Nature is great – it’s even wonderful. Without nature, there wouldn’t anything to look at in the world. But this: white water rafting in a kayak – not my idea of a good time. I repeat, not my idea of a good time! But even now, as I swallowed gallons of water because the damn kayak had tipped over, I couldn’t help but think of Melanie. She expertly navigated the jagged rocks, each of her paddle strokes bending the water and the boat to her will. Even underwater and her ass in the boat, she looked hot.
And she even looked better after she helped me back to the surface of the water by flipping my kayak to an upright position. After that, I had to play catch-up while she slipped and slid between the rocks while the rapids seemed to take a mad pleasure bouncing me around like a rag doll in a blender. But I did manage to catch up with her – she as waiting for me – and we relaxed our progress as the water calmed down. The river flowed into a vast and still expanse: a lake.
“Wasn’t that great?” Mel asked as she paddled up to my kayak. I felt my brow furrow as I glared at her. She’d removed her helmet and her short blond hair was floating in the wind. The cool breeze caused goosebumps to ripple across her arms. I could only imagine the other parts of her body that were being likewise stimulated.
“You’re kidding, right?” I managed to say as I fought to keep my boat steady and close to hers. “I felt like I was a lonely left sock stuck in an endless spin cycle.”
“Come on! You were handling those rapids like a pro.”
“Please don’t insult my intelligence,” I stated. I decided to let the breeze push the waves that carried me away from her and towards the shore. “My body’s going to ache for the rest of the millennium.”
Melanie followed me and even overtook me. I saw her hop out of her kayak when the water became shallow enough; she pulled the boat ashore. By the time I reached the shoreline, she’d removed her lifejacket and was sitting on the sand wearing a blue bikini top and cut-off jeans. I was always startled by how pale her skin was – she must have been a chromosome away form being an albino. But her hair was sunny blond and her eyes were as blue as the water. I could spend hours staring at her delicate features. She was broad shouldered, but her waist was slim while her hips were curved and inviting, yet thick and muscular. And her tits: lovely, pale, and firm 34c cups. Being only an inch shorter than my 5’9 frame, she looked like a cross between an elf and a warrior.
“Need a hand,” she said as I pulled my kayak aground. She was lying down, looking up at the sky.
“Ha. Very funny. Hilarious even. No.” I heaved the boat and I let out a groan. My back was a mess. I walked towards her while undoing my lifejacket. When it fell to the ground, I noticed her watching me over the bridge of her fine nose. I was wearing spandex swim trunks, but I was shirtless. She smiled.
I sat down next to her and she started to play with my bicep. I heard her smack her lips.
“What’re we doing here?” I asked finally. “I mean, there’s nothing here. And what there is… it’ll probably give me an allergic reaction or something.”
“What’s a matter, city boy? Afraid of the big bad woods?” She’d turned on her side and was looking at me, her head resting in her palm. One of her tits was about to fall out of her bikini.
“You know nature makes me… nervous.”
“God, you are so not a guy!” she said, exasperation carrying her words. “Your the first man I’ve dated who wasn’t in love with the outdoors.”
What she didn’t say was that I was the oldest guy she ever dated – I was only 31 to her 25, but I’d spent all my life in a big city while she’d been raised on a ranch. The expression “sweet smelling country air” had different meanings for the both of us.
“Hey, you’re the one who gave me your phone number,” I pointed out. We’d met at a get-together organized by a mutual friend.
“Well, I knew you were smart, witty and cute,” she replied in her defense. “I just thought you were woodsy. The crooked nose and gruffly look… I though you’d be a natural running around in the forest, naked.”
“You realize this is our first date?”
“Oh yeah,” she giggled.
I looked down at her and she smacked my thigh. Then she touched it, rubbed it, squeezed it. I wasn’t a woodsman, but I was a runner. And if it weren’t for the fact I possessed good upper body strength from weight training and swimming, I’d likely still be trapped in the rapids.
“Now what do we do?” I asked, my eyes floating over her curves and peaks and canyons, thinking about what it would be like to touch them all with my lips.
“Good god man, look around you,” she snickered. “Sometimes all you have to do is look around.”
I stared at her blankly.
“Look,” she ordered before lying back down and closing her eyes.
I managed to pry my eyes from her exquisite body, and for the first time on this trip, I paid attention to our surroundings. Breath caught in my throat as I realized the sheer vastness of it all. We were sitting on the shore of a large lake surrounded by a deep and lush evergreen forest. The water was crystal blue and the mid-afternoon sun sparkled off the crest of the waves stirred by the wind. In the distance, I could hear the roar of the rapids we followed to find this corner of paradise. I noticed a flock of loons flying across the sky, their cries echoing off the mountains that loomed over the forest. Despite the fact the peaks were miles from where we rested, they filled the sky. Their snowcapped flanks were partially hidden by clouds.
