8. Braylon
EIGHT
brAYLON
Before going to bed, Uncle Saul suggested I explore the woods behind the house.
“There are plenty of walking trails, and if you’re lucky, you might spy a deer.”
I told him I would, but I was fixated on Adan’s arrival in the morning. Despite him promising to be here before lunch, I hoped he wouldn’t be delayed and not arrive until close to dinner. His conference had finished, and he and the other attendees were having a night out this evening. What could possibly keep him in town tomorrow?
While I hadn’t specifically asked if he had a life partner, I guessed he didn’t. And if he did, he was on track to break my heart. But I sensed he was a good guy—look at how he’d helped me on the train—and wouldn’t delude me into thinking we might date.
I was making huge leaps forward, while Adan was still on the starting block. We hadn’t talked about life and love and all the important stuff. On the train, every word was overheard by the other passengers, though we’d had alone time in the car. But I couldn’t base a relationship on a guy offering to drive me home and saying he liked me.
I woke before dawn and studied the sky. Maybe Adan was awake and looking up at the clouds too. Hauling on jogging pants and a T-shirt, I headed outside and through the gate at the back of the property.
Uncle was right. It was beautiful, and I got lost in the sights and sounds of the forest and trailed my fingers over the bushes until I remembered there could be poison ivy and snatched my hand away.
Twigs crackled under my feet. I’d never be able to sneak up on anyone, tramping over the ground and making a huge racket. But as the trees parted and I happened upon a clearing, a figure stood in the middle of the path, removing the last shred of his clothing. Briefs. He was getting his cock out.
Naked guy was bending over. Nice ass. Why did I think that? He could be a serial killer or poacher. And why was he naked in the woods? Was that a thing? There was no stream or lake close by.
He turned around, but instead of being fixated on his face, I stared at his dick. Yikes. I’d never seen anything so big and so beautiful. But my gaze drifted to the guy’s face. Shit! Shit! It was Adan. Gods, I froze, wishing a hole would appear and swallow me. I couldn’t move forward or back, and I had no weapon. My phone didn’t count.
But this was Adan, the guy I’d been daydreaming about, pining and lusting over. He wouldn’t hurt me. But he was buck naked in the middle of the woods.
I did what anyone would when encountering a naked guy in the middle of the forest. I shrieked. My legs wouldn’t move no matter how many instructions I sent them. But my arms got the message and they flailed, flapping in the air and achieving nothing, probably looking as though I was trying to fly and failing. I was flailing and failing!
“Ahhh!”
He sprinted toward me, and my legs moved a tad backward, and I toppled into a puddle left by last night’s rain.
“Braylon!”
I lay on the forest floor, dirty water soaking my ass, an earthy aroma filling my nostrils until a head appeared, blocking out the light.
“What are you d-doing?” It didn’t escape me that his cock was dangling dangerously close to my bent knee.
“Ummm… I’m a CFA.”
I must have bumped my head ‘cause his speech was garbled. Or I understood the words but they didn’t make sense. “You’re an accountant? I thought you were in marketing.”
“Clothes Free Advocate.” He seemed so pleased with himself, as though he’d just come up with the name. “CFA.”
“Help me up, please.” I needed to be standing for this conversation. Mud trickled down my spine and into my briefs. My shoes were filled with sludge, and as I brushed hair from my brow, dead leaves fluttered to the ground.
“I need a shower and clean clothes.” I took a step and yelped. “Must have twisted my ankle.” I winced. It wasn’t broken and probably not sprained, but I didn’t fancy walking back to the house on it while avoiding Adan’s length as my mind whirred about him being a CFA.
“Let me help.”
Catching more than a glimpse of Adan’s cock had been on my wish list but not like this. And not while I was covered in mud, and he didn’t have a smidgen of dirt on him.
“You’ll get dirty.”
If this had been in the before time—like five minutes ago before I’d seen him—we could have joked about getting dirty as we had done about eating. But now the word emphasized that I was covered in mud while fully dressed and he had no clothes on.
He shrugged. “That’s nothing to a CFA.” He draped my arm over his shoulder and scooped me up. My butt brushed over his dick and my own length hardened.
“Are your clothes nearby?”
He jerked his head to a pile of fabric on the grass. “Maybe put them on before taking me home?” My aunt and uncle were far from prudish, but a naked guy arriving at the house might raise brows from the neighbors.
He sat me down and my ankle twinged. I tried not to look while he pulled on his briefs—bright blue ones with wolves emblazoned on them—and concealed his length.
“Do you do this often?” I thought nudists gathered together, but Adan was communing with nature by himself until I interrupted him.
“Not as much as I’d like to.” He hadn’t been embarrassed at me staring at his naked butt or his cock, but I got the impression he didn’t want to talk about his hobby. Maybe that was the wrong word. Lifestyle would be better.
He carried me along the trail, not panting or wheezing. It was as though I weighed nothing. I could have walked, but I didn’t protest at being in his arms.
“What happened?” My aunt and uncle were in their PJs and enjoying coffee on the deck when Adan opened the gate and strode over the lawn.
“I tripped.” As I wasn’t an outdoorsy person, they understood.
Uncle Saul said he’d get the icepacks, while my aunt helped remove my muddy clothes. Adan was already backing away. Shit, had our little encounter ruined our relationship?
“Gotta get the car. Back soon.”
His car! Of course he didn’t jog from town. I was worried he might drive off and never return.
“I don’t mind you being naked.”
He acknowledged me with a small wave before blending in with the trees.
“It’s none of my business what you were both doing in the woods, but wouldn’t you prefer a comfortable bed?” Aunt Ellie said as she hosed my clothes
After I stripped down to my underwear, I hosed the mud off myself. “We weren’t having sex. It’s just playful banter. Long story.”
“Ahhh.” She told me to shower and she’d wash my clothes. Uncle Saul asked if Adan would be here for breakfast, and I nodded, hoping he wasn’t driving in the opposite direction.
“Do you need help?” my uncle asked as I limped into the living room
“No. I can manage.”
When I emerged from the shower, there were a pair of crutches in the bedroom, and Adan was in the kitchen drinking coffee. I didn’t need the crutches but got an elastic bandage from the medicine cabinet.
“Adan explained what happened.” Aunt Ellie filled up his cup. “That must have been quite startling.” She smirked, and I took a mug and held it out, not wanting to look at the laughter in her eyes.
“While I’ve never gone au naturel in the woods, I get it.” Uncle Saul leaned against the sink. “The urge to be just you, nothing between you and the rest of the world, allowing the breeze to wash over your body and the sun to kiss it.”
Aunt Ellie patted her husband’s shoulder. “If you become a CFA, make sure there are no unsuspecting people around.”
I caught Adan’s eye and couldn’t hold in my laughter. He chortled and that set off my aunt and uncle.
“I brought this.” Adan held up the shopping bag with my housewarming present.
“You remembered.”
Aunt Ellie hugged me, and my uncle kissed my head as they examined the contents. “I love everything in this.” My aunt peered into the cake tin. “Thank you, my darling, but don’t hate me. I don’t want to bury it.” She hugged it to her chest. “I’ll put it in the bedroom so I can look at it whenever I want.”
Uncle Saul pointed to Adan's housewarming gifts, a photo he’d taken of the three of us on Thursday and a second of me and Adan. Aunt Ellie slipped one pic into my time capsule and winked at me.
“Let’s eat.” Uncle put platters of food on the table.
Every word was connected to a tripwire. Eat and dirty, and now when I thought of an accountant, I’d picture them naked running around the woods sniffing flowers.
After breakfast, my aunt and uncle retreated to the garden, saying they’d spend the morning there. But not before pointing out the snacks and also leftovers in the fridge.
“Another coffee?” I held up the pot, and Adan nodded.
“I’m sorry about this morning.” He wrapped both hands around the mug. “I usually check if there are any hu… people about.”
“No need to apologize. I’m glad it was you and not a stranger. I’m not really a woodsy person.”
“Maybe later we can take a walk fully clothed, and I can point out my favorite things about being in the forest.”
“Oh, you’re an expert?”
“Part of me is.”
That was odd. Part of him? My mind went to my favorite place—his cock. And I couldn’t resist smirking.
“Which part?”
A blush spread over his cheeks, reminding me of sunset.
“I asked for that, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you kinda stepped right in it.” We clinked coffee cups.