1
The firelight danced on the ceiling as she listened to her husband talk about a hike he'd taken earlier in the day. He spoke in low, hushed tones as to not wake their kids sleeping in the beds across from them. It had been a fun day camping with friends in the remote hills, hiking, and passing bottles of booze around the campfire like a bunch of hobos.
She laid her cheek against her husband's chest and rested in the comfort of him while he spoke. This was her favorite place to be. Not the cabin or the wilderness but right there on his shoulder, listening to the low rumble of his voice through his chest, feeling his warmth against her cheek, and breathing in his scent. It was Home. She wrapped her leg around the top of his, curling into him for more heat. His arm completed the movement by wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her near.
These were some of her favorite times, talking and laughing quietly. Just being a little silly and intimate at the same time. While they talked they touched, enjoying the feel of each others skin; answering a glide of fingertips on his rib cage with a hand cupped around her hip.
She had tilted her chin up to catch his lips in a soft kiss when there was a gentle knock at the door of the cabin. She and her husband both froze momentarily at the sound. Then, they both looked to the door as it opened a crack and their friend's face peered in at them.
"Hey," he said softly in to the dimly lit room. The fire's glow illuminated his face just enough to see him as he stepped inside the door. "You guys still up?"
"Hey man, yeah. We're up. Did you get everyone to bed okay? We weren't expecting you but glad you came back up," her husband whispered back as he absent-mindedly drew circles with his fingers on her back.
They had recently invited their life long friend to their marriage bed, against their better judgment. To their delight and surprise their friend had accepted. They had enjoyed only a few brief trysts so far, some as a threesome and some with just her and their friend-turned-lover.
"Everyone's asleep," he said, "I thought maybe you guys might still be by the fire."
Her heart was racing and her eyes wide. She looked between her husband and her sometimes-lover and anxiously waited to see what would play out.
Her husband replied, "We were until just a bit ago. We were still talking, and stuff. We weren't sleeping yet."
There was a heartbeat of time where what wasn't said lingered palpably in the air between them. Each of them feeling both hope and trepidation at the same time but for different reasons. They each had their own list of benefits and risks in their new situation. They each had something to lose.
A smile crept across the visitor's face as a thought dared to be spoken aloud. After only a moment's hesitation, her husband answered that smile with one of his own. Her mind raced, Could what's about to happen really happen?, she thought.
"I thought I might take a walk with your wife if it's okay with you, and her, of course."
Her husband's hand stopped the circles on her back and pressed his hand flat to her back when he looked at her, searching, "Yeah, looks like that won't be a problem at all, man." He smiled at her. She wondered what he saw. Her eyes large and overly bright? Could he sense her excitement and arousal? He cupped her cheek in his palm and pressed his lips to hers, capturing for a moment her bottom lip before letting her go. "Have fun," he whispered only to her, his smile mischievous, and pressed her little red silk case into her palm.
Her mouth fell open on a small gasp before the corner of her mouth turned up. "I'll be back to you soon," she kissed him quick on the lips. "I love you."
Her pajamas were not her typical come-hither-sailor jammies. She was camping after all. She became slightly more aware of her pink striped flannel pajama bottoms as she walked across the room. Grateful that she wore a bust-flattering lace cami to distract from the flannel, she decided to let it go. Her friend held the door for her and they stepped without a word out in to the dark night.
2
Glancing back at the door, behind which her husband sat, she fought to calm her heart. She turned to her friend, "Hey."
"Hey," he countered and they both giggled.
"Would 'oh my fucking god' be appropriate here?" she blurted, giggling nervously again.
"Yeah, I think it would," he smiled again and took her hand. She looked at their clasped hands between them and took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Will you walk with me?"
She nodded and they began walking up the hill. It took them past the fire pit they'd all sat at earlier. It still glowed orange with hot coals. As they continued on the air grew cooler away from the fire but not so much as to make it cold. The moon was bright and lit a silver path up the hill and around tree trunks that stood like black pillars lining their path. Neither spoke until they felt they were far enough away that everyone was out of earshot.
"I've been thinking about you all day. This is probably really a stupid thing to be doing with all these people here," he said.
"Probably. Doesn't seem to be stopping us though," she said. She worried the silk of the little case between her thumb and finger.
"No. I guess not." Their footsteps fell in sync as they continued to climb up, passing the water tank and zigzagging around pines and Manzanita. But soon it opened into a small clearing and in the middle of the clearing sat a blanket and a bottle of wine.
She gasped, "You've already been up here! Wow. Cool," she smiled as she walked the rest of the way to the blanket.
He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist tucking his face into her neck. Inhaling her scent, he trailed kisses down her shoulder and delighted in the chills she got at his touch. "Come here," he said low and right at her ear so that she felt his warm breath on her skin. She shivered again and turned in his arms to face him.
He picked up her hand placing it at the front of his shirt, flashing a crooked smile. His heart raced in his chest. "Mine, too," she laughed.
Time was short, he knew. If he were gone too long someone would notice and maybe even come looking for him. He wanted to taste and savor her, to contemplate each body part, to explore her leisurely but that would be a luxury for another time. He covered her mouth, absorbing her answering moan. And with knees intertwined he lowered her to the blanket, her hair fanning out around her head. Kneeling above her, his eyes roved over her body. The mounds of her breasts fell outward under her camisole perfectly framed by a line of inky showdown. Her nipples stood to attention in the cool air and begged to be caressed.
Her breaths came in quiet huffs, and she watched him looking at her. She felt beautiful, powerful, seeing how he desired her. She raised her hand to his cheek.
He hovered above her, his knee tucked firmly between her legs, and he traced the outline of her with his fingertip. When his finger found the edge of her pajama bottoms he hooked his thumbs neatly under the hem and slid them past her hips. She rocked left and right to assist. Once removed, he rolled them neatly and placed them under her head, his eyes fixed to hers.
He laid a hand flat to her belly as he lowered himself to kiss her. She licked and sucked at his lip before he continued his decent to her neck and collarbone. Then he cupped his lips around her nipple through the fabric of her shirt and she arched in to him. But he continued his path down. He bunched her top up under her breasts and kissed down the center of her bare stomach and then licked each hip with the flat of his tongue, his arms reaching up around her thighs, securing her.
Eyes heavily lidded, she watched him lick and suck his way across her body to her center. At once he pushed two long fingers into her hot core and sucked her clit. She cried out and partially rolled to the side at the intensity. He reached up with his free hand and gently covered her mouth. A reminder that sounds travelled well in the cool valley. But he continued his licking and plunging, and she writhed, trying to stay silent but losing that battle. Heat flared in her abdomen and spread as her climax built. Then, with a subtle twist of his fingers within her she broke and came. Her muscles clenched rhythmically on his hand and her stifled murmurs became groans punctuating the night air.
