Love Among the Elk Ch. 02

"So..."

"See that hammock over there? After dinner I got into it and had to ask him to join me. Of course I couldn't help cuddling up to him once he did, and pointing out constellations was a lot easier for him once I put my head on his shoulder."

"I thought you got an A in astronomy."

"You think I wanted Jim to know that? What fun would that have been?"

"You really pulled out all the stops, didn't you?"

"Not all of them. He said in so many words that he wanted to spend the night ruining me for any other man, and I passed. That was a while after I basically trapped him into kissing me."

"Why did you pass?"

"I wanted to hang on to some semblance of being a responsible journalist. Besides, after fooling around with him in that hammock for a while I had a strong impression that he really was equipped to ruin me for any other man and it scared me a little."

"Aargh! TMI! TMI! That's my dad you're talking about!"

"You asked, kiddo."

I decided not to mention my body's reaction, which caused me to change my panties before I finally went to bed. My La Perla thong had been on top of my overnight bag's lingerie pocket, and I was definitely in the mood to be wearing something sexy. Flashing Jim while half asleep the next morning had been a pure accident but his bugeyed reaction was kind of cute.

"Did you ever figure out why he was such a slowpoke?"

"He told me later that sexual harassment is one of the few things that can get a Federal employee in trouble, and if a journalist complained that he had hit on her he'd probably be reassigned to cleaning the elephant yard at the zoo."

"But you wanted him to!"

"Once he got that through his big thick head he was all over me. It was great, though, I really liked him and he was willing to respect my limits. I had a lot to think about on the flight home. Jim and I knew that we wanted to follow up on whatever we had started, but I wasn't about to give up my career to move to Oregon and keep house for some cowboy.

"We got in the habit of talking every day after work, and I found myself looking forward to it more and more. Next to him the men I met around New York looked pretty sad. Here were a bunch of pasty nerds in suits worrying about making money, and on the phone was this cowboy wanting to talk about wildlife preservation and how to be a good dad to this little girl he wasn't technically related to. I flew out for a followup, and I think I realized by the time I left that I was in love. I still didn't know what to do about it, though."

"That was when you brought me that T-shirt, wasn't it? I thought you were the coolest girl in the world. I still have it someplace, but my friends would make fun of me if they saw it now."

"What, you don't still think I'm the coolest girl in the world?"

"Well, the world's best big sister."

Jim had asked for help dealing with Lindsay's normal adolescent girl problems soon after our marriage. Some things he just didn't comprehend, and his desire to kill any boy who didn't treat "his" little girl the way he expected was too blunt a tool. Lindsay's mom did her best, but she had never been far from our small town and Lindsay instinctively went to her "sophisticated" adopted big sister for advice. When her mother died in a car accident, it was natural that she moved in with us.

"You worked it out, though."

"Someone put me in for a National Journalism Award for the story, and I won. Suddenly the editors of Outside Magazine were inviting me to lunch and all sorts of other magazines were calling as well. I realized that I could have a great freelance career just as easily from Oregon as I could from New York, and if I did that I got to be with Jim too. I told Jim when he came out for the awards dinner."

"What was that like?"

"Jim got up, told the crowd how great he thought I was, and asked me to marry him right there in front of everyone. How could I refuse?"

"Why would you?"

"I didn't. I think they heard the 'YES!' in the Bronx."

Lindsay had a dreamy expression on her face.

"God, that's so romantic. I wish I could find a guy like Jim."

"Sweetie, Jim was a complete dork when he was your age. I have the pictures to prove it. If you expect boys your age to be men like Jim you're sure to be disappointed."

"He is a hard act to follow."

"You have every right to have high standards in men. Just realize that college guys still have some growing up to do and don't expect them to be the equal of your dad yet."

Thor grumbled a little in his sleep.

"Why all the questions about romance, sweetie? Does this have anything to do with that good looking young man you invited to lunch with us?"

She was quiet for a minute before she spoke.

"He kissed me the other day."

"What happened?"

"He was over at my dorm and we were hanging out watching the Late Show after working through our Chem homework together. I kind of leaned on him because I was tired, he put an arm around me, and after a couple minutes he reached over and turned my head and there we were."

"Well, do you like the guy?"

"Of course I do! He's smart, funny, good looking, ambitious, respects me, and has a cute butt."

"Don't tell Jim that last part. So where's the problem? Sounds like ideal boyfriend material to me."

"But what if it doesn't work out? Then I've lost a good friend and the best study partner I've met since I started college."

"I think you're past that point already, honey. He kissed you? Did you like it? Kiss him back?"

She turned a little pink. God, was I ever that young?

"Well, yeah, I did. He's a good kisser, too, and I responded a little before I pushed him away."

"What happened?"

"I said I needed time to think. He told me to take all I needed, but he wants to be a lot more than a friend to me. Then he hugged me, kissed my forehead, and left."

"He wasn't just trying to get you into bed? I'm still not seeing why he's not a great guy."

"He is! I don't want to lose him one way or the other."

"Once a guy puts himself out there like that, sweetie, you have to make a decision. If you're attracted to him, give it a chance and see what happens. If not, tell him so and break it off. It's tempting to let him hang around spoiling you in hopes that your feelings will change, but that's taking advantage. What would Jim say? Integrity is doing the right thing when it's not easy."

Thor stirred from his doze beside me. In a flash he was over the edge of the deck and flying down our two mile driveway.

"Jim must have opened the gate. Nothing wrong with that dog's hearing."

"Jim found him, right?"

"Amanda Elliot had a friend of a friend who bred police dogs. Thor was too easy going to be a K-9, and I had told Jim that I didn't like being alone out here all day while he was at work. He came home from work one day with a half grown pup, mostly ears and paws."

At first I had been irritated with Jim for sticking me with another chore, but Thor's goofy, clumsy affection definitely made the place less lonely during the day. I had moved directly from a Manhattan apartment to Jim's fire lookout tower in Oregon, and the idea that I was the only human for miles was disconcerting.

One day I was out planting beans in the garden Jim and I had laid out, and as usual Thor was poking around, chasing bugs and getting underfoot. Then he started barking his fool head off. I turned around and saw that he was focused on one spot in the tree line and getting more and more upset, although I couldn't see anything there. It made me nervous, so I grabbed his collar and the two of us went back in the house.

That night I told Jim about Thor acting weird. I thought he was seeing ghosts, but Jim looked serious, picked up his .357 revolver, and went out to look. He called me a few minutes later.

"Wendy, come look at this!"

He was out at the spot that Thor was so interested in.

"See those tracks there?"

"What is that?"

"Puma. I bet that was what had Thor so excited."

I shuddered.

"They get this close?"

"This time of year the young males are looking for a territory of their own and go places they normally wouldn't go. Do things they normally wouldn't do, too- usually they know where all the humans are and stay away from them. The general rule is that for every time you see a mountain lion, he's seen you at least twenty. Looks like this one was at least thinking about attacking you. They won't do it unless they can sneak up, though. I think Thor here saved your life."

Of course Thor got steak for dinner that night, and I never resented having him around again. Jim taught me to shoot a .357, too- one of those skills a New York City girl doesn't need much, but useful in the back country.

Jim's pickup bounced into the yard with Thor wagging his tail proudly in the bed, and Lindsay went running down to meet it.

"DADDY!"

Jim trudged up the stairs to the deck with Lindsay tucked under one arm, rear end first.

"Hey, look what I found."

"Daddy! Put me down!"

He did so with a smack on her vulnerable, denim-covered rear end that had her rolling her eyes at me. I was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Jim, Lindsay is a sophisticated young lady now. You can't just pick her up and smack her on the butt."

"Sure I can. Watch!"

He reached for her and she jumped back, shrieking and giggling.

"Aw, I've got more important things to do right now."

He grabbed me and kissed me thoroughly, to Lindsay's obvious disgust. Then he put a casual arm around her too.

"How long you here for, kiddo?"

"Just the long weekend. They don't serve barbecued elk on campus."

"Lucky for you the freezer's full, then. Wendy, did you call Mike and Amanda and tell them to come over?"

"The twins are starting kindergarten or something. They'll all be up tomorrow."

I had told Lindsay years ago that she wasn't allowed to accept money for babysitting Mike and Amanda's twins, seeing that Mike had refused to take a penny of the settlement from her mom's death. They were wild with excitement at seeing their big sister again, and the rest of the weekend passed in a whirl of games, barbecues, and long talks on the back deck. I managed to get Lindsay alone as she was packing up to start back to Eugene.

"So, have you decided what to do about Matt?"

"I think so. You're right as usual."

"I always am, sweetie."

"Can I borrow that La Perla thong?"

I stared at her.

"In the first place, sweetie, you aren't going to need any lures to reel that boy in. In the second place, you have no business having your clothes off when he's around. Third, if you do don't tell your parents about it. Anyway, I'm six inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than you. I can just see that thing falling out from under your skirt and tripping you up as you run to class. Embarrassing accident to have to explain."

"You're right. I'm just nervous about this."

"Why? He's already told you what he wants. If you like the idea-and I know you do- you're about to start something pretty terrific."

"I am, aren't I? God, I love you, Wendy."

"I love you too, sweetie. Good luck, and if you can't be good be careful."

She stuck her tongue out at me.

"I'm always good."

I hugged her.

"I know. See you in a few weeks."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On the Friday after my big mistake I got a text from Lindsay.

"I'm going home for the weekend. See you Monday."

That was it. What did that mean? Was I about to get the big brush off? God, how could I have been so stupid? Telling the prettiest girl in school that I had a crush on her? A girl who had half the men on campus at her feet without even trying? Why would she want a broke-ass hick like me? Why couldn't I have been happy just hanging out with her?

I tried to study all weekend, but it was hard to keep my mind on Calculus when all the numbers seemed to remind me of a pretty little blonde with a talent for math. I was a nervous wreck on Monday when I got the text.

"I'm back. Meet me at the Arboretum after your Calc class?"

Walking down there wasn't easy. I found Lindsay sitting on a bench in an out of the way corner of the rose gardens. She looked as tense as I felt.

"Lindsay, I think I freaked you out the other day and I'm sorry. I really don't want to lose you as a friend."

"The bad news is that it's too late to take it back."

She stood up to face me.

"There is some good news if you want to hear it."

"That I could use."

"Here."

And she reached up and slid her arms around my neck.

"I want to be more than a friend to you too."

I was so shocked that I didn't react as her lips reached mine. She pulled back a little and looked up at me with a worried frown.

"Is something wrong, Matt? When a girl you like throws herself at you it's only polite to catch her."

"No, absolutely not. Things couldn't be more right."

Then my brain caught up and I pulled her up tight against me and we kissed each other for real.

"My God, Linds, I can't believe this is happening."

"You better get used to the idea, then."

Our kissing technique was definitely improving with practice as she wiggled her way tighter into my arms and I adjusted my grip accordingly. I had dreamed of this for so long, and I couldn't believe it was finally happening, but it sure as hell felt like a beautiful girl in my arms. Eventually she pulled back slightly.

"Can we walk a little?"

She took my hand and we wandered off through the garden.

"Believe me, Matt, I've had a lot of the same type of thoughts about you. I told myself when I started here, though, that if I was going to get into a good medical school I needed to keep my eye on the ball and not waste time partying or running around with boys. I hadn't expected to meet a man who felt the same way. I really wasn't expecting that we would work together so well either. Once that happened, I was too afraid I would screw up a great friendship with romantic drama."

"You know I'm here on a scholarship, Linds. If my grade point drops below a 3.3, it's back to being a logger and I can forget ever being an architect. We both have to focus on school, and I'm not asking for more than you have to give. So what changed your mind?"

"I had a long talk with Wendy this weekend. She basically said that you had pushed things past the point of no return and that I had to either go with it or cut you loose. It's unethical to friend-zone a guy who wants to be more than friends. Integrity is important in my family."

She poked me in the ribs.

"She also said that you sounded like a great guy and good boyfriend material. You must have done something right the one time you met her. She would have supported me either way, but I think she was pulling for you."

"Does she like flowers? I should send her a huge bunch."

Lindsay laughed.

"You'd better wait until after you've had a chance to meet Jim. He's suspicious of any boy I date, and sending flowers to his wife won't improve his first impression."

We decided that for once we could cut class and hung out the rest of that day, mostly talking and getting a feel for what this new relationship was going to be like. As it turned out over the next few weeks, it was even better than we had hoped for. We had that synergy going with classes we had together, and even if I had to read up on something else it was a lot more fun with her curled up in the other corner of my room studying her books and giving me the occasional smile when she caught me looking at her. Keeping our hands off each other was an occasional problem, but we made and generally stayed to a "no fooling around until the homework's done" rule. It was a strong motivation to stay on top of our studies.

One night, after the work was done, we were making out on my bed. Linds was incredible fun to fool around with: small but strong and lithe, and more than enthusiastic. We hadn't gotten much beyond second base, though, and I wanted to change that. She managed to end up on her side with one leg draped over me, and I slid a hand up the back of her smooth thigh until I hit the soft satin under her short skirt. With a little exploration I found the damp spot and ran my fingers along it, massaging gently. She moaned a little and then pushed herself back, knocking my hand out of the way.

"Hold, it, Matt."

"What's wrong?"

"This is going to sound silly."

"If you can't trust me now, you never can."

"I'm a virgin, Matt, and I intend to stay one for the time being."

"Wow."

"It's not that I don't like the idea of sex with you, Matt."

She blushed a little.

"I'm sure you could tell how much you turn me on. I saw how hard it was for my mother to be a single parent, though, and how it derailed her dreams. I was a mistake, and I don't intend to make another one."

"An accident, maybe, but no one who knows you will believe that you were a mistake. What I had in mind was safe sex, sweetheart."

"That's still hard for me to get my head around. I need to just take this slow."

"Speaking of hard..."

"I know. I don't intend to leave you that way, believe me."

She slid down the bed and unbuttoned my jeans.

"I haven't done this before, so let me know if I'm doing it wrong..."

What she lacked in experience she made up in enthusiasm. My erotic experience was somewhat limited, but I had never felt anything like that talented tongue while watching that blond head bobbing. All too soon she had me close to the edge.

"Linds, I'm going to..."

She didn't slow down or pull back until I was completely spent. Then she grinned up at me.

"I always wondered what it felt like to do that!"

I pulled her up to face me, kissed her, and settled her in my arms.

"You did great, sweetheart. Now it's my turn!"

"Uhh, Matt..."

"Yeah?"

"Doing that to you turned me on so much that I already, uhhh, got there."

"Well, I can probably improve on that."

"Another night, definitely. Tonight, I just want to fall asleep in your arms."

She wiggled herself into a comfortable position and did so. Having just been treated to the best blow job of my life, who was I to complain? The next night she let me return the favor. Her small, fine labia were perfectly pink and perfectly beautiful, and tasted as sweet as her personality. Her reaction to my careful ministrations was volcanic, and left her shuddering as she settled against my chest.

It went on that way for about three months, swapping magical oral experiences but never, technically, violating her virginity. I was enjoying the hell out of it, just as I was enjoying the rest of the incredible pleasures of being Lindsay's man, but I was feeling a little frustrated. One night, laying nude in my arms, she sighed.

"I'm tired of this."

"Of what?"

"Of almost but not quite making love with you. This isn't some casual college fling, is it?"

"Not to me it isn't. I love you, Lindsay."

"I love you too, Matt."

She rolled on top of me for a long, sweet kiss. Then she pushed herself up a little and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm safe with you, aren't I?"

"Always."

"I think it's time."

I half rolled, reaching for my nightstand, but she pushed me back.

"Allow me."

She reached into the drawer, found a condom, and slid down my body.

"Let's see, this goes like this..."

She ran her tongue around just under the head a few times. Then she rolled the condom on and crawled back up to face me.

"Just lay still a second and let me do this."

With a cute little frown of concentration she guided me to her wet entrance and started slowly forcing herself down. It was all I could do to lay there and not thrust, but the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. She got me about an inch in, paused, and started rocking back and forth, a little harder every time until suddenly I was all the way inside her. Her eyes widened and she flattened out, clutching me as I wrapped her tightly in my arms. After a couple of minutes she started rocking again.