A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

After the movie ends, it's only 9:30pm, so we decide to play Nertz. The last time I played was with the group in the Fire Tower. This time, we had too many people for one group, so we split.
Once back upstairs in the kitchen, half of us sit at the table, the other half at the counter on stools. Decks of cards are passed out, and I grin when I get the blue deck. We had the actual game of Nertz cards, which was basically just a box full of 12 different colored decks of cards, making it easy to sort them after each game. Luckily, we had two of these boxes so there were more than enough cards.
I groan when I look up and see who is sitting at the counter with me. Sawyer, Jensen, Sam, Olivia and several other cousins sit around the counter, with Rylie to my right. All of them were good at Nertz. Not to say I was used to easy wins, but I was kind of used to easy wins.
Sawyer and I tie the first game, I manage to beat him the second and third games, but he absolutely demolishes me in the fourth round.
"How do you even get that many cards out?" I shout. HIs final score was 42. I had never gotten 42.
"It's okay, Aspen. Now you know how I feel." Rylie says.
"I don't know if that's your attempt of cheering me up, but it's not working." I grumble. I feel slightly better when she kisses my cheek, but only slightly. Always seeming to read my mind, she gently grasps my chin to turn me towards her before kissing my lips. My mood lifts significantly after that.
We play until nearly 1:00am, sometimes stopping to take breaks to snack on something, hang out in the living room, or just talk. By the time we separate for bed, I'm exhausted.
Rylie takes my hand once we reach our room and grabs a blanket from the chest at the base of the bed before pulling me onto the deck. Despite my exhaustion, I follow without complaint. I sit beside her on the cushioned porch swing as she pulls the blanket around us, and I lean into her warmth.
The rain is still falling, the sound musical and rhythmic as each drop lands on the roof above our heads, or the leaves of the trees around the house. The smell alone is amazing. Rain was one of my favorite smells.
"Hey, Aspen?" Rylie's voice sounds by my ear, and I enjoy the way her breath tickles my skin.
"Hmm?" I respond as I take her hand.
"Do you think we're rushing things?"
I sit up, instantly taking in the worried look in her eyes, even in the dim lighting. "What? Do you?" I ask quickly.
"No, not at all. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it all happened faster. It's just... the day of the... of the accident, when we were on the pier, I asked how soon was too soon for you. We never really got to finish that conversation..."
"Rylie," I take both of her hands gently. "I meant what I said. There is no 'too soon' with you. The moment I started falling in love with you was the moment I knew I wanted you by my side. The day you become my wife can't come soon enough." I promise her.
Her eyes quickly change from worried to full of love and happiness. "God, Aspen." She breathes. "How did I get so lucky?" Tears fill her eyes, and I quickly brush one from her cheek with my thumb.
"I love you so much, Ry." I kiss her softly before pulling her into a hug. Suddenly, I remember another question. "What do you want to do for our honeymoon?"
She takes a moment to answer, and I look up to see a soft smile on her face. "How about a cruise?"
My jaw drops before I giggle. "Really? You'd actually want to do that?"
Rylie laughs, the delight on her face matching mine. "Yeah. I'd really like to do that. Really, I just want to go wherever you go, but the way you talked about your cruise, the way you lit up, made me want to experience one with you."
"You will love it, Ry! Wait, you don't get seasick, do you?" I ask, suddenly worried.
"Not on the few slightly smaller boats I've been on." She laughs.
"Good. Oh my God, you're going to love the food, and the hot tubs!" I talk excitedly for a few more minutes before finally calming down and smiling at her. "Thank you, Ry." I whisper, suddenly feeling the mood shift.
My eyes flick to her already parted lips, and within seconds, she closes the distance between us. Her lips are soft against mine, and I can feel the tickle of her breath beneath my nose.
The smell of Rylie's perfume, combined with the scent of the new shampoo we'd used, invades my senses and drives me slightly crazy.
She gently lowers me onto my back, and her body slips between my legs as the swing gently sways. Our breath mingles together in the cool night air, our soft sighs mixing with the sound of rain.
Minutes pass before Rylie's eyes suddenly meet mine, the reflection of the room lights shining in the starting blue of her irises. Soft fingers trace lines down my cheek, leaving a warm heat.
Without a word, I follow her into the bedroom before shutting off the main lights and stepping back towards her. I lift her shirt over her head before pressing my lips back to hers, trailing my fingers along her toned stomach. She takes my hand, leading it up to cup her breast, and I squeeze gently, enjoying the moan that leaves her mouth and enters mine.
She quickly unclasps her bra, and this time I place both of my hands to her chest before removing my own clothes and bra, desperate to feel her skin against mine. I groan at the contact as my breasts press against hers, and she pulls me to the bed before sitting on the edge. I climb onto her lap and straddle her thigh, leaning my head to plant kisses on her neck.
Rylie's hands slide up my bare thighs before grasping my hips, and she begins slowly rocking me back and forth against her thigh. I groan at the friction this causes, dropping my head back as the slow throbbing between my legs begins to quicken.
When I try to move faster, Rylie's hands slow me back down. "Uh-uh, baby. I want to taste you as you come." She purrs into my mouth before gently biting my bottom lip. She pushes me down onto the bed before slipping her fingers inside of me, and a long moan leaves my mouth with each pump.
"God, Ry." I gasp, and she kisses me quickly.
"I know, baby." She replies before moving down my body, planting kisses along the way. I squirm beneath her touch, and her breath tickles my skin with each kiss.
I cry out when her tongue begins swirling against my swollen bud, and I feel the orgasm quickly building as her fingers resume their pumping. I tangle my hands in her hair, enjoying the way the soft strands tickle my fingertips.
My back arches as I come, and I cry out her name as she keeps her movements steady, helping me ride out the orgasm.
When I finish, she moves back to my lips and kisses me. I taste myself on her lips, combined with her usual sweet taste. Her eyes find mine once I slip us over, and I trail one hand up the inside of her thigh, using my nails lightly, causing a shiver to course through Rylie's body.
I press one long kiss to her lips before slipping down between her legs, and grabbing her hips as I place my mouth to her wet center. I watch her as she squirms, enjoying the way her hands travel over her own body.
Sweet moans escape her perfect lips as I flick my tongue, and when I know she's getting closer, I slip two fingers inside of her, pumping until she gasps, and I know I found the right spot.
"Fuck, Aspen. Right there, baby." She pleads, locking her eyes on mine. This only encourages me, and I quicken my movements, desperate to give her body the release it's craving.
Her fingers reach down to grab my free hand, and she threads our fingers together, her breathing quickening as she nears her climax.
"Please, Aspen." She begs, and I start moving my tongue and fingers faster, feeling satisfaction flow through me as she cries out, finally reaching her orgasm. I feel her body tighten and pulse around my fingers, and I enjoy the taste of her pleasure as it's released.
Once we finally finish and the exhaustion begins creeping back in, I pull Rylie to the center of the large bed and into my arms. I bury my face in her hair and breathe in deeply, tracing my fingers up her arm.
"Thankyou for an amazing birthday, Ry. This whole day has been perfect."
"I'm so glad it worked out the way it did. You've done so much for me our entire relationship, I'm glad I was able to do something for you."
"You have done so much for me, Ry. This wasn't the only thing." I assure her before kissing her softly.
I keep Rylie in my arms as we drift off to sleep, listening to the rain continue against the window pane. A breeze filters through the cracked open window and I pull the blanket tight around us before drifting off into a deep sleep.
I wake in the morning to a tongue on my face, and it's a tongue that definitely doesn't belong to Rylie. "Hey, Harvey." I laugh as I open my eyes. Rylie stirs beside me before rolling over and grinning as she sees Harvey.
"Are y'all gonna get out of bed before noon or what?" Olivia asks from the doorway and I'm thankful the blanket still covers our naked bodies.
"Yes, Olivia. But if you don't wanna see a whole lot of my skin, I recommend shutting the door so we can get dressed." I grin.
"Aspen!" Both Rylie and Olivia shout, and I can hear Olivia's laughter through the door as it slams.
"Didn't you lock the door?" Rylie asks me, still laughing.
"Yes, but Olivia somehow always finds a way into locked rooms. Although now, I think that'll stop when you're involved." I giggle.
"Oh, good. I'd like to keep your naked body to myself." Rylie whispers before pulling me towards her and kissing my lips.
When we make it downstairs a while later, everyone is either in the kitchen with bowls of cereal, or in the living room watching an episode of what looked to be Ninjago.
"Is that..." I trail off, pointing to the TV. Jensen turns to me, laughing. "Ninjago. Yep. They've been watching it all morning." Rylie and I laugh before grabbing some food and joining them. Everyone here was at least 16 years old, so it was surprising that this was the show they decided on. But as Rylie and I join, we get sucked right in.
The rain had stopped sometime early this morning, and once breakfast is finished and cleaned up, we change and head straight out to the lake. It's a warm day, and the sun warms my skin as I lie next to Rylie on the grass.
We laugh as we watch the others play with Harvey, and I'm so thankful once again that he's back to normal after Gabe's attack.
"We're gonna have to give him a bath now." Rylie giggles, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand.
"No, Olivia will give him a bath." I laugh. "Look! She's totally encouraging him to jump in!" I point to the dock.
Olivia is treading water a couple of feet away from where Harvey stands on the dock, clapping her hands and holding her arms out, trying to get Harvey to jump to her. Harvey is just making us laugh as he runs excitedly side to side, trying to work up the courage to jump into Olivia's arms, but his nervousness of the actual jump is preventing him from committing. His tail is wagging so hard that his legs and butt are shaking, so much so that I'm worried he'll just fall right in.
Sure enough, we watch as Harvey tries once more to jump but backs out at the last second, but the momentum of his wagging tail follows through, and he half jumps, half falls into the water.
Rylie and I bust up laughing as Olivia swims to him, scooping him into her arms, and I clutch my stomach. The image of that keeps replaying in my mind, but I finally manage to calm down after several minutes pass.
"I think that was the funniest thing I've seen all month." Rylie laughs, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Me too," I agree, struggling to hold in another fit of laughter. "I'm really glad he's still himself."
"Yeah. I was a little bit worried that he would be wary of people, or at least of men. But he seems just fine, at least with these ones." Rylie comments.
"Maybe it's the douche bags that he'll be different around." I laugh.
"Gabe was a lot of things, and douche bag was definitely one of those things." Rylie laughs. After a moment her tone gets more serious. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you when you found out."
"Ry, you were in a coma. That wasn't your fault."
"I know, but still. I hate the thought of you dealing with anything related to that asshole alone."
I reach over and slip my fingers between hers. "Luckily, we don't have to deal with him anymore."
Rylie smiles softly before leaning over to kiss me. "I love you. Wanna race to the water?"
"You're on." I laugh before jumping up and running towards the dock.