Lena's River (9 page)

“This position is called the slow ride. And I’d say I
have you right where I want you.” She stood up on her knees and let him
unbutton her and pull the tight zipper down. “Well this is awkward.” She laughed
and stuck her tongue out for comic relief.

 “I’ll stand up and you pull.” She pushed down her on
the waistband while he pulled down her shorts. With his help she managed to
wriggle out of her clothes without losing her balance.

“Who knew undressing would be such a challenge with
only one arm.” Lena tossed her clothing aside. Now naked from the waist down,
she felt the cool air of the forest around her and the warm, corresponding
throb of desire which smoldered deep within her. She looked down at Levi, who
lay large and erect on the blanket. All she had to do was lower onto him and
feel the length of him slide inside. She hovered there, with her knees apart
and bent, anticipating the sensation of his penetration.

But that was not all; there was so much going on around
them. The buzz of insects in the thickets; it was cool and fragrant in their
hidden place. The scent of rain on leaves, blooming sand cherry; freshly green
cedar shoot - all the smells of approaching summer hung in the air and caught
her attention. The low bass rumble of river rocks a few feet away, as the Sol
Duc rushed past, thudded in her ears. Soft, pale streams of sunlight filtered
down through the giant trees.

All these things she loved – and she loved the iron-hot
moment right before intimacy. Lena allowed herself to drift. She wanted to hang
onto these sensations, because it all seemed perfect. And perfect moments were
so elusive.

Levi watched her for a few seconds. She stood there
motionless. He reached for his pants and felt for a condom in the pocket. On
the tip of the head was a small drop of his excitement. She watched him put on
the condom – unrolling it carefully from the plump head all the way to the
base.

 At last he said: “Lena, please come here.” His eyes
burned like hot coals. He held his erection at the base so it stood up
straight, waiting for her to lower herself onto him.

She did as he asked and squatted over him until she was
exposed and wide – vulnerable yet in control. He held her there for a moment
and ran his fingers along the inside of her folds. His fingers felt wet and
slippery and his touch was gentle but when he touched her it felt like his
fingers were electric currents. Lena’s legs felt weak. He inserted his finger
into her core and she moaned, sliding onto her knees.

He lifted her up again and held himself while she
lowered onto him. She felt the firm head press on her clit before he slid into
her. Her heart lurched and fire sparked through her groin. His shaft felt hard
and wide inside her.

“Oh, that feels amazing.” Lena whispered.

Levi’s eyes were closed but he opened them at her
words. A wild look flashed in his eyes as he rose to meet her. His usual, mild
temperament altered itself in his aroused state; his manner became uncontained
and reckless, fueled by need and passion.

Lena came down hard on him. He steadied her, held her hips
in his hands. So supported, she rocked back and forth with him in rhythm. Her
excitement grew in waves as she felt him move underneath her – within her. She
was molten and alive. More alive than the everyday waking moments; perhaps it
was the outdoors which made her feel wild and careless – like an animal in heat.
She began to ride him hard as her desire built into a searing pulse which increased
with each motion.

Levi groaned and raised his knees wide to accommodate
her. “Oh Lena, don’t stop.” He muttered. His expression was intense and Lena
felt herself tighten around him in response. He was slick and hard under her
and their rhythms became more urgent. She wanted to come with him; she tried to
pace herself but it was no use. There were too many sensations rising at once.
He felt thick and delicious inside her as he worked her hips back and forth.
The muscles in his chest and neck flexed, strained - he cupped one hand around
her breast and fondled the nipple with his thumb.

The wanting in her groin grew around him as they
undulated together – two entities for a short time becoming one motion. She
felt his desire take her outside of herself. Her passion fed his passion and
his need matched hers in its urgency. They both groaned with the effort of
holding onto that moment just ahead of final release.

She dug her nails into his chest and bore down on him
hard, feeling him pulse in and out of her as they moved to together in one,
fluid motion. Lena felt herself go over the edge. Before she knew it the orgasm
rose through her like a fiery serpent – touching heat with its tongue to
pleasure deep within her body. She cried out in low moans as she bent over him
while the waves built and fell, one after another.

There was a quick jolt from him inside her. He folded
himself up, grasping her around the waist as his spasms mounted and peaked. His
orgasm came warm and deep within her sending another wave of climax through her
body.

Their movements slowed; Levi groaned into her hair.
They rocked together; arms and legs entwined, panting for air. He held her to
him for a long time. At last he rolled to the side and Lena slid onto the
blanket laying her head on his chest.

Levi’s breathing slowed to a quiet heave. He lay with
one arm behind his head and his eyes closed. Lena liked listening to his heart
thumping away in there. She didn’t move as Levi’s hand came to rest on her
head, his fingers played with her hair. His hand was warm and gentle. A forest
lark called out in a treetop high above them.

“You can’t tell me this isn’t worth pursuing.” He spoke
to the sky; almost in a whisper.

Lena didn’t move for a minute, then raised her head and
murmured: “Next week, Levi. We’ll talk about it.” She put her head back on his
firm chest and sighed.

Levi was a wonderful, chance encounter she hadn’t
anticipated. She had designed her fishing trip so as to give herself an emotional
vacation. She didn’t want to feel anything for him but she did. This was going
to be difficult, but she refused to think about it yet, even though the intense
afterglow of being with him still pounded in her ears.

Chapter Seven

Early in the evening, Gina showed up at the camp while
they were cutting vegetables at Lena’s picnic table. A low mist had settled
over the valley and it began to drizzle rain in the form of tiny droplets. Levi
dismantled Lena’s canopy she and Mary had placed over his tent and brought it
back to her campsite to provide shelter while they cooked supper.

“Hey, Gina - I was going to drive into town after
supper to see Sala. How is she doing?”

“Better, but they are going to keep her another day or
two. They want to rule out internal bleeding. She’s had a lot of pain and they
want to do another scan in the morning.” Gina plopped down in one of the camp
chairs. Lena thought she looked tired.

“Fancy something to eat? We have grilled veggies and
rice - even have chicken – Levi’s roasting it in the fire pit. I bet you’re
worn out.”

“I thought I smelled meat cooking over here, which is
unheard of in your camp. Sure, I’d love a home cooked meal. I can’t stand that
hospital cafeteria anymore.” Gina yawned, took off her glasses and rubbed her
eyes. “I’m not so much tired but felt cooped up like a caged cat in that
hospital room.”

Great Lena, there you were – frolicking
naked like a nymph in the woods while your friend is lying in pain at the hospital
and the others sit by her bedside. You are so selfish.

After dinner, Gina helped wash up the dishes and
disappeared inside her camper for a few minutes.

“Are you going into town now? I’ll finish up here.”
Levi was scouring a pan.

“Yeah, Gina’s going to drive me in to see Sala. Do you
mind? I want to make sure Mary is doing okay too.” Lena grabbed a brush out of
her kit and started attacking the curly mess which was her hair. She used the
window in her truck as a mirror. “What a fright I look! Why didn’t you say
something, Levi? Yikes. I even have leaves in my hair!”

Levi didn’t say anything for a minute while he scrubbed
the pan. “You always look gorgeous, what are you talking about?”

“Yeah right, thanks.” Lena’s heart pulled a little in
her chest. She was not used to being called anything close to gorgeous. “This
humidity does a wild number on my hair.”

“Let alone other carnal activities of which we will not
speak.” Levi gave her a comical wink. Lena snorted and continued in the task
which was her hair.

She stopped brushing and turned to him. “Hey, why don’t
you take down your tent before it’s soaked? There’s no sense in getting all
your stuff wet. Sleeping bags are hard to dry out once they get damp;
especially in the rainforest.”

Levi wiped his hands on a towel. “Hmm, I suppose that
would be a good idea. Just as long as you don’t kick me out of your camper in
the middle of the night. My truck is no good to sleep in.”

Lena laughed: “No worries. If anything, you might need to
run for your life because I won’t leave you alone.”

Levi took three steps and grabbed her in his arms. “No
running allowed; okay? I’m here to stay until you deem otherwise.” He took her
chin in his hands and kissed her long and deep.

“Make sure you watch for deer on the road.” He kissed
her again until Lena’s lips tingled. He tasted of lemon and salt. Lena smiled
back; she caressed his rough cheek with her left hand. She started to say
something but Gina stepped out of her camper.

“Hey, girl you ready? I want to get back here before
midnight.”

“Be right there, Gina.” Lena called to her friend. Then
she said to Levi, who still had an arm around her. “You better behave yourself
while I’m gone. No fishing in the dark near a rain-swollen river.” She wagged
her finger at him.

“No way; I’ve had enough intimate moments with that river
for one vacation!”

“Oh Levi, there’s so much more to that river than what
you’ve seen.” Lena called as she followed Gina to her car.

“Yeah, I bet there is.” Levi said to himself as they
drove off.

****

Mary rode with them back to the campground that night.
She was exhausted and slept between Gina and Lena in the truck; her head
bobbing on Lena’s left shoulder. They didn’t talk so as not to wake her. Lena
stared out the passenger window while the miles crept passed. Gina drove slowly
because any second there might be deer in the road.

Oncoming vehicles shone their lights on the huge spruce
trees lining the road. The lights made them look like hovering giants in the
rainy mist; their branches became burly arms reaching out to drag unsuspecting
travelers into the gloom. Lena remembered the wide log near the river bank, the
turbulent water and Sala’s unconscious form in the river. She shivered a little
and zipped her jacket up closer.

Mary stirred beside her. “Is your shoulder hurting,
Lena?” She asked, sounding sleepy.

“No, not as long as I keep it in this position, it’s
fine.” Lena indicated the sling.

Mary yawned. “Oh dear, I had no idea sitting for two
days in a hospital could wear a person out so much.”

“I should have been there with you today.”

“What could you have possibly done at the hospital?”
Mary yawned again – patting her mouth.

“We needed you to be at the campground watching our
rigs.” Gina reminded her.

“Yeah, but I might have brought you a coffee; sang
songs to Sala to cheer her up – I don’t know.”

“You deserve a little break, Lena. It’s alright. Sala
slept the day away as it was. They gave her a wagon-load of meds.” Mary took
her hand and gave it a squeeze. “No sense in all of us being there.”

Lena studied Mary’s profile. Her friends and her little
sister back home were the only people in the world she considered family.

“I should never have encouraged Sala to fish that
hole.” Lena muttered.

“Now you stop!” Mary’s voice became sharp. Lena didn’t
think she’d ever heard Mary raise her voice. The skin prickled on the back of
Lena’s neck.

“Sala is a stubborn mule and won’t listen to reason
sometimes. She got obsessed with that silly fish. What happened was an
unfortunate accident. I just regret I didn’t go check on her sooner.”

Gina piped in: “Sala was lucky in many ways. I’d say
she got off easy considering what could have happened – certainly no one’s
fault.”

Lena was silent. She wasn’t convinced that her role in
the events leading up to the accident didn’t play a part. She needed to take
better care of her friends. You never knew when someone you loved would be
snatched away. Her heart ached with confused emotion.

“I love you ladies. I hope you know that.” Lena spoke
into the dark.

****

Mary backed her Jeep up to her Boler 17 camper. Lena
stood behind and spotted the hitch.

“Five feet – straight back; yeah, just a little bit
more. Easy! Whoa, stop!” Lena held her palm out and Mary jerked to a halt. Levi
stepped up, bent over the hitch and pulled up the pin. Mary hopped out and
inspected the electrical connections.