Page 34 of Falling Slowly
With towels under our arms and our feet in complimentary slippers, we made it down the steps and into the dark night. With the help of Charlie’s flashlight, we followed the signage around the main building and down a narrow path that turned into steep steps. And there it was—a huge pool of steaming water sitting outside a small cabin, partly shaded by small pines. The cabin porch had rows of fairy lights illuminating the view, but they hardly compared to the glow of the starry sky above. The crescent moon hung low, right above the tree line. And to my huge relief, there was nobody else around.
“This is so perfect,” I whispered.
“Worth all the wardrobe drama, right?”
I heard sounds from behind us. “Sure. But you might want to get into the tub before anyone else arrives.”
“Damn right.” Charlie hurried down the last steps, ditched his robe and towel on a nearby bench and climbed in, holding beer bottles in one hand and his crotch in the other.
I laughed. His willingness to humiliate himself made me like him more.
By the time I joined Charlie at the tub, the darkness spat out three women, including Miranda. We’d taken a long time changing in and out of horrible swimsuits. How had they taken this long?
That’s when I noticed the slight wobble in Miranda’s step. They must have been drinking.
I greeted them with a smile and quickly folded my robe next to Charlie’s. The cold was digging deep into my bones and all I could think of was getting in the tub. The water felt heavenly onmy skin, momentarily pushing all thoughts out of my head. My deep sigh turned into a faint moan.
“I told you she likes tubs,” I heard Charlie say.
I cracked my eyelids, just in time to see his arm slide over my shoulders. Ah, yes. The girlfriend act. At least I didn’t jump this time as he pulled me closer.
“Sorry to break up your party,” Miranda said, sliding into the pool.
The golden detailing of her bikini twinkled in the low light. The other two ladies introduced themselves as Angie and Kathryn. Within seconds, I heard male voices as Matthew and Harry arrived. The tub was at capacity.
Charlie scooted closer to me to make room for everyone else.
“Is this a six-person pool or eight?” Harry asked.
Matthew’s voice rose in concern. “Do you think we’re over capacity?”
“I’d offer to take Matthew in my lap to make more room, but he’s a big guy…” He rolled his eyes, casting a look at me and Charlie.
“Noted,” Charlie said, turning to me. “Come here, babe.”
He lifted me onto his lap and everyone else shuffled to take up more room. A collective sigh of relief traveled across the water.
“I’m sorry about the wooden seat,” he whispered into my ear as the rock-hard erection lodged between my butt cheeks.
What was I supposed to do now? A chilly breeze tickled my scalp. My bones were still warning up. I didn’t want to get out. Not now. Not ever.
I’d have to ignore that boner. It was just biology. It wasn’t about me. He was probably turned on by all the women around the pool, batting their eyelashes at him. And even if it was me, this was as far as we’d ever go. Wearing each other’s swimming suits and playing for an audience.
Charlie reached over the edge of the tub to grab the beer he’d set down a moment ago. As he moved under my butt, I grabbed the edge of the seat to keep from sliding off his lap. But as his legs spread wider, so did mine. Great. I was now straddling his thigh, and that erection rubbed against the apex of my thighs. “Here’s yours,” he said, offering me the other beer bottle.
My stomach tightened. “I… can’t drink beer.”
“What do you mean, can’t?”
I glanced around us to make sure nobody was actively listening. The others seemed to have fallen into a conversation about tomorrow’s wilderness excursion and the possibility of wildlife sightings this time of year.
I shifted on Charlie’s lap so that I could look at him over my shoulder, trying to ignore the fireworks in my core. “I can’t burp,” I whispered. “That’s why I can’t drink beer.”
“What?” His volume climbed up. “That’s not a thing. Is it?”
“It’s real. No burp syndrome.”
“No burb what?” asked Harry, leaning in. The bear and elk conversation must have run its course.
