Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) Read online

  “That’s not true. I’m giving too. Why do you think I’m riding back with you?”

  “To get in my pants, my wallet, my head … I’m kidding. I do seem to be rubbing off on you. I pray that’s a good thing.”

  “It’s a great thing, especially for me.”

  “Hold that thought, we need to ride.” Opening the passenger door, I pushed her up and onto the bench seat before she could protest about the smell. “Roll the window down girlfriend, it will help.”

  Choking on the aroma of blood, man sweat and gunpowder, I murmured, “this truck smells just like the clothes you expect me to wear tomorrow.”

  The Green Mule’s diesel engine rumbled to life bellowing white smoke into the late evening sky. “Can you read a map, girlfriend? I hope so, since you’re the designated copilot tonight.”

  “If I can get through law school, I can surely read a map.” Spinning the paper round and round that Greg had hastily sketched for him, “Uh ... which way is north?”

  “That way,” pointing over my left shoulder while wrestling the stiff steering wheel of the mule onto the road.

  “On the map, dumb ass. How do you expect me to read a map if I don’t know where true north is?”

  Surrendering to her logic, “It’s all north up here, Vic. This is Canada. Just tell me which road is going that way,” pointing my forefinger in the direction we were going, “to turn off of the big straight line, the first or second squiggly one?”

  “The second, I guess, then right at the third. See, aren’t you impressed?”

  “I am barrister, I am. Did you know Saskatchewan is divided into townships, comprising 36 sections? Each section is then subsequently divided into four quarters, with each quarter comprising 160 acres. Using this as a mathematical system, one can determine specific geographical locations on a map. Just not this one. However, most all roads run north and south and east and west, influenced by the sections, more so than not. Just thought I’d throw that out for you.”

  I didn’t understand a word he just said. “Coming upon the third right, D. All we’ve seen so far are miles and miles of grain fields and ponds. Is that all there is to see in this country?”

  “Not quite,” I responded, before slowing to a crawl. Easing over a rise, if you could call it a rise, off to our left was a pond, no bigger than the size of two football fields. Flight after flight of mallards and pintails were dropping gracefully into it, looking for a place to rest for the night. Pulling off the road and into the wheat stubble, I turned off the Green Mule. “Sit back and watch, Vic. If we’re lucky, the best is yet to come.”

  Fifteen minutes of quiet was too much for me. “I’m tired of waiting, D. Please, let’s go back. We have ducks in Iowa, this is no big deal ... is it?”

  “Persistent patience is one virtue you must learn, Victoria.” Taking her hand, I rubbed her fingers across my cheek. “Relax, feel me, feel the moment. Close your eyes and allow your senses to come alive within you. Listen, just listen.” Soon the quiet was broken by the deafening chatter and beats of thousands and thousands wings — ducks. The skies were alive. In awe, we watched the dusk turn to darkness, obscured not by the approaching sunset, but by the multitudes of Mallards and Pintails circling patiently, waiting their turn to land in the now tiny pond.

  “Oh my,” I exclaimed, “it looks like we’re in the middle of a quacking tornado.”

  “A duck tornado to be exact. There’s strength in numbers. Nature has a way of protecting its own.” Vic and I sat motionless, watching flight after flight of puddle ducks, gracefully easing their way into an already crowded pond creating a nonstop tornado like vortex that continued long after dark.

  “Amazing, D. That’s what it is, amazing,” I confessed, snuggling tightly against D, my head resting on his shoulder. “Beauty is all around us, but we’re too busy to see it. Had you not stopped and made me wait, I would never have made this memory. Thank you, Jon David,” kissing him on the cheek, while purposely trying not to contaminate the innocence of this moment.

  “You’re welcome, girlfriend, you’re welcome. Time to head back.” With the sun well below the horizon, I rumbled the Mule to life heading north. An eeriness enveloped us in the darkness before we reached Highway 3 just as I hoped it would. Pulling off the road and into rape stubble, I stopped again.

  “What’s going on, D, this is scary? The sky is pulsating, almost like a green and blue flashing strobe light. Wait, now the lights are dancing. Now they’re gone!”

  “I ordered a light show just for you. Victoria, may I present the Northern Lights. Mesmerizing, fearful, exhilarating were the words I used to describe the Aurora Borealis the first time I experienced it unawares at the conclusion of a very successful afternoon duck hunt.”

  “At first I thought we were under attack by aliens.”

  “I can see that, especially if you’ve never seen anything like this before. I was trying to find you a poem to read to you tonight while we watched the show. Although not true poetry, I found this in a Discover Magazine article on my phone. “‘Streaks of light toss about with abandon. Suddenly, for a second, all the light melts away and the sky is full of darkness. Just as quickly, the lights blossom again in pulsating waves and arcs, and in undulating movements across the whole Heavens, sometimes stabbing the ends of their folds toward the earth, dripping with the green of grass and the red of blood.’”

  Oh my. “That was beautiful, D. That describes it wonderfully.”

  “I thought it did, too. Two more firsts for you tonight, girlfriend. What was it you were saying about my surprises not being all too pleasant?”

  I relented. “Never mind, D. Never mind.”

  Chapter 26

  I dropped Vic off at the front door, and returned the Green Mule to its familiar parking spot, in the back behind the garage near the Labrador Retriever kennels. Which reminds me — Major. I’m sure he’s ready for me to come home. Note to self … call the kennel tomorrow and follow up on your last message.

  Coming in through the shop, I came across a recently tanned bear rug that looked ready to ship to a lucky hunter somewhere in the states. I’m sure Greg wouldn’t mind me borrowing it for the night, I convinced myself, as long as I returned it in the morning, unscathed.

  Throwing the bear over my shoulder, I carried it into our room with high hopes. With Vic in the bathroom doing whatever girls do before bed, I laid the bear skin on the floor and sprawled out on it in all my glory, waiting patiently for my squeeze to appear.

  Stepping through the bathroom door, wearing nothing but my Mistatim tee, I froze. “Where did that bear rug come from, D?”

  “I borrowed it from Greg for tonight.” Taking nothing for granted, “This could be another first in the making if you’re so inclined. Have you ever made love on a bear skin rug, girlfriend?”

  Taken aback, “I can’t say that I have. Nor can I say with conviction I’ve ever had the urge to want to. You?”

  “I plead the fifth.”

  “Oh, that’s right, my bad. Standing before me is the man whore. No, what is that Candi calls you, a slut? How many times have you had sex on a bear skin, give? Is it a man’s coming of age, a rite of passage when you kill it, you eat it or screw it? I’m sorry to blow your bubble, D. My naked body is not going down on that ... that ... animal.”

  “It was just a thought. To answer your question counselor — twice. My first time was planned and hot in front of a roaring fire. The second time was both accidental and memorable and not in the way your devious mind works.”

  Amused, “I got the first time nailed by your smile, I’d rather hear about the second.”

  Rather embarrassed, now that I think back on the memorable part, I began. “Seems like yesterday. I dated a very athletic girl named Leah once upon a time who loved to wrestle. Her motto was ‘if you pin, you win it.’ I won and lost more.

  “On one particular not-so-sober night, our wrestling escalated from the bedroom to the den floor where I was winning. Tha
t is I was, until she rolled me over onto the bear skin and wrapped me in it to pin me. Once I realized what was happening, I fought my way out while she rolled me back in using the bear’s paws as her inducement.

  “You happen to know how sharp a bear’s claws are? Here, feel these,” offering Vic the opportunity to run her fingers across its claws before continuing.

  “They’re sharp, D. I got it. So what happened next?”

  “Leah started swiping at me with the paws and growling like a bear. The next thing I know, I’m squealing like a pig and bleeding like one, too. Somehow, in my flailing, she caught me square in the nut sack, ripping a gash eleven stitches long.”

  “You’re serious?” I know you are, because no one could dream that up. Poor guy.

  Grimacing at the thought while inadvertently protecting my jewels with both hands, I assured her I was. “As a heart attack. I even remember the entire ER staff on duty coming by my treatment room and snickering after they learned my injury was caused by a dead bear and a live broad. Stop laughing, will ya? It hurts even now just thinking about it.”

  With belly laughing tears cascading down my cheeks, I attempted to speak, “You just carry that ... that ... What did you call it? Uh, nut sack ripper back where it came from. I’ll be waiting right here for you to show me … show me your scar.”

  With the yet to be christened bear rug hanging lifelessly over my shoulder, I returned it rather glumly from wince it came. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose. All I’d managed to lose tonight in this humiliating ordeal was a little man pride and my eager beaver-ness to wrestle Vic long into the night. Settling for the remnants of a faded afterglow, instead of the glow of my making. Sleep, when it returned, came quickly.

  Chapter 27

  The second vibration of my iPhone alarm roused me awake. Vic and I were pretzeled as usual. Her right leg tossed over and between my legs, her left arm under my back holding me securely in place. “Hey girlfriend, I gotta turn off my phone.”

  “No, D, sleep. Sleep,” I murmured, perfectly content to lay here for a few minutes more. At least I was until the chirp, chirp, chirp of his phone followed the vibrations. “Never mind, I’m awake now,” I grumbled. “Please silence that awful alarm.”

  “Will do, if you’ll kindly get off me. Please....” Where was the phone? That was the question of the day. It wasn’t in arms reach of the nightstand so it had to be on my belt wherever I left my pants.

  “I still hear it on my side of the bed.” Of course it’s somewhere far enough away that would make me have to get up to silence it. “You lay right there, D. I’ll get it.”

  “It’s in my pants.”

  It sure is. “Don’t move a muscle,” I said sternly, rolling onto the floor in search of his pants. “Found it.” Swiping the screen, the alarm stopped. “I’m going to brush my teeth. Want to join me?”

  “You told me to lay still and not move. Make up your mind.”

  Men don’t have a clue sometimes. “I want to kiss a fresh mouth this morning, among other things. Humor me.” Geez...

  “What brought this on, you amorous?”

  “I am now. You started it, big boy.”

  “How so?”

  “You said it was in your pants. Now I want in your pants. I see what you’re thinking. You should know by now it doesn’t take much to get me started. It’s up to you to carry me across the finish line.”

  “Message received and understood.” Joining Vic in the bathroom, we furiously brushed our teeth, hoping the other would finish first because we both surely needed to pee. “You finished? I have to go. Bad!”

  “I have to go. But, I can’t go with you standing in here, D.”

  “Hmmm ... But you can go on the side of the road. What’s up with that?”

  “This is different. Besides, remember what got me wet? Out!”

  I relented. Vic had a point. Knees locked, I waited and waited and waited. “Women!”

  “Sorry, I had to freshen up, you know. Never mind. Men!”

  Finally! Men are so much more efficient. Raise the lid, pee; shake it off when done. Women take forever. And when two or more go together, forget about it. Time stands still when that happens. Emerging from the bathroom to the sounds of a low hum, I realized when I tossed back the comforter that I had been replaced.

  “What? This morning is a joint effort.” Extending my free hand, I pulled D next to me. “You drive.”

  “With pleasure.” Taking the BOA in my right hand, I eagerly returned it to its rightful spot. Kissing and caressing each other with wanton abandon completely caught up in the moment, I whispered, “Would you mind if my tongue fought it out with your battery operated boy?”

  I haven’t heard that before. “Not at all, D. In fact, I’d love it. Don’t forget, I want to play too.”

  Spinning around on the bed, I rolled onto my back and pulled her on top of me. Her moist sweetness permeated my nostrils and glistened across my tongue like honey. The vibration of the BOA against my lips created a sensation that seemed all too familiar. Candi strikes again.

  Oh my! ... Oh! ... I don’t know what he’s doing down there, but it’s absolutely wonderful. I am so ready to return the favor. Stroking him slowly up and down with my left hand, I took him in my mouth, pushing him past my gag reflexes into the back of my throat. Easy girl, you can do this. Relax, relax. Breathe through your nose. That’s it.

  What is she doing, deep-throating me? Trying to concentrate on Vic while she was so aptly concentrating on me became an all too daunting task. Feeling her hot breaths against my stomach on her down strokes created the same glorious sensation that Candi experienced with me. Damn you, D. Stop thinking about her and enjoy the one you are with, now! Attempting to follow through on that directive, I concentrated all my energies on the task at hand, taking Victoria to the finish line. Thrusting the talented toy from above, my lips pulling and pushing from below, my thumb pressed firmly against her sphincter muscle, carried her down the home stretch. Inhaling one long deep breath, I was determined to take her across the goal before I would breathe again. Vic’s sudden downward push against my face subliminally told me, along with her screams, “I’m coming!” we had arrived. Thrashing, turning, twisting, bucking, waves of thunderous pleasure rolled through her body, signaling to me a job well done.

  I have to scream. “I’m coming!” ... Don’t stop, don’t stop, you can do it girl. Bring him off with you. Wrapping my hand around his saliva covered shaft, I pumped furiously while my mouth refused to let go. Almost there. I can taste the saltiness, the precursor to his impeding eruption. I’m coming! ... Yes! Yes! Yes! I have to breathe. I have to stop. Drawing on all the strength I had left, I spun around and guided D inside me.

  “I’m close, girlfriend. Real close.”

  “You feel wonderful, D.”

  Pressing both her protruding nipples through my lips, I tugged firmly as her fingernails clawed deeply into my back. “My turn,” I whispered, exploding multiple times into her sweetness, my hands pushing and pulling her rounded cheeks rhythmically to my eruptions. “Wow, girlfriend,” I breathed, before kissing her tenderly on the lips.

  “Wow is right, D.” Yuk! This kissing has to stop. Patting him on the shoulder was my way of signaling "it’s time to get off me. “Hey, not to change the mood, but you...” How should I say this delicately? ... “You remind me of me.”

  Rolling off her and onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. “That’s a good thing, right? It proudly conveys where I’ve been. Wait a minute. You not like tasting you?” Judging by the non-response, I must have answered my own question. “Guess you’re telling me I’m in dire need of a shower. And while you’re at it spend a little extra time scrubbing me out of your beard and mustache.

  Quick study, this fella. “Yep!”

  “You want to wash my back, girlfriend?”

  “I do — just not now. I’d like to quietly lie here alone after you bring me a warm, not cold, washcloth. Oh, and a clean towel. I’m
still a little unsettled about today, especially the part about me peeing in a bag. You guys whip it out anywhere, anytime, any place. With women, it’s not that simple.”

  “Seriously, that’s what you’re thinking about, Victoria? We just made mad passionate love every which way, including sideways. Shouldn’t you be glowing ... at least a little?”

  Oh, shut up! “I was glowing, now I’m dripping. Hurry up with that washcloth, please. You’re a guy; you wouldn’t understand. Once I’m done, you’re done. I glow, just not too much. Then, it’s reality check time. What am I going to wear, will it make me look fat, will I drip you for the next hour or two? You should so be a girl.”

  It was in that instant, I realized the pseudo honeymoon I had magically created between us to mask my pain during the long ride home was over. “No thank you. Manly men don’t dwell on clothes and I’m relatively sure they don’t leak for hours. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll pass. I like being a guy,” tossing her the towels before stepping into the shower, alone.

  My mind, now in overdrive, tossed one thought then another before colliding with an equal and opposing argument. Candi would never pass up the opportunity to shower with me. Usually she was first. Not Vic. In that instant, I realized, times change, scenes change, people change. Yet the yearning to be comforted by those who bring us comfort, not chaos, remains.

  What could I have done differently that would have Candi here with me this morning instead of Victoria? Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate the friendship, the company and the sex. It’s been great, but as of this morning, the flame has diminished greatly. I told Vic sex ruins relationships. It takes two, asshole. You gave in, not because you had to, but because you wanted to. What did Vic say? “After the glow, then it’s reality check time,”

  Wonder if that also pertains to my mental numbness finally wearing off after Candi’s well-orchestrated ruse? You’re such an idiot. She’s screwing her ex. Yep, and you’re screwing your lawyer. What does that tell you? It tells me we’ve both managed to screw our way out of each other. Who’s to say we can’t screw our way back in? D, you are out of your friggin’ mind? Sigh ... I miss Candi, I miss Major, and I so miss us!