A TOUCH OF SILK

Brad was heading to his parents’ house for Thanksgiving. Even though it was a seven hour drive, he tried to make it back home several times a year to visit for a few days, to see his mom and stepfather, and catch up with friends. He worked as a park ranger and lived in a remote outpost in a national forest, and although he loved the woods and the solitude and the peacefulness of the wilderness, it was good to get back to civilization every now and then. He usually was craving human interaction whenever he did.

Brad’s mother was Kate, a high school art teacher, and long-divorced from Brad’s father. Her husband, Brad’s step-father, was named Ethan, a tall rangy, athletic fellow who owned a large store that sold anything for the outdoor sportsman: gear for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, you name it. Brad was close to his mom, it had just been the two of them for years when he was young, and he got along well with Ethan. In fact Ethan had been instrumental in Brad becoming so drawn to the extremes of the outdoors, which led to his majoring in forestry and environmental science in college, which led to his post as a park ranger. Brad enjoyed his visits back home, and his conversations with Ethan. They would trade stories. Brad had plenty about crazy park visitors, and Ethan had plenty more about his crazy customers.

But one of the more attractive things about visiting home, something that had grown gradually over several years, was something that at one time he would have thought to be unlikely, if not impossible. Whenever he came back to visit he found himself anxiously anticipating when he would see his stepsister Maggie.

Her given name was Margarita, but she’d been called Maggie her whole life. Maggie was six years older than Brad, and was entering her senior year of high school when their parents married and Kate and Brad moved in with them. With the age difference and the newness of their living arrangement, they didn’t bond or get to know each other very well. Then Maggie went off to college and Brad was once again an only child.

Brad was intimidated by Maggie in those early days. She was older, seemed so sophisticated, and he thought she was so beautiful in a primal, earthy, sultry way, and a complete contrast to himself. He was a sturdy blond-haired, blue-eyed All-American-college-boy type; she was tall and lean, with long black hair and matching eyes, high cheekbones, aquiline nose and rich, creamy skin the color of sugared cinnamon. She didn’t have much of an ass but the rest of her was fine, with wiry, toned muscles, slim waist, long, strong-looking legs and nice, smallish but firm titties sticking straight out.

Maggie’s mother Rosa was a full-blooded, dark-complected Raramuri from northern Mexico, which made Maggie half. Ethan was a big, strong white boy from New England on a long, solo road trip when he found his way into the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains and the Copper Canyon. Somehow they met, they clicked, and they fell in love. One thing led to another and Rosa became pregnant. Rosa and Ethan and Maggie lived in the mountains of northern Mexico for years before moving to the U.S. After Rosa passed away, Ethan and Maggie moved to the US.

Brad didn’t see Maggie much after she went off to college. She’d come home for summer vacations and holidays, but there was little interaction. In her junior year, Maggie met and got involved with the wrong guy. She became pregnant and they quickly married. When she miscarried she found herself without her child but still stuck with the wrong guy. She was depressed. Their marriage started off rocky, stayed that way, and got worse. Brad had met her husband, a slacker named Giles, several times at family functions but didn’t much care for him. He seemed aloof and self-absorbed, and after the first couple of years he and Maggie seemed to be separated more than they were together. But they hadn’t bothered to divorce.

Over the last couple of years, Maggie had come to the family holidays at their parents’ house alone, and Brad had had more opportunities to talk to her one-on-one. He had gotten to know her finally, and discovered that he really enjoyed their conversations, and just being with her seemed to elevate his life. Comfortable, relaxed. They shared interests, and could discuss books or movies and just about any topic, and they saw eye-to-eye on most of them. They both loved the outdoors. Maggie worked as a manager in her father’s store, and their combined knowledge often produced lively discussions and debates. Damn, could they talk. Brad was now twenty-four and Maggie was thirty, and it was almost scary how after so much time he now felt so much closer to her. With all of this in mind as he drove, he found himself looking forward more and more to this Thanksgiving.

—-

Brad pulled into his parents’ driveway on late Wednesday afternoon. The family tradition for dinner the night before Thanksgiving was Oyster Stew, garlic bread, raw vegetables with dips and a big salad. Eat light before the big feast. And beer. Brad had drunk four St. Pauli Girls before dinner, and afterwards went right to bed, with a good buzz on and tired from his long drive.

In the morning Brad went for a run and when he returned he hopped in the shower. When he re-emerged, squeaky-clean and freshly-dressed, Maggie had arrived and Bloody Marys were being served, another family tradition. The drinks would be consumed as the women worked in the kitchen and did their best to keep the men out.

Maggie looked great. Blue jeans tight, white blouse tucked-in and open at the collar, hugging her breasts just right, brown boots. Her long black hair was pulled back, a scrunchied pony tail almost down to her ass, gold chain necklace, simple gold hoop earrings. She smiled when she saw him and gave him a hug, which he gave right back to her. He felt her nipples press softly against his chest, and breathed in a seductive scent as he briefly held her.

The ladies did their thing and it was perfect as always. Turkey with all the trimmings. They ate late-afternoon, and the men cleaned up. They watched some football. Mom and Dad faded fast and said good night. Ethan had a big day tomorrow and needed his sleep. It would be Black Friday and the store would be a circus. But Maggie didn’t automatically run off, Brad noticed, and she would also have a long day at the store tomorrow.

They were seated in the den, across from each other, he in a rocker and she on the sofa. She smiled at him. He smiled at her. It was time.

“You want a drink, or something?” he asked.

“Sure. There’s some cognac in the pantry,” she said.

They went to the kitchen together, found the bottle and poured a couple drinks into coffee cups.

“Let’s go out back,” she said. “It’s not too cold.”

“Sure.” Alright, he thought. Good. Nature girl.

They put sweaters on and went through the french doors to the large rear deck. The yard backed up to the woods, peaceful and private. They sat together on a wicker sofa facing the pines. It was dark but the night was starlit and they could clearly see the treeline across the yard.

“This is so peaceful,” she said. She un-scrunchied her long hair and let it hang free.

“It is,” Brad said, and exhaled as his eyes took it in.

There was a comfortable silence for a short time as they sipped their nightcaps. Conversation came gradually, but easily, and after the initial small talk about family and jobs and friends, it soon moved on to more intimate territory, to places it hadn’t gone before.

“Do you have a girlfriend these days?” she asked.

“Naw,” he said. “Not much opportunity for that. There are some female rangers and park employees, but most are married, plus a couple lesbians and interns. And management frowns on that anyway.”

“Frowns on what?”

“Relationships between employees. And who else would I meet? Some unattached camper or ranger groupie? Plus, not many women would want to live where I do: in a cabin in the forest a half-mile from the trailhead. I have to hike it in from there. That’s no fun hauling in groceries or supplies.”

“Don’t you get lonely?”

“Sometimes. But mostly I like the peace and solitude and nobody is hovering over me. I’m trusted to do a job, and as long as I do it adequately, they leave me alone.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Maggie said.

“What? Really?”

“Oh yeah. I lived in a mud hut for the first twelve years of my life. A log cabin in the mountains with heat and indoor plumbing sounds good to me.”

“Are you happy? Doing what you’re doing?”

“It’s good,” she sighed. “I’m making decent money. But I’m working for Dad, you know?”

Brad hesitated, took a gulp. “You should come for a visit sometime,” he said.

“Why?”

“See if you like it.”

She looked at him, curious. “What happened to your old college girlfriend, what was her name, Lila?”

“Yeah, Lila. We broke up after I got my job. She was cool when we were in college, but we split after I graduated. She knew I’d never make much money as a park ranger. She hooked up with a law student named Lawrence.”

“Lawyer, huh? Asshole?”

“Big time,” he chuckled. “And the funny thing is, she couldn’t stand the guy when we were together. Money talks, I guess, or the prospect of it.”

“All for the best,” Maggie said.

“Yep, it never would have worked.” He turned his body slightly toward her. “How ‘bout you? Are you divorced yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, just haven’t gotten around to it, I guess. And Giles is too lazy and too cheap to initiate things. I think he likes it the way it is. He can screw his bimbos and has an excuse not to make a commitment.”

“You should beat him to the punch,” Brad said. “Catch him off-guard.”

“Yeah, I know, and I will, maybe after the first of the year. Lawyers don’t work much over the holidays and I’ll be busy as hell at the store.”

Another pause as they each took a sip and placed their drinks on the table.

Brad cleared his throat. “Do you think about your baby?”

“Every single day,” she crackled. She hesitated, in thought. Tears formed in her eyes. “Everyday.”

Brad reached for her hand and held it. “I’m sorry, Maggie. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said. “It’s good to talk about it sometimes. It just makes me sad. Because I know in my heart that the reason I lost my baby is because of the stress I was under: My husband was a loser, he didn’t want a baby, he didn’t love me, I didn’t love him, and I knew I would be bringing the child into a bad marriage with an uncaring father.”

He squeezed her hand. She squeezed his back.

Brad had been a teenager at the time. He remembered their wedding. It was an informal rush job, with not much of a crowd, maybe forty people. He served as an usher, though ushers were hardly needed.

“Why did you marry him?”

She pivoted her butt on the cushion, turned her body to face him and grabbed his other hand.

“Our parents,” she said, earnestly. “I thought you knew that. Dad laid down the law, told him he wasn’t going to ride off into the sunset. He was going to do the responsible thing, he was going to marry me. It was a shotgun wedding, Dad made sure of it. I shouldn’t have let it happen, but I did. I was scared. I went along.”

“That sounds like your father. He did what he thought was right and best for you.”

“I know.” She wiped tears from her cheeks.

“But parents aren’t perfect. They do their best, but they make mistakes.”

Maggie nodded. She sniffled.

After a long moment of silence with their four hands laced, Brad asked, “Do you want another baby?”

“Yes, someday. When the time is right. With the right man.”

Brad didn’t say anything. Maggie was looking down at their four clenched hands. He wanted badly to kiss her but he didn’t want to screw up.

Then she said, “It feels good to talk to you, Brad,” and looked up. “Thank you.”

“Yes,” he said. “That’s how I feel. I feel like I can tell you anything.”

They were facing each other in the dark, their silhouettes outlined in soft, second-hand light. Brad broke his grip with his right hand and stroked her hair with his fingers. He gently pulled her head toward his. She didn’t hesitate.

Their lips met and instantly parted. Their first kiss was like a time bomb going off. Their tongues were electric, touching, exploring, tasting. Their arms surrounded their bodies and their hands felt their ways along new terrain. Both were surprised at the spontaneity of it, but there was no holding back. Their first kiss would be one to remember. Brad had been thinking about Maggie for many months, about wanting her, but fearful of rejection, not sure if it could ever happen, not sure if it should. Now he had no doubts. She’d been thinking of him too.

When his tongue left her mouth, he peppered her with kisses on her neck, her ears, all over her face.

“I’ve fantasized about kissing you,” he said with bated breath.

“So have I,” she whispered.

Their hands roamed. His held her breast, firm and perked, through the soft fabric of her sweater, and he thumbed her erect nipple. Hers delved between his legs, rubbed his thigh, lightly brushed his cock. He was hard, she was wet.

“Stay here tonight,” he said softly into her ear.

“No, I can’t,” she said firmly. She squirmed back on the seat and straightened up. “Not here. It’s not right.”

“Can I see you tomorrow? I could come by the store. Take you to lunch.” He leaned back and sat up. His cock was swollen to the max, her hand long gone.

“No,” she said. “It’s Black Friday. We’ll be too busy.”

“Uh, okay,” he said, rejected.

Then she said: “How about dinner? That way I won’t be rushed and have to go back to work. We close at six. Would that be okay?”

Relieved, he said of course it was.

Brad walked Maggie out to her car and they kissed goodnight, a wing-dinger, right out in front of the house beneath the overhead street light. Maggie drove home with damp panties, thinking about their deep-dish kisses. It had been a long time since she’d given herself to a man and she was amazed and excited that the man might be her stepbrother. It had been a while for Brad too, and he had similar thoughts of hungry anticipation. He took his boner to bed and jerked off.

—-

They met for dinner at a chain restaurant down the street from the store. It was the biggest shopping day of the year, so the place was jammed and the waitstaff were already in the weeds. They were about to get on the waiting list for a table when Maggie spoke up.

“Brad, why don’t we get some take-out and go back to my place? I’ve been dealing with crowds of people all day and I’m kind of tired and need some peace and quiet.”

Brad welcomed the opportunity to go home with Maggie but didn’t know if her telling him she was tired was some kind of message.

“Sounds good to me,” he said.

They took off their jackets and went into the crowded bar. They managed to find an open stool, which Maggie took, and Brad stood. After a couple minutes they ordered appetizers and salads to go, and a couple beers for while they waited.

Brad was dressed neatly in black jeans and a tan shirt, but Maggie was dressed in her uniform from work: a camo shirt with the store logo and her name on her left breast, and khaki pants. She looked like she was going on safari. He asked her about her day at the store and she said she was pretty sure they’d set a sales record. They’d been slammed from start to finish, much of it with hunters, since deer season would open the next day.

They got their food and Chad followed her home. Her house was a small two-bed, one-bath cottage in an older, dingy part of town. It was the same place she and her husband had rented way back when as newlyweds, and she was still living there. They ate salads at the kitchen table and put the appetizers in the fridge. Maggie put some coffee in the pot, and while it was brewing went to her bedroom to change clothes. She returned in a few minutes wearing a cream-colored housedress which clung nicely to her shoulders and breasts, her hair tied back. She laced their coffees with some Kahlua she had sitting around. They sat together on the couch in the small living room.

“Ah, this is nice,” Maggie said, sitting back and stretching. “Long day.”

“Yeah, that slave driver boss of yours needs to give you a raise,” Brad said, with a laugh.

“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’ll go on strike.”

“Do it. We can make signs and picket outside the store. Unionize!”

Maggie laughed. “Nah, Dad’s okay. Besides, there’s a different kind of union I’ve been thinking about.”

“There is, huh?” He smiled. “And what would that be?”

“Well, today I had a hard time keeping my mind on my work. Because I couldn’t stop thinking about last night.”

He put his hand on hers. “I’ve thought of nothing else.”

“We crossed a line.”

“We did,” he said. “And I want to keep on crossing it.”

He kissed her. It was gentle and soft and deep, their tongues slow-danced as their hands slowly got into the act. He found her breast, bare beneath the thin fabric of her dress, and her fingers traced from his shoulder, downward over his arm to his inner thigh.

“I want to make love to you,” he breathed into her ear. She smelled glorious, like fresh tangerines.

She sat back and glared into his eyes. “We’ve come this far. But if I go to bed with you it is going to change our relationship forever. I want to be sure that it changes it for the better. I couldn’t forgive myself if it changed it for the worse.”

Brad thought about how long he had admired her and wanted her. He said: “It’s going to be better, I promise. It’s going to be the best.”

She sighed, and said, “I think so, too.” She stood up and took his hand. “Come with me. I want to show you something.” She led him out of the room and down a short hallway. The coffee got cold.

Maggie opened the door and they entered her bedroom. Brad was shocked at what he saw. The lights were off but there had to be twenty candles lighted all around the room, reflecting off of the brass bedposts and the mirror atop the dresser, and filling the air with minty, piney scents. The fluffy-white bedspread was turned down halfway and satin sheets emitted a soft glimmer in the glow. There was a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on the nightstand.

Brad was impressed, flattered and emboldened by her planning. He took her into his arms and locked his mouth onto hers. His arms surrounded her and he palmed her butt and upper back. His dick was already pumped up. He squeezed her tightly and felt her stiffening nipples against his chest.

“God, I want you,” she hissed, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

He wiggled out of his shirt and kicked off his shoes while she went to work on his belt buckle. She got his pants off and tossed them on a chair. Then she focused on his blue and white boxers.

“Ooh, silk underwear! I love silk,” she said, running her fingers over the slinky fabric covering his ass and cock and balls. “Nice touch.”

“The most comfortable underpants I’ve ever had. And they don’t bunch up.”

“They’re very nice. But they’re coming off.” She yanked them down quickly and his stiff penis bobbed up and down. She grabbed it. “This is nicer.”

She pushed him down onto the bed, then pulled her dress off her shoulders, let it drop and stepped out of it. She was down to nothing but a skimpy red thong. She flicked it with her thumb and said, “You can take this off.” Then she fell into bed.

They embraced immediately, went back to kissing and their hands fondled their bodies. He held her tight and with his hand on her ass pulled her groin close to his so she could feel his hardness. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and her fingers walked around his body.

His lips moved to her neck and shoulders and gradually to her ready breasts. Her skin crackled like a lighted fuse when he kissed them, licked them, and sucked her stiff nipples into his mouth. He went slowly and her body writhed in time with the rhythm of his loving. Her fingers were entangled in his hair and dug into his scalp as he feasted on her toasty flesh.

Maggie moaned throughout. It had been a long time and she was savoring every touch of his lips, every flick of his tongue, as he worked his way down the front of her. Her stomach, her navel, and… She gasped when he kissed her crotch barely an inch left of her soaked twat.

Brad kissed her thong, and noticed it had been treated with the same sweet, tangy citrus aroma as her neck and shoulders. He pulled it aside briefly, and she gasped again, even louder, when he slipped his tongue between her quivery lips. He pulled the thong down the length of her flailing legs to get it off, took a good whiff and tossed it on the floor.

Her pubic hair was trimmed short in a neat V above her sweet, beckoning pussy. He admired it for a moment before diving in head-first.

She shrieked like a Screech Owl when he rammed his tongue into her. He licked her in and out, her luscious lips and deep within, while he massaged her swollen clit with is upper lip. He tongue-fucked her as forcefully and as deeply as he could without getting a cramp in his neck. She swayed her groin along with him while pulling his head flush against her.

Maggie never stopped moaning. She hadn’t said a word since she’d fallen into bed. But now, her words flowed. “Oh my God!” she said, over and over.

His mouth and cheeks and chin were covered by her wetness as he sucked on. She was feeling it, getting close, he could tell. He wanted her to come already, and to come big. Then he could relieve the pressure in his stretched erection.

She had an orgasm like none he’d ever been a part of. She semi-screamed, ‘I’m coming, I’m gonna come’, and her cum poured out of her. Her body shook as she erupted and she shouted out ‘Oh My God’ a few more times as she released and while her throes gradually subsided. Brad had never seen anything like it.

“Oh My God, that was good,” she said. “God, I needed that. Thank you.”

Brad didn’t hesitate and he didn’t ask. His dick was hard as petrified wood and he needed to fuck her. He climbed up on top and his cock slipped easily into her slushy, open gash. They both grinned when her pussy walls clenched around his member. They were fucking full-speed in a well-synced heartbeat.

Brad knew it wouldn’t take long, his balls were about to implode. He looked at her face as he pounded her, this half-breed fox, his older stepsister, this woman he had wanted for months, no, years, had believed it was way off the radar, it could never happen, was too far out, too taboo. No more worries. They were smiling as they fucked. Soon enough he knew his package was about to be delivered and he groaned right before he put his mouth back onto hers. He concentrated on picking up the pace to help his cock along. Maggie’s body was slim and agile, like a dancer or gymnast, and her legs kicked like a hyena as she used her pussy muscles to squeeze it out of him.

He came with an overdue feral force. It felt like an electric surge going up the shaft of his cock. He quivered as he came, felt his cum burst through, and didn’t break their kiss until he’d emptied his starved tank. Maggie’s nerve endings were turned up to ten and she had a second thunderous climax right on the heels of his.

“Oh My God,” she said again.

They were drained. They held each other for a while, bodies aglow, no words needed.

Finally, after ten or fifteen minutes, Maggie raised her head and spoke.

“You want some champagne?”

—-

They sipped champagne from chilled flutes, naked, with their backs against the headboard.

“Wow, I’ve never had orgasms like that in my life, Brad,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, it’s us. I should thank you. You’re amazing.” He kissed her.

“But fuck, I had no idea how much I needed it. I feel so loose, so free, like a giant tumor has been removed from my body.”

Brad put his glass on the nightstand, then hers. They went back to kissing. His hand started heading back downtown.

“You can’t stay here tonight,” she said.

That stopped him. He felt deflated and asked why.

“I told Dad I was having dinner with you. Don’t know why, but I did. You have to go back to their house tonight or he’ll know what we’re up to. I’m not ready to deal with that yet.”

“I see what you mean,” Brad said. His dick was big and hard again and didn’t agree, but it would have to.

“When are you heading back to your job?”

“Sunday morning,” he said. “Unless… What if I told them I decided to go back tomorrow, but came here instead?” He gave Maggie his best shit-eating grin.

“Oh, you are good. My thoughts exactly. If you can kill some time tomorrow, I get off at five. Come over at five-thirty and we’ll go get some dinner and then we’ll come back here and I’ll seduce you.” She gave him her shy, pretty smile.

“I can’t wait to spend the night with you. And to wake up with you.”

“Me too. But I need to get my beauty sleep tonight so I’ll be ready for the onslaught. I’m sure we’ll be up half the night and then I’ll want it all again in the morning. I gotta get in shape.” She pulled back the sheet, saw his stiff pecker and grinned. “But before you go, let me say goodbye to your merry member.”

She scooted down and bent over it. She held it in her hand, pointed it upward like a crane towering over a construction site. She kissed it, licked the tip.

“Nice cock,” she said, and turned to face him. “And you are not leaving here young man until you come in my mouth.” She sucked on her finger.

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

She wrapped her lips around it and he watched it fade into her mouth. She sucked vigorously and wiggled her head back and forth to take more in. Brad helped by pushing his groin against her face. He felt her hand slip under his butt and then into his crack. Her finger slid into his asshole and jiggled its way all the way in.

With his cock deep in her mouth, the new force in his rectum immediately heightened the arousal. He pumped, she sucked, her finger fucked. It wasn’t three minutes before he grunted like pig and his whole body shivered with convulsions and his ejaculations began.

Maggie felt his hot semen shoot against the back of her throat once, twice, and she backed off. His cock came out into open air, and his final spasms littered her face with cumlets. She’d swallowed a load already, but with her finger scooped a couple skinny ropes into her mouth from her cheeks and chin.

She rose up and sat beside him. She kissed him and said get dressed, goodnight.

He put his clothes on slowly.

“Now go,” she said. “And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I like your ass. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”

He gave her a tired smile. He left but he didn’t really want to.

—-

The next night they had dinner at a small Mexican place and drank Margaritas. They took their time, comfortable new lovers in no rush because they knew they would have all night.

When they got back to Maggie’s house they took their time in bed, too. They made love slowly, sex on the low burner, exploring every inch of each other. When his mouth found her pussy after covering every other part of her, she was about to explode, and it wasn’t long before she creamed his face. He fucked her slowly, and clutched her buttocks with each thrust, trying to help her come again. It worked, he felt her flood moments after his semen spewed into her.

They slept deeply and peacefully as a warm, curled unit. He was awakened by her mouth around his cock, which was happily erect as it usually was in the morning. She was still swallowing cum when she scooted up and sat on his face, anxious for her own release. She ground her mound onto his mouth and rubbed her clit against his stiff upper lip with grunting lunges until she came.

Maggie collapsed on the bed beside him and cheerfully said, “Good morning!”

“Good morning,” Brad said.

Then they fucked.

—-

They didn’t want to get out of bed but they had to. Brad didn’t want to leave, but he had to. Maggie didn’t want to say goodbye, but she had to. They dragged their funky butts out of bed and into the shower. Maggie was in and out, clean enough, and went to whip up some breakfast while Brad finished bathing.

Maggie was busy in the kitchen. Fried eggs, ham, grits, toast, juice, coffee, and they ate in a subdued manner. They hadn’t talked about the future; they both loved what they had shared, but knew they wouldn’t have it again for a while.

“Here,” she said, handing him a brown bag when he was about to leave. “A couple sandwiches for the road.”

“Thanks, Maggie,” he said. Then added, “I’m going to miss you.”

“I miss you already,” she said, with her voice cracked and her eyes watered.

“I’ll be back for Christmas. I hope we can…”

“We can. We will.”

They kissed. They hugged. They squeezed. Their hands and tongues made a last ditch effort to capture the feel and sweet taste of each other to counterbalance the sour taste of goodbye.

—-

Over the following weeks Maggie and Brad thought about each other constantly. About what they’d done, about the barriers they’d crossed, about what it meant, and what it could be. Most days Maggie was busy at the store, so her mind was occupied. But her nights and days off were often clouded with thoughts of Brad. She knew their relationship was now on a whole new plane, maybe taboo, to be frowned-upon, and what would people think? Who cares, she thought. She missed him. Brad spent much time on his own in the woods, patrolling, policing, repairing trails, gathering wood, whatever, so his mind was never far from Maggie. She’d been an older, distant stepsister for years, but not anymore. They were related by their parents’ marriage, that’s all, so what? He wanted her. He knew he was falling in love.

They talked on the phone when they could, discussing and anxiously anticipating when he would be back for Christmas. Brad drove into the town several miles outside of the park entrance to shop, to find the right Christmas card to send to her, but found none that worked for their unique situation. The cards were either too sisterly or too loverly. As a couple, they hadn’t yet officially committed to each other so he wanted to be careful and not overstep, and possibly create an awkward situation. He finally chose one that was fairly generic and then added his own words. Miss you, thinking of you, can’t wait to hold you again, kiss you, stuff like that. He mailed it early. He also bought her two gifts. One for when the family traded presents; and one that was more personal and would be given in private, away from Mom and Dad.

Brad would have limited time for his visit. The park was busy during the holiday season, especially the week after Christmas. He would arrive on the 24th and drive back two days later.

—-

On Christmas Eve Brad arrived at his parents’ house in late afternoon. His mother gave him a big hug and kiss and he settled into his old bedroom to unpack. Ethan and Maggie were still at work, reaping in the last-minute holiday sales. They arrived at home together a couple hours later, tired from a busy day at the store. Maggie parked her car in the driveway as Ethan pulled his into the garage.

When Maggie came through the front door, Brad wanted to attack her, hold her and squeeze her and love her. And by the look in her eye he knew she felt the same. But they couldn’t, it would have to wait. They settled for a quick hug, and Brad snuck in a little butt pinch.

Family tradition for Christmas Eve was eggnog, Bailey’s Irish Cream and a big spiral-cut ham dinner. Then they’d clean up and exchange gifts in front of the tree and fireplace, listening to carols on the stereo. The gifts were mostly generic. They all would save their more intimate gifts for when they were alone. Maggie gave Brad a baseball cap and a t-shirt from his alma mater; He gave her a national park hoodie.

“I have something else for you that I’ll give you when we’re alone,” Maggie whispered to Brad, as she scooped wrapping paper into a plastic trash bag.

“Me too,” he said.

Outside, it was turning colder. Snow flurries had started during dinner, and soon the snow fell harder, wet and sticking to the ground. As they were winding things up, Maggie looked out the window at the backyard.

“Looks like we’re having a white Christmas,” Maggie said to their parents. “Do you mind if I stay here tonight?”

Naturally, Ethan and Kate said it would be fine, and soon retired to their bedroom. The master bedroom was on the first floor, and upstairs were a loft area and two bedrooms that shared a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Their old bedrooms had not been updated, other than wall hangings, and were now unused guest rooms. Mom and Dad rarely went upstairs anymore. Brad and Maggie would be sharing a bed.

Maggie took a small gift-wrapped package from the pocket of her jacket that she’d hung on the coat rack inside the front door.

“Upstairs,” she said.

They walked up the steps and into Brad’s room. He dug into his bag and handed her a small exquisitely-wrapped present. It was tight at the corners with a lavish red bow.

“Did you wrap this?” she said.

“Hell no.”

“Well, it’s very nice. Thank you.”

“Open it,” he said.

She sat on the edge of the bed. She slipped her fingernail under the paper and slit it open, tossed the paper aside and opened the shallow box. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“I love it!” she said.

It was a double strand beaded choker. The beads looked like pearls and Brad had thought it would look stunning hugging her cinnamon-skinned neck. And he was right.

“Perfect,” he said, as he closed the clasp and kissed her. “Just as I’d hoped.”

“It’s beautiful!” she said, twirling it between her fingers. “Now you.” She handed him a flat box.

He tore off the paper and the lid and dug through tissue paper. He grinned as he held his gift up in the air with both hands. It was a pair of silk underpants, bright red with a gold waistband, covered with bombs exploding and the words ‘KA-POW’ and ‘BANG’ and‘BOOM’ and ‘WOW’.

“Silk underwear!” he exclaimed. “I love it! I have a new favorite pair of boxers.”

“I thought you would like it. Underpants that describe what it’s like going to bed with you.”

“I can’t wait to put them on, so you can take them off.”

He kissed her again and stood up and unbuckled his jeans and dropped them. He kicked off his shoes and yanked off his pants and socks. He stood in front of her naked for a moment as he removed a tag and took a sniff.

“Smells delicious. Like you.” His dick was already half-turgid as he put them on.

They kissed again and their tongues became reacquainted. He kissed her face and her forehead and her neck. He nibbled on the name patch of her camo shirt and lipped her rigid nipple beneath the fabric as he unsnapped and unzipped her khakis. He pulled them off, then her top, then her skimpy bra. They lay side by side in full embrace, dressed only in silk shorts and a black thong, kissing, touching, feeling, their genitals aroused and ready to make up for lost time. The magic was back in an instant, as if no time had elapsed.

Maggie slipped her hand inside the silk and those undies were soon below his knees. Brad’s cock was hard and she wrapped her lips around it. She was an avid cocksucker. It felt hot and firm in her mouth, it slid all in and half out, over and over, while her left hand massaged his balls and her right middle finger prodded in and out of his asshole, all working in three-part harmony. His groin swung in time in an effort to reach new depth.

Maggie knew the signs, could tell when Brad was nearing climax. But she didn’t let it happen. Not yet. Her mouth vacated his cock and her fingers left his balls and rectum in a flash and she climbed aboard. She held his cock upright, sat on it, fed it into her wet, starved cunt.

“God, I want this,” she wheezed. Her body began lifting and then dropping, up and down and up and down and harder and harder. “I want to feel it, I need to feel it. Fuck me Baby, fuck me hard. I’ve been waiting for this.”

Brad grabbed her tits firmly with both hands and twisted her hard-rubber nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. He raised his groin as forcefully as he could, matching her movements, giving her the hard fuck she, they both, wanted. He wanted to again feel the warm rush of her cum surround his cock and flow onto his body, and to fill her with his sperm.

They kept their moans and groans on low volume as best they could but the bed was rocking. Springs stretched and screeched with their thrusts. Brad tried to slow and ease their movements to lessen the noise, but Maggie wasn’t going along with that, she amped up even more. Oh well, he thought, if they hear us downstairs, so be it. They’re gonna find out anyway, sooner or later.

They each came, seconds apart, with huge grins on their faces. Brad shot her the kind of load that feels like lava rising up, like an overloaded fuse, and burns its way out. Maggie had an orgasm to match. Her body quaked when she erupted, she hissed like a cornered cougar, and released her liquid love, a fat, healthy, saved-up dose, soaking the cock inside her and her lover beneath.

—

They slept late. Christmas morning, what’s the rush? They were still lying arm-in-arm when they heard Kate and Ethan leave the house, heading out for a day of visiting the aunts and uncles and cousins, as they did every Christmas. They had the place to themselves. They took turns in the bathroom and were soon back in bed. They kissed, they fondled, he got hard, she got wet, he fingered her, she stroked him. He noticed her hands were slick.

“Fuck me from behind,” she said. Her greasy fingers wrapped around his cock. She rolled over and took his cock with her and he spooned her from behind. She pushed and jiggled his cock between her buttocks and pressed the head to her asshole. “Fuck me.”

What a Christmas gift, Brad thought. He spread her open with his thumbs and pushed, and watched her asshole widen as her fingers guided him in. Her ass was well-lubed and muscled, and widened quickly to adjust to his cock as it entered her. This was a new experience for Bra, but he knew right away it was not new to Maggie. She was giving him her ass. New territory. He knew it was no small gesture and he would make the most of it, he would fuck the shit out of it. Well, hopefully not that.

He was halfway in when he really started slinging it. Maggie groaned loudly but with three lunges his dick was buried. Brad started banging that bottom, thinking: I love this woman, she’s amazing, but right now her ass is grass and I’m the lawnmower.

He sucked her earlobe while he pounded her butt and held her tits in his hands as if she might get away. God, it felt good, so tight but so smooth, the perfect fit, something he could get used to, if not addicted. It wasn’t long before he came, growling like a Grizzly and dropping his weight on top of her. He felt the squishiness of his cum surround the head of his cock.

He held her for a minute or two, his arms around her, his dick in her ass.

“You can take it out, now,” Maggie said, after it had lost some of its girth.

“Oh, sorry,” Brad mumbled. He removed his cock slowly and a rivulet of his cum came with it.

They held each other in bedded bliss. But Brad wanted to please her the way she’d pleased him, so he ate her until she came. Of course by then he’d been hard again for a while so he got on top and fucked her.

When they finally dragged their asses out of bed it was after noon, and they were starving. They went down to the kitchen and fried up some eggs and leftover ham and ate a big breakfast. They figured they’d both probably lost ten pounds overnight and needed it. They cleaned up the kitchen together, then went upstairs and got into the shower and cleaned each other. Maggie washed Brad’s cock really well, but soon had to have it in her mouth. And damn if they didn’t fuck again, right up against the tile wall.

Maggie went home after that. They knew Mom and Dad would be back soon. Sure enough, less than an hour later Kate and Ethan came home. The three of them had dinner together. Leftover ham and potatoes. After dinner Brad retired to his room upstairs. He would be leaving early in the morning. But before he went to bed he talked to Maggie for an hour on the phone.

“I miss you already,” he said.

“I miss you too,” she said. “I want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you, too. Are we falling in love?”

“I think we already fell. I know I have.”

“So have I. We have to do something.”

“I know. What can we do?”

“Get a divorce.”

“Yes, right,” she said. “I need to do that. I will. I promise.”

—-

A few days later, Ethan and Maggie had a meeting at the store with a new vendor making a sales pitch. After the sales rep left, they talked about a couple other issues, then Ethan changed the subject.

“What’s up with you and Brad?” her father asked nonchalantly, taking Maggie by surprise.

“Huh? Why do you ask?” Maggie said.

“Well, I don’t want to pry, but Kate and I have noticed that you two have become quite chummy over the last year or so. And this past Christmas Eve, well, it was quite noticeable. We heard noises in the night that were, shall we say, ahem, unmistakable.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, turning red. “We’ve been working up the nerve to tell you. Is Kate okay? We sure didn’t want to upset her, or you.”

“She’s not upset by it, at least not anymore. It was more of a shock, him being your younger stepbrother, and all. We just hope you both know what you’re doing.”

“I’m in love with him, Daddy.”

“Huh. I see.”

“I know it sounds crazy. All those years we never really connected, I never really knew him, but the last few… I don’t know. We’ve gotten closer, gotten to know each other. I know he’s younger, but, he’s so cool, we’re on the same wavelength, like it’s meant to be. Like you and Kate after Mom died.”

This struck a nerve with Ethan. He’d never thought he’d get married again after Rosa died and he raised Maggie the rest of the way on his own. But that changed when he met Kate.

“How’s Brad feel about it?” he asked.

“The same.” She was relieved that her father seemed to be taking it all in stride.

“So, what are you going to do?” he said. “You’re still technically married. And you are living in different time zones.”

“I know. We have to work that out.”

“Well,” Ethan said, rising up from his desk. “Sounds like you two have your work to do on this relationship. If there is any way I can help, let me know.”

“Sure, thanks Dad. Know a good divorce lawyer?”

—-

He didn’t, but his attorney recommended someone. Agatha Mann.

“She’s the best, I’m told,” Ethan said. “A real Alpha Female, she’s brutal, goes for the throat. Only represents women. They call her the Mann Eater.”

“Dad, I don’t know if I need a man eater. We have no kids or assets to fight over. I just want to get out without a lot of hassles.”

“She’ll take care of it. Call her.”

So she did.

—-

Maggie and Brad managed a two-day tryst in mid-January. They met in a small town roughly midway between the two of them. They got a room at the Red Roof Inn right off the highway and fucked their brains out from late Saturday afternoon until checkout time on Monday. They reluctantly parted and went their separate ways, without seeing any of the town, and sore in all the right places from their gymnastic exertions in the king bed.

They wanted to be together badly, but came no closer to a solution. Brad was an outdoorsman, and in his heart knew that sooner or later he’d be miserable if he moved back to the city. He explained to Maggie that he could put in for a relocation, but there were no guarantees, it could take many months if not years, and there weren’t any posts that much closer anyhow. Also, because his particular job was not one that most rangers wanted, living back in the woods a half-mile from the nearest parking, finding a replacement could be difficult and take time. He had promised that he would not leave unless they had his replacement ready to go. And Maggie had her own commitment to her job, and of course, her father.

So what to do? Brad would go crazy in the city, and was it fair to make Maggie leave her job, leave her father hanging, and move to the boonies?

They talked on the phone as much as they could, but even that was problematical. Brad had no signal back in the bush, so he’d have to drive to park headquarters to call her on his cell. His usual mode of communication in the forest was by two-way radio.

They mailed each other gifts for Valentine’s Day. Brad sent Maggie a very nice card, apt for a passionate lover and not a stepsister, two bangles to match the choker he’d given her, and had a dozen red roses delivered to her at the store. She sent him a sexy card too, and another pair of silk boxers. The boxers were white with red hearts of different sizes scattered about and four words in baby blue lettering: HOME OF THE WHOPPER.

Brad was sitting in his car that evening in the parking lot of the park headquarters. He’d picked up his mail and when he opened his gift he laughed out loud. God I love her, he thought, and he called her. She picked right up. They thanked each other, then it was I love you, I miss you, I want you. He had an erection in a few seconds and unzipped. He came in a couple minutes, and she described to him what she was doing to herself, and that she wished he was the one doing it to her, and he soon knew by her grainy breath that she had come too.

“God, I need you.”

“Yes. I need you too.”

“Can you get some time off?” he asked.

“I have vacation days coming. Why?”

“Would you come to visit? I could get some days off, and…”

“I’d love to,” she said. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“I could show you where I live, what I do, we can make it fun, but…”

“Brad. I said I’d love to.”

They chose the days, a whole week in late March.

—-

It would be Sunday-to-Sunday. Brad booked them a room in a hotel on the edge of town, just a few miles outside of the park entrance. He stocked it with champagne on ice. The room was on the second floor and had a bird’s-eye view of the parking lot facing the road. Brad had texted Maggie the hotel name, location and room number. He taped a large, yellow cardboard sign to the outside of the railing that read BRAD LOVES MAGGIE in large, red, can’t-miss block letters and a heart for the O, then sat in a chair on the balcony and watched for her.

The town was of medium size, big enough to have the amenities and services to fill the needs of its residents, but not so big that it was noisy, congested or polluted. There were a number of hotels, bars and restaurants to serve the numerous visitors that would spend a day or two before entering, or after leaving, the park, forest and mountains. There was a hospital, doctors galore, theaters, a river walk, even a small zoo. There was a small, vibrant downtown and the highway leading to the park went right down Main Street.

It was about five p.m. when Brad saw her car pull into the parking lot. He stood up and waved. Maggie’s face broke into a big grin when she saw the large sign draped across the railing. She found a spot right next to the building, not twenty feet from the where he stood. She got out of the car and looked up at him, her hand shading the sun from her eyes.

“Hey Sailor,” she called. “Looking for a date?”

“Waiting on you.”

“Nice sign, I could see it as soon as I pulled in off the road. But you can take it down now, I’m here.”

“Naw, I’m gonna leave it up. I want everybody to know how I feel about you. Now get your butt up here.”

“Ooh, bossy. I like that.” She grabbed a small suitcase out of the backseat, locked her car, and headed for the stairwell.

Brad greeted her at the top of the stairs, took her bag and grabbed her hand and led her into the room. As the door closed and locked behind them, he put the suitcase on the floor and turned to face her. He took both of her hands in his and they both squeezed. Their eyes burned holes and their lips curled into relaxed smiles.

They kissed. Long. Their fingers untangled. Their arms surrounded their bodies, their hands wandered over backs and butts. Tongues tangoed and tasted again.

“Finally,” Brad said.

“Yes. Finally.”

“How was the drive?”

“Long.”

“Is there anything I can get you? Anything you want? You want a shower, are you hungry?”

“Just fuck me.”

—-

They did a lot more than that. They spent the next four hours horizontal in bed, making hard love. Every inch of their bodies were treasured and caressed and all of their openings were penetrated by fingers and tongues and cock. Brad sucked her tits almost raw and pounded his love into her, into her mouth and cunt and ass. Maggie licked the length of him, sucked him like a Hoover on high, and tongued him. Their kisses were grimy with cum and funk, but still they went on and on.

They called out to have food delivered. They ate salads and shared a white pizza and drank champagne. They showered, got back into bed, fucked. They slept enwrapped, like rocks. In the morning they did it all again, thinking, this is wonderful, a whole week together. They made the most of it. They made love all morning and barely had time to shower by checkout time.

The afternoon was spent walking around town. Lunch at a local pub, and a couple Bloody Marys. They visited the shops, and bought them both some silk underwear. They walked the avenue, and then the side streets, checking out the neighborhoods. Finally they worked their way back to the main drag and ended up at the edge of town closest to the park.

“What’s that place?” Maggie asked, pointing to a vacant commercial property with a large for-sale sign out front.

“That’s the old Agway, the feed store,” Brad said. “It closed up last fall. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Just seems odd, being vacant and all. It sticks out. I haven’t seen another storefront that was empty. This town seems to be abuzz with business and activity.”

“It is. It’s the last stop before people enter the park to hike, camp, raft, canoe, climb, explore, whatever. They spend their money on gas, food, lodging and whatever else they’ll need in the forest and the mountains.”

“Hmm.”

—-

Back at the hotel, Maggie said wait a minute before they got into their separate cars. She pulled a large backpack out of the trunk and started transferring all of her clothing and other items from the suitcase to the backpack.

“I knew I’d be hiking in,” she said. “Be a lot easier this way.”

Brad smiled and shook his head. Good thinking, he thought, she’s amazing. She’s the one.

—-

That was the beginning of a seven day love-fest. For a solid week they were never apart.

They hiked into his cabin that night. She loved the place. Simple, but comfortable. One big room, which was both living and sleeping space, and a loft. A small kitchen on one side, and the bathroom on the other. It was still chilly out, so they fired up the wood stove. It was warm. Brad had stocked the fridge and cupboards and they cooked a simple supper from what was handy. Deliciously filled up, they cleaned up, and made love.

The week flew by. Brad had taken the next two days off, so all they did was eat and fuck. Then he had to go back to work. Maggie tagged along as he went about his tasks and made his rounds, loving the freedom of the outdoors, breathing in the fresh, cool air, a pleasure after being cooped up in the store day after day. Brad was used to being on his own most of the time, so he really enjoyed her company, it made each day fly along. They talked and joked the hours away as he did his chores.

On Friday evening they hiked about eight miles to the crest of the mountain and made camp in the backcountry near the peak.They slept in a pup tent and awoke before dawn and climbed to the lookout where they held each other and watched the sunrise to the east and had a perfect view in all directions of the valleys below. Then they went back into their tent and made love until their mixed cum soiled the sleeping bags.

They checked back into the hotel on Saturday afternoon so they could have a night on the town and Maggie would have a better chance to get an early start for her drive home. They had seafood dinners at a nice restaurant overlooking the narrow river, then a couple drinks at a small bar where a jazz trio was playing. Their moods became more melancholy as the evening wore on because they knew this would be their last night together for some time. They walked back to their room hand-in-hand.

“I really like this town,” Maggie said, as they neared the hotel. “Could you live in town if you chose to? Or do you have to live in the park?”

“Sure, I could live in town, plenty of the rangers do. Why, would you like to live here?”

“It’s something to think about.”

Back in the room, they got ready for bed but didn’t plan on sleeping for a while. Maggie came out of the bathroom buck naked and crawled into bed, smelling of tangerines. Brad breathed in her sexy scent.

“Ooh Baby, you know what I like,” he said, and licked her breasts.

Maggie giggled, and said, “I smell like this from head-to-toe, Honey. I want my man turned on. I want you in all my holes tonight.”

Brad mashed his mouth onto hers and they were instantly sucking tongues and groping for genitals. His dick was already hard in her skilled hand. She rolled him onto his back.

“First, I’m going to suck your beautiful cock,” she said.

She sucked on her middle finger for a moment, then rammed it up his ass with a jolt. She went down and wrapped her lips around his loaded cock and within seconds her lips were kissing his balls. Brad leaned his groin into her face in time with her and could feel the tip of his dick tapping the back of her throat. The sensation was intoxicating, and with the matching penetration going on in his asshole, he knew he was going to come big, and sooner not later.

Brad’s balls were a cauldron of hot cum. They went at it for only a few minutes before he knew that despite his best effort to hold it back, he was going to have to let it go. And you would have thought that after a week of constant lovemaking, his cumload might have been a little light. But it wasn’t; his body went into spasm and his tired pecker gave Maggie a healthy mouthful.

“Hmm, shrimp,” she said as she tasted, swallowed and scooped a stray bullet of semen off of her chin.

That’s how they got started. But Maggie didn’t let him go limp. She climbed up and lowered herself onto him, surrounded his cock with her cunt and fucked him, squeezing her walls around his bloated member until she unleashed. And it didn’t stop there. Brad ate her pussy, then he fucked her until they came again.

Maggie went to the bathroom and returned with flavored lube. She wanted it up the ass. She slathered it on his cock and up inside her. Brad kissed her ass, licked her, tongued her, then put the head of his dick against her winking rim.

“Fuck me hard, Baby,” she said. “I want to feel you for days.”

So he gave her the biggest ass-banging she ever had. Maggie knew it too, her moans and groans were louder than ever, sprinkled with colorful language, and her body shimmied like a willow in the wind.

They didn’t get to sleep until very late. In the morning Brad had his normal hard-on, but he controlled himself. Maggie had a long drive and he knew he shouldn’t start up any shenanigans and hold her up. He let his boner subside and waited patiently in bed as Maggie showered and prepared to leave. It was a sad goodbye, but not a long one.

Brad kissed her long and hard through the window of her car, and copped one last feel. Maggie’s eyes were watering when they parted.

“We have to figure this out,” she said.

“I know. We will.”

“My divorce is moving along. Should be finalized in a couple months. Maybe sooner.”

“That’s good. Sooner the better.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Brad watched her drive away with watery eyes of his own.

—-

They kept up their regular phone calls, and the theme of their conversations always revolved around their dilemma. They loved each other, they wanted, no, needed to be together. But they were both entrenched in their jobs 350 miles apart. Something had to give. Or somebody. Or both.

Finally they agreed on a plan. Maggie agreed to ease her way out of her job at the store, but it might take some time. She couldn’t leave her Dad hanging, at least until she trained a reliable replacement. She would move in with Brad, and they would live in the town outside the national park. Brad would notify his bosses that he would be moving out of the cabin and into town. They would have to find someone to take over for him as well. All this might take time, but she would finally be divorced and they could really start their life together.

After that, their phone talks were enthusiastic and upbeat. They discussed their progress transitioning from their jobs, and planned and discussed how great it would be to live together. To be together. The weeks flew by.

—-

On a day off in Mid-June, Brad picked up his mail. Along with the usual assortment of bills and junk mail was a package from Maggie. It was a large bubble envelope. When he got back in his car he ripped it open. There was a greeting card and a flat, gift-wrapped box. He opened the card first.

It was a Father’s Day card. The card itself was basic, but Maggie had written him a short love letter on one side, telling him how much she looked forward to soon being together, and how lucky she felt that they had finally found each other, even though they’d both been right under their noses all along.

He picked up the gift, and had a good idea what it was before he opened it. And he was right: Silk boxers. With a big smile, he held them out in front of him. They were black with multicolored fireworks of varied sizes exploding all over them, and BIG DADDY written in big bold letters across the front.

It was too early to call her, she would still be at work. He went to the park headquarters and caught up on some paperwork, and killed time until she’d be home from work.

When he called, she picked right up. He thanked her for the gift. It was unexpected and a nice surprise.

“You’re spoiling me with all these pairs of silk underpants. My penis has never had it so luxurious,” he said.

“I love your penis. I want to take care of it,” she said.

“You do take care of it.”

“If I was there with you, I’d be taking care of it right now.”

Brad felt a tingle in his groin. “There you go, getting me all horny,” he said.

“It’s what I do.”

“Don’t I know it. Anyway, thank you very much for the gift. It made my week. I get a Father’s Day gift and I’m not even a father!”

“You will be, one of these days. I’m just getting into practice.” There was a silence on the line for a moment, then she said, “Can you get off work next Sunday and Monday?”

Brad had a few days off saved. “Sure. Why?”

“We’re coming to visit. Me, and Mom and Dad. I’ve been talking to Dad about opening a second store, and a couple miles from the entrance to a national park and national forest seems to him like a good idea. He has been checking it out and wants to see it for himself. There doesn’t seem to be any real competition there that I can remember.”

“Not much. There’s a sporting goods store, but their inventory sucks, and they have to special order everything. And the hardware store has some stuff, the basics anyway. If you opened a store there, and kept a lot of inventory in stock, you’d kick their asses. You’d be surprised how many people get here and realize how much gear they have forgotten to pack, and have to buy it. Expensive stuff.

“Is that vacant feed store still for sale?”

“Yep, I went by there today. The sign’s still up.”

“Good. Call them and set up a showing to see the place on Monday, and any other commercial properties that might be available. I’ll book the hotel.”

“Okay. I can’t wait to see you. I’ll try to keep my hands off you in front of our parents.”

“So will I.”

After they said their sexy goodbyes, Brad started the car and drove to town to get the phone number from the sign at the feed store. He pulled into the parking lot. He found a pen and paper in the glove compartment and was writing down the number when the news flash finally sunk into his brain. He had a radiating swirl in his stomach, goosebumps on his arms, and sweat on his brow. He looked at his phone. He had a good signal. He redialed Maggie. She picked up on the first ring, but didn’t say hello.

“Figured it out, huh?” she answered. “What took you so long?”

“Maggie, is it true,?” he stammered. “Are you, um…”

“Um I what? Can’t you say it?”

“Are you…, uh, pregnant?”

“I am.”

“Oh my God. How long have you known?”

“A couple weeks. After all the sex we had that week I came up there to visit, we screwed like what, thirty or forty times? My birth control must have sprung a leak. Are you okay with it?”

“Are you kidding? I’m ecstatic. Shocked, but ecstatic. Have you told Mom and Dad?”

“No, I thought we’d do that together.”

“It will be fun to see the looks on their faces. Their first grandchild.”

“Last week was a good week for another reason, too.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“My divorce came through. It’s final, I got the papers. I’m all yours now.”

Brad sighed with relief. She would be his. His dick tickled at the thought.

“That’s good. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Same here, Baby.Will you be all silky down there?”

“Of course. I take care of my penis.”

“So will I,” she whispered.

He was hard when they ended the call. He called the number on the sign and got the agent’s voicemail. He left a message. He said he wanted to see the feed store property, and any other commercial properties that may be available around town. He added that he and his wife were also be looking for a place to live. The guy called back within minutes, heard the plans, and said he’d get right on it.

Brad drove to the trailhead, parked his car, and pulled his backpack out of the trunk. It was heavy, full of groceries and canned goods. He hiked to his cabin, heated a can of soup for supper.

Knowing what he now knew, the soup was like ambrosia to his tongue. He ate it, licked the spoon and sipped from the bowl. His woman was coming home.

---