Learning To Fly

* Okay. I know I have a tendency to be a little depressive, but I have decided it’s time for a change. Here is a story positively glowing with that alien subject: happiness. It’s set about two days after the close of One More For The Road. I may, if I get round to it, write a story about that period, but for the time being, I’m going to skip a little into the future.
* These aren’t my characters and this isn’t my show. I do this for fun, that’s all.
* I’m English, and I’ve been told Doug doesn’t sound like Doug when I give him words, but I’m working on it. Promise.
* The song featured is ‘Finally Found’ by The Honeyz, taken from the Wonder Number Eight album.
* As always, comment and constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks.

Learning to Fly
by Jo
dynamojo26@hotmail.com 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can’t believe you’re here with me
And now it seems my world’s complete
And I never want this moment to end
I close my eyes and still I see
My dreams become reality
And now I know, how it feels to be in love
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So how about it, then?” Doug took Carol by the forearm and pulled her into the store cupboard, a mischievous grin splitting his face.

“Doug!” Carol admonished in a hushed voice, glaring at him as she turned around and freed herself. “Did you look?”

“There was no-one around, Carol...” he replied, irritated that she didn’t trust him. “I checked.” Her frown became a small smile and she nodded, thankful that he was at least trying to be discreet.

“How about what?”

“A picnic; tomorrow afternoon.” His grin widened still further, the excitement of putting his own plan into action showing transparently through his face. Carol smiled at his eagerness. He was like a little child with a new toy.

“Where?”

“Ah... that’s for me to know and you to find out.” He swung his arms around her and pulled her in for a quick kiss. Carol drew immediately away, wary of being seen and admonished under her breath, 

“Doug?!” She paused, giving him a suitably annoyed frown. “Why should I go with you when I don’t even know where you’re planning on taking me?”

“Because it’ll be fun.” He winked at her. “Promise.” Carol’s stomach turned a somersault as he flashed her that irresistibly sexy look. It slayed her misgivings instantly. She nodded and leaned in to kiss him. She was such a pushover, she thought to herself as he gladly accepted her embrace. If he wanted to, he could wrap her round his little finger all over again and she would barely even care.

****

The following day, Carol woke, having slept fitfully, anticipating where Doug might be taking her. She couldn’t remember being this excited since the night before her prom. It had so happened that one of their rare days off had co-incided at such a perfect time, and she knew that Doug would have been planning non-stop to get together. She had expected a night out to a bar, or maybe the cinema, and then a take-out meal and sex at her place, but the picnic suggestion had completely thrown her, and she had to admit that the mystery made the idea even more appealing.

It seemed too good to be true, the sort of thing that happened in gooey romantic comedies, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was one of his planned seductions. Doug had a reputation at the hospital for taking his dates to exotic locations and then charming them into wild, passionate sex in the most bizarre places. When she had experienced his little pantomimes, as she had come to view them, for herself, she had been partly disgusted that he treated women so vitreously, yet also completely bowled over by his charisma. Doug certainly knew how to get into a woman’s pants.

This time, whatever her misgivings were, she found herself actively looking forward to the excursion; the secrecy was driving her, making her shiver with anticipation whenever she let her mind focus on it. Doug had promised to pick her up at three o’clock, so after going to the shops and buying a few things for the picnic; pigs in blankets, some foreign cheese, a large bag of hand-cooked crisps and some fruit, she returned home and began to get ready.

She showered and then chose her jeans and a fitted short-sleeved shirt to wear. There seemed little point in dressing up if they were going to be sitting on the grass. Just as she was finishing her make-up, the doorbell buzzed and her heart leapt into her throat. Pausing to take a calming breath inwards, she checked her reflection in the mirror, and yelled out, “Come in!”

“Carol?” came her mother’s voice, strident and shrill through the hall, the front door banging noisily behind her.

“Ma?” Carol jumped up and bolted out into the lounge, dropping her powder compact on the dresser. “Ma? What are doing here?” She demanded.

Helen Hathaway moved around to the counter and dumped a plastic bag full of apples there. “I brought you some apples from the tree; you said you wanted some.” Carol sighed, staring at the apples rolling out of the bag and all over the work-surface.

“Well, why didn’t you ring?” she replied tartly.

Helen stared at her as if she had sprouted a second head and added, “I didn’t think I had to call my own daughter when I want to drop round and see her...” She paused, noticing Carol’s carrier bag, still unemptied, beside the sink. “What’s this?”

“Ma, don’t.” Carol moved around to block her mother’s route, but Helen squeezed by. “Cheese... fruit... potato chips? What are you doing with these things?”

“I have to eat, Ma.”

“And why are you dressed up?” Carol looked down at herself.

“I’m not dressed up.”

“You are... you look like you are going somewhere. Where?”

“Out, Ma, I’m going out. Now please... please go. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Carol ushered her mother towards the door.

“Fine. I will go, then.” Helen huffed, straightening her coat. “I only came around to see if you were okay, and you won’t even talk to me.”

“Ma, I’m really busy. I promise I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay...” Helen put her hand on the door handle. “But make sure you...”

She had barely finished the sentence than the doorbell buzzed again.

“Oh, there’s someone here...” she said, her voice flourishing in a delighted lilt, and flung open the door, her arms spreading wide in welcome. The arms rapidly fell to her sides when she saw Doug standing on the porch, a bunch of flowers extended in offering.

“Ca.. Oh, hi... Helen...” he stumbled, the flowers almost visibly drooping, and smiled graciously. Helen’s face was already creasing into a frown.

“Doug,” she said, her voice gratingly neutral. Doug faltered, his eyes looking to Carol for help.

“Oh, great flowers, Doug,” Carol whisked in, pulling him inside by his shirt sleeve. “They’re just what I wanted.” Helen turned around and glared at her daughter. “It’s okay, Ma, my step class instructor has just had a baby, and I asked Doug if he’d pick me some flowers up on the way back from work.” Helen narrowed her eyes at Doug.

“Oh, well,” she paused, not quite knowing what to say, “nice to see you, Doug,” She cast a look of iron back to Carol, who smiled and replied, “I’ll call you tomorrow, Ma,”

They waved her gone, but as soon as she was out of hearing range, Doug began chuckling. “What?” Carol asked, taking the flowers off him.

“That was strange...” he replied. “But, thanks. You saved my skin.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“Saved my own skin more like,” Carol shut the door and then went back to the kitchen, took the crystal vase from the windowsill, filled it with water and began putting the flowers in. Doug turned towards her, still chuckling. She paused, “Oh, these are for me, aren’t they?” she asked, looking at him closely.

“No, I bought them for the neighbours.”

Carol grinned. “Thanks.” She flicked through the stems, arranging the colours so they blended nicely. “So, where are we going then?”, she asked casually, hoping the veiled approach would get her an answer. Doug grinned wickedly, like a fox would do to its prey just before it was about to eat it.

“I’ve told you; it’s a secret. You’ll find out when we get there.”

Carol frowned and placed the vase on the windowsill, standing back to admire it.  “Tell me,” she demanded, hands on hips. Doug shook his head.

“Come on, are you ready?” Carol grunted under her breath and went to the door, narrowing her eyes at him as he held it open for her.

“Bastard.” she told him and walked past him. Doug chuckled and pushed her towards the Jeep, adding,

“You won’t be saying that later...”

“Wanna bet?” Carol replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I prayed so many nights that you would come my way
My angel from above to light my darkest day
I think it’s time for you to heed these lines
Cos there’s something I wanna say
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the longest car journey Carol had ever been on that appeared to go absolutely nowhere. Doug drove onto the outer ring-road of the city, and appeared to begin a series of endless circles upon himself, turning off one road and onto another, and then back onto a road that looked exactly the same as the one they’d just turned off. Carol shut her eyes, and tried not to follow what he was doing.

“Open your eyes,” Doug said eventually, and the car rolled to a stop.  “We’re here.” Carol peered out through half-closed lids and saw that they had indeed come to a stop in a small gravelled parking area, edged with towering pine trees. She groaned as he opened the car door and took her hand, trying to move her out.

“Where are we?” she asked again, hoping to get an answer from him now that they were wherever it was.

“Here,” Doug replied, unhelpfully. He chuckled at her frown, and opened the trunk. “Take these…” he said, handing her another couple of carrier bags, one filled with sandwiches and another with other picnic provisions. He took out two bottles of red wine from the belly of the car and then locked up, glancing around. “I’m just going to get a ticket,” 

Carol sighed, leaning against the Jeep. The forest all around them appeared to be artificially dense, as if it were part of a plantation of some kind, and was veined with a dozen tiny chalk paths leading off into the trees.  Rooks could be heard cawing in the canopy, and when she looked up, she saw them wheeling around in the sky.

Doug returned and slapped the ticket under the windscreen wiper. “Okay, follow me,” He turned around and headed into the forest, pushing open a post and rail gate in order to gain access to the path.

“This is forestry commission land, is it?” Carol asked, looking around at the tended pathway and the cleared route in front of them.

“Yeah, there’s a lodge up over the hill behind us. The guy in charge is a real Ranger Joe type,” Doug informed her.

A slow silence passed as they walked along. “You’re gonna ask me how I know this place, aren’t you?” he said after a while. Carol stared up at him, a smile appearing on her face.

“The thought crossed my mind…” she admitted.

Doug chuckled. “If it had anything to do with al fresco sex, you’re wrong.  My shrink used to tell me to come here.” Carol looked up, smiling at his audacity, and saw on his face perfect sincerity.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “It was something to do with calming the mind. A natural place encourages calm, apparently…” He smiled, his eyes fixed somewhere in the distance. Carol said nothing, but inside she was surprised. Doug had never been able, or even willing to discuss any part of his private life with her before. He had always been closed off, so silent about the things that were pressuring him. Even in moments of extreme duress, he never came to talk to her, he simply bottled it all up and appeared calm and helpless.

But ever since he had laid with her that night shift some six months previously, she had noticed a strange willingness in him to talk. It seemed that someone had exposed the dark side to Doug Ross, and he was no longer ashamed of it.

There could be no denying either that the magnetism that had been there before was still present, and in abundant volumes. And even though it pierced her with its own dangers, she could feel herself getting deeper and deeper in with every stolen glance, every gently laid hand on her arm, every softly spoken word. Doug was addictive, she knew, and she just hoped to God that this time, he wouldn’t be dangerously so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I finally found what I’ve been looking for
And now you know I’m gonna love you more
Hold me tight cos it’s always been you
To think that you were always there
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Now it’s clear that it’s always been you

“Doug?”

“Mmm…”

Carol flitted her eyes up to him, seeing him glancing all around the forest, smiling faintly as if remembering little details that he’d forgotten during a long absence. She swallowed, “ What made you come to me the other night?”

Doug blinked in mild surprise, and then his smile spread. “I needed to know,” he murmured, his voice low. Carol kept her eyes on him, but he did not look back to her, instead remaining focused on his surroundings, as if he were nervous of her reaction.

“You needed to know what?”

“Whether you were serious with Toby.” He made a strange grunt in his throat. “Something told me you weren’t… I don’t know what it was.”

Carol nodded, smiling. “I’m glad you came…” Doug finally turned his head towards her.

“Yeah, so am I.” He paused, and then indicated that they should turn off the chalk path. “This way…” They stepped through a short distance of undergrowth, Carol catching her jeans on brambles and resistant ferns.

“Where are you taking me?” She asked, laughing as she yanked a branch out of her face. Doug chuckled, pulling her by the forearm into an ever-widening patch of overgrown grass.

“Here,” he replied.

Immediately, Carol looked around. The patch of grass rapidly shortened, and became a kind of embankment, sloping down to the edge of a lake that was more than likely Lake Michigan. Sheltered on two sides by tall pine trees, the spot held a silent mystery that even the birds seemed to be observing. The noisy rooks were nothing but a distant chatter, and the only other sound was the low hum of a powerboat somewhere on the lake.

The sun was dodging in and out of fluffy, paint-box clouds, sending its shimmering rays over the water, picking out the rises and the dips and giving them a mirror-ball quality. Carol stepped up to the edge of the water, sinking into the dirt and gravel on the bank, and gazed out across the lake. She could hear Doug setting down the things somewhere behind her, but she was amazed by the overwhelming quiet. It made her feel like she was intruding on somewhere secret and beautiful never before seen by human eyes. She twitched, smiling to herself, and then felt his arms slip around her waist.

“Like it?” he asked her, his voice complimenting the calm. Stopped for words, she simply nodded. “See, I told you it was beautiful…” She sighed, leaning back into him, letting him rest his chin on her shoulder, and let the still permeate into her bones.

Doug laid out the picnic rug and settled himself down to begin
emptying the bags. “Hey, are you gonna eat or should I call the Cubs talent scout?” he called to Carol, who was wandering aimlessly around the border of the clearing, picking up stones and throwing them into the water, seeing how far she could pitch each one.

She turned and grinned at him. “I’m that good, am I?”

“Well, could use a few lessons from an expert, but…” His voice trailed off and he gave a smiling shrug. Carol raised her eyebrows.

“And you think you’re so good, do you?”

Doug made a quiet noise of approval, shrugged, and then stood up, brushing his jeans down. “Let’s see shall we…” He chose a stone and held it up for her to see. “Round… aerodynamic…” Pausing, his hitched his shirt back a little, and then readied himself for the throw. “Back straight but leaning backward, right knee slightly bent, left arm forwards to balance your weight… and then step forwards with the throw.” The stone soared into the distance and landed with a tasteful plop in the water. When he turned to smile proudly at Carol, she was walking away. “Hey, what did ya think?” He asked, jogging after her.

Carol smiled at him. “You’re such a show-off.” She told him, shaking her head.

“Am not.” Doug faced her down, a smile on his face, but staring her out.

“Are too.” She sat down with a thump and began rooting through the bags. 

Doug sighed and gave up the tease, joining her on the rug. “What do you fancy?” Resisting the urge to lean forward and whisper something inappropriate, Doug replied, “A sandwich, maybe?” Carol noticed his slight hesitation, and smiled, leaned over and pulled him into a quick kiss, fumbling a sandwich out of the bag and into his palms.

“Mmm…” Doug murmured, “Nice.” He set the sandwich down on his knee and opened the foil.

“What’s in them?” Carol asked, taking her own and unwrapping it gingerly.

“Cheese and ham. Peanut Butter. I think I might even have made a few chicken ones.” Carol opened the bread up and stared.

“This is cheese and ham, right?”

“Yes,” Doug answered tartly. “Are you doubting my cooking skills, Nurse Hathaway?”

“What cooking skills, Doug?! They’re sandwiches!” He scowled.

“Shut up and have a drink.” He took the wine out of the cooler bag and began to pull the cork. Carol held out her mug,

“Certainly,” she grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes you don’t expect that friends
Can become lovers in the end
Only God knows what the future will bring
So hold me close and don’t let go
Cos this is love, boy don’t you know
And we’re gonna be, together for eternity

Carol was drunk. Doug watched as she stood up, uneasy and stumbling slightly, smiling to himself. She’d never been one for excessive drinking, and especially with him, despite how drunk he would get. The first bottle of wine was empty, and she’d had a glass out of the second, and now it was beginning to show. “Carol, sit down…” Doug warned, his eyes following her as she teetered around on her heeled mules.

“Why? It’s beautiful, Doug, come and look…” She headed off to the edge of the lake and Doug followed, half from concern and half from curiosity.  He came up beside her and stood whilst she watched the scene for a moment.

Then, with a sudden movement that Doug interpreted as a fall, she dropped to her knees. Reaching out, Doug snagged her forearm and held her swinging, pulling away from him.

“Carol? What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna skim a few stones… will you let go of me?” Doug released her and she dropped to the floor and began filtering through the gravel. She selected a handful and then stood up again, giggling. She skimmed a stone across the surface and it flew perfectly, bouncing half a dozen times before sinking into the water. It was at this point that she realised she was  drunk. Never before had she been able to skim stones, and such fluke talent could only be delivered by alcohol. Doug grinned.

“Not bad.”

Carol grabbed his arm and then pulled him towards her, into a sudden, passionate kiss. Doug responded automatically at first, but then pulled away. “Carol?” He looked confused, his face registering surprise and a little worry. She stepped away from him. She was definitely drunk, but that was unimportant, except for the fact that if she weren’t drunk, she would never be so bold.

“Shut up and kiss me, Doug.”

“Carol… you’re drunk…” he replied, as a matter of common sense. “I can’t take advantage of you like this.”

“That wouldn’t have stopped you before.” She told him, her voice impatient.

“Yeah well, that was then…”

“I’m serious, Doug. I want you.” She leaned into him and kissed his face, little tiny presses against the rough skin that felt adorable. Doug squirmed under her delightful torture. All his best instincts were telling him that as soon as she recovered sobriety, she would regret this, but at the same time his hormones were pumping around his gut and making him want to rip her clothes off there and then.

“You’re serious.” He said, as a confirmation. Carol nodded, passing her hand down his back and digging it under his belt, sandwiching a lovely hot fug of cloth and skin. Doug sighed, torn, and dipped his head to kiss her.

Swiftly, she morphed the light and tender kiss into heated passion and started to drag him towards the rug again. “Where are you going? “ Doug asked, reluctantly following her.

“Back here.” She sat down and began unbuttoning her shirt. He paused and stood over her, watching her. He knew it would be foolish to sit down with her and let her have her way with him, but concentration and lateral thinking were becoming even harder as all the blood left his brain and his heart pounded harder and harder. He needed to know what was going on.

“Carol, why are you doing this?”

“Because I want you. Come here, Doug…” She smiled at him, a sexy twinkle in her eye.

Doug bit his lip. This couldn’t be happening to him. It was everything he wanted and everything he didn’t want. Groaning, Doug lowered himself down onto the rug and closed his eyes. A moment’s silence passed, and then he started to laugh.

Carol’s stare widened. She had no idea what he was laughing about, but she was patient. Eventually, he’d just turn to her and kiss her. He couldn’t have changed that much in three years.

“Okay,” he whispered, rolling onto his side and gazing at her. “But just remember this was your idea. You seduced me.” He checked all around him and then he grabbed her roughly and made her jump, and then he kissed her hard. Carol moaned and wriggled underneath him, her hands fumbling with the stiff material of his jeans, her knuckles brushing over his cock. “Mmm, yeah…”  Doug growled, giving in, and pushed his crotch into her. 

Suddenly, she went completely still, and then called out, “Stop it!” She leaned against him and tried to lever his bulky weight off her chest. Doug jumped off her, wary at the tone of her voice and looked up to see her laying flat on the floor, her body twisted slightly, her chest moving rapidly with forced breathing.

“What? Why?” He managed to blunder out, his brain fuzzy with confused thoughts.

“That was…” she rolled her head listlessly to him, and it was then he noticed that her face was straining with emotion. “No,” Doug leaned into her and tucked her hair away behind her ear, suddenly realising the reason behind her anxiety.

“I’m sorry,” She straightened herself and sat up. Doug noted her shy discomfort.

“Are you okay?” he asked after a moment. She nodded.

“Yeah… oh…” She groaned. “I’m such an idiot.”

“No you’re not.” Doug told her softly, smiling.

“I am. I’ve made a complete fool of myself with this…” She waved her arm around her, resting it on the empty wine bottle a few feet away.

“Hey… you haven’t…” Doug patted her knee. “Besides, it brings back memories wrestling with you.” He grinned to show he was joking. Carol grinned back, taking the joke. “Boy,” Doug continued. “I was surprised as Hell that night when you went all the way.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you were…” Carol sighed, leaning back and resting on the rug. “I was pretty damn surprised myself. You know, it wasn’t actually my plan.” She paused, and then turned to him. Doug had settled himself down on the rug beside her and they were facing each other, his hands encasing her own. “I could never figure out why you liked me…” she admitted, smiling despite herself.

Doug’s face now took on a strange sincerity. “You were beautiful…” he said simply. “When I saw you I just knew I had to have you.” He chuckled. “I never understood why you put up with me… I mean, I wasn’t exactly renowned as the knight in shining armour.”

Carol smiled. “You made me laugh. You always managed to make me feel special when we were…” she faltered. “You know…” Doug smiled at her bashfulness. She paused, and then reached out her fingers to run them down his cheekbone. “No-one had ever made me feel like that before.”

“I suppose I should say thank you,” Doug murmured. They were quiet. Carol could hear his breathing, soft and low, humming in his chest. Somehow, the  sound was relaxing. She nestled into his chest and whispered, “That night was amazing, Doug. Thank you hardly does it justice.” His eyes opened after being shut, and he chuckled.

“I know…” At that, Carol sat straight up, smacking his nose with her cheekbone. “Ow!” Doug exclaimed, and grabbed his nose.

Carol gaped at him, as he slowly removed his hand and dabbed the end, catching a little drop of blood with his thumb. “What do you mean you know?” she asked, surprised.

“I mean it was the best sex I’d ever had in my life.” He sighed.

“Jesus, woman… you got a head like a rock.”

Carol pulled a tissue from her jeans pocket and replaced his hand with it. “Sorry,” She smiled through the surprise. She’d never believed that Doug would have thought she’d have been any comparison to some of the blonde, busty model types he’d dated in the past. “I just…, I had no idea.” She blinked.

“That was kind of the idea. I don’t tend to dish out evaluations after sex.” He took the tissue away and patted his nose a couple of times. The bleeding had stopped. Carol didn’t know what to say, so she changed the subject.

“I’m not gonna see Toby again.”

Doug smiled through the twinging in his nose. “You’re not?” Somehow, her words meant a lot to him.

“No. He’s too boring. He’s got no conversation, all he does is talk about his family.”

“What? He’s got kids?” Doug asked, laying back down beside her.

“No, I mean his parents… and his sister… and his aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.” She sighed.

“So why did you go out with him?”

“I don’t know… I just, I don’t know,” she confessed. “I hadn’t been out with anyone for a while… I just thought it was time I did.” She let out a long breath, and let the silence pass.

“Will you be my girlfriend…?” Doug asked, his voice strangely sheepish, like a nervous teenager asking for a first date. Carol smiled.

“Yeah, why not?” She could smell his warm breath, so close to her. Carol felt a rush of peace flow through her that was so intense it was physical. “You smell great…” She rubbed her face into his shoulder, like a cat, and then pulled away, looking into his eyes.

He laughed at her loss of composure, and she met his eyes, dark as night and fringed with those impossible lashes, and his lips smiled down at her, ripe enough to bite into, and he was solid and warm and different and confident, and she wanted him so much she could feel her stomach turning somersaults in her gut. He stopped chuckling, watching her, and after a moment, he leaned over and kissed her, his lips brushing over hers.  Her whole body tightened like a coiled spring and she waited whilst he held the kiss, never straying inside her mouth.

He pulled away and said, “Carol?” She put her hand on the back of his head, totally oblivious to the fact that they were still outside, and drew him down to her, running her hand down his shoulder and laying it on the small of his back. His mouth tasted like the wine they had been drinking, warm and fruity and filled with sunshine.

His arm felt solid, the fingers strong as they cradled the base of her head, supporting it and gently massaging it. He eased his hand up under her breast and she shuddered, feeling her nipple tingle and then harden. The heat was sudden and consuming and she twisted into him, feeling an ache growing in her tummy, and, as if reading her thoughts, Doug’s warm, wet mouth began worming its way down her throat. She sighed and drew in a deep breath of him, smelling his aftershave and the faint scent of skin and  sweat, deliciously enticing.

His fingers were playing with the buttons of her shirt, opening them slowly and methodically, then his hand was inside and passing over her breast, hard and tender in the same moment. Carol moaned and squeezed him tighter. “If you’re going to say no,” he breathed into her ear as he laid her down on the rug, “say it now.”

She clenched her teeth and urged him to rest his weight on her. “I want you now, Doug,” she whispered.

Doug’s eyes were intense on her in the lazy sunlight, burning like hot coals buried in mahogany. The weight of him pressing against her stomach was a luscious ache, his mere presence soothing. His hand slid down and popped open the last button, his fingers lingering on her stomach. “You have such a pretty stomach…” he murmured, tracing around her tummy button. His face was close to hers, so close she could feel his breath, hot and patient on her cheek. His mouth tickled the hollow of her throat and his stubble scratched pleasure across her skin. They were moving gently now, to a subconscious rhythm, the rug rumpling beneath them. Carol pushed her hips up, grinding her pelvis into her crotch, feeling the hardness there, bound by his jeans. She pulled his shirts from his jeans and pressed her hands inside them, feeling the warm skin there, releasing even more of that exquisite, delightful Doug odour.

Doug shifted his position slightly, planting a sucking kiss on her chin. 

“Wait,” he whispered. “Let me unbuckle my belt.” She arched back, giving him some freedom to move, whilst he fumbled with the brown leather belt. She was so excited, so filled with want for him that she couldn’t lie still beneath him, so she twisted and turned, her fingers joining his and tugging at the resistant belt. Then, it came free, and Doug eased the buttons open, sighing at the liberation. He took her own jeans off, pushing them down past her thighs and letting her kick them off impatiently.

To Carol, he felt wonderful, but it wasn’t enough. She unbuttoned his shirt half way, and then drew it over his head, flinging it to one side. Now, she could feel his skin against hers. His hands were at the snapper of her bra.  “Carol? Can I…?” He sounded small, and it was an unusual thing to have Doug request her approval of something before he did it, particularly in sex. She nodded.

The bra came off, and she pressed up against him, feeling his chest smooth on her breasts, slowly becoming a tickle and then an itch that spread throughout her body and drove all other thought from her brain. She kissed him, hard and desperate, pleading and full of want. He kissed her back, his tongue playing strange dances in her mouth, the sensation so different and yet so familiar.

“Oh God, Carol…” he said, and still holding her to him, he slid her hand down between her legs and fought her panties out of the way. His fingers hit her wetness and she shook. They felt impossibly good. His mouth had found her nipple and he was tugging, sucking and winding his tongue around the hardness, his saliva turning cold as he switched from one to the other.

Suddenly, he pulled away and sat up. Carol stared at him, breathing hard and mildly disorientated. “What are you doing?” she asked, impatience creeping into her voice.

“I need a condom…” Doug said. “I don’t suppose you’ve got one have you?”  Carol shook her head.

“Shit,” Doug cursed. He stood up and buttoned his fly again. “Won’t be a minute. Stay put and think about what I’m gonna do to you when I get back!”

“Where are you going?” Carol shouted as he jogged away.

“Won’t be a minute!”

Carol laid back and stretched herself out. There was no-one around. Silence reigned throughout the secluded spot, although she could just about make out a cricket somewhere in the bushes to her left. She could barely believe this was happening. Last night, when he had refused her unspoken invitation so calmly, she had been surprised beyond words. The Doug of three years ago would never have turned down the chance to get laid, no matter what the situation, but this time, this time Carol had the feeling something was different. He was like a familiar stranger she could get to know all over again.

The air was warm, and as she waited, she realised that if he’d brought her here for sex, surely he would have brought a condom with him in his pocket?  Perhaps she’d misinterpreted him. She hadn’t believed him when he’d told her it was a picnic, mainly because she anticipated that it would just be a different, exotic location to have wild, passionate sex. The thought didn’t repulse her, but it had made her a little wary. Now, as she heard his footstep behind her, jogging back, she rolled over onto her stomach and grinned up at him, her mood turned around. “Hey, I’m back…” he called over to her. “Sorry, had to go to the car,”

“I’m glad,” Carol replied honestly and smiled. “Got what you went for?”

“Mm-hmm,” he grinned at her. “Why don’t you put it on for me?”

“I think you should finished what you started,” Carol reminded him. Doug grinned, flashing her his teeth.

“Okay.” He laid down on top of her and took up the gentle tease with his fingers, stroking and sketching invisible patterns across her clitoris.  Carol shuddered at the feeling. His other hand was caressing her leg now, her inner thigh, then up to her stomach and to the heavy flesh of her breast. He bent over, pausing to hiss her, then began again, working back up, following the same marvelous route.

Suddenly, his index and second fingers were inside her, thrusting, whilst his thumb played over her clitoris. Carol let out a gasp, sated with enjoyment. His lips were tracing her now, and she could feel her blood pounding through every vessel in her body, flushing her skin and swelling everything, deep and hot. Inside her, a ball was gathering speed, rolling further and further with each thrust and stroke. With a barely conscious, breathy scream, Carol came, blindingly fast and hard, feeling the spasms take her away.

Carol lay still for a moment, tired and sleepy from the exertions, feeling incredibly bad, knowing she had been selfish. Never before, not even in their most difficult moments, had Doug sacrificed her enjoyment in the wake of his own. Always he would summon the energy to make her come, no matter what it took. Now, as she felt him shifting her in his arms, feeling her eyes grow heavier, she forced herself to rouse.

“You okay?” Doug asked, sensing something was wrong. She nodded.

“Yeah,” Her voice was distant.

“Hey… it’s okay if you’re tired…” he murmured. “Go to sleep.” Carol smiled at him and he smiled back, cradling her like a child. Oh God, she thought, he’s doing it again… He’s making me fall in love with him again.

His eyes were dark and soft, crinkled like tissue paper around the corners. “It’s okay, Doug… I’m fine… C’mere,” she said, and pulled him over her so that he was lying between her thighs. She began fighting his jeans off him. “I want you, Doug…”

Hardly able to contain himself, Doug helped her get them off, and then reached into his pocket. “Hang on,” He sat up and ripped open the condom package, pulling it on with speed and deftness, then kicking his shoes off.  “Okay… you ready?” Carol nodded, unable to form words, and gazed up at him. Doug smiled, and then spread her thighs apart with his own and sank into her. Carol’s eyes went wide with the shock and fullness of him, the way he seemed to gel into her body. It was sensation she had never forgotten.

He slid his hands up and laced them through her hair. He held her face so he could see her. “It’s gonna be different this time,” he murmured. “Look at me, Carol. I want you to know that I want this more than anything in the world.”

Such words, spoken with such honesty, seemed alien coming from Doug Ross’s lips. “I want it too…” she whispered. He smiled and kissed her again, his tongue lightly touching hers, running over her lips, her throat, his hands on her breasts, teasing and tickling. She felt that lovely warm pressure building again, coming out of hiding from under her skin, coursing across her body like electricity. She cried out, pressing harder against him.

“Look at me,” he said again and twisted her head up. There, as she looked into his face, his eyes glowing and unwavering from her own. His teeth were clenched. “You are the reason I’m feeling this, Carol.” His eyes closed and then he shook wildly against her, and she felt him pumping inside her. At the same moment, as he thrust one last time, she came again, and he felt it, contracting around him like a thousand tiny shivers, chaotic and out of control.

As her mind returned, Carol collapsed down onto his broad, damp chest and thought, this is all because of me…”. Doug eased himself out of her, and took off the condom, filled down with his liquid, and placed it in one of the empty plastic bags that had carried the sandwiches. He rolled over and spooned up against her. “We must remember how we did this…” Doug whispered, a laugh in his voice.

Carol flipped over and laughed into his neck. “I’m serious,” he added. “I’ve had good sex before, but this was nirvana. Was it the place? I’ll buy the land from the council. I swear.”

“No,” Carol whispered, chuckling. “It was you.”

Doug grinned. “Well, thank you.” There was a silence, filled only by his arms tightening around her. “So, are we gonna make this a more permanent thing? Will you say yes if I ask you out tomorrow night?”

“Doug, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say no to you again. Not after this.”

His eyes twinkled. “You never could say no to me,” Carol’s mouth dropped open in mock anguish and she thumped his bicep.

“Oh, you are so smug, Doug Ross!” He chuckled, but offered no defence, kissing her forehead instead. After a minute, she relaxed into him, feeling his breath soothing and soft on her cheek. Carol thought she’d never move again. She could smell him everywhere, his scent intermingled with sweat and sex and the last afternoon sunshine, yellow and golden and pink, the sun cracking like a watermelon on the horizon.

She licked the salt from off her lips and savoured the tang. He smiled at her gesture and kissed her again, warm and cosy and full of promise. Even in the fading light, she could make out the dark hue of his skin, olive mixed with sienna and cream, highlighted by its closeness to her pale shade of white. His eyelashes were like black lace resting against his lids, fluttering every now and again when he blinked. His smile was just visible on his lips and she traced it with her fingertips, smiling back when he kissed them.

“You have the most beautiful smile…” he said softly. “It’s, I don’t know… It’s…” He paused and started again. “You know pinball?”

“Yeah,”

“Well, you know when you get a high score, all the lights flash and… you smile reminds me of that.” Carol chuckled. It was a strange analogy, but she liked it.

“My pinball smile,” she said. He leaned forward and kissed it as she smiled it, repeating,

“Your pinball smile…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time, I’m gonna make sure it turns out alright
I wanna be your everything and by your side
For the rest of my life
This love, feels that way that love should be
Look in my eyes and realise there’s no disguise
Cos I’m in love with you.

The End.