Chapter 11

It was a surreal experience for Riley. She still couldn't believe he was actually there, in Colorado, right behind her on the trail. Academically, she knew she should be concerned that this man, this stranger, really, had just shown up on her doorstep - quite literally, in fact - but emotionally her feelings were quite the opposite. Yes, they didn't know each other that well. And yes, their relationship, thus far, had been unusual. She had heard the horror stories of men who trolled the internet, looking for victims.

But she just couldn't view Bob as a threat.

In fact, she was thrilled that he had sought her out.

Part of that was because she had invited him, in a sense. Even if he hadn't quite "gotten" that invitation. That part was confusing too. She'd been angry when she asked him if he'd ever seen Pike's Peak, at the same time suggesting, between the lines, at least, that he think about that. There was a tug-of-war that went on inside her when it came to Bob. Part of her craved having a man in her life - a good man for once. And her instinct told her Bob was a good man. She didn't think of it as chemistry, because she'd never believed in chemistry to that point.

Still, while she had wanted him to want to come see her ... meet her ... that other part of her kept whispering, "He's fifteen hundred miles away! He's a spy, or something close to it! You'd be crazy to try to have a relationship with him!"

She imagined it was a little like winning the lottery. She didn't play, but she knew people bought tickets faithfully every single day, and patiently rubbed off spots, never expecting to actually hit the big one. It was more about hopes and dreams than actually winning.

But what was it like when they did win big?

Was it like what she felt like right now ... as the man she had thought of while she masturbated was walking along right behind her?

"I'm out of shape," puffed the voice of that man, right behind her.

She looked back over her shoulder. He'd described himself as "pudgy." That was true. He carried some extra weight. She looked at his glasses. She'd been surprised on multiple levels after that little kiss, back there on the trail. First, she had expected those glasses to get in the way, and they hadn't. She'd also expected his beard to tickle, and it hadn't. Finally, she hadn't expected his lips to taste like anything. But they had. She licked her lips, looking at his, trying to remember that taste. She'd been unable to classify it, and her emotions had been at such a boil that all she could think of doing was moving on, before she did something silly, like kiss him again. She'd wanted to. And when he had begged for another, she'd almost stopped. If Curtis hadn't been with them, she was sure she would have. She'd probably have let him do anything he wanted, right there on the trail.

It was insane! She hadn't ever felt like this about a man she hadn't even gone on a date with!

"You need to take a break?" the calm part of her brain asked.

"And let a four-year-old boy show me up? I'd never live it down back at the agency."

She laughed. She'd never known a man who admitted to having faults. She suspected that her upbringing had denied her the chance to meet a wide variety of men. She wasn't too sure about that. But what she was sure about was that the men who hung around the bars and pool halls that were her mother's milieu would never have admitted they were anything less than tireless. She had known they were full of shit, even back when she was thirteen. And for a long time she thought all men were that way. She met some nice guys along the way, eventually, but never got to know any of them on any deeper level than a man who watched out for her while her mother was too drunk to do so.

As she moved on, she was glad they were doing this. That's because her mind was in a turmoil. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, but the fact was ... she was horny as hell. A man had come fifteen hundred miles to see her.

He'd been here for over an hour.

And he hadn't suggested they get naked and get busy even once.

He had stared at her like other men stared at her, his eyes lingering on the front of her T shirt, and raking over the rest of her body, but somehow it had been different.

And that, to her surprise, was because it hadn't made her wish he'd stop.

Bob's mind was also in a turmoil. He was still amazed that he was actually here, and that she didn't seem to mind. If anything she was flirting with him, and that just blew his mind. It was one thing to flirt on line. It was something entirely different, somehow, for her to accept him in person. It was like a dream come true, and he wasn't used to his dreams coming true.

And that didn't even include that kiss. That had left him speechless. He still hadn't decided what that really meant.

Of course that didn't mean that anything more personal was going to happen. They had just met, after all. Except that wasn't really true, because they had known each other for months now. Sort of. It was confusing to know what to do next.

His eyes watched her bottom as she took the long-legged hill-climbing strides that so threatened to leave him behind. She was short, only five-three, and he had to have four or five inches on her in terms of leg length. But she was putting him to shame. He concentrated on watching her. She'd put on a light jacket which, thankfully, did not obscure the delightfully round bottom in her skin-tight jeans. Watching the globes of her ass rise and fall, tighten and loosen, already made the whole trip worth it, even if that was all he got to see of her.

He suddenly thought about how she had laid out for him, but then immediately dismissed the concept that she might do that while he was actually here.

No ... he wasn't going to even mention it. He was going to be on his very best behavior. He already counted himself among the luckiest men in the world, simply because she hadn't sent him packing for showing up out of the blue.

She stumbled, her foot catching on a rock.

His hands shot out to grip her hips, on either side of that fabulous ass. It was merely instinct to help stabilize her.

She had touched him, her fingers on his shoulders, and her lips against his. But that was different, somehow, from what was happening now. Suddenly he was touching her for the first time. His thumbs pressed on the rear pockets of her jeans, sinking in as she caught her balance.

That fabulous ass turned out to be just as firm as it looked!

Curtis didn't get too tired to walk. That was probably because he was excited. Bob was a new and interesting phenomenon for the little boy. He was used to being around his mother and Bessie, but there hadn't been any other people in their house. Bob seemed huge to him, towering up into the sky. And the beard on his face made him look a little like a bear. Except bears didn't wear glasses, or smile, or talk to little boys.

Of course his stamina might have also been perceived, rather than actual, because their hike was shorter than many of those they had taken before. He didn't know that. Time meant little to a four-year-old.

But his mother cut the hike a little shorter than she might have, because she wanted to get back home.

Bob was also an interesting and exciting addition to their lives for her as well.

"Want me to take off my shoes?" asked Bob, as they stepped into the cabin.

She laughed. "You can if you want. It wouldn't do for you to soil the expensive Persian rugs on the floors."

He looked at the threadbare carpet and knew she was teasing him, but took his shoes off anyway. Somehow, feeling the floor through his socks made it seem more real.

"Are you hungry, Curtis?"

"Fish sticks!" crowed the boy. "Can we have fish sticks?"

"I think there are some in the freezer," said Riley. She turned to Bob, who was standing, just staring at her. He looked uncomfortable. She almost asked him if he was staying for supper, but then, based on other miscommunications they had engaged in, thought Bob might interpret that as a suggestion that his visit might be over. She didn't want that.