Commodities

A Tower of Refuge

A TOWER OF REFUGE YOUNG LAD SAVES AND IS SAVED BY BEAUTIFUL HIGHLAND LADY. Based on a post By Stonemarten [https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5569541&page=submissions].  Listen to the Podcast [https://archive.org/download/it-happened-one-night_202404/ATowerOfRefuge.mp3] at Connected [https://feeds.feedburner.com/connected-podcast]. [https://archive.org/download/it-happened-one-night_202404/ATowerOfRefuge.jpg] FORWARD: Lady Anne Mackintosh was a real, historic figure from the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. She was a true heroine and brave, married to the head of her clan, who was a redcoat officer in the government army, however she herself led-out her Highland clansmen as "Colonel Anne" in support of the rebel Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, often known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Some readers, particularly in America, may know of the '45 Rebellion in Scotland if you're familiar with the Outlander series of books and TV. This story is not about Lady Anne herself, but her little known cousin Lady Mary MacGillivray, a widow in her late 30s, who was also a beautiful Highland noblewoman supporting the Jacobite cause. Because the action takes place in the wild Highlands of Scotland, our characters would generally be speaking Scots Gallic as their first language rather than English, but for the sake of fantasy and to appease you Sassenachs, the dialogue here will be in the English tongue (thank heavens, because I can't speak Gallic!): CHAPTER 1 Shouts and a loud bang, followed by the fizz of a musket ball flying past his head, shocked Lachlan into spurring his horse towards the nearby stone tower. Dismounting at the entrance steps, he ran upwards to the solid oak door, banging furiously at the knocker. Within a few seconds, a barred hatch opened and old servant Mackay peered out into the gloom. On recognizing the young man, he unbolted the heavy door, opening just wide enough for Lachlan to enter with his basket-hilted, broad-sword at his side. Once safely inside, Mackay locked the door and Lachlan greeted the lady of the house coming fast down the spiral staircase, alerted by the commotion. "What is it Lachy?" she asked breathlessly, for she knew the lad, as he was the son of her estate factor. "The redcoats are coming to arrest you" said Lachlan: "they're fast on my heels". Without hesitation, she grabbed Lachlan by the arm, dragging him upwards round the stone staircase, calling for Mackay to run home as fast as he could, securing the tower behind him. "Hurry" she said to Lachlan: "we have a secret place, a priest-hole near the top of the tower, where we'll be safe". Nearing the top of the stairs, Lady Mary stopped suddenly, reaching-up to take a lit candle and pulling downwards on the candle-stick secured to the wall. There was a click, springing a narrow opening, cunningly hidden in the stone. "Quickly, inside" she said, leading him into the darkness. "My sword" he exclaimed, unbuckling his belt so that he and the scabbard could fit through the narrow doorway. Once they were both safely inside, Lady Mary pushed the door closed and placed the flickering candle into a small lantern above them. Just in time, for they could hear through the thick walls of their hiding place, the muffled thumps of what was probably an axe at the tower door below, faint shouting and the unmistakable dull banging of musket fire. The priest hole was a simple narrow cell of only five feet in length and three wide, just tall enough for them to stand upright. It was a tight fit for the two fugitives with Lachlan and Lady Mary facing each other, huddled closely in the semi-darkness. Soon they could hear the faint sounds of soldiers having breached the door, searching and ransacking the tower. "Don't worry, they'll never find us in here" whispered Mary. Half an hour passed and things quietened a bit outside, but it sounded like the redcoats had left a small guard, perhaps intending to catch their prey if they returned to the tower from which it seemed they had escaped. Mary stood silently, pressed against the young Jacobite s chest. She had been married since childhood, now sadly widowed, but After about 10 minutes of the Redcoats futile ransacking, She was completely engrossed by the virile masculinity pressed up against her nipples. His hefting chest and encircling arms awoke her sensual memories of the departed husband of her youth. Lachlan embodied his manliness and his chivalry. This strapping young buck just laid his life down, to seek to spare her of her life & liberty. While he was always a constant image of her private lusts, She had no idea how requited her desires might be. Now he was literally shielding her body from harm. She d never dreamed she could, at nearly 40 years of age, could be the preferred mate of a younger man in his mid-twenties. Lachlan became increasingly aware of the lovely lady sharing his confinement, feeling her body breathing in and out gently, as her fine round breasts pressed against him above her tight corset. He had always thought she was beautiful and shapely for a slightly older woman; and often had fond thoughts of her, some of which while stroking his youthful releases at home in his bed at night. This well-bred woman of society was known for her understanding of trade & politics. Something he had little insights of. Her fashion and allure set a high standard which the other women of the county would scarcely admit following. But no one could interrupt the market street crowds as she walked by. This woman was rumored to have rebuffed the suitors above her station in life. For nearly 3 years she remained a widow. Lachlan was the first man that Mary had even been in a private rooms with, since the morning of her late husband s last departure from the estate.. The lady herself had also on occasion admired this handsome young man, with his strong body and she had observed coyly his sturdy thighs and the good sized bulge under his plaid. Having his large masculine frame so close and the musky smell of a man made her lower parts open slightly and moisten as nature had intended. The lady secretly kept a collection of huge wooden and ceramic dildos under her mattress. It was by accident that Lady Mary discovered her 13 year fetish for monster phallic satisfaction. The couple inherited a bedroom suit from her mother-in-law. The baseboard was hand-carved and rather low-profile, made of Walnut. and the corner posts rose a bit higher, but only to the top of the mattress. Each post had 3-inch rounded spires with a triple helix indented swirl, which started at the bottom of the 6 inch finials, and tapered to a point, which appeared to have a more weathered and re-oiled look, than the other parts of the woodwork. One night, Mary was excited for bedtime with her husband. She had a skimpy lace chemise which her husband had never seen. It was racy revealing. Barely covering her ass, and allowing her dark nipples to poke through the bodice lace. Lusty and climbing into bed early. Her husband said he d be 20 minutes behind her. She placed a knee onto the bottom corner of the mattress. As she raised her other leg up, her first knee slipped of the edge and slid off the mattress just as she was spread eagle over the finial of the bedpost. Her legs found the floor, but just after her cunt was impaled by the bedpost, sinking to just beyond the thickest girth of the walnut phallus. It was as she slowly raised her body upward, that she noticed the brief pleasure on her g-spot. Continuing more carefully into the bed, she pondered the clumsy accident.  Then she thought about how she always caught the scent of her mother, when she stood near that baseboard. After a few more minutes under the sheets, waiting on her tardy husband, Mary s randy instincts and aroused desire drove her to throw off the duvet and stand at the corner of the bed. She scooted up against the corner and laid her chest down flat on the mattress and tilted her pelvis to make gentle contact with the finial. A fetish was born. It was a reliable and stand-in for when her hubby was away. But it also relieved him of the sole source to pleasure her. It even helped her focus more on her hubby s sexual needs, now that she knew she d always get herself off when her couldn t. His slender cock was easy on her throat, but not optimal to get her the stuffed feel in her nethers. For the past couple years she s been watching the young stags like Lachlan. Once when he was caught in a summer storm, he sought shelter in her alcove. When she looked out the window, she saw him just as the wind whipped his kilt up and she saw his turgid thickness for a moment. His shaft was nearly as thick as her wrist. She was startled back to the present by Lachlan s fumbling efforts to secure his loins. Without a belt holding his Great Kilt (feileadh mor) together, Lachlan's tartan plaid began to unravel as he stood rubbing gently against Lady Mary; it was gradually revealing his nakedness and increasing tumescence below. Lachlan tried to hold it together, but without room to maneuvers, he could not stop it falling open to revealing his muscular torso and swelling appendage. His large prick was swaying slightly, rubbing against the lady through her fine silk dress and petticoats. Lady Mary was well experienced in the ways of men, so at feeling Lachy's man-pole throbbing at her groin, her lower parts began to flood with desire and her breasts heave. Looking up into the eyes of the big Scot, she gently said; "Don't worry" she said: "it's nothing to be ashamed of" she gasped at the embarrassed laddie. "Grind into me, I'm loving it" she said shamelessly for a noble lady. The priest hole was designed to hold one priest, and spare him from Protestant persecution. It can scarcely contain two, even if one is slight of frame. But with a tally whacker of Lachlan s size, He either had to press it into her crotch, or risk prying the secret panel open and thus reveal them to the king s soldiers. At least 7 times, according to the chronicles of the estate, & the oral traditions of the family s many generations; Priests were forced to seek refuge in this secret nook. One Monsignor McBirney became so fond of the solitude and the times of prayer he had inside that wall, that he often returned for Friday prayers and contrition. He even wrote scriptures and prayers on the timbers. Lady Mary felt no shame for granting Lachlan s cock to take refuge in her crotch, yet at that moment, their lust was indeed aflame, Lachlan pressed his mouth to Lady Mary kissing her passionately, their tongues dancing together, moans escaping from deep within them. Lachlan grasped his cock at full stand, placing it roughly between Mary's spreading thighs as they ground together. His large hands moved across their two pressed chests, slipping it into her bodice to reveal pert boobs with large pink nipples, which he fondled and tweaked until they rose in peaks at his attention. The high gable of the attic let in just a trickle of light to faintly see, and even then, One needed several minutes to adjust to the darkness, before some details began to emerge. Just then Lady Mary looked over the man s shoulder, to read; But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 John 3:17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%203%3A17&version=KJV] "Love me, NOW" cried Lady Mary, so Lachlan reached down between their legs to roughly drag-up her dress and petticoats. She gasped again at the sheer size of him. She thanked heavens for having birthed three babies that helped her accommodate him. Over Lachlan s other shoulder, Mary read yet another scripture; Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:6 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019%3A6&version=KJV] The new lovers held each other close, gasping and breathing heavily, stroking one another's faces, as if all the troubles of the world were gone-away and all they had was each other forever. When they felt sure the danger had gone,  Lady Mary reached around her young stag to release the latch and open the secret access panel.  Lachlan carefully backed out to the stairwell and offered his hand to Mary. She then saw a prayer that Monsignor McBirney wrote on the inside panel; As you leave here, remember that you ve been in God s presence, and that he s blessed you with just what you need, to face the challenges you re about to take on. Live in his blessing. Mary then looked out to the immensely bright stairwell Lachlan s smiling face radiated. He d been successful in his mission to save the Lady.  She held his arm as they descended the stairwell. I owe you my life, my brave man. I do not wish to live without your protective presence.  I believe God ordained our fateful time in the wall. I believe I m yours, If you will have me? Before he could respond, Servants rushed into the home. They d been ordered out by the soldiers and  they went to the parish priest to warn him. As the soldiers rode out of town, the priest returned with the servants.  Father O Brien greeted Lady Mary warmly and asked her to join him in a prayer of thanks for God s providential protection. Yes, oh yes, but May I first introduce you to my champion, Father? Mary insisted. This is Lachlan. He rushed to warn me, and is now a fugitive. Lachlan, please join Father O Brien and me, in prayer. The three knelt and Pastor Obrien gave thanks.  The prayer was a common one. Good priests had so many memorized prayers. But before he said; Amen , he added a prayer for God s anointing on the young man. It was similar to the prayer for those entering military service.  Mary was holding Lachlan s hands with both of her s, during their prayer. As the priest said Amen , Mary reached out to stop him from doing the sign of the cross , and said, Oh Father O Brien. Could you pray another prayer for us? We need a sacrament. Yes, what blessing are you seeking, my child? Matrimony, Father. Lachlan was speechless. He knew he wanted this. He knew this was his destiny. But he also knew society would not tolerate a commoner marrying up; at least not that far up. So he simply smiled at Mary and nodded sincerely to the priest. When is the blessed sacrament to occur? He seemed confused that he d not heard of this engagement among the town folk. While we are here on our knees, Father. Mary confidently said. I m, I m a bit confused and surprised. The priest admitted. Father, what I ve witnessed these last few hours, is a divine act of God. His providence is on full display. The devotion of this honorable and brave man is a marvel. He is now a fugitive as are you, Father. I owe it to him, to protect him as he has protected me, and both of us are devoted to protecting you. As the savior said; What God has therefore joined together, let no man put asunder. Two hours later, Father O Brien walked back to the rectory. He and the Lady s servants had sat at the wedding feast as the only invited guests. The couple retired to the bed chamber early that night.  A habit they kept for their entire lifetime. By Stonemarten [https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=5569541&page=submissions] for Literotica

Discovering Amy: Part 2

DISCOVERING AMY: PART 2 AMY GETS FINGERED FOR THE FIRST TIME. In parts, by Djmac1031 [https://www.literotica.com/authors/Djmac1031/works/stories]- listen to the ► Podcast [https://archive.org/download/spring-short-stories/DiscoveringAmy2c.mp3] at Connected [https://feeds.feedburner.com/connected-podcast]. [https://archive.org/download/it-happened-one-night_202404/DiscoveringAmy2.jpg] Tommy sat by the edge of the pool, alone with his thoughts as he waited for Amy to come back out of the house. Both of them had made it back unseen and unquestioned from their little secret getaway into the woods. He had just gotten back poolside when Amy s best friend Cindy came over to him. If you re looking for Amy, I just passed her in the house a minute ago, Cindy said. She looked kind of strange, and freaked out a little. You two love birds aren t fighting or something are you? Tommy sighed inwardly. Cindy was a good friend to Amy, but she was always so damn nosy. She d been shipping the both of them since long before shipping had become a catchphrase, and a stupid one at that, Tommy thought. No, of course not, Tommy replied, as casually as he could. I haven t seen her since the Marco / Polo game broke up a while ago and everybody wandered off. Cindy looked skeptical. Thought I saw you two still chatting after I got out of the pool, she said, raising an eyebrow. You sure somethings not up? You better not have upset my bestie! she growled. I don t know what you re talking about, Tommy said, a little too defensively. I m gonna talk to her about it later tonight, ya know. I m sleeping over. I ll get her to dish, whatever it is, you know that right? Cindy claimed boldly. Tommy shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. You guys have fun, talk about whatever you want, I don t care. Cindy gave him a look that said she didn t quite believe that, then spun and walked away. Tommy watched her leave, relieved she was finally gone. He caught himself looking at her plump ass as she retreated, then quickly averted his eyes. Cindy was cute, even beautiful he had to admit. If he was being honest with himself, he found her attractive sexually. But he certainly didn t have any feelings for her. Not like he had for Amy. Tommy s thoughts drifted back to Amy, and their time alone in the woods, and what they d done together, a series of firsts for both of them. He thought of her final words to him before she left the wooded path for the house: I love you too. Was it love, he thought? It was certainly more than just some teenage crush. Was it just sexual? No, he thought. He d had feelings for her long before what became their first sexual explorations together this evening. He was just finally getting around to admitting it to himself, and understanding that Amy had these same feelings too. It was all so new, so confusing. But exciting too, he had to admit. He sat there alone, feet in the water, thinking about all of that, and trying not to think about the handjob Amy had given him just minutes ago, or about seeing and touching her breasts for the first time. The last thing he wanted was to pitch another tent right there by the side of the pool. He looked up from his thoughts and saw Amy s mom heading into the house. Tommy had a moment of panic. He hoped Amy was done doing, well, whatever she was doing in there. She d been gone awhile. But he supposed she had to clean up the mess he d made. She was probably washing her suit and towel out, making sure no telltale stains were left behind. He didn t realize he d been holding his breath until he saw Amy bound out the door and down the steps into the yard, and he let it out in a rush of relief. She looked happy and carefree enough, so if she d encountered her mom it must have gone okay. Amy paused, looking around, and her face lit up in a radiant smile when she spotted him. Amy had to keep herself from running over to Tommy. She felt like she was floating over the grass, not simply stepping across it as she walked towards him, butterflies in her stomach. He stood as she approached, and it struck her, not for the first time, just how handsome he was. His eyes were a strange but beautiful combo of green and brown, with yellow flecks you could only see up close. His hair was a darker blonde than hers, although it was lightened now by the sun and spiky in a short summer cut. His body was lean and lanky, with wide shoulders and long legs. While not super muscular, what he had was lean and firm and strong from the various forms of physical work he always seemed to be doing. Amy s eyes traveled down his hairless chest to his stomach, then (not for the first time) to that hint of a V shape that started just under his abs, pointing the way towards his, No, stop, not now, Amy thought. That way madness lies, she laughed to herself, remembering her Shakespeare. She hoped he hadn t caught her looking, then realized maybe she wouldn t mind so much if he had anyway. His eyes seemed fixed on her as she approached, and they were speckled moonlight. Amy felt her heart flutter and a tingle between her legs. Oh girl, she thought. If this is love, you re in trouble, she groaned inwardly. Then they were together, standing face to face. Amy desperately wanted to hug him, to kiss him, but they both knew they couldn t risk such open displays of affection just now. So she instead simply spoke, Hey there. Hey, Tommy replied, almost a whisper. They both stood there, smiling like, well, two young lovers. Neither knew what to say next. Tommy broke the silence. Wanna get a snack? I d love to, was her reply. They spent the rest of the party almost entirely by each other s side. Oh they socialized, chatted with their other friends, even played horseshoes for a while. But they we re always at least close by, making eye contact and sharing secret smiles. The party eventually started to wind down, and people began saying their goodbyes. Tommy kept a respectful distance as many were approaching Amy to congratulate her and say goodnight. She stood for a while with her parents, thanking each guest in turn for coming and for their thoughtful gifts, etc. He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. It was his mother. Hey sport, I m gonna go. Do you want a ride back with me or are you staying for a bit? They only lived a few blocks away, an easy walking distance, but his mom had driven so she could bring over the food she d volunteered to make and the graduation gifts they d gotten for Amy. Is it okay if I stay a bit? Amy s parents said it was okay if a few of us stayed and watched a movie, I explained. I can walk home after, no problem. It s a nice night. Mom looked at him and grinned. Wanna spend more time with Amy, huh? she said knowingly. Don t think I haven t noticed how much time you two have been spending together lately. Tommy gulped but said nothing. His mother relented. Well, okay. I trust you, and I trust Amy s parents. You won t get into too much trouble I think. Just behave yourself, you hear? Be a good gentleman. And be home by midnight. Tommy smiled and nodded. Sure mom, you bet. Thanks. Just remember: God is watching you. And with that she turned to make her goodbyes to Amy and her parents. Yeah, well, we gave him a hell of a show earlier then, Tommy thought to himself, and had to stifle a laugh. The popcorn was made, some fruit juice poured, ( You guys have had enough soda for one day Amy s mom had said, stern but kindly) and they were settling down to watch the movie. The only person who wound up staying besides Tommy was Cindy, who of course was sleeping over. Amy and Cindy were on the center couch. Tommy sat alone in a recliner chair off to the side, as Amy s parents came in from the kitchen. We re heading up to bed now, Amy s dad started. We expect you kids to behave yourself. Amy s mom turned and looked directly at Tommy. I expect you ll be a gentleman and show respect for our house? she asked him. Yes ma'am, yes sir, Tommy replied, addressing both parents. Mom nodded, then turned to Cindy. Cindy, you re chaperone. Keep a watch over these two. They ve been making eyes at each other all night. Mom! Amy cried, embarrassed. What? You thought we didn t notice? We re not as blind as you think we are, her mom shot back. Amy flushed crimson, but said nothing more. Cindy? Mom continued, you heard me right? You re on guard duty. Understand? Cindy barely contained her eye roll but nodded and replied, Yes ma'am, of course. Just remember, Dad said suddenly, leave room for the Holy Spirit, and looking directly at Tommy, dropped him a wink and smiled. Tommy gulped. He had no clue what to make of that at all, so he simply nodded. Mom threw dad a sharp glare and his smile quickly faded. Straight home after the movie young man, you understand me? Mom said. Yes ma'am, I understand, Tommy replied. Then they both gave Amy a kiss on the cheek and went upstairs to their bedroom. The room was silent for several moments after they left, finally broken by Cindy. Well that was awkward, she blurted. They all laughed, breaking the tension. They d all changed into some dry clothes earlier, (Tommy had only just remembered to fetch his from his mom s car before she left) and Tommy couldn t help but notice how cute Amy looked in her sleepwear; a pink Hello Kitty pajama top and matching shorts. It was, as all her outfits were, modest, but it left her shoulders bare and he could see the tan lines made by her bathing suit. Suddenly he was thinking about her breasts, exposed and pale in the moonlight, as she d slowly slipped down the straps, He was snapped out of this memory by a voice. Tommy? Earth to Tommy! It was Cindy. You can t see the TV well from there. Come sit on the couch with us. I ll scoot over, you can sit next to Amy. She smiled wryly, and Amy elbowed her good naturedly, but put up no further argument. Yeah, sure, makes sense, Tommy said casually, trying not to sound too eager. The girls scooted over and he sat down next to Amy, who was now in the middle, Cindy to her left at the other end. Their hips touched as he sat, and he awkwardly tried to figure out what to do with his left arm. He decided to put it around Amy s shoulders. He made sure to keep his hand up on the couch, a safe distance from the tempting curve of her breast. Amy settled her head on Tommy s shoulder, sighing almost imperceptibly in contentment. Cindy heard it though, and this time did not contain her eye roll, but smiled knowingly. They watched the movie like that for a while, in silence. It was some rom-com the girls had picked out, one of their favorites. Tommy didn t really care what they picked. He wasn t there for the movie. It was a PG film and a pretty tame one at that. No sex or nudity of course. Although there were a couple of kissing scenes and during them Tommy could feel Amy shifting slightly under his arm, and knew exactly what she was thinking. About an hour into the movie, Cindy suddenly stood up. Making a show of stretching (Tommy could not help but notice the way her large breasts pushed out from her less modest tank top, despite himself) and, mock yawning, turned to address them. I m tired, I think I m gonna go to bed, she announced, looking slyly at Tommy for a second. Then to Amy she added, your parents bedroom is right across the hall from yours. Keep your cell phone nearby. If I hear them stir, I ll text you. Turning back to Tommy, she said, There s about 30 minutes left in this movie. If Amy s not upstairs and in her bed in 35, I m personally knocking on her parents door and waking them up. I know your parents told me to chaperone, she continued, but I figure if God sees all, let Him keep an eye on you two. And with a sly wink and a totally knowing grin, she turned and went upstairs. Tommy and Amy both sat silent and shocked as they watched her go. Tommy broke the silence. I, I can t believe she just did that, he muttered. Amy just sighed, cupped his face with her hand, turned it towards her own, and whispered, she s a good friend. And just like that they were kissing. Tommy s mind was spinning happily. She smelled so good, clean and fresh after her earlier shower. Some kind of floral scented shampoo, he thought, and he also caught a hint of what he guessed was perfume; a light, almost fruity scent. Her hair was loose, wavy, and flowing around her face and neck. He could taste her lip gloss, sweet with a hint of cinnamon. It wasn t long before the arm he still had half on the couch dropped to a more comfortable, intimate position. Breaking the kiss a moment, he looked at her, head tilted, eyes questioning. No words were needed. She simply nodded her consent and shifted herself into a better position for his hand to gently cup her breast. Again he felt her hard little nipple underneath her shirt, already swollen. He could see her neck and what little skin that was exposed just above her chest flush with excitement as she squirmed under his touch. His hand then slid under the soft cotton fabric and found the bare skin of her breast beneath. He was surprised she wasn t wearing a bra, but supposed the top was generally modest enough that she didn t need one. Or, he speculated, she d left it off on purpose. Amy rested her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on the incredible sensations, as his hand explored her firm young flesh. He was so gentle, and every time his fingers found her nipples her body jerked as if shocked. Tommy s voice broke through her trance, whispering. Amy, are you okay? Tell me if I hurt you, or, I m fine, just, sensitive, she stammered. She opened her eyes, imploring, don t stop, please. She leaned in, finding his lips again. As they continued making out, he felt her hand land on his upper thigh, slowly moving towards his crotch. The loose fitting shorts he was wearing were containing his throbbing erection, but just barely. Then her hand was over it, feeling it s length for the second time that night. Suddenly she was tugging at his waistband, trying desperately to free it. It took all of his willpower to grasp her hand and remove it. Amy, we can t. It s too risky. And too, messy. She groaned and frowned. I know, but, Tommy lifted her chin up to face him, and spoke softly, lovingly. Amy, I want it too, but we have to be smart. If your parents walked in on us with my pants down, or if I made a mess again all over your couch, he paused, removed his hand from her breast, and with one finger made the throat cutting gesture across his neck. She nodded, regretfully. Yeah, you re right. Dammit. They sat quietly for a moment, just holding each other. She looked at him suddenly, with a determined glint in her eye. Would you, she paused, licked her lips, swallowed nervously, started again: Would you, touch me, somewhere else? Her voice was a weak whisper. Where? said Tommy, not getting it yet. Amy smiled shyly, looked down, and slowly parted her legs. Understanding dawned in his eyes. A huge grin spread on his face, but was quickly replaced by gentle concern. Are you sure? he asked sweetly. Because I don t want to pressure you, or make you feel like you have to, Amy cut him off sharply but lovingly. Tommy, if you don t touch my Kitty right now I ll wind up screaming in frustration. Please. I need this. Her voice was a harsh whisper that contained a desperation he d never heard from her before. Tommy was utterly taken aback by this outburst. Then he broke into a goofy grin. Your kitty? he said incredulously. Amy flushed with embarrassment. It s what, it s what I ve always, called, it. I know, it s silly. It s adorable, said Tommy, and so are you. His hand went to the bare skin of her right thigh, slowly caressing her soft, tan skin. Her breathing became heavier as his hand slid higher up her thigh, finding the hem in the leg of her pajama shorts, then slipped under it. His fingers found the edge of her panties where they met her thigh, then paused. She moaned, put her hand on his, pushed it further. Please, she groaned, please keep going. His fingers started to work their way under the edge of her panties when she suddenly stopped him. Just don t, just don t push your fingers, inside. Not all the way, okay? I m still a virgin, and I wanna stay that way for now. At least till we re ready to, she stopped herself, then shrugged, , well you know. Touch anywhere else you want, just don t push inside, okay? Tommy nodded, understanding. He knew enough about the female anatomy to understand what the hymen was and how it could be broken. He certainly didn t want to push Amy beyond what she was ready for. Don t worry, I don t ever want to hurt you, Amy. Please tell me if I do. And stop me if I go too far. I ve never done this, and I want it to be right, he said. Just touch me, she hissed. I ll guide you if needed, okay? Without further hesitation, his hand slid up again, finding her panties, but instead of going under them he suddenly changed direction and went over the fabric, cupping her entire Kitty in his palm. What he found was warm, almost hot, and he could feel moisture seeping its way through the gusset, warm and slippery like a lotion or oil. He looked at her with happy confusion, and she smiled. It gets that way sometimes. When it s, excited. She winked at him wickedly. But you re torturing me, Tommy. Here, let me just, With a quick move, her hand was suddenly inside her pajama shorts, and with a jerk she pulled her panties aside, allowing him easier access. He instantly felt the hot wet flesh of her virgin cunt under the palm of his hand. He wasn t sure who gasped louder at the moment of contact, him or her. Amy s eyes rolled back in her head as his fingers started to explore her soft folds. Tommy was mesmerized by what he was feeling. His fingers gently probed and explored her swollen labia, then found where they separated as his fingers slipped between them, locating the entrance to her vagina. He stopped there, remembering his promise not to probe too deep. Cautiously, he stuck a finger tip in, then looked at Amy. This okay? Not too much? Her breath was hitching, as she struggled to keep quiet despite the immense pleasure. Ya, yes, it s fine, she stammered. Juh, just a little deeper. There, stop! Now just slide it in and out a bit. He followed her instructions and she closed her eyes again, imagining, as she had when she d masturbated earlier, that it was the tip of his cock sliding in and out of her virgin hole. She felt like a fire hydrant the way she was gushing from the gentle fingering. Tommy felt it too. It s so wet, he said, his voice a low marvel. I know, sorry, she stuttered, barely able to speak. Don t be, he whispered in her ear. I got you way messier earlier, remember? Besides, I m assuming this means I m doing a good job, right? Oh, yes, yes you, oh, oh God, don t stop, a little faster, oh, oh Jesus, I m gonna, Amy suddenly bit down on her lip so hard she thought it might bleed, as she felt the wave of her orgasm hit her, knocking her head back against the couch, her arm squeezing Tommy s waist so tight he could barely breathe, her other hand flying to her mouth to cover her scream as her body shook uncontrollably. Don t stop don t stop don t stop, her voice came muffled from under her hand as she felt a fireball of pleasure spread outwardly from her vagina, simultaneously up towards her head and down to her toes. Then her sounds were no longer words, but high pitched squeals. Her body rocked forward, then back, then shook with what looked like a convulsion. Her eyes rolled back in her head. AMY GIVES HER FIRST BLOWJOB. Amy had been sitting with her eyes closed in a state of utter relaxation, wrapped in Tommy s strong embrace. Suddenly they opened, and looking down, she saw Tommy s erection, still straining against his shorts. Oh, Tommy, I m so sorry, I totally forgot about, that, she gestured to his crotch. Are you sure I can t, you know, help take care of it? It seems so unfair to leave you that way. Tommy glanced at the TV. There were maybe ten minutes left in the movi

Discovering Amy: Part 1

DISCOVERING AMY: PART 1 TWO LIFE LONG FRIENDS START TO EXPLORE INTIMACY TOGETHER. In 4 parts, By D j mac 1031 [https://www.literotica.com/authors/Djmac1031/works/stories] - listen to the ► Podcast [https://archive.org/download/spring-short-stories/DiscoveringAmy1c.mp3] at Connected [https://feeds.feedburner.com/connected-podcast]. [https://archive.org/download/it-happened-one-night_202404/DiscoveringAmy1.jpg] The pool party had been going on for several hours, and it was well after dark, when Amy asked me if I d wanted to go for a walk in the woods behind the house. She was 18, I was 19, but we d known each other since we were toddlers, our families being very close and part of the same church group. The party was to celebrate her high school graduation (I graduated the year before) and was mainly our families along with some of our mutual friends from church and school. As I said, we d been friends for a long time, but it was only in recent months that things seemed to change between us. Talking about our futures, our questions of what we wanted to do with our lives, our secret bonding over our mutual distaste of our parents particular brand of religion, had brought us closer together as friends, but also somehow felt more than just friends. I d certainly started noticing her beautiful body more recently as well. Amy was blonde, with curly shoulder length locks, now damp around her face. Blue eyes that almost matched the pool water we were currently floating in. Her one-piece bathing suit was modest (I m sure her parents had some say in that) but still couldn t help but highlight the curves of her perfect apple sized breasts, or the roundness of her ass that hadn t quite lost its baby fat yet. She was well tanned of course; it was her pool and she spent a lot of time sunning herself when she wasn t actually swimming in it. We d been playing Marco Polo for awhile along with our friends, and there was the usual silliness, splashing, and occasional accidental groping of random body parts as we all chased each other around the pool, taking turns being the blind player. My hands had found Amy s body on more than a few occasions when it was my turn. I was starting to think she was letting me catch her just so my hands could brush against her hips, her back, and yes once right across her round bubble ass. We d been taking a break from the game and just floating nearby each other, catching our breath, when she asked about going for the walk. Most of our friends had left the pool already, getting snacks or drinks or just drying off. You really wanna? I asked, surprised. We d been spending a lot of time together recently, but both of us having very religious conservative parents made it difficult to actually pursue any kind of true dating relationship. We weren t girlfriend and boyfriend yet, not by any stretch, but had certainly progressed beyond mere childhood friends in the past several weeks. I still remember my surprise when she kissed me right on the lips at her graduation ceremony just a few days ago. Oh it was quick, and she d been hugging and kissing lots of folks. But it wasn t accidental on her part and it certainly didn t feel platonic. Yeah, come on, it ll be fun, I promise, she replied. The smile on her face was mischievous to say the least. I was a bit scared honestly. Both our parents would freak out if they caught us sneaking off together. I honestly couldn t wait to get out of my house and away from all the religious nonsense. But until then I had to put up with their repressive bullshit that made it incredibly difficult for me to even consider dating any girls on a regular basis, let alone get laid. We climbed out of the pool, grabbed our towels, and took a look around. Our parents all seemed busy, chatting away with some of the other parents in attendance, drinking, laughing, and playing some card game. I didn t think they d notice us. Okay, let s go, lead the way I guess. You know these woods better than me. Amy didn t hesitate. She took my hand and led me to a little path that was barely visible in the dark. As we got to the edge by the tree line, we both took one more look around, saw no one noticing us, and quietly slipped through the trees and down the path. We hadn t gone very far when we came to a little clearing. A few stumps marked where some trees had been cleared, and a small pile of wood to one side, apparently the remains of some makeshift fort. My brothers cleared this spot years ago; they used to have sleep-outs in their fort. They never let me come here with them but I ve always known about it. They eventually forgot about it as they got older, but I never did. It s a nice spot to just get away and be alone for a while, she explained. Yeah, it s pretty cool I guess I said, then, awkwardly, not that many bugs here. She laughed. I keep it clear here so it doesn t get overgrown. And I sprayed some bug killer here earlier this afternoon. Just in case. She had that mischievous grin again and a twinkle in her eye I couldn t fathom. In case what? I asked stupidly. God, the cluelessness of a teenage boy. In case this she said, and suddenly she was in my arms, her lips pressed to mine. I froze for a moment, but thankfully, instinct took over, and I kissed her back. She broke the kiss after a few seconds, almost reluctantly. "I ve been wanting to do that forever, you know. I ve been waiting so long for the right moment. I smiled, hoping she couldn t see how red my face was in the moonlight that shone down on us. "Wow. Well I m, I m glad you did Amy. That was, that was really, that was really nice. I stuttered around the words like an idiot. I m glad you liked it. Because I wanna do it again. She smiled, looking at me in anticipation. This time I made the move, pulling her gently by the waist, leaning down a bit (she was shorter than me) and moving in for another kiss. She met me halfway and once again our lips connected. We were both inexperienced, but we got the hang of it quickly. I tested her lips with my tongue; they parted and accepted it. She offered her tongue in return, and we explored, if a bit awkwardly, the art of French kissing. We d break the kiss only for a few moments to look into each other s eyes, smile, then right back at it. My hands up until that point had remained on her hips. Her arms were up around my neck and she was standing on her toes to help get some height. I decided to be a bit bolder, and slowly started moving my hands. First just slowly up then back down her sides. I repeated this move a few times and her body seemed to respond positively, so I got braver. My hands went back to her hips, then slowly around to her back. While the front of her suit was modest, the back was mostly open, allowing my hands to gently caress her soft, perfect skin. She broke the kiss and giggled, that tickles! Sorry, I said, lying. I didn t say stop, did I? She replied softly, then started kissing me again. My hands continued rubbing her back, but now I was moving them in small slow circles, lower, and lower still, stopping just above her ass. I could feel her wriggling, trying to stand taller, and realized she was trying to actually move her ass UP and into my hands! I took her signal and went with it, sliding my hands down and finally cupping the perfect teen bubble ass I d up until then been able to admire only with my eyes. Mmm, she moaned as she broke the kiss. Finally. Took you long enough, she giggled again playfully. I was trying to be a gentleman, I joked. Well stop trying so hard she shot back playfully. Oh yeah? I said in mock annoyance. "Well then, and with that I playfully grabbed her ass harder. What happened next happened quickly. My pull on her ass threw her off the balance of her toes, and she fell forward, right into me, our bodies touching fully for the first time. And that s when I realized I had a massive erection. I felt her lower stomach lean right into it when she slipped, felt the simultaneous jolt of pain from the impact and pleasure from, well, the contact. She was laughing at first, then suddenly went quiet as she looked down, confused for a moment. Then her eyes went wide as she looked up at me. Is that, is that your, Now she was the one stuttering. "Is that what I think it is? She managed to get out. My face went beet red. "Yeah, um, look, sorry, I, It s okay she cut in. Did I, did I hurt you? No, I replied. (it had hurt, but only a little really and I didn t want to make her feel bad.) Oh, okay, good. She said, biting her lip. We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. But she didn t back away, and I certainly didn t want her to. My cock was throbbing, straining against the fabric of my suit, and while separated by my suit and her own, I still enjoyed the contact of another person, especially my beautiful friend Amy, touching up against my penis, even if only indirectly. I didn t want the moment to end. But I didn t know how to continue. Amy finally broke the silence. "Is that, because of me? She asked shyly. "Yes I managed. She pulled away from me and I almost groaned. I didn t want her to move. But she only pulled back far enough to look down to see the tent pushing up from my swimsuit. Her eyes again went wide. Wow. I mean I knew they got, bigger, when guys got, uh; but I didn t think they d get that, big, or, She stopped, looking both confused and excited. I was embarrassed, yet also feeling a sense of pride, and excitement. My life-long friend was seeing my erected penis for the first time, even if it was covered by my suit, and it was giving her a good show. Have you never seen a guys, you know, thing before? I asked, hoping mine was truly her first. Well, no, not really. A picture in a textbook once. but it was just a drawing, and not this big, or, she paused. Hard? I finished for her. Yeah, she laughed. "I never saw a hard one, or a real one. She gulped. "Yeah, they re usually smaller and soft, normally. But get much bigger and harder when, excited I explained simply. So you re, excited, because of me? Yes, I replied, Amy, you re so beautiful, and I m so happy to be here, kissing you, and touching you. I ve wanted this for a long time too, and now that it s happening, I can t help but get, well, turned on. I hope this doesn t upset you. No, not at all. I, I love it she said, grinning widely. Can I, can I touch it? She stammered. My heart jumped. This is gonna happen? My brain screamed silently in joy. "Of course, I managed to say, I d, I d love that. She came in closer to me again. I could smell the chlorine in her hair, but also just, well, her. Her bright face shined in the moonlight, beautiful, without a stitch of makeup on. Her left arm went around my hip to my back, and with her right, she slowly, tentatively, reached out and placed the palm of her hand over the bulge of my suit. My cock jumped immediately at her touch, and she was startled, pulling her hand back in surprise. It moved! She gasped. Wait, it, it moves? Yeah it does that, I smiled, begging silently for her to touch it again. She burst out laughing. Oh my God, that s great! It moves! She laughed so loud I was afraid the whole party behind us would hear. Shush, I whispered, and she tried to contain herself, finally quieting to the occasional giggle. Her hand reached out, more boldly this time, and again my throbbing member jumped at her touch, but this time she didn t pull away. Instead, she started gently rubbing it with the palm of her hand. It bobbed and twitched with her movements and she smiled brightly, like a kid on Christmas with a new toy, enjoying how it responded to her touch. I was enjoying it too. Not exactly the way I did it on my own of course, but hell, any touching was good touching, when it came to a beautiful girl with her hand on your cock. Does that, does it feel, good? She asked shyly. Oh god yes, Amy. It feels amazing, so so good! Please don t stop. I begged. She smiled such a beautiful smile, and continued exploring. I want to, I wanna see it she said suddenly. I felt I must be dreaming. If so, please, whatever you do, God, be merciful, please don t wake me up now! I couldn t even manage the words so just nodded, and she slowly tugged down my suit, struggling a bit to get it over the protruding obstacle, until I helped by undoing the string and tugging with her. It suddenly popped out, springing upward in all its full glory. She had to stifle another laugh; not a cruel one, mocking me, but a joyful, playful excited laugh that spoke to how thrilled she was to finally see it. Wow! Holy crap! She whispered. It looks even bigger in person! And so, veiny! Are you sure that s not painful? It looks so swollen! Not painful at all, it actually feels really pleasurable, and very sensitive to, being touched I said, hinting at what I hoped she d get back to. She grinned wickedly and took the hint, and her hand again reached for my cock. Within moments I was feeling, for the first time ever, the incredible feeling of skin on skin contact from someone other than myself touching my cock. Now, she was using her fingers, running them up my shaft, tracing their way to the tip, then, back down. My body was literally shaking in bliss. Suddenly she giggled again. What s so funny now? I asked, not harshly. I just now noticed your, what s the word? Testicles, right? They re, don t be mad, please, but they re just silly looking. Like little balls in a sack. Yeah well that s why we call them balls, I laughed. "And it s okay, I m not mad. They are kinda goofy looking. Her hand cupped them gently, and she looked up at me, questioning. "Is this okay? I don t wanna hurt them, I know it can really hurt a guy getting hit there. You re fine, just be gentle with them, don t squeeze, just rub, I said. She gently rubbed them for a few seconds, feeling their weight, being very careful. What feels better, touching your, balls, or your,? She must have felt embarrassed to say penis or cock or whatever other term, because she just gestured at my twitching member. My cock? I said, seeing how she d react if I said it. She flinched at the word, not used to using or hearing the dirty words too often I suppose. Yeah, your, cock, she repeated, trying out the word, then deciding she liked it. Your big hard cock. Her face had that wicked grin again. Yeah touching my cock feels better, honestly, I grinned back. Especially when you are touching it. She took that as an invitation to continue. Tell me how to, to touch it the way, the way you like, she asked nervously. Okay. Well, I paused, then continued, what you were doing felt really good, but it s better if you, well, here, let me show you. And with that I took her hand and guided it into the more familiar grip around my shaft, then showed her how to stroke it, pulling the skin gently up around the tip, then back, the way every guy figures out how to do as soon as he hits puberty. She got the hang of it pretty quickly and I let go, allowing her to continue at her own pace. It feels so warm, she gasped, and, I can feel your pulse in it she marveled. Suddenly she looked up at me. It s, beautiful. She said, then kissed me. I pulled her in close as we kissed, her hand never letting go. I was close to cumming, I knew I wouldn t last much longer if she kept going. I grabbed her hand and made her pause, trying to extend the moment. She looked up at me questioningly. Just needed a pause for a second. I explained. Suddenly, I had a thought. Can I,? I stammered, as I moved my hand towards her beautiful firm boobs, waiting for her consent. She bit her lip, then nodded. Yes, she whispered. I touched her breast gently, my hand over her suit still, heard her gasp, felt her shudder. I could feel her nipple, stiff and swollen, poking through the fabric. Her hand suddenly left my cock, and I looked at her, curious. She simply smiled then reached up and slowly slipped the shoulder straps of her bathing suit down. She hesitated for only a moment, then continued, exposing to my delighted eyes her firm, young breasts for the first time. They stood, perky and oh so round, their pale pinkness a sharp contrast to the rest of her tanned skin. Her nipples were tiny points sticking up from the middle of her light pink, puffy areolas. My face must have been interesting; with my mouth agape and my eyes wide, because she giggled again, nervously. Do you like them? She asked quietly. They re beautiful. Just like you Amy, I replied lovingly. She blushed but smiled. With my left arm still holding her close, my right hand again found her perfect tits. I went from one to the other, alternating between a gentle caress and soft squeezes. I could feel her heart racing beneath her left breast. I gently rolled her left nipple between my fingers, then gave it a slight tug. She gasped in surprise and (I d hoped) pleasure. Was that okay? I didn t hurt you? I asked, concerned. No, I m fine, it felt good, just, sensitive, she managed to say, breathing heavily. We kissed again, and then I felt her hand return to stroking my throbbing boner. After about another minute or two of this, her stroking my cock, me playing with her breasts, I felt the familiar sensation of my climax approaching, knowing I would not be able to hold it back any longer. Amy, I gasped, breathing heavy, you re going to make me, oh God, I can t hold it back, I moaned, tried not to scream my pleasure, and managed to get out Please, just don t stop, don t stop, don t, My cock swelled; she gasped but didn t let go, kept stroking, as the first blast of hot cum shot from the tip of my cock. It hit her right between her exposed breasts. She jumped but stayed close, still not letting go, still jerking me steadily as blast after sticky blast continued to burst from my straining organ. Cum went everywhere; more squirted on her suit, her hand, her arm. Some dripped on her feet, and I could hear her squealing and giggling. Her eyes met mine, confused and questioning. "Just a little more, please, I m begging you. I groaned, and she kept her grip, milking the last remaining drops, watching them ooze out the tip to drip to the grass below. Finally, I could take no more, and grabbed her hand gently, pulling it away from my still hard but finally satisfied cock. "So, so good, Amy, that was so good, thank you, oh thank you, I struggled and finally managed to control my breathing as I repeated, Oh, thank you. You re welcome, she said gently, and her lips found mine once more. That kiss lasted, seconds? Minutes? A lifetime? Forever? Finally it broke, and we both laughed. We shared a mutual mix of embarrassment and excitement at the state we found ourselves in. My cock, hanging there, slowly deflating. Her breasts still exposed. Cum everywhere. Holy shit that was a mess! She exclaimed. I knew, I knew something would, you know, come out, but, wow, holy shit! I realized with horror the mess I had made on her. Oh god, Amy, I m sorry, really, it just happened so fast, I wasn t thinking, I, She cut me off. It s okay. I, I loved it. I loved making that happen. I loved that you felt good. I loved that it was because, because of me. I could hear the pride in her voice, like a sense of accomplishment. Shit, we better clean up she gasped suddenly. She then grabbed the towel she had brought and started desperately wiping away the spunk from her boobs. Take one last look she said as she fixed her suit, covering up her breasts to my dismay. She then continued cleaning herself, mopping up the jizz that had splattered on her suit, hands and feet. It s okay, don t worry, she said; to herself or me I wasn t sure. I ll clean most of this up and in the dark no one will notice the stains, and I ll jump back in the pool real quick and that should, She paused, looked at me, still standing there, cock deflated now but sticky with my cum,

The Naked Gardener: Part 2

THE NAKED GARDENER: PART 2. AS GINGERLY AS PORCUPINE SEX. Based on a post by WatchingCloud [https://www.literotica.com/authors/WatchingCloud/works/stories]. Listen to the Podcast [https://archive.org/download/steamy-winter-2026/TheNakedGardener2.mp3] at Connected [https://feeds.feedburner.com/connected-podcast]. [https://archive.org/download/steamy-winter-2026/TheNakedGardener.jpg] Finally, the day of her return arrived. She was due to get back early in the evening, and Van had convinced her to come over to his place for dinner. The last couple hours of waiting were the worst, so he busied himself with preparing the food; a stir fry incorporating many of the vegetables from her garden. When the doorbell rang, his heart skipped a beat and he forcibly restrained himself from running to answer it. Liz almost looked like a stranger, standing on his porch in a floral print sundress. After getting past all the clothing, however, the smile and eyes were all Liz and he didn't hesitate to step forward and kiss her deeply. She kissed back with equal enthusiasm. "Good to see you, too," she said as they finally broke it off. "Sorry, been waiting far too long to do that again," he said, stepping aside to let her in the house. "I know. Me too." They kissed again, and if Van had harbored a single, lingering doubt about her feelings for him it would have vanished completely. "Good flight back?" "Flight was okay," she said. "Though I've been more comfortable. Speaking of which, mind if I dress down a bit?" "Feel free," he said, heading toward the kitchen to give her a modicum of privacy. "I'm just gonna get dinner started." Van fired up the stove and pulled out the chicken and vegetables from the fridge. He needed the distraction to keep his mind from Liz undressing a few feet away in the living room. Too many days of fantasizing were weakening his resolve. "So, what's on the menu?" Van glanced up at Liz and almost lost that resolve in an instant. She stood in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame with her arms crossed below her bare breasts. The only thing she wore was a pair of translucent pink panties. The vision was heavenly and he could feel a stirring in his shorts. "Chicken and veggie stir fry," he said, turning his focus back to dinner. "Hope that's okay. It's mostly stuff from your garden." "Sounds great, especially after a week of mostly restaurant crap." Van managed to finish dinner without ruining anything in distraction. Liz professed a love for the meal and he was pleasantly surprised that it turned out as well as it did. Small talk was the order throughout dinner, though it carried a subtle undertone of impatience. They needed dinner, but both were looking forward to what might come afterward. "So, you gonna show me all the cleaning you claim to have gotten done while I was gone this week?" Liz asked as they cleared the last of the dishes from the table. "Sure," he said and led her back into the living room. "Yeah, not much change here, though I did finally get a few of my old pictures hung." Liz followed him to his office, where he had rearranged the furniture and cleared out all the unpacked boxes. "Very nice," she said. "Feels more conducive for writing." "Hope so. After seeing the window with the view of the backyard and woods, I knew this room would have to be the office. Hopefully, I won't be too distracted by things outside." "Like what? Neighbors?" "Well, yeah, I can think of one neighbor who would be incredibly distracting." "Really?" Her playful tone told him that she was well aware of the effect that her body had on him. He led her next to the master bedroom, which had also been considerably picked up. He had even gone so far as to drive into town and pick up some extra furnishings and decoration in an effort to make it feel less spartan. It was a far cry from Liz's style acumen, but definitely an improvement. "I like what you've done," she said, taking his hand and pulling him into the middle of the room. "Yeah?" "Yeah. I'm impressed with how busy you've been." "I was inspired." Liz stepped in closer and they kissed. For several minutes, their lips and tongues exchanged a sensitive affection. When she wrapped her arms around him, Van tentatively placed his own hands on her back. He quickly withdrew them when she involuntarily shuddered. "I'm sorry," he said, feeling terrible. "No, it's okay," she said. "You can touch me. You just can't do it gently, because that hurts worse. Be firm." Van tried to get his mind around how he would be able to do that, since his every instinct when with a woman was to gently touch and stroke her body. Still, she was telling him what she wanted, and he was determined to try to do as she asked. He placed his hands just under her arms with his fingers wrapped around her shoulder blades. His grip was firm, but not hard. Liz nodded and smiled, and then leaned in to resume their kissing. For the next several minutes, Van carefully moved his hands from one spot to the next, careful not to drag them across her skin in the process. He held her neck and arm, the small of her back and her butt. With each move, he could sense just a brief flash of tension through Liz before she settled into the steady pressure. "Still good?" he asked when they broke off for a moment's breather. "Yeah, better," she said. "Don't worry about hurting me. I'm pretty tough and used to pain. It's just the prolonged, gentle stuff that can really get to me." "You realize this isn't easy." "I know. And I want you to know I appreciate how considerate you are." They kissed again, and this time Van place one hand around her side and his other over one of her breasts. He didn't know if that would be more or less painful than anything else, but the way her body tensed and then immediately relaxed into a purring moan suggested it was okay. He gently squeezed, careful to keep his hand in place and not slide it across the skin, and Liz gave every indication that she was fine with that. In the middle of his palm, he could feel her nipple harden, and he savored the chance to finally touch the beautiful breasts he'd spent so much time admiring. Liz broke off their kiss, took his shirt by the hem, and lifted it over his head. Tossing it aside on the floor, she gave him a sly grin and started unbuttoning his shorts. "Hardly fair with you wearing so much clothing," she said. "Wouldn't want to be unfair," he said. "Just didn't want to frighten you away." "You won't. I like your body." "Well, that works out well, then, since I'm rather enamored with yours." Liz pulled his shorts and underwear down and he stepped clear so she could add them to his discarded shirt. His cock, fully erect, bounced in her direction and she took it in one hand and gently stroked it. Van's heart fluttered at the contact. "There's something I've been wanting to do most all week," Liz said. "What's that?" Liz knelt on the floor in front of him and kissed the tip of his cock. It involuntarily twitched at the contact, bopping her in the nose and eliciting a laugh. She took his unruly member in one hand and wrapped her lips around the head. With her tongue, she teased the tip and swirled around the circumference. Van had secretly hoped that this night might lead to a greater physical intimacy between them, but his expectations had not gone much beyond kissing and perhaps some careful petting. Clearly, she was every bit as horny as he was and wasn't afraid to show it. The view of looking down at her mouth as it went up and down on his cock, with her breasts swaying gently just beneath, was almost as arousing as the physical sensation itself. Liz clearly had some experience with fellatio, since she had him rocketing toward an orgasm within a couple minutes of skilled tongue and hand technique. As he felt himself reaching a climax, he gave her fair warning and she pulled him out of her mouth and stroked him the rest of the way by hand. Several surges of white cum shot out, coating her chin, neck, and chest. She grinned up at him proudly while the final glob slid down the freckled valley between her breasts. "God, that was fantastic," he said when he finally caught his breath. "You're most welcome," she said. Liz then took the tip of his slowly softening cock back in her mouth and licked the residual cum off him. "You, uh, want a tissue or something?" he asked when she finally let go of him and stood. "Yes, please," she said, cheerfully. He was relieved that she didn't seem to be too squeamish about a little mess. He snagged a couple tissues from his night stand and handed them to her, figuring it would be safer to let her wipe herself than for him to do so and cause her a lot of unnecessary pain. After she wiped off and discarded the tissues in the waste bin, she returned to his arms and they gently kissed. "So, you wanted to do that all week?" "Yeah," she said. "You didn't mind?" "Not one bit. Kinda along the lines of a few of the things I'd wanted to do with you." "Oh really? Do tell." "Well, if you like, we could try reversing roles." "I like." After a little more kissing, Van arranged for Liz to lay back on his bed with her legs hanging off. It took her a moment to get over the discomfort, but she soon gave him a smile that said she was good. He knelt on the floor beside the bed, took her legs over his shoulder in a firm grip, and lowered his lips into her thick brown curls. Still uncertain about how much pain she might experience down here, he was a little hesitant as to how to proceed. He started by simply kissing his way around and over her pussy and clit. That seemed to go okay until his cheek accidentally brushed up against the inside of her thigh and she let out an audible gasp. "Crap, sorry," he said, feeling the mood at risk of slipping away. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. "No, it's okay," she said, though clearly still in a bit of pain. "Just, careful of the thighs. They're particularly sensitive." Van held her legs higher and wider, giving him more clearance. Nervously, he resumed his kissing and licking around the folds of her pussy lips. Her body seemed to relax a bit after a little attention, allowing him to calm down just a bit as well and start building some sort of rhythm. Slowly, he began to alternate between licking along her pussy and flicking his tongue across her swollen clit. The smell of her arousal blended with the faint saltiness of her taste in a delectable ensemble. After several minutes of alternating, Liz began to moan softly and thrust her hips each time his tongue made contact with her clit. He focused on that, alternating between quick flutters and long, slow strokes of the tongue until he finally brought her to a climax. She was not a screamer, but she certainly wasn't shy about moaning and gasping. Once she had come down from her climax, Van stood and wiped her juices from his mouth. She was looking up at him, glowing in a sheen of perspiration and grinning widely behind gorgeous bedroom eyes. He would die a happy man if he was blessed with that sight regularly. "Thanks, I needed that," she said. "You're most welcome." Liz moved further back onto the bed and Van joined her, laying side by side and holding hands. For several minutes, they just stared up at the slowly rotating ceiling fan and savored the company. Van idly wondered what he had done to get so lucky. Eventually, they began to chat about inconsequential things, as if to speak about their budding romance would somehow jinx it. For Van, this felt just like the last week's worth of their nightly conversations, only a thousand times better with Liz laying beside him. They laughed and whispered and gave each other longing looks. Liz rolled onto her side to face Van, cringing a bit for the effort. While maintaining eye contact, she reached out and gently touched his flaccid cock. Within moments, it swelled to life. She smiled back at his obvious pleasure. Van turned partially toward her so they could kiss. She stroked him more insistently as their tongues danced. He could feel her rising passion in the depth of her breathing. He ran his hand up the arm with which she was holding him, and immediately regretted it when she sucked in her breath to stifle a whimper. It was a simple, innocent gesture, and he'd completely forgotten that it was the sort of thing that caused her the greatest pain. "Shit, sorry," he said, immediately removing his hand. Liz closed her eyes for a few moments, taking a couple deep breaths, and then reopened them. "It's okay," she said, though he could tell she was saying that for his sake. "It happens." "Sorry," he said again, still feeling terrible. His arousal threatened to fade until she forced a smile and resumed stroking him. For several minutes, they simply held their positions; kissing with Liz gently playing with him. He wanted desperately to touch her, wrap her in his arms and explore every inch of her body with his fingers and lips. All he could bring himself to do was lay still and kiss her back. "You want to give this a try?" she said, her voice husky with desire. Van was paralyzed between fear of hurting her and the strong urge to make love to this fantastic woman. "Yeah," he whispered. "What's gonna work best for you?" Liz pushed him into his back, kissing and stroking him the entire way. When she threw a leg across him, Van decided that she wanted to be on top, which suited him just fine. Straddling him, she leaned forward and kissed him with a renewed fervor, her breasts dangling tantalizingly above his chest. Tentatively, Van placed a hand over one breast and got a slight flinch out of Liz for his efforts. He bravely left it there, though, hoping that as before the pain would vanish under constant pressure. When she reached back for his cock, he took it as a sign that she was still okay. As Liz slid back to guide him to her, however, she grimaced at some frictional pain. Despite the fact that it wasn't something Van had done, he started to really feel terrible. She was enduring entirely too much pain for his sake. That thought interrupted his enjoyment of the encounter, and he could feel himself losing his erection even as she was trying to slide him inside her wet pussy. She must have noticed, since she tried to stroke him back from his semi-soft condition, but that awkward effort seemed to cause additional irritation to her skin as well. "I'm sorry," Van whispered, removing his hand from her breast. Liz looked down at him with resignation in her eyes before leaning down to kiss him gently. "It's okay," she said. She carefully dismounted and laid on her side next to him. She traced her fingers across his chest in exactly the sort of intimate gesture he couldn't share back. Her face was sympathetic, though it did little for Van's mood. "It's really tough, keeping the mood when I know you're in pain." Liz nodded. "I know. And it sucks." "Because I don't think I've ever wanted someone so badly before." "And you can't touch me the way you want." "Exactly." "It's always the worst with the best guys." Van gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" "What I mean is, you're a good guy, and I probably should have waited a bit until I was ready to explain this better. But, well, I guess I wanted you pretty badly, too." Van raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her, but said nothing. "You see, I've found over the years that sex works better for me when there's pain involved. Not the sort of pain that comes from my nervous condition, though. When there's an intentionally applied pain that I can focus on, something with...intimate connotations...then I seem to be better at blocking out or even using the other pain as a sort of turn on." "Okay, I think I kinda see that." "And that's why good guys sometimes have a problem with me, because they're not the sort to engage in inflicting pain on a woman for gratification." "Er, yeah, no," Van said. He wish he'd known that in advance. She was right, though, that he wasn't sure he could do that sort of thing to her. He wasn't even sure what sort of intentional pain she was talking about. "The line between pain and pleasure is closer than most people realize," she continued. "And much of that is in the head." "Yeah, it might take a little work to get my head wrapped around that one," he said. "But, I can try." For a fleeting instant, Van saw in Liz's face doubt and regret, but it vanished a moment later as she smiled at him and nodded. "Can I ask what sort of things you like?" Van asked. Liz blushed and cringed. "Unfortunately, this is when I tend to get cripplingly shy," she said. "Go figure; I'm comfortable parading around nude in front of pretty much anyone, but get all uptight talking about what gets me turned on. Especially when I'm in bed and naked with the guy asking." Her self deprecation brought a much needed laugh from both of them. "I understand," Van said. "I'm not much of one for open talk, either. Always just kinda tried to fumble my way through things to see what worked." "That's not always a bad thing," Liz said. "But, I'm always open for helpful hints." "I know, and I'll try," she said. "Look, I'm pretty well beat after the trip and should probably get home so I can unpack and sleep." "Okay," he said, trying to contain his disappointment. They had jumped in pretty quickly after very little time together. And after the way the evening had kinda fizzled, maybe inviting her to stay the night would be more awkward than it was worth. "But, it was great seeing you tonight. Thanks for dinner and, well, the rest." When they kissed again at the door, Van tried to shake the feeling that Liz wasn't as interested in him as he'd first thought. He knew it was probably unfounded self-doubt, but he couldn't help it after the complete crash and burn at their first attempt at love-making. It wouldn't be until he saw her again that he would be able to get a read on her true feelings toward him; would she distance herself, or would things be back to where they had been about an hour earlier when she was undressing him in the bedroom? The following morning, Van resisted the urge to run over to Liz's house to pay her a visit. She would undoubtedly still be in the process of catching up after the trip; unpacking, going through mail, and such. Had they enjoyed mind-blowing sex, she may have either stayed the night or at least he'd be justified in visiting early for a follow up. Following their fizzle, however, he didn't know how to play things. He wondered if he shouldn't just wait for her to contact him. To distract himself, Van decided to head into the closest town for some groceries. The town itself was little more than a small congregation of businesses and a post office in the middle of a widely dispersed rural community. And the grocery, unlike what he was used to back in the city, was essentially an over-sized convenience store. At least it carried most of his modest cooking needs. "Van, isn't it?" Van turned from the shelf of bread products and it took him a moment to recognize Liz's neighbor without the cowboy hat or horse. "Clancy," Van said, shaking the man's hand. "Nice to see you again." "You too. Getting settled in?" "Yeah, finally got most of the boxes unpacked and the house presentably cleaned up." "Good to hear. I'm sure you'll love this part of the country. Beautiful scenery, beautiful women." Clancy said this last with a knowing grin. "Couldn't agree more on both counts." "Speaking of, mind if I nose a bit about you and Liz?" "What do you mean?" Van wondered if Liz had told Clancy anyt

The Naked Gardener: Part 1

THE NAKED GARDENER: PART 1. A NEW RELATIONSHIP BLOSSOMS WITH VAN'S PECULIAR NEIGHBOR. Based on a post by WatchingCloud [https://www.literotica.com/authors/WatchingCloud/works/stories]. Listen to the Podcast [https://archive.org/download/steamy-winter-2026/TheNakedGardener1.mp3] at Connected [https://feeds.feedburner.com/connected-podcast]. [https://archive.org/download/steamy-winter-2026/TheNakedGardener.jpg] "Earl!" Van sighed as his two year old yellow lab took off into the woods behind his house. His constant companion was usually obedient, but with all the wonderful sights and smells surrounding their new home in the country, Earl had become a challenge the last couple weeks. He wanted to believe the dog would eventually find his own way back home, but that nagging doubt led him to tromp off into the woods after him. In the thick brush, he soon lost sight of the dog, but by pausing every minute or so he could usually hear the tell tale sound of Earl crashing heedless through the woods. He called every so often, each time less confident that the dog would hear and come back. Van also had to take care to keep his bearings so he wouldn't end up lost in the acreage of his own back yard. A brief woof from up ahead got him back on track and Van soon found himself arriving at a clearing; apparently one of his neighbor's backyards. The house beyond was a modest, elegant structure, enhanced by a gorgeous in-ground pool and surrounded by a well manicured yard. Much of the yard not taken up by the pool was dominated by a large vegetable garden, clearly well loved and already producing a variety of healthy looking produce. It was next to the garden where he finally spotted his wayward dog, who was soaking up the affection of a nearly nude woman. Van was startled by the sight, skidding to a halt before coming out of the woods. The woman, perhaps in her thirties like himself, appeared to be on the tall side with freckled bronze skin. She was wearing only sandals, work gloves, and a wide-brimmed straw hat that, along with sunglasses, conspired to hide her face. Van admired her rugged beauty and the way the sun glistened off her full, sweat dappled breasts. At the same time, though, he was struck with the awkwardness of the situation. He needed to get his dog back, but he couldn't do so without intruding upon this woman's privacy. Given that she was gardening naked in a very rural neighborhood where privacy was the norm, he wouldn't be surprised if she was very pissed. He considered sneaking back away some distance and then calling out for his dog again, giving her an opportunity to "hear him coming" well before he made a public appearance. Before he could put this plan into action, however, the woman looked up his direction and spotted him from where he was just inside the tree line. She waved at him, thereby bringing the awkward circumstance to a head. "Earl!" he said as he stepped out of the woods. "Bad dog!" "Seems like a good dog to me," the woman said, standing fully upright after having been scratching the dog behind the ears. "Oh, he is, when he's not running off into other people's yards. I'm really, really sorry about that. Totally didn't mean to intrude on you." "It's nothing," she said with a smile. She took off her sunglasses, revealing warm, brown eyes, and then peeled her gloves off to offer him a handshake. "Liz." "Van," he said, taking her hand. More than anything, he was astounded by how utterly un-selfconscious she was standing in front of him unclothed. "Nice to meet you, Van," she said. "And you, too, Earl." "We, uh, just moved in a couple weeks ago," he said, pointing vaguely toward the woods behind him. "Somewhere back there a bit." Liz chuckled. "Guess that makes us neighbors, then. I'm sure you'll like the area. Since moving here a few years ago, I can't imagine ever living anywhere else." "Yeah, I'm really liking it so far," he said. "The woods, the wildlife, the peace and quiet. And, apparently, lovely neighbors." "You're too kind," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry about my appearance, I wasn't expecting visitors." "No, no, I'm sorry. I'm the one intruding. It's your yard, whatever makes you happy." Liz gave him a wry smile. "I meant that I was sorry about being sweaty and dirty. Didn't say I was apologizing for being naked." Van flushed in embarrassment and was about to stammer yet another apology when Liz burst out laughing. He loved the sound of her laugh, even if it was at his expense. "Just messing with you," she said. "Trust me, I have a very good reason for dressing like this. Or not dressing, as it were. Just giving you fair warning for the next time you're out this way." Van wondered what sort of "very good reason" she might have. Nudist? Lost a bet? Laundry day? He was tempted to ask, but chickened out at the last moment and decided to try to move the conversation to something a bit safer. "Your garden looks incredible," he said, grateful to take his gaze away from her tantalizing body and toward the garden. "Thanks," she said. "It's my pride and joy these days." "Was thinking about starting one, now that I have some space, but I'm sure it's too late in the season to start this year. Well, that and I'm pretty clueless when it comes to that sort of thing." "I'd be happy to get you started. But, yeah, probably next year. You're more than welcome to help yourself to anything in my garden, though. God knows it produces ten times more food than I could possibly eat. Can't give it away fast enough once it really gets going." "Sounds good. Might have to take you up on that sometime." "I was planning on making spaghetti sauce from scratch tonight, mostly using just stuff straight out of the garden." "Wow, that sounds good." "You should come over for dinner. I'll have way more than enough food and it'd be nice to chat when I'm not so self-conscious over being sweaty and grimy." Self-conscious? Van wanted to say yes, since he was finding the woman to be friendly, engaging, and unassuming. The naked thing, however, was making him just a little bit reluctant, as if it hinted at a quirky side to her that he wouldn't find as appealing. "I'll even put some clothes on," she said teasingly, as if suspecting his hesitation. "Yeah, sure," he finally said. "That sounds great. Should I bring anything?" "Just yourself. Unless you're married, or have a girlfriend or something." "Nope, just me. And Earl." "Six o'clock good?" "Six. Looking forward to it. And nice to meet you." "Likewise." Van took Earl by the collar and started walking him back to the woods. He looked back once to wave goodbye and take one last look at Liz. There was something about her nakedness mixed with the sweat and dirt of hard work that was incredibly attractive to him. In some sense, it seemed to fit with the rugged individuality he'd sought in moving this far from the city. It might not have been quite how he'd envisioned it, but he certainly wasn't about to complain. Van regretted not asking Liz for her address earlier. Or a phone number. It was only later in the afternoon that he realized he probably wouldn't be able to figure out which house was hers from the street, leaving him with retracing his route through the woods on foot as his only option on the way to dinner. The early evening summer heat was leaving him sweaty and he'd already managed to scratch his legs a couple times on the thick brush. If this was going to be a regular thing, hiking to her house, he would have to consider cutting a proper trail. Finally, he reached her backyard. Many of the thoughts that had pervaded his mind all afternoon returned as the moment of truth was imminent. He had no idea if she was married. For that matter, she might have even have kids. Aside from a penchant for gardening in the buff, he really knew very little about her. He'd convinced himself to avoid getting his hopes too high that there could be a little potential for a relationship here. Van contemplated walking all the way around to her front door, but decided that she didn't seem like the sort who would hold him to such formality. Instead, he walked up to the back patio door and tapped on the glass. He didn't have to wait long as Liz appeared moments later to open the door for him. "Heya," she said, stepping aside to let him in. "Glad you could make it." "Thanks again for the invite," he said, stepping in and offering her a bottle of wine he'd brought along so as not to be entirely empty handed. "Figured I should bring at least a little something." "Great, thanks," she said, taking the bottle and carrying it to the kitchen which was adjacent to the living room into which the porch door had opened. As promised and to his relief, Liz was dressed, though hardly dressed up. She wore black, spandex shorts and a snug athletic tank top. It looked like she was ready to go to the gym. Without her hat on, he finally got his first good look at her hair; chestnut brown, short, and wavy almost to the point of being messy, though it worked on her. "Did you walk?" "Yeah," he said, looking around at the tasteful, country casual decor of the room. "Wasn't sure I'd be able to recognize the place from the front." "Oh, yeah, should've given you my address. Oops." "No worries. It's not too bad a hike." "Iced tea? Looks like you could use one. We can save the wine for dinner." "Sure." Van stood in the kitchen doorway and watched as she poured two glasses from a pitcher. Like the living room, the kitchen was tasteful and clean. Copper pots hung from hooks and baskets full of fresh vegetables sat on the red granite counter tops. Liz's environment only served to reinforce his impression of her as some sort of modern frontier woman. "Thanks," he said as he took the offered glass and drained half of it in one pull. "So, dinner's gonna be a while yet," she said. "Hope you don't mind. The sauce needs to simmer down some more before I can start the noodles." "No, that's fine. Smells great, by the way." "Thanks. So, you want the nickle tour of the house while we wait?" "Yeah. What little I've already seen is gorgeous." "It's more or less my dream house. Put a lot of myself in here, but still working on it. You've already seen the kitchen, which is of course the most important room in any home." "I'm going to guess that you love cooking." "Good guess," she said, smiling. Liz led him quickly through the rest of the house, which struck him almost more as a show home than a place where real people lived. Every room was tasteful appointed, neat and clean. It was pretty modest in size, with two bedrooms, an office, a couple bathrooms, and a den outside the rooms he'd seen on entry. Everything along the way pointed to her living alone. The tour concluded a few minutes later out in front of her house, looking at her flowering landscaping. It left him admiring her for the passion she clearly had for the house. And, at the same time, he felt guilty for having stalled out in the unpacking process of his own new home. "It's gorgeous," he finally said. "You said it was your dream house? Did you build it?" "Bought it, but did a lot of remodeling before I moved in. Was my first big retirement project, I guess you could say." "Retirement project?" Liz looked a little sheepish. "Yeah, sorta. I did pretty good for myself as an investor on Wall Street for about ten years, until I just couldn't take it any longer. Decided to cash out and get back to living a real life." "Wow, can't say I'm not a little jealous," he said. He had trouble stretching his imagination enough to envision her in a business suit, sitting in posh conference rooms in the heart of the financial world. "Well, I'm hoping that it was worth the loss of ten years of my life," she said, not without a little bitterness. "So far, so good." "So, investing didn't sit that well with you?" "The work was fine. I like numbers and the business side of things. Unfortunately, a lot of the other people in that industry are pretty shallow and uninteresting. Still can't believe I married one of them." "You're married?" Her tone had suggested it was probably no longer the case, but he thought he'd ask. "Went from first date to marriage to divorce in just under two years," she said with a rueful smile. "Thought I was doing the smart thing, following the life path of a professional. Marry, buy a nice house in an upscale neighborhood, kids, and so on. Turned out I wasn't being very true to myself. Kinda the same way he wasn't being very faithful to me." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. I think I needed to go through that to get to where I am today." "Texas?" "Happy." "Then I take back feeling sorry for you. That's great." "So, what about you? What brings you out into the sticks?" "Some of the same, I suppose. Felt like I was burning out trying to keep up with all my friends and associates and contacts. So, moved out here to have a good excuse to get some more time to myself. Unfortunately, I'm not retired." "Not many our age are. What do you do?" "I'm a writer. Mostly work freelance, writing articles for web-based news or interest sites. Some travel, some local interest, some news. I'm kinda all over the map, really." "Sounds interesting. You enjoy it?" "Yeah, actually, I do. The income could stand to be a little more consistent or better, but I'm doing well enough. And, luckily, I can do most of my work from here." "Nice." A clopping sound coming up the driveway interrupted their conversation. Van was a little surprised when he saw that it was an old man, replete with cowboy hat, jeans, and faded shirt, riding on horseback and waving at them. It was a sight he'd never have seen living in the city and he filed it in the back of his mind for a possible future story. Liz waved back. "Hey Clancy!" "Miss Liz," the older gentleman said before dismounting with practiced ease. "Van, this is Clancy. He and his wife live about a mile up the road. Clancy, this is Van. He's my new neighbor." Clancy shook Van's hand with a firm grip. Van already liked the man, simply from his easy smile and friendly demeanor. "Pleasure to meet you," Clancy said. "Likewise." "Was just over to deliver the young lady's eggs," Clancy said, retrieving a plastic bag from his saddle bag and handing it gingerly over to Liz. "Clancy's got chickens and keeps me well stocked with fresh eggs and even the occasional bird," Liz said. "And in return, I get to pawn off some of my spare produce. Speaking of which, I'll be right back with it." Liz went inside, leaving the two men alone in the front yard. "She's something else, isn't she?" Clancy said with a sly wink. "Just met this afternoon, but yeah, seems like a heck of a woman." "Just met, eh? Well, I'm sure you'll find she's full of surprises." "Already came across a couple of those." Van chuckled and Clancy nodded knowingly. Liz returned moments later, carrying two bags bulging with produce which Clancy struggled to pack away in his saddle bags. "I keep telling you that the wife and I can't possibly eat this much food," he said. "Share it, then," Liz said. "Well, you two have a pleasant evening," Clancy said, mounting back up. "Nice to meet you, Van." Liz and Van bade him a good evening and watched as he rode his horse at a nice, easy gait back down her driveway toward the distant road. Van inwardly chuckled at the simple barter system between neighbors and wondered how common such things were around here. It made him look forward to meeting more of the neighbors, in spite of the challenge that could be given the distances between houses. "Let's go see how dinner's coming along," Liz said and led the way back inside. Dinner, Van proclaimed repeatedly, was one of the finest meals he'd had in months if not years. Aside from the freshly made sauce, Liz had also tossed a fresh salad (everything coming from her garden), baked a loaf of bread, and even had some locally grown peaches sliced up to serve over ice cream. He was stuffed and content. Their conversation had been fun and engaging. Liz was smart, a little opinionated, and had a great sense of humor. She also had a wide range of interests, which meshed nicely with the breadth of his writing topics. As they finished up the last of the bottle of wine, Van finally summoned the courage to ask the question that had been bugging him all afternoon. "Okay, I may be stepping into dangerous territory here, but I have to ask a question," Van said. Liz smiled and leaned back in her chair. "Ask away." "Earlier, you said there was a good reason that you were, well, naked." "And you want to know the reason?" Judging by her expression, Van suspected that this wasn't a dangerous topic after all. Relaxing, he nodded. "Fair enough. I have a neurological disorder that causes the nerves in my skin to tend to be a bit overly sensitive. It's kinda like having a permanent, painful sunburn." "Ouch. I'm sorry." Liz shrugged. "Not your fault. I've had it so long, that I'm pretty used to it. Not to say that it doesn't still annoy the hell out of me sometimes." "So, I take it you're more comfortable without clothes?" "Exactly. The pain is worse with light pressure or when things move across my skin, and clothes do both of those constantly. Steady or firm pressure isn't as bad, which is why I tend to wear spandex when I'm forced to be dressed." "Wow. Now I feel bad. You're in pain, wearing clothes, just to ease my own discomfort." "Don't feel bad. I have to wear clothes enough anyway. It's not like I was able to go to school or work naked. At least here, when I have to get dressed, I'm able to go with something that's less irritating." "Still, I can't help feeling a little guilty." "I could tell you were feeling a little awkward when we first met this afternoon. Frankly, if you hadn't, then I'd probably have been worried enough not to invite you to dinner. No, I wanted this to be comfortable for you so we could, you know, focus on actually getting acquainted. I'm not so idealistic as to think that would be easy if I was lounging around naked." "True. Not that I would have complained or anything." "Well, duh. I've got a great body, after all." He couldn't help but laugh at how casually she could discuss the topic head on, and make light of the obvious challenges associated with it. She was making it easy to fall for her, though he had yet to determine if she was even remotely interested in that sort of a relationship. "Yes, you do. Who wouldn't want to see you naked?" "I could name a few," she said, her humor turning just a little sour. "Some people a little less than appreciative?" "Well, let's just say that some of my family and even a few friends haven't been quite as open-minded over the years. It's been a fine line to balance, and I've generally tried to keep from offending anyone." "I can only imagine. Well, look, now that I know your story, I want you to know that I'm totally cool with you wearing as little around me as you want. Can't say I won't ogle a bit, but I'll do my best to make it a non-issue." "Thanks. I really appreciate that. A lot of people say that, but don't always mean it. I have a good hunch about you, though." "I'm glad. Now, unfortunately, I should probably get around to calling it a night. I'm meeting an editor tomorrow morning over breakfast, and it's a b