Threading the Needle Ch. 09

Laughing, Alex shook her head. "You're so bad. Here I am trying to raise the level of conversation and you bring it right back to the gutter." She was quiet for a brief second before adding, "Yeah, we would have been."

By then, they were almost at Indigo's apartment. Once Alex found a parking space, didn't take them long to deal with the gear. In practically no time, they were in the bedroom, stripping off their clothes. Indigo was naked first and lay down on her belly so she could watch Alex.

It was easy to get lost in watching Alex. Her petite yet muscular body was very arousing. She wasn't as rounded as Liz, and her face was a little plainer, but she was in even better shape. She spent more time working out, crafting her muscles with enough weightlifting to given them distinct definition. She wasn't overly muscled but when they made love, Indigo could feel them under her fingers and when she wrapped her legs around her girlfriend. Sex with Alex was very active, and Indigo loved it, even if it lacked some of the more sensual aspects that Liz did so well.

As Alex undid her bra, Indigo bit her lip and chided herself. "Why am I thinking about Liz right now? My girlfriend's getting naked," she thought as she mentally kicked herself. "Be with her," she told herself.

Vowing to banish the thoughts of Liz, Indigo let out a low whistle. "Sexy babe! Come here! I'm fucking horny for you!"

Grinning at her, Alex pulled down her boy shorts. Indigo loved her in those, appreciating how tight they clung to her ass, even though she knew that Alex picked them because they were comfortable for the long hours in a kayak. She wiggled her ass at Indigo before turning and leaping onto the bed. Their arms went around each other, and they kissed. It wasn't tender.

Alex rolled up onto Indigo and pressed her lips down hard as Indigo leaned up, opening her mouth. She felt Alex's tongue probe down deep into her mouth, and then sucked it even further inside. When Alex started to pulse it in and out, as if she was fucking her, Indigo groaned and pressed her mound against Alex's thigh. She could feel how wet she was from the way the skin there became slick. Her pussy slid even easier.

"Oh god, Alex," Indigo moaned into the kiss. Her arms were around Alex's neck, and she pulled them together. Alex's small breasts pressed down against her, with nipples that poked into her. Their kiss slowly evolved into one where they were hungrily moving around, biting and nibbling.

As her grinding became more urgent, Alex began to thrust her leg against Indigo. Each time, Indigo let out a little grunt. Soon they were coming almost constantly. Her body tingled as she felt the raw power of Alex using her strong body on her. Her hands unclasped from around her neck, and without realizing it, Indigo dragged her nails down Alex's back. They left trails of reddened skin.

When she couldn't take kissing anymore, Indigo tore herself away to gasp for air. As the moment of her climax approached, she threw her head back. Instantly, Alex began kissing and biting her neck.

"Oh fuck," Indigo moaned out. "Oh, fuck!" Her body was shaking, and Alex knew just how close she was. Shifting slightly so she could reach Indigo's breasts, Alex smiled and then opened her mouth. Touching one with her lips, she sucked it into her mouth. Indigo closed her eyes and missed the hint of wickedness in her lover's eyes. Alex closed her mouth, teeth biting into Indigo's breast. It wasn't hard, but there was a feeling of almost pain, a pressure that pierced her brain.

With a giant gasp, Indigo let go. She screamed as the orgasm ripped through her. Her body bucked against Alex's, and she felt spasms running up and down it. Within moments, wave after wave of pleasure overwhelmed Indigo's mind. Crying out at the top of her lungs, she let the world know just how good it felt.

Even after it peaked, the spasms continued. Her cries dropped down into soft moans as the explosions of pleasure faded to sparks in her otherwise unaware mind. Her fingers clung to Alex's shoulders, keeping the two of them close.

"Oh god, Alex. I needed that," she murmured. Moving her head forward just a little, she kissed her girlfriend on the shoulder.

"I know you did," Alex replied. With one hand, she caressed Indigo's face, her eyes lit up in a way that was rare. Perhaps it was only because Indigo's face was buried against her chest that Alex felt free to let her feelings completely out. Originally, she was the one who wanted to keep their relationship somewhat casual. She was a free spirit who didn't want to feel restrained; and it worked for both of them. Last weekend with Winnie was a good example of where playing around was just having fun. She did the same on some of her solo kayak trips. Jealousy was not a consideration.

Over time, however, Alex's feeling towards Indigo grew stronger. She worried that eventually she would lose her to someone else, especially to Liz. It wasn't hard to see that Indigo had a weakness when it came to the other guide. If things ever changed with what Liz wanted, Alex wasn't quite sure what would happen. She didn't like the uncertainty, the fear.

There were times when Alex wanted to tell Indigo that they should just be exclusive, but she always held back. After making such a big deal about freedom when the relationship started, there was a little bit of pride that held her back, not wanting to admit the depth of her feelings. Secretly she also knew that there was a little bit of fear that Indigo would say she wasn't ready to give up on playing around. That really meant not giving up Liz. So instead, Alex held back and pretended that things were the same.

Her thoughts came back to the present when she felt Indigo stir and move down just a little so that she could reach Alex's breasts. She started with little kisses, wanting to inspire a slow building passion. Moving back and forth from breast to breast, Indigo gradually began to suck a hard little nipple into her mouth and then swirl her tongue around it. She knew it was working when Alex started to gasp and reflexively press her hips down. Squeezing Alex's ass hard, she clenched her teeth down in the same way that Alex had done to hers.

"Fuck," Alex moaned. Her hips were moving up and down now, and her need grew stronger with each passing moment. Sensing that, Indigo wiggled so that she could slide underneath. Alex lifted her hips to make it easier, and within a few seconds Indigo was looking at a dripping pussy. Lifting her head, she ran her tongue along the edge of Alex's lips. The juices ran into her mouth, and she eagerly pressed her face up for more.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" Alex said, each time louder than before. Without conscious thought, her hips pressed down in an attempt to get Indigo to penetrate more deeply in her pussy. Her lover wasn't quite ready for that and instead only lapped her tongue along Alex's slit, gathering in as much of the nectar as she could.

"Please, Indy, don't tease me," Alex whined. Her hips ground down against Indigo's face, and she felt her slide it in deep. "Oh, yes, just like that!" Her hips moved in a circle as she felt Indigo begin to eat her pussy in earnest. Her legs opened a little wider to give her better access. "Oh god!" she cried out. Her hands caught in Indigo's hair, unaware that she was pulling it.

Nor was Indigo aware of it. Her focus was completely on giving back pleasure to her girlfriend. Her mouth strained to open wide enough to catch all the juices flowing down into her mouth while her tongue thrust in and out. Familiar with the signals Alex gave off, she could tell that she was close. Her hips thrust down to meet the tongue stabbing up into her pussy. And she was saying "oh, oh, oh" over again and again.

Unlike the screams that Indigo made, Alex was more guttural. Her long moan went on as long as she still had breath; and Alex had a giant lung capacity. When her air finally gave out, she fell forward, pinning Indigo under her. Her body shook as Indigo happily lapped up all of the stray pussy juice that continued to leak down onto her. Finally, when she could find no more, she pushed Alex gently, which was enough for her to roll off with a loud groan. She was still panting heavily as Indigo wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight.

Both of them lay together, lost in the moment and unable to say much. Indigo was licking off the places on Alex's face that she could reach with her tongue while Alex just tried to recover. When she was done, Indigo turned over and lay on Alex's chest. Her smile showed how proud she was to have made Alex cum like that. The smile Alex gave her in return was weaker. After the long day and the vigorous sex, she was fading. She reached out a hand and ran it through Indigo's hair.

"You are so lovely, Indy. I am glad you're in my life," she said. Her voice was about as tender as Indigo could remember.

"I love you too, Alex," she replied. It was true. Despite her infatuation with Liz, it didn't change the strong feelings she had for her girlfriend. She also knew that Alex felt the same way, despite her difficulty in ever getting those exact words out. Resting her head on Alex's breast, she sighed as she felt the gentle caress running through her hair. She loved moments like these, where they fell asleep together after making love. Neither one of them ever got up to go back to her own apartment. It reaffirmed that it was more than just sex.

Unless she was with her in a tent on a rafting trip, it wasn't like this with Liz. They just didn't spend the night together in town. Once they finished, someone went home. As much as she would have liked to, it wasn't what Liz did. Liz was about sex, hot and passionate. She wasn't about cuddling.

It was one of the things that make Indigo love Alex. As she started to fall asleep, Indigo wished that she was in love with Alex, and didn't just love her. Life would be a lot easier if she did.

*****

The next morning everyone met at a little cafe for breakfast before heading over to the put-in to run the Green. Rikki picked up Winnie and the two of them drove up together. Along the way, they talked about Claudio's service. It was lovely with a huge turnout. Although Samuel came along, Rikki didn't feel like he gave her a lot of support. Most of the time, he tried to get to know some of Claudio's coworkers. It was clear that he hoped that there could be an opportunity there. Not all of them were as refined as Claudio, and he managed to connect with a couple while commenting on the cuter women. His lack of attention didn't bother Rikki, as it once would have.

"It just goes to show," she thought to herself. "I'm already disconnecting from him. I just wish it was already over."

"Are you doing okay?" Winnie wanted to know. She didn't know Samuel, but she somehow was starting to develop a deep dislike for him. "She is really too wonderful to be with someone that doesn't appreciate her," she thought.

"Yeah, I mean it's hard. I feel for Yamile. She had almost a fairy tale marriage and it's just wiped out in an instant," Rikki replied. As long as she could keep the focus on Claudio and Yamile, she could hide the state of her own marriage. "I don't want to burden Winnie with this crap. She is having fun on these trips, meeting people and starting to date, even if it is Logan," she thought.

Rikki wasn't even aware of the slight grimace that went over her face as she thought of Logan. There were aspects of his personality that reminded her of Samuel. "Winnie deserves better than that," she thought, glancing over at the pretty blonde who was looking out the window at the scenery. Still, she didn't think that Winnie was likely to fall head over heels for Logan. Rikki gave her credit for having more smarts than she had at that age.

Most of the guides were already at the cafe when Rikki and Winnie got there. There wasn't any space with everyone else, so they grabbed a table a little ways away. It still wasn't a big group, but Weston was there, drawn to one of the most enjoyable rivers around. Liz, Bear and Indigo were the other guides with customers. Once again, Alex was there to be the safety kayak. Only some of the rookie guides were there. Rikki was happy to see her favorites were all there, Lena, Bohdi, Linc, and Sawyer. She was particularly pleased to see Julie wasn't. With Winnie, it would be a good boat as well as a fun one.

Since they were late, Rikki and Winnie ordered and focused on eating. After a little bit, Liz got up from where she was sitting next to Lena and came over. She wanted to know about the service. After telling her a little bit, Rikki sighed. "You know, I'd like it if we could just focus on rafting today. I could use taking my mind off more serious things, okay?" She knew that everyone would interpret that as meaning Claudio. There were other things that she wanted to get off her mind, but no one else needed to know that.

"Of course," Liz replied.

"Absolutely," Winnie agreed. At the other table, everyone else either nodded or said something along the same lines. They all really liked Rikki and just wanted to help her in any way they could.

"Great," Rikki said as she sopped up a little more maple syrup with the last bit of her pancake. "I am so ready for a fun day on the river." She got up to pay for her breakfast. Liz followed her, asking about how Kieran was doing. She loved him and he loved her back, calling her Auntie Ewizabeth, saying the difficult name with a slight lisp.

With Winnie alone, Indigo took the opportunity to come over. She gave her a little crooked half-smile. "Hey, Winnie. Did you enjoy last night?" she asked, her smile getting even more crooked.

With her cheeks burning, Winnie could only nod. She didn't know what to say, although her reaction pretty much said it all.

"That's nice," Indigo told her. "I bet that was very nice." She touched her tongue to her upper lip for the briefest of seconds. Winnie blushed even harder as she knew Indigo was reminding her that she knew what she tasted like.

Most of rest of the crowd was already out the door. Alex came up and hit Indigo lightly on the arm. "Don't tease the poor girl." She gave Winnie a sympathetic smile, grabbed Indigo by the waist, and pulled her outside. For a few moments, Winnie stayed seated as she tried to calm down and get control of herself. In addition to the red cheeks, she was also breathing fast. Even more embarrassing was that she felt the slight beginnings of dampness between her legs.

"What's going on with me," she asked, but she didn't try to find the answer.

"Hey, you ready?" Rikki called as she came back over and touched Winnie on the shoulder. Winnie concealed the jerk that ran through her body from the light contact. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Rikki. She slowly let it out as she nodded. The concern Rikki showed her made her feel better, though she didn't know why.

"Yeah, let me just pay and we can go," Winnie said.

"Don't bother. I already took care of it," Rikki said with a smile.

"You shouldn't have. You drove too," Winnie protested.

"Don't forget, I know what you make," Rikki told her. "I make considerably more, so let me treat you."

Winnie smiled and got up and gave Rikki a hug. "That was for Rikki my friend, not Marika my superior, just to be clear. Thanks."

Rikki put her arm around Winnie's shoulder and walked out together like that. "Any time. As your friend, it's my pleasure."

As they exited the restaurant, Winnie thought about how fortunate it was that events turned out this way. Although she might have become friendly with Marika at work because that was how she was, it was unlikely to have led to the type of strong friendship they now had. She hadn't had that many friendships like this in her life.

Nevertheless, as she walked out, Winnie couldn't help noticing the feeling of Rikki's body brushing against hers. The little bit of excitement that Indigo stoked in her hadn't gone away, and touching Rikki like this didn't help.

Over the last few weeks, Winnie had come to appreciate the attractiveness of women more than she would have ever guessed. Indigo was pretty and had a sexiness about her that drew the eye. Alex was attractive, but unlikely to get nearly the attention as her girlfriend, and it was clear she didn't care too much. Alex was who she was and was very comfortable with that. Lena had a sexiness about her that exceeded even Indigo. Her body was almost perfect, and she couldn't seem to avoid having a devilish smile on her lips. Liz was a blonde bombshell. Although her hair was pulled back in a ponytail now, when free it was like a mane. "Lioness is the right analogy for her," she thought. "There is a way that she looks at other women as prey that makes her a little less attractive."

As they separated, Winnie glanced at Rikki. She had it all, a well-rounded body with a generous bust, a beautiful face, big brown eyes, and full kissable lips. Winnie was glad no one noticed the way she shivered as she thought about Rikki's lips as kissable, but it was true. They were very kissable. Most of all, she was all the more attractive by her seeming lack of awareness of how good looking she was. All things concerned, in Winnie's book, she had all the others beat.

"It's a good thing she is off limits, because she would be able to tempt me way past anything that has happened so far," Winnie muttered under her breath as she got to Rikki's car.

It was a longer drive to the put-in than Winnie expected, as was getting ready. The shuttle alone took about an hour because of the winding roads. Once they were on the river, things moved very fast. Although it was a gorgeous day, the rains from the last week had raised the river level. Each of the rookies took a turn at guiding down the narrow Green River Gorge. Winnie wondered if the river was named after the deep forest green of the river water in the deeper channels or the emerald green of the plants on the walls of the Gorge. The narrow channels were challenging but the rookies did pretty well.

Stopping part through the trip to eat lunch on a gravel bed on the side of the river, the rookies waited for all the customers to eat and then ate the leftovers. It was a time-honored tradition. Rikki was the only one who thought to bring anything to eat, although it was only apple slices and some almonds. She sat in between Winnie and Lena as they watched everyone else. Even though she was fairly sure that Liz and Lena had been together the night before, Rikki saw that Liz only paid attention to the customers, and mostly the female ones.

When she looked at Lena, Rikki saw that her eyes were focused on Liz. It took a moment for her to notice that Rikki was watching her. She glanced back and gave a little smile.

"I'm getting used to it," Lena said. Winnie leaned forward so she could see Lena as well. "Not much I can do about it either way. I guess it leaves me free to flirt with any of the other attractive women I meet." She gave Rikki one of her sexy smiles. "Say gorgeous, do you think you could let me have one more apple slice?" Her voice had a soft timbre that made the hairs on the back of Rikki's neck rise up.

"God, you are good at that too. Liz better watch out, or she will have competition for the best looking of the customers," Rikki said with a laugh as she handed Lena the second to last slice of apple.

"Oh, Winnie, that doesn't leave you any. Would you like to split this one with me?" Lena said. Rikki noticed that her smile turned slightly mischievous, something that Winnie missed.

"Sure, that would be nice," Winnie said before seeing Lena putting half the apple in her mouth. When she did notice, she softly said, "Oh!" Feeling that familiar sense of her cheeks burning, Winnie glanced at Rikki. She seemed slightly amused. Lena was leaning over Rikki's body with the slice between her lips. Her cheeks burned even brighter, but she felt like she couldn't shy away. Winnie leaned over Rikki too and took the other half of the apple in her mouth, stopping just short of Lena's lips. Biting down hard, she took her part of the apple and backed away.