Page 40 of Second Time Around

Twelve

Beck tightened the laces of his running shoes and took off down the path. It was Labor Day, but the Rochester Municipal Park was quieter than usual. Many Michiganders had taken their annual trek Up North, and those who’d stayed behind were probably occupied with family and friends. He’d had the option of spending the day with his family as well, but he’d chosen not to. Since he’d had lunch with them and Jenna yesterday, he’d reserved today for himself. Plus, he hadn’t wanted to face further questioning from them about Jenna.

After they’d had dessert and she’d thanked his parents, she’d taken off like a shot. He’d offered to walk her out, but she’d insisted he stay inside with his family, and he’d known there was no use arguing. He’d watched her drive away and wondered if it would be the last time she’d come there for a family dinner.

Now he was taking his frustration out on the pavement, his shoes hitting the asphalt with sharp slaps as he pushed himself to the limit. He passed a few other runners on the path, each as determined as him to run away from their demons. He’d been reading a lot of thrillers lately, thus the metaphor. In fact, he’d stayed up late the night before and finished his latest suspense novel. His heart had been pumping so hard he’d had trouble falling asleep afterward. Then he’d started thinking about Jenna…

He’d recalled how their thighs had touched underneath the table and how surprised he’d been when she hadn’t pulled away. It had reminded of when they’d been teens and had dinner with his family. As good as his mom’s cooking was, he couldn’t wait for the meal to be over so he could be alone with Jenna. In those days, they went out to the bench in the backyard and kissed under cover of the large oak tree that hung over the rose garden. He suspected his parents knew what they were up to, but they’d never said anything. They might not have been as lenient if he’d been with some other girl, but they’d had a soft spot for Jenna, and still did.

Back then, they couldn’t get close enough, and when the hard bench wouldn’t do, they took off in his car under the guise of going to get ice cream. Having grown up in Rochester, he was familiar with all the hidden places one could go to when one wanted to be alone with their girlfriend. Just outside the bustling downtown, there were plenty of meandering dirt roads lined with cornfields and empty plots of land. He pulled his car onto a two-track and parked it in the tall grass behind some trees where nobody could see them except the deer who wandered through the nearby fields.

Once he shut off the car, they were plunged into darkness, with only the sound of crickets for background noise. Then they tumbled into the backseat, where they could stretch out. Winding their limbs together, they kissed, their lips eager and demanding. Then their hands began to roam, first over their clothes and then underneath.

Though his body burned with hunger, he was still respectful, going only as far as she let him. They didn’t go “all the way,” but she had her first orgasm in the back seat of that car while fully dressed.

He still remembered it clearly—his hand in her shorts because she hadn’t wanted to remove them and get caught naked. She’d bucked against him, her inner muscles clenching around his fingers, and his erection had swelled and pulsated to the intoxicating sounds of her moans and sighs.

“Beck…I’m going to…”

Then she climaxed, her head tipped back and her body writhing in ecstasy. He thought it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen until she sat up and told him to unzip his shorts.

He immediately complied, and when he bared himself, she gazed at him with fiery eyes and a sexy smile. Then she wrapped her hands around his shaft and worked him into a frenzy. He howled when he came, hoping that nobody had heard or, if they had, that they thought it was an animal. Then he reached for the box of tissues that he kept under the seat and cleaned himself off.

Afterward, she crawled onto his lap and leaned her head against his chest, both still breathing hard.

“I can’t wait until prom,” she said.

“Me, either.”

“I hope we can be alone together.”

“We’ll find a way.”

“I want that to be the night…”

“I know,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “But are you sure?”

“Yes. Aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been sure since our first date. I just want it to be perfect for you.”

“It will be.”

Then they’d started kissing again…

“Watch out!” a woman said, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Oh. Sorry,” he said as she whizzed by. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed her running around the bend until she was right on top of him.

Right on top of me, he thought, and an image of Jenna popped into his head. Soon he came to the creek where they’d strolled the other day. He decided to stop and take a break as his heart was beating unusually fast. The park was mostly flat, and he was in good shape, so he wasn’t breathless from running. Reminiscing about his first love had done this to him.

He turned another bend and saw a woman sitting on their bench with her back to him.

Wait a minute. Is that her? When he came closer, he saw her head was bent over a book, and there was no mistaking her shiny blonde hair.

He slowly approached the bench, and when he was a few feet away, he cleared his throat to announce his presence.

She snapped her head around and looked like she was about to shout for help, but when she saw him, she scowled instead.