A - T Summer

Brett hadn't gone far when Brett heard Shannon call to him. Brett stopped, turned around, and watched her approach. This was going to be the first time he'd be alone with her.

'Callie's going to take a nap, so I thought I'd go with you.' Shannon told him as she took one of the water bags.

'I welcome the company,' Brett told her with a smile as he started walking again.

Brett sensed Shannon's hesitation before speaking again. 'We should get together once you get settled in your new home,' she said with a slight catch in her voice.

'I'd like that. I'm sorry Terry got hurt but I wouldn't have met you and Callie if he hadn't. I've enjoyed hiking with the two of you and imagine I'd enjoy hanging out with you guys when we return to civilization.'

Shannon took his hand and held it as they walked, a gesture Brett never anticipated. 'Callie probably wouldn't be there. She teaches outside Phoenix. It'd just be me. If that's okay,' Shannon said.

Brett turned to look at her, and mindlessly blurted out, 'But, I thought . . ,' before he caught himself.

'You thought what?' Shannon asked. She looked at him curiously for a moment. A sudden change in her expression, and color, told him she knew exactly what he thought. 'Oh, you thought they were a couple.' she said as her face flushed in embarrassment. 'You heard us that first night.'

'Yes,' Brett answered, feeling a little guilty.

'But you didn't let on. Why not?' she asked as they resumed walking.

'Why would I? I didn't want to embarrass you. It was none of my business. We didn't know each other. It didn't mean we couldn't be friends,' Brett rattled off, too quickly. And defensively.

Shannon didn't say anything for a few minutes as they walked. She also didn't release his hand. Suddenly, Shannon stopped walking and stood looking at Brett. She dropped the water bag she had taken and pulled him into a kiss. Brett dropped his own water bag and returned the kiss, relishing it more than he could have imagined.

When she broke the kiss, Shannon said, 'We're not a couple, though Callie is bisexual.'

'You don't have to explain,' Brett began before Shannon cut him off.

'Callie is the only woman I've ever been with. It's only happened a few times. I won't tell you I don't enjoy it. But I prefer a man's touch.

'You don't have to explain yourself to me,' Brett told her again firmly. What he really wanted was for her to kiss him again.

Shannon picked up the water bag and strutted off toward their destination. Brett was pretty sure she was annoyed, maybe even angry. He wanted to bang his head against a tree. He had no idea whether he'd alienated Shannon and damaged their budding friendship. Or what he could have done to prevent the exchange that had just happened. As Brett tried to catch up with Shannon, he worried he might be told to pack up his stuff and move on when they returned to the campsite.

Once Brett caught up with her, they continued at a brisk pace, in silence. They found a gently flowing mountain stream, about twenty feet wide with a couple of small cascades and a series of three pools. The largest pool appeared to be chest deep. They filled the bags with water and set them where they would remain captured, and cool, without being swept away.

'Why don't we rinse off in the deep pool. We might not find another place to clean up for a while. Callie can come down later if she feels up to it,' Shannon said, matter-of-factly.

'Good idea,' Brett agreed, taking off his boots and stripping down to his boxers. When Brett looked up, Shannon had stripped down completely. Brett watched her shapely ass and legs stride toward the water with his jaw ready to hit the ground.

'Are you just going to stare at me?' Shannon asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

When Brett pushed his boxers off, he realized he was already getting aroused. Shannon turned her back to him.

Brett didn't have to worry about getting fully erect. The water was frigid. Any chance of developing an erection was gone the moment he was immersed in the water. In fact, all either did was hurriedly swim around in the stream for a couple minutes. It was far too cold to stay in the water long.

They sat on a rock in the sun to dry and talked a little. But Brett sensed a strained undercurrent. When Shannon got dressed, Brett did, too. Shannon strutted back to camp empty-handed. As originally planned, Brett humped ten gallons of water a little over two miles uphill to camp. But now he had to watch Shannon's shapely backside leave him in her dust.

Callie and Shannon were sitting on one of the logs that served as a bench at the campsite when Brett finally got back. To his eye, they looked like they'd been laughing.

'How'd you make out?' Callie asked, with a smile.

'We've got water,' Brett responded, slightly out of breath, rubbing his aching arms.

'Shannon tells me you heard us that first night.'

Brett looked at them sheepishly. 'I did,' he replied.

'Did you enjoy listening to us?' Callie continued.

'I'm a guy. What do you think?' Brett smirked as he set up to filter water.

'Yeah, you're a dog,' Callie taunted, with a grin.

With that, they got up from the log and went into their tent. When they emerged a few minutes later, they went in the direction of the stream. Callie carried her towel and a water bottle. Shannon had a small bag and a towel over her shoulder. Brett wasn't invited.

While they were gone, Brett busied himself with an inventory of his supplies. When they returned, it was time for dinner. Brett had more than enough food to last until the next trip into a town, so he offered to make a vegetarian chili for dinner. Shannon and Callie contributed packets of peach cobbler mix for dessert. As Brett made dinner, he began to feel somewhat self-conscious. He wasn't getting the cold-shoulder from them. He was being teased while they mockingly flirted with each other. And there was some running joke between them they didn't let him in on. They kept whispering to each other, giggling like schoolgirls after each hushed tête-à-tête.

After dinner, they complimented his cooking. Faint praise, probably sarcasm, since Brett knew it took little culinary talent to boil water and stir in the contents of a package. Much to his relief, they seemed to forgive him and returned to what had been their normal routine in the evening.

Brett got up when it was time to turn in and excused himself to go to the privy. When he returned, Shannon had already turned in.

'I'm going to bed, now,' Callie told him. As she walked past, she stopped, stood on her toes and quick-kissed him on the cheek. 'Sleep well, Dawg,' she giggled as she slipped into her tent.

Brett stared at her tent after she disappeared inside it and wondered what the hell had just happened. In the weeks they'd been hiking together, the only physical contact he'd had with Callie was incidental; helping her up or down a difficult spot on the trail, while sharing meal preparation duties. Suddenly she's giving him a kiss goodnight? Okay, it wasn't a romantic kiss, just a peck on the cheek. Hell, there might have been more enthusiasm in a kiss from his sisters. But, still?

Brett went to his tent to turn in. He crawled into the vestibule and slipped out of his camp sandals and pants. He climbed inside the pitch-black opening and stretched out on his bedroll. Brett always slept on the right and kept his gear on the left of his two-person tent. Brett rolled onto his side, facing the center of the tent. He'd just got comfortable when he felt something lightly travel down the side of his face. It was too heavy to be a bug.

His reaction was immediate and loud. Brett jerked back away from whatever was inside his tent and cried out, 'What the fuck?' A sense that something large moved in the tent didn't give him comfort.

Brett heard Callie howling with laughter and started to get pissed, wondering what had been done to scare the crap out of him. A penlight came on and pointed toward his feet. Brett found himself looking into Shannon's face.

'I'm sorry, Brett. I didn't mean to startle you,' she said, fighting back a giggle as she gently caressed the side of his face again.

The adrenaline rush from the momentary fright had his heart pounding. His respiration rate was elevated. 'You didn't startle me, Shannon. You scared the shit out of me. Where's my gear?' Brett asked.

'It's keeping Callie company for the night. But is that what you really wanted to know?'

Brett could still hear Callie laughing, though it was no longer that initial howl that must have frightened every wild animal for miles.

'Okay, I'll bite. What should I want to know?'

'Aren't you curious about why I'm in your tent?' Shannon asked coyly.

Brett thought carefully for a moment before answering. 'I hope I already know why.'

Shannon kissed him for the second time. Now his heart thumped for entirely different reasons.

They just held each other tightly at first. His hands pressed against the skin of her bare back. Brett wanted to pull her to him so tightly their bodies fused. He was more at peace just holding her than he'd felt in a long time. Brett enjoyed the contentment for a few minutes, mindlessly letting things progress however they might. But he also worried a little about performance anxiety. Callie was close by, with just a few layers of water-resistant polyester and perhaps thirty feet of air between them. She'd be able to listen in without difficulty. He decided that it was only fair. He'd listened to her.

Shannon pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away. She ran her hands over his chest, dragging the tips of her fingers across his skin. Brett felt the hairs on his chest and back of his neck stand up and his nipples contract. When Brett slid his hand down the side of her face, along her neck, and then across her collar bone, she sighed. While she played with the hair on his chest, Brett pressed his hand to a breast. It was warm and soft in his hand, the pointed, pebble-hard nipple poked into his palm.

Brett was disappointed that he wasn't going to help Shannon out of her clothes or get to enjoy seeing her body in the nearly pitch-black tent. She threw her leg over his hip and pressed her lower body against him. Brett felt the warmth of her sex against his hip. She moaned into his shoulder when she felt his erection hardening against her abdomen. Shannon slid a hand inside his boxers. The hand was soft, warm. The touch maddeningly light as it slid along his length.

Brett twisted enough to kiss a breast. He explored with his lips and tongue until he found a nipple and caught it between his lips. Shannon sighed softly as Brett sucked on it and circled the erect nub with his tongue. He caressed and nibbled gently at her breasts until she pushed his head away from them. Brett slid his hand down her belly and between her legs. She spread them so he could explore the soft flesh of her mons and labia. Brett played with the sparse pubic hair as he explored.

Brett kissed his way down her torso as he gently explored the cleft between her legs. The inside of her labia was already slick with arousal. Shannon gasped when his finger found her clit and gently traced around it, never touching it. Brett slipped a finger inside her and started to move down between her legs, desperately wanting to taste her.

She grabbed his head with both hands and held it tight, pulling him back toward her face. 'Don't make me wait,' she whispered huskily. 'I want you inside me.'

'I don't have a condom,' Brett whispered. 'We shouldn't take unnecessary chances.'

'I have an implant,' she whispered huskily. 'When was the last time you had unprotected sex?' she asked as she planted kisses along his chin, cheek, and lips.

'High school. I was young and stupid. Afraid I'd never get another chance,' Brett told her breathlessly.

Shannon pushed him onto his back, pulled his boxers to his knees, and straddled him. 'Then I want you inside me,' she whispered as she grasped his cock and slid the head along the slit below her mons. She planted her other hand on his chest to support her upper body while she used his cock to massage her clit and probe for her opening. When she had the head of his cock where she wanted it, she lowered herself slowly. It was Brett's turn to gasp. The head slipped past the tight entrance. The tight circle squeezed his shaft as it was slowly engulfed inside her warm, slippery vaginal canal.

Shannon's breaths soon became quick and shallow as she rode his erection. She held his shoulders with her chest pressed to his while her hips pivoted up and down. Brett held her buttocks gently and met each rotation with a thrust. Shannon lowered her head and kissed him passionately. Their tongues explored, sparred, and danced together. Brett felt her hot breath against his cheek as she breathed through her nose.

Time slowed. It felt like they were joined for an eternity. Shannon pushed her torso up and began riding him hard. Each time their hips collided, she cried out softly. Brett held her breasts, gently pulling and twisting her nipples as he matched her movements with thrusts of his own. What started as a soft whimper became a throaty vibration as her motions grew ever more energetic. Brett sensed she was going to cum soon. He desperately wanted to see her face when she did. To know her expression when orgasm sent her soaring. But Brett could barely make out the outline of her body inside the dark tent.

Brett was happy to listen to her reactions. He would always be grateful for the experience. Shannon's orgasm started with a series of guttural grunts in time with spasms that squeezed the hard staff inside her. The pitch gradually rose until the sounds stopped. Later, as Brett reminisced during a break from their passions, he wondered if a coyote somewhere nearby covered its ears and whimpered at sounds far above the range of human hearing. She fell against him, crying out as she bit his shoulder. The pain was exquisite and accompanied by a sudden warmth and wetness on his groin as Brett continued to thrust into her.

His own orgasm didn't build slowly. The gods struck Brett with a lightning bolt. Every muscle contracted involuntarily. His entire body was stunned by sensations he'd only ever felt in his cock and scrotum. It felt like he ejaculated an entire testicle when the first jet escaped. Several more jets followed over an eternity of bliss.

When his senses returned, Shannon was still on top of him, her face buried in his shoulder. Brett was still inside her, though wouldn't be much longer. She was shivering. Brett pulled her sleeping bag over her. She tossed if off immediately.

Brett felt her head turn slightly. 'I'm n-n-not . . . n-n-not sh-sh-haking because I-I-I'm cold,' she stuttered softly.

Brett wasn't sure how much time passed before they began again. But once they did, both knew even a second round still wouldn't be enough. There was just enough light finding its way into the tent that Brett could see Shannon's face when they finally exhausted their last ounce of energy. Brett collapsed next to her. He studied her face closely while she lay next to him with her eyes closed. Her skin was still flushed and sweaty. Her hair was a damp, tangled mess of rope-like strands. He'd never seen a woman more beautiful. And doubted he ever would.

Shannon was soon breathing slowly, finally asleep. Brett joined her as soon as he closed his eyes.

When Brett woke, there was plenty of faint light inside the tent. Shannon was still asleep. He smiled as he gazed at wreck their passions had made of her appearance. But was still as beautiful as she had been before he fell asleep. Brett leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips to hers, intending to let her sleep while he made breakfast. Her eyes snapped open and she leaned into the kiss. She pulled Brett on top of her, stroked him until he was hard, and guided him inside her again.

Brett couldn't believe he could function after what they'd done overnight. He was amazed she wanted to begin her day with more of him. When they were done, Shannon rolled over and fell asleep again. Brett rested long enough to catch his breath, wriggled into his boxers, crawled into the vestibule and pulled on his pants. He couldn't find his tee shirt. He'd have to retrieve one from his pack, which as far as he knew, was in Callie's tent.

It was a little after ten when Brett glanced at his watch as he crawled out of the vestibule. Callie was standing directly in front of the tent and met him with a look of obvious amusement. But her eyes were bloodshot and watery, like she'd been crying.

'Have a good night?' she asked, struggling to get the words out.

'No complaints,' Brett smiled at her.

'I bet,' Callie said, now giggling. 'Meet Henry and Agnes,' she said as she turned and gestured toward a couple that looked to be in their mid-to-late fifties. 'Henry and Agnes stopped by a while ago and asked if they could borrow our stove to make breakfast. They lost a part for their stove.'

Brett turned and looked in Henry and Agnes' direction. Both were dressed for hiking and wearing wide-brimmed sun-protection hats. Both wore a large, simple wooden cross on a leather necklace. Agnes sat motionless, staring at him. Holding her breakfast. Their black coffees on the ground in front of them. Henry seemed only interested in his food. Agnes looked absolutely mortified.

Not having anything else to say, Brett said 'Good morning.' Henry and Agnes didn't respond. Brett turned to Callie. 'How long have Henry and Agnes been here?'

Agnes choked. 'Long enough. You should be ashamed,' she said. 'You're a despicable sinner and fornicator. The Lord will punish you with eternal damnation.'

'Now, Agnes . . . ,' Henry began timidly.

Agnes cut him off. 'Shut up, Henry!'

Callie had her back to Henry and Agnes while she busied herself knocking down her tent. But Brett could see the grin on her face and a tear running down her cheek. That explained the watery, bloodshot eyes.

Agnes started to lecture him, but Brett cut her off. 'Eat your breakfast, ma'am,' Brett told her, sternly, but politely.

'How can we eat breakfast after listening to that?' she asked, tossing her head toward his tent. Henry kept eating. It didn't seem as though his appetite had been adversely affected. 'At least tell me you're married to the woman in the tent with you,' she added testily.

Shannon's timing was perfect. She crawled out of tent, wearing only Brett's tee shirt, which wasn't quite long enough to be considered modest. She looked exactly like a beautiful woman should after a long night of carnal pleasure. Henry gulped. Agnes shrieked. Shannon hastily retreated to the tent. When she bent over to crawl into the vestibule, she was completely exposed. A trail of semen ran down the inside of her right thigh. Callie couldn't contain herself any longer. She howled with laughter.

Agnes tossed her breakfast and coffee, then did the same with the remnants of Henry's. She dropped the unwashed utensils into a pack and pushed Henry ahead of her out of the campsite. 'I'm going to report you three to the authorities!' she said as they hastened on their way.

Callie was laughing so hard she had to sit down.

Brett went to his tent and opened the flap. 'It's safe to come out now, Shannon,' Brett told her.

Shannon was wrapped in her sleeping bag when she stepped out.

'They've gone to report us to the authorities,' Brett said with a smile. Callie lost it again.

Shannon looked over at her friend and smiled. Brett fetched Shannon's camp sandals and gave them to her.

'Thank you,' she said as she stepped into the sandals and leaned against him.

'You're welcome,' Brett smiled down at her.

'I didn't mean for the sandals,' she whispered so only Brett could hear.