Two Step Symphony - Second Movement

"I've sent her red roses on several occasions."

"But is that her favorite?"

Brick shrugged. "Your favorite was daisies."

"You remember that?"

"We used to pick them all the time."

"And you remember that." Deep down, Rachel was thrilled he remembered that about her.

They had made it back to the pier and took their usual seats. Brick picked up his guitar and started picking out chords and tested words to the effect "What I know about you I don't know about her."

"That's pretty clever," Rachel complimented.

"I was just goofing off."

"But I think you're onto something. Nice melody."

So, he spent the next couple of hours working on it. Rachel wrote down the words as he sang them. "Do I get a writing credit?"

With a grin, Brick said, "Sure. Why not? If it's a hit, you'll get royalties."

"I could use that."

"I wish you'd let me help."

Ignoring him, Rachel asked, "You want to set up camp here, or move to that tree-covered spot on the ridge where we used to camp?"

"The ridge? Oh, yeah, we've got to go there."

So, they packed up and moved.

* * *

The ridge was just a piece of higher ground that was flat. It could loosely be called a hill. It was tree-covered and shady, a perfect place to wile away the hours on a warm, sunny day. It was high enough that there was usually a breeze. It also afforded a view of the surrounding area, so Brick and Rachel had used it when they started fooling around because it allowed them to be out of sight and be able to see if someone was coming.

Rachel had brought some rope to rig a line that she could loosely tie the horses to for the night. While doing that, she instructed Brick to find some firewood. Both of those jobs accomplished, they cleared an area to build the fire. Rachel had also brought a collapsible grate that could stand several inches above the fire. When the fire was going well, in a cast iron skillet, she cooked some pre-seasoned beef stew meat, then threw in some potatoes and carrots that she'd cut back at home. Finally, she added green peas and a little water. She'd even included a bottle of red wine.

Brick was beyond impressed. When they were teens and camped, they'd always brought food that did not require cooking. He wondered if Rachel had done this before. It didn't really matter. The simple meal was delicious, and filling. Brick had never really been a wine drinker, but Chris was and always had to have wine with dinner, so he'd done his best to develop taste for it. He still preferred beer, but in this instance, the wine went very well. They drank the entire bottle.

They cleaned up afterward to the extent they could, at which point Rachel said, "Did I mention this was dinner and a show?"

"A show?"

Rachel spread out the two sleeping bags and instructed a curious Brick to lay on his back. She did the same on the other sleeping bag and pointed to the sky. "You see this many stars in Florida?"

"I don't generally look, but I suspect not. I forgot how many you could see without city lights around. It's breathtaking."

"If this doesn't inspire a song, I don't know what will."

Brick thought for a moment. "I think I have one. How about 'Snoring Under the Stars?'"

Giggling, Rachel suggested, "Or 'Being Mooned at Night.'"

Now, he laughed. And they spent some time coming up with humorous song titles in the same vein.

Somewhere along the way, Rachel stood, removed her boots, jeans, and outer shirt, leaving only skimpy panties and a T-shirt, and crawled into the sleeping bag. Brick added a couple of logs to the fire, and as it heated back up, he removed the same items of clothing and slipped into his sleeping bag as the air was getting cooler.

They chatted a bit more, and then Rachel became quiet. Turning on his side to look at her, the fire provided enough light for him to see that she had fallen asleep. He continued to watch her for a while until the fire light faded a bit and he apparently lapsed into slumber himself.

As the fire continued to burn out, the cool air took over eventually nudging Brick awake. It was still very dark, the three-quarter moon offering only modest illumination. The sleeping bag was not heavy, and though his lower body was comfortable, enough cool air seeped in to give him a chill. He zipped it up all the way and tried to close it around him but was only moderately successful. He didn't want to risk losing what heat he had to add wood to the fire.

"You're cold?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. I'd forgotten how cool the nights were out here. Are you?"

"I'm freezing, but I dared not crawl in your bag with you."

"It's pretty snug. Don't know where you would have fit."

"These two bags zip together to make a double," she informed him.

"Really?" He considered the ramifications but knew he might not otherwise get much sleep. "I'm game if you are."

Rachel was immediately out of hers and unzipping it. Brick did the same. She found where they could be joined and zipped them together.

"How clever," Brick commented. As long as he was up, he tossed more wood into the smoldering embers hoping it would catch.

Rachel had already gotten back into the sleeping bag, so Brick joined her. He could feel the warmth of her body right away. But to his surprise, she raised her T-shirt up to expose her breasts, and then lifted his up as high as she could.

"What are you doing?" he asked as though her motive was clear.

"Relax. Body heat for warmth."

"Uh-huh." But he didn't stop her because, of course, it felt good.

And she put her arms around him to hold them close. Of course, she felt his erection grow and press against her pubic mound. "And that even feels nicer," she commented.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? Made it cold so we'd end up like this."

"Oops. I didn't think you'd notice." Very slightly, she rubbed herself against his hard cock. "You want to go back to separate bags?"

"You know I don't." Hesitantly, he added, "I was kind of hoping something like this might happen."

"Well, if you don't think that's confusing--"

"Don't worry. I'm confused also."

"I don't even know if I want to know what that means."

"Well, prepare yourself, because I'm going to try to tell you. I'm confused about what I'm doing. I had no idea that coming home would have such an effect on me. And I surely didn't think about what seeing you, being with you, spending time with you would do to me. I never expected to spend time with you. I'm not sure I want to sell."

Rachel was certain he couldn't see the utter surprise on her face. "Wow. You've got yourself a real dilemma. You made it sound like Chris didn't want to have anything to do with your ranch. How would that work?"

"No idea. Then I wonder if I'm just feeling this way because I'm here. Will it go away if I go back to Florida?"

"I don't know. But don't toy with me about how you feel about me." She very casually reached down to pretend to scratch an itch in the close vicinity of where his cock was touching her. Of course, she left her hand there, and he was so busy rambling on about his mass of confusion that he either didn't notice or didn't care. "Which do you want?"

"I like the way I feel here. I don't think I've felt this way in quite some time."

"Well then, that's easy. Stay here." Now, Rachel wrapped her fingers around his cock as much as she could over his underwear.

"I almost wish I could."

Shoving her hand inside his waistband, she said, "You can."

"How?"

"It's a choice." Gently, she stroked him.

"What are you doing?"

"You sound down. Just trying to cheer you up."

He let that go for now. "If I choose here, I lose Chris."

"Why is it all about where she wants to live?"

What she was doing felt good and he had to moan. "We agreed on Tampa as a compromise." He tunneled his lower arm under her neck and put his upper arm around her. As an afterthought, he slid his hand up her back under her T-shirt.

"Mmmm," she moaned. It was all the encouragement Rachel needed to lift her shirt off.

With his shirt still raised, he could feel her cool breasts against his chest. That was all he needed to remove his. He embraced her again and kissed her.

It escalated to passion. So much so that Rachel pushed his underwear down as much as she could. Brick had no desire to halt her, even pushing his briefs down further so he could shimmy them down all the way. She didn't wait for him to remove hers; she did it herself. Her hand was back on his dick right away, and as she had in the shower this morning, she wedged it between her legs against--but not in--her pussy. It felt too good for Brick not to gently thrust.

"Huuungh," Rachel whined. She tightened her grip on Brick.

The wonderful thing about this now being a double sleeping bag was that there was enough room for Rachel to roll on top of Brick. In that motion, his cock automatically slipped into her pussy with no assistance or guidance. It found its own way. He couldn't ever remember that happening with Chris. Was that an omen? A sign that that's where he belonged?

She began fucking him, and he had no desire to stop her. Her riding him felt so good. Chris rarely took such an initiative.

With every thrust, realizations started occurring to Brick. First and most obvious was how wonderful this felt. He'd fucked a lot of women in his travels, but right here, right now, he realized that was not happening here; they were making love. There was a difference. Could he really be happy moving back "home?" Was he thinking of giving up Chris for Rachel? That was a very serious consideration. He did love Chris. And he did wonder if he would still be feeling this way if he was with his fiancé at this moment. Were thoughts like Chris didn't do this or Chris wasn't like that clouded by the fact that he was being ridden the way he liked to be ridden?

Brick tried to push such thoughts aside and focus on enjoying what they were doing. To that end, he rolled them over so he was on top.

"Oh, yeah," Rachel purred.

He made love to her like he'd never done with any woman: soft, slow, gentle, with feeling, not just trying to get off.

"Hmmm," she moaned softly. But gradually, those intensified,

Brick interpreted that as her build-up to orgasm. She grabbed his ass to control his thrusts and make sure each one brought her another step closer. The fun of doing this outside miles from any one was that when she came, she screamed out her pleasure and joy. It startled a couple of the horses, who neighed, but quickly calmed back down as she came down.

Rachel held him in place when he tried to pull out, and with her hands still on his rear, she silently directed him to start pumping again, now at a stepped-up pace.

Brick was feeling so emotional at this point that it didn't take much thrusting for him to climax. She tried her hardest to keep him inside her, to have him come inside her. But he still pulled out and rubbed his cock against her abdomen, hosing that area down.

The mess didn't bother them, particularly as Rachel pulled Brick to lay on top of her so she could kiss him, and his load coated both their abdomens.

"I love you," Rachel said. "I've always loved you."

But rather than respond in kind, Brick felt it safer to press his lips to hers again.

And after several minutes of intense kissing, they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The smell of bacon frying awoke Brick. A completely dressed Rachel had rebuilt the fire and was cooking breakfast. There was still a chill in the air which would not likely warm up until the sun had risen higher. Currently, it was just beginning to peek over the landscape.

He could feel the crusty, flaky dried semen on his belly but knew there was nothing he could do about that now, so he dressed to the extent he could inside the sleeping bag, then hurriedly finished outside.

Rachel had even brewed coffee, and she handed him a cup when he finished dressing. It wasn't that good considering how it had been made, but at least she'd thought to have something.

"How are you this morning?" he asked.

"Terrific!"

"So, you slept well?"

"You know why."

"I do. I'm not complaining, either."

"Glad to hear that."

"So, what's the plan?"

"After breakfast, we'll pack up and head back." She moved her shoulders around and twisted her waist. "Don't know about you, but I need a shower."

"We could go swimming in the creek," Brick suggested with a grin.

"And freeze our asses off."

"Guess you're right."

* * *

They actually rode together the way back. The horses knew where to go and were just as anxious to get back to familiar surroundings, so they didn't need someone to ride behind. Brick and Rachel didn't talk much. Each became apprehensive about what happened between them in the sleeping bag. She feared learning that maybe he'd only been swept up in the moment. And he was hesitant to discuss her profession of love because he didn't know what to tell her.

The shocking surprise came when they reached sight of their houses. As they neared, someone appeared to be standing on his front porch.

"Oh, shit!" Brick uttered when they were closer. "It's Chris."

"What's she doing here?"

"I have no idea," Brick answered honestly. "I didn't know she was coming."

A few minutes later, they reached his front porch.

"What brings you here?" Brick asked, trying not to sound concerned or put out.

"Well, don't sound so excited to see me." She said it lightheartedly as though being playful but was not happy to see him with her.

"Well, of course, I am. Just didn't know you were coming."

"I tried to call you yesterday, and I texted you."

"Oh, we brought the horses out to one of the pastures to let them graze. No cell service out there."

"We?"

"Oh, yeah," Brick said with a forced chuckle. "This is my neighbor, Rachel Hunter. She's the one been looking after the place for me. I was just helping her with the horses."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Chris."

"Nice to meet you, too. I got to get the horses back to the corral."

"I'll help you," Brick offered.

"I've got it. You've got company." She rode off, the horses having found their own way to the corral.

"Pretty girl," Chris commented.

"She's grown up."

"Bet she didn't look like that the last time you saw her."

"No," Brick agreed with a grin, Chris's statement laced with insinuation. "So, what did bring you here? Didn't think you had any interest in this place." He finally climbed down from the horse.

"I finished the wedding arrangements early, and since I still had a few days, I thought I'd come and see where you grew up."

With a nod, he turned, gestured to the house, and said, "Here it is. My humble home. Nothing like what I've seen that you grew up in."

She nodded, coming down the steps to kiss him. She also tried to hug him, but he only gave her a peck.

"I need a shower. We camped out on the ridge."

"You camped out?"

"Yeah. The fresh air was amazing."

"I can only imagine."

Brick tied the horse to the handrail. "Come on in and make yourself comfortable. I'm going to grab a quick shower." He grabbed her suitcase and carried it in. "Won't be long."

"What's the status of the sale?"

He barely made it to the steps. Turning, he hesitantly said, "I'm thinking about keeping it."

"Why?"

"It's my home. I've learned a lot about myself since I've been here. Or I guess more accurately, I remembered who I was. I thought maybe we could come here a few times a year in your off season and when things were slow at the studio. Be a good place to raise kids."

"Raise kids?" That was clearly a shock. "You want kids?"

"Yeah. Don't you?"

"We haven't discussed kids."

He could read the distaste. "Then maybe we should."

Chris went to him and put her hands on his chest. This wasn't going how she wanted it to go. "You go get your shower. And then we'll go someplace nice for lunch, and we can talk about it."

"There's only a diner in town. It's nice. But not your kind of nice. For that, we'd have to drive to San Antonio."

"I just came from there. It's an hour and a half." She grimaced. "No place else closer?"

"No place like you'd like. Why don't you change into something more casual, and after I shower, I'll make us some sandwiches and we can go for a ride. I can show you the ranch and there's some great spots for a picnic."

"Sandwiches, picnic, a ride?"

"Horseback ride. It'll be great!"

"Okay," Chris answered with no enthusiasm. "Sounds like fun," she said sarcastically under her breath.

* * *

In the shower, Brick realized he should have been happier to see his fiancé. Perhaps he would have been if her appearance hadn't been a surprise. Not to mention how she'd stared daggers at Rachel. He showered quickly so they could leave and so Rachel could come over and shower. Somehow, he had to tell Chris that his neighbor and been staying here.

However, as he exited the bathroom, it was no longer necessary to inform rather than explain.

Chris was standing in the doorway of his parents' room leaning against the door frame with a pair of lace panties dangling from her index finger. "Whose are these?" It was an interrogational type of question rather than just one of curiosity.

"Where'd you find those?" Of course, he knew they belonged to Rachel.

"I saw that you were staying in what was apparently your childhood bedroom, so I assumed I could use the master bedroom. I was about to unpack and put my clothes in a dresser draw. That's where I found these."

Well, he might as well get this argument over with. "Those must be Rachel's. She's been staying here."

"Rachel's? What the hell is she doing staying here?"

"She boards horses at her ranch, but times have been tough and many of her clients have been late or behind in their payments," Brick explained. "She hasn't been able to pay her own bills, so her electricity and water were shut off. I offered to help. Get her caught up, but she refused."

"So, you let her stay here?"

"She was already here when I arrived. I couldn't very well ask her to leave."

Brick was about to naturally say nothing happened, but that would have been a lie, so instead he said, "She stayed in here. I stayed in my room." That was mostly true. And then, to Chris's obvious expression of aggravation, he added, "We grew up together since we were small children. She's like a sister to me." Okay, he knew guys who had fucked their sisters. "I couldn't just toss her out."

It was painfully obvious to Chris that Brick had a special place in his heart for Rachel and that if she pushed this too far, Brick might be forced to make a choice between his fiancé and his neighbor/surrogate sister. Chris was suddenly fearful that such a choice might not be favorable to her. "You're right. Sorry I over reacted."

"I can see how finding those could give you the wrong impression," Brick said. "I was going to tell you. Just hadn't yet."

"I believe you. Can we just have lunch here?" I guess I can force a sandwich down, she thought. "And save the horseback ride for tomorrow?" So, I have time to think of another reason not to.

"Sure."

"You go fix lunch. I need to check in with my office."

Brick did as she asked; however, she was downstairs a minute later.

"I can't get a good signal," Chris complained. "Would I have better luck outside?"

"Yeah. Out back."

So, that's where she went.

* * *

Chris walked around holding her phone in the air to see when she had a good signal. She got it near the fence and made a couple of calls. They lasted for a total of several minutes, and after she hung up, she saw Rachel exit her barn.