Freak of Nature - By Julia Crane Page 0,39

remembered you don’t need to eat. So I thought we could just look at the stars, and get to know each other better.”

“Ages? It can’t really be that far for civilization?”

Lucas laughed. “Slight exaggeration on my part.”

Kaitlyn glanced up at the sky and saw white sparkles in the darkness. Crickets chirped in the distance. She could hear the steady rush of water somewhere close by. Her mind flashed with potential rivers, narrowing down the location.

Lucas spread the blanket on the ground.

Hesitantly, Kaitlyn closed the distance between them. Lucas’s hands slid down her arms and pulled her close, her body molding against his as if they were made for each other. Kaitlyn slid her hand under his shirt and spread her fingers across his back. Heat radiated off him, and his breathing increased. She smiled to herself, knowing she had caused the reaction. His lips brushed hers lightly, and an urgency spread through her body. She couldn’t get close enough.

Breaking free from the kiss, Kaitlyn pulled him down onto the blanket. Lucas kissed her again, their legs tangled together. He broke the kiss, rolling to the side so they were facing each other. His hand gently trailed down her face, her arm, and her thigh. Her body felt like it was on fire.

Kaitlyn pushed up his shirt and ran her hands over his chest. It was hard and warm. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It was like a dream come true. His lips trailed down her neck, causing her to gasp with pleasure. How could he have such an effect on her? It was mind-boggling. She closed her eyes and let the feeling take over.

His heart pounded, and it was music to her ears. Kaitlyn pulled away and lifted off her shirt, giving only a passing worry to the teal plastic on her skin. Lucas groaned, his heated eyes racing over her chest. Kate fumbled with the button on his pants, and Lucas grabbed her hand.

“Kate, are you sure?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean? Of course I’m sure. This is what men and women do. Just like in the movies.”

Lucas sat up abruptly and yanked his shirt down. “Kate, this isn’t right. I shouldn’t have let it get this far.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m taking advantage of you. You don’t even comprehend what’s going on. What a relationship entails. Hell, we don’t even know if you’re a virgin.”

Kaitlyn reached for her shirt and spread it over her chest. “You don’t want to have sex with me?”

“Not like this.” He rubbed his hands across his face. “It’s not fair to you. That’s not what I brought you here for.”

“It’s not?”

“No, I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“Oh.” Kaitlyn tried to process that thought, and her processor began to argue the point. “They always have sex in the movies. When I saw the blanket…”

“I care more about you than a roll in the hay.”

Kaitlyn looked around. “Hay? I see nothing but grass.”

“That’s what I mean, Kate. Things are still confusing to you. Come sit by me.”

Kate scooted over and Lucas put his arm around her, then pulled it away. “Please put your shirt back on. This is hard enough as it is.”

Kaitlyn tugged her shirt back over her head. “Better?”

Lucas didn’t reply. Instead, he laid on his back and motioned for her to curl against him. When they were settled, he pointed up at the stars. “Can you pick out Orion?”

Kaitlyn concentrated on the stars and pointed off to the left. “It’s right there. It looks like an hourglass. Did you know that in the middle-east, Orion is known as Al-Jabbar, ‘the giant’?”

Lucas shook his head. “I only know it as The Hunter, from Greek mythology.”

They were silent for a long moment, snuggled against each other on the blanket. Kaitlyn stared up at the vast expanse of star-dotted sky above them, acutely aware of his presence beside her.

He spoke up, his arm squeezing her shoulders. “I love sitting under the stars. It seems to put everything else in perspective. We’re just a tiny blip in the universe.”

“I can see why you like it here,” Kaitlyn said softly and laid her head against his shoulder. “Thank you for showing me where you come to think. Do you ever think about me here?”

Lucas nodded, a movement she could feel above her own head. “All the time. I’ve wrestled with my feelings about you for a long time.”

Over an hour passed of them sitting in peaceful silence. Once in a while, Lucas would