Road Trip Day 02 Ch 01

When I awoke, I was alone, lying on the leather sofa covered with a grey wool blanket. The heat of a crisp new fire was crackling and radiating through the room backing off the chilly night air. The sun came streaming through the windows and was creeping its way to wear I lay. I picked up on the sounds of the birds twittering just outside the window and the cat gurgling on the sill while watching them. I heard the shower running. The scent of the cedar burning in the fireplace and what was that other scent? Do I smell bacon? My stomach growled.

Feeling embarrassed for falling asleep in mid conversation last night, I sat up rubbing my eyes and smoothed down my hair. I thought to myself how dreadful I must look. Fearing that I have raccoon eyes and morning breathe, I had to pee. I quietly tip toe to the powder room and found my makeup bag sitting on the counter. I wondered where all my stuff had gone. I quickly brushed my teeth, hair then fixed my face. Satisfied with how I looked, for now, I move toward the hall in search for my clothing bag. I ran smack into Joe as I turned the corner. Startled, I jumped and choked back a scream. He stood there in front of me with amused smile and pecked me on the lips.

"It's just me lover." He said laughing. "Do I look that scary?"

Side note: Lover is his pet name for me online and just a term of endearment.

That's when I noticed he was naked! Ok, well not completely naked. The room behind him had steam still bellowing out from the open door. He stood there holding a towel around his slim waist with one hand while the other pet my hair and I felt the back of his fingers move down the side of my cheek endearingly.

I couldn't help but soak in the sight before me in this narrow little hallway. His broad square shoulders, he smell of clean soap and the damp hair on his head sticking up in all directions. His moist glistening skin and golden brown hairs on his chest left a trail down his belly, which my eyes followed to a path under the towel. To the slippers on his feet, the towel barely covered his thighs and I couldn't help but be curious about the bulge of him under the towel. Uncomfortable, I flipped my eyes up to his dimples quickly and left them there. Naughty thoughts screaming in my mind; I was hoping that he didn't just feel me totally checking him out! I babbled what was supposed to be an apology immediately for bumping into him.

"I'm an early riser, so I took a 3 mile bike ride this morning up the mountain and then to the store, picked up some bacon and eggs."

Trying not to laugh as he watched my eyes perusing his body he said "You do like bacon and eggs? I can make something else if you want?" He paused watching my face turn bright shades of red.

"I was all man stink and I needed a shower. I apologize, but I used all the hot water, give it a few minutes and you can help yourself."

Oddly, I noticed he was amused by my 'checking him out'.

He grinned and said "I hope I didn't wake you."

Trying to act natural, I shifted back and forth looking for a way to get around him. That's when he turned so that I couldn't escape. He took a step forward so my back was against the wall. OH GOD! I wanted to just rip the towel off of him and nail him right there!

Instead, I tried to focus on the words that he spoke. He did ask me a question right?

As it sunk in, I replied surprised "A BIKE ride? You actually went UP the mountain?

3 miles! Good GOD man! Is this something you do everyday?"

Catching my gaze beginning to wander about his naked form before me again, I stopped myself and rambled.

"Oh! Yeah, um, bacon and eggs is fine, um, I like eggs and bacon." I wiggled my way under his arm pointing to the kitchen, babbling and trying to not catch his gaze "Say! I'll go and make myself useful, um, in there, while you, um, get dressed."

I bolted down the hall leaving him standing there, my face beat red. I heard him walk to his bedroom and the door creak. I thought about turning and following him, if only to peep through the crack to see him again, entirely naked. I breathed out hard and sank in to a chair. Put my head in my hands and tried to clear all it of the naughty thoughts. I couldn't help but be completely be turned on by what had just happened. I glanced over to the door not entirely closed. I almost thought it an invitation that he failed to close it fully, as I caught his shadow walk by. I shook my head and forced myself to stand at the stove.

I made scrambled eggs and laid out the bacon on a plate. I moved about the foreign kitchen noticing that all the items I needed where logically placed in the same places I have them in my kitchen at home. I set the table, poured out juice and coffee. Just as I finished Joe came down the hall and sat with me. We ate and talked, ignoring the spectacle I just made of myself. After breakfast we did the dishes together and put them all away. He showed me where he put my clothing bag in the second bedroom. As we stood there next to this large queen bed and warm fur blankets strewn across it. I realize that he has closed the space between us. Standing very close, so that I could feel the heat from him nearly on top of me, he spoke about the quirks of the shower, I think.

Something about how water pressure comes down the mountain. It all sounded muted as he explained how to get the hot water to work in the shower by twisting the handles this way and that. Something else was said about the heat tank. I honestly wasn't paying attention because I couldn't help thinking of him naked in the hall, as the back of his hand brushed my breast after he picked up my suitcase and laid it on the bed. I nodded, pretending to listen. My heart pounded and my nipples hardened. He backed out of the room closing the door and was gone. With my head in a cloud still I mechanically opened my clothing bag and pulled out what I needed. I walked to the bathroom, closed the door and locked it. Took a look at the shower, noticing it didn't look as complicated as he made it all seem. I tried to remember all that he just said. I must have missed a step somewhere because the water was only just warm, not hot, and the pressure was really low. I figured it was ok since I needed the cool shower anyways to get rid of the building urges to jump his bones next time I see him.

All squeaky clean and refreshed, I packed up my items and made my way back to the front room where he sat with a ball cap on his head and a Nintendo DS in his hands. Grunting and squirming like a little kid in the game that he was deeply engrossed in. I stood in the doorway for quite a while watching his eyes light up and face contort this way and that to the action. Noticing his hands and how they move across the buttons in quick rhythmic motions. I had to giggle at one of the expressions he made and his outburst of "fuck" rang through the living room. That's when he looked up, surprised.

"Oh! You're done! Sorry, damn games, hard habit to break." Setting the game aside, he said "So you ready for a fun day?"

We lingered a little longer and finished our coffee. We chatted a little more about what there is to do in town. I know he already had a game plan, I could see the anticipation in his eyes.

So I said, "Just show me around, and we will see where the wind blows us."

We started with a ride back up the mountain and to a tunnel that was a mile long. He explained it was built a hundred years ago and goes through the whole mountain. He told me stories about how they did it and all the deaths that occurred while making it. Telling me that it is its haunted created a spooky and fun atmosphere for looking at a huge dark whole in a mountain. After that, we went to the Lodges, as he promised. We checked out all the Native American and local crafts and I bought a dream catcher. We stopped for lunch at local place called 99 that served some of the best burgers I have ever eaten. We walked after lunch through town and checked out the architecture. We even went into the oldest church in the town. Being that I am an architectural major in college, this was a very nice gesture, and it scored some points with me.

We held hands as we walked a mile long path following the river that ran through town. Many of the shops along the path were open so we window shopped. He even stopped and bought me an ice cream.

"Chocolate for the lady?" He said returning with a small cone for me and strawberry for himself.

Chocolate! Score! I grinned at him like a school girl. Thanking him with a kiss, getting chocolate on his lips. He licked his lips and made a teasing comment about chocolate as body sugar and licking it all off slowly. Something in his eyes made butterflies in my belly flutter about wildly with such wicked suggestions. On our way back the car he slipped his arm over my shoulders and said,

"What about a movie tonight?"

I agreed that would be nice. Wandering through the video store and we picked out something sci-fi and coming out, I noticed an adult toy store hidden around the corner. I suggested we go in, reluctantly he gave in. We walked through the store making comments about this and that. Laughing and gasping at the products on the shelves. Sharing intimate information about things we had tried, things we would like to and things we would not. It was fun and we learned quite a bit about each other while there.

On the ride back to the house we popped into a tiny pizza place.

"This is the BEST pizza in the world!" Joe said. "I know its not steak and champagne but you will LOVE it."

"What's with all the special treatment?" I asked, elbowing his ribs as we entered the house 10 minutes later.

"The chocolate...now the pizza" I paused but not waiting for an answer. "What was that..? Ohhhh! You're trying to seduce me?"

I winked, walked past him into the kitchen and set the beers in the fridge.

"Seduction? Me? What do I know about such things? I'm just a boy from a small town who enjoys a good pizza, a good beer, a good movie and great company." He gave me that evil boyish grin, flashing those adorable dimples at me and I had to hold myself back from mounting him then and there.

We sat on the floor around the coffee table in the living room. Popped in the movie and just enjoyed each others company, watching the movie, eating, drinking, and yes it was the BEST pizza. With our tummies full we sat against each other in silence sinking into that comfy leather sofa. I glanced around thinking this was all so surreal being there in his arms. After all, until yesterday I had only spoken to him online or the phone. Although, we got quite intimate there and have spoken everyday for 4 months, I was comfortable and felt a little more like déjà vu.

I sat relaxed, taking in the scent of his clothes, the leather of the sofa and that tantalizing manly scent of him. I drank in the sexy five-o'clock shadow and the shade of his brown eyes. Searching his face and memorizing details. The lines around his eyes and mouth, the graying hairs at his temples and the way his ears moved when he swallowed his gulps of beer. I took his hand in mine and examined the lines and creases, strong, soft, well kept and clean. As the movie ended he caught me looking at him. The hand-made coo-coo clock in the hall chimed 10 pm and he leaned down to kiss my nose.