Real Challenge (Atlanta #2) (15 page)

“Oh, God! We’re twinkies! We could be like those old people with the matching nylon track suits!”

Scott laughed at the picture and flat out refused to ever match a nylon jacket with nylon pants. “Besides, where’s the crazy outfit? Just cargos and a shirt? Cassie, I expected more from you,” he said teasing her.
 

She pointed out a handful of hot-pink yarn scraps hanging out of her back pocket and showed him a gaudy copper anklet adorned with dangling pennies. “Does that work for you?”

Scott laughed and shook his head. “That’ll do it. Thank you. I was worried there for a minute that you were going all normal on me. So, you ready? Where are we going?”

“I thought we could head over to Panola Mountain State Park. Have you been there?”

Scott shook his head.

“Oh, you’re going to love it. They have some gorgeous trails. It’s not even that far. I packed us a picnic. You in?”

“Sounds great. What did you pack?”

“Snacks, mostly. Nothing fancy.” She grinned at him and picked up a backpack to take with them. Scott offered to carry the bag for her and they got in his SUV. They drove the forty minutes south in easy conversation. Cassie got an earful about the inevitable fall-out after tax season and all the politics surrounding the workload distribution. Even now that the work schedule was over, the madness wouldn’t be.

“It really drives me nuts,” he said. “The work itself isn’t so bad. It makes sense. There are laws, numbers, specific calculations. It should be simple. But clients don’t always cooperate, and preparers aren’t always experienced enough to do the work properly. Don’t get me wrong — I like my job. Just tax season sucks.”

“I know what you mean. When I’m working at the clinic, I get to see the kids. I get to talk to them and get them to smile and my day seems great. But one run-in with an angry parent or a grumpy pharmacist and my mood wants to plummet. It’s too bad you can’t skip the bad parts to be able to enjoy the good ones.”

They pulled into the parking lot at the park and Scott got the backpack again. He wouldn’t let Cassie carry the bag. No matter how bold or sassy she was, no matter how much of a player he used to be, there was something about her that made him want to be a gentleman, to take care of her. They started down the trailhead and walked for a while in the warm afternoon. The sun was bright and high in the sky and Cassie saw Scott lift his face a few times to feel the rays. It made her so glad she thought of this.
 

Scott and Cassie were walking along quietly, enjoying the view around them. Scott was holding Cassie’s hand and she loved the easy connection. She loved when he touched her so casually. But even in spite of that sweet feeling, she was in the mood for a bit of adventure. She tugged his hand sideways and stepped into the leafy area off the paved pathway they were on.

“I’m bored with trails. I’ve never been one to follow the usual path anyway. Feel like an adventure?”

He laughed at her typical Cassie-ness. “I should have expected that, but you keep me guessing,” he said smiling. He let her pull him off the trail and into the wooded area beyond. She pulled one of those bright yarn strips out of her pocket and tied the strand around a thin branch to mark their trail. “My version of little bread crumbs,” she said proudly. “See? Style
and
function. Let’s go find the perfect spot for a picnic.”

“Do you have any idea where you’re going?”

“None.”

She stopped about every 15 to 25 feet to tie more neon-pink markers to the trees. He navigated the uneven terrain with her and even volunteered to tie a few yarns himself. She saw that he was enjoying the process and the change of perspective from the main trail. He looked around a lot more and took in the sights.

The path they left was professionally trimmed, manicured, and dotted with little informational plaques describing the various flora and history of the area. The trail was very…polished. This area, however, was raw and natural. Branches and brambles got in their way and required effort to get around. They both liked the challenge, of course.
 

“Look over there, Scott, do you see that clearing?”

 
She was pointing to a little cove tucked neatly in some trees about 30 yards from the river that just came into view. There was a very large, mossy boulder flanking the edge of the clearing on the far side.

“Looks perfect,” said Scott.
 

He trekked the rest of the way over to it with Cassie and dropped the backpack in the center of the little clearing. The rough-edged circle couldn’t have been more than fifteen yards across in the widest part of its uneven diameter. The little meadow was cozy and surrounded by a few evergreens that allowed a hint of privacy. Of course, they were so far off the trail they didn’t need to worry about privacy, but still. This was a sweet, hidden spot for the two of them to rest.

Cassie unpacked her supplies and laid down her wide wool trapper’s blanket over an area of the grass. She set out granola bars, apples, bottles of water and some chips.
 

“This was a really good idea,” he said to her. “I feel like I haven’t been outside in forever. Thanks.”

She could see his sincerity and she smiled. He was so relaxed with her now. She didn’t see a single hint of his bravado and she reveled in his true presence. She knew he didn’t show this side very often, but she was hoping he could, to be this free all the time.
 

The sun was very warm on them, resting there in the cove. There were plenty of trees around, but no big leaves to block its warmth this early in the springtime. The leaves were just budding out of the branches and added such a fresh feeling to the afternoon. Scott took his shirt off to soak up the rays and laid back on the blanket in just his shorts. She saw the hint of his boxers tight around his hips and smiled again at his sexy self.
 

Cassie about died at the sight of his perfectly chiseled muscles again. His hands rested behind his head which showed off every strong plane of his body and every bit of definition in his arms and, oh, those sexy shoulders. He was absolutely beautiful lying there so peacefully in the sun. She forgot all about the picnic she had set out and instead went to lay beside him. She wanted to be a part of that moment with him, and she couldn’t help but run her hands slowly across his abs, tracing the lines of his six-pack as she did.
 

A kiss was a requirement in that moment, so she pulled herself up beside and and did just that. He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her deeply, not at all masking his desire. They had been apart for months and she could tell he had no plan to control himself, which was good because neither did she.
 

Scott felt the passion in her kiss and got lost in her energy. She was beautiful and sexy, but she was also the most electrifying woman he had ever met. He wanted her constantly, and there in their private outdoors, he could barely stand the intensity. He held himself back from her for those months of working nonstop, but now they were free to be together again. He never expected to be this desperate for anyone. But then again, Cassie wasn’t just
anyone
.

She was the only woman who stood out in his world. She brought out a side of him that had been long dormant…his true side. Scott could simply let himself go with her. She offered him freedom, really. The little time they spent together so far changed how he looked at relationships. Her inspiration also brought out a depth of passion he didn’t realized he had. Every beautiful word from her mouth and line of her body sent his entire being into a state of desire.
 

And now lying beside her, free and inspired, he needed to be a part of her again. He looked at her deeply and kissed her for a long moment. She responded with her entire self, seeming equally inspired by him.

Understanding they shared this connection together, no effort needed, Scott looked at her with a gentle smile and sweetly kissed the tip of her nose. She smiled so sweetly back, amping up his desire even more.
 

He rolled her to her back and laid himself half over her with one leg resting between hers. He slowly pushed his thigh against her center and felt her react by pulling him in even closer. She opened her legs just slightly and he pushed his thigh harder against her, putting even more gentle pressure against her sex. They never broke eye contact.

At that point she let out a very soft moan and wrapped her leg up around him. He felt her desire just as strong as his own. They moved together that way, kissing and grinding while the passion grew with increasing intensity. He knew she could feel the length of his cock hard against her while their bodies moved.
 

His hands explored her breasts, eliciting even more soft sounds of pleasure from her throat. He smiled when he realized he wasn’t working his moves with her. Going with his natural desire for her was only too easy. With Cassie, he could get out of his head and simply feel.
 

He removed her shirt and bra completely while he kissed along her ribs and breasts. He rested against her, skin against skin and breathed gently into her ear, kissing the edge as softly as he could. He felt her arch into him in response. He allowed his tongue to play along her neck and down again to her breasts, enjoying each nipple in turn. Cassie was moaning softly at the sensations he gave her.

“God, Scott…” she said through her breath as he kissed all up and down her bare torso. “I missed you…”

“Me too, Cass…I couldn’t wait to feel you again,” he said, his hot breath whispering across her. He kissed at her neck as he moved his hand from her breast, trailed it down her flat stomach and let his fingers pull back the button and the zipper of her pants and revealed black satin panties that matched the bra lying on the grass beside them. Scott was even more turned on at the sight.
 

He traced the edge of her panties with the tips of his fingers while he kissed her more. He moved his hand around her hip and pulled gently, wanting to draw out the anticipation. The physical sensations between the two of them were impossibly strong, but he had time to spend making this last.
 

He was not a fumbling boy needing satisfaction. He was not a player trying to win the moment. He was a man who knew how to bring a woman intense pleasure and he loved eliciting all those subtle movements from her body. Never had it been important to give a woman everything he could. Hearing all of the soft moans was like music to him, and the longer he spent with her, the longer he could listen.
 

After a little more delicate teasing, he let his fingers slip under the black satin and rub very gently at the top of her sex. He heard her make a soft noise that sounded like a gentle moan, and her hips rolled slightly up to meet his finger. Encouraged by her reaction, he moved a little further between her legs and began rubbing gently along all of her folds, enjoying the wetness against his fingers. He moved with deliberate, torturously slow strokes, feeling her whole body’s heated reaction to his hand.
 

She kissed his neck and moved with him slowly. He entered her with one finger, and then two. She moaned more definitively now, and moved slowly but more deliberately with the motion of his hand. In spite of the slow pace they maintained, the heat was rising. There was something different with Cassie this time. Gone was the playfulness. Gone was her erotic show for him. Her sexy, playful side was replaced by an honest, smoldering intensity.

He forced himself to keep that snail’s rhythm, even though there was nothing he wanted more than to watch her fall apart in the ultimate pleasure his hand could bring her. He wanted that desperately, but even more he wanted her to come when he was inside of her rather than his fingers. He was wholly tempted to rip her pants down and take her without waiting, but he needed to make this last. The intensity was too delicious to waste. Based on her reactions to him, she was right there, too. He moved his hand from between her legs.

“Not yet, Cassie. When I take you there, I want to be right there with you.”
 

Cassie looked at him, breathing heavy and staring at him with nothing but heat in her eyes. He left her hot and wanting and she was having just as hard a time controlling herself as he was. She also wanted to draw the pleasure out. Still, she needed him to know, desperately, how much she wanted him.
 

She didn’t want words to tell him, so instead she took the hand that had just brought her all that pleasure and brought it up to her mouth. She closed her eyes and decadently licked along his fingers. She sucked them in completely and ran her tongue along every surface of the two fingers that had just been inside of her.
 

He watched her, half in shock and half with raging desire. Her action was raw, and he was absorbed in the sight. She released his fingers from her mouth and moved up to kiss him deeply. She knew he could taste her arousal from her own tongue. Scott was breathing heavier as they stared at each other for a long moment, both wanting the other desperately. She looked at him with so much desire in her eyes. His eyes and his breathing matched hers.

“Cassie, you know how much I want you,” Scott whispered in a low voice, moving against her again to illustrate his words.
 

“I think this is more,” she said, practically moaning the words and lifting her chin to allow his tongue easier access to her throat.
 

“More what, Cassie?” he said against her collar bone, his voice still full of the lust his body demonstrated.

She pulled his head back up to look at him when she spoke, still through her heavy breath and hooded eyes. “This is more than want. I feel it.”

He answered with a kiss that matched the honesty of her words.
 

 
He understood completely. This was a done deal. He had already fallen hard for her and he knew from her words that she had, too. They were falling in love, undeniably. There in the warm sunlight, there was no need for anything more than each other. He felt her pull herself up to kiss passionately along his neck and Scott pulled her in tighter and pushed his hand over her breast.