Through The Woods free porn video

Scott was scrawling away when the bell on the cafe door jangled. He was surprised to see the girl from the stationery shop step in. She scanned the room as her eyes adjusted from the summer brightness outside. The moment she saw him, her face lit up and she strode to his table.

“Eager to get started, huh?” She hovered, clasping her forearms. “I love a man who gets straight to things.”

“Uh, yes, miss. Just ducked in here to get out of the heat and get the hang of this pen.”

Scott rose and offered her a seat. A polite wave at the cafe owner behind the counter was all it took for the girl to get an iced tea.

“I never introduced myself before, did I?” she said. “My name’s Larissa. Lara.”

He shook her soft hand. “Scott. And actually, miss, you wrote your name on the back of the receipt.”

“Did I? Oh, dear. That’s against store policy.” She shrugged, flashing a coy smile. “Guess I just wanted you to have help if you needed it. Like I said, fountain pens can be tricky.”

Earlier that afternoon, she had popped up again and again while he browsed the stationery store, asking if he needed help finding anything. When Scott asked about fountain pens, she spent ten minutes trying to convince him he didn’t need one, then another twenty getting him to try every other type of pen in the shop.

But Scott was stubborn: if a fountain pen was good enough for his Pa, it was good enough for him. He left with a starter pen, ink cartridges, and a journal that had an elastic strap to keep it closed.

She was pretty. Loose curly hair cut into some sophisticated bob, fine features, and piercing dark eyes.

Back at the shop, he wasn’t sure she had been flirting—he could never tell with city girls—but he was damn sure now with the way she was gazing at him.

She leaned over to peer at his journal, the gap in her silken blouse exposing a good view of medium-sized braless breasts. Scott forced his eyes North. It was rude to look if it wasn’t offered.

“You’re doing well,” she said. “First time I tried, I leaked ink through the first five pages.”

“I’ve been careful,” said Scott. “But I get what you said about the hand.” He held up his left hand, the outside edge stained blue from mid-pinky to wrist.

“Told you,” she said, holding up her own left hand to reveal the same stains. She leaned to his ear then whispered, “We lefties are the creative ones, you know.” The closeness of her body and her voice made him shiver. Faint perfume teased his senses.

Lara took his hand, turning it over, studying. “You might be pressing too hard. When you come to the shop next time, I’ll get you some of the fast-dry waterproof ink.” She massaged his palm with her thumb. “Wow. Strong hands.” Then she squeezed his forearm. “Strong everything, from the looks of you.”

“Farm work,” he said.

“Oh, so you’re just visiting the city?”

“No, I mean I grew up on a farm. I work in town now.”

Lara smiled. Sitting back in her seat, she said, “I know a farm joke. Want to hear it? Why do cows have hooves instead of feet? Because they lactose!” She grinned. “Get it? Lack toes?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Scott said, giving her his best polite smile. He wondered if she was trying to be cute, or if she was always that way?

“I’d better write that down.” From her bag, Lara produced her own worn journal.

“I’ve been journaling forever,” she said. “It’s therapy for me. You look too sturdy to need therapy, though.”

“Uh, well guess I kinda do. They said to write stuff down to sort things out. But damned if I know what.”

“Anything!” said Lara. “The weather, what you did today. Doesn’t matter. Just write. The words will come. Here, look.”

She moved her chair beside his and flopped open her journal. Every page held dense cursive. Stickers, stamp marks, doodles, and strips of decorative tape filled every gap. She flipped the pages too fast for Scott to make out many words, but some places looked water-smudged or stained.

“That’s real—uh, very pretty,” he said. “Don’t think I need all the doodads, though. Just writing is hard enough. How do you know what to say?”

“It’s not a test,” said Lara. “Look, let me see what you’ve written so far.” She grinned. “I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours.”

With a sideways look, Scott said, “You’re not that shy, are you?”

Lara looked startled then looked away, redding. “Oh, uh, I am shy, actually. But sometimes I forget. Sorry.”

Scott smiled. “You forget you’re shy? That’s some trick.”

“Yes, well, only sometimes. With some people. So, anyway, write about growing up on your farm, or what you do now. What do you do, exactly?”

“I install solar.”

“Wow... how do you go from farming to solar power?”

Scott explained. As crop and livestock profits dropped, his family installed solar panels on the worst of their land. As it became profitable selling power back to the grid, they installed more until most of the property became a solar farm.

Lara was leaning forward, chin on her hand as he spoke. Scott fought to ignore the view down her blouse.

“We were one of the first to do it,” he said. “Learned lots, and now we make more money for a lot less work and help others do it. I’ve got a farmer joke too: know how to make a small fortune in farming?”

“Start with a large one?”

“Yeah. Heard that one, eh? Anyway, now I’m doing solar consulting and installations here in town.”

“Amazing,” Lara said. “So then you’ve got lots to write about. Saving the world. How many photons you’ve converted to electrons, barrels of oil not burned, or whatever. Do it every day the minute you get home from work.”

“Guess I could try that, but—”

“Roommates? Or do you live alone? Do you have a house? Apartment? Some quiet place to write?”

“Well, uh—”

“Am I being nosy? I am, aren’t I? Well, just tell me to butt out. I won’t get offended. People tell me to butt out all the time. Go on... try it.”

Scott studied her then said, “Okay. Butt out, Lara.”

She crinkled her nose as she grinned. Scott’s heart skipped a beat.

“See? Not offended at all,” she said. Lara flipped through more pages of her journal. “So anyway, write whatever you want. Or doodle. Things will come. It helps me relax and think about things.”

“Just from scribbling random junk? When I need to relax, I get outside. Go for a walk in the woods.”

“Like hiking? In a forest? You find that relaxing? What if you get lost or run into a bear or…”

A crashing bang from outside shook the cafe. Outside, Scott saw a cement truck shudder and halt as it hit a pothole.

“…or a wolf or…”

A second cement truck hit the same pothole, one wheel after the other, the banging even louder.

Color drained from Lara’s face. Her breath quickened as she gripped the edge of the table.

“Miss? Lara? You okay.”

Lara’s eyes were darting, her shoulders high and rigid. A sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead. She looked like she would either bolt or curl into a ball.

The wiry cafe owner was at their table in a flash. She scooped an ice cube from a glass and closed Lara’s hand around it.

“Breathe, Lara,” she said. “Breathe. Close your eyes. Focus on the cold. That’s it. You’re okay. Everything’s okay. Just a truck outside. What a racket. I keep asking the city to fill in that damn pothole. Now let’s breathe and count... in one, two, out, three, four… one, two, three, four. You remember. You’ve got it.”

“Ma’am,” Scott whispered. “What can I do? Shouldn’t we call someone?”

“Just stay put, if you don’t mind. She’ll be okay in a sec.”

Scott sat feeling useless watching the older woman reassure Lara and coach her through obviously practiced steps. Lara was breathing like she’d run a marathon, eyes alternating between being squinted shut and stretched wide, looking everywhere.

Over many minutes, Lara relaxed. Her color returned, and she looked around as her short gasping breaths returned to normal.

Finally, she sagged in her chair. “Thanks, Megan,” she said to the owner.

Flicking a glance at Scott, she pursed her lips then swept her journal into her bag and stood, wobbling the glasses on the table. Looking somewhere past Scott’s left ear, she said, “Whelp, nice talking to you. Gotta go.”

By the time Scott got to his feet, she had fled out the door.

The cafe owner picked up Lara’s glass and wiped the table.

“What just happened?” Scott asked.

The owner gave an apologetic shrug. “Better ask Lara that. But look... we look out for her around here. She’s a great girl. Give her a chance, will you?”

~~~~

The next afternoon, the stationery store was crowded. Scott tried getting Lara’s attention, declining help from other staff, but she avoided him.

He caught her when she went behind the counter.

“Someone else can help you,” she scolded. “I’m getting something for a customer.”

“Sorry to bother you, miss,” he said, “but these ink cartridges you sold me yesterday don’t seem to fit. Maybe they’re the wrong type?”

Without looking at Scott or the package, Lara yanked a different pack from the display behind her and flipped it onto the counter.

“Those are the right ones,” she said, not looking at him. “Same price. No need to ring in the exchange. Anything else… sir?”

Thanking her, Scott grabbed the package and fled.

~~~~

When Lara stepped into the cafe, Scott felt wary. She saw him immediately but chose another table and sat facing away.

When she got settled, he walked over.

“Excuse me, miss. I’m sorry to bother you, but—”

Lara said, “You want to know why I freaked out yesterday.”

“Uh, no, miss. That’s none of my business. Glad to see you’re all right, though. It’s just I still can’t get this ink cartridge into the damn pen.”

Lara blew out a breath and plucked the pen from his fingers. Unscrewing it, she said, “This model is a little tricky. You have to turn it while forcing it in hard. Keep doing it until it stops so the needle thing punctures the plastic all the way.” After a moment’s work, she put the pen together and handed it back.

Scott scrawled a few lines in his journal. “Hey, it works! Thanks. I’m not good with fiddly things.”

Lara hunched over her cup, arms crossed and hair hanging over her face.

Scott said, “Uh, just one more thing and I’ll let you be. Just curious—why did you sell me the wrong ink in the first place?”

Lara stiffened and looked up. “You think it was on purpose?”

“Well, sure. You never even looked at what I brought back. Just handed me the right ones. So you knew it was wrong from the start.”

Lara raised her eyebrows.

“I only look dumb,” he said. “And sound dumb too, I guess.”

Failing to suppress a smile, Lara said, “Okay, you got me. It was so you’d have to come back to the store.”

“Me?”

Lara shrugged. “We don’t get many cute guys.”

Scott grinned and shook his head. City girls. Back home when a girl liked you, you knew it. None of this playing around.

“So, can a ‘cute guy’ sit with you?”

Lara huddled into herself again. “Sure you want to?”

He pulled up a chair. “Never pass up a chance to talk to a pretty girl.”

“Okay,” said Lara, “but if you call me ‘miss’ one more time I’ll throw my tea at you.”

Before Scott even adjusted his chair, the cafe owner set two glasses of iced tea and a plate of oatcakes in front of them.

“On the house,” she said, then hurried away.

“That’s Megan,” said Lara. “She’s great.” She cupped a hand to her mouth and called, “Though a little too motherly!” Megan grinned back at her from behind the counter.

Lara regarded Scott for a moment, then said, “It’s called panic disorder.”

Scott raised a palm. “None of my beeswax. Just glad you’re okay now.” He paused. “Did scare the shit outta me, though.”

Lara nodded. “Yeah, I bet. Sorry.”

“Did I do it? Something I said?”

“What? No! It wasn’t your fault. Well, I mean, I was a little keyed up with you talking to me and us sitting so close and everything. Then that fucking truck went by.”

Lara stared at the table. “Noise sets me off sometimes. Or crowds. Flashing lights. A lot of the time it’s nothing; it just happens. Things build up then kaboom.”

Scott nodded. “I had a friend in school. Lights set him off too, sometimes. Epilepsy. Usually, he’d just go all blank for a few seconds. Then once, it was the whole jerking around on the ground thing, you know? We were running around, didn’t know what to do. Funny thing was, afterwards he said he didn’t remember a thing.”

Looking up, Lara said, “Lucky guy. I get to experience it all: fear, like something horrible is about to happen. Feeling like I’m going to die. Feeling like I want to die. Or hide. Or run.”

“That’s a hell of a thing. And a royal pain in the ass from the sound of it. So did something happen? I mean, to make you that way?” Scott frowned. “Shit, sorry. That’s me being nosy this time.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “No, nothing happened. I was always a little nervous growing up. Shy. And as I got older, these panic things started. The first time, I was certain it was a heart attack.”

“That bad?” Scott said. “Well, not like it’s the same or anything, but I get wound up too sometimes. Being in the city too long gets to me. Then I go walk in the woods.”

“Oh, right,” said Lara. “Hope you take a gun.”

“Nothing but squirrels and deer out there. I found an old trail about thirty minutes out. Never see anyone on it. It’s peaceful. Stay out there all day if I could.”

Lara said, “Sounds great. I’d still bring a gun.” Another pause. “You know, you don’t have to keep talking to me. Guys always run when they see what a mess I am.”

“Everyone has something going on,” said Scott. “Oh. Or did you mean I’m bugging you? I do that sometimes. If you want to be let alone, just tell me to get lost. Go on… try it. I won’t get offended.”

Chucking, Lara touched his hand. “You are not bugging me.”

The two shared a smile, then Lara said, “So tell me about solar. I know it’s getting big, but I don’t know anything about it, really.”

“It’s boring.”

“Boring as working in a stationery store?”

“You don’t like it?”

“Actually, I do. I’ve always liked pens and fancy papers, the cool things for organizing everything, stuff like that. And it’s a great place when you need to curl into a ball in the back of the stockroom for an hour. Megan’s sister owns it. She’s so great about it.”

Scott tried not to bore her with power ratings, azimuth angles, inverters, and net metering, but Lara’s eyes never glazed over once. She asked questions and joked, her dark eyes sparkling. He relaxed enough to stop talking like city folk. Lara didn’t call him a redneck even once.

Megan supplied them with drinks and snacks as they talked. Both could hardly believe it when at last looking up they saw that outside the traffic had died and it was getting dark.

“Walk me home?” Lara asked.

~~~~

Lara’s heart thumped as Scott walked with her. He was gorgeous, in a stocky, unassuming kind of way, easy to talk to, and seemed to just accept the meltdown he witnessed the day before.

Every time, if a guy didn’t bolt right away, they turned distant and polite, and then bolted a few days later. Who could blame them?

Lara knew better than to hope too much. At best, Scott might stick around a month or two. She vowed to do her meditation and everything else to keep major attacks away as long as possible.

She wanted the walk to last forever, but the four blocks to the door of her tiny apartment seemed to take no time.

“This is me,” she said. “Thanks for walking me, Scott. Do you… do you want to come up?”

Scott grinned. “I’m still waiting to see this shy side you keep saying you have.”

“Grab chances when you can,” said Lara.

Scott studied the ground. “I better not. Things might happen.”

Lara blinked. “I’m not completely psycho, you know. I’m not going to freak out and try to murder you.”

Scott avoided her eyes. “No. I mean, other things might happen.”

What century was this guy born in, Lara wondered. “You mean like we’d talk, make out, and then maybe sleep together? Yeah, maybe that might happen. Hope so.” She grinned.

Scott nodded and rubbed his neck. “Yeah. Thing is, I like you, Lara. A lot. Other times I’ve liked someone and we hopped into the sack right away it kinda ruined things.”

“Oh,” said Lara. She had heard that excuse before. She pursed her lips and nodded. “That’s… okay. I get it. Well, nice talking to you. See ya later.”

She turned to open the door and hide her face.

Scott said, “So are you working Saturday? Want to come hiking with me?”

Lara spun around so fast she nearly broke her key off in the lock.

“You… hiking? Saturday? Uh, no, I’m not working. I can go. I’d love to go.”

Scott’s face lit up, making her want to grab him and pull him inside.

“Okay. Great!” he said. “You’ll like it. Can you be ready by around nine?”

~~~~

“Hi Scott, it’s Lara. It’s 9:30. Sorry for calling. I texted, but you didn’t reply. Thought you’d be here by now. Can’t wait to see your truck. Should’ve known you’d drive a pickup. Let me know when you’ll be here, okay?”

“Scott, I’m still ready. Packed us a lunch like I promised. Are you still coming by? I sent you a few more texts. Let me know.”

“Lara again. It’s 1:00 pm now. You said we should hit the trail early, so I’m wondering what’s up. Just text me.”

“3:00 pm now. Guess you got held up. It’s okay. Just let me know you’re alive. I’m free tomorrow too, if you are.”

“It’s a little after 5. Way too late to go now, right? Okay, I get it. I really do. I’m a freak. I’m a mess. Just never thought you’d ghost me. You seemed like an okay guy for once. Shows what I know. Well, see you never. Asshole.”

~~~~

Lara wrote the date in the upper corner of a fresh page of her journal. One week since Scott vanished.

She should follow Megan’s advice and go other places after work, she thought. Places where tea and oatcakes weren’t the main attraction.

When Scott walked in and started scanning the room, her first instinct was to hide. But why should she? He ghosted her, not the other way around.

She watched him trudge to her table.

“Fuck right off,” Lara said as he hovered beside her. She spied Megan watching intently from behind the counter, poised to either cut Scott’s throat with a bread knife or to deliver iced tea.

“Lara,” he said, “You’re fit to be tied and you have every right. So I’ll just say sorry and get outta your hair.”

Lara shot him a withering look. “You couldn’t just send me a text? Oh, that’s right. Apparently, you forgot how.”

“It’s not right to say sorry in a text. Has to be in person.”

“Riiight. But it is okay to wreck my Saturday and not bother to say why?”

“I, uh, I couldn’t.” Scott swabbed his neck, looking away. “I’m sorry I let you down.”

Lara stared. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say? So why couldn’t you? Forget to pay your cell phone bill? Dropped it in the toilet? Or… oh, I got one: the ladder fell when you were installing a solar panel. You’ve been stuck on someone’s roof all week.”

Scott took a breath. “I got depression.”

“You couldn’t text me because you were sad?”

Looking around, Scott ran his fingers through his hair then pulled up a chair, perching nervously on the edge.

Bending close, he said, “No. It’s depression depression. The kind you hear about? Most of the time it’s no big deal, but last week… hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Lara scowled at him in silence, then said, “Well, nice try, but I get depression too. Anxiety and depression are best buds, you know? Feels like being underwater wearing a concrete coat. But I can still work my thumbs.”

“Yeah? I could barely get out of bed. Couldn’t leave my place. Sure couldn’t talk to anyone. And knowing I’d wrecked my chances with you made it worse.” He looked up at Lara sheepishly. “It’s me who’s a mess. Not you. Guess I shoulda told you about it the other day.”

“You think?” said Lara, “Seeing how I literally spent two hours telling you all about my anxiety?”

“Yeah. Should’ve trusted you. It’s just… I would have told you later if anything went anywhere. Except they never do. Girls tend to head for the hills when they find out you’re a crybaby.”

“So? Guys run screaming down the street first time they see a panic attack. Depression isn’t being a ‘crybaby’. Anymore than anxiety makes me… well, guys have called me psycho, loon, nutjob…”

“Nutjob?” Scott asked. “I got ‘nutbar’ a lot. How about ‘headcase’? Ever get that one?”

“Practically my nickname in high school.”

Scott nodded. “Yeah. That one never sounded like much of an insult to me. If you’re gonna insult someone, make it hurt.”

They stared at each other, then Scott thumped the table and stood. “Anyway, I’ll get going. Sorry for letting you down.”

He turned, but Lara grabbed his hand. “Not going to make it up to me?”

Scott spun with an audible gasp. “Wha—what?”

“Make it up to me,” she said. “You promised to take me hiking. Don’t you keep your promises?”

“You don’t want anything to do with me.”

“Typical guy,” said Lara. “Always telling women what to do. How about you let me decide for myself?”

Lara thought Scott looked cute struggling for words. She said, “Normally, I’d tell you to get lost. Or at least make you do a lot of begging. But all six of my dates for the weekend backed out at the last minute, so I’ll give you a chance. Tomorrow. Pick me up at nine, just like before. Okay?”

Scott ran his fingers through his hair again, then smiled. “Yeah. Okay! You sure? Great! I’ll go get everything ready.”

He turned to leave, but Lara held onto his hand.

“Not going to walk me home?” she said.

Scott looked bewildered, then shy. “Just like that? I better not. I gotta get things ready. Besides, things will happen.”

“Just because you walk me home doesn’t mean I’ll jump you.”

Lara’s heart thumped when he gave her a feral once-over. “Oh, it’s not you that I’m worried about,” he said. “I already ruined things once. Best take it slow.”

She released his hand, nodding. “Okay, fine,” she said. “But, Scott? If you stand me up one more time without saying anything, I’ll gut you with your fountain pen.”

~~~~

The trailhead was a gap in the trees at the side of a decaying rural road. A small weathered sign marked it, but no one would spot it unless they knew it was there.

Lara watched Scott don his rucksack and adjust the straps. It figured he’d have an old-style canvas one with straps and buckles.

“Can I hold the bells?” she said.

“Bells?”

“You know. The jingly bells. You’re supposed to have jingle bells to scare bears away, right? And use pepper spray.”

Scott chuckled. “There’s only black bears around here. They’re wimps. If we run into one, yell and wave your arms and back away. With grizzly bears… well, they don’t scare. Pepper spray right in the face might help a little.”

Lara felt disappointed. “So no bells. Guess you didn’t bring a gun, either?”

“Not safe. If I get depressed, I might shoot myself. If you get all panicky, you might shoot me.”

Lara elbowed him in the ribs.

“But,” Scott said, “it’s a good idea to keep an eye peeled for signs a bear is around. Look on the trail for bear poop.”

“Are you serious? How would I know bear poop from squirrel shit?”

“Well, depends on the bear. Black bear poop is round and has berries and bits of squirrel fur in it. Grizzly bear poop is bigger, wetter, has jingle bells in it and smells like pepper.”

Eventually, Lara stopped laughing and wiped her eyes. Scott waited, wearing a satisfied smile. Then he took her hand and together they entered the forest.

Searing summer heat became cool dryness as the aromas of wild plants and decaying leaves filled Lara’s senses. The trail meandered between tall trees and was so overgrown and narrow they had to walk single-file. Scott led the way up the gentle slope.

Lara felt out of place and scared to make a fool of herself with Scott. She thought she’d need to do breathing exercises and meditate, but didn’t feel anxious at all. Except for the low-level dread that had been her companion since she was a girl.

Scott kept looking back, asking if she was okay. Soon, the canopy of trees arching high overhead, sounds of insects and birds and the ever-shifting fragrances of the woods had their effect. The lush abundance of the forest seeped into Lara’s senses, overpowering everything else.

Lara could hardly believe he wanted to be with her after seeing her in full anxiety mode. Still, he had refused to sleep with her. She understood his reasons. Hopefully, that wouldn’t last long.

She then realized she was in the woods with a guy she just met. She had told Megan they were going hiking, but not where, exactly.

Yet somehow, she knew she could trust Scott. He was so earnest about everything. Just watching his solid frame as he strode up the trail gave her a sense of security and well-being.

“This is amazing,” she said. “I haven’t been in a forest since my last grade school field trip.”

“It’s the best trail around,” said Scott. “Never any people. I try to walk it every week. More, when I need it.”

“You need to walk in the woods, country boy?”

Scott smiled back. “Beats sitting inside drinking tea and scribbling in a journal, city girl. If I’m in the city too long, I start getting down. Too much noise and too many people… no space to breathe. I come here to stretch my legs. Works better than any meds.”

The trail crossed a narrow stream, burbling and sparkling in the filtered sunlight. Scott helped Lara step across.

“That’s what happened last week,” he said. “This summer has been crazy at work. Guess I waited too long getting out here then everything just… fell apart.”

They walked on, Lara slowly relaxing as the serenity of the forest mixed with the exertion of the hike seeped into her. She was so lost in thought she almost plowed into Scott when he stopped.

She said, “Scott, What—”

“Shh!” Scott held up a hand, cocking an ear. “Hear anything?”

Lara heard only the breeze in the trees overhead.

Scott swiveled his head, straining, then shrugged. “Nothing. Thought I might've heard voices.”

“Hearing voices, huh?” Lara said, teasing. “So you’re schizophrenic too?”

Scott gave her arm a playful punch, then bent to rummage in his pack. He pulled out water bottles and handed her one.

Lara sipped, then tipped her head back to look through the canopy to the blue sky far above. The upper branches swayed, leaves trembling with the breeze.

Scott said, “How’re you holding up? There’s another hour to go to the end. It’s a good time to turn back if you want.”

“Hey, I work out. I’m strong. And I never skip leg day. If you can make it, I can make it.”

“All right then!” Scott smiled. “Want to lead for a bit? Bet you’re tired of seeing my ass by now.”

Lara grinned. “Oh, I could stand seeing it a bit more. Besides, I don’t know where the trail goes. It keeps disappearing.”

Scott turned her and pointed. “See that birch up ahead? The yellow patch on it is the trail marker. They’re spaced so when you get to one, you should be able to see the next.”

“Okay,” said Lara. “I can do that.” She handed Scott her water bottle. “So that’s a ‘birch’ is it? I only know it by its scientific name: treeus leafius.”

Scott laughed. Still with his arm around her, he pointed again: “That’s birch. That one’s maple. That’s red oak. Those real tall fellas are spruce.”

Lara leaned against him as he showed off, enjoying the solidity of his arm around her and the masculine scent of his skin.

“Okay, mister forest ranger,” she said. “So you know trees. Well, I know what that is.” Lara pointed to a cluster of leafy fronds beside the trail. “That’s a fern. A primitive foliage, unchanged since the days of the dinosaur. They used to eat them.”

Scott nodded, looking impressed. “Wow. A fern, is it? That’s really something. How’d a city girl get to know so much about the woods?”

“I have one growing in a pot in my apartment. The tag that came with it said that stuff about the dinosaurs.”

Scott laughed, then tucked the water bottles back into his pack. “C’mon. Better get going.”

Lara teetered along the trail, carefully following each mark. At first, she suspected Scott wanted her to lead so he could watch her own ass. Glancing back, she felt a twinge of satisfaction to find he was indeed enjoying the view.

Leading the way somehow made the woods seem more real. Timeless. She could imagine her and Scott as ancient hunter-gatherers, mated for life, trekking through the woods in search of deer.

As she trekked on, Lara’s hateful companion of dread was drowned out by the surge of her heartbeat, the scuffing and crunch of Scott’s footfalls behind her, and the vitality of the green life all around.

~~~~

Scott had figured Lara would give up about halfway along the trail and was happy to be wrong. She was stronger than he first thought and very determined.

He watched her picking along the trail, looking around at everything, stopping to ask what this thing was or that, or to take a photo. He worried being in the wild would stress her out, but she seemed completely at ease. Things couldn’t last long with such a smart, beautiful city girl, he thought, especially now she knew how messed up he was. He didn’t let himself hope maybe he’d be wrong about that too.

The trail opened onto a narrow grassy clearing beside a wide pond. Scott winced and shielded his eyes as the blazing sun and heated air hit him.

Lara gasped, “Scott, you didn’t say there was a lake!”

“Oh, it’s just an old beaver pond.” He gestured to the collapsed mounds of two ancient beaver lodges at the far end, guarded by mournful gray stalks of long-drowned trees.

“Where are the beavers?” Lara shielded her eyes, peering around.

Scott shucked off his rucksack and set it down. “Long, long gone. You hungry yet?”

He pulled out the water bottles and a container of sandwiches. He handed Lara an additional bottle.

Lara examined the label. “Caffeine-free iced tea,” she said. “Really?”

“Thought it might make you feel more at home, seeing how you drink gallons of it at the cafe. And I tried getting some of those sawdust circles Megan keeps serving us, but she was out.”

“They’re oatcakes and Megan makes them herself! They’re good.”

“They taste like chalk. Anyway, I brought some of my mom’s brownies. She sends a care package every couple of weeks.”

Scott shared the sandwiches as they sat cross-legged by the pond. Lara talked and flirted.

“Why would beavers build a house and a dam, then just leave it? So what kind of tree is that one, Mr. know-it-all? Did you bring your journal? Ever camped out here? Can you fish here? Has your pen exploded on you yet? Fuck, it’s hot today. If we had a solar panel how long would it take to charge my phone? Oh, shit—there’s no signal out here! Are you going to finish that brownie?”

Suddenly, Lara stopped talking and fixed Scott with an odd stare. Without warning, she leaned over to kiss him lovingly on the lips.

It was the last thing Scott expected, but he went with it. Her lips were soft but insistent, and he fought to keep his heart and the rest of himself under control.

Lara pulled back to study his face with her lively dark eyes. “Okay?” she said.

Scott nodded. “Yeah. Real okay.”

“Thanks for bringing me here,” she said. “You’re right—it is peaceful. I would never do this on my own in a million years.”

Scott saw her thinking about something, then without warning, she stood and peeled off her top in one fluid motion. She posed for a moment, smiling, letting Scott take in her perky, flawless breasts, then doffed her shorts and underwear.

Lara stood gloriously naked in the summer sun, posing as Scott drank in every inch of her. Her long smooth legs led to a carefully trimmed triangle of fur. She was slim but beautifully shaped, the flare of her hips curving to a narrow waist.

“Nope,” Scott said, his mouth suddenly dry. “You’re not shy at all. God, you’re beautiful.”

Lara grinned, then began wading into the pond.

“Eeww! It’s all muddy.”

“I bet it is,” said Scott. “It’s a beaver pond. Not the best place to swim.”

He watched her wade deeper, surprised, amused, and delighted until the water was mid-thigh. Lara stretch forward, swam out a few strokes, then stood and turned, still just waist-deep. She squinted in the burning sun, water on her skin shimmering like jewels.

“It’s pretty shallow,” she called. “But nice and cool. C’mon! What are you waiting for?”

Scott laughed and stripped off his own clothes, tossing them haphazardly beside hers. With a running splash, soon he was beside Lara, toes sinking in the muddy bottom.

Lara smiled then surprised him with a splash to the face. He got her back with a volley of water that sprayed her head to bellybutton. They laughed and played and wrestled like children, dunking each other, chasing each other, until they paused for breath.

When Scott put his arms around her, Lara tongued her lip then said, “So… still too soon?”

Scott wanted the spark between them to grow, not get sidelined by sex. But Lara pleading with her mischievous dark eyes, her beautiful breasts bare and inviting, had their effect.

“It sure is,” Scott said, “but right now I don’t care.”

Her eyes widened, then Lara beamed and broke from his embrace. Turning, she looked over her shoulder then said “Gotta catch me first.” She launched herself towards the opposite shore.

Scott caught her before she reached the bank. Lara giggled and struggled when he lifted her into his arms and waded out to lay her down onto a grassy gap between the trees.

~~~~

Scott lay beside Lara, watching her breasts rise and fall with her excited breathing before she pulled him down into a kiss. When he moved to nuzzle her neck. Lara gasped and ran her fingers through his hair.

She pulled his hand to her breast, and he ran the back of his hand across her nipple before cupping it to feel the smooth firmness.

Lara sighed then said, “So it’s too soon, but we’re doing it, anyway?”

“Only if that’s all right with you.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll wreck things?” she teased.

“I am.” He slid lower. Still massaging one breast, he licked up and across the other as he looked into her eyes.

Lara’s voice was hoarse. “So… ooo, that’s nice… then shouldn’t we stop?”

“Just say when.” Lara gasped when he took her nipple into his mouth.

She held Scott’s head to her as he explored her breasts, arching her back and writhing.

From across the pond, a sound. Scott froze and lifted his head.

Lara looked down at him, puzzled. “What—”

Holding up a hand, he whispered, “Listen.” Propping up, he peered across the pond.

Four men were emerging from the forest. They looked to be around 20, hooting and swearing, pushing each other, and carrying on. One swigged from a bottle then passed it to another.

Each one carried a rifle slung on a shoulder or carried in the crook of their arm.

Scott motioned for Lara to lay still. He whispered, “They probably can’t see us here in the shade.”

“Well, what we got here?” said the tallest one, his loud voice carrying across the water. He kicked their clothes with the toe of his boot. “Some litterbugs dumped a bunch of clothes and gear.”

The others laughed.

“Damn inconsiderate,” said one, just as loud. “Messing up our woods.” He yelled, “Ever heard about conservation?”

They all thought that was hilarious.

He then upended Scott’s rucksack, dumping the contents on the ground.

Three of them squatted over the contents while the tall one held his rifle ready, scanning the surrounding trees, occasionally directing his friends as they bickered over the loot.

Scott stood. “All right. Leave that alone, boys. Hear?”

The leader raised his rifle, then laughed and lowered it.

“Well, look at you,” he said. “Naked as a jaybird. You a nudist? Got a girl there with ya?”

“Just went for a little swim to cool off,” Scott said. “You know how it is on a hot day. Now leave our stuff alone.”

The leader looked down at his friends squabbling over who got what. “Naw. I could use a couple new cell phones. And some money.” He held up Scott’s wallet.

Scott squatted and looked at Lara. “Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s just some kids goofing around. Will you be okay here while I deal with them?”

Lara swallowed. “I’ll be fine. Go.”

The group jeered and laughed as Scott swam towards them. When he was half-way, the leader shoved everything into the rucksack, clothes included, and strolled further along the edge of the water, eyes on Scott, making a show of taking his time. Two of his buddies followed.

The fourth one lingered. With a laugh, he unzipped and pissed loudly into the water, sneering, then hurried to catch up with the rest.

Scott reached the shore just as the group was stomping back into the woods, some distance from the trail. Scott ran, but when he reached the spot, they had disappeared into the forest. He heard them in the distance, hooting and laughing. Scott followed as far as he could, hoping the idiots had dropped the pack, but couldn’t go far with the underbrush slashing and scraping his bare feet and legs.

Lara was emerging from the water when Scott returned. She approached him, hands wrapped across her breasts.

“They took everything?” she asked.

Scott eyed her warily. “Yeah.”

Lara’s eyes were darting. She sat down hard on the ground, tucking her legs under her chin.

“It’s okay, Lara. We can—”

“Shh!”

Scott crouched beside her, watching as she closed her eyes, her breathing deep and purposeful. Moments later she opened them and looked at the pond, mouthing words before closing her eyes again. She repeated this until she opened her eyes and looked at Scott.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m grounded. I won’t freak out on you.”

“Well, you’re entitled to. I might freak out myself. Goddamn bunch of children.”

“Children with guns,” said Lara. “You scared me when you went after them.”

“They weren’t gonna shoot anyone. Bunch of coward tough-guy wannabees, that’s all.”

“So, what are we going to do?” asked Lara.

Scott reached over to fluff Lara’s damp curly hair with his fingers. “We’ll head back to the truck. There’s a spare key under the bumper. And a pair of coveralls behind the seat you can wear.”

“What about you?”

“Well, there might be an old t-shirt back there too. For sure there’s a hard hat.”

Lara pictured Scott driving back into the city with a hard hat covering his dick.

“What if those assholes catch us on the trail?”

“Hope they do. They’ll think there were ten of me. But they’ll stay way off the trails if they’re jacking deer.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Some guys don’t care about hunting season. They get liquored up and head out ready to shoot anything. Doesn’t happen as much as it used to, but there are always idiots. Ranger might catch them. I’ll report it when we get back to town.”

“So we’re going to hike two hours on the trail buck naked?”

“Got a better idea? Are you… are you going to be all right? This is kinda a stressful situation.”

“I’ve got it under control. How about you? Are you going to get depressed? Maybe go drown yourself in the lake?”

Scott looked at the water, stroking his chin. “Naw. It’s not deep enough.”

“I could hold you under. It’ll be excellent for my stress relief.”

Laughing, Scott hugged Lara to his side.

“Okay,” she said, “so we hike. What if someone else comes? They might be a little startled by two naked people coming at them down the trail.”

“Guess I can’t say no one ever comes around here anymore, can I?” He stood and walked to the edge of the forest then returned with two large leafy fronds.

“Here ya go,” he said, grinning. “Apparently, these are called ferns.”

Lara backhanded his arm and laughed but took the ferns.

~~~~

The forest seemed a little warmer to Lara when they returned to the trail, but the shade was a welcome relief from the scorching sun out in the open.

Once again, the moment Lara entered the forest, a sense of ease filled her. Despite the ridiculous situation, her ever-present background sense of dread again became diluted by the lush presence of the woods.

Scott led the way. Watching him stepping along the trail naked just as confidently as when he was clothed, Lara wondered how he could be so even-tempered and matter-of-fact about everything. Yet in the brief time they lay together under the trees she saw his passion. Warmth spread through her thinking of the sensations of him caressing her and the hunger in his eyes. When they finally got back to town, she was determined to continue where they left off.

She heard wind stirring the branches high above before drops hit her skin.

~~~~

Scott looked up, trying to get a view of the sky as the rain intensified.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “Is nothing going right today?”

Lara said, “We always get rain in the afternoon. It shouldn’t last long.” She shrugged one shoulder. “At least we don’t have to worry about our clothes getting wet.”

The forest canopy held the rain back for a few moments, then gushing cascades soaked everything. The endless roar of the warm downpour drowned the calming sounds of the woods and made everything seem closer.

Lara raised a hand to her brow to block the warm water streaming down her face. She looked around. “Don’t suppose an umbrella tree is a thing.”

Scott smiled and took her hand. Together they continued down the trail.

As the torrent continued, bare spots in the trail became muddier and slicker. Scott was edging sideways down a bare slope, Lara holding on, when he slipped. She squealed as she was yanked down with him, thumping down hard on her ass.

They ended in a tangle at the bottom of the slope, splotched with mud and debris.

“You okay?” Scott said, trying to be heard over the rain.

Lara checked herself. “I think so. Probably going to have a bruise on my ass. You?”

Scott nodded.

He struggled to his feet, then helped Lara up.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said.

Crooked rivulets of muddy water streamed down Lara’s body. Scott smoothed away the mud and debris, sliding his hands over her rain-slick chest, her breasts, her tummy.

Lara stood still, enjoying his warm hands caressing over her. Then she did the same for him, wiping at the dirt on his chest and shoulders then cupped her hands to gather enough water to splash it over his half-hard dick.

Scott pulled her close and reached behind to slick away mud from her back and ass while Lara did the same for him, looking into his eyes.

The rain was warm but Lara’s rain-slicked breasts pressing against his chest felt warmer. She gazed at him dreamily as she rubbed his back and ass, and Scott naturally began to respond.

Lara’s eyes sparkled when she felt his hardness. She reached between them to grasp his cock, her soft hand sensuously warm. She stroked him, then guided his hand to her breast, sighing as he massaged and stroked it. Scott slid his free hand up behind her neck and pulled her into a kiss.

Even in a downpour with hair plastered to her head, Scott thought Lara was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. She was certainly the strangest and most spirited.

He had planned to wait until they got to the city, but with Lara in his arms with her dark eyes imploring and needful, he had to take her right there.

Looking around, Scott spied a mossy patch of ground a few steps off the trail. Taking Lara’s hand, he carefully guided her to it and cleared away fallen sticks and leaves. Wordlessly, he raised his eyebrows at Lara, then looked at the ground. She beamed, then lay back on the soft carpet of moss.

Scott kissed her, then moved to Lara’s neck to kiss and nibble her there. Encouraged by her moan, he slid his hand back to her rain-slick breast, teasing the nipple before cupping its lovely shape.

Still kissing her, he tentatively slid his hand from her breast lower and when she didn’t protest, to between her legs. Lara sighed and hugged him to her.

They kissed and caressed and rutted against each other. Scott had never felt harder, never felt a need so strong for anyone before. He felt her shift her legs, opening them and urging with her hands for him to lay on her. Soon his cock was gliding along Lara’s folds, moist more from her arousal than the rain. Lara’s hips rocked up and around, seeking.

She reached between them to guide him where she needed him, then slid a hand to his ass and pulled him into her. Scott felt warmth and slickness as he joined with her, elated when her intake of breath became a primal, satisfied groan.

Lara’s eyes flared as Scott pushed deep, then became lidded as she wrapped arms and legs around him.

“Fuck me… oh, god, I need you to fuck me.”

The thrill Lara felt when Scott first entered her, bloomed into burning need as he started taking her. She locked her legs behind his back, urging him into her, pushing back with every delicious stroke. Squirming against him, Lara rotated her hips, seeking the best angle, the right contact, offering herself to him, eager to please him, and to satisfy the aching need inside her. His heavy, solid presence pressing her into the bed of moss and his wonderful cock plunging into her gave her a sense of completeness she had never experienced before. She never wanted it to end.

Scott wanted it to last too but was losing the battle. It had been far too long since he had been with someone, and no one had been as exciting and responsive as Lara. Inside, she was snug and slick and delightfully warm. Her joyful gasps and moans, the eager way she worked to drive him deep, her little smile and the gleam in her eyes all tore at his self-control.

He paced himself as long as he could, then tumbled across the inevitable divide.

“Gonna come,” he croaked.

Lara tightened her embrace. “In me,” she gasped. “Please!”

Scott growled and rammed into Lara, pressing her hard into the soft moss. She clung and gasped as he released, pulsing, flooding her to overflowing with all he could offer.

Lara slid a hand between them to tease her clit. She rubbed furiously, hips grinding and bucking. In moments she stiffened and froze, arching her back as blissful heat bloomed, coursing through her in surging waves as the world faded.

When she returned, Lara fluttered open her eyes to find Scott had eased his weight from her with his arms but was still hard and buried deep inside.

“You okay?” he asked. “Looked like you were kinda gone there for a bit.”

Taking a breath, Lara nodded, wide-eyed. “Oh, yeah. I was gone all right. She caressed his cheek. “That was… that was…”

“Yeah,” Scott said. “It was.”

The rain seemed to have slowed from torrential bucketing to a mere light shower. Scott rolled off and held Lara to him while they recovered.

“That’s funny,” he said, moving a damp curl of hair from her eyes. “A lot of time after, uh, after sex, the ol’ depression kicks in. Just a little. But not this time. Not with you.”

Lara looked down and picked away specks of dirt from her skin. She said, “This is going to sound awful, but it’s just the opposite for me. After sex, all the anxiety just… evaporates. Sometimes for a day or two.”

Scott thought about that. “Guess that accounts for why you’ve been so eager.”

Lara looked at him, but before she could say anything, Scott smiled and said, “We’re gonna have to do it a lot, then.”

~~~~

Scott flipped his journal shut. In a few days, he would hit the last page and need to buy a new one. Fortunately, he knew someone in the business.

Beside him, Lara scrawled away in her own journal. They had agreed to limit their journaling time when they were together, but they were together constantly now. After a summer of deciding every day whether to sleep at Scott’s place or hers, Scott had finally convinced her to move in with him.

Megan set two glasses of iced tea on the table and, with a peevish look at Scott, brownies.

“Now we’re talking,” Scott said, grabbing one. “Thanks, Megan.”

“I packed up some to take with you, too,” Megan said. “Give you energy to handle our Lara. Camping for three days in the middle of nowhere… what are you thinking?”

Lara said, “You know I’ll be okay. Fresh air, exercise, a little frolicking in the ferns… it’s relaxing.”

Megan yelped when a crashing bang from outside shook the cafe windows. A cement truck had hit a pothole. A booming thud followed as a second truck hit the same one.

“Fuck, that’s loud,” said Lara. “Is the city ever going to fix that hole?”

She sipped her iced tea.