So Much Trouble When She Walked In (15 page)

Max
tilted his head.  “Chicken?”  He knew just the buttons to push to get her to
react.

“Never,”
she said, her voice brimming with challenge.  Then she shook her head.  “Not
chicken, just sensible.”

Max
cocked an eyebrow.  “Of course.”

“Okay,
okay, I’m chicken.  But it’s only because snakes creep me out.”  She wrapped
her arms around his waist, enjoying the closeness and the warmth of his legs
pressed against hers.   “Why don’t we compromise?” she asked.  “Anza-Borrego’s
at least a couple of hours drive away but Cuyamaca is maybe half that.  And
it’s got a swimmable lake.”  She batted her eyes at him and anybody watching
would think she was promising him a whole lot more than just a hike in the
woods.

“I’ll
consider it,” Max said, with a smirk of amusement, “if you say you’ll go
skinny-dipping with me in that swimmable lake you promised.”

“Deal,”
she said with a laugh, “as long as we do it at night.  I may be daring but I’m
no exhibitionist.”

“Aaw,
and there I was thinking I’d get a free show.”

Silken
leaned into him and put her lips close to Max’s ear.  “You can get a show any time,”
she whispered, “your own personal and private striptease.”

When
Silken told Suave about the upcoming camping trip, her sister immediately began
helping her plan.  “Don’t forget your toothbrush,” she said.  “Once you’re all
the way up in the mountains you won't be able to run to the store to get
anything.”  Then she plopped down on the bed and reached for the notepad on the
nightstand.  “Now let’s see…sleeping bag, pillows, tent, and anti-itch cream. 
You never know when that will come in handy.”  She tapped the pen against her
lips and stared off into space.  “What else?  Oh yes, aspirin…”

“Suave,
you don’t have to write me a list.  I’ve been on a camping trip before.”  Silken
reached out to take the notepad from her but her sister swiped it out of reach.

Suave
rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, when you were fourteen.  And that was with the girl
scouts.  You had camp leaders to keep you on track.  Now you’re on your own.”

“Max
will be with me.”

“Yeah,
but he’s a man.”  Suave shook her head.  “Men are clueless when it comes to
packing.  Don’t you know that?”

Silken
shrugged.  “I guess I didn’t.”  Then she headed for the door.  “I’m running out
to Bitter + Sweet to get some ice cream.  Want to come?”

Suave
shook her head, not even bothering to look up from her paper.  “No,” she said
absentmindedly, “I want to finish this.”  She put her pinky finger to her lips
and began to nibble on her nail.  “Warm socks, raincoat…” She was talking to
herself like she’d forgotten Silken was even there.

Silken
only smiled and pulled the door closed.  There was no use trying to talk to
Suave when she was absorbed in a task.  She’d just surprise her with ice cream
from the store.  She’d bring back her favorite flavor – Tahitian Vanilla.

When
Friday evening came, Max picked her up at the apartment in a BMW SUV.  He
hopped out, gave Silken a swift kiss then grabbed her camping gear and threw
them in the back.  Then he held the door open for her.  “Ready to roll?”

“Ready
like Freddie,” she said as she hoisted herself up onto the seat.

“Like
who?”

She
laughed.  “Never mind.  Just something Suave and I used to say when we were
kids.”

The
drive out to the camp started out slow on a highway clogged with weekenders heading
out on various excursions, and a forty-five minute journey ended up taking
close to an hour and a half.  By the time they made it to the camp grounds the
sun had long set behind the mountains and the shadows of night covered the
terrain.  They ended up having to pitch their tent by the light of the moon and
the battery-powered lantern that Max  had packed.  And the darkness, with its
quiet intimacy, made things that much more special.

That
night as they snuggled in their cozy tent Silken and Max made sweet love to the
ribbits of frogs calling out in the trees and the chirps of crickets in the
bushes.  And long after they’d sated their hunger they lay wrapped in each
other’s arms, Silken lying naked on top of her man, his hands warming her body
as he ran it up and down her back.  It was a different experience, a refreshing
one.  Tonight, lying naked out in the wild, they were as one with nature
itself.

Then,
just as Silken was beginning to drift off, Max whispered in her ear.  “Ready
for skinny-dipping?”

Silken
opened her eyes a crack then closed them again.  She yawned then snuggled
deeper into Max’s arms.  "This feels too good,” she muttered.  “I’m not
moving one inch.”

Silken
didn’t touch the water till Saturday morning when the sun was high in the sky. 
She woke to a crackling sound and the smell of bacon in the air.  When she
crawled out of the tent, Max’s jacket wrapped around her, she found him
crouched around a small fire, busily frying up breakfast.

As
she came out into the open he turned and greeted her with a smile.  “Morning,
sleepy-head.  I thought you were going to spend the whole camping trip snoring
away.”

“What
time is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes and then she glared up at him.  “And I
don’t snore.”

He
lifted an eyebrow.  “Number one, it’s almost eleven o’clock and number two, you
could moonlight as a freight train.”

Silken
gasped.  “That’s an awful thing to say.  I don’t snore.”  Then she frowned as
she watched his face.  “Do I?”

That
made him laugh.  “All right, you weren’t that bad.  No need to fret.  Now come
give me a kiss.”

She
grimaced.  “All you’re getting right now is a hug.  I’ve gotta go clean up.”

“I’ll
take it.”  Turning from the fire, he held his arms wide and when she stepped
into his embrace he wrapped them around her and kissed the top of her head. 
Then he gave her a smart slap on the behind.  "Now hurry up before your
breakfast gets cold.”

After
a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and grits with mint tea, Silken and Max
put on their hiking gear and donned light backpacks with food and water.

“There’s
no way we can come all this way,” Max said, “and not get some good hiking in.”

Silken
agreed one hundred percent.  The mountains of Cuyamaca rose over four thousand
feet into the heavens and before the day was over she planned to reach the
peak.  Putting one hand up to shield her eyes, she pointed up into the heights
covered with pine trees.  “How long do you think it would take us to get to the
top?”

Max
looked at her like she was crazy.  “We’re going hiking, Silken, not mountain
climbing.  Do you know how cold it is up there?  We’re not prepared for that.”

“Oh,”
Silken said, feeling a little deflated.  She hadn’t thought of that.  She’d
psyched herself up for a major adventure but now Max had gone and burst her
bubble.

At
the look on her face, Max laughed.  “Mountain climbing is not as simple as you
think.  We'd have had to start training weeks ago, walking, getting in peak
condition.  Mountain climbing takes stamina.”

“Are
you saying that I’m not fit?”  Silken put her hands on her hips.

“All
I’m saying,” Max said, coming over to throw an arm around her shoulder, “is
that a good hike will be more than enough of a work-out for us right now. 
We’ll do the mountain climbing bit when things warm up next year.  Okay?”

“Okay.” 
Silken grinned and leaned into him.  That sounded good, what he’d just said. 
Mountain climbing next year.  It meant that he was thinking long-term.  They
had a future.

She
hadn’t let herself dwell on it but a few weeks into their relationship, after
she’d gotten over the first high of knowing that she and Max were together,
she’d begun to wonder – how long would this all last?  She knew she loved him,
and as far as she was concerned she wanted it to last forever.  But what about
Max?  How did he feel?

As
she pulled out of his arms and began to follow him down the trail she tried to
flush the thought from her mind but it came swirling back – he’d talked about
never letting her go, but what did that mean, really?  Was his ‘never’ as long
as hers?

Max
was whistling as he walked, obviously in a good mood, the sun shining down on
his bare head, the birds chirping in the trees.

It
was a great day to be happy, and she was.  She was out in the wild, enjoying nature
with the man she loved.  What better way to spend her weekend?

And
yet there was one little kernel that had taken up residence in a quiet corner
of her heart, one nagging doubt that she could not dislodge.

Yes,
she was good enough to be Max’s girlfriend, but would she ever be good enough
to be his wife?

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Sunday
night came much too soon and as Silken and Max dismantled their tent she almost
got sentimental.  She actually felt tearful.  Of course, she didn’t cry. 
Please.  She was too much of a tough girl for that.  But still, she couldn’t
stop the thought from entering her mind – why did it have to end?

“Come
on, stop daydreaming.”  Max waved a hand in front of her face.  “We’ve got to
get out of here.  It’s almost eight.”

Silken
sighed and bent down to finish rolling up her sleeping bag.  “I’m coming.”

She
was loading her bag into the back of the van when Max touched her on the cheek. 
“You okay?”

She
gave him a wan smile.  “I’m okay.”

He
smiled back.  “It was great, wasn’t it?”

She
smiled wider.  “The best.”

“This
was our first but it definitely won’t be our last.”  He gave her a gentle chuck
on the chin.  “Now cheer up and let’s ship out.”

“Ay
ay, Cap’n.”  She gave him a smart salute and when he lunged for her, probably
to get back at her for being cheeky, she dashed off and hopped into the passenger
seat.  “Come on,” she yelled.  “You’re holding us up.  It’s almost eight, you
know.”

With
a laugh he took his seat beside her and they took off down the bumpy road that
would take them to the highway.

By
the time they got to Cupertino it was eight-thirty but Max didn’t take Silken
straight to her apartment.  Instead, he turned onto the route that led to his
house.

Silken
relaxed into the seat and crossed her arms.  “Are we forgetting something?  You’re
supposed to drop me off, remember?”

“I
remember,” he said as he reached over to rest his hand on her leg, “but the
night’s still young.  We have time for a nightcap.”

Silken
gave a snort.  “So says the man who was just chasing me to the car, telling me
he had to hit the sack early because he has a busy day tomorrow.”

“Well,
maybe I was hurrying you along,” Max said, his voice taking on a seductive
tone, “for other…selfish…reasons.”

That
got him a smile from Silken.  She liked the sound of that.

When
they got to his house and had settled down in his bedroom, Max turned to
Silken, a sly smile on his lips.  “Now that we’ve done the outdoor adventure thing,
what about a little indoor adventure to close the weekend?”

“Meaning?”
 Totally naked as was Max, Silken went on her hands and knees and moved up the
bed until her face was mere inches away from his.

He
reached a hand up and pushed a curl out of her face.  “You’ve had your fun with
me, with your tying up sessions.”

“Yeah.” 
Silken nodded.  “And wasn’t it more fun once you got comfortable with me
blindfolding you?”

“Mmm,
sometimes.  But,” he said as he traced his fingers around her chin, “what if we
do something new?”

Her
eyes widened.  “Like you tying me up this time?  That would be great.”

Max
grimaced then shook his head.  “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“But
it’s a good idea, isn’t it?”

He
frowned.  “Wouldn’t you being scared?”

“Why
should I be?”  Then, at his look of suspicion, she laughed.  “Oh, come on,
Max.  You know me by now.  I love this kind of thing.  It’s the games that keep
the sex interesting.”

He
gave a grunt but said nothing and when he didn’t look like he was going to make
a move, Silken hopped off the bed.  “I’ll go get the stuff.  You just start
planning all the kinky things you’re going to do to me when I get back.”

That
only got her a groan from Max.  “I’ve awakened a monster,” he muttered.

“And
it’s all your fault,” she threw over her shoulder, “for putting these crazy
ideas in my head.”  They both knew she didn’t need ideas from anyone.  She could
do crazy all by herself, but how could she resist teasing poor Max?

By
the time Silken got back she had two ties, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a
honey-glazed doughnut.  She deposited her booty on the nightstand by the bed.

Max
raised himself up on one elbow and eyed her treasures.  “The ties, syrup and
cream, I can figure out, but a doughnut?  What am I supposed to do with that?”

“That’s
not for you, silly.  It’s mine.”  Silken grabbed it and took a big bite.  “I’m
hungry.”  Her voice, hampered by her mouthful of doughnut, came out muffled.

“Oh.”
Max sighed and sank back into the bed, a look of relief on his face.  “As weird
as you are sometimes, I was ready to expect anything.”

Silken
punched him on the arm.  “Meanie.”  She polished off her doughnut then licked
the flakes from her fingers.  “Ready.”  She knelt on the bed and raised her
hands, wrists crossed.

Max
eyed her with amusement.  “Are you sure?”

“Very. 
Come on.  I’m ready to be tied up.”

Max
shook his head.  “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to back out.”

It
wasn’t very long before those words came back to haunt Silken.  Bound to the
bed railing by one tie, her eyes blindfolded by the other, she soon began to
wonder what on earth she’d gotten herself into.  Max had tied her up exactly as
she’d demanded, but then he proceeded to drive her mad with the lightest of
touches, starting at the soles of her feet then up her inner leg, touching and
teasing until she was writhing with need.