Cougar

Reaping the Rewards

Gareth rolled off me again, their skin making a sucking sound as their sweaty bodies parted. The cooler air cascaded over me, and my nipples puckered in response. Gareth shifted to place his mouth over the pink bud closest to him, running his tongue along the sensitive tip, sending shivers up and down my body. I mumbled "mmmmm" as I threaded my fingers in his hair at the curve of his head, encouraging him.

His breath was warm on my chilled skin as he moved from suckling me to rubbing with the sprout of his 5 o'clock shadow. With a heaving sigh, Gareth reclined on his back, pressing close to me as though he didn't want to stop touching. His body hair brushed against me, a continual reminder of his closeness. I reached my hand between us, and he clasped it in his large one.

"That was good," he breathed out, and I burst out in a bubble of laughter.

"Good?" I teased. "Is that all I get?"

Gareth turned his face to mine, his cheeks still pink from exertion, his tawny hair sticking up like a sweaty porcupine. I stifled another laugh.

"Better than good," he said, planting a kiss on my smiling mouth.

"That's better," I said into his lips. A question that had earlier piqued my curiosity resurfaced, and I voiced it to him.

"Do you often hook up with women who are significantly older than you? You are a hot young guy. Aren't there any 20 years
olds you could text?"

Gareth's chest shook in response. He rose on his side, supporting his head with a muscularly bent arm, and trailed his fingers over my cool skin.

"I don't know if I would call it that. I mean, I've dated women my age, but also women older, some younger. I think I just don't care about age."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?" I wasn't sure if he was joking with me or not.

"Yeah. One of my most recent girlfriends was a mom of two. She had little kids, a boy and a girl, and I lived in an apartment with them. The kids were cute, and I seemed to have my life together, even with the kids. I think I like that. Women my age are a lot like me, still trying to figure out life."

"I got news for you, babe. Everybody is still trying to figure out life."

Gareth shrugged. "Well, maybe more together than me."

I nodded. "I get that. What happened with the girlfriend?" My curiosity was insatiable.

"Oh, well it was kinda sad, for me. Her baby daddy decided he wanted to try and make it work, so she dropped me like it's hot and went back with him. That was, like, a year ago. I haven't really had anything serious since."

I allowed my fingers to play with his flaxen chest hair as I considered his story.

"I guess there is something to be said for younger women who maybe don't have baby daddies."

Gareth moved his head close to hers, his cobalt eyes glowing at her.

"You are a sage one, Emma." He kissed the tip of my nose.

I retorted in a teasingly somber tone. "It's wisdom that comes with age, grasshopper."