Romantically Entangled

Chapter 19

Bey

I'm wide awake by five in the morning, and for once it's not because of a nightmare.

I wake up with the image of Nicki's beautiful tits in my mind, along with a painful case of blue balls.

I've also got Riri's voice in my head.

"No red-blooded, testicle-totin'  gal would have walked away from a sweet, warm, willing piece-of-ass like that," she scolds me. "Are you fucking kidding me, Knowles? Strap on a pair and nail the girl like she wanted you to."

Yeah, Rir would be ashamed of me.

And yeah, when we crawled soaking wet back into her room last night and stripped down to our underwear, she was definitely willing.

She was leading me over to the bed when I stopped her.

I already had a raging hard-on when I cradled her face in my hands and suggested we take it slow, spend a little more time getting to know each other.

Pretty sure I could hear Riri screaming at me from beyond the grave.

But then an idea popped into my head. "Do you have any hiking boots?" I asked.

Nicki shot me an incredulous look. "What?"

"Never mind," I said, waving my hand in the air. "Sneakers will do."

Shaking her head, she'd reached into her closet for a robe and then tossed a towel from the back of the door at me.

I wrapped it around my slightly less obvious erection.

"Look, Nicki," I said, determined to persuade her. "I want to take you someplace tomorrow. Someplace special. I know it sounds nuts, but I think you'll really enjoy it."

She stared at me as she tied the robe around her waist.

"Bey, I can't go hiking tomorrow," she said, raising her hands in exasperation. "I have to be at an editorial meeting at the paper at 5. All the reporters are required to be there."

I pulled her into my arms then and promised to have her back at the house by 4. Then I kissed her over and over, and basically begged her to go.

And when she finally agreed, my erection and I practically ran out of the room before I changed my mind and took her back to the bed.

I check my phone. Still only five thirty in the morning.

I try to distract myself by focusing on the technical details of the day: All rappelling equipment needed? Check, already stowed on the ROTC bus.

Transportation method secured? Check, aforementioned ROTC bus already reserved with a driver lined up, assuming he shows up sober.

Enough qualified personnel to ensure a safe and effective exercise? Check, as long as you assume a bunch of hung-over undergrads looking to complete their Adventure Training hours fits the bill.

Plenty of the ROTC guys and girls have brought dates along on our unit's weekend rock-climbing trips, but today will be the first time for me.

I'm not exactly sure how Nicki will react. Or the guys in my unit, for that matter.

It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, to suggest she come along on the training exercise I was already scheduled to assist with as a ROTC adviser.

And I'm hoping that after the rappelling, we can slip away from the group and hike downriver to this pretty spot I stumbled across last year: a secluded, lushly green alcove where the river tumbles over the rocks into a deep, clear pool.