Camp Rewind Page 13

  Alice squeezed her thighs together so overtly that Rosa couldn’t help but notice. She shivered beneath Rosa’s hands. “Oh…” she whispered, as her quivering intensified. “Keep doing that.”

  “This?” Rosa tightened her grip on Alice’s nipples, tugging them harder. Hard enough to make Alice gasp and tremble uncontrollably. Alice reciprocated by plucking at Rosa’s nipples until she did the same. “Fuck, you feel good,” Rosa whimpered.

  “So, so good.” Alice lowered her hand to Rosa’s waist, pushed beneath the hem of her T-shirt, then slid up to touch the slope of the left breast where it rose above the cup of Rosa’s bra. “Please don’t stop.”

  Rosa molded her hands to Alice’s chest, stroking the peaks lovingly. “I won’t.” Swept away by Alice’s clear enthusiasm—and encouraged by the slim fingers that snuck beneath her bra to graze her bare nipple—Rosa whispered, “May I kiss one?”

  Alice barely took a cursory glance around to make sure they were still alone before nodding her consent. “Yes.”

  “I want to taste your skin.” Rosa curled her fingers around the hem of Alice’s T-shirt and lifted it a few inches, moving gradually to allow Alice time to change her mind. Her gaze fell to take in the creamy flesh she revealed, first a tiny, soft, oh-so-kissable tummy, then an absolutely mouthwatering breast concealed within a fashionable pink-and-gray-striped bra. Not hearing any protest, Rosa forged ahead, grabbing the top of the silky bra cup and yanking the material down so that Alice’s naked flesh spilled over. She took only a second to appreciate its aesthetically perfect form before covering the stiff nipple with her lips and laving it with her tongue.

  Both of Alice’s hands flew to her hair and wound into the short locks, holding Rosa in place. “Ohhh,” she whimpered, far more quietly than Rosa would have assumed her capable. “Please, just like that.”

  Rosa suckled on the nipple, then gently bit down, using her teeth to tug teasingly on the erect nub. Groaning, Alice lowered her hand beneath Rosa’s chest to cup one of her heavy breasts. She palmed the flesh roughly, then tweaked the nipple so hard that Rosa nearly came without any clitoral stimulation at all—something that had happened only once or twice in her life. If Alice could bring her to that special place already, on her first try—but the awestruck thought ended abruptly when Alice gave her nipple another twist, causing Rosa to instinctively suck harder before taking as much smooth, soft flesh into her mouth as she could. The fingers on her head tightened as Alice arched her back to offer herself up to the worshipful treatment.

  “It feels…” Alice gasped, then jolted when Rosa narrowed her suction to the by-now no-doubt painfully erect nipple. “It feels so…”

  Excited by Alice’s unambiguously ecstatic reaction to finally rounding first base, Rosa kissed over to the other breast, pulling it free from the bra to offer the same treatment she’d given its twin. Her hand drifted up to caress the flesh she’d already covered with wet kisses, loath to neglect any part of Alice’s body while her mouth memorized the lay of the land. She savored the audible appreciation for her efforts, unable to remember the last time she’d felt so agonizingly aroused by anyone or anything. Alice’s fingers, now tweaking her other breast, drove Rosa even closer to the orgasm it felt like her body had craved since their very first encounter. Or, hell, for the past eighteen months.

  She might have come, too, if Alice hadn’t chosen that moment to gently push her away. “Wait. Stop.”

  Rosa flew backward, afraid she’d missed some obvious signal in her excitement. She pulled Alice’s bra up and her shirt down, hastily covering the bare skin. “I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Alice caught her by the arms, keeping her close. “Don’t be, please. I just…” She gestured at their less-than-clandestine surroundings. “This doesn’t feel like the right place. It’s not the right time.” She frowned. “Though believe me, I wish it was.”

  Rosa exhaled, relieved that Alice’s only objection seemed to be their location. Despite their apparent privacy, someone could come along the same trail they had at any time. It was even possible that the cabin they’d discovered wasn’t as abandoned as it seemed. “I get it.” She angled her body away from Alice’s on the picnic table, needing the space to cool her ardor. “You’re damn sexy, Alice Wu. Don’t doubt that ever again, for as long as you live.”

  Alice sounded breathless when she finally responded. “You make me feel that way.”

  “Because you are that way.” Having regained a marginal amount of control, Rosa met Alice’s eyes to underscore the sincerity of her words. “Your ex was a pathetic buffoon not to appreciate what he had, and downright stupid for never tasting the sweetness lying next to him in bed all those years.” Despite her need to cool down, Rosa couldn’t help but give voice to the raging desire still smoldering inside her. “If you were mine, I’d bury my face between your pretty thighs for hours at a time. Days, if it wouldn’t kill both of us.”

  Alice’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and for a second, Rosa thought she might eschew modesty and take them both down onto the picnic table for another make-out session. Unfortunately, that’s when they heard the voices. At least two of them, their owners far enough away to be out of sight, but still too close for them to engage in any activities they didn’t want anyone else to see. Exhaling, Rosa took Alice’s hand in both of hers and raised it to her lips, kissing the knuckles. “You’re right. This isn’t the place, or the time.”

  “That whole ‘in your car’ idea is sounding better and better every second.”

  Rosa laughed at Alice’s frustrated muttering, though truthfully, she felt exactly the same way. Her desire to be alone with Alice had become so intense that she briefly considered suggesting they ditch Camp Rewind altogether and drive back to her apartment in Berkeley so they could spend the rest of the weekend in a real bed. Of course, by doing so, it would be a lot more difficult to keep this casual once they stepped back into the real world. The escapist utopia of summer camp was the ideal setting for a fleeting romance, which was exactly what this time with Alice needed to be. Fleeting, even if the notion broke her heart each and every time she tried to reinforce it with her head.

  Fleeting, for Alice’s sake.

  With a heavy sigh, Alice hopped off the picnic table and faintly tugged Rosa’s hand. “At least the sun is about to set. Want to return to camp and wait for the bonfire to start?” She paused while Rosa stood, then welcomed her with a light, mostly innocent kiss. Backing away, Alice whispered, “I wouldn’t mind taking another shower. Before tonight.”

  Rosa’s entire body tingled at the implication. Alice wanted to be clean. For tonight. After a day of necking and heavy petting in the summer heat, her panties thoroughly soaked as a result, Rosa thought that was probably a fine idea. “Me, too.”

  “All right.” Alice exhaled through her nose, bit her lip in an effort to suppress what looked like an eager smile, and set off toward the main camp at an unexpectedly fast pace. “Let’s go.”

  Powerless to resist despite the emotional devastation she feared awaited her at the end of the weekend, Rosa followed.

  Chapter Nine

  Two hours later, Alice stood well back from the roaring bonfire and the raucous crowd gathered in a circle around the tall flames. Freshly showered, trimmed, and shaved, she was ready for anything that might happen once she and Rosa managed to find a suitably remote spot away from the party. Wanting to be prepared for any eventuality, she’d tucked one of her remaining joints into the pocket of her thin cotton hoodie, along with a lighter, in case she needed a relaxation aid. Despite feeling remarkably comfortable with Rosa only twenty-four hours after their first meeting, actually having full-blown lesbian sex would likely induce plenty of performance anxiety. She wanted to be good at this. Good enough to blow Rosa’s mind, possibly even to make her consider the possibility of continuing to see one another, even casually, after camp ended.

  Alice had no idea if such a thing was even realistic. Rosa’s life was complicated, to sa
y the least, which should frighten her far more than it actually did. Perhaps because she had only an abstract notion of what Internet-enabled harassment might be like? That might explain part of her lack of concern about Rosa’s baggage, but honestly, it was more that she’d come to care for Rosa so much, and so very fast, that it seemed impossible to imagine anything scary enough to persuade her not to seize any opportunity she could to stay in her life. Even though she was too often afraid of the world in general, with Rosa, nothing felt too intimidating to confront.

  With Rosa, she felt truly powerful for the first time.

  The object of her desire slid an arm around her waist and whispered into her ear. “Ready to borrow a boat?”

  Alice nodded, determined to go through with their plan despite having to break a few rules. Thirty-six wasn’t too pathetically old for her first stab at teenage rebellion, was it? “I’ve got a sleeping bag ready at my bunk. And a flashlight, a first-aid kit, a compass, and fire-starting supplies, just in case. Oh, also some snacks and bottles of water to stay hydrated. And a GPS beacon in case we get lost.”

  Rosa chuckled, presumably at her overpreparedness. She murmured, “I’ll bring my fingers, my tongue, my lips and teeth…and an eager body for you to explore to your heart’s content.”

  Alice found it suddenly hard to breathe amidst the smoke and noise of the bonfire party. “We should go.”

  “Before you ruin another pair of panties?” Rosa licked her earlobe before moving away.

  “Too late for that,” Alice mumbled. As Rosa led them from the crowd, Alice waved distractedly at Jamal the counselor, who paused in the midst of what looked like an amusing conversation to shout a greeting as they passed by. After walking a short distance, she sighed in relief when the bustle of the party atmosphere finally subsided and she could once again hear herself think. “Well, that’s a blessing.”

  Again, Rosa laughed, but as always, her amusement never came across as being at Alice’s expense. Instead it felt warm, affectionate, even loving. “I have a feeling things will only get crazier as the night goes on.”

  “Which is exactly why I really love our plan to get as far away from everyone as possible while they’re drunk and distracted.” Alice lowered her volume when they reached their sleeping cabin, in case some other equally antisocial souls had decided to retire early. “Among other, totally obvious reasons, of course.”

  “Of course.” Rosa palmed her ass as soon as Alice stepped forward to enter the cabin. “Like being able to find out how it feels when another woman makes you come?”

  Alice paused inside the doorway when her knees weakened at the risqué comment. Rosa seemed to be an expert at destroying her composure with only a few simple words, having managed it countless times already since they’d met. She supposed it made sense. The woman was a writer, after all, and Alice was so fiercely attracted to her it literally made her clit hurt. She’d never anticipated feeling so strongly about another human being, sexually or otherwise. The sensation was intoxicating and brought her to a long-awaited understanding of why the rest of the world had always seemed so obsessed by an aspect of adult life she’d never truly connected with before.

  Because it was fun, Alice decided. Because, with the right person, it felt good.

  Quiet giggles from somewhere within the spacious sleeping quarters alerted Alice to the fact that they had interrupted another couple. Instinctively, she realized who had been missing from the bonfire: Bree and Enid. Rather than feel embarrassed, Alice battled a wave of envy at the thought that at least they had found an acceptable place to connect. As horny as their day full of playful touching and heated kissing had left her, she nearly considered pushing aside her modesty to embrace the exhibitionist that lurked within. That’s how badly she wanted Rosa. Enough to do just about anything.

  Like steal a boat.

  Rosa took hold of Alice’s hand and guided her between the rows of beds. As they passed Bree’s clearly occupied bottom bunk, Rosa whispered, “Don’t mind us.”

  Alice tried to ignore the sound of giggles that dissolved into quiet moans. Never having experienced a wild youth of her own, she found the act of watching real, live people unself-consciously fool around in semi-public places utterly disconcerting, even a bit unsettling. It also happened to turn her on like crazy, and she was pretty sure Rosa knew that. Eager hands smoothed over her back, her ass, her stomach, her breasts, all while she tried to stand on her tiptoes to reach the supplies she’d left on the top bunk. “Lila,” she whispered at last, seconds from tumbling onto the hard floor from sheer, clumsy desire. “Help me, will you?”

  “I thought I was.” But the hands disappeared, and seconds later, Rosa reached past her to grab the rolled-up sleeping bag off the bed. “Sorry,” she said, more genuinely. “I’m extremely excited.”

  Alice grinned as hard as she pleased, confident that Rosa couldn’t see her goofy joy in the dark. “Me, too.” She retrieved the backpack that held the rest of the supplies, and then they tiptoed past Bree and Enid again before escaping the cabin, and the main campground, in search of their secret getaway. Only the night before, Alice would have never dreamed of agreeing to borrow a paddleboat for an unauthorized nighttime cruise. Now she was not only on board with the idea but also, secretly, hoped that their clever choice of transport would allow them to steal away for most of the night. She wanted to spend hours, days—years, if she could—exploring every last delight Rosa Salazar had to offer. There would never be enough time to get her fill, to sate the hunger she felt for this woman. The day and a half they had left at camp wouldn’t even come close.

  That ticking clock left her desperate, and desperation made her brave. Boosting a boat was the least she would do to be with Rosa before the weekend ended. She’d never been so motivated to attain any goal in her entire, overachieving life. She’d wanted to have sex with another woman for so long but hadn’t anticipated ever being attracted to anyone who could also make her feel comfortable enough to disrobe in her presence. Though her anxiety rose as they built up to the moment of truth, she was almost positive she could do this with Rosa.

  She had to, or she’d never forgive herself. Of that, she was certain.

  Alice exhaled in relief when they reached the lake and found the area deserted. They barely spoke as they hurried down the wooden dock and climbed into the paddleboat tied up farthest from the shore. Rosa set the sleeping bag in a sunken storage cubby in the rear of the boat, then took Alice’s backpack and stowed it alongside. Gingerly, Rosa hopped in, climbed over the center console, and offered Alice a hand to help her step down into the other seat.

  “Careful,” Rosa whispered as Alice sat. “I need to lean over you for a second…” She did exactly that, brushing her breasts against Alice’s arm, then her cheek, as she strained to untie the boat from the dock. After a few moments of increasingly frantic fumbling, Rosa muttered, “Probably should’ve had you get in first.”

  Alice turned her face to kiss the pliant flesh now pressed against her lips. “No, this is good,” she mumbled.

  Rosa’s body shook with poorly suppressed laughter. “Now you’re the one who’s not helping.”

  Feeling uncharacteristically saucy, especially for a struggling boat thief, Alice craned her neck, opened her mouth, and sucked on the tip of Rosa’s breast through her T-shirt. Rosa startled noticeably, then moaned, sagging against Alice as she surrendered to whatever naval knot had vexed her. Tickled to have gotten revenge for Rosa’s antics back at their bunk, Alice released the nipple from between her teeth. Then she put her hands on Rosa’s shoulders and carefully guided her down into her seat. “Why don’t you let me do this?”

  Visibly shaken, Rosa exhaled in a rush and collapsed against her headrest. She closed her eyes. “Maybe that’s a good idea.”

  It was hard to imagine someone like Rosa battling the same nervousness Alice felt every time they stopped touching and her brain had a chance to return to the question of what would happen once they reached the
ir final destination, yet, that’s how Rosa suddenly looked. Seriously freaked. Concerned, Alice put a hand on Rosa’s knee, unsure whether they should go through with their minor heist. “Are you okay?”

  Rosa opened wide, dark eyes that glittered under the bright moon. “Yeah, I’m just…” She bent forward, wrists on her knees, and exhaled. “I really want this to be perfect for you. I wish…” Another rueful sigh. “I guess I wish there was a real bed around here somewhere…with some rose petals…maybe candles.” Rosa lifted a shoulder, seemingly embarrassed by her fantasy scenario. “I want this to be right for you.”

  A real bed would be nice. Very nice. But the lack of one wasn’t even close to a deal breaker. Not when they were this close.

  “All I need for tonight to be right, and perfect, is you.” Alice squeezed Rosa’s thigh before turning to untie the simple knot connecting them to the dock. She coiled the loose rope and stowed it under her seat, then gestured for Rosa to place her feet on the pedals in front of her. That accomplished, she pushed off from the dock and sent them floating out into the water. “I have no expectations. Really. As long as we’re together, doing whatever comes naturally, I’ll be happy.”

  Rosa pumped her legs to turn the boat away from the dock and out toward the far side of the lake. “I think I’m a little…nervous.” She fell silent, then mumbled, “Sorry.”

  Alice reached across the console between them to first pinch Rosa’s bicep, then grab her hand and hold tight. “I’m sure you realize I’m not exactly full of confidence, either. Don’t apologize.”

  “But I’m supposed to be the confident one.”

  “Who says?” Alice increased her speed, straightening the boat’s trajectory so they pointed clear across the lake. “Because you’ve had more sex than me?”

  “Well…yeah.” Rosa stroked her thumb over the side of Alice’s hand. The touch sent thrilling electricity through her body. “It’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing.”