poked her ribs and leant forwards. “I touched Sam’s ass.” Laurie’s blue eyes got big. “No way.” “Laurie, which way is the outhouse we passed?” Both Chrissie and Laurie rolled their eyes and turned to Tony. He looked like a hairy leprechaun that had been banished from dry land by an evil witch. He was standing in the water up to his knees. Ginger curls stuck from beneath his trucker cap and what was alleged to be a beard covered the lower half of his face. The upper half was hidden behind huge aviator glasses. “Don’t tell me you have to go again. You went twice on the path.” Laurie snapped at him and rolled her eyes at Chrissie. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we thought you might like to be spared the sight of our mighty penises while we change into our swimming trunks.” Chrissie glanced at Sam long enough to be paralysed by a visual of his mighty penis, then looked to the water. “I don’t think you should. It looks kind of gross.” “Chrissie, stop being weird about fresh water. There’s nothing wrong with it,” Tony said and kicked, splashing her legs. She squealed and ran for cover behind Sam. Sam gave her T-shirt a tug. “Why don’t you give it a try? It’s not that long a walk to the car, but if you get wet you can wear my T-shirt.” She shook her head. “I don’t like fresh water. It’s filled with duck poop and bugs and leeches.” “Saltwater has jellyfish and sharks.” “I’ll take my chances with the sharks and the jellyfish over swimming in a stew of nature’s most disgusting.” “Well, I’m still going in. I’m going over to those bushes to change. Don’t peek, and if I mistakenly flash some old lady don’t act like you don’t know me and accuse me of being some woodland flasher, okay?”

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With a dreamy little sigh she watched him head towards the bushes. Her palms warmed at the memory of his behind flexing through his shorts. Chrissie enjoyed the view until Tony’s voice dragged her from her reverie. “Nag, nag, nag, that’s all she does,” he said and jabbed his thumb in Laurie’s direction. “A man can’t pee in peace. I could have stayed home and watched porn for two weeks.” She tried not to laugh. “Poor Tony. Don’t worry. In a few hours you’ll be sitting in front of an outdoor fire setting marshmallows on fire.” Grumbling to himself, Tony followed in Sam’s wake. Laurie was at her side in a flash. “Details, please.” “Laurie, you need to be nicer to Tony.” Laurie shook her head. “Sam. Ass. Talk.” “Come over by the water. I don’t want them to hear.” They stood at the water’s edge and threw pebbles over the glassy surface as Chrissie recounted the trek from the parking lot to the lake. Laurie’s shoulders shook as she laughed. “Tell me about how ripe Sam’s ass is. Tell me how nice and springy it is. Come on. I need it.” Chrissie grinned. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. “Nice and firm, like a volleyball.” “Oh God, I hate you.” Laurie held up her phone, studied the screen, swore, and tucked it back at her side. “You should try and grope him again tonight.” “I can’t. You remember what happened in Florida with Miranda and Stuart.” “Seriously? You are nothing like Miranda and Sam is nothing like Stuart—unless you plan to blow a Mexican waiter to get back at Sam for grabbing your boob in public.” Chrissie sighed. “Still, why spoil a good vacation? If I want to get laid, I can wait until I get home, and then I can get laid by a doctor. Not like I don’t get plenty of offers at the hospital.” “But none as hot as Sam. Plus, I’ll bet he’s got some kinky fantasy about being on his deathbed and only Naughty Nurse knows the cure.” Before Chrissie could respond she heard a whooping sound come from the bushes. “Would you look at that,” Laurie said as Sam and Tony came running towards them. Naked. Arms flailing above their heads. Other appendages flailing elsewhere.

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“Woo hoo!” Sam whizzed past her and hit the water with a large splash. Tony did the same a few feet away. They emerged with a flurry of curses about the temperature of the water. “That’s what you get,” Chrissie managed to say before she doubled over. Laurie nodded and pointed. “Yeah, penises aren’t so mighty now, are they?” Tony just kept on cursing and Sam huffed and puffed as he trod water. “R-r-right now I c-c-couldn’t f-f-find m-m-mine with the Hubble tel-l-l-escope!” Laurie nudged Chrissie. “Hey, did you see it?” “Didn’t you?” “I was temporarily blinded. I missed it all. You get all the good stuff. Impressive?” Chrissie’s cheeks grew hot. She looked towards the water and caught Sam’s eye. He smiled and waved, and she did the same. “Let’s just say I’m kind of sorry I didn’t pack a slutty nurse costume.”

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Chapter Two

Chrissie cut the engine and looked to the passenger seat. Laurie slept with her mouth open and a gargling sound was coming from the back of her throat. Chrissie leant on the horn. “Jesusfuckingchrist!” Laurie shot up and gawped at her surroundings. “Shit. I was dreaming I was in Cuba.” “Nope. Still Canada.” “Are you sure? It looks a little empty.” “We’re in downtown St. Christopher, about an hour from the next ferry terminal.” Laurie swiped her blonde hair out of her eyes. “Why?” “Because they had a vacancy and the boys wanted something country so they could ride their bikes.” Chrissie bobbed her head towards the wooden sign that welcomed them to the Sand Dollar Cottages and slipped her hot pink sunglasses over her face. “And it’s got cottages. No shitty motel rooms.” “Does it have plumbing? Please say it has plumbing.” Chrissie gave Laurie a long look over the rim of her glasses and threw open the door of the SUV. “You asked that all through Newfoundland. You asked me that twice on the ferry. You ask that every time, and every time they have plumbing. The last one had a massaging tub. There is civilisation east of Ontario, you know.” “I’m just paranoid. This isn’t the vacation I had envisioned.” “Me neither, but I’m having fun. Aren’t you having fun? You peed on the side of the road. Tell me that wasn’t fun.” Laurie met Chrissie at the back of the SUV. She groaned as she rubbed her puffy eyes. “It was fun until you took my picture. From behind. Where are Beavis and Butthead?” “I had to stop to fill the tank so we’re about ten minutes behind.” Chrissie hauled her hockey bag out of the back and gestured to the mud-spattered truck that was parked on the other side of the lot. Laurie whipped out her cell and angled it over her head.

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“Downtown St. Christopher,” Laurie muttered. “Am I to assume that we are standing next to the highlight of this metropolis?” “No, the highlights include the lighthouse down the road and the fish and chips stand next to the fire hall.” “Ugh. I’m tired of seafood. I need Chinese. Oh! Oooh! I’ve got bars! I’ve got email!” Chrissie left Laurie to thumb her way through three days worth of digital intercourse while she unloaded the back of the SUV. Leaving the luggage on the gravel, Chrissie headed for the door marked OFFICE. The cottage grounds were better than the last they had found themselves stuck in—log cabins complete with stuffed animals as décor and giving off an all-powerful Norman Bates vibe. This place looked nice and folksy. The cottages were actually small mini-homes lined up on the grass behind the old salt-box house where the office was located. Each one was identical to the next, painted baby blue, and had a deck with a patio set and a barbecue. The view of the Northumberland Strait in the distance was so gorgeous she smiled in spite of the ache in her back left by the long drive. The office Chrissie stepped into smelled like ham and cabbage. Her mouth watered as she pinged the bell for service. A small woman in a pink track suit and homemade slippers shuffled out of a door that read PRIVATE. She wore a smile on her face that Chrissie doubted the devil could knock off. She chirped a greeting and Chrissie blinked. So far she’d been doing fairly well with the thick accents of this part of the country but this was a new breed of Irish-meets-Englishmeets-Elven, with a bit of a drawl thrown in. She grinned back and flattened her hands on the Formica counter. “Just checking in. I’m not sure if the other two members of our party picked up our key.” The woman uttered something completely unintelligible to Chrissie’s ears and she nodded. “Good. So, check out time is at noon?” She raised her brows as the woman clattered off something which, after a brief and somewhat awkward pause, Chrissie translated to, “Yes, but no rush.” The woman said something else, longer and more complicated. Chrissie simply gave up and nodded.

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The women let out a whoop and pointed to the wall behind her. It was littered with credentials, flags, postcards and photos of local sites. Chrissie grinned back and nodded again. “Will do. Thanks!” Laurie was sitting on the gravel with her skinny legs crossed in front of her, her thumbs busy over the tiny keyboard. Chrissie grabbed hold of her hockey bag and hoisted it prowrestler style over her shoulders. “Are you coming?” “In a minute! I’ve got four days worth of Facebook to catch up on.” “You know, the motel we’re staying at tomorrow has wireless internet.” Laurie shook her head. “Can’t wait that long. I need to know how the world continues to exist without me.” “All right, but don’t sit there too long.” Grunting under the weight of her luggage, Chrissie loped along the path towards the cottages. She had planned to just call to find out which was hers but she didn’t need to. The door of one of the cottages was open and in the shade beyond the threshold she could see the grey flash of Sam’s T-shirt. God, even from a distance he’s gorgeous. Sam came out of the first cottage and jogged to the next. Tony followed. Sam opened the door, entered, and after a few seconds he returned. He said something to Tony and shrugged. “Problem?” she asked and dumped her load onto the grass. “I think she gave us the wrong rooms,” Tony replied. “How so?” Sam scratched the back of his head until his ball cap popped off his forehead. He grasped the brim, squashed it back on, then he glanced back at the entrance. “We asked her for two double rooms. We’ve both got queens.” “Huh?” “Two rooms, one queen bed in each. No doubles. No pull-out.” Tony hopped off the deck and planted his hands on his hips. “I think she thought we were two couples checking in.” Chrissie stood a moment looking from one to the other and back again, then she doubled over with a snort. “Oh my God.”

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“What?” “She thought you two were a couple.” “What?” “When you checked in she thought you two were a couple. As I was leaving she started pointing at something. She was pointing to a little print-out of a pride flag.” Sam’s brows flew up. “Bullshit.” “Bullshit nothing. She thinks you two are on your honeymoon.” She giggled as she watched the two men size one another up. “Congratulations.” Tony cocked his head at Sam. “Can I be the bottom? Trust me, I’m better off not moving much and I have no upper body strength.” Sam flipped him two birds and scowled at Chrissie. “I’m glad you think it’s funny. Go back and fix it.” “I am not. For one, I’ll probably come out of there with her thinking we’re going to have a gang-bang. For two, you should have seen her face. She was so proud of her pride flag taped up there with her pictures of whales and flowers.” “Bite my ass, Chrissie. I’m not sleeping with Tony.” Chrissie snorted and sat on top of her hockey bag. “Don’t be such a homophobe!” “It’s not that. Have you ever slept with him?” She shot Tony a disdainful look. “I can’t say I’ve had the discomfort, no.” “Discomfort is right. He kicks in his sleep.” “So sleep on the sofa,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t pull out you can still sleep on it.” “Oh really?” He hopped onto the grass and took hold of her hand. Electricity shot up her arm. His hand was so big compared to hers and rough from a week of outdoor fun. It was easy to imagine the coarse flesh running all over her body, just as it was easy to imagine that tight ass flexing beneath her hands as he fucked her. She blew out a puff of air and banished her dirty thoughts as he dragged her into the cottage. Once inside, he went straight for the floral sofa and flopped down. It wasn’t wide enough to accommodate his breadth and his big feet stuck out over the end. Chrissie clapped a hand over her face and snorted into her palm. “So? Let Tony sleep on the sofa.”

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“And I’d still have to listen to him snoring all night. He has those nose-strips and they don’t do a damn bit of good. When we shared that room in St. John’s I thought he was going to inhale the drapes.” Tony scowled from his place in the doorway. “I have a medical condition!” Chrissie held up her hands. “Fine. What is your solution?” “You switch with me.” “You want me to sleep with him after that brilliant pitch? I think not.” “Then put him in with Laurie and you stay here,” he said. “You can sleep on the sofa.” “Uh, screw you. I’m not sleeping on a sofa when I’ve paid for a bed. Look, there’s the pup tent--” “No! I paid for a bed too. We’ll share the bed.” She certainly hoped her face didn’t betray the fact that one of her ovaries had just erupted. “No.” “Come on. Laurie can sleep through a hurricane and you said she talks in her sleep. Put them together and you and I will take this bed. Everyone is happy.” “No, no, no.” She turned for the door and collided with Laurie. “What’s going on?” Tony raised his hand. “Sam and I are engaged and now he’s trying to bag Chrissie right in front of me.” Laurie bobbed her head. “Groovy.” Chrissie sighed. “The innkeeper thinks that Sam and Tony are a gay couple and she gave us two queen beds.” “Wait, does that mean she thinks that you and I are lesbians?” “Possibly.” “You could do worse.” Chrissie threw her hands up and turned back to Sam. He had gotten up from the sofa and faced her with his hands on his hips. “What about the truck?” “Console’s busted.” “In the back with the air mattress.” “No. I’m not sleeping outside. Bed.” Her panic cranked up another notch. “The SUV has a pull down seat.”

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“That stinks of the flat tire we changed two days ago.” His lips tightened into a firm line and inwardly Chrissie groaned. “Fine. You and I will take this cottage. Laurie, you sleep with Tony.” The lecherous waggle of Tony's brows was met with an “Eeew.”

**** “Give me one of your sleeping tablets,” Chrissie said when she and Laurie were alone on the veranda of the cottage she was to share with Sam. It was almost nine o'clock and she was sweating out the possibility that Sam’s leg might graze hers and that she'd come on the spot. Pyjama-almost-naked was far more suggestive than bathing-suit-almost-naked. Therefore she planned to take one of Laurie's organic tablets and be half-asleep before he got back from his bike ride. Laurie dug into her purse and handed over the foil package with a smirk. Chrissie popped one of the tablets and dropped it under her tongue, then made a face as it started to dissolve. She glanced towards the cottage and her stomach did a flip. “Maybe I should take two more.” “It’s one night,” Laurie said, rolling her eyes. “You’ll sleep like a baby and Sam won’t have to worry that his penis will accidentally brush up against Tony’s and turn into a vagina. And even if things do get a little too cosy, what’s the worst that could happen? You’re both single. You live in the same city. You think he’s cute. He thinks you’re cute.” “Sam thinks I’m cute? When did he say that?” “He says it with his eyeballs.” “That just means he thinks I have a nice rack. It doesn’t mean he wants to hook up with me.” “He always sits next to you when we eat,” Laurie said. “So?” “God, where were you in junior high? It’s a big signal. Shh! Here they come.”

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Chrissie followed Laurie’s gaze to where twin lights appeared at the end of the driveway. Laughter preceded the arrival of the two men Chrissie rolled her eyes at Laurie as the tail end of a dirty joke followed. When the orange light from the lamp above the cottage door fell upon them both Tony and Sam turned off the lights on their mountain bikes. Sam’s wide smile hit Chrissie like a ton of bricks. Like a sexy, scruffy ton of bricks. She almost sighed. “You guys missed it,” Tony said with a laugh. “Sam almost fell over a cliff.” “And when I did Tony screamed like a girl.” Sam lifted his bike and carefully carried it up the steps. Muscle flexed beneath his tight-fitting jacket. Laurie nudged Chrissie and Chrissie nudged her back, harder. She smiled as Laurie whimpered. “So how was the ride?” “Unbelievable. It’s so quiet out here. It’s too bad you guys didn’t rent a couple of bikes before we took off. We could ride together when we get to Prince Edward Island. It isn’t too hilly, not like here.” “I don’t believe you when you say you’re a salesperson, Sam,” Chrissie said as she watched him wedge the bike against the exterior of the cottage. “First there was that whole ‘Tony snores so you should sleep with him’ spiel, and now this. No salesperson would use falling over a cliff as their opener.” He turned to her and knocked twice on his helmet. “Unless I was selling you one of these.” “What’s your pitch? When I die, at least it won’t be from the head injury?” He winked and unhooked the strap. “If I’m awake early enough, I’m going for a run. You should get up and come with me.” Chrissie shook her head. “I don’t run unless something that wants to eat me is chasing me, and I only run fast if that thing is a zombie.” “Come on. If you keel over I’ll carry you on my back like I’m Luke Skywalker and you’re Yoda.” She scrunched up her face and Sam laughed. “Fine. I’ll do it your way. We’ll just get drunk again.” “Not me,” Laurie said and stepped onto the grass. “I’ve got email and then I’m going to bed. Good night, all. Tony, if you wake me when you come in, I’ll duct tape you to a chair for the rest of the night.”

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“Bite me.” He sank into the plastic patio chair in front of the small table at the end of the deck and bobbed his head at Sam. “Do you have bug spray?” Sam nodded and dug into his pocket. He tossed the small bottle at Tony and with his toe flipped the top of the cooler next to the door. “You want a beer, Chrissie?” She feigned a yawn and yanked her hair from its ponytail. “I’m going to bed. Driving makes me sleepy.” Sam narrowed his eyes at her as he popped the top of his bottle. “I thought you were an insomniac.” “I am, but, you know, all this fresh air. So when you come in, the duct tape thing applies to you too.” He looked to Tony. “Duct tape? These women are kinky.” “Good. I brought my Batman costume with me. Laurie has a thing for Batman.” “What does Chrissie have a thing for?” “I dunno. Ninjas?” She slammed the door shut behind her and scuttled to the darkened bedroom to peek out through the curtains. Sam had settled into the lawn chair facing away from her and was leaning forwards, rolling his broad shoulders. Adorable blonde tufts stuck out where his hair had been free from the helmet. When he leant back he folded his hands behind his head. His muscled arms flexed and her knees almost buckled. She bit down hard on her bottom lip. Eight to ten hours lying next to that. Even in my sleep I’m in danger of spontaneously climaxing. I’m going to wake up on top of him. One minute he’ll be drooling into his pillow and the next minute he’ll be fending off some stoned succubus dry humping him into the floor. “Ugh.” She unbuttoned her shorts and shoved them to her ankles. Somewhere in the living room her phone trilled from the confines of her purse. She shuffled with her shorts around her ankles, grabbed her purse, and shuffled back. “What do you want, Laurie?” “I still have bars!” Chrissie scowled and turned to the north facing wall. On the other side was Laurie’s cottage. “And?”

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“Wear a bra to bed. When he gets into bed your tits might bounce and he’ll go mad with lust.” “Good night, Laurie.” “Wait!” Chrissie rolled her eyes. “What?” “Unplug the television.” “Why?” “It’s Saturday night.” “So?” “So I just turned on the French channel and they’re showing porn. He might get up and turn on the television—” Chrissie snapped her phone shut and rummaged through her weekender for a fresh tank and a pair of boxers. For just a moment her fingers stilled over the hooks of her bra. “Mad with lust, my fat ass.” She yanked the bra away from her body, rolled fresh socks over her feet, and hopped into bed. After a minute of listening to the low, male voices drifting in from the open window, she snatched the remote from the bedside table and turned the TV on, flicking channels until she saw boobs. An ecstatic shriek filled the room as the naked woman bounced on top of some hunk who answered her cries in badly dubbed French. “Eeep!” Chrissie hit the power button and replaced the remote, then squashed the pillow over her head.

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Chapter Three

Stupid pill. Granted, when she fell asleep it was like turning off the lights. One minute she was in a state of absolute panic and the next she was blinking at the digital clock next to her head. It was just before five o’clock. She was wide awake. She twisted her neck as far as it would go and her brows pinched together. Next to her wasn’t so much a man but a man-sausage. Sam was wrapped in the big comforter with only puffs of gold hair sticking out at the top. So much for mad with lust. She popped her feet out of what little part of the comforter she had. The cold nipped her toes through her socks and she tucked them back in. It was no wonder the cottage was freezing—the curtains billowed before the open window and the chill from the North Atlantic poured in. She was willing to bet that Sam had left all the windows open in the living room and the kitchen as well. “Uukk.” The man-sausage quivered. “What time is it?” “Not even five.” “Fuck.” “You left all the windows open.” She took a deep breath and threw herself out of the bed, cursing her way from one window to another. The world outside was covered in thick fog which enveloped the cottage grounds. Even the next-door cottage that Tony and Laurie shared was nothing but a smudge. She turned up the heat and vaulted back to the bed. Even if the pill had left her groggy she knew there was no hope of going back to sleep, but she would be damned if she would get out of bed before the heat kicked in. Sam groaned. “Is it still almost five o’clock?” “Yup.” “I slept for a minute. I thought maybe it was longer.” He flopped and his head appeared over the top of his cocoon. “I’m wide awake.”

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“Me too.” “Still kind of buzzing.” Chrissie sighed. “Me too.” “You didn’t drink.” “I took a sleeping pill. Do we have the coffee in here or do they have it?” “They have it.” She sighed. “Crap. It’s the good stuff, too.” “Hrmm.” He closed his eyes and Chrissie snuggled deeper into the bed as she studied him. He was even more adorable when he was puffy with sleep. The pale pink acne scars under his bottom lip were covered with blonde fuzz that looked soft and prickly all at once. His cheeks were rosy from being tucked under cover. She was willing to bet that even his big feet were nice and toasty. She curled her toes to resist kicking beneath the covers to tangle her legs with his. His eyes popped open and pinned her, sending little curls of delight through her belly. “Tea?” “Huh?” “Do we have tea?” “You don’t like tea.” She tucked her slice of the comforter around her and wiggled deeper. “We should go back to sleep.” “Can’t. Once I’m awake, I’m awake.” He lifted his head to look down her body. The next thing Chrissie knew the cocoon fluffed open, his arm was around her waist and he was pulling her against him. His chin rested against the top of her head and he shifted slightly to cradle her against him. Chrissie froze. “Uh, thank you.” “You looked cold.” It felt so good to be cradled against him. He still had the whiff of cocoa butter on him and…was that bug spray? Musky bug spray, the kind where the commercial announced its manly power with a deep, booming voice. His skin was warm and the heat seeped through the thin layers between them. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she took a deep breath, then choked on a mouthful of T-shirt when he did the same.

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“Gummph!” “Sorry. What are—?” “I’m facing the wrong way.” She flopped and buried her face in the pillow. His arm cinched around her again. Her butt fit perfectly against his groin and she could feel the shape of his dick affirming that the swimming trunks had not lied. She squeezed her eyes shut, certain this was the moment her reproductive organs would implode. The bed vibrated when he chuckled. “Funny.” “What is?” “You wear socks to bed.” “Lots of people wear socks to bed.” “I’ll bet you have fuzzy ones at home.” His breath ruffled the hair at the top of her head and her scalp tingled. “And a fuzzy blanket you leave on in the summer.” “And that’s weird?” “Hrm. I like weird.” The hand against her belly turned just slightly and his thumb grazed the sliver of skin that was exposed. A little gasp popped over Chrissie’s lips before she could stop it. “You’re soft.” He sighed and wriggled against her. She could feel his cock stiffening against her ass. “And you make dumb rules.” He tugged the front of her tank up and splayed his hand across her belly. “That whole thing about not hooking up. Then you go and run around in that little black bikini with the pink poodle on the hip. Wrong, wrong, wrong.” She bit down on her bottom lip and debated as to whether she wanted to put an end to what was probably a very bad idea, or to ride that bad idea through the floor. When he nudged his leg between her knees and he rubbed it against her pussy she couldn’t remember what it was she was supposed to be a tight-ass about. Her hand covered his and she guided it between her legs. His mouth moved over her temple and his thumb followed the seam of her pussy through her boxers. He found the hard bump of her clit and pressed down. A delicious ripple travelled the length of her cunt and back down again. “Is this your best move?” she whispered, turning her head slightly. Sam raised his eyebrows. “I have moves?”

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“I’ve seen your moves. They’re bad. I was just thinking that maybe you save the good stuff for when you get a girl in bed.” “Are they really that bad?” His hot tongue flicked against her earlobe and her breath caught at the back of her throat, staggering her response. “I’ll have to try harder. Can you just lift…just a little?” She pushed up and he shoved her boxers to her feet. She couldn’t tell whether it was the cold air nipping at her or the anticipation but she couldn’t stop shaking even as he ran his hand along her thigh and warmth started to fill her up. He nuzzled into the slope of her neck and made soft smacking sounds as he kissed her there. His other arm wedged between her neck and the pillow and cradled her head in the crook. Chrissie wriggled against him as his hand slipped beneath the neckline of her tank. He squeezed down and her nipple puckered against his palm. “So you don’t like my pick-up lines,” he said and pinched the hard peak between his thumb and forefinger. She bit down on her bottom lip as a lick of pleasure-pain raced through her. “I never said I didn’t like them. I just said they were bad.” He hooked the back of her knee and draped her leg over his, holding her open. “How about, you’ve got the wettest pussy I’ve had in ages?” He bit down on her shoulder. “And I’ll carry you up the next hiking trail we come to if you let me play with it for a couple of hours.” Two fingers probed the hot mouth of her cunt. Chrissie moaned as the slick walls throbbed with anticipation. She turned her face to meet his mouth. His tongue flicked against hers, inviting her into the warm, wet recess of his mouth. An inch at a time his long fingers filled her until he was buried to the knuckle, then he slowly withdrew. His wet fingers parted her swollen labia to her clit. “This is bad. We shouldn’t hook up,” she whispered and moaned as he traced the pad of her finger over the tip of her clit. “You’re right. This is going to be awkward.” He used two fingers to rub the swollen hood surrounding her clit. His other arm tightened around her shoulders as she started to squirm. Chrissie nodded and turned her face into the pillow. “It wouldn’t be fair to Tony and Laurie.”

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She moaned as his fingers left her. The bed bounced and she rolled onto her back in time to see the comforter jump. His boxers flew over her head and his hands were on her again. He bunched the hem of her tank in his fist and grinned. “I don’t really care. Do you?” Chrissie shook her head and bit down on her smile. “You’re right. It was a dumb rule. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She threw her arms up over her head and wriggled as he dragged the tank over her head, then she wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss her. The light dusting of hair on his chest scraped her breasts as he moved on top of her. Her nipples puckered and she moaned as two fingers, still damp with her juices, pinched the hard peaks. The sensation of pleasure-pain returned, shooting through her body like a rocket. Sam’s cock bobbed against her thigh and left a hot smear of pre-cum against the skin. She slipped her hand beneath the comforter and closed her fingers around the circumference beneath the head. “Harder,” she said against his mouth and brushed her thumb through the thick cream that oozed at the tip. Sam groaned. He tweaked her nipple so hard Chrissie arced up off the mattress. “Oh fuck yes, like that.” His tongue swept over her bottom lip and his breathy laughter preceded the playful pinch of his teeth. “I love a girl who talks to me while I fuck her.” “Don’t stop that.” She ran her hand along his dick and rubbed her palm against the crest until it was slick. “Just a little harder.” Sam groaned as she stroked the length from tip to root. “How about I use my teeth on you?” “Not yet.” Her remaining hand tightened into a fist in his hair and she brushed her lips across his. “I like the kissing.” His lean body shuddered against her when she reached lower and gently squeezed his balls. His strangled moan was like a melody that tingled in her blood. She opened her mouth and sucked his tongue deep inside. As his fingers worked her she worked him, closing her lips around his tongue and matching the hot suction to the tempo she stroked his dick with. Sam flicked his thumbnail against her nipple in parting and his fingers danced over her belly. His mouth hardened against hers. He shifted onto his side and Chrissie’s skin tingled

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as he ran his hand along the inside of her thigh. His hand closed around her knee, drawing her legs further apart. Chrissie lifted her head from the squashed pillow beneath it and curled her tongue around his, inviting, demanding. She twisted her fingers in his hair and tugged, then lifted her hips as his long fingers thrust into her again. “Keep talking,” he said, his words garbled around her tongue. He curled his fingers against her G-spot. “Tell me what you want me to do.” For a moment her words were trapped at the back of her throat. With every stroke pleasure ebbed and flowed through her like waves lapping on the shore. His tongue danced in and out of her mouth. Chrissie ran her hand over his shaft, keeping him in a tight grip. She could feel every vein pulsing against her slick palm. “I want your cock in my mouth.” “God, yes.” He withdrew his fingers almost completely then thrust hard. His thumb rolled over her clit. Chrissie lifted her hips as white hot pleasure flooded her. “I want you to fuck me slow and hard,” she went on, pumping his shaft harder. His foreskin moved like well-worn suede as she worked him. “Just like you’re doing.” “You don’t want my tongue here?” He circled her clit, feather-light. Every nerve in her body lit up. Unable to speak, she bobbed her head. He flexed his fingers inside her. “Or here? My tongue fucking you here?” “I want your tongue everywhere.” She yanked hard to drag his mouth back over hers. Her body forgot about the chill that had set into the room. There was only the wet heat of his mouth, of her pussy throbbing around his fingers, of his cock swelling beneath her palm. They parted long enough for him to fish a condom from where he kept them in his shaving kit. He knelt on the bed next to her, one hand around the wooden headboard and his knuckles going white as Chrissie rolled onto her side and mouthed his smooth head. With the tip of her tongue she traced the groove that bisected his crest until she was inundated with the salty taste of him. She dug her fingers into his hard thigh and twisted her head back and forth until she had sucked in the entire length. The insides of her thighs were slick with arousal and she spread her legs when he slipped his hand between them.

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“Not so fast,” he said even as he pumped his fingers into her harder than before. She moaned around his cock and flattened her tongue against the underside as she withdrew. Sam rocked on his knees, letting her take only a few inches before pulling back. Her impatience peaked and she grasped his cock at the root. Her gaze flicked to his, catching his eye as she used tongue and teeth against the pink crown. His abs flinched and he thrust forwards, filling her mouth in one stroke. He rested his hand at the back of her neck and held her as he worked the length in and out, in and out over her tongue. Chrissie could feel her climax coming on with the pressure he applied to the inner wall of her cunt. She tried to squeeze her thighs around his forearm, to lock him in so he could take her all the way, but he drew back suddenly and scooted away. “Do you have a vibrator?” he asked as he tore into the condom wrapper. Chrissie flopped back with a breathless laugh and looked to his erection. “I don’t think I need it right now.” “I still want to play with it,” he said. He unfurled the latex over his cock and glanced back to the luggage neatly piled by the door. “Do you?” “In the weekender, side pocket.” Chrissie pushed herself along the length of the bed and sat with her back to the headboard to watch him as he hauled her weekender on top of her hockey bag. She tipped her head back and grinned. “The pink camera case.” He dug deep and pulled out the case, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand. From inside he produced a small silver egg attached to a remote by a flat wire. “Cute.” There was nothing cute about the look he gave her as he returned to the bed. His cock arced out in front of him and bobbed with every step he took. He tossed the vibrator between her legs and stretched out in front of her. Chrissie giggled when he grasped her ankles and dragged her towards him until she was flat on her back with her knees tucked against his ribs. Her fingers twitched as she trailed them over his abs and a tickle went through her like a stream of cold water. “Do I get to play too?” “You get to lay back and enjoy,” he said and caught her wrists when she reached for his cock. With a sigh, Chrissie relaxed and stretched her arms over her head. She’d imagined this dozens of times since beginning this journey, of sprawling on a big bed with Sam between

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her legs. Every inch of flesh that his gaze touched prickled. A shiver ran down her back and up again to settle, tingling, at the base of her scalp. When his focus centred between her legs, Chrissie could have sworn her whole body was turning to liquid. She could feel her cunt flowering under his gaze, swollen, aroused, aching for more. She curled her fingers into her palm and licked her lips. “Do you want me to show you?” Sam shook his head. “Like I said, I want to play.” He reached between them and picked up the vibrator. One hand held the remote and the other turned the metallic bullet between his fingers. He pushed the slide up to the top of the slot and made a face as the bullet buzzed at full blast. “That’s pretty powerful for such a little thing.” “My vibrator could kick your iPod’s ass.” She wiggled her foot against him. “You’re sure you want to go it alone?” “Oh please. It’s not like I’ve never used one of these things before. I’ve just never used a little one.” He played with the lever, sliding it up and down. Chrissie clapped her hands across her mouth to keep down the giggles as she watched him get the hang of it until he found a speed he liked. The bubble of laughter at the back of her throat shrank as he ran the little vibe along the insides of both her thighs. “Too weak? Too strong?” “Just right.” She sighed and tucked her feet against his round ass. The tiny pulsations travelled in a zigzagging pattern as he moved the vibe over her skin, along the crease where her leg met her torso. He slowly traced around her cunt, his expression becoming more serious with every second, his pink tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth and a fine line appearing between his eyebrows. Chrissie tucked one hand behind her head and skimmed the other over her belly. Her fingers twitched against her abdomen and she flexed her foot against his ass. Anticipation built and built in a tickle that began where her clit throbbed and spread outward like a warm molasses spill. “Tease,” she said quietly as the vibe evaded her clit. “Shush.” His hand stilled for just a moment as he leaned down and nuzzled his unshaven cheek against her knee. Almost as good as his warm lips on her skin was the sight

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of his abs clenching and his erection bobbing. When he straightened, he ran the vibe along the smooth skin alongside her pussy, then slowly moved inward. Chrissie bit down on her bottom lip as the vibe slid through the folds of her pussy, but she couldn’t hold her breath in for long. He turned the smooth head back and forth like a corkscrew around the mouth of her cunt. She moaned and pressed her heels into his buttocks as the walls of her cunt pulsed and her need revved up another notch. He slid the vibe higher. Her toes curled as the pulsations reached out for her clit. She ran her hand down and brushed her middle finger across the hard flesh. A moan sputtered over Sam’s lips and he slid the vibe higher. “That’s so fucking sexy.” “Don’t even think about putting your little helper away just yet,” she said, out of breath. “If you want a show, I’ll give you a show on the drive back, but right now—” Her words were cut off when he touched the bullet to her clit and at the same time increased the power. Chrissie tilted her head back and for just a few seconds found it hard to breathe as the powerful vibrations rippled outward. “Oh Jesus.” She managed to grind the words through her teeth and frantically shook her hand. “Give me the remote.” “Nope.” The intensity of the vibe increased, along with the hot, heavy current that moved between her legs. She shook her head and wiggled her fingers. “No kidding, give me the remote and use your fingers while you do that.” “I said no,” he replied with a chuckle. “Give me a break, I’m having fun.” Chrissie rolled her eyes, first in frustration, then because she couldn’t help it as he rolled the bullet around her clit. Her legs tightened around him and she pushed her ankles harder into his ass. When he hit just the right spot, the bundle of nerves on the underside of her clit, Chrissie took two fistfuls of bedding and moaned. “My turn,” he said. His voice was fuzzy in her ears, like he was speaking to her through a window. The feel of the vibe changed and the pressure increased. She lifted her head and found Sam rubbing the underside of his dick over the opposite surface of the bullet. “Oh shit.” He blew out a puff of breath and tilted his hips until the vibe reached him at the root. “Oh shit, I’ve got to get me one of these things.”

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Chrissie pushed herself up onto one elbow and watched, biting her lip as he slid his shaft along the vibe. Pre-cum smeared the end of the condom and she could see the veins standing out through the thin layer of latex. Everything was so quiet. Without the hum of traffic and urban noise, the oscillating hum of the vibe and the low moans that poured from both of them seemed louder than they ought to be. The little vibe remained stationary between them but the power increased until the sensation was almost uncomfortable. Chrissie let her legs fall around him and she pressed her feet flat against the mattress. She started to rock her hips in rhythm with him and at the same time she reached down and closed her hand around his dick. A moan seemed to choke Sam as she positioned the head so that the groove on the underside pressed against the bullet. Holding him in place, she used the other hand to knead the shaft. “Oh God, I really need to get one of these,” he said again in a puff of air. Chrissie nodded with a breathy laugh, and they both went silent as one worked the other, each moving just enough to keep the perfect pace. The intensity of the vibe reached its peak and a jolt went through Chrissie like a shot of electricity. Her clit swelled against the vibe and her pussy contracted. She pushed her ass up off the mattress and Sam dropped the remote to slide his hand beneath her and hold her in place. She was vaguely aware of his moans growing louder but she couldn’t focus on his face through the multi-coloured splotches that bloomed before her eyes. There was only the sudden explosion of pleasure that sent a pounding shock wave through her. She felt his resistance and squeezed down on his cock, but Sam pulled away. His face came into focus and he grinned. “Sorry, but I’m not leaving this room without fucking you.” With a delirious bubble of laughter, Chrissie struggled to push herself up onto her elbows. As he draped her legs over his shoulders she gathered up the vibe and its remote and shoved them aside. Her whole body felt like it was filled with warm honey and little bubbles of euphoria still popped throughout. Sam slipped one hand beneath her and with the other reached between them to position his cock at the mouth of her pussy. She was so tight from her orgasm that he felt huge as he stretched her.

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“Don’t you get shy on me now,” she said as he slowly filled her. Sam chuckled, undoing Chrissie’s next remark by sliding his hand up to lightly rub her clit with his thumb. A small gasp popped over her lips as the walls of her cunt rippled with the after-effects of her orgasm. “Shy? You call this shy?” He lifted her with both hands and pushed balls deep. Chrissie squeezed her inner muscles around him and watched his smile evaporate. His expression was serious as he withdrew. “We’re going to fuck on every kilometre from here to Moncton.” “Oh yeah.” Chrissie tucked her hands against his neck and clipped her thighs together to give him an even tighter squeeze. “Let’s go the long way.” Her hands met his against her ass and she closed her fingers around his wrists. Sam thrust again. She sucked in a deep breath as he rotated his hips, rubbing the thick head against her G-spot. “To hell with that,” he said, going deep once more. “That’s too much drive time. Let’s just get a room at the nearest airport and do this for three more days.” “What about Laurie and Tony?” “Who cares?” His heavy balls brushed against her and his pubic hair scraped her clit. Her cunt throbbed around him. She cut her nails into his wrist and wriggled her ass as the rippling sensation ran the length of her pussy. “Deal. Enough talk. Fuck me.” She sucked in a deep breath and held it as he started to pump into her. He put his whole body into the act, bobbing back and forth, his fingers digging into her ass as he filled her. Chrissie continued to squeeze around him but otherwise she just held on and enjoyed the friction that mounted. His upper lip curled over his teeth. His brows pinched together. Watching his face, she once again welled up with the need to come. She released her grip on his wrists and ran her hands along his forearms. “Can you wait?” He shook his head and swallowed hard, then he nodded. “Hurry.” Sam pushed forwards until he hovered over her, his hard thighs flush with hers. The muscles in her legs, abs and buttocks burned as he bent her body against itself. Chrissie rested one hand on his hip and slipped the other between their bodies.

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“Don’t stop,” she said, grinding the words out through gritted teeth. “Don’t slow down.” Determination surged through her as she watched him struggle to hold back his climax. She used two fingers and rubbed a furious circle around her clit, tugging the puffy sheath and rolling the bead of flesh. Sam slammed into her harder than ever. The metal bed framed whined and creaked with every wet thrust. “Soon,” he said, pausing long enough to rise up and contort her body even more. She felt his cock throb as the tempo of his thrusts quickened. She grunted and worked her hand even faster, then nodded as her blood raced between her legs. “Now. I’m ready. Come with me, Sam.” With a groan he buried deep and he grasped the halves of her ass with his whole hands. The tips of his fingers dug in but she was only aware of the stab of pain for a moment before she was overflowing. She pinched her clit as it swelled and her climax rocketed through her. Her heart banged like a drum against her chest and she couldn’t breathe. Tipping her head back, she pushed a moan from the back of her throat and watched his expression morph from desperation to bliss as he thrust once more and emptied against the thin barrier between them. They remained locked together like statues. It felt like the air was being slowly pumped back into the room. Her pulse regulated and the blistering heat beneath the surface of her skin abated. Before her eyes, the boyish expression that had been giving her a little tickle in her belly from the first day reappeared. She stretched her legs and let them fall on either side of him. Sam grinned and released her, and Chrissie flopped back onto the mattress like a wet rag. “Wow.” “I know,” he said with a laugh and sagged next to her. He jerked up with a hiss and reached behind his back, producing the vibrator and holding it over her. “This thing is awesome.” “Yes, it is, and it’s mine. Get your own.” She took it out of his hand and slipped it next to her. “I’m glad I shut the windows. I think we were kind of noisy.” Sam snickered as he flattened out next to her. He tilted his head back and peered at the window. “It’s getting light out. Should we get up?”

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Chrissie turned her head and looked down the length of his body. Sweat dappled his chest and belly. His cock had gone limp but the condom he wore was still slick and glistening with her juices. The flush on his skin matched the one on hers. With a giggle she flipped over and draped her arm across his chest. “I don’t think so. Laurie won’t wake up until I jab her with something, so unless Tony is an early bird we should have a few more hours to ourselves.” “Tony got pretty hammered last night. We should be generous and let him sleep it off.” He worked his arm underneath her and dragged her on top of him. “Got any more toys I can play with?” “Just the one, but I’m sure there’s a shop along the way we can visit.” She pushed up until she was sitting on his thighs. She ran her hands along his warm chest. “We’ll just have to get creative until then.” His growl vibrated beneath her fingers as he cupped her ass. “Before we leave remind me thank the owner with a big kiss for screwing up our reservations.” “Poor old lady.” She leant down and nuzzled the damp slope of his neck. “She’ll be crushed.” Sam turned his face and brushed his mouth across hers. “We’ll leave her a big tip on the dresser.” Chrissie parted her lips for his wet tongue and shuddered as the tips of his fingers trailed over the curve of her ass and between her legs. Two fingers parted the sensitive lips while two more circled the mouth of her cunt. She curled her fingers into his chest and her tongue followed his over his lips. “That really was a dumb rule,” he whispered after a moment that left her breathless and shaking. His fingers went to the knuckle and Chrissie arched her back. “We could have been doing this for a week.” “I’ll make it up to you next year,” she said and skimmed her tongue over his bottom lip. Sam shook his head and made a small sound of dissent as he slowly withdrew his fingers. “Not next year. Now.”

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Chapter Four

Laurie dumped her suitcase onto the gravel and scowled. “What the hell? Chrissie, you’re ditching me?” Leaning against the SUV and peering up at the sun as it strained to breach the clouds, Chrissie grinned. “Change of plans.” Sam poked his head over the top of the vehicle. “Sorry Laurie. I called it this morning.” “It’s only fair,” Chrissie added and dug her hands into the pockets of her nylon jacket. “You guys had the coffee this morning. This is your punishment.” “My punishment was watching Tony take a leak with the bathroom door open. You traitor.” She narrowed her eyes at Sam until he disappeared from view. As soon as he was out of earshot she scuttled up to Chrissie. “You tramp.” “What can I say? I took off my bra and jiggled.” Chrissie pulled out her sunglasses and wiggled her eyebrows before sliding the huge lenses over her eyes. “He went mad, like Rhett when Scarlett tried to blow him off.” “What’s the deal?” Tony appeared, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His face was free of his scraggly beard and now sickly pale, and dotted with bits of toilet paper. Chrissie snorted. “Jesus, Tony, did you shave with a clam shell?” “Laurie attacked me with her tweezers when I told her one eyebrow was uneven. Hey, Sam! What’s up?” “I’m riding with Chrissie the rest of the way,” he called from the inside of the car. Chrissie pushed away from the car and beamed as Sam appeared around the corner and slung his arm over her shoulder. Tony dropped his duffel and scowled at Chrissie. “Home-wrecker.” “Wait a minute.” Laurie threw up her arms and started pacing. “This isn’t cool. I’m not sleeping with Tony again.” “Aw, come on, Laurie. Can’t you smell the love in the air?” Tony blew her a kiss. “Maybe we can have an orgy before we leave.”

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Chrissie buried her face against Sam’s chest and bit down on his T-shirt with a groan as Laurie lit into Tony about his disgusting morning habits. Sam’s arm closed around her shoulders. He smelled like her almond soap and his own spicy deodorant. “Maybe we should just ditch them,” Sam murmured into the hair at the top of her head. Chrissie shook her head and breathed him in. “I mapped out a detour we can take once we get to the island. I figured it’s only fair that I get to make good use of the backseat of this thing. I want to get my money’s worth out of the rental.” “What did you have in mind?” Sam asked in a low voice. He lowered his mouth to hers and Chrissie parted her lips. “Excuse me, but that’s a highly inappropriate display of public affection.” Tony’s dry tone did nothing to cool the kiss. Chrissie wrapped her arms around Sam’s waist and tilted her head so that her mouth lined up perfectly with his. He swept his tongue over hers and his grip tightened. “Oh, hang on a second. I got you a souvenir.” Sam reached into his back pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. Chrissie squealed as he unfolded it. “The pride flag!” “That should be my token of love,” Tony said with a scowl and tossed his duffel into the bed of the truck. “Adulterers.” “Traitors.” Laurie added and yanked open the passenger door. She squealed. “You have satellite radio! We don’t have satellite radio! You bastards have been holding out on us.” Ten minutes later the SUV rolled behind the truck, the pride flag taped to the back window. Chrissie waved at the old lady standing in the office door, Sam honked the horn, then they were moving along the winding strip of road towards the highway. Chrissie sank back with a sigh and wriggled her feet out of her sandals. “This really was a great idea for a vacation, wasn’t it? We should do something nice for Tony for coming up with it.” “Like what?” “I don’t know. Let’s take him to a farm. He can milk a cow. That will make him happy. He’s not getting any this vacation, and he has to spend the next few nights knowing that you are.”

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“Are you suggesting that milking a cow will turn him on? Maybe you should discuss this with Laurie. There are a lot of implications to your suggestion that she might not like.” With a giggle she shifted in her seat and studied him. She wondered what he looked like when he wasn’t driving a little too fast on a country road. Would he cut off his hair when he got back to Toronto? Did he always smell like cinnamon gum? These were all things that she had wondered in the past week but she’d brushed them off as something she shouldn’t ask. Now she felt like she had to know. From the time she and Sam had dragged themselves out of bed, Chrissie’d had a case of the giggles right under the surface. She could feel her crush on Sam morphing, churning in her belly like a blob in a lava lamp, breaking up and forming something completely different and indiscernible before breaking up again. She loved the feeling but at the same time she hated it. There was nothing there but gooey happiness and she craved certainty. It made her nervous. She wasn’t sure she was being herself without the noise of city life grinding behind her and if that was the case, was Sam always like this? She didn’t like the idea of Sam with frown lines. She didn’t like the idea of Sam seeing her with her Monday morning case of the blehs. She took his hand and pulled it into her lap. “So you said you’ve been here before?” “I did a bike marathon a few years ago with a couple of buddies. It was all for charity and one of them, Mike, owns a bar that sponsored us. Halifax to Charlottetown. We ended up staying another couple of days to just sit our asses on the beach and bake.” He squeezed her fingers and glanced over at her with a grin. “This is the first time you’ve done this, isn’t it?” “Done what?” “Road trip.” “Pretty much. I’ve only owned one car and that’s the piece of crap my Dad gave me when I first got my licence. I walk everywhere.” “I can tell. You’ve got great legs and a great ass.” He shook his hand free and ran his palm along her inner thigh. His smile dissipated slightly as his gaze met hers. “You know,” she said, “the ferry doesn’t leave for another two hours. It’s one hour to the terminal and then we’re just waiting in a line of cars”

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Sam nodded and placed his hand on her thigh. Her skin warmed as he slid his palm between her legs, and she parted her thighs as he wriggled his fingers beneath the crotch. The tips of his fingers brushed the moist heat that had gathered between her pussy lips. Chrissie sucked in a deep breath as the first pulse of heat radiated through her abdomen. She cupped the bulge between Sam’s legs and squeezed, and at the same time placed her hand over his and pushed down until there was just enough pressure to send a flare of liquid heat through her. Sam groaned and wriggled in his seat. “You’re going to tease me unless I pull over, aren’t you?” “You started it.” She slipped her fingers under the strip of denim covering the zipper and tugged the metal latch. “Just for the next twenty miles or so, and then I’m going to make you stop on some side road. It’s not safe to drive for very long without a rest.” “It’s also no good to drive into oncoming traffic while getting a hand job.” She took his wrist and pushed his hand back. “Just keep your eyes on the road and when you see a logging road or something like that, pull over.” Sam shifted to accommodate her as she parted the front of his shorts. She slipped her hand inside and rubbed his dick through his jockeys. After a few minutes he wriggled around until she was able to pull his cock free. The pink skin was pulled taut over the shaft and the head had darkened to a light purple. While Chrissie slicked her palm with the precum that streaked the head his face morphed from one of bliss to restraint. He puckered his mouth and his brows pinched together. Even his nose scrunched up. He never took his eyes off the road. Chrissie didn’t want to giggle and ruin the moment so she bit down on her bottom lip, but her smile cramped her cheeks and she had to let it out. He glanced at her as he blew out a puff of air. “Meanie.” “There’s nothing mean about this,” she said and rubbed her thumb around the opening at the head. Sam sucked in a deep breath through his teeth. He turned the wheel hard to the right, turning into a stubby patch of gravel that ran adjacent to the road. “Here,” he said and crossed his arm over hers to put the vehicle in park. Chrissie raised her brows and glanced around. “Here?”

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“It’s here or I come all over the steering wheel.” She looked around. The SUV was parked at an angle between the shoulder and the gate that barred further entry down the rustic road. “Sam, we’re on the side of the road. Actually, we’re still on the road. Half on and half off.” “See that sign?” He pointed to a yellow plaque attached to the gate. “There’s a pioneers monument along that trail. If anyone goes by they will think we’re in there being tourists. They’ll be going too fast to see us in the car.” “Jesus,” she said and exhaled. She still had his cock in her hand and was still working the soft skin over the shaft. “If some backwoods mountain men come out of those woods—” “I promise, I’ll be the one they have relations with and you can be the one whose skin and bones they turn into upholstery.” “You’re too good to me,” she said and put on the parking brake. Sam adjusted his seat and snapped on a condom while Chrissie wriggled out of her shorts. With one more glance through the back window and down the stretch of road ahead, Chrissie giggled and with Sam’s help she manoeuvred over the console. “Can you go down?” she asked, straddling him. Sam scowled. “I don’t think there’s enough room. We can get out of the car, though.” “Not go down on me. Go down on your back, as in push the seat back.” “Oh. Sorry. I’m not sure.” With the edge of the steering wheel digging into her lower back and her legs starting to ache from perching on what little seat Sam didn’t take up, Chrissie watched him and wondered if having sex in the front seat of the car was such a good idea. She dubiously eyed the parking brake. Then he shot flat on his back and grinned. She was once again struck with how adorable he was. “Better?” Chrissie’s initial response was shoved to the back of her throat as he positioned his cock at her wet opening. She sucked a breath in and let it out as a moan as he gave her an inch at a time until he was balls deep.

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One more shift in his seat and Sam relaxed beneath her. He splayed his hands on both halves of her ass and squeezed, spurring her to start moving. She reached behind her, cuffed her fingers around his wrists, and used him for leverage as she bobbed up and down. “I love that look you get when you take it all,” he murmured and wet his lips. The sight of his pink tongue skimming over his bottom lip seemed to go straight to her clit. She guided his hands over her hips, leading one even further between her thighs. With no more encouragement needed, Sam rested the palm of his hand against the smooth triangle of skin above her pussy. His thumb immediately began working the skin around her clit. The small bead of flesh throbbed as he applied just the right amount of pressure and friction. A glorious shudder ran through her whole body—between her shoulder blades, along the backs of her thighs, beneath her hair, and along the length of her pussy. Chrissie hung her head back and ran both hands along his shaped arms. “God, Sam, it’s like you’ve got a handbook that tells you just how I like it.” “I don’t need a handbook. I can feel it,” he said. He moved his thumb less than an inch, enough to touch her clit directly and heighten the pulsations that reverberated through her lower body. Her surroundings melted away in an instant. Chrissie hung her head back and moaned. “Can you feel this?” she asked in a whisper, and Sam moaned as she clenched around him. She lifted her hips, drawing away from him just enough that the fat head rubbed her Gspot. “Right here. Right here is where you’re doing it to me.” “I can feel it,” he said through his teeth and lifted his hips off the seat to meet her. “Right here. Too perfect.” Chrissie leant forwards and pressed her hands against his chest. She curled her fingers, bunching his cotton tee up to reveal the ridges and lines beneath, then sprawled her fingers through the dusting of blond hair sprinkled across his torso. “Almost there,” she said, panting, bobbing a little faster in tune with his thumb rolling around her swollen clit. “Just a little more.” “Oh Jesus,” were the last words she heard from Sam before the whole world took a backseat to the throbbing between her legs and her existence centred entirely on the intensity blooming in her abdomen.

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With another curse Chrissie ground against him. His hot cock replaced his fingers against her clit, his shaft rubbing the underside. The tension she felt in her lower back and her calves vanished in the white hot explosion racing quickly outward. He wasn’t done, but she couldn’t move. Not yet, not while she had concentrated bliss rushing through her like water through a tube. She went down, face buried against his chest, fighting to catch her breath in the nowsweltering car. She could feel his erection throbbing inside and Sam’s hands moving over her ass. After a few moments her limbs felt a little less useless, and so she pushed up and looked down on him. His belly rapidly swelled and deflated as he inhaled and exhaled. Every breath had a low moan barely hidden inside. His expression was patient but expectant and the crooked grin that slid across his lips set something off at the base of her throat. Bubbling over with elation, Chrissie laughed and took his hands. She laced her fingers with his and pushed against his palms enough to sustain her balance as she went forwards. Sam groaned as she rolled her hips each time she slid over his cock. He wet his lips and flexed his fingers around hers, groaning as she picked up the pace. The colour on his face went from hot pink to a dark red that took over his whole face. Sweat glistened everywhere. She could feel his dick throbbing with every stroke. In just a few seconds the SUV proved its sturdiness by only rocking slightly as he began to buck up against her. His fingers squeezed around hers and he writhed against the seat. He tipped his head back and groaned something that sounded like “Oh shit” before he seized up beneath her. She felt his cock swell and pulse, amplifying the delightful pulse which still shuddered along the slick walls of her cunt. If they had been going slower, if she had taken greater care, she knew she would have gotten off again. She remained perched on top of him, squeezing his dick with her inner muscles and enjoying the euphoria that filled his face. His smile appeared, lopsided and goofy, and he opened his eyes. “How’s it going?” he asked with a sigh. Chrissie cracked up. She released his hands and fell forwards to snuffle into his chest. “I’m awesome.”

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“Me too, but in hindsight this wasn’t the best idea. I need a nap now.” “Of course you do, you’ve been sexed up all morning. Am I going to have to call a moratorium on the fucking?” “If you do, I swear to God I will leave you on the side of the road.” He ran his hands along her sweaty back, then gave her ass a light slap. “Told you. No cars.” “Oh God, how could you tell? A circus could have sprung up around the car and I don’t think I would have noticed.” “Good point.” Each dripping with sweat, they righted themselves and climbed out of the car. Toiletry kits in hand, they darted into the woods to freshen up. Minutes later they were back on the road. At the ferry terminal they found Chrissie and Tony standing outside of the truck sipping cans of soda and sharing a bag of kettle chips. They were at the front of the line. Sam put the SUV into park at the end of the same line. “Let me guess. You had a flat tire,” Tony said dryly and popped a chip into his mouth. “Or you were detained by a flock of sheep on the side of the road,” Laurie added. Sam held up a hand, one finger stuck up. “We were not detained. We deliberately delayed by taking part in some roadside intercourse.” Tony scowled. “Laurie made me pull over so she could take a picture of a cow.” “Hey, I’ve never seen one that wasn’t in patty form with a side of onion rings.” Chrissie came up behind Sam and ran her hand along the perfect curve of his ass before tucking it into his back pocket. “Something tells me he’s not going to enjoy milking a cow to make up for a potential case of blue balls.” “Guess you have to sleep with him.” Chrissie raised her eyebrows at Sam. “Maybe he likes sheep.”

**** It seemed a little silly to be fluffing her hair and plumping her lips in the musty bathroom of an ancient gas station, but Chrissie couldn’t help herself. She was still all sexed

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up. She hadn’t brought any sexy undies to prance around in and so her only avenue to girliness was the clumpy mascara and dollar store lipstick she’d brought with her. “This is bad,” she said to her reflection in the grime-streaked mirror and plucked a piece of black goo from her lashes. “So very bad.” It was bad being a thirty-year old woman acting like a teen primping in the toilet during a school dance. As well as making herself look as fuckable as possible, Chrissie was chasing away the foreboding that accompanied falling so fast. There was no room for the voice of reason on her vacation and she would squish it like a bug if it buzzed around her head again. She didn’t care if non-fuckable Chrissie insisted that vacation sex was only going to land her in hot water—fuckable Chrissie thought vacation sex was awesome. I’m having vacation sex. It’s phenomenal. He’s hunky and looks good in ugly swimming trunks. He knows how to use a vibrator. Who cares if it’s doomed to go down the crapper when the vacation is over? They had driven off the ferry that linked Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island a half hour ago. Actually, Chrissie had driven off the ferry while Sam groaned from the passenger seat with his head between his legs. He’d had no trouble on the ferry from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, but for some reason this crossing had given him motion sickness. He had suffered for almost an hour on the top deck of the ferry, stretched out across a row of seats with his head on Chrissie’s lap. It had been cute until he had thrown up on her shoe. He claimed to feel better as they stopped to gas up and Chrissie was more than happy to let him drive the rest of the way to the resort town where they were booked to stay. She loved watching him drive, loved those arms flexing and those shoulders rolling. Besides, as a passenger he had taken total control of the music, and ever since he had regained the ability to lift his head, he had been warbling some country song about toes in the water and asses in the sand. She emerged from the bathroom feeling less like she’d been peeled from the bottom of the car. Sam had moved the SUV from the pumps to the little strip of gravel next to the station and was leaning against the bumper. The shirt was off. The belly was exposed. Her breath caught at the back of her throat and her feet stopped working. He was just so gorgeous she wanted to run over and bite him in the ass.

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Sam shoved away from the bumper when she approached. He bobbed his sunglasses at her and his gaze roamed from head to toe while she tossed her make-up case on the passenger seat. “You look fresh.” She slipped her arms around his waist. “Good. I was going for fresh.” He held his arm over her head and peered at his watch. “It’s not even noon and I’ve had three orgasms today. Road sex seems to be doing the trick.” “Three? I’ve had five.” She gave his ass-cheek a squeeze and ground herself against him. “So what’s on the agenda for this evening?” “I had a thought while you were in the toilet. There are a few campgrounds around. What do you say we pick up a tent at the hardware store and skip the motel?” Chrissie raised her brows. “A tent. Huh.” “It’s just for the night.” “I don’t do tents. I do old shacks with leaky plumbing and crappy motels. I don’t want the only barrier between me and death-by-bear to be a thin layer of nylon. Besides, tents involve outhouses.” “Man, you put on some lipstick and you turn into Laurie.” He swung her around until her back was to the warm surface of the SUV. He crooked his knee between her legs and lifted her just enough that the pressure made her clit throb. “You ever been fucked outdoors?” She shook her head and slid a little along his hard thigh. “Does the car count?” “Nope. That was technically indoors.” “I did it on the balcony of my apartment building last Labour Day.” “I wasn’t really asking, you know. I didn’t want to hear the details of your escapades with another guy.” He plastered two hands across her ass and squeezed. “You were supposed to say, ‘God yes, Sam, I want you to do me rough and dirty with nothing but the rugged wilderness surrounding us for miles.’” “Rugged wilderness and an RV full of small children roasting weenies,” she said, but as she tilted her head back to invite his mouth she felt a delicious hot flash pass through her at the mental image his suggestion brought. She never would have pegged Sam as a rough and dirty kind of guy. She wasn’t a rough and dirty kind of girl but, hell, given the material she

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had to work with, she was willing to give it a shot. She licked her lips and groaned when he increased the pressure on her pussy. “Okay, but only for a night, and then you owe me a night in a nice big hotel with a Jacuzzi tub and fluffy towels.” Her surroundings melted as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sam merely made a low sound of assent before his tongue slid past her lips. Chrissie stood on her toes as she sucked him deeper. She could feel his cock getting hard against her hip as she squirmed against him. After the kiss ended his grip on her remained, and his grin appeared. “I’ve got lipstick all over my mouth now, don’t I?” “Yeah, but it’s okay as long as you’re not prettier than I am.” She slapped his ass and stepped away, then giggled into her hand as she took a longer look at him. His lips were covered in her lip gloss. “There are wet naps under the passenger seat.” Standing aside as Sam ducked into the truck, Chrissie tilted her head up to the sun and took a deep breath. Even with the sour smell of gasoline all around her she could call this a perfect day. There wasn’t so much as a puffball of cloud in the sky. The temperature was just cool enough that Chrissie wasn’t sweating through her yoga tee, but warm enough that Sam could go shirtless. The landscape was nothing but green fields in either direction but there was still the perfume of the ocean on the air. She wondered how far Laurie and Tony had made it but honestly she didn’t care. She planned to ditch them as soon as they got to the next motel and lock herself in a room with Sam to make up for the nights on this trip she had gone to bed alone. That fantasy blew away like dust. She exhaled. “A tent.” “You’ll love it.” His mouth was clean and rosy when he shut the passenger door. It made her want to kiss him all over again. She was on the verge of throwing herself at him when his eyebrows screwed up and he snorted. “Get a load of that.” She twisted her neck and did a double take. There was a small car parked at the pumps. It was a patchwork of parts—red door and navy blue hood while the rest was forest green— and splotches of rust everywhere. Through the windshield she could see a plastic Betty Boop

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bobble-head flashing her goods on the dash. The seats looked like they were made entirely of duct tape. However, that wasn’t what was exceptional about the car. It was the fact that there was a pirate jamming the nozzle into the side of the car. He had a red bandana on his head and a golden hoop hanging from his right ear. His white shirt was split open to reveal a very hairy chest. While he had a soft-looking torso, Chrissie thought that his ass was rocking the satin breeches he wore. “Do you think he dresses like that all the time or just on Sundays?” she asked. “It could be a lifestyle choice. Like some men are born to wear women’s underwear? This guy could be born to dress like a pirate.” Sam looked down at her. There was a giddy look on his face. “Do you think he’d let me pose with him?” “I don’t know. He looks like he might be the plundering kind. He might run you through.” He passed her his iPhone and she followed him to the wrecked car. She stood aside, waiting for Sam to bolt from the pirate if he took offence. She’d seen Sam crack under pressure before. He had attempted to take a girl back to his hotel room early in the trip and when the woman had started shouting at him in Greek, he’d just sprinted back to their table without another word. Chrissie thought it was kind of cute that he was bashful. “Dude, I don’t mean to be a pain in the ass,” Sam politely said, “but can my girlfriend get a picture of me with you?” At the word girlfriend Chrissie nearly dropped Sam’s iPhone and the twelve-year-old girl inside her went into hysterics. Girlfriend! Sam’s girlfriend! She had only a moment to enjoy it before the pirate clapped Sam on the shoulder and exclaimed. “Of course ye can take me picture, matey!” Sam whirled around. His face was lit up like a kid who just got his first Xbox at Christmas. Chrissie was surprised he didn’t squeal and do a happy dance. With the word girlfriend still dancing around her head like cartoon stars, she stood back and raised the iPhone. “Say Yarrrrrrr!” “Yarrrrrrr!”

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All smiles, a miniature version of Sam and his swashbuckling new friend froze on the screen. Chrissie handed the phone back to Sam. He beamed as he showed the picture to the pirate, then to Chrissie. The pirate replaced the nozzle back at the pump and twisted the gas cap back into place. “Are ye taking yer wench to the festival tonight?” “What festival?” “Don’t ye know? It was two hundred and fifty years ago tonight that the pirate Valentine took every man, woman and child in the cove captive. For fourteen days and nights John Brody, or Valentine Brody as he liked to be called, weighed anchor and was King here, and for fourteen days he made every citizen pay him tribute. He was a living God here. That’s right, for fourteen days the most successful pirate of his time was—” “Jesus, Dad, give it a rest for five freaking minutes.” A teenage boy strode towards the crappy car, Dr. Pepper in one hand and a bag of ketchup chips in the other. He was dressed in a brown shirt that went to mid-thigh, green breeches, and a grey stocking cap. He yanked open the passenger door and rolled his eyes at Chrissie and Sam. “He’s been doing this all day. Driving me up the wall.” “Shut yer yap before I put the boots to ye, toad.” “Oh God. Can one of you please kill me?” The small car rocked as the boy crawled into the passenger seat. He stuffed two white buds in his ears and yanked the front of the cap over his eyes. The pirate cleared his throat. “I’m kind of a pirate buff.” He shot a forlorn look at his son and shook his head. “I thought it would be fun. Once in a lifetime opportunity. He used to love pirates. Now he loves iTunes. Look at me. I’m a middle-aged electronics salesman dressed up like a pirate on the side of the road.” Chrissie bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing at the way the man’s voice cracked as he spoke. She grinned at the pirate. “So will there be food and beer at this festival?” “There’s a beer tent and barbecue, and a re-enactment of Brody calling all the townsfolk into the beach.” He ran a hand down the front of his coat. His chest puffed up with pride. “I

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signed up to be a part of Brody’s crew. Hey, if you’re going you should sign up. They’re still looking for people. You get free beer tickets and a souvenir T-shirt.” “Wait, are you saying that if we go to—where was it again?” “Valentine’s Cove.” Chrissie bobbed her head. “Right. So, if we go to this Valentine’s Cove, my friend here can dress up like a pirate and get free beer?” The pirate smiled. “Yarr.” She looked up at Sam and shook her head. “And you wanted to go camping.” Ten minutes later the pirate, whose name was Steve Kensington, had given them directions to Valentine’s Cove and where they could sign up for the re-enactment. He shouted a final “Yarr!” at which his teenage son, unfortunately named Isadore, swore and buried his face in a graphic novel with zombies on the cover. Chrissie bubbled over with giggles as she turned to Sam. “You’re such a boy. You have a thing for pirates.” The goofiness on his face morphed into a wicked grin. “It was your suggestion that I dress like one. Clearly I’m not the only one who likes pirates.” “Unless you want to fuck a pirate, we’re talking about two completely different things.” She giggled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I hope they have some really tight pants for you to wear.” They climbed into the SUV and Sam revved the engine. “Yesterday nothing happened. Today I have road sex and I get to be a pirate. It’s magic.” Chrissie slipped her sunglasses on her face. “To hell with road sex. We get to have pirate sex tonight!”

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Chapter Five

Laurie careened out of the bathroom. “Look! I have boobies!” Chrissie looked down at her chest. Her big boobs looked like they were about to burst open to reveal a spidery little alien that would climb up and devour her face. She turned to the mirror above the dresser and placed her hands on her waist, pinched tight by the corset. After checking into their motel in Cavendish and catching up with Tony and Laurie, they had quickly changed and headed for Valentine’s Cove. Once they found the restaurant the Pirate Kensington had directed them to sign up at, not only had Sam and Tony been given something to wear, but the women were recruited to be wenches. The foursome had split up to dress—with the women in Laurie’s room and the men in Chrissie’s. “Do you really think there were wenches in this piddly little town in the seventeenhundreds? The pamphlet said that this was a colony of Acadians. I think they were a pretty mellow crowd.” “Where there were pirates, there were wenches. And if not, who cares?” Laurie stepped up next to Chrissie and stuck her chest out. Her face fell. “God damn it. I shouldn’t have stood next to you and your enormous cans.” “At least you can breathe. I think all the fat around my gut has just been pushed up. Halfway through the night it will probably shoot up onto my brain and give me a seizure.” “Oh, poor you. You have a big rack and you get to have sex tonight with the hot pirate. Bite me, Chris.” She bent over and wiggled. Chrissie burst out laughing. “What the hell?” “I’m trying to make them look bigger. You know if this was the olden days I’d be the high class bitch and you’d be the filthy whore. Back then women with tiny titties were very fashionable.” At the knock on the door she straightened up and flipped her reddish-blonde hair. “Yo-ho-ho! Enter!” Chrissie turned to face the door just as Sam and Tony stepped over the threshold. Sam looked gorgeous. He was simply dressed in a dark green jacket over a linen shirt and wore a

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pair of gloriously tight breeches. He wore stockings and on his feet were a pair of brown shoes that looked old and hand-sewn. He carried a tricorn hat at his side. Tony was similarly dressed, but he looked more like a Halloween display than an actual pirate. Not to mention he was grabbing his crotch. “Do you have a rash or something?” Chrissie asked. “Not now, but I bet I will by the morning. These pants are prickly. The fibres are going right through my undies.” Laurie sighed. “Great, he gets crotch-itch and I have to listen to him scratching all night. Can I bunk with you guys?” “No,” Sam and Chrissie said at the same time and shared matching grins before Sam’s gaze moved down her outfit, taking a detour at her boobs before moving downwards. A rush of heat washed through Chrissie that was so powerful she considered ordering Laurie and Tony out of the room, but when Sam’s gaze reached her feet his eyes narrowed. “You’re not wearing those.” She leant forwards to look over her chest to the pink sneakers she was wearing. “Yes I am. The drunk pirate with the big gut told me I could.” “It ruins your look.” “But my feet will hurt.” He stuck out his foot to show off the ugly shoes he was wearing. “That’s authentic.” “How do you know? You don’t know that’s what they wore in the Eighteenth Century. Those could be bowling shoes for all you know.” She stepped up to him and held her foot out next to his. His scowl deepened. She rolled her eyes. “I’ll get blisters.” “I’m going to get blisters. We can get blisters together.” “Yeah, then I can come over with my itchy balls.” Tony said as he sagged on the end of the bed. “You guys can sit there with your gross feet and I’ll sit here with my itchy balls and we’ll have a big party.” “What about me? I want to be a sex object too,” Laurie said, taking a break from looking at her chest. “By the way, why has no one mentioned my boobs? They look fabulous.” “They do look great. Come on over here and I’ll give them a squeeze.” Tony offered.

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Laurie scrunched up her nose. “No way. You’ll want to rub your itchy balls on them.” Chrissie tugged on the bottom of Sam’s shirt and frowned back at him. “You really take this pirate thing too seriously. You’re not going to stab someone, are you?” When he took her hand a jolt of electricity shot up her arm and hummed beneath the skin until she felt as though she was made of liquid. “I might,” he said, “and when I do I will unleash a mighty bellowing laugh.” The tiny community of Valentine’s Cove was a five minute drive from the motel, and the cove itself was a quaint little spot which at one point must have been an impressive working wharf but was now only for the tourists. Along the short boardwalk there were three seafood restaurants, four gift shops and two kayak rental shacks. There was a squat little lighthouse at the end of the wharf and the foursome bickered over whether it was real or for show. The cove itself looked like a postcard. The blue sky reflected off the water and combined with the red sand to give the illusion that the ocean was a breathtaking shade of violet. In the middle of the cove was a ship, smaller than she would have imagined a pirate ship to be but still fairly impressive. “It’s not a pirate ship,” Sam told them as they stood on the wharf and took pictures. “Pirate Steve told me at the pub that it’s supposed to be a replica of the first ship Valentine burned. They’re going to set it on fire and let it sink.” ‘They’re going to set fire to a real boat?” Laurie asked. “What a waste.” “No, it’s cheaply made so they could set fire to it.” Tony added. He adjusted his crotch for the fifth time since getting out of the car. For such a little town there was quite the crowd gathered on the waterfront and even a little scrum of photographers and television news crews on the side of the road. “Do you see where I’m supposed to be?” Sam asked. He sounded a little unsure of himself and Chrissie’s insides went gooey. She squeezed his hand and smiled, then pointed to the end of the wharf where a bunch of men in costume were headed. “There’s a town crier. I think you guys pillage after he does his thing.” Her smile turned lecherous as she reached around and grabbed a handful of ass. “And when you’re done pillaging…”

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Sam’s anxious expression disappeared. He grinned and leaned in until his forehead rested against hers. “I don’t think I’m going to be done pillaging until the sun comes up.” “Do you even know was pillaging is?” “Nope.” “Me neither,” she said, “but I’m looking forward to it. Go. Have fun.” He tilted his head a little and kissed her. Her body’s reaction was instantaneous, need running from her toes to the tip of her tongue as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He was so warm she felt like she would melt when he pulled her closer. After the kiss ended and she was nothing but goo, boobs and pink sneakers, she reluctantly let him go. She stood next to Laurie, arms crossed over her chest, laughing as she watched Sam slap Tony’s hand away from his tortured crotch while they headed towards the waterfront. “That was shameless.” Laurie grabbed Chrissie’s elbow and dragged her along the sidewalk towards the pub. “You’re the one who told me to grab onto that in the first place.” “Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually ditch me to do it. When do I get smutty details to make up for it?” “You can have them now if you want to pay for it. I want all your beer tickets.” “Kiss my ass. I’ll just press my ear to your motel room door tonight and get my jollies that way.”

**** Chrissie hadn’t exactly excelled at history in school so she couldn’t be positive, but she was pretty certain that after taking Valentine’s Cove for their own, the pirates didn’t celebrate by eating weenies and burgers in the parking lot. Her pirate seemed content enough. Sam was still in complete costume with a napkin tucked into his neck to protect against ketchup and mustard blobs. The crowd on the wharf was starting to thin out. Families and retirees returned to their motels and cottages. The beach on the other side of the wharf was starting to fill up with younger tourists. Chrissie could smell wood burning from the bonfire that had been lit an

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hour ago. There was music coming from the beach and from the beer tent. Above their heads the starry sky seemed endless. The only lights were from the houses that surrounded the cove and the occasional beams from a car on the road beyond. “We should dance,” he said. “Every night except for last night we had music and we never danced.” “We danced. We danced at that bar in St. John’s, at least until you threw up.” Chrissie popped the last bite of her hamburger into her mouth and washed it down with a mouthful of warm beer. Sam shrugged. “Yeah, but not slow dancing.” “Do people our age slow dance outside of weddings?” She shoved away from the guard rail and tossed her napkin in a nearby garbage pail. “You just want me rubbing up against you.” “That, too.” He took the second hamburger from his plate and tore into it. Chrissie watched him scarf down the burger in three bites. There was a bit of a breeze skimming off the water and it ruffled his hair. It was one of those little things that made her itch, remembering what it was like to be naked with him, running her hands over all that tanned skin and getting her fingers snagged in his hair while he tongued her. Her fingers curled into the palm of her hand as her brain associated something so simple with his hot tongue parting her labia on its way up to her clit. She smiled over the rim of her plastic cup as he approached. The smile he returned was no less suggestive. He recovered his hat, plopped it on his head, crossed his arms over his chest and curled his upper lip. “Yarr, I think it be about time for pirate sex.” Chrissie giggled. “Do you have a pirate name? And don’t say something like ‘Long Dong Silver,’ please.” “Even if I wanted to I couldn’t. Four other guys already called it, including Tony.” He raised a brow. “Are you saying I’m not worthy of the name?” She threw her beer into the can and slipped her arms around his waist, then breathed in the smell of his sunscreen. “I’m hot and tired and I want to go back to the motel. I hate wearing a corset and my feet hurt.” “Is that your way of asking me to get you naked?” “Yes.”

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“It’s cute that you think you need to ask. For future reference, you can just grunt at me or, if you’re in a real hurry, bitch slapping would work just as well.” They checked for Tony and Laurie at the beach before moving to the beer tent, where they found both. Tony had managed to escape his itchy breeches and was wearing a pair of black track pants he had borrowed from a fellow pirate. Laurie was leaning at an angle. It wasn’t surprising given the number of empty drinks in front of her. “She hasn’t said anything in ten minutes. She freaks me out when she does that.” Tony pushed on Laurie’s shoulder. She went upright for about five seconds, then started to tilt again. “Enjoy it. It’s the only time she shuts up,” Chrissie said and sat next to Laurie. “Are you ready to go back to the motel yet?” Laurie shook her head and started clapping her hands in time with the three old men singing sea shanties on the stage at the front of the tent. Chrissie looked to Sam. “Can you carry her?” “No way, she’ll puke on me. I’ve seen her do it before. She’s got that projectile thing happening.” “Tony?” “Yeah, right.” She straightened with a sigh. “Then we’re going to have to wait for her to sober up for a bit before we get going.” Chrissie made a quick trek from the beer tent to the canteen for two cans of Coke and a hamburger. She placed them in front of Laurie and took Sam by the hand. “By the second Coke she’ll be fine,” she said. Tony scowled. “Where do you think you’re going?” “We’re going back down to the beach.” “Why do I have to stay with her?” “Do you want to come to the beach with us?” Sam asked. “No, my nuts are still chafing. I’m not moving.” “Then since you’re not going anywhere, you can keep an eye on her. We’ll be back in an hour.” He twined his fingers with Chrissie’s and leaned in as they reached the door. “What happened to the beach?” she asked when he pulled her in the opposite direction.

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“To hell with the beach. I don’t want to wait for Laurie to sober up. I want to fuck you in that outfit the first second I can.” “Oh,” Chrissie said, warming from head to toe. “Well.” Sam led her along the boardwalk that spanned the cove. The old fashioned lampposts cast orange blobs over everything. The wooden planks beneath their feet groaned with every step they took. The water made a musical whispering sound as it lapped against the beach. Chrissie took a deep breath and smiled as she exhaled it. Everything smelled so clean, like grass and saltwater, so soothing. She walked at the same pace as Sam and rested her head against his arm. About halfway up the boardwalk Sam grinned and dragged her towards a store that advertised wool sweaters. Though the shops along the boardwalk had stayed open late, it was almost eleven o’clock and they had closed their doors. This part of the boardwalk was quiet. The only other tourists they had passed travelled in the opposite direction towards the parking lot. Sam placed his large hands on her hips and pressed her back against the exterior of the store, then ran his hands along her ribs until he reached her tits. Chrissie giggled and placed her hands over his. “What kind of wench do you think I am?” “I’m hoping you’re the slutty kind.” Sam leaned in. His tongue flicked against hers. Through the thin blouse she wore, his thumbs brushed her nipples. Back and forth, back and forth, he pushed the fabric over them until they were so hard that Chrissie’s clit throbbed in unison. Cupping one hand at the back of his head, she deepened the kiss and parted her legs for him as he rubbed his knee between them. She moaned around his tongue as her lower body was inundated with heat. As if he understood her, Sam moaned in reply and flicked his tongue against hers. Chrissie slipped the other hand between them and moulded her hand around the shape of his cock. The resulting sound he made was like a purr and sent a vibration through her. She let her weight rest against his thigh, then she slid down. Sam pushed his leg up as she rode back and forth over his thigh. “I don’t think those panties are authentic,” he said.

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“Really?” “Really.” He tugged the neckline of her shirt down on one side, then the other. “Though you do get bonus points for going braless. Still,” he rolled one nipple under his thumb, “I think you need to get rid of the panties.” He took both her wrists and pressed her hands to the exterior of the shop, then stood back. He placed his hands on his waist. Moonlight bisected him, lighting up the top half while the shadow of the building devoured his lower half. “Get rid of the panties,” he said. Chrissie doubted she could see anything more than the outline of her features in the shadows, let alone the blush that started heating up across her neck and raced in both directions. “When you get an idea in your head there’s just no stopping you.” “How do you mean?” “Outdoor sex? First the tent and now this.” He crossed his arms over his chest and dipped his head low. His grin was absolutely rascally in the moonlight. “Panties off. Unless you’re one of those high class wenches, which I kind of doubt you are. High class whores don’t do pink sneakers from Walmart.” Chrissie kept her gaze down as she pulled her skirt up to mid-thigh. For every inch exposed he tilted his head a little further to the right and his smile faded a little more. “Just a sec,” he said when she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. He closed the small gap between them and was swallowed by the same shadow that had her. Slowly, he slid his hand between her legs. She felt the joints of his fingers moving through the spandex, stroking up and down until she soaked through her panties. Chrissie worked her hips in rhythm with him. His mouth was close enough that his hot breath streamed over lips. She couldn’t resist leaning in and brushing her mouth against his. His tongue came out and touched hers, teasing with a flick before retreating. Liquid heat spiralled in her belly. She moaned and pushed against his hand, then felt the vibration of his laughter skim through her lower body. “Are you ready to be fucked?” he asked in a whisper. He slipped his index finger beneath the waistband and ran the tip along her wet crack. “Tell me.”

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Her whole body seemed to ripple with pleasure. She went on her toes as he probed the mouth of her cunt, then surged up to take his mouth once more as he smeared the moisture he had gathered. Sam drew back. “Tell me,” he said again. In unison two fingers worked the puffy hood around her clit. It would be so easy to give in and let his touch, his words, take her all the way, but with the pleasure the increasing throb of her clit invoked came greediness. It was like the week they had spent building up to this had made her voracious. She didn’t want to give a single iota, but instead wanted to take. Letting the skirt fall like a curtain around his hand, Chrissie returned her hand to his erection. She traced the shape of his cock to the tip and pinched down lightly. As he shuddered and groaned, Chrissie chuckled. Sam pushed forwards. His body became an unmovable barrier, posture bristling and legs pressed against hers. “Slow,” she murmured. Determined to take the momentum from him, Chrissie teased his tongue into her mouth and covered his hand with hers. The tension in his body ebbed away as she worked him and herself, applying the same amount of pressure to the fingers toying around her clit as she did to the hard column beneath her hand. For Chrissie there was nothing in the whole world but the soft breathing sounds that seemed to echo the water skimming over the sand, the slow-building pleasure that centred between her thighs, and the heat coming from Sam’s body. It all came together in her belly, pulsing and hot. His tongue lazily curled around hers, giving and taking, soft but insistent, hot and suggestive with every darting movement. In her head she repeated the edict she had given him—slow—to stave off the mounting need to have his hard cock pounding into her. Instead she puckered her lips around his tongue and sucked him deep. Her fingers were surprisingly steady as she worked the buttons on his fly. As soon as she had shoved his breeches to the middle of his thighs, Sam abruptly stepped back and spun her around. Chrissie flattened her hands on the exterior of the shop

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and planted her feet into the soft ground. The tension returned in an instant, infecting her as she waited for him to tear into a condom wrapper. “Spread your legs.” His voice rasped from the back of his throat without a hint of playfulness. She felt it skipping down her back long after he had gone silent. Chrissie did as he said and he bunched her skirt at the small of her back. She expected his cock but instead he filled her with two fingers. He didn’t linger long. She was already wet and throbbing. Each time she pushed back against him it was with a little more impatience. Sam withdrew his fingers, hooked the cotton crotch of her panties and pulled them aside. His first few thrusts were slow, firm, easy, but as Chrissie rocked her hips she took some of his momentum for her own. She reached one hand down and rubbed her middle finger around her clit. “Have you ever done this before? I mean, in public like this?” “Shush.” He surged forwards and would have pinned her against the wall, but her body automatically responded and she pushed back. Buried between her slick walls, his cock twitched. Again he pushed forwards and again she rebelled. She shoved him back, pushing against the wall until the muscles in her arm stung. The underlying battle of wills set them both off like a match lighting a fuse. Sam withdrew long enough to use one hand to shove her panties to her ankles, then filled her again. “Shush,” he whispered again as she started to moan when the friction against her Gspot started to build. Unable to hold her breath, she began to hiss quick breaths in and out through her teeth. Soon there was rhythm, not just between them but with the atmosphere around them. They inhaled and exhaled with the tide. Chrissie bounced on the balls of her feet, thrusting her ass out to meet him. The sound of his bare belly slapping against her ass seemed far away and detached from the heat that spread across both cheeks. The breeze coming off the water danced around her bare legs and upwards, amplifying the wet heat between her legs.

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“Almost there. Hold on,” Sam said through a groan. Palms hot and damp, he released her skirt and placed his hands on her hips. The tension in her legs and the arm braced against the store wall increased. He withdrew, the thick knob bumping over her G-spot once, twice, three times. With the first inundation of pleasure that ran the length of her pussy, Chrissie arched her back and stuck her ass up higher. The shift caused the rush of blood between her legs to pool in her clitoris. Her pleasure intensified, she rubbed the bead of flesh between her index and middle fingers. Her clit throbbed. The walls of her pussy shuddered around his dick as he slowly filled her again. Sam pushed forwards and succeeded in finally taking the momentum all for his own. Clamping down, Sam picked up the tempo of his thrusts once more. She could feel her juices running out of her, smeared between her thighs as he worked her like a piston. “Just a little—” he began but the phrase never manifested as anything more than a grunt. Chrissie felt his cock twitch, evoking an aftershock that rocketed through her pussy. She clenched around him, moaned as she felt the undulation as he emptied into the tip of the condom. Panting and shaking, they remained joined together. Chrissie wasn’t sure who was keeping who upright—her legs and arms felt like jelly, but Sam’s grip on her was like that of someone who was afraid to fall if he let go. At the sound of a car engine revving nearby they broke apart, Sam scrambling to pull his breeches over his thighs and Chrissie trying to pull her top together. She looked around, expecting headlights, and Sam started to laugh. “This thing scared the shit out of me.” He kicked the growling deep freeze that was set up at the rear of the store. “If I had known this was here we could have climbed on top. It’s big enough for two.” “I’m not complaining about what we ended up doing.” She stepped into the moonlight and caught his eye with a smile. “Much better than doing it on top of a dirty old freezer.” Sam chuckled as he buttoned himself up. When he was finished he struck an Errol Flynn-like pose. “Well, how was the pirate sex?”

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“Oh, that wasn’t pirate sex. That was dirty sports-equipment-salesman sex.” “And?” “And I think you just sold me a kayak.” Sam’s expression changed from amused to mischievous so quickly Chrissie bolted back with a titter. Her giggle turned into a squeal as Sam chased her between the waterfront buildings and through the grass alongside the boardwalk. A few minutes later they were heading back to the beer tent, and Sam carried her on his back as effortlessly as if she was a knapsack. “This was fun,” he said and hoisted her up a little higher. Chrissie hugged tighter to him. “It was fun. Much better than camping.” “You’re not off the hook yet. Back home I sleep on the balcony all the time. Wait until you spend the night nine floors up with nothing between you and gravity but a slab of concrete and an air mattress.” Chrissie’s stomach flipped. Not because she was a little afraid of heights, but because the invitation had made the Sam’s girlfriend a little more than just a label. He kept talking, this time about a house-boat a friend of his kept on a lake and how she’d love drifting off to sleep with the water all around them. Feeling more weightless than ever, Chrissie swung her feet back and forth and rubbed her face in the crook of his neck. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy.

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Chapter Six

First there was a thump, then a scuffle, and then, “Ow! Damn it!” Chrissie had one leg stretched across the bathroom counter. A film of shaving cream that was alleged to smell like the rainforest covered most of it. She hopped on the other foot until she could reach the door and turned the lock. Laurie entered, rubbing her forehead. “Why did you lock the door?” “That’s what you do when you go to the bathroom. What if I was sitting down? What if I was straining?” “That’s disgusting. Don’t say ‘straining’ to me.” “Then don’t ask me why the door is locked.” She resumed shaving her legs and Laurie sat on the edge of the tub. It was just after breakfast and they had a few hours before check-out. Their plans to visit the beach had been pissed all over by Mother Nature and the mini-torrent coming down. While Sam had gone in search of an ATM, Chrissie took the opportunity to preen before the next bout of mattress-gymnastics. She couldn’t do anything about the scratches and bruises on her legs but she could at least encourage an obscene amount of rubbing by being smooth to the touch. Not that Sam needed any encouragement. When the alarm had gone off that morning he’d quickly turned it off and thrown the covers over both of them with a “Yarr.” Then came the rubbing and the bouncing and the squeezing. Chrissie tried not to look too smug when she looked at Laurie, but a grin split her face in two and she giggled. Laurie narrowed her eyes. “Hussy.” “I can’t help it. He’s dreamy. I keep seeing him naked every time I blink.” “I hate you so hard. I’ve been sleeping in the same room as a shaved gorilla the last few nights and you get to rub your girl bits up against Sam’s boy bits. I woke up this morning and Tony was lying in bed watching The Simpsons on his iPod. And he was giggling.” Laurie rolled her eyes. “He’s driving me nuts.”

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Chrissie swiped the razor along the back of her calf. “Tony doesn’t look like a shaved gorilla. More like a really big shaved squirrel.” Laurie bit her bottom lip and peered at the floor. The length of time it took before she spoke again seemed a little long to Chrissie. “So?” Chrissie asked and sloshed the razor in the sink. “What’s up?” “Have you ever heard him sing? He sings when he’s driving. He tilts his head to one side and he starts whistling under his breath, then he starts singing. He has a really raspy voice like Rod Stewart.” Chrissie couldn’t think of anything meaningful to say and couldn’t bring herself to say anything sarcastic after she saw Laurie’s cheeks go scarlet. She had never seen Laurie blush before and she thought it was kind of cute, but she didn’t want to push it. Instead she shrugged like she was brushing it off. “I heard him do karaoke when we were in university but only the one time. You were there but you were kind of drunk.” “Hmmm.” Laurie seemed on the verge of saying something else but instead frowned. “Anyway, he’s driving me nuts.” “You had your chance. You could have scooped up a room with Sam that night.” “Oh please. If he couldn’t have you I bet he would have shrugged it off and shared a bed with Tony instead of spending his nights on top of you.” Chrissie rolled her eyes. “He’s not always on top.” “You tramp. Give me the dirty details.” Laurie squealed as Chrissie sloshed her with foamy water. She hopped from the tub’s edge to the toilet seat. “Otherwise, how are things going? Are you two going to keep it up once you get back home?” “I—” Chrissie faltered. She suddenly found herself reluctant to talk about it. She pulled the plug in the sink and blasted the water over her razor, then wet a facecloth. “Maybe. We’re having fun.” “Jesus, you sound like this is just a hook-up.” “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.” She wrung out the facecloth and wiped her leg clean of lather. “He’s really good looking, which is awesome, but he’s really different than anyone I’ve ever dated. He’s on a competitive Frisbee team. He likes pirates and robots and kung-fu. I think it would be a little like dating a high school boy.”

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“You’re one to talk. You put out like a cheerleader.” Laurie shrugged as Chrissie shot her a dirty look. “This is probably just his vacation persona. He’s relaxed, he’s tanned, and he’s getting laid every night. He feels like Superman. Besides, you and Sam have been so into one another since the moment he offered to carry your giant hockey bag onto the elevator and that’s not going to change.” Chrissie’s stomach did a little flop and felt a little flicker at the back of her throat as she remembered her first look at Sam, backwards ball cap on his head and his hair sticking out from underneath, sunglasses hanging from the collar of his plain white T-shirt. He had looked like summer and sex and at the time she had wondered how she had missed him on the plane. She glanced at herself in the mirror. The tip of her nose was peeling. Her hair hadn’t seen either flat iron or curling iron since their first night in St. John’s. She didn’t care. Sam didn’t care, so she didn’t care. Her smile popped at both corners of her mouth. Chrissie tried to suppress it, and the giggle that frothed up her throat, but it was no good. She thought of Sam and his bed-head and puffy eyes first thing in the morning and was overwhelmed by how weightless it made her feel. “God, that’s shameless.” Laurie laughed and rolled her eyes, then bobbed her head towards the bathroom door. “Where is Captain Blood anyway?” “Getting some money out for the bridge and some snacks for the drive. Now get out so I can shower.” “Fine, I will leave you to write ‘Chrissie and Sam 4-Eva’ in your diary.” Laurie pushed away from the tub. She grasped the door handle and turned. “Meet me out front in a half an hour?” “Can do.” Chrissie returned to the bathroom and left her clothes in a heap on the floor. As soon as she was under the spray she moaned. The small motel boasted recent upgrades but she’d had her reservations about the shower. Two weeks of dubious looking shower stalls, ice cold blasts, pathetic little dribbles and even one outdoor communal shower and Chrissie had built up a resistance. However, this was the perfect shower, just the right temperature and the right amount of pressure.

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Now that her muscles had loosened and the smell of freshly unwrapped soap surrounded her, she sighed and just let the water beat down on her. She wished that Sam was there to enjoy it. Her lips tightened into a line and she felt a curl of unease run through her belly as she recalled her discussion with Laurie. Everything felt so right with Sam but there was a smidge of truth in what she had said. She had this fantasy in her head of going back to Toronto and being all couplish with Sam like they had been on this trip. But what if I come off like a complete psycho the first Monday he stays over at my apartment? What if I have vacation hormones and they’re all doing the limbo between my legs? What if all the relaxation makes me want something I otherwise wouldn’t want and makes me come off like something I’m not? She shrugged and turned to soap up her front. Her voice of reason piped up. It will be okay. There’s nothing wrong with you and there’s nothing wrong with a guy who plays competitive Frisbee and likes robots. The more she thought about it the more gooey she felt. Sam made her smile and made her laugh and he made her head feel like it was floating high above her shoulders. I’ll bet he bikes to work in the morning, but likes really sugary coffee with whipped cream, like you. I’ll bet he has a poncho for when it’s raining and doesn’t care how goofy he looks and would let you share it if you were both waiting for a bus. Having vanquished her doubt with happy thoughts, Chrissie bounced out of the shower and into a fresh tank and shorts. The rain had started while she was in the bathroom and so she threw her jacket on before she headed out across the freshly-mowed lawn towards the cafe on the other side of the street. As soon as she walked in she spotted Tony sitting alone at a table by the window. “Heya,” she said, sliding next to him. She grabbed a menu from the centre of the table and looked around. “Sam and Laurie here yet?” Chrissie watched him while he took a slow sip of coffee, then placed it in front of him. He didn’t answer. He shot her a dirty look. She scowled at him and opened the menu. “What’s with you?” He drew a deep breath. “You know, you’re kind of a bitch.”

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It took a second for his words to sink in. When they did she slapped the menu onto the surface of the table and gawked at him. “I’m sorry?” “You heard me.” He leant back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you joking with me?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Calling me a bitch isn’t cool even if you are joking.” “Why did you say Sam was stupid?” “What the hell are you talking about?” “He came in here and said he was going for a run because he heard you telling Laurie that you’re just having a fling and that he’s like a high school boy.” Chrissie felt like all the air in the whole world was being sucked into her gut. She stared back at Tony with her mouth hanging open. Her ears started ringing and the worst feeling in the world crawled up her throat. She could hear herself saying it. She could even hear the slight echo in the bathroom as the words flicked off her tongue. “I didn’t…that’s not what I meant.” “That’s how he took it.” She flattened her hands on the menu’s laminated surface and pressed her lips together. She counted to ten before she spoke again. “Where is he?” “Gone for a run. In the rain. Like a loser. Because that’s how you made him feel.” Tony leant forwards and folded one arm over the other. He sagged his bony shoulders and his dark eyebrows came together as his attention turned back to the television. His body language said simply, “fuck you.” Fingers shaking, she smoothed the menu flat on the tabletop. It’s just a mistake. When I see him I can explain. The horrible feeling reared up and she knew why. There was nothing to explain. She had said the words and it didn’t matter how she had meant them. It was her fault. “I’m going back to the motel,” she said and got to her feet. Tony didn’t acknowledge her, not even when she stood over him for a minute longer. “Tony, will you tell Sam that I didn’t mean it like that?” “Tell him yourself.”

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“Tony, please.” “Look Chrissie, Sam is my best friend. He’s the nicest guy in the whole world and he would give you the shirt off his back. He’s crazy about you, and you go ahead and make him feel like crap. If you feel bad because of something you did, that’s your problem.” Chrissie bolted from the restaurant, across the street and to the green door of room number seven. It took forever to get the door unlocked and she tried to keep the tears on the other side of her eyeballs and the sob at the back of her throat. Once she had keyed into her room and slammed the door behind her, she expected the relief of being able to let out the misery. Instead, it was like someone had put the lid on this awful sour feeling and it was just bubbling enough to make some noise. She went into the bathroom and hung up her wet coat on the showerhead, then sat on the foot of the bed. She felt a sickening plop at the pit of her stomach when she thought of how Sam must have felt when he heard her talking to Laurie. There was an awful feeling of hopelessness running all through her body, bunching the muscles in her shoulders and making her skin feel like she had been flogged. I’ll tell him I’m sorry. It was the only thing she could think of and it was the worst. Sorry was never good enough to cut it. There were no guarantees with sorry. If she could have come up with a lie to convince him he had misheard, she could at least bank on being convincing enough, but with sorry, the whole thing depended on the person holding the forgiveness bag. Either Sam could accept her apology or not. There was no room for Chrissie to build a case. After twenty minutes of sitting and swallowing the nausea at the back of her throat, her phone beeped and she picked up. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have asked,” Laurie mumbled. Chrissie shook her head. “No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have said it. I shouldn’t have thought it.” “How do you not think it? You can’t control your thoughts.” She slouched forwards and rubbed the centre of her forehead with the heel of her palm. It did nothing to alleviate her headache. “Tony’s right. I am a bitch.” “He said what? You said what?” Chrissie could hear Tony’s muttering in the background as Laurie’s voice got louder. “You called Chrissie a bitch? No, don’t make

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excuses. You can’t call a woman a bitch. It’s degrading. Go sit at that table over there before I pour that coffee over your head.” “Laurie, stop.” Chrissie got to her feet and started pacing from one end table to the other. One look at Sam’s collection of gym bags on his side and her throat started to burn again. “What do I do? What do I say to him?” “Tell him the truth. Tell him you’re a dumbass. We were talking shit. That’s what people do. It’s no different than if you walked in on him telling Tony he couldn’t tell where your ass ended and your thighs began.” “Thanks.” Laurie sighed. “He’ll have a run and he’ll cool off. Do you want me to come over there?” “No. Stay. Eat jam and real butter, and be nice to Tony. It’s not his fault I’m a bitch.” She hung up and tossed the phone onto the mattress, then reached for the remote. There was nothing to do but wait.

**** The afternoon had the life sucked out of it by decorating shows on the television and Chrissie’s loneliness. She had visited the vending machines three times and had gorged herself on chocolate, potato chips, and soda. She was congealing on the end of the bed when the door opened and Sam came in. She bounced off the bed to greet him. Her stomach curdled when he didn’t acknowledge her with as much as a glance. After a deep breath she simply said, “Sam, I’m sorry.” “I don’t care.” Chrissie stepped back as those three words cut into her. She wanted anger and shouting. She could handle anger and shouting. She worked her tongue in her mouth until there was enough saliva to speak again. “I didn’t mean it like you took it.” He shook his head as he hoisted the first of his bags onto the bed. “How do you know how I took it? How else is there to take it? I walk in and hear you tell Laurie that this is just a fling and that I’m like a high school boy?”

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“You took it out of context.” He unzipped the bag and headed for the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later with his shaving kit and bottle of shampoo. “I didn’t take anything out of context, and I don’t care. You were right. This was a bad idea.” “No, it wasn’t. Sam, come on. Listen to me.” She knelt on the bed and walked on her knees across the mattress. “I probably should have asked if this was just vacation fucking. I just assumed that since we lived in the city and we got along so well, we’d keep it up once we got back to Toronto.” He shrugged and hoisted the biggest of his bags over his shoulder. “Please. I feel like shit.” “Good. I’m glad.” He grabbed the bag in front of her. Chrissie reached for the strap and held on, and he looked at her for the first time. Chrissie couldn’t hold the ugly, slimy feeling inside any longer. It swelled like a puffer fish and pricked the back of her throat. Even though she tried not to cry tears started to blur her vision. She pressed her lips together as her whole face got hot and wet. Sam sighed and let go of the bag. “Look, this was a bad idea.” With a sniffle Chrissie shook her head. “That’s not true. When I was talking to Laurie I was just having a moment. I’m so sorry I hurt you.” “And what happens in a week when you decide that you were right and the guy you’ve been banging on vacation isn’t good enough?” Her eyes burned with tears as he reclaimed the bag in front of her. “Sam, please don’t.” Sam shook his head. His shoulders sagged, but there was no way for her to know whether it was the burden of the luggage or what she had put on him. “Sorry, Chrissie. This has been a great week, but I’d rather call it quits here and walk away with what’s left of my pride. I’m going to ride with Tony in the truck. I’ll stay with him tonight.” “Sam, don’t.” It was all she could say through the feeling of having her throat cut. She bit down hard on her bottom lip but couldn’t keep the whimper in. At the door he turned and dug into his pocket. “Here, I bought this for you.”

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The thing that bounced on the bed in front of her was no more than a few inches tall and made a clicking sound as it rolled over the comforter. She didn’t reach for it. She simply glanced at it and turned her attention back to Sam. He yanked open the door and shrugged. “You’ll probably hate it.” When he was gone it was like someone had put the cork back on her ability to cry just as she was about to unleash it. She picked up the thing he had thrown at her. It was a fat little wind-up pirate with a misshapen cutlass in one hand. She turned the plastic knob at the back and the pirate’s arm jerked up and down in a stabbing motion. “Yarr,” she mumbled and looked back to the door. She remained where she was in the middle of the queen-sized bed, chest burning, eyes and nose running, her whole body slowly deflating.

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Chapter Seven

Fat, greasy blobs of rain splattered on the windshield, blurring Chrissie’s view of the main office to Chuck’s Motel as she waited for Laurie to return with their room number and key. It had started to rain shortly after they entered New Brunswick. Everything was grey. She hated driving. She hated being damp. She hated the cute lawn chairs outside each motel room. It was almost over. One more night. The following day they were headed for the airport. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the next twenty-four hours. All the fun had been swallowed up by her big mouth. Now there was just this crappy rain and this crappy motel and this crappy day. She twisted her neck and looked through the back window of the SUV to where the truck was parked in the slot in front of room thirteen, the last in the strip of tidy doors. The men had taken a fifteen minute head start. Tony had texted Laurie to let them know they had checked into this motel. Chrissie kept her eye on their door, waiting for Sam to make an appearance. She created little scenarios in her head and decided on what she would do in each—like if he came out she would get out of the truck, and if he looked at her she would approach him and try to talk to him again. The door stayed closed and Laurie darted from the door to the front office back to the SUV. “One room, two beds. Cable television. No phone in the rooms.” She held up a diamond of green plastic with the number nine written in black marker on the surface and a key hanging from one end. “And the owner is a big Icelandic man named Chuck who hates me because I laughed at his name.” Chrissie drew back with a scowl. “Wait, what?” “Yeah, I know. Chuck from Iceland. I was expecting him to say his name was Odin or Loki, so when he said his name was Chuck I laughed and he yelled at me. And I yelled back.”

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“And now when we leave the room to get supper, he’s going to go in and sabotage our toilet.” Chrissie started the ignition and began backing into the spot in front of their room. “Or kill us in our sleep.” Laurie sagged back against the seat and was silent until they were parked. “Are you okay?” “Fine. Just want to get into some sweats and eat.” “Don’t you want to talk to—” “I tried that back in Cavendish. He doesn’t want to talk to me, and I don’t blame him.” “Do you want me to try?” Chrissie shook her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “It will be all right. It’s just one more day. I can make it through supper. I can make it through breakfast. This time tomorrow night I’ll be home and I can forget this ever happened.” “Chrissie, you can’t just leave it like this. You’ll be miserable for months.” Chrissie leant forwards and claimed the room key from her friend. “Sweats and food. That’s all.” Laurie said nothing, but her eyebrows slowly went up. By the time the corners of her mouth came down Chrissie could feel guilt rolling across her shoulders. She sighed. “Don’t make the face. This has been a great vacation, even if it did turn out like crap. And look on the bright side—you don’t have to listen to Tony’s nose hairs rubbing together tonight.” As soon as she was in the room, she dropped her luggage at the foot of the double bed and went to the bathroom. She locked herself in and splashed cold water on her face. You made Sam feel like shit. The thought came at her like a bullet to the gut and took her breath away. She patted her face with a hand towel, avoiding her own reflection in the mirror, then sat down on the lid of the toilet. It was hard to even call this a break-up since the relationship had lasted less than fortyeight hours, but it had hit her harder than any other had in a long time. At first she wondered if it was because she was so far from home, but what she felt wasn’t anywhere near what homesickness should feel like. It was because she really liked Sam.

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She didn’t blame him one bit because Laurie had been right. If their places were reversed and she had overheard him talking so callously about her, Chrissie knew she would feel just as betrayed. Shaking her head as she expelled a deep breath, Chrissie stepped out of the bathroom in time to walk into the door as it was opening. Tony peered around the door from the other side. “Shit, sorry Chris. Did I get you?” “Did you mean to?” she snapped and shoved the door against him in order to escape the bathroom. She went straight to her bed at the far side of the room and sat down with her back to both Laurie and Tony. Her temper had peaked so quickly she felt the shock bleeding through her. Her throat started to burn and her nose started to prickle. She could hear them muttering by the door and had to bite back a second snap. “Chrissie, can I say I’m sorry?” Tony said, his voice indicating he was closer than before. “I shouldn’t have called you a bitch. That wasn’t cool. It’s not that bad.” And just as quickly as it flared up, Chrissie’s anger fizzled out. She felt tired and she just wanted them both to go away and let her wallow in her misery. She turned and gave Tony a smile. “It’s okay. I know you were just pissed.” There was still distress on his narrow face but he seemed to relax a little. He glanced at Laurie before taking another step forwards. “I was thinking we could take a taxi into the city and we could all get wasted. No one has to drive. Seems like a shame not to get shit-faced on our last night here.” Chrissie’s stomach rolled at the thought of being social. “I don’t think so. You guys go ahead.” “She doesn’t mean it,” Laurie said. “She’s coming with us. Go to the office and see if you can get a map.” Tony left and Chrissie flopped back on the bed with her arms stretched out. “I said I didn’t want to go.” Laurie wasn’t listening. She was crouched in front of Chrissie’s luggage. She had pulled out a pair of wedge sandals and was looking for something to match the shirt she had chosen.

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“I have a look I’m planning for you. I’m thinking short shorts, the kind that show all thigh and just a teensy bit of ass. Your legs are just long enough to pull it off.” “I don’t own short shorts and I’m not going.” Chrissie rolled across the bed to where Laurie was and grabbed the zipper on her hockey bag. “Leave it alone. I’m just going to stay in and eat.” “No. I refuse to accept that. You will not stay in here and stink up my room with greasy food and the noxious gases that the greasy food will create.” Chrissie yanked the zipper. Laurie slapped her hand, then slapped it harder when Chrissie persisted. The flash of annoyance that went through Chrissie seemed to be mirrored on Laurie’s face. Her brows came together and her mouth puckered as she stood. “This is bullshit. You’re not ruining my last night of vacation.” “Which is why I’m telling you to go without me. Laurie, if I go out with Sam I’m going to be miserable. Salvage your night. Go to the bars without me. Just let me stay here and watch television.” Laurie planted her hands on her hips and sighed. “You suck, Chrissie.” “I know.” “I mean, you really suck.” “I know.” With another sigh, Laurie headed for the bathroom. “You know, it doesn’t have to be like this. You keep waiting for things to happen but you never go for it yourself. You waited until Sam was actually in the same bed as you before you even entertained the idea of having a fling with him. Then you waited for him to dump your ass. Now you’re waiting for him to come back to you.” “I’m not waiting for something that’s not going to happen.” Chrissie doubted Laurie heard the grumbling reply through the bathroom door. She rolled onto her stomach and dragged one of the flat pillows underneath her to cuddle with.

Twice more she dismissed Laurie’s pleas to enjoy their last night, and twice more she grumpily poo-pooed the suggestion and flattened the second pillow over her head. By the

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time she heard the SUV’s engine rev up, she had banished any feelings of guilt and was wallowing in a slimy bog of self-pity. An hour later the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. In desperate need of as much cellophane-wrapped pastry as she could find, Chrissie dressed in grey and black sweats and tramped through puddles to the variety store a few doors down from Chuck’s Motel. She almost dropped to her knees and cried out “Praise Jesus!” when she saw the ice slush machine churning a lime green concoction at the back of the store. The only thing that would have made her life more bearable was if they sold Cherry Coke. And if Sam Ferguson wasn’t standing at the counter with his own giant cup of frosty blue heaven. He didn’t go with them. Why didn’t he go to with them? She didn’t think he saw her as she hovered at the rear of the store filling her plastic cup with green apple slush. He was hunched over the candy bar rack like he was Indiana Jones trying to decide which ancient cup wouldn’t melt his face off. Pick something with raisins. If you pick raisins I won’t feel so bad over losing someone who likes to eat dried fruit with his chocolate. I couldn’t live with someone who picked the raisins. He reached for the peanut butter cups and her heart started to break. When he put them back and went for the extra large peanut butter cups she could have cried. He likes the big peanut butter cups. This gorgeous, funny man likes the big peanut butter cups and I talked about him like he wasn’t good enough for me. She hovered at the back of the store by a rack of bread while he paid for his stuff, then headed for the door with his plastic bag filled with junk. A few minutes later she walked out of the store, and her stomach flopped when she found him sitting on the kerb. The urge to bolt back into the store almost sent one foot over the other until she noticed he was holding his head in his hands and taking deep breaths. A little flick of panic jabbed her in the throat. “Sam, are you okay?” “Brain freeze,” he said in a grunt. He squinted up at her. “Stupid blue slush.” Chrissie giggled and held up her cup. “Thanks for the warning.”

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He drew a deep breath, blinked, and shook his head. “Ow,” he said, then he took another sip from the straw. Chrissie did the same and some of the tension started to run out of her body. He wasn’t moving and he wasn’t radiating animosity at her like he had that morning. He was back to being golden summer and pure ease. A tiny sprig of hope came to life in her belly. “You didn’t go out tonight?” she asked Sam shook his head. “I’m starting to get a beer belly.” “You can always switch to cocktails.” “Girl drinks.” Chrissie rolled her eyes. “You’re drinking a raspberry slush.” “Um, it’s blue.” He turned his head towards her and smiled. Oh boy. She sat down next to him and chewed on the end of her straw. She wanted to take his hand and rest her head on his tanned shoulder and pretend the last few hours hadn’t happened, but she could still feel them between herself and Sam. Instead she dug into her bag of goodies and pulled out a package of chocolate cupcakes. She tore into the cellophane and offered him one. Sam shook his head and dug into his own bag, producing a similarly packaged duo of caramel cakes. “I prefer goo over cream.” “That sounds a little filthy.” “Oh, it is. Whether one prefers goo over cream says a lot about a person’s sexuality.” “Uh huh.” “It’s true. See, I like goo, which means I like taking it slow. You eat the cake and you get the goo on you and it takes forever to get it all off, so there’s all the licking and the sucking.” Chrissie’s toes curled inside her sneakers. She could feel her cheeks filling with heat. “Uh huh.” “And then there’s the cream. The cream is something you go overboard with. You say to yourself ‘I only want a little’ but once you get that first bite into the chocolate and cake and see the creamy filling, you go into a frenzy. You get it all over your mouth and you still look like you want more.”

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Chrissie tore her cupcake in half and made a face at the white blob in the middle. “That’s a lot filthy. And also really in depth for cellophane cakes.” “Are you doubting me?” “Maybe.” She stuffed half the cupcake into her mouth. Sam poked through the thin layer of chocolate at the top of his cake. She watched him bring the tip of his finger, covered with chocolate and caramel, to his lips. She didn’t bother trying to hide her whimper as he puckered his lips around his finger and sucked on the end. He bit into his first cake. A glob of golden caramel stuck to his upper lip. His wet pink tongue appeared to lick it away. Chrissie’s nipples went hard. “I love cake.” He nodded and examined the cake as he chewed. After he swallowed he went on. “Another thing about the cellophane cakes is that people don’t expect much from them. In the grocery store, they’re not even in the pastry aisle but banished to a rack by the English muffins and bagels. They’re efficiency cakes you buy to put in kid’s lunches. No one buys them as a treat, not when they can walk thirty feet and have a slice of double chocolate cheesecake on a nice little doily.” He held up the remaining half of his cake. “Kids recognise the awesomeness of the cellophane cake. Opening their lunch boxes and seeing one of these will make an eight-year-old lose his shit. They see the cake for what it is—pure awesome. As adults we don’t know how to handle how awesome it is, so we start talking shit about the cake.” A lump started to form in her throat. She took a long slurp to numb it and sighed. “I’m sorry I talked shit about your cupcakes, Sam, and I do recognise your awesomeness.” He stuffed the other half of his cake into his mouth and took a sip from his slush, then swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I wasn’t talking about me, I was talking about us. You think everything through too much.” “I know,” she said with a sigh. “That’s why I made that dumb rule to begin with.” “Look,” he dropped his second caramel cake back into his bag and turned to face her, “we’re not our normal selves and it’s awesome. This is sun and fresh air. This is sand in the crack of your ass and smelling like seaweed all day. This is beer bloat and a hangover. It’s having sex at six o’clock in the morning and dressing up like a pirate. This is pink sneakers and green slush. But that’s not all.”

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“What else is it?” “The start? The great story we’ll tell people when they ask how we met? The thing that will make both of us smile when we have a bad day?” He laughed and his whole face lit up with his smile, lighting a little flame deep in Chrissie’s belly. “I like you, Chrissie, more than I should in a week. I don’t want this to be just a fling. I think it would be a big mistake if we call it that.” “I don’t want it to be a fling either.” She wiggled her butt until she was sitting skin-toskin with him. “After I was alone in the room, I gave myself a talking to. I’ve been worried all morning that you hated me.” He made a dismissive sound and took the other half of her cupcake from her, then wolfed it down in a bite. Another sip of his slush and he went on. “Yeah, I was pissed off this morning when I heard you talking to Laurie and I said some shit I shouldn’t have, but I cooled off. If you think I’m a little immature that’s okay. I think you’re kind of anal. That’s okay too. I think it’s cute.” Chrissie giggled and rested her chin on his shoulder. “I am kind of anal, aren’t I?” “And I’m immature, but only on weekends.” He tilted his head. His baby blue eyes were soft and warmed her from head to toe. “So, I don’t want to sleep with Tony tonight. What do you suggest I do about that?” “Stick him in with Laurie.” Sam groaned as they both got to their feet. “Did she tell you they made out this morning?” For a minute Chrissie couldn’t speak. She stood in front of him, mouth opening and closing, eyebrows lifting and dropping as her body adjusted to the shock her brain was experiencing. “Get. Out.” Sam grinned. “It was right after Laurie left our room, just outside of their room. One second she was nagging him, and the next they were making out against the front bumper.” His voice broke and his shoulders shook with laughter as he spoke. “It was kind of awesome, like if in the middle of a battle to the death Predator and Alien suddenly started going at it.” Chrissie snorted and threw both hands over her face. “Ew.”

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He took her hand and they started back in the direction of the motel. “Now they’re going to have problems. She lives in Thunder Bay.” “Yeah, but Tony has a webcam, doesn’t he?” Sam’s face twisted up. “I’m going to punish you for putting that mental picture in my head.” She pressed close to him and giggled. “I have a web cam. I have software that can record.” Sam raised a brow. “I have a camcorder and I can get a deal on a tripod.” “It’s a good thing we have all this junk food. I’m going to need my strength.” It felt so good to just be walking along with him, feet damp from the puddles she couldn’t avoid, plastic bags crinkling with every step they took. “Wait.” Chrissie pulled him back as they approached the crosswalk. “Did you just go all Yoda on me with the cupcakes?” “Yes, and it worked, so don’t talk crap about Yoda.” There were no cars coming in either direction but Sam still took her hand and they jogged across the street. “Do you want to take bets on who can get naked the fastest?” “If I win, can I have your big peanut butter cups?” “If I win, can I have yours?” Chrissie shook her bag. “How did you know I bought big peanut butter cups?” “I was spying on you,” he said with a grin. “I was actually in the store waiting for you. When you didn’t leave with Tony and Laurie I figured that you were going to pig out and watch TV. Your room or mine?” “Yours. Tony will get the hint the first time. Laurie will knock on the door until one of us answers.” Her hand was still in his, warm and a little sweaty, as they walked towards room thirteen. Chrissie couldn’t entirely stop smiling as she leant a little against him and breathed in his clean, coconutty smell. She was back to being Sam’s girlfriend. Sam’s girlfriend!

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Chapter Eight

“So, do we have a bet with the peanut butter cups?” she asked as they reached his room. Sam shook his head. “No. I couldn’t take peanut butter cups from you.” “You assume you’ll win.” “I know I’d win. You have bra hooks and dainty panties you have to step out of. I could be naked in a fraction of the time it takes you to get naked.” Chrissie narrowed her eyes at him. He narrowed them back and held up his key. As soon as he had the door open she gave him a good shove, but he shouldered her out of the way. “Not fair!” she shouted at him and scrambled hot on his heels. “Survival of the fittest, Chrissie.” Sliding their junk food onto the little round table by the window, they bolted to opposite sides of the farthest double bed, facing each other, and started to rip their clothing off. Chrissie had only gotten her outer layers off by the time Sam was completely naked. He stood on his side of the bed with a triumphant grin and a Superman pose, fists bunched against his narrow hips. She crossed her arms over her bra. “Damn it.” With a wiggle of his brows, Sam puffed up his chest and tittered. The humour lasted only as long as it took for her gaze to go from the top of his head to what little of his knees she could see. On the way back up his body changed before her eyes. His cock had begun to fill out and was arcing up away from his balls, his bare torso started to flush and his chest ticked a little faster. Chrissie knelt on the edge of the bed and walked on her knees towards him. With the abrupt end to their silliness came a thick, humid pulse that started to fill the room. Chrissie could feel it moving around her, pushing her towards Sam.

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He remained on his side of the bed, his pose relaxed. A little grin lifted the corners of his mouth. When she paused he brought his hand up to his face and crooked his finger in a “come here” motion. Directly in front of him, Chrissie ran her hands over his forearms and along his biceps to rest on his shoulders. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He slid his hands downwards and left a warm trail wherever his skin rubbed against hers. His cock bobbed between her legs. The contact sent a hot shudder through her. He lowered his mouth to her shoulder and made a circle of damp kisses around the curve. “Oh wow,” she murmured just as his mouth moved over her cheek towards her lips. Chest to chest, belly to belly, thigh to thigh, every breath they took together was perfection. Chrissie tilted her head to the side and parted her lips, ready for the fluid glide of his tongue. The fingertips on one hand dimpled her ass and the other moved lower, fingers lightly skimming along the curve before delving into the wetness between her legs. As he wriggled an inch into the hot mouth Chrissie moaned around his tongue. Running her fingertips through his hair, she tugged at the thick tufts and demanded more. Sam’s finger went deeper. His chest expanded against hers. His moan reverberated around her. Against her thigh, his cock swelled and she could feel the blood pumping into the hard shaft, veins pulsing and moisture seeping from the tip. Chrissie hated to break away from him. She struggled against herself and against him until she had put a few inches between them. Running her hands back to his shoulders, she slid from the bed and pushed down until he was sitting. Sam fell back onto his elbows and watched while she dug into the side-pocket of one of his gym bags where she knew he kept his condoms. “What the hell?” Sam raised his brows. “What?” Chrissie splayed her hand out to reveal the small pile of condoms and lube, all different brands and, in at least two cases, flavours. “You carry around a variety pack?” “I got those for free last month at a conference.” She held up a small red packet. “Uh huh.”

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“It’s true. It was a training conference for sales professionals. I met this guy who worked for Randy Boy and he gave me a care packet.” He scowled. “Why shouldn’t I use them?” Her cheeks aching from the wide smile she couldn’t get rid of, Chrissie shook her head and scooted back to the bed. She laid out her discovery next to his thigh. “Do you have a preference?” “Why don’t you try the flavoured stuff? “Hrmm.” She pushed away all but the two flavoured packets. “Root Beer or Wild Cherry?” “Lady’s choice, but I think you might prefer the Green Apple. There’s a packet in the rest of the stash.” “Oooh, sounds yummy.” She quickly retrieved the packet and scuttled between his legs. She tore a slit in the tip and managed to hold onto her sultry, seductive look for just a few seconds before she lost the battle to a grin and a giggle. A pucker formed between Sam’s eyebrows and his nostrils flared as she held the packet of lube an inch over the tip of his dick and squeezed. Clear fluid hit the tip and mingled with the cloudy moisture that already gathered there. Chrissie discarded the packet and ran her hands along his bare thighs. The blonde hair puffed away from the puckering skin as it stood up. “I seem to be doing all the work here,” she said in a low voice. Her hands stilled. Thumbs and fingers fanned out to frame his dick. “The least you could do is give me a bit of a hand.” Sam laughed as he put his weight on one elbow, then reached down and grasped his cock. The in-and-out of his breathing picked up while he worked the skin over the shaft. “I didn’t think you’d like to watch,” he murmured, releasing his cock for just a moment. It bobbed but remained upright, a reddish hue along the shaft but almost hot pink at the crested head. “I like watching you,” she said. The sweet scent of the lube made Chrissie’s mouth pucker.

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As Sam resumed jerking his dick she lowered her head and curled her tongue under his balls. She closed her lips around him and gently sucked the pliant skin. Where there was lube, there came a tart explosion on her tongue that made her mouth water. With a groan he fell back on the bed, one arm stretched out and his hand flexing into a fist as the other continued to work his slick cock. He bent his cock against his belly and lifted his head. Chrissie flashed him a little smirk. She watched his eyelids flutter half shut and his wet lips part as she licked along the underside of his dick. She wanted him squirming, clawing at the bedding as she sucked him. Determination set in her muscles. She brushed his hand aside and cupped his dick underneath. Her thumb rested at the tip and she made circles through the smear of seeping pre-cum. “Oh sweet fucking Jesus,” Sam groaned as she turned her head to the side and rubbed her lips back and forth over the shaft. His back arched up off the bed. He bent his legs and pushed against the mattress with his feet. Over and over his exclamations came bursting out as Chrissie worked his shaft with her swollen lips and the flat surface of her tongue. The insides of her thighs were slick with her juices. She was so swollen, her clit throbbing, begging for attention, and her passage clenching with anticipation, but she focused her attention entirely on Sam. In just a few moments she felt his body signalling the beginning of his orgasm. The veins against her palm and her lips throbbed as blood raced into his cock. One hand jerking his shaft and the other massaging his balls, Chrissie watched his whole body pulse just before he went taut. His groan seemed to catch at the back of his throat and he went silent with a grunt. Her whole body on fire with need, Chrissie milked his cock until she felt the surge beneath her hand. Sam lifted his hips and his milky seed erupted from the tip once, twice, three times. Slower now but just as firm, Chrissie worked him until the torrent became a drizzle down her hand and he had gone soft. Leaving his cock draped across his naval, she bent over him and nuzzled her way from his belly to his lips. The sharp sweetness of the lube mingled with the salty taste of his skin.

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Sam was smiling by the time she finished her ascent. She licked her lips and returned his smile. “Green apple is good.” “I’m glad you picked it. I’m kind of partial to the cherry.” She flopped next to him and giggled. “I thought you were a raspberry man.” “I am, as a back-up. My first love is cherry.” He took a deep breath, puffed it out, and turned on his side. He took a long, cascading look down her body and followed it up by skimming his hand down her body. Chrissie allowed herself to give in completely to relaxation as he jiggled one breast, then the other. He squeezed down so that the nipple puckered and his grin reappeared. “Where do you want the cherry?” she asked him in a hungry voice that came from the pit of her stomach. Sam shook his head. “I’ll get there when I get there.” She tucked her fist under her head and propped herself up to watch while again and again he used his tongue to push the hard peak against his front teeth. Each time, a sharp but not unpleasant sting ran through her, pulsing beneath her arms, in her chest, and circling her clit. When her hand moved lower Sam chuckled and captured it, then held it against her stomach. Feeling heavier and heavier, Chrissie moaned and rose up to offer her breast as he sucked the nipple into his mouth. The combination of his soft tongue and the hot suction generated a ripple that went through her body like water disturbed by a stone’s throw. He continued to knead her breast as his mouth moved lower. Chrissie let her hand fall to her hip as he worked down. She closed her eyes and just sank as he skimmed his fingers over her belly, succeeded by his warm lips. With very little urging from Sam, she drew her legs apart. She held her breath as he nosed towards the wet heat that coated her pouting pussy-lips. She was ready for the touch of his tongue to pull her taut. Instead, he lifted his head. “Cherry?” Chrissie returned his smile and reached for the packet of lube. She tore it open and handed it to him. “Don’t drip all over the bedspread.” “I could say the same about you but I think I’m too late.”

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He sat up and turned the packet upside-down. Clear drops squeezed from the end and splattered on her pussy. Chrissie shuddered when one ran down the length of her slit. Sam tossed the empty packet away. His attention lingered on her face a moment longer as he ran his hand flat along her thigh to her hip and back down again. His gaze followed. He lightly ran his middle finger between her lips. He began a slow exploration between her thighs. She could faintly smell the cherry he had dripped on her as he brushed her sticky lips one at a time with the tip of his finger. He penetrated her slowly, turning his fingers from side to side as he filled her to the knuckle. Rather than withdraw, Sam flexed his fingers against her inner walls and rubbed his thumb against her clitoris. Chrissie grasped the bedspread as Sam worked his fingers back and forth over her G-spot in sync with the way he worked her clit. She was getting wetter and warmer faster than ever before under his touch. “Damn, what’s in that stuff?” “The hell if I know. It’s organic.” She closed her lids and her eyes started to roll into the back of her head. The little explosions of pleasure grew more intense with every circle his thumb made around her engorged clit. His mouth returned to her breast, tugging her nipples between his teeth hard enough to send a hot little sting through her. When she couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t stop panting and writhing into the bedspread, Sam quickly moved lower. She felt the slight pressure as he used his thumb to pull back the skin around her clit and his hot breath between her legs like a furnace. She heard him say, “Mmm, cherry,” then came the first touch of his tongue and she saw stars. Her climax had come upon her fast but it wasn’t fleeting. It just seemed to go on and on as Sam lapped at her. She struggled to draw a breath, just one breath that wasn’t taken away by the orgasmic wave crashing through her body. Through her panting and the roaring in her ears she could vaguely hear the wet sound of his fingers still pumping steadily while the muscles in her pussy clenched around them. It was Sam’s show to run. He kept her coming until her body couldn’t give anymore, then he brought her down slowly. With awareness that there was a world outside of her own body’s blissful lethargy came the warmth of Sam’s lips kissing her belly.

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She sighed. “Oh wow.” “Now you know why I’m partial to cherry,” he murmured into her belly button. “Accidentally grabbed a packet of that when I wanted to jerk off. I came so hard damn, I nearly put a hole in the wall.” “Between my vibe and your lube I think we have some serious shopping to do when we get back.” She lifted her head and crinkled her nose. “I don’t mean to be gross but does it smell like the Fruit of the Loom guys had an orgy with Strawberry Shortcake and her girls?” Sam sat up and nodded. “Between the lube and the whiff coming off of the slush, yeah. Shower?” Fifteen minutes later Chrissie was in the bathtub marinating up to her chin in bubbles that made the motel room smell like honeysuckle. Sam stood over the sink, naked save for a towel as he shaved for the first time in two weeks. He was still damp from the shower they had shared. He ran the water over a washcloth and wiped his face clean of the leftover foam tracks. “So, not to sound needy or anything, but what are you doing tomorrow night?” “I expect I’ll begin peeling until I’m back to my pasty self. Why? What do you have in mind?” “Tradition. Dinner, drinks, some music, and then my place for some naked wrestling.” “Again, what kind of wench do you think I am?” “I got my answer last night and I was right—you’re the slutty kind.” Chrissie flung a handful of bubbles at him and he lifted the side of his towel, mooning her with one butt cheek. “That’s sweet,” she said. He emptied out the sink and headed into the room. He returned less than a minute later in his boxers. “Is it a date?” With a sigh she pushed herself into a sitting position and moved her legs to make the water slosh from one end of the tub to the other. She thought about it for a minute, and grinned at him. “I don’t think so. I think I might need more convincing.” Sam scowled but the corners of his mouth twitched. “I think you’ve had enough convincing, thank you.” “No, no, no. I’m still on the fence. I need to be wooed.”

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“Wooed how?” “Lube. Lots of organic lube. Every drop you have.” She giggled as she watched him try and maintain his severe expression. “You expect something less from a slutty wench?” He leant in the doorway and crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Maybe I need to raise my standards.” Chrissie couldn’t find a single retort, not when he took up the whole doorway looking like a golden god. Her bathwater seemed tepid compared to the burning spike she felt in every inch of her body. A familiar pang of lust, the same she had been suffering since this trip began, went through her in a hot tremor, but this time there was no accompanying frustration. Sam was hers and she was his. She could touch him whenever she wanted, kiss his mouth and run her hands over his round shoulders, let the heat of his body work against hers until she just had to drag him into bed and beg him to pound into her until she had no more strength. She stood and planted her hands on her hips. Little islands of bubbles fizzed and slid down her slick legs. Her nipples instantly hardened, but she wasn’t sure if it was the exposure to the air or Sam’s gaze sliding over her. Sam smirked and took a step forwards. “I think my standards are just fine.”

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Chapter Nine

“I need another souvenir,” Chrissie announced as they packed up both the SUV and the truck for their last drive. As soon as they got to the airport, vacation was officially over. From his place next to her where he was securing both bicycles in the bed of the truck, Tony made a dubious face. “Christ, you bought four bottles of jam and a bag of coffee at the restaurant we had breakfast at yesterday.” “Talk to me when you return that ice cream scoop with the chicken on the end that clucks at you.” She opened her carry-on bag and dug for her wallet. “I meant a real souvenir, like my flag and my little pirate dude.” “You mean tokens of your sexual escapades.” “Again, you are one to talk. Laurie has two hickeys.” Red crept over the back of Tony’s neck to light up his ears. “Shut up, Chrissie.” “How cute is that?” Sam said as he emerged from their room. “Tony is a gentleman and doesn’t want to talk about making Laurie’s bed rock.” “Tony, you know that’s not going to stop Laurie from talking about it. She has probably already put it on Facebook.” “Hey, I didn’t make rude comments when you two started doing it.” Chrissie nodded. “Yes, you did. You called me an adulteress and a hussy.” “And I’m truly sorry you’re an adulteress.” Tony leapt out of the truck bed and headed for the open door of his own room. “And a hussy.” Sam snorted and jiggled the knob to the door he had just locked. “What started that?” “I said I needed a souvenir like my flag and my pirate.” He frowned and pursed his lips as he tossed his gym bag into the back of the SUV. “Like what?” She lowered her voice. “Is there anything we can steal from the room?” “Not really, unless you want me to try and smuggle the headboard out.” He straightened and crossed his forearms across his chest. “What do you want?” “I don’t know. That’s the fun of the souvenir. You surprise me.”

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Sam pursed his lips. His eyes darted around and his nose crinkled. He lifted his shoulder. “You’ve got me. I can’t think of a damn thing.” Chrissie grinned. “Well you’re going to have to think of something. You set a precedent. I need a souvenir.” “Is this going to be a regular thing? I take you out for coffee and you give me those puppy eyes and ask for a souvenir?” He and looked at his watch. “We’re already running a little late. I can get you something at the airport. I’m sure they have a pencil sharpener in the shape of a lobster trap or something.” Chrissie knew it was silly to feel sentimental about her paper pride flag and little windup toy, but she was disappointed. It was like the little trinkets represented the evolution of the beginning of her relationship with Sam. She could look at them and feel all squishy as she remembered the way he smiled as he gave them to her. She really wanted one for their night as Chuck’s Motel. She shrugged, then nodded her head. “It’s no big deal. I just thought it would be a fun thing to keep up.” “I’ll get you something at the airport. Something funky.” He ran his hand along her back as he passed her. She automatically leant into him and reeled with surprise at how natural such a gesture was. A groan drew Chrissie’s attention back to the hotel. Laurie was dragging her suitcase from the room. “Can we go now? I’m ready for my own bed.” “I need all two hundred and forty of my premium channels,” Tony chimed in as he locked the door behind him. “And I’m going to go homicidal if I don’t get my hazelnut latte every morning.” Chrissie added. She shrugged at Sam’s appalled look. “This has been lovely and all but I’m done with vacation. I long for the stink of urban decay.” Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. “Okay, I miss my treadmill and my video games. I’m done with vacation too.” “Good. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Sam opened the passenger door for Chrissie. “All right, you’re the navigator again. Get your map and navigate me.”

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Chrissie reached into her carry-on bag and pulled out the map book, then flipped it open to where the sticky note that read “airport” was affixed. It took her a second to realise there was something different about the map. She blinked, then her smile took over. Sam leant in the doorway and chuckled. “How’s that for a souvenir?” “Aw, Sam!” The town of Linton, New Brunswick was circled in black marker with a dotted line trailing to two cartoon people, a man with light hair and a woman with dark hair holding hands, hearts in place of their eyes and cupcakes bursting all around them. There was a speech bubble over their heads that read “Turn to page 36.” Chrissie flipped the pages and giggled at what she saw. At Valentine’s Cove he had drawn a pirate ship in the blue ocean space with the little cartoon Sam at the bow shouting “Yarr!” and on shore the cartoon Chrissie waving. A note in the corner directed her to another page and there she found an arrow pointing to St. Christopher. There she found a bed with their cartoon counterparts peeking out from underneath the covers. There were criss-cross marks on their cheeks to indicate blushes and “huff puff” scratched over their heads to indicate heavy breathing. She couldn’t stop laughing as she flipped through the map. Wherever they had visited there were silly little drawings, and even in places where they hadn’t. On one page there was even an octopus out in the Atlantic Ocean, its tentacles wrapped around cartoon Chrissie while cartoon Sam, dressed like a superhero, swooped in from the upper right corner of the page. She beamed at him. “This is the best.” “I made it this morning instead of going on my run.” He held out his arms and she stepped into his embrace. “Am I awesome or what?” “Too awesome.” She reached around with one hand and grabbed his ass. “And you have a sweet tush.” “Didn’t I tell you that from the start?” “Oh God, they’re grabbing ass again.” Laurie said as she and Tony watched from the bed of the truck. “Meet you in the hotel bar?” “We’ll be a few minutes behind you. We’re doing drive-thru on the way,” Sam said.

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“Ha!” Tony leant forwards and wiggled his eyebrows. “Drive-thru? Is that what you two have decided to call it?” With a guffaw, he steered the truck around the rotary driveway and moments later the truck disappeared along the highway. Chrissie hugged her map book to her chest and followed Sam to the back of the SUV. “Do we have everything?” “You’ve got your souvenir,” he said and slung his arm over her shoulder. “I’ve got mine. Come on. I want one last picture. A good one.” He held up his phone and pulled her close. Chrissie sighed happily and snuggled into him as he took the first picture. “This was an awesome vacation.” “Much better than Cuba,” he said, and kissed the top of her head.

About the Author Annemarie Hartnett lives in Eastern Canada and is a full-time office monkey/parttime smut peddler. She writes erotic romance as Annemarie and erotica as A.M. Hartnett. Her first erotic short was published in 2006 and yes, this totally made up for spending a fortune on the degree in English literature she'll never use. Email: [email protected] Annemarie Hartnett loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

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