Chapter 30: Steady to the Shore — Part 7
With her back still to ChoCho, Paige takes a moment to work her hands up her skirt, and ChoCho realizes that Paige has two condoms. She’s putting one on, and for a moment ChoCho thinks that Paige might take ChoCho in a way ChoCho isn’t ready for. Paige is careful to keep herself concealed, as she turns slightly to the side, one hand on ChoCho’s chest, the other lingering in places still tender, and ChoCho feels heat rising again. The condom comes first, then the cool, slick feeling of lubrication. The two have locked eyes, neither looking away from the other until Paige pushes him on to his back, turns her back to him, and settles gently over his hips, taking him smoothly and quickly within.
ChoCho doesn’t know what to expect, and if Paige hadn’t have taken control of the moment, the moment would not have happened. He only knows that he is inside her, that she is going to work him until she has gained from him what she has taken just moments before. ChoCho feels the pressure of strong muscles, and Paige squeals a little from the mix of pain and pleasure, her breath ragged, her heart pounding in her ears. She’s come quickly, and the sound and feel of it triggers a need to finish in ChoCho. Paige falls forward, curling tightly as ChoCho works awkwardly into a sitting position, then pushes down hard until Paige is on her belly, panting and whimpering with every thrust. ChoCho feels the burning of the moment building, and there is no turning back for him, not until his heart races and his body is broken in release. There are no tears this time, something in him, long ago weakened, is about to give way completely.
ChoCho pulls back, expecting a mess of blood, finding none. Paige stays on her belly, her panties nowhere to be seen, and her skirt thrown up over her lower back. She is trembling, sounding like she’s crying. ChoCho doesn’t know what to do. He thinks he’s hurt her, remembers the pain of his own past, and he slowly starts to die inside. The quiet lasts too long, causing a building fear that he has done something horrific and unforgiveable. Paige turns onto her belly, pulling the blanket to her. One hand cleaning under the blanket, Paige looks up at her lover, smiling. She sees his fear melt away, though she does not know why there would be such emotion there to begin with. ChoCho turns away and starts cleaning his own body as well fear replaced with a sudden sense of modesty.
When both of them are free of wet and condoms: When the tent is organized and the bedding arranged; the two lay quietly on their backs, listening to the unsteady patter of the rain. ChoCho wonders if what has happened between the two of them will change what is happening between all four of them. If Paige has thoughts, they are of a more personal nature. She feels warm and lazy like a cat, and her thoughts are more a reflex of those feelings. Paige has her hands behind her head, her breathing has deepened, but she is not asleep.
“ChoCho is quiet. Paige is not surprised.” Paige says, knowing with some accuracy that it will take a moment for ChoCho to say anything.
“I was scared I hurt you.” ChoCho says. “I don’t think I could forgive myself if I did that.”
“This concern is because Paige and ChoCho are now part of each other.” Paige says, though in truth it is only part of the source of ChoCho’s concern. “It is also because ChoCho is a good person. You could have hurt me, if Paige was not proficient in such matters as lubrication, of which both of us have Daria to thank.”
ChoCho is quiet again, scared now. Things are turning complicated in his mind. “What are we going to tell Jynx and Daria?”
“Only as much as they tell us about what they do with each other when they are hiking.” Paige snaps, her tone turning dark.
Long, comfortable minutes pass in the warmth of a dry tent with soft blankets, and though Paige is lying down, her hand slithers out and Paige begins fiddling with a pocket in her pack, pulls out a mirror, and opens it. ChoCho feels suddenly trapped in his thoughts, manipulated by Paige, betrayed by his own body. Yet he feels warm and safe and happy for it. Despite this a confused jumble of emotions is starting to wrest control of his senses.
“Why did you do this to me?” ChoCho asks suddenly, the tone of his voice quite difficult to describe.
