S.O.S. Summer of Secrets

Adam blushed. He really, really wanted to but did want to her to see how hard he was even through his boxers. Or worse yet, he didn't want to accidentally cum on her.

He looked over and her soft, puppy dog eyes were the opposite of intimidating. They were warm and inviting and kind. Instincts he didn't even know he had kicked in as he leaned over and kissed her.

She seemed startled but closed her eyes and kissed back. His hand held her cheek as their lips lightly parted, feeling her tongue on his.

They must have made out for ten minutes, or maybe twenty, he lost all track of time. His hand slid down her arm and his heart was beating out of his chest, as he felt the curves of her breasts over her shirt.

He stopped almost instantly. "I'm sorry, is this okay?" He asked, trying to be a gentleman as he caressed her breasts.

She blushed and nodded quickly, returning to their kiss as Adam explored her chest with gentle curiosity. Her hands stayed above his waist, which only made him harder.

Natalie pulled away and stood up. Adam watched as she lifted her shirt over her head, revealing a pink bra and slid her shorts down to the ground. She had on matching pink panties.

Adam gulped and stood up, awkwardly leaning forward trying to hide his bulge. They kissed again and he pulled her in closer. Her arms wrapped around his upper back and neck while his wrapped around her waist. Lightly, his hands slid down to her ass over her panties.

He thought he was going to erupt on the spot, but he tightened every pelvic muscle he had and staved off the need to follow through.

She broke away again and ran over to the water, jumping in off the shallow ledge. Adam was left standing and still completely dressed.

"You coming?" She asked from the water.

Adam blushed. This felt all too familiar, and yet completely different. He threw his shirt to the side and slid off his shorts. Now standing there in just his boxers with his erection poking out like a sideways Christmas tree.

There was no denying it, he was super embarrassed but thought back to everything Ashley taught him. Sometimes you just have to be brave and take the leap. He lowered his boxers and his erection sprung free.

Her eyebrows shot up and she couldn't hide her smile. Adam jumped in after her, and the cool water tingled every inch of his skin. She swam closer and they treaded water together until they found shallower ground to stand on.

She kept looking downward at Adam through the nearly clear water to see what was hidden below. It was a rush for both of them. She stepped closer and smiled up at him.

Her hard nipples were practically visible through her soaked bra. His hands explored her upper back and fumbled with her clasp. She chuckled and reached behind, almost magically unhooking her bra with no effort.

"Sorry, I normally don't have any trouble taking off bras." He had no clue why he said that.

"I think it's pretty clear you've never taken a bra off before," Natalie said as she slid the freed straps over shoulders and down her arms, keeping her breasts covered for as long as she could until she let it fall. "Don't worry, it's pretty clear no one's ever taken my bra off before, either," she said as her dark pink nipples came into view. "This is just as new to me as it is to you," her eyes were glued to Adam's reaction as his face lit up upon seeing her bare breasts.

He couldn't help himself and soon found his hands exploring her boobs. They were slightly bigger than a handful and were about the nicest thing he'd ever felt. She lightly giggled as he buried his face in her cleavage, kissing wildly. His mouth sucked hungrily on one nipple while his other hand caressed and grabbed the other.

Her hardened nipples felt amazing in his mouth. She gasped as his tongue licked all around her areola, kissing the underside of her boob. He got lost in them, feeling her warm flesh all around his face.

Adam took her hand and they made their way over to the spot behind the waterfall, the spot where things got crazy with Ashley. He tried to put that out of his mind, but the occasional image of cumming on his cousin popped into his head, only to be replaced by a more relevant fantasy happening right in front of him.

They continued to kiss, and he felt her hand slide down his belly, over his curly hair as she took hold of his shaft. Adam tried his best to play it cool and did the same, sliding his hand down her belly into her panties. The unfamiliar feeling of her coarse hair on his fingers made his heart speed up as he slid lower, exploring her intimate slit.

She gasped just as much as he did, and her movements stopped as he lowered her panties. He fell to his knees and looked at the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her matted hair outlined the sides of her pussy and he slid his nose over the center of her slit. He kissed her clit before licking it and quickly slid in his fingers while he did so. Steadily, he fingered her while his mouth hovered over her button, licking from side to side.

A sharp sensation of fingernails digging into his shoulders broke his trance, as he realized she was on the brink. He licked faster and faster, and she trembled holding his face close to steady herself as she shook.

He continued to lick until she had to pull him off. "That was, that was..." she gasped out of breath. "That was incredible."

Incredible? He couldn't believe it.

"I didn't know you were so..." she started and was almost afraid to say it.

"I'm not. Not at all. I just couldn't help myself," Adam said, realizing she somehow thought he was more experienced than he was. Perhaps his years of porn watching did have some benefit after all, as all he did was try to repeat what he saw.

Natalie took his shaft in her hands and lightly stroked. She looked a little intimidated as she lowered herself right in front of him. "I really don't know what I'm doing," she said as she slid her tongue around his tip, before softly sliding it in her mouth.

It was hard to believe that the last time he was standing here in this exact spot, he was cumming without touching himself, and now this girl he hardly knew was actually sucking on his penis and somehow, he wasn't cumming right away. What she was doing felt amazing, but still slightly different than what he expected. It wasn't a fluid and constant pressure on the right spots, but rather a mix of a great tease followed by attention to unnecessary areas. It was as if it was nature's way of pairing inexperienced people to balance each other out.

Had either one of them had any more experience, they'd probably be disappointed with the other. But for the two of them, it was perfect. Her experience seemed to catch up in a hurry, simply by repeating things that made him react and moan. Her mouth slid up and down his shaft and now Adam knew he wouldn't last much longer.

He gasped as she took him in deeper, her tongue sliding along the underside of his shaft. Adam steadied himself, holding her shoulder. When she cupped his balls, he practically erupted on the spot. Pulsing over and over in her mouth while she kept him in as deep as she could. He stood there shaking as she slid his glistening shaft out of her mouth. Natalie's chin was coated with dripping cum and she swept it up with a finger, bringing it to her mouth.

"Mmm..." She moaned as she swallowed his remaining drips with her eyes closed.

"You like how I taste?" It was a genuine question, as he thought it was something girls only did begrudgingly in videos.

"I do," she nodded. "It wasn't how I expected it would taste, but I liked it."

He understood that completely. Almost every part of this was not how he expected it. It wasn't as perfect or as flashy as the videos he often watched, but it was real. It was better.

They cuddled up along the edge of the rocky ledge overlooking the waterfall, gently rubbing each other's arms and occasionally kissing each other on the forehead or shoulder.

"I'm really going to have to thank Ashley for this," Natalie said.

"What are you talking about? Who...wait, why?" She couldn't possibly be talking about the same Ashley...? Shit! Ashley! He had completely forgotten about her and her note to meet up.

"Oh Ashley, she's just this girl I met at my mom's gym. We've been chatting over the last few weeks. She told me I might have a surprising amount of fun if I hiked here." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. "She was right."

"Your mom owns a gym?"

Natalie nodded. "Heather's Health and Wellness."

Adam's face went pale. "And your dad is an art teacher?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"It's a long, long story," Adam smiled and couldn't believe Ashley set him up to meet this girl. She is something, he thought, they both are.

"Someday I'd like to hear it," she said, enjoying the comforting cuddle.

That comment opened up a whole new slew of thoughts. "My family is leaving soon. I'm not sure we'll..."

The idea alone made him too sad to finish the statement.

"Oh," Natalie said softly. "I understand."

"We live pretty far away from here, but maybe we could chat online at nights and stay in touch?" His eyes widened, "and it's not impossible for me to take a road trip up here on a weekend here and there."

She blushed. "I'd like that. But we can take it slow."

He realized he barely knew anything about this girl and was already planning future road trips in his head. "Slow is good," he said as he cupped her breast and held her close.

She let out a soft sigh as her nipple hardened from his touch. "Hopefully not too slow," she giggled, and he pinched her nipple playfully.

The day went on and they enjoyed each other's embrace before getting dressed and heading back to reality.

"This is me," Natalie said as they came to the fork in the dirt path.

"Right," Adam didn't know what to say. He hoped this wasn't goodbye, but in a way it was. Goodbye to a lot of things about his old self.

They exchanged contact info and looked at each other one last time.

"Promise you'll text me and chat online?" She asked.

"I'm looking forward to it." He found it a bit amazing she even had to ask. All he wanted was to talk to her more, and still, she was the one who asked that. Maybe he gave off more confidence than he originally thought. Doubtful, but maybe others are just as insecure as he was.

They kissed goodbye a few more times and finally parted. Adam began his long walk home and was giddy with the look of a boy who just had his dreams come true.

His mind kept returning to what Natalie said about thanking Ashley. He still found it hard to believe this was all part of some master plan conjured up by Ashley. He honestly didn't care and was just glad it happened. He too thought he owed Ashley a thank you and went up to her loft as soon as he got home.

"Ashley!" He called out.

For a moment he wondered if he'd see her butt sticking out from a short T-shirt again, but he no longer cared as much. Not that he would turn down seeing a nice ass, but it just didn't have the same appeal as it once did. And for that, he was glad.

"Hey, Ashley! Guess what...?" He called out to an empty loft. There was no sign of Ashley anywhere. No dirty panties or bras lying around on the floor. No crumpled-up notes of story outlines. Not a single trace of Ashley remained. Did she leave without saying goodbye? No that's not possible. She wouldn't do that after all we shared.

He actually couldn't remember when he last saw her. "Mom? Dad?" Adam ran downstairs to find out what was going on. "Mom? Dad? Hello?" No one was around.

"Lexie?" He knew he was desperate if he was calling for his sister, but still, no one responded.

Defeated and confused he went up to his room. There on his bed was a new note on top of a small, neatly wrapped package.

The outside of the note had his name written in cursive. He was afraid of what this letter might say but couldn't wait any longer to find out.

Dear Adam,

I want to thank you for a lovely summer together. I'll always cherish the time we spent together and can only hope I in some way helped you along in your journey. Although, I fear I may have only muddied the water.

You've seen me at some of my most vulnerable times. I wanted to see those moments. As I tried to show you, all women are goddesses, but I truly hope you understand they are also real people who are probably not worth putting on a pedestal.

If you are just now returning from a hike, I hope you had a chance to meet my friend Natalie. I thought you two might get along. I look forward to hearing all about it someday.

Before you start thinking I'm this wonderful person who set you up with a great girl, you should know not only am I a real person, but I'm a person with flaws and faults and selfish tendencies. Worse, I'm a person capable of hurting others and betraying the trust they put in me.

I couldn't bear to say goodbye to you in person, or anyone in your family, and you will soon know why.

There is a package that goes along with this letter. Please know, I could not have done this without you. For that, I am both eternally grateful and forever sorry.

Love always,

Ashley

Adam could barely believe what he was reading and ripped off the wrapping paper. In his hands, he held a brand new, hardcover book. There was a picture of a woman looking over her shoulder with only a glimpse of her face that was visible. She was in the process of removing her robe, holding it slightly below her hips revealing just a hint of her crack. It was enough to pull you in while still not showing too much.

Over a dark background, in bright, bold silver letters it read:

S.O.S. Summer of Secrets

A Family's Secret Cry for Help.

Oh shit.

33. Jon

It was finally packing day and the whole family stayed tucked away in their different corners of the house. He hadn't been able to even think about packing after the note Ashley left him. He supposed he deserved much worse than what she wrote, but the part that truly concerned him was the book.

He spent the better part of the day hidden from the world, flying through the horrific pages of revealing text. It wasn't supposed to be a horror story, but he found it terrifying because it was real, and the truths included scared him to his core.

Jon was shocked to read the various storylines of the four main characters. Though the names were changed, there was no doubt it was their family.

He had no idea how much of the events for the other family members truly happened but based on how accurate the chapters were about him, he had a feeling theirs couldn't be too far off base.

But there was plenty of time to dwell on that later. Now they needed to load up the car and head out. Adam was nice enough to assist with the heavy lifting, schlepping the suitcases down the stairs.

All four of them got into the car and stared back at the house. So much had happened on this trip. Too much.

"Everyone got everything?" Jon asked and realized those were the first words uttered in the last few hours. No one replied and he started to drive off.

The house disappeared in the rearview mirror as they drove away over the noisy gravel road. Judging by the painfully awkward silence, he imagined they each received an advanced copy of the novel as well most likely with their own personal handwritten note included. He could only imagine what words of wisdom she left them.

But there was no way to tell without bringing up the subject, which clearly none of them were ready for that.

As Jon drove, he contemplated all the things the four of them experienced this summer as told through Ashley's words in the book. His son who nearly hooked up with his cousin and had a bizarre bathroom fetish. His bisexual daughter who lost her virginity in a threesome. His wife who was willingly seduced, tied up and slept another man.

And the part that was the hardest to read, his own story of a man who wanted to be seen naked by everyone in the world but the woman who mattered most to him. The character slept with another woman while an audience of strangers watched. It didn't seem like it could remotely be him, yet he recalled vividly all of those moments. Doing all of those hurtful things.

Perhaps the worst part of all it, was now all of their secrets were laid bare for the world to see. Their transgressions and infidelity immortalized for centuries to come. There was no denying it. No living in ignorant bliss. Nothing to hide. It was all out there for whoever wanted to know. How could Ashley have done that to us?

They pulled up to a rest stop. "Last chance to use the restroom for several hundred miles. If you gotta go, speak now or forever hold your pee," Jon said, and the joke fell on deaf ears as the kids got out of the car.

"You coming?" Jen asked.

"I think I'll stay here," Jon said softly. She nodded and headed off to the restroom.

Those were the first words they had spoken to each other since their big blow up the other night. Things were so different then, and he wondered if there is any getting past this.

Jon pulled out the infamous book and turned to the last page to reread the final passage.

That's the thing about secrets. They're never secret. Whether or not someone knows what you're hiding, it always shows. It weighs on you and it's clear to everyone. Everyone but yourself.

Some trips are worth taking even if they take you somewhere you didn't expect to go. Every trip changes us, little by little until we no longer are the person we once were.

No matter how good or bad, all trips must come to an end. You can return to your house, but sometimes there is no going home. Not to the home you once knew and loved and were comfortable in. No. With every meaningful trip, you must decide how it ends. And how you want to begin again.

The painful realization set in. None of this was Ashley's fault. She simply called attention to something they were all ignoring.

Jon wiped away a tear. God fucking damn it! He screamed in his head. Perhaps Ashley was right. There is no going home. At least not to the home he once knew. The question was how would they move forward. If they would move forward.

Soon, the kids got back into the car and Jen was close behind. When she shut her door, Jon looked at each of them and reflected on how much they've all changed. How much he changed.

He was glad Adam was growing up and finding his confidence in a world that won't hesitate to tear you down.

He was glad Lexie learned more about herself in a safe environment before she went off to college. A world of discovery awaited her, and she was finally ready to deal with it maturely.

Jon looked at Jen, his beautiful wife. They locked eyes and he saw a lifetime of shared experiences and a world of secrets between them. Secrets that they both somehow had always known. Perhaps it was better that it was finally out in the open. Maybe it didn't need to be a deep, dark secret that ate away at them until they acted on it. They were stronger than that and for the first time in a while, they smiled at each other.

He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "I love you," he said sincerely.

Jen nearly teared up. "I love you, too." She mouthed the words, "more than you know."

Jon let out a deep sigh and started the car. Ashley was right; this was the moment where they needed to decide how they would move forward, and how they would begin again. More open, more accepting, and more loving.

"Let's go home, kids," he said looking at his family. Jon next smiled at Jen and kissed her hand once more.