| "Thanks, Brad," I say as the wagon comes to a halt. |
| My brother gives me a stern look. "You have until the next hour. Don't delay." |
| "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten our agreement," I assure him. |
| "Good. Now go and have fun." He playfully shoos me away. |
| In high spirits, I jump off the vehicle and make my way to the bakery at a brisk pace. I haven't had an opportunity to spend time with Andrew since the midsummer festival, and I intend to make the most of our rendezvous. |
| Feeling a tad nervous when I get there a short while later, I stop in front of the entrance and take a deep breath. I enter, the doorbell ringing. Only Andrew's mother, with whom I exchange a silent greeting, and a customer are present. I wait patiently for them to conclude their business and walk up to the counter. "Is Andrew around?" |
| "Just a moment." She disappears into the back room and shouts his name, then returns. "He should be right with you." |
| "Thank you." Full of anticipation, I step away. |
| "What is it now, Mom?" my boyfriend says in an irritated voice as he rushes out of the back room not much later. The scowl on his face vanishes when he sees me. "Jenny! You're here!" He comes over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder, turning me toward the entrance. "Let's go outside." |
| "All right," I reply, somewhat puzzled. |
| We say goodbye to his mom as we walk to the door. He opens it for me, and I leave the bakery ahead of him. |
| A few paces away from the entrance, I confront him. "What's going on?" |
| Andrew frowns. "Our apprentice quit today of all days! I won't miss him to be honest, but it's been quite chaotic since his sudden departure this morning. We're barely able to keep up with our work." |
| "That's unfortunate," I say sympathetically. "But they can manage without you for a while, can't they?" |
| He puts his hand on the back of his neck. "They'll get by, but I still don't want to be absent for too long. I hope you understand." |
| "No problem," I reply with an apologetic shrug, "I only have until the top of the hour anyway." |
| He raises his eyebrows. "I planned to take you to the outskirts again since the weather is so nice today, but I don't think we have enough time for that." |
| "Is there another tree you'd like to show me?" I ask, unable to hide my amusement. |
| Andrew hesitates, a strange look in his eyes. After a long pause, he says, "Actually, I was hoping you'd be interested in a different kind of wood." |
| I can't help but grin. "I might be. Why don't we go to your room and find out?" |
| "I'd rather not," he says with a rueful smile. "We got one of my cousins to help us out, but she's incredibly annoying. I doubt we'd be able to escape her notice, and she'd find ways to pester us no end. I'd hate for her to ruin our time together." |
| "Well, it seems we're left with only one option. Do you know of a place around here that we can use as a hideaway?" I gaze expectantly at him. |
| His brows furrow for a short while, then he says, "Yeah, there's one nearby that may work." |
| I put my hand in his. "What are you waiting for? Go!" |
| My boyfriend leads me down the main street at a moderate run, evading the people in our way. He soon slows down, and we follow an empty side street until we reach a short alleyway. The dark passage is too narrow to walk side by side, so we enter it single file, Andrew going first. |
| Halfway to the backyard on the other end, he stops and turns around. "Well, here we are." |
| I position myself with my back against one of the walls, and he does the same on the opposite side, standing directly across from me. Unsure how to get us started, I realize that we didn't even greet each other properly. "Hello, Andrew," I say coquettishly. |
| He comes forward a little, our bodies almost touching. "Hi, Jenny." |
| "I missed you." I draw him to me until his lips are on mine and close my eyes. |
| We smooch, and I feel his hand touch my breast after a while. He gives it a tentative squeeze, then presses it more firmly. As he massages my breast, I caress his side. I blush as I think about moving my hand lower, but I can't quite muster the courage to do so. |
| Andrew slides the left strap of my dress off my shoulder and stops kissing me. I open my eyes and see his questioning expression. Smiling, I blink slowly to signal my approval, and he pulls the strap off my arm. |
| My boyfriend cups my uncovered breast with his hand and lightly rubs my nipple with his thumb. The sensation as it slowly turns hard is delightful, and I'm surprised at how pleasurable it is as he plays with it. It arouses me more than I ever would have thought possible, and I gasp when he pinches it. He gazes intently into my eyes, and I moan quietly from time to time as he continues. |
| Andrew stops and slides the other strap of my dress off. Pressing me against the rough surface of the wall, he gives me a passionate kiss, which I eagerly return. He puts his lips on the side of my neck and unhurriedly kisses his way down to my left breast. I run my fingers through his hair and moan softly while he teases my tender nipple with his tongue and caresses my right breast. |
| His mouth and hand switch places. He kisses and sucks my right nipple while lightly flicking the left one with a finger. I shut my eyes and tilt my head back with a lustful moan. He carries on for a bit longer, then starts to pull my dress down little by little. My heart is beating rapidly when he stops just below my navel. |
| Andrew suddenly grasps me by the wrist and moves away, making me open my eyes in confusion. As he drags me along with him, the state of my dress causes me to stumble, and I tell him to wait. He halts and looks at me with a flustered expression. |
| "What's the matter?" I ask as I hastily pull my dress up. |
| He remains silent. As soon as I've replaced both of its straps, he grabs my hand, and I race down the alley after him toward the backyard. We round the corner of the building at the end and lean against its wall, catching our breath. |
| Still baffled, I say, "What was that all about?" |
| "One of my former teachers walked by," he answers, dismayed. "I think she saw us." |
| "She probably just wanted to evaluate your performance," I say jestingly. |
| "Jenny! That's not funny," he exclaims but chortles nonetheless. |
| "At least it wasn't me who panicked this time," I tease him. |
| "But only because your eyes were closed," he replies dryly. |
| I giggle. "A fair point. Even so, you have to admit that you overreacted as much as I did." |
| Andrew glances at my chest. "You were bare-breasted this time, though." |
| "Yes, I was. And it was about to get even more exciting," I say beguilingly. |
| He raises his hand and shakes it angrily. "I wish that stupid apprentice had quit some other day." |
| I give him a gentle nudge with my elbow. "Well, I don't have to leave just yet." |
| "Does that mean you're up for more?" he inquires in a cautiously optimistic tone. |
| "Do I really need to answer that?" I reply impatiently. |
| My boyfriend takes a look around and goes to the corner of the building across from me. He waves me over, and I swiftly rejoin him. Bushes parallel to the side of the house and at its end form a small passage, and an old cabinet stands along the wall there. We hurry to the other end of the cabinet and hide in the nook between it and the wall. |
| Andrew grabs my breast and kisses me amorously, reigniting my desire. As I return his kiss with the same fervor, I become emboldened and put my hand on the crotch of his pants. I can feel his penis lightly pushing against the fabric, and it gets bigger and harder as I stroke it. He hikes up my skirt and fondles my behind. |
| My legs go weak, and I withdraw my mouth with a moan. Heart pounding, I take a step back and kneel before him. While I unlace his pants with trembling fingers, the clock tower tolls. Groaning in frustration, I promptly get back to my feet. "I'm so sorry, but I promised my brother that I'd head back at the appointed time." |
| Andrew sighs and fastens his pants. "I figured there wouldn't be enough time left." |
| "Yes, I should have known better," I say as we return to the backyard, "but we can make up for it the next time we're together." |
| "If only it weren't so difficult for us to meet," he replies, still sounding a tad disappointed. "It's a shame you don't live closer." |
| I contemplate the issue while I follow him through the alley. Once we're on the other side, I walk at his side again and take his hand. "What about the abandoned mill down by the river? I doubt anyone would disturb us there." |
| "I suppose so, but isn't it pretty far from the village?" he says skeptically. |
| "About half-way between Brackenbrook and our farm," I answer uncertainly. "Do you have a better suggestion?" |
| "You could move here?" he replies in a lighthearted tone. "Joking aside, I'm willing to give your idea a try. When would be a good time for you?" |
| "Farmhands are in short supply this year, so I might not be free for a while." Looking at him, I continue, "How about I come by on the next market day and we'll take it from there?" |
| Andrew smiles at me. "Sounds like a plan." |
| When we reach the main street, metallic clanging in the distance reminds me of another matter. "Do you know any of the militia captain's children?" |
| "I'm acquainted with his youngest son, who's not much older than me." In a curious tone, he continues, "Why do you ask?" |
| "Do you think you could convince him to provide us with practice swords?" I inquire timidly. |
| "Swords? For us?" he replies incredulously. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no interest in fighting. Is there a reason you don't want to train with the militia?" |
| I lean against him for a moment. "It would be much more fun trying it out with you. I'm not that serious about it, but it would be nice to know what it's like." |
| "I'll consider it, but only if you tell me what made you take an interest in it in the first place," he says impishly. |
| "All right, but I hope you won't leave it at that," I reply readily. "So on my first visit to the Fair for All, I had a memorable encounter with a ranger. I watched her duel someone, and her skillful wielding of two swords at the same time impressed me immensely. Ever since, I've been fascinated by the idea of being able to fight like her." |
| He giggles. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but that's the craziest childhood dream I've ever heard about. I don't have the foggiest notion what a ranger is. Care to enlighten me?" |
| Unwilling to admit how little I know myself, I say, "They're warriors of a sort. They help people and protect the land from dragons." |
| "Dragons?" he replies in disbelief. "Well, I guess it's easy to protect the land from a threat that hasn't existed for a hundred years or so." |
| "Or maybe the rangers are the reason they haven't been a threat," I say with unintentional harshness. In a gentle tone, I add, "At any rate, I'd really appreciate it if you would speak to him." |
| "Fine," he answers affectionately, "I'll see what I can do." |
| "Thank you," I say happily and peck him on the cheek. |
| We presently come back to the corner by the bakery where we halt and face each other. My boyfriend smiles at me and says, "Bye, Jenny. Talk to you soon." |
| "Bye, Andrew." I decide to give him a goodbye kiss and press my lips against his. |
| He kisses me back deeply and rekindles my passion. Rather suddenly, he withdraws again. "Don't keep your brother waiting," he says with a grin. |
| "Right." Slightly dizzy, I turn around and walk briskly down the street, each step reminding me of the unfulfilled desire between my thighs. I need to pleasure myself at the next opportunity. It's going to be a long ride home. |
