Hard Choices (9 page)

I came down the hall with the box, and found him standing at the top of the stairs – not in the kitchen, like I’d asked. “Before I give you this,” I said, putting it down on the floor between us, “I’d like your house key.”

“What? No!”

“You don’t live here anymore,
Scott,”
I said waspishly. “In fact, you don’t even own this house anymore. Not even part of it. If you don’t give me the key, I’ll just change the locks. Now give me the goddamned key,” I said in my quiet, most menacing voice. The voice I’d reserved for the kids when they were little, when they had
really
pissed me off.

He just stared at me, eyes narrowed. Then he took a step forward. I did not back up. But suddenly, Aaron was just there behind me.

“Is there a problem, Lyssa?” he asked evenly.

“No. Scott was just leaving with his tax records. And he’s leaving me the house key, aren’t you, Scott?”

Scott’s face turned a shade of puce I had never seen. I realized he was truly enraged. But I didn’t care. I was pretty pissed, too. He had walked out on me. I had done absolutely everything I could to keep things civil, even friendly. He had no right to act like such a petty asshole.

He yanked his key chain out of his pocket, and violently worked the house key off the ring. Throwing it on the floor, he picked up his box o’ porn and stomped down the stairs. He was trying his best to storm out in high dudgeon, but he couldn’t get the door open and balance the box at the same time. He almost dumped the contents trying to balance it on his knee as he wrangled the door open, slid through, and tried to slam it closed. I bit my lip, willing myself not to laugh. That would make it worse. He had turned an even deeper shade of puce, and I didn’t want him having a heart attack on my front steps.

He closed the door, unsuccessful in his attempt to slam it, and I stood there, shaking with silent laughter until I heard his truck door slam. Then I lost it. I bent forward and put my hands on my knees as laughter rocked my body.

“Lyssa?” asked Aaron, alarmed. “Are you all right?”

I turned to him, wiping my eyes, but smiling. I tried to speak, but only managed to squeak out, “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” then I wheezed back into silent, body-shaking laughter.

“Seriously,” Aaron said, starting to lose it himself, once he realized I was laughing not crying. “I honestly felt bad for him! I was praying he didn’t accidentally dump that box of porn!”

I wiped my eyes, and asked through my squeaking laughter, “How did you know it was porn?”

“Please,” he rolled his eyes. “Nobody sneaks into their ex-wife’s house when he thinks she’ll be gone to retrieve tax records,” he said knowingly. That set me off again.

I walked into the kitchen, still shaking with my laughter. “Oh my god, my stomach hurts!” I said as I took Scott’s mug and dumped it in the sink.

“He got himself
coffee?
” Aaron said incredulously, shaking his head. “Wow, he does have some balls after all.”

“Don’t give him that much credit,” I said scathingly. “He was so freaked out seeing you in all your naked awesomeness,” I slid up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, “he reverted to old habits!” Aaron laughed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and pulled me in for a quick hug. I released him and stepped back. “And thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming to my defense so quickly. I should have known you were listening to everything we said,” he shrugged. “And for being so gloriously beautiful naked!” I leered.

Aaron nodded knowingly “Ahh. I suddenly understand why you brought that enormous vibrator into your life.”

I laughed, “Who? Big Ed? Big Ed and I have been very, very close for years now,” I sighed. Then I looked at Aaron quizzically, “but we got a lot closer this morning,” I said in a voice of wonderment. I turned to pour myself some coffee and turned back around, leaning against the counter.

“Well, Big Ed is more than just a prop,” Aaron smiled and leaned against the counter opposite me. “That dude was definitely a co-star in your show and holy
shit!”
he said emphatically, “
What
a show. Seriously, Lyssa, how did you hide all that… wildness all those years?” he asked, shaking his head.

I laughed. “I didn’t know it was there!”

He shook his head, looking mock-horrified. “Well thank god we found it! The world is a prettier place because you are naked more,” he walked over to me and dropped a kiss on my cheek, then reached around me for a mug of his own. “Now sit down, and I’ll make you breakfast.”

Half an hour later, I was eating a potato/cheese/tomato scramble that was to die for.

“Mmm MMM!” I said with a full mouth. I chewed slowly and swallowed carefully, savoring every bite. “Where the hell did you learn to cook?”

“I didn’t. I can’t. You have just tasted the extent of my culinary expertise.” He slathered butter on toast, and shrugged. “Would it be totally tasteless to say I’ve had my share of practice making breakfast for women?”

I laughed and almost choked on the mouthful of coffee I’d just sipped. “It might be tasteless, but it’s definitely
hilarious,”
I assured him. I was shocked at my lack of jealousy, truthfully. But I had no hold on Aaron, and no designs in that area. I was starting to realize that I’d been numb so long, in so many ways, that I couldn’t seem to re-learn a lot of emotions at once. Heck, I was just learning about the euphoria of erotic ecstasy for the first time; I didn’t have time to try to remember what jealously felt like.

Aaron looked at me as though he wasn’t quite sure if he could believe me. But when I smiled back at him effortlessly, I guess he decided to take me at my word. That slow, seductive smile spread across his face again. “You are one amazing woman, Lyssa,” he said.

“I know.” I answered, with no false humility. I knew he meant it. If I weren’t amazing, would this gorgeous hunk of man fruit, sixteen or seventeen years my junior, have just made me breakfast in my own kitchen, after having successfully sent my ex running like a scared rabbit?

Aaron was right. I rocked.

Aaron and I had spent Friday afternoon hiking around nearby Farragut State Park. It’s lovely, and big, and the trails were deserted on a weekday afternoon in May, even an unseasonably warm day like today. We climbed the hill to a lookout along the trail where they had thoughtfully placed a bench, so you can relax and enjoy the view of Lake Pend Oreille. We plopped down on the bench and each pulled out our water bottles and some trail mix.

“You know what? I really have to pee,” I admitted.

“Me, too,” Aaron said. “I’ll go this way,” he stood up and pointed one direction off the trail, “You go that way. Meet me back here. Don’t feel obligated to put your pants back on.”

I laughed and shook my head, walking away. But after I finished my business, I thought, what if I didn’t put my pants back on? We’d been out there for a few hours at that point, and hadn’t seen a single soul. I pulled my pants off, and held them in my hand, aroused at the realization that I was naked in the woods. It felt so
free.

So I didn’t put my pants back on. I walked the few feet back out into the clearing holding my pants and panties in my hands, feeling the fresh air on the parts of my body that rarely enjoyed fresh mountain air. When I got to the bench, I dropped my clothes on it, kicked off my shoes, and peeled off my shirt and bra, too. I stood in front of the bench, face upturned to the sun, reveling in the feel of sun and air on my body. I ran my hands down my body, enjoying the feeling of my soft skin, my springy hair.

I heard rustling off to my right and saw Aaron emerge from the woods, his pants still undone. He gaped at me for a second. Then his expression changed from surprise to one of awe. He came over to the bench, silently removed his clothes, and placed them on the seat. Then he sat down as I turned around to face him. Taking my hips in his hands, he gently pulled me toward him as he looked up at me almost with… reverence. Smiling, he lowered his face and kissed his way up from my pubic hair, along my belly, to my breasts. I bent down so he could slowly circle each nipple in turn with his tongue.

I felt like a goddess being worshipped.

I pulled away and looked down. Of course, Aaron was already erect. I was feeling my sensuality in a way I’d never experienced, standing naked before him, surrounded by nature, overlooking a gorgeous alpine lake.

I reached into the pocket of his pants, knowing full well he’d have a condom. He did. I unwrapped it and slid it onto him, then I turned around, so I could enjoy the view of the lake, pushed his knees apart, and lowered myself onto Aaron’s waiting cock, grinding my hips in a circular motion, making sure every inch of him touched every inch of me. Bracing my hands on his knees, I slid up and down slowly, taking every bit of him I could. He gripped my hips and pressed his forehead against my back, moaning as I slowly, slowly, moved up and down his shaft.

“More,” he said.

“No,” I answered. I was enjoying myself. I wasn’t the least bit worried about being seen. I felt like the Universe had conspired to give me this moment, with this gorgeous man, in this beautiful setting.

“Lyssa,” he growled.

I smiled, even though he couldn’t see me. But now
I
was ready. I leaned forward, so I could use my legs rather than my arms, and pumped my hips up and down, hard and fast. Aaron gripped my hips and matched my rhythm.

“Oh my god!” I heard him gasp, and I thoroughly enjoyed the knowledge that
I
made him moan like that. That aroused me even more, and I pumped harder, deeper, faster, until I felt that explosion from his enormous cock, and I exploded, too, crying out and crumpling forward onto my legs, pulling his knees closed so I could rest in his lap, as he collapsed against the back of the bench. 

We rested for a few minutes, gazing up at the clear blue sky, until I felt a sudden sense of urgency. “We’d better get dressed,” I said, easing off him, easing him out of me.

“Yeah,” he said tiredly. He scooped up the wrapper and tossed it toward my daypack, then rummaged around in his pack as I pulled on my clothes and tied my shoes.

“What are you looking for?”

He smiled lopsidedly at me. “Napkin,” he said a little sheepishly. “Gotta clean up!”

He stood up and I said, “Well there’s water right here,” and I held up my water bottle, full of icy water.

“Don’t you dare!” he backed away from me.

“Do you hear that? It sounds like someone’s coming!” I teased.

“Very funny. I – ” We both froze because suddenly we
did
hear voices. Our eyes got wide as we realized we were about to get caught. He grabbed the bottle out of my hand, and ran into the trees with his clothes, away from the trail as I frantically re-dressed.

Then I nonchalantly gazed out over the lake.

“Afternoon!” called a chipper voice from behind me. I turned around to see two older ladies, walking sticks in hand, wearing daypacks, coming up the trail. They had to be in their seventies, and they’d just climbed an impressive hill.

“Afternoon!” I said back, just as friendly.

“You’re not out here all alone, are you? It’s never a good idea to hike alone. Didn’t you see that movie where that man had to cut off his arm?” said the woman in the lead.

I tried not to laugh. Marked trails in a state park were hardly as rugged and dangerous as the wilderness where Aron Ralston had gotten trapped in a canyon. But their concern was endearing.

“No, I’m with a… friend,” I explained. “He just had to… step off the trail for a minute.” Aaron reappeared at just that moment, looking very put together, considering he’d just poured ice-cold water all over himself.

“Oh. Oh!” said the second woman. “Yes, we can see you’re in very good hands,” she smiled at Aaron. Wow. Out in the middle of nowhere on a hiking trail, and the guy could still find women to charm.

“Well, we were just getting ready to move along, so you can have this bench all to yourself!” I bent to pick up our daypacks, and realized the condom wrapper was lying next to them. On the ground. In plain view. In all its bright-red-foil glory. I hesitated for a second, then scooped it up and shoved it in my pocket as I stood. But those sharp old broads had good eyesight. They’d noticed. The one in front, who’d warned me about hiking alone, looked scandalized when she realized what I was picking up; her friend smiled knowingly, and, as god is my witness, she
winked
at me! I bit my lip to keep from laughing as Aaron came up and held his hand out for his pack.

I handed it to him, and he shrugged it on, smiling his charming smile at the ladies. “It sure is a beautiful day to be outside, isn’t it?”

The scandalized woman looked almost won over, but we didn’t wait to find out. “Have a great hike!” Aaron called as we passed them to get back on the trail. With his hand in the small of my back, he practically pushed me uphill, not stopping for at least thirty or forty feet.

Then he finally burst out: “I feel like I got caught by nuns or something!”

I started laughing and said, “Nuns? Didn’t you see her wink at me?”

“Who? All I could see was the look of abject horror on that woman’s face when you picked up the condom wrapper!”

“No, no, no – her friend, the one behind her, smiled and winked when she saw what I did,” I nodded, “Yeah, I bet she was wild in her day!”

He laughed. “Come on, it’s another thirty minutes back to the car. I want to get you back to your house. I have plans for you.”

I stopped and looked at him, “Aaron, I don’t know how much more my girlie parts can take,” I told him honestly.

He grinned and stepped in close, wrapping his arm around me. “I love it when you talk dirty.”

“I’m serious. You’re amazing. You’ve made me feel things I haven’t felt since… shit, things I’ve
never
felt! In the last twenty-four hours with you, you’ve played my body like a musical instrument. But this violin needs a rest,” I said honestly.

He kissed my forehead. “No worries. My plans include a massage and a DVD, by the way. I’m not a machine, either,” he smiled at me.

“Oh! Well, that sounds like fun.”

“Great! Let’s enjoy the rest of this hike and relax back at your place.”

***

We went back to my place, ordered some take-out, and just talked. It was so easy – like talking to Molly or Alan. We talked about shows we liked, books we’d read, and movies we’d seen. We hated on the “new” Star Wars movies together. He told me about going to a small, private university back East for his undergrad.

“It was massive culture shock. I mean, the school itself was pretty small, but I grew up here. I’d never been surrounded by so many damn people.”

“Didn’t you like it?” I asked, mesmerized. I’d grown up here, too. Not privileged, like Aaron, though. My mom had worked herself to the bone keeping food on the table for me and my little brothers after my dad died. My grandparents had helped a lot, but it had been tough. My family was incredibly proud when I’d finished college – the first one in the family ever. When my mom passed away a few years later, old before her time, I had been so grateful she’d at least lived to see me succeed. It was all she wanted for her kids.

“Not really,” Aaron admitted. “My dad was really disappointed when I chose to come home and go to law school.”

“Wow. I admit, it’s hard for me to understand being disappointed in your son going to law school.” I was proud that Becca was in school, and Danny planned to go. Kyle was working as a journeyman electrician, and I’d finally stopped nagging when I realized he just wasn’t the college type. I was so proud of Kyle; he worked hard, and he supported himself. In fact, when the housing bubble had burst, he’d jumped on it and bought a house for almost nothing. He fixed it up and rented it out. Now he owned his second house, and he wasn’t even twenty-one.

Aaron shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. He thought I should go to Harvard. Or Georgetown. Dad had big plans to turn me into a senator or something.” He shook his head. “That ain’t me, that ain’t me. I ain’t no senator’s son,” I laughed at his deadpan recitation of the Creedence song. “I
am
a ‘fortunate son,’ though, and I know it. This town is too small to grow up
with
money and not see the people doing without.”

“Wow, Aaron. That’s really admirable,” I said sincerely. “So what
do
you want to do?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t blowing smoke in my interview, though. I really do want to help the little guy. I also love this part of Idaho. I’d like to do some good in my little corner of the world.
This
corner. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a bit, and to go to college in New England. I even did a year as an exchange student in France,” my eyes got wide. That was so far outside my experience. “And
oui, oui
, I loved those French girls. And they loved me.” He sighed. “Ah, Europe. So free! So liberal!” I laughed at his unapologetic manner. “But there’s no place like home. I love it here.”

“I do, too. And not just by default, since I’ve never lived anywhere else. But I’d had given
anything
to spend a year in France. Or a year
anywhere,”
I sighed.

“So go.”

“What? I can’t.”

“Why not? Lyssa, you are not answerable to anyone anymore. You are a free agent now. There is nothing stopping you from taking a year and traveling around the world.”

“Ha! My only personal
Eat, Pray, Love
? That’s not cliché at
all
!” I laughed and shook my head.

Aaron shrugged. “Just because it’s been done before doesn’t make it a bad idea.”

I nodded, and picked up our dinner plates. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll think about it.”

“Good. You should.” He stood up and picked up our glasses. “Hey,” he asked casually, “is your pussy still sore?”

“Yes!” I laughed. “I believe you promised me a movie!”

“I did, indeed,” Aaron nodded. “How about
Phantom Menace
?” I threw a kitchen towel at him, but he ducked it.

“That wasn’t very nice,” he backed me into the corner of the kitchen counter. “I think you should be nice to me. I’m nice to you,” he said quietly, his arms braced on the counter on either side of me.

“You have that look in your eye,” I said knowingly. “I told you, my pussy is still sore.”

“Then let me kiss it better,” he said, lightly running his lips over my cheeks. My breath was coming faster, just having him this close to me again. “Come on. I’ll make it all better,” he breathed into my ear. Before I could react, he had untied my drawstring pants, hooked his thumbs into the waistband of my pants and panties, and yanked them down to my ankles. I stepped out of them. He looked around the kitchen for a second, then said, “I have an idea.” Taking my hand, he led me back to the dining table. He stood me up against it, with my ass on the edge, then pushed me back, so I was lying on the table. He pulled up a chair, and threw my legs over his shoulders.

I was speechless. I had gotten Scott to try this a few times – never on the dining table, though, that’s for damn sure – and he had
not
been into it, to put it mildly. Of course I’d read all about it, but I didn’t know what to expect from someone who knew what he was doing. And I was absolutely sure that Aaron knew what he was doing.