The Road Home

"No," Nick answered, clearing his throat. "No, I'll wait until you're finished and then I'll take a shower." Brynn waited for another moment and then seemed to roll her eyes and went into the bathroom. Nick heard the shower start and noticed that the door was still open a few inches. He watched the steam pour through the door and across the ceiling as he sat on the bed. It was fifteen minutes before the shower stopped and he heard the shower door slide open, and he turned on the TV and began to flip through the channels.

Brynn stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped beneath her arms, hanging down to her upper thigh, her hair wrapped in another towel. She stood, looking at Nick sadly, and then sat on the center of her bed, her legs folded beneath her and watched the channels flip by on the TV.

Nick rose and went into the bathroom, handing Brynn the remote control as he passed her. He got into the shower and let the hot water spray into his face as he leaned on both arms against the wall. When the water began to cool, about five minutes later, he washed his hair and body. After toweling his hair, Nick wrapped a towel around his waist and went out into the room, where Brynn lay in bed, the covers arranged to cover her breasts but leaving her shoulders and much of her back exposed. The towels lay on the floor, and her still damp hair was wild.

They looked at each other for a while, the room silent, and then Brynn's leg slid beneath the sheets, straightening. Nick walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge opposite Brynn, pulled back the covers and let the towel drop as he slid beneath them. He reached over and turned off the light, settling into the bed.

Nick listened to Brynn's gentle breathing, heard every movement of her legs or body as a whisper of the sheets. He could picture her clearly, her lithe little body rolling over, her legs sliding against one another seeking comfort, her cheek on the pillow. She was so close to him, only a few feet away, and he felt close to her emotionally as well, the singing, the sharing of their pasts. He felt as though he was closer to this girl that he had met only twenty four hours or so before, than he had been with anyone else in his life. Nick rolled onto his side, facing away from Brynn, and he went to sleep.

The Third Day

Nick woke to find he was alone, and he jumped from the bed and raced to the bathroom, finding it empty. He turned and saw that his suitcase was open and had been riffled through, some of his clothes missing, his wallet was missing from the table, and her backpack was missing from the chair. He looked out the window and saw his car was still there, and he turned and walked, shoulders slumped and his heart breaking, into the bathroom.

Nick sat down on the toilet and put his face into his hands. He was motionless, without thought, stunned. A wracking sob shook him, and he began to cry. He wailed from pain and anguish, and felt his hot tears drip on his hands. His wailing ended after only a few minutes, the tears a minute after that, but the sobs continued, shaking him.

He stood and picked up a towel from the floor, wrapping it around his waist, and he went out into the room. He froze at the sound of a key in the lock, and the door opened. Brynn walked in, her backpack in hand. She was wearing a tight black miniskirt and a yellow t-shirt with her sandals, and she was smiling.

She saw him and the smile disappeared, replaced by shocked concern. "What happened?" she cried, dropping her backpack and running to him. She reached up and touched his face, his red, swollen eyes. He stared down at her, unable to speak, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Brynn's expression softened, her eyes became sad. "Did you think I'd left you?" She turned and retrieved her backpack and set it on the bed. She took out several items of clothing, some hers, some his, all of them carefully folded. Next she took out his wallet, placing it on his shirts. "I hoped you wouldn't mind. I was running out of clean clothes, and so were you, so I thought-"

Nick grabbed Brynn's shoulder and he turned her around, taking her into his arms and he pressed his lips to hers. He felt her arms around him, her hands on his back, pulling him closer, and she began to kiss him back, sucking softly on his lips. Their mouths parted and they breathed heavily together, their eyes locked together, searching.

Brynn put her head down on his shoulder, still holding him tightly, and she murmured, "I wish I'd done the laundry yesterday." She looked up into his eyes again, searching them for something. "I won't ditch you, Nick. I won't leave without saying goodbye."

Nick released her, and after a moment Brynn released him as well. "I'd better get dressed," Nick said, picking up his freshly laundered clothes and wallet and walking over to sit on his bed. Brynn watched him putting clothes into his suitcase, taking some out, getting his clothes ready for the day. He held up one of his shirts and said, "Thank you."

Brynn watched him close his suitcase and set it aside, and then he stood and went into the bathroom, carrying his clothes. The door closed.

Nick set his clothes on the back of the toilet and took off his towel, dropping it on the floor. He picked up the briefs from his stack of clothes and was inserting his foot when the door opened and Brynn pushed inside. "What are you-"

"This is bullshit!" Brynn was inside the small bathroom then, Nick's back pressed to the sliding door of the shower. She looked very angry, and he was at a loss for what to do, for how to react. "You don't get to kiss me like that and then walk away like it never happened! You don't get to make me think that you care and then pull it all away from me. You did that all day yesterday, all night, no matter how much I tried to-" she paused, searching for words, finally settling for an aggravated exclamation.

Nick was painfully aware that he was naked, except for the briefs hanging from one ankle. Brynn didn't seem to care. She was so angry. "I'm ten years older than you."

"And you have the brains of a rock!" Brynn answered hotly and then turned, as if to leave, but turned around again. "I've spent every minute of every day since I left home afraid that someone would hurt me. I thought I'd have to fight to keep guys off of me, and I have. As soon as I meet the one guy who I want to start something, you won't!"

"I don't want to take advantage of you." His voice was steady, the words heartfelt.

Brynn stepped closer to him, forcing his back against the shower doors. "You know what? I get to decide! You be honest with me and say, 'You look hot,' and I say 'go away' or I say 'kiss me again'. Don't protect me by keeping yourself away from me. Don't take away my choice."

"I know you want me. I heard you the other night. I thought it was so sweet, and kinda hot."

Nick was blushing furiously, embarrassed and angry at her for talking about his masturbation. "It wasn't sweet! It was sick! You were helpless, defenseless, and I was thinking about all of the ways I could take advantage of you."

Brynn placed her palms on his chest. "And you didn't do any of them. You took care of me and made me feel safe. You've been feeding me and taking care of me from the minute we met."

"I don't want sex for being a nice guy, for giving you a ride and a couple of meals." He meant it to sound honest, to explain why he hadn't pushed her.

"Screw you!" Brynn burst into tears. "I'm not a whore. I don't want to fuck you to thank you for being nice to me. If I was like that I wouldn't have needed your help!" She ran out of the bathroom and out of sight.

"Brynn!" Nick charged after her, tripping on his shorts and stumbling into the vanity counter, rising just in time to see the door slam shut. He hurried to dress, pulling on his jeans, and then his t-shirt as he ran to the door and out into the parking lot. Even at nine-thirty in the morning, the blacktop seared his bare feet as he turned in circles, looking for Brynn. Traffic was shooting by in both directions up on the highway, and only the fact that she had left her backpack kept him from running in search of her.

After retrieving his wallet and putting on his socks and shoes, Nick went into the office and bought the room for another night. He went to the vending machines and got a few sodas, and brought them back to the room before he thought about filling the ice bucket and storing the sodas in it.

Nick pulled the unused chair around in front of the TV and sat in it, watching daytime television. He didn't move from the chair once, even refusing maid service. His mood had turned dark and foul, and by the time the afternoon talk shows began he was seething with anger. He knew he couldn't afford delays. He had already spent almost all of his budgeted food money because of Brynn. Things were going to be tough, and he'd be dipping into gas money if things continued they way they had been going.

He was halfway through the six o'clock news when he heard the key in the door. Brynn came in and closed the door softly. Nick couldn't tear his eyes from the TV screen, he was so angry he was afraid he'd become violent. Brynn approached him slowly, and she got down onto her knees next to the chair, and then moved around in front of him. She laid her head gently in his lap, her arms around his legs, hugging them. "I'm not a whore." She had whispered it, but he heard her clearly.

Nick put his hand on the side of her head, softly stroking her hair. It felt dry and rough after her day in the desert air, but it felt good under his fingers. The news ended, and they did not move, except his hand as he gently stroked her hair.

"Why didn't you leave?" Brynn turned her head and he began to stroke the other side. She sniffled.

"I had your backpack." Nick stared at the TV screen, knowing that he was lying, but not sure why.

"You could have left it at the office for me. You could have left and been on your way without me. You shouldn't have spent your money staying here another night. "You didn't know if I'd come back."

"Yes I did," he said, still stroking her hair. "You said that you wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. You didn't say goodbye, and I wasn't going to leave you alone either."

Nick stood and Brynn continued to hug his legs, looking up at him. He reached down, holding his hand out to her, and she released his legs, taking his hand and letting him pull her up to her feet. He put his arms around her and held her tight, feeling her arms wrap around him tightly as well, and they stood together, drawing strength from one another.

Nick released her slowly, and she let her arms drop to her sides. He leaned down and kissed her. Brynn's arms went around his neck, and he reached down farther and lifted her up into his arms, cradling her to him.

Brynn looked around, fascinated, smiling at the room. Nick was surprised by her lightness and his ability to lift her and hold her. They kissed again, and Brynn kicked her feet happily, her sandals landing near the door. He carried her to his bed and set her down gently, never taking his arms from her and lying down with her. As they kissed, her hands moved over his shoulders, arms and chest, and she began to make happy little noises in her throat.

Nick let his hand roam over her belly, feeling it tighten and jump beneath his hand. He moved it up slowly over her breast, savoring the warmth and softness, and he squeezed tenderly, almost laughing with joy when she moaned into his mouth.

Brynn pulled her arms away from him and she quickly pulled her shirt off over her head, sitting up. She reached behind her and unfastened her bra, shrugging it off and then collapsing back to the bed and putting her arms around him again. He moved to kiss her lips again but was pulled instead by some undeniable force that placed his lips on her nipple. Her flesh was warm and soft under his lips, and his tongue tasted her drawn, slightly pebbled areola before running over the hard pearl of her nipple.

He sucked softly, drawing her into his mouth, and he heard her moan, her fingers running through his hair, pulling his face to her breast. His hand was on her hip, feeling the denim of her skirt, and then her soft thigh with hidden strength beneath her softness. His hand moved up, sliding her skirt up, and he felt the elastic band of her panties. He looped a finger around the thin band, and pulled away from her breast to look down, unfamiliar with her low-rise thong.

Comforted, he slid his hand around to feel the softness of her ass, squeezing, kneading her warm, soft, smooth skin. Brynn was moving her head from side to side, her smile big and showing all of her perfect, white teeth. She moaned loudly and hugged Nick's head, and he found himself kissing her lips again, and then their tongues touched and they tasted each other's mouths.

Brynn pushed Nick onto his back and scrambled onto him, a thigh on either side of his hips, and she swivelled her hips slowly, pressing down and grinding against the hardness in his pants. He sat up quickly and took her breast in his hand and they kissed, hard, before she pushed him back to the bed. She smiled the smile of a victorious predator, drawing the back of her hand across her mouth to wipe away their saliva, her eyes on his and smoldering with the intensity of her passion.

Brynn leaned down, her fingertips digging into Nick's chest, and continued grinding herself against him, and he watched, fascinated, as her eyes alternately widened and glowed fiercely or closed altogether. Her lips pulled into an adorable pout, her face becoming very serious, and he thought she looked as though she was concentrating on something. He was almost worried, as she seemed to be in pain, and then she gasped and her face came alive, her smile blazing away any signs of discomfort. Her eyes were so alive, and when her eyes found his he felt as though electric warmth came from them, filling him to overflowing.

Brynn reached down and grasped his hardness through his jeans, and feeling him against her palm her eyes flared with excitement. She stood quickly, stumbling against the other bed, and dropped her skirt, then turned away from him and bent at the waist, slowly sliding her panties down. He groaned, unable to tear his eyes away, but the lower her panties descended, the more his balls tightened and ached.

Brynn stood and held her panties up at her shoulder level swinging them around on her finger. Her smile was excited, and her eyes flashed with passion, and she tossed her panties away across the room and took a step toward Nick. He gasped, realizing he hadn't breathed, and watched the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, the most beautiful girl he'd ever imagined, walking to him.

She went to the foot of the bed and untied his running shoes, then pulled one off and tossed it away with the same air of disinterest as she had shown her panties. The other shoe followed, and then his socks. Nick sat up and grabbed the hem of his shirt, but Brynn hurried over and slapped his hands away. When they were at his side again, Brynn took the bottom of his shirt and slid it up slowly, up, up, and over his head, and then flying across the room. She ran her palms slowly over his chest and belly as he laid back slowly onto the bed.

She unfastened his jeans and slid the zipper down slowly, putting her hand onto his hardness through only the cotton of his briefs. Nick moaned, looked at her, and then his eyes widened. Oh shit! Oh no!" Nick got up quickly and closed his pants, running across the room to where his shirt had landed.

"What?" Brynn sat on the edge of the bed, completely perplexed.

He had pulled on his shirt and was jamming his feet into his shoes, leaving them untied as he ran to the door. "I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere!" He opened the door and then turned and ran back to her, kissing her hard on the mouth, then turned and left, slamming the door behind him, not seeing the tight curl of her toes, the result of his kiss.

Nick burst into the office and was thankful the clerk was a man. "Where can I get condoms around here?"

The man laughed softly. "If I kept them here behind the counter I could make a million selling them for ten bucks a pop, I can tell you."

"That's funny! Where are they? I'm kind of in a hurry." His whole body was trembling, and he didn't want to think about how Brynn had looked when he'd run out.

The clerk told him of a convenience store about three hundred yards away, and was starting to make another humorous statement when the door slammed. Nick ran as fast as he could, across the parking lot and past the fast food drive-thru he hadn't known was there, and into the convenience store with gas station.

He rushed up and down the aisles and finally threw himself against the counter and asked where the condoms were. When told they were kept behind the counter, Nick pulled out his wallet and held several bills against the Plexiglas. "How much?"

"Single or a box?" Time stopped. Nick considered his dangerously little amount of funds, and then thought about Brynn, back in the room, naked... "Gimme the biggest damn box you've got!" Seconds later, Nick was running back to the motel as fast as he could, the box of condoms in hand. He hadn't wanted to wait for a bag.

He burst through the door and tossed the box to Brynn, who, though surprised by his entrance, caught it deftly. She laughed aloud, reading the box, as Nick kicked to get his shoes off and tore at his shirt. He pulled his jeans down and tripped on them, falling to his knees, and crawled up onto the bed, his jeans finally dropping off and onto the floor.

Panting and sweating, he laid his head back on a pillow, and Brynn kissed him tenderly. When she finished she held the little plastic square up for him to see and smiled sweetly. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." She moved down his body and took his waistband in her hands, sliding his briefs down his legs, and off. She ran her fingertips up his legs, playing with the hair, until she reached his scrotum, and she cradled his balls in her palm as he moaned softly, the ache lessening slightly.

Sweeping the hair from her eyes, Brynn leaned forward and kissed softly on the underside of his dick, just above his scrotum, and his cock leapt. He saw her soft smile before she kissed again, slightly higher, and again. She softly kissed up the entire length, taking his swollen glans into her mouth and then turning her head so that his cock stood proudly. Her free hand rubbed tenderly across his belly as her tongue swept circles around the head of his cock. Her fingers continued the soft massage of his balls,and Nick moaned, the multiple sensations overwhelming him.

Nick wasn't a virgin. He'd had his dick sucked on several times in the past and thought he'd had it done very well, but he gazed on Brynn with awe as she slowly used her mouth to make love to his raging member. He couldn't tear his eyes away even as he trembled and moaned softly. Sweat began to stand out on his face, and across his body as he strained, trying so hard to not lose control. His hands clenched into fists as he fought for control, determined that his night not end too soon, or badly.

"W-what about the, the condom?" He stammered, and Brynn looked up at him, with an annoyed expression.

"Hush!" She returned her attention to his straining purple glans. She put out her tongue and ran it around and then over his cock head, already gleaming with moisture. Lowering her mouth onto him, Brynn sucked softly on him as she took him deeper, the added sensation on his sensitive cock making Nick stretch out and moan. "Please! Don't make me c-come yet."

Brynn smiled at him, and holding his throbbing cock in one hand, she brought the packet up to her lips with the other and tore the packet open using her teeth. Brynn shook loose the latex sheath and pulled it free of the packet with her lips. She placed the ring atop his violet hued staff and slowly rolled it down until it was snug. She waggled her eyebrows at him, leering. "Ribbed for my pleasure?"