Chapter 36

DENNIS AWOKE EARLY, still cuddled against Amy, who was in turn cuddled to Brenda and Lana. He slipped out of bed and stepped carefully over Ardith and Natalie as they lay on the mattress on the floor lightly touching. As soon as he’d showered and pulled on his sweats, he headed to the kitchen to fix breakfast. He found a shredder and shredded potatoes for hash browns, then pulled out a pound package of hot sausage and a huge iron skillet.

He chopped an onion and a bell pepper to sauté as the sausage browned, then spent some time hunting in the refrigerator for where they’d put the cheese. He found a block of cheddar and shredded a couple of cups of it. It was time to add the potatoes to the sausage and onion and he lit the oven to heat while they browned. He beat a dozen eggs and stirred them into the potatoes, then he added the shredded cheese to the skillet and transferred it to the oven. It took a minute or two to figure out how to operate the old coffee maker, adding an extra scoop of coffee because the basket didn’t look full enough.

The girls were beginning to stir when he went upstairs to get a book from his pack. He let them move at their own pace and went back downstairs to get a cup of coffee and sit to read the next chapter in his marketing sales textbook. The skillet breakfast would be ready when the girls were.

A few minutes later Ardith appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She was barefoot and wore a loose pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt. Dennis paused, just to appreciate the view.

“Coffee ready?” she asked. He nodded and she went into the kitchen to pour herself a cup. A minute later, she settled on the arm of his chair and looked over his shoulder as she ran her fingers through his still-damp hair. “What are you studying?”

“Marketing sales. It’s the one course I could never schedule time for during the school year. During the summer, of course, it’s a hybrid class and I only have to go to Boone once a week. I figure I can do that, even from Salter.”

“So, will you move soon?” she asked.

“As soon as we have a place to live, sweetheart. I don’t want to be apart any longer.”

“We haven’t quite been together yet.”

“We will. I’m enjoying you sitting beside me, petting my hair, letting my hand rest on your leg. They are all things the stupid law says we couldn’t do until this week because it was abusive. Now, I’m just enjoying every touch and every word. Enjoying it like I wish we could have the past three years.”

“So long? When did you first think we might fall in love?” Ardith giggled. She saw Natalie and Brenda come down the stairs, glance in their direction, and head to the kitchen.

“Well, I didn’t know it would be mutual. But I fell in love the night you rescued me from the gang of three.”

“We’d only been working together a few weeks and had interactions only in my office or on the court. You fell in love just because I rescued you?”

“No. I was embarrassed that I needed to be rescued by a really pretty woman. I wanted to show that I was capable of standing on my own. It wasn’t when you rescued me, it was when you jumped in the car and started chasing them. That’s when I thought, ‘This is what I want in my life.’ That was when I fell in love.”

“You’re such a romantic,” she giggled.

“What about you? When did you know?”

“Mmm. That was part of a rescue, too. Only I wasn’t there. It was the night you rescued Carol. Or, I should say, the day I found out about it. I had to examine my own thoughts and actions. If I had been abused by her like you had, would I have helped her in that situation? But I thought, this is a guy who keeps his head on and bends to help one in need, just because she was in need. I want to keep this guy nearby.”

“I was scared out of my wits. After that was when I started taking serious first aid classes online. After I got the basics, I started focusing on the sports medicine and learning taping and massage,” he said.

“That wasn’t all,” Ardith said. “It took a while for it to grow. But when you called the girls to order for exercises and they all fell in line, I did, too. I found there was something irresistible about your voice and like all the other girls, I wanted to obey and make you proud.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Brenda said from behind them. She leaned in and kissed both Ardith and then Dennis. “The first time he snapped an order to us to get in line, I thought, ‘Yes, sir! Hell, yeah! Whatever you say, sir.’ I think the whole team fell in love a little that day.”

“I don’t want to be a slave master or something,” Dennis laughed.

“You aren’t, honey,” Lana said as she tripped down the stairs and straight to Dennis’s lap. She reached up to kiss Ardith and then Dennis. “You never give us the kind of orders that might be considered abuse. But when you step in front of us and take command, panties get wet. If we’re wearing any.”

“Come on, you guys. Is everybody down? Breakfast should be ready,” he laughed. This was getting a little embarrassing.

After cleanup, they all put on hiking shoes and headed out along one of the lakeside trails marked on their guest map. It wasn’t a difficult trail, but had a couple of scrambles over rocks that nearly dumped them into the lake. They paused often to take pictures, sit on rocks overlooking the water, and generally horse around with each other—which involved kissing and making out with each other in various combinations.

They got back to the cabin a little after noon. Sandwich makings came out of the refrigerator and soon everyone was seated at the table with their favorite cold sandwiches, chips, and pop.

“What’ll we do this afternoon?” Natalie asked.

“I’m going to lay out in the sun,” Brenda said. “We’ve got a perfect spot that has good sun and isn’t directly visible from anywhere. It’s time for an all-over summer tan.”

“Evil girl,” Amy said. “You won’t get much sun if I’m lying on top of you.”

“Are you talking about sunbathing naked?” Lana asked. “Um ... That sounds like fun.”

“I’m in,” Natalie said.

“Um ... I get enough sun on the tractor,” Dennis said. “The idea of just lying in it doesn’t appeal to me. I’ll look forward to seeing all you girls lying in it, though. I think I’ll just take a nap.”

“Hmm. A nap sounds good to me,” Ardith said, nonchalantly. The girls all struggled not to giggle but finally lost it.

“Okay. Cleanup’s done,” Brenda said. “Last one naked is a rotten egg!”

Clothes started flying as the girls shed them in the living room, grabbed towels and their sunblock, and headed outside. Ardith looked at Dennis. The two had joined in the stripping frenzy and were both still standing in the living room as the others ran outside. She grinned and held out her hand.

“How about that nap?” she asked.

“Good idea,” he answered.

He took her hand and they went to the bedroom.

The two went straight to the bed and lay down next to each other. They kissed and then giggled.

“Um ... Wow!” Dennis said. “I’m so overwhelmed at actually being with you, here, naked, I don’t know what to do next?”

“Kissing is a nice start,” Ardith said.

“What else do you like?”

“I like gentle touches all over my body, or firm touches on my back. I like gazing into my lover’s eyes. Long walks on the beach. Dancing in the rain. You know. The usual stuff.”

“I want to do all of that with you,” Dennis said.

“Yes. And more. Tell me what you like.”

“Mmm. I like waking up next to my lover and knowing we’ll make love again. I like collapsing into my lover’s arms after a hard day. I like making love outdoors where I can smell the fresh mown hay. I like knowing we can talk while we pet each other and kiss.”

They paused for a few minutes of kissing and petting each other. Dennis found her nipple and lightly rubbed it between his thumb and finger.

“I like that as long as you don’t pinch. That’s not always the case. Sometimes I like rougher and more demanding sex. But not right now. Right now, I want the gentle and sure touch I’ve seen you use with your other girlfriends and even with our teammates.”

“I think the first time I touched a girl’s breast, I was scared I’d break it.”

“A girl?”

“Brenda.”

“Did you know she gave me the same kind of instruction she gave you? I didn’t know what to do when we went to bed together. She gently held me and told me the story of her taking you parking and doing what she could to calm you and reassure you. She did all the same things with me.”

“She’s a wonder. I think she did all the same things with Amy, too. There was one time when the three of us went out parking and she was teaching Amy how to give me a blowjob. It was my first, as well. Then the gang pulled into the same drive we were in at an old barn out in the country. Brenda started the car and spun out of the barn as fast as we could go as they got turned around to chase us. It was scary, but Amy didn’t stop until I’d come as we went over a bump. I was afraid I’d choked her.”

“Oh my! Maybe I should ask her to give me some training, too.”

“Ardith, you don’t ever have to do something you don’t want to do just to be my girlfriend. If you said that all you wanted to do right now was lie here and talk, I’d be okay with that.”

“Dennis, I want so much more than that. We’ve talked each other through our pregame jitters. Show me now. Show me how you’ll love me.”

“Ardith, I do love you.”

They kissed and the petting became ever more intimate. Ardith wrapped her hand around his cock for the first time, feeling the weight and bulk of it. Dennis probed the slickness of her pussy and found the nub of her clitoris with his finger.