Mars Hill Ch. 01

"So are you coming back to work?" I asked nervously. I was happy for her but worried that this might mean she wouldn't come back.

"Yeah I'm starting again tomorrow." I grinned at her in relief and she grabbed my head and tried to kiss me but ended up head butting me. We broke out laughing and tried again, only coming up for breath when my Aunt's came back into the room.

Becca came back to work the next day with much congratulations from the staff at the observatory. We split the tour duties. Whenever we had a chance to clean something away from prying eyes, we made sure to take the opportunity to make out for a few minutes, too.

We kept talking after that. Hopes and dreams. Jokes. Likes and dislikes. We couldn't get enough of each other. One day, she asked me to meet her down at the university. We met in the local café, and she took me to the walk-in clinic.

"What are we doing here?" I asked her.

"We are going to do this right, so we are going to get tested."

"Tested for what?"

She gave me a sideways glance and then grinned at me.

Suddenly, I understood. The sun was hot, and I was starting to feel sweaty in my T-shirt and jeans. My fear of needles had nothing to do with it. They called us in one at a time. The university was doing a free STD screening clinic for anyone in the community, as long as the health studies students did the practical work. The tech I had got the needle in on the first try, which was pain free and a big relief to me.

When Becca walked out, she had a Band-Aid on each arm. She sniffed. "Took them like five times to get it in a vein."

"Ouch!"

"Ouch? It was me that was getting stuck with those damn needles, Jer."

"Want me to kiss and make it better?"

"Yeah, okay," she said with a goofy grin.

So I kissed her arms. And then I held her by the waist and gave her a long kiss on the lips, our tongues dancing together. When we pulled apart, we both gasped for air and laughed.

"Doing anything Friday night?" she asked me.

"Nope."

"Good. I'll be by your place at eight. Bring warm clothes."

Work that week went by with a blur. On Thursday, we got our STD screening results back. Both of us were clean, and while I had no doubts about me, it was always nerve-wracking to find the results anyway, just in case anything hadn't been caught before in one of my blood transfusions. It was likewise good to know that Becca was clean, too, even though all we did was kiss.

Friday at eight, I was sitting in shorts and a T-Shirt on our front porch. Both Aunt Sam and Aunt Gillian were working, so there was nothing left for me to do but hang out and enjoy the sunset. Becca arrived soon after and I jumped in the car tossing my backpack and jacket in the back.

"All ready to go?" Becca asked.

"Yep, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

We went north out of town holding hands while we drove into the desert. We listened to music and chatted on the hour ride. There was an old dirt road that turned off of the highway, and we went for another ten minutes before we came to a gate. Becca got out and unlocked it, then we drove inside.

She locked the gate behind us, and we finally arrived at a large, flat area of grass in the desert. By now, the sun was just a glow on the horizon, and millions of stars stretched out over our heads in the warm summer evening.

I stared around us when we got out of the car and then looked up into the depths of space. "Where are we?"

"This is some land that Beth's family owns. I told her I needed a break and wanted to get out of town for a bit. She said I could come here and camp for the night. She even loaned me camping supplies. Before it gets dark, we should probably set up the tent and fire pit. Beth said there was one already dug here somewhere. How about you go try to find it and I will start unpacking? We will set up the tent near the fire, but I want to leave the car here by the gate. Beth asked us not to drive too far into the campsite."

I started walking towards the middle of the clearing and almost fell into the fire pit. I'm a city boy, so when people say 'fire pit' in relation to a campground, I think of a little metal stand or a ring of rocks that people have in their back yards. This was definitely not what I was expecting.

An Arizona 'fire pit' was apparently maybe two or three-feet deep in the middle and about six-feet around. There were no rocks to make the edge obvious. But there was still ash and some burned wood down at the bottom, which made it pretty clear that this was what I was supposed to be looking for. It was a lot more like the tribal fire pit which was maybe twice the size of this one than a traditional camp ground fire pit.

"I think I found it!" I called over to Becca who was maybe fifty feet away.

"Cool! Come help me haul the wood."

I walked back and saw that Becca had enough supplies to build a small village. She began stacking logs in my outstretched arms. "Why did you bring so much wood?"

"Beth gave it to me. She said we would need it to have a proper camping trip. She knows the land, so I didn't argue."

We carried the first load over to the fire pit, and Becca expertly built a tee-pee from the logs. "Just like being in the Outback."

"Hopefully fewer venomous snakes and spiders though," I laughed.

"Well, not as severe, but there are still some out here. Don't worry though. Nothing here wants to hurt us, and they have probably moved away by now anyway. We're scarier to them than they should be to us. If you see anything, just leave it alone and give it room. It won't hurt you."

I decided to keep near the fire just in case.

"One small candle casts a little light. One small candle takes away the night. So much darkness, small bright light, you know the darkness cannot stand the light," she sang softly, as though to herself, and used a long match to get the fire going. She set different parts of the wood ablaze and coaxed the flames into a warm, crackling fire which built and grew towards the sky.

The next step was to get the tent set up and sleeping bags unrolled inside. We had just finished as the last glow of the sun faded away. Becca brought out a couple of folding chairs and a couple of beers.

"To your success," I said as a toast, clinking our bottles together.

"I don't know what I did to deserve this," she smiled at me and then looked up at the stars.

I followed her gaze. The Milky Way was right overhead running from north to south. She took my free hand while we sat side-by-side by the warm fire and drank our cold beers.

"What do you mean?"

"I never thought that I would drop my emotional walls enough to feel this way about someone. My sister is coming to live with me. And I'm being published, which is one step closer to getting my Ph.D... It's all lining up for me."

"Becca, you busted your ass for this. You work harder than anyone I know. You are the kindest, sweetest, funniest girl that I have ever fallen in love with, and I can't imagine anything but happiness for you."

"You love me?" she asked, her voice shaky. The fire reflected off the moisture rimming her rich eyes when she looked at me.

"Yeah... I guess... From the moment I first saw you. I know its cliché. I feel like I've known you my whole life, and that we are meant to be together."

"You don't mind me being five years older than you?" she asked.

"Shit. A year ago, I didn't think I was going to even live for five more years. But what is five years really? You're older than me. You're smarter than me. And you're prettier than me. But what does that matter? I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"Me, too," Becca said. She set her beer down and stood up suddenly.

When she sat on my lap, leaning into me, I reclined in the chair. We looked up into the universe. Then I looked into her eyes and kissed her.

Her lips were chapped, as were mine, but soon, my heart was beating faster and the dryness of our lips didn't matter anymore. Our tongues danced, and I rubbed her back. She turned and straddled me, slowly grinding into my growing erection. I reached under her sweater and shirt and rubbed her back skin-on-skin.

"Fuck! Your hands are cold!" she gasped. She pushed my arms down until they were clear of her shirt.

I felt my heart drop when she hopped up and pulled her sweater down. But then she reached down and grabbed my hand.

"Come on." She pulled me into the tent, our beers and the universe forgotten in our desire for each other.

I zipped the tent closed and turned to face her. The light of the fire bled through the yellow canvas, and I had no trouble seeing at all.

She jumped onto me and kissed me deeply. Her hands went from around my neck to the zipper of my sweater. Within seconds, I was topless. The cold made my nipples stand on end, and the cold air on my back contrasted with the warmth of her hands while she ran her fingers down my back. We drew apart, and in another few seconds she had me completely naked. She stood back and looked me over with hunger in her eyes.

I knew she could clearly see my scars, but her eyes slid over them. She didn't run away screaming as I had feared she might.

"I've been wanting this for so long," she muttered before taking my hands and guiding them to her breasts.

I really couldn't feel very much through the multiple layers of her jacket and sweater, so I pulled her into a kiss and started taking off her clothes. She helped me with the first two layers, and then a T-shirt was all that stood between her breasts and me. I grabbed the bottom hem, pulling upwards in one motion, exposing her to me.

Her breasts were wonderful. Two small rises on her chest with dark areolas and pencil-eraser nipples, fully erect and pointing at me. I pulled her to me in another kiss, and the warmth of our bellies touching skin-to-skin seemed to set us both on fire. I reached out and cupped her left breast in my right hand. It was supple, warm, surprisingly firm, and simply wonderful. I could have stared at them for hours. Studying their every detail.

She leaned in and kissed me again. Then she pulled me to the floor where our sleeping bags lay zipped together—something she must have done at some point. They were open enough for us to get in comfortably, though. She pulled my head down from our kiss to her breast, and I took her nipple into my mouth.

I used my tongue to play with her while she panted in pleasure. Before long, she moved me to her other breast, and I did the same thing. I started to smell almonds as she got more aroused. It was musty and smelled wonderful. I ran my hand up her thigh towards her abdomen while my tongue played with her nipple.

"Let me take this off," she said and started undoing her belt. Her pixie-like body wriggled while she kicked her pants off the last few inches of her feet. Her socks went next.

I was in rapture. I could not believe this was finally really happening. Then she pulled off her underwear, and I saw her fully naked before me. Her pubic hair was trimmed, and her narrow legs parted a bit as she pulled me back for another kiss.

She reached out, and her hand wrapped around my penis, which was now fully erect. The touch of her warm and smooth hand on it was like magic. It was all I could do not to cum at her first touch.

I reached between her legs and followed the heat to her moist core. She grabbed my hand, showing me what she liked. First dipping a finger into her and then pulling the wet tip to her clit. She had me touch the area around her clit, and eventually I was rubbing directly over it while she played with my dick. With my other hand, I propped myself and leaned forward to kiss her again softly.

Her eyes opened. I saw the depths of the universe in them. I then kissed my way down her body until I got to her clit.

"I've never done this before," I admitted, looking up at her again.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she panted and she spread her legs for me.

I reached out with my tongue. The taste of bitter lemon flooded my mouth. I lapped at her clit, and she began to moan with delight. I had no clue what I was doing, so I started drawing the letters of the alphabet with my tongue on her hard nub. And I reached up to play with her breasts at the same time.

After a few minutes she clenched her legs, holding my head in place while she made a high squeal that turned into a low moan and panting. She finally relaxed, and I was able to get a breath of air. Then I lay down beside her.

"Thanks for that. It's been a really long time since I felt this good." Becca got on her knees then. I started to get up myself, but she said, "Lie down. I'm going to return the favor."

With that, she took me into her mouth. The warmth of it was a shock after the coldness of the air. She took me in deeply and began bobbing her head up and down. Her tongue whipped around the head of my dick, and it occasionally played with the very tip around the hole. I could feel the bumpy texture of her tongue while she worked it around me. She then popped my dick out of her mouth with a gasp and began licking up and down the shaft.

"Cum for me," she said just before she took me back in her mouth and began licking the head of my penis again.

The pressure in my balls was building. All it took was for her to lick around the head a few more times before I shot my load down her throat. She swallowed what seemed like a mountain of my cum before I was finally spent. I flopped back onto the ground and started to see stars while I caught my breath.

"I've never... That was... Thank you," was all I could say. I reached for her clit beside me again and kept playing with it to keep her aroused. In turn, she began to stroke my dick back to life. Within a minute or two of her working on me, I was hard again. I was suddenly worried that I was going to screw this whole night up for something I should have thought about before. I looked up at her. "Um, I don't have any condoms."

"Don't worry about that. I'm on the pill. And we got tested." She smiled and lay on her back, spreading her legs. "I trust you, Jer."

This is it, I thought to myself while I crawled up between them, our bodies fitting together perfectly.

She took the head of my dick and guided me to her opening. She rubbed it up and down to get it coated in her juices. She was soft, warm, and more slippery than I had imagined. Then she lined me back up with her and tilted her hips. Suddenly, the head of my dick was inside her. She wrapped her legs around me and slowly pulled me into her until I was fully engulfed inside of her.

I exhaled choppily, enjoying the feeling of being inside of her. It was hot and moist, slick and velvety, tighter than I would have imagined, and unlike anything I had ever felt before. I looked down into her eyes and kissed her. Then I looked down at her belly and realized that I was inside of it. I almost exploded right then and there. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen. The first woman I ever loved. The smartest, kindest, funniest, and most beautiful person I knew, and I was inside of her.

She rocked her hips up to me, and I moved deeper within her. I withdrew and then plunged back into her warmth. Again and again until we built up a rhythm.

I am pleased to say that I only popped out of her maybe three or four times, but each time, she guided me back into her. When we were really going again, I looked down at her body. Her small breasts moved with each of my thrusts. Her lips twisted into a grimace of pleasure. I kissed her while my dick was massaged by her warm and wet vagina. I was just feeling the pressure start to grow again in my balls when she pushed me out of her and flipped over onto her hands and knees.

I pushed back into her and found that in the new position, it was much easier to go faster. I continued to thrust, and I reached underneath her to massage her breasts. She laid her head down onto her arms and pushed back at me for each thrust into her. I used my now free hand and played with her clit.

She cried out into her arms, her back and legs covered in sweat. Mine or hers—or both—I could not tell.

Again, the pressure was building. I grabbed her and flipped us over so she was astride me, turning her so we would be face-to-face. Her breasts bounced, and she rode me. I was able to get my breath back and just let the feelings wash over me. After a while, I flipped us so she was lying on her back and I was on top of her.

I thrust two or three more times and then grunted, "Love... You," looking into her eyes.

Time stood still. I could feel her heart beat in her vagina, the pulse of it rippling down her tunnel and engulfing my dick. Her fully-dilated eyes looked into mine, the fire reflecting the white flecks in her chocolate eyes. They were as deep as a waterfall and as expressive as an ocean. The sweat ran down my back, the cold air freezing my toes.

Suddenly, I came. I could feel the cum rushing up my dick. Just as it reached the tip, time snapped back and I buried myself all of the way into her. I could feel her cervix just past the tip of my dick, and then I was pumping cum into her.

We were both spent. It was all we could do to zip the sleeping bag closed before we fell asleep wrapped in each others arms, face-to-face. Nose-to-nose. Cheek-to-cheek. And fell asleep.

We dozed for another half-hour or so, pressed together, holding hands under the sleeping bag. Finally, her cellphone alarm went off, and we got dressed. We packed up the camp site and drove back into Flagstaff, holding hands the whole way.

While we drove listening to the radio with the windows down, I thought about last night. What it had felt like. What it had meant to me.

I started to take stock of what I knew. Here I was, in love with a smart and beautiful woman who had just spent the night with me. I worried though. What would I say to my parents when I told them I was not going to come home. Because I now realized that there was no way I was moving anywhere without her.

Did the university in Flagstaff have a history program? Could I transfer there? Would my aunts let me stay with them? Would Becca and I move in together? What about Becca's sister? Weren't she and Becca moving in together?

Panic started to flood through my veins. My thoughts started to race. My hands were sweaty.

"You okay?" Becca asked, glancing over at me for a moment before returning her eyes to the road.

"I...I don't know what to do next. I've never been in a relationship like this before. What are we supposed to do now?"

Becca laughed. "Well, how about we get back to town, and then we can sit down and talk about it?" She gave my hand a squeeze and said in a softer voice, "I promise you, there is nothing for you to worry about."

I smiled and breathed deeply a few more times. I felt the adrenaline start to shut off, and I began to calm down. We pulled in front of my aunts house just as Aunt Sam was walking in the door. She smiled at us and held the door for us both.

Becca sat at the kitchen island on a stool while I cooked our breakfast.

"Did you guys have a nice time?" Aunt Sam asked.

"Yes, it was really nice. I'll have to be sure to send Beth a text thanking her for letting us use her campsite," Becca replied.

Aunt Sam looked over at me and raised her eyebrows.

"What?" I mouthed at her.

She winked at me. "You two are good for each other, I think." She filled up her water bottle and then went upstairs to bed.

"So, you wanted to talk about something?" Becca said nervously when we were alone again.

"Becca, I love you. And last night was... I can't even describe how great it was," I started. "But I don't know what I'm doing."

"How so?"

"I've never...Well, I've never felt this way about anyone. In the movies, the guy usually either proposes or runs away or gets killed right about now. I don't know what I am supposed to do. My heart is telling me that there is no way I can go home in the fall. There is no way I want to leave you to go back to school in Chicago. But your sister is coming out here, and you have school, and work, and your thesis. Not to mention, I have to finish my undergrad work and then probably go on to grad school, too. So what is our future going to be? I don't know if my aunts will let me stay here."