"Honey. We landed." 

Nicole's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times and turned her head in the direction of the voice. 

"There you go, sunshine!" The older woman smiled. "I wish I could sleep like that on planes."

Nicole wiped at her mouth, smiled and mumbled an apology in response. She stood and shifted into the aisle. She pulled her bag down from the overhead compartment. She pulled her phone from the seat pocket, and followed the train of people down the aisle of the plane and into the jetway. She powered on the device, in a matter of seconds notification after notification buzzed through the phone. Not concerned, she ignored the messages and immediately called Matt. He answered after only one ring. 

"Hey, I'm circling, should I park?"

"I don't know. I have to hit customs; not sure how long it will take."

"Okay, I'll park and meet you inside." 

"Okay. See you in a bit."

"Hey."

What?"

"Happy 40th birthday, you old ass bag!" He yelled into the phone with a laugh and immediately disconnected the call. 

Nicole rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. She took long strides through the airport terminal, trying to beat as many passengers as possible to the customs line. She was surprised to see how short it was and breezed right through. Now she was wishing she had told Matt to circle. Nicole strode through the sliding doors to exit the terminal. Her path emptied into a corral of people anxiously waiting for the arrival of loved ones. Right smack in the middle of the small crowd stood Matt and Joel with a sign and two oversized balloons in the shape of a 4 and a 0. The moment she passed through the door, they screamed her name and started singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs. The song caught on and most of the crowd joined in. Nicole's face transitioned through multiple shades of red. Joel hopped over the corral rope, wrapped an arm around his friend, and placed a kiss on the top of her head, while the crowd cheered.

"You guys suck," Nicole mumbled, trying not to look at the hundreds of eyes staring at her. "Also, they all now think we're fucking." 

Joel pushed her out of his arm and made two small retching noises. "Ew gross!" 

They walked around the group of waiting strangers and met Matthew, still holding the sign and the balloons. 

Matt wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her into a half hug, half headlock embrace, "Welcome home. We missed you." 

"Wish I could say the same." she laughed at him. 

Matt pushed her from his arms toward the exit. Joel pulled her large backpack off her back and led them to his truck in the parking lot across from the terminal. Nicole sighed when she saw the truck. She watched as Joel threw the sign and her backpack into the truck bed and slipped into the driver's seat. Matt stood with the balloons held tightly in one hand, holding the passenger door open with the other and smiling. Nicole mumbled something about why they couldn't take an actual car, as she slid across the bench seat and took her place on the center hump. Joel patted her leg and laughed as Matt successfully wedged himself and the balloons into the passenger seat next to Nicole. The three rode in silence out of the airport and onto the freeway. Nicole cracked a slight smile, nostalgia rolling in. The smile grew larger, and eventually transformed into a small giggle and then a full-on laugh. 

"What?" Joel asked. 

Nicole laughed harder. "You two assholes have been making me sit on this goddamn hump for 20 damn years."

"You're smaller than us, that's why," Joel stated matter-of-factly.

"I can't catch a break? Even on my 40th birthday?" 

"Nope," the two said in unison. 

"Jesus Christ." Nicole suddenly stopped laughing. "I'm 40. This is 40?" 

"Welcome to the club," Matt softly punched her shoulder. 

Before she even knew what was happening, her eyes welled up and the tears began to spill. She wiped at her face quickly, but the tears were streaming. A small sob she tried to disguise as a hiccup bubbled out of her. 

"Are you okay?" Matt asked. "Shit, are you crying? What happened?"

Nicole shook her head, but tears and the catching of her breath every few seconds exposed her reality. 

"Nic, what hell?" Joel panicked as he drove, trying to decide if he should drive faster or pull over. "What's happening, what can we do?"

"I just didn't... I don't... I thought this would look a lot different, I guess," she managed to confess.

Matt reached over, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into towards him. Her face buried awkwardly into his armpit. He exchanged a knowing glance with Joel, who continued down the freeway. They knew she wasn't upset about getting older, she was upset about getting old without Jason. And while she would never admit to missing him, they knew better. 

She composed herself and allowed Matt to release his hold on her. She readjusted herself in the seat and used the rearview mirror to check the puffiness of her face. 

Joel eventually interrupted the silence of the drive, attempting to lighten the mood. "Nic, 40 isn't so bad, I mean my knees aren't what they used to be, but you're fine." After a short silence, he continued, "I mean, you may not want to eat so much because your metabolism slows when you're older and if you get heavy it may not be as easy to land those 20-something Oaxaca guys with Aztec God names." 

Nicole blushed slightly and slapped at Joel's arm. Matt released a loud chuckle, and unsuccessfully tried to cover the smirk on his face with his hand.

"Is that what you guys think of me?" She asked angrily. 

"Did you even see the pictures you posted? They looked very post-coital to me." Matt laughed. 

"You're sick." Nicole responded. "How do you even know what I look like post-coital?" 

"You and Jay banged like rabbits when we lived together, so I unfortunately know exactly what you look like post-coital." Matt laughed. 

"It's okay you can admit it to us, you got your groove back with a 20-year-old." Joel teased.

Nicole rolled her eyes, but the smirk that accompanied the memory of her time with Matlaihuitl gave her away.  

"He's not 20-something. Just so you know." She informed them. "He's 31." Then after a beat, she added, "And my groove was never lost."

****

After a short spell in traffic, the truck cruised easily down the freeway and parked quickly into Matt's driveway. They had informed Nicole that they had a small 40th birthday dinner waiting for her, and that they would take her home after. She protested, wanting to take a shower after the almost four-hour flight, but they held her hostage in the middle seat. As they piled out of the truck, Matt rushed inside quickly. Joel helped her with her backpack, before she could take the steps up to the front door, Joel called her attention to a plant growing in the corner of the yard. 

"Hey, is this new? What kind of plant is this? Matt is so domestic now, is this what's going to happen when I get married?" Joel called out his line of questions.

Nicole laughed and turned her attention to Joel. "Dude, they're roses."

"No, come here, look." Joel waved her over. 

Nicole walked over and joined him by the potted plant. "Roses, dude! Nothing new. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be more domestic. You wouldn't ask such dumb questions."

Joel shrugged, and led her to the front door. He flung the door open, and allowed her entrance, she froze, and her face lost its color as she was greeted by a loud shout of "Surprise!"  It took about thirty seconds for her to realize what was happening. A sudden rush of people holding phones up moved toward her. She dropped her large backpack to the ground and took a few awkward steps back, trying to leave, but Joel blocked her egress. Joel pushed her bag out of the way and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He whispered "happy birthday" into her ear and kissed her cheek. 

Nicole smiled awkwardly, and Joel dropped his arm from around her. His embrace was quickly replaced by another embrace, and then another, and another. Her heart was racing, it was hard to process everything, and her senses were on overload. Finally, an older woman, with short, graying hair that feathered back and about her face, came into her field of vision.  

"Karen?" Nicole mumbled as she recognized Joel's mother. 

"Oh, sweetie, happy birthday!" Karen hugged her tightly. 

Nicole held the embrace longer than necessary, but it felt so good to see her. She had practically lived at her house when she was a teenager. Joel's parents had basically taken her in when her own mother struggled to maintain her sobriety. Joel's parents had retired and moved to New Mexico five years before, and she had not seen them since.

Nicole pulled back from the embrace, "What are you doing here?" she asked, and then hugged her tightly again.

"We came out for your birthday," Karen smiled and waved her husband over. 

"Paul!" Nicole squealed, as she hugged Joel's father. 

Nicole felt as though she was walking on air. The shock of the surprise took the wind out of her, and it was hard to tell who was all there. She circled the room, saying hello to everyone. One person after the next hugged her and wished her happy birthday: Joel's brother Marty holding his three-year-old daughter, Marty's wife, Alex and Nikki, three teachers from her work, Dan the bartender along with Patrick. The list of people grew longer with each hug. Nicole continued the circuit, smilingly widely. 

Matt popped up suddenly and hugged her again. "Were you surprised?" He beamed.

"Completely shocked. And pissed, I really wish you would have let me go home to change and shower." She looked down at her cut off jean shorts and hiking boots which were too big to pack so she wore them on the plane. 

"We figured if you went home, you'd flake, and Candy spent literally the last two weeks prepping for this, and all-day cooking." He smiled. 

"Where's Candace?" Nicole asked, looking around the room for Matt's wife. 

Matt directed Nicole to the kitchen island. Candace was leaning on the counter, picking at a bowl of chips talking to a man who, though his back was turned, Nicole recognized immediately. Her heart hammered suddenly as she made her way to the kitchen. 

Candace noticed Nicole walking toward her, and she pushed off the counter and moved toward her, arms outstretched, "Birthday girl!" Candace cheered as she pulled Nicole into a tight embrace, and promptly released her. 

The man Candace was speaking to spun around on the swivel bar stool, smiled broadly, and locked eyes with Nicole.

"Josh!" Nicole smiled, surprised most of all by his presence. "What are you doing here?" 

He stood slowly and opened his arms. She hugged him tentatively. "Candace slid an invitation into my DMs," he laughed at his own joke. "Forty is a big one, lady. I had to come."

"I saw him on your Insta," Candace smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.

"It's good to see you." She smiled, and like that she whisked away to another group.

JC smiled, and perched himself back on the barstool. Feeling a little out of place, but once again grateful to be normal. In a room full of strangers, he was not the focus, and no one wanted anything from. He could just be Nicole's friend, Josh. 

The party was casual, and relatively small, but the small size of Candace and Matt's open-concept home made it feel bigger. Everyone huddled in the big living room, kitchen, dining area, sipping beers, and snacking on the spread of various hors d'oeuvres  Candace and been preparing for the last two days. People shared stories about Nicole. With each account, Nicole turned a deeper shade of red. 

The party began to wind down, and as guests began to leave, it was easier for Nicole to relax. She was overwhelmed by the number of guests willing to celebrate her, but it was hard to give her attention to each person. She made a dinner date with Joel's family for later in the week before their return to New Mexico, checked in with her work friends and arranged a time to get together before the start of the new school year in two weeks, and thanked Matt and Candace especially for hosting and organizing this shindig. She scanned the room and locked eyes again with JC. He was seated on the couch engaged in a serious conversation about motorcycles with Alex and Dan the bartender. JC smiled at her and shifted on the couch. He patted the seat next to him, and she smiled and plopped herself down between him and Alex, and while the conversation about motorcycles was over her head, sitting next to him might have been the highlight of the evening.

At a lull in the debate, Dan stood up and announced that he was heading to work at The Brit and that the party should continue, but Nicole shook her head and sighed, "I'm wiped Dan!" 

"Girl, you're 40, not 80!" Patrick quipped from across the room. 

"I have also been gone for three and half weeks, and these bozos," Nicole pointed at Matt and Joel who sat in two armchairs on the other side of the room, "wouldn't take me home to rest, or clean up, before they dragged me here." She smiled.

"Well, you can't go home yet," Candace called from the kitchen. "I want to hear about your trip!" 

"Oh, and that boy from the pictures." Patrick added with a tongue pop.

"Yes, and that boy from the pictures!" Candace called out.

"Yes, tell us about the boy from the pictures," JC added, and patted her leg.

Nicole shook her head disapprovingly, "That's Mag's from Merced's godson. I stayed with her friend and her family when I was down there. They hosted me, made sure I was safe and had a good time."   

"So, was he a good time?" Patrick asked. 

Everyone laughed, and Nicole tossed a throw pillow from the couch at him. 

"I had fun, it was a great trip, and Oaxaca has stolen my heart."

"And you have stolen its virginity," Patrick mumbled loudly. 

"Patrick!" Nicole shouted. 

"What? Go on girl, at 40 younger men like that should be a notch on your bedpost."

"He's 31, Patrick. And that was all we could squeeze out of her in the car." Joel informed everyone.

"Leave me alone, guys! It's my birthday," Nicole whined. 

****

By just before nine pm, the party had all but ended. Most guests had left. Candace kicked her shoes off and flung herself into an armchair, announcing that the cleaning could wait. JC had lingered behind, still seated on the couch and chatting benignly with Joel, who occupied another chair across the room, his fiancé sat pleasantly on his lap. Matt and Nicole re-entered the living room after waving off the final group of guests outside. Nicole yawned and trudged toward her bag, which still lay in the corner of the room. She pulled it up and flung it on her back.

"So, who's taking me home?" She asked. 

"Don't forget you have presents. I put them on the table over there," Candace announced, pointing across the room. 

JC stood suddenly. "You know, I was getting ready to take off, I can drop you off on the way."

"You sure Josh? We can do it." Joel mentioned. 

Candace stood, slapping Joel across the arm as a warning to shut up, and ran to the kitchen to grab a bag for Nicole to put her cards and gifts in. 

"Not a problem," JC smiled. "Here," he strode over to join Nicole at the gift table. "Let me help you with everything, and I'll take you home." 

They packed the gifts, mostly bottles of wine and cards, into the bag. Nicole said her goodbyes to her friends. She thanked Candace profusely, and followed JC out of the house, down the steps, and a few paces down the street where he had parked his Jeep. He opened the back, and she placed her backpack behind the row of seats. JC placed the bag of birthday gifts next to it and walked her to the passenger door. He held the door open, and she slipped inside. He jogged around the front of the car and took his place behind the wheel. 

"All set?" he asked. 

She nodded, and he took off down the street and in the direction of her apartment.

"Did you have a fun birthday?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Thanks for coming. And for the ride."

The drive to her house was quick. He pulled up to her garage and she jumped out and let him in. He parked in a guest parking spot, and helped Nicole carry her luggage and gifts up to her apartment. The ride in the elevator was silent. Nicole couldn't help but think about her last ride in the elevator with him. She stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and wondered if the same thought was crossing his mind.  The elevator doors slid open with a ding, and JC followed Nicole down the hall to her apartment. Once inside, she directed him to leave her bag on the ground against the wall in the living room. She set the bag with her gifts on the bar countertop that separated the kitchen from the living room. 

"Thank you." She smiled, suddenly extremely nervous with him standing in her living room. A strange pang of guilt tugged at her heart. She had slept with another man only days prior and now with Josh standing in front of her she felt weirdly bad about it. 

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have something for you too." JC announced as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slightly bent yellow envelope." 

She walked over to him and pulled the yellow envelope from his hands. "Thank you," Nicole smiled and moved to place it on the bar countertop with the rest of her gifts. 

"Aren't you going to open in?" He asked her. 

"Oh, if you want me to?" She eyed him. 

He nodded in response. 

Nicole slid her finger along the envelope's seal and tore the flap open. She pulled out a sea foam green card covered with golden cartoon drawings of trees, a tent, a bear with honey,  a fox, mushrooms, and a campfire. In the center of the pictures was a quote printed in neat typewritten font, "‘All good things are wild and free' -Henry David Thoreau." Nicole smiled, and raised her eyes to meet him. 

"Thoreau is one of my favorites," she informed him. 

JC smiled. "I know." He nodded toward the crowded bookshelves that lined one of the living room walls.  "I saw the shelf dedicated to him," he smiled. 

She opened the card and a plastic credit card like item slid out. She caught it before it fell. It had a picture of a lake and the title read, "America the Beautiful National Parks Annual Pass." She quickly read the message in the card, written in JC's looping scrawl.  

Happy Birthday, Nicole. I hope this will help you plan your next great adventure. -Josh.

Nicole felt a rush of heat and her heart hammered again in her chest. She looked up at him. He stood timidly across from her.

"I hope you don't have one." He smiled awkwardly. 

"Wow, no. I don't. That's really--" she struggled to finish her sentence. She looked at him, searching his face. They barely knew each other, really, but this gift couldn't have been more perfect. She was terrified, not of him, but of how he made her feel. 

"Yeah, you know, I could tell from your Instagram that you really liked camping and backpacking, so..." he allowed his thought to trail off. He took a few steps closer to her and filled in the gap between them.  

"That's really, thoughtful," she mumbled softly. "Thank you." 

She blinked a few times but struggled to pull her gaze away from his. His eyes were so blue and sexy, it was easy to get lost in them. That, combined with the thoughtfulness of his gift made her slightly weak in the knees. She swallowed hard and finally he made his move. He reached his hand up to her face and rested his palm on her cheek. He rubbed his thumb over her lips and moved in to kiss her. She turned slightly, and his lips met her chin. He kissed her chin and trailed his kisses up her jaw line. He pulled back slightly and moved to kiss her lips again, and once again she turned ever so slightly away.

He pulled away quickly, "What hap- ... Am I... Did I do something wrong?" JC asked her, slightly frustrated by her mixed signals.

She blinked a few times. She was conflicted. He seemed to always ignite a fire deep inside of her. She wanted to jump on him, she wanted to feel him. She wanted him to be as close to her as he could physically be, but her mind swirled with thoughts of Mexico and Matlaihuitl. She felt like a liar. But she wasn't. Nothing was happening between her and Josh. No conversation about what this was, what the parameters were. This was just fun and casual. He could be with whomever he wanted to be with, and so could she. And right now, she wanted to be with him. 

She reached up and placed her arms over his shoulders, hands grabbing at the hair at the back of his neck. She pushed up onto her toes and pressed the back of his neck slightly. His lips crashed onto hers. He kept one hand on the back of her neck and slid his other hand down and cupped her ass. He stepped back closer to her, pushing his body against hers. Lightheaded and slightly off balance, she stepped back a few paces until she bumped into the bar countertop. Her fingers raked through his hair and tugged at the ends of his wavy strands. The sensation of her fingers scratching his scalp and tugging at his hair was an instant turn on. She could feel his erection begin to grow through his pants. She gasped slightly, and he continued kissing her chin and neck. She rolled her head back and breathed his name into the air. He slid his hand up to the waistline of her shorts and slid his fingers under her shirt, up her sides, and around her back. He worked at the hooks of her bra and unfastened it with ease. He pulled away from her, and slid both hands under her shirt and up, pulling her shirt off over her head. He immediately cupped her breasts in each hand and began kissing each through the cotton of her bra. Nicole's temperature began to rise, and her skin turned a shade of pink. She wanted him right here in the living room, but again the small pangs of guilt grew stronger.

She tried to pull away slightly, but he held her close to him as he trailed his kisses from her chest back up to her neck. She mumbled something, but JC didn't care, he wanted to feel more of her skin. She pulled back again, "Stop, stop," she breathed. He instantly pulled back and stepped away. 

"What? What's wrong?" He asked, confused.

"I, I'm not sure if we should do this," she whispered.

"Are you okay, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, I... I think, I know where this is headed, and maybe we should... maybe we should use a condom this time?" she mumbled, looking away from him. 

"Okay," JC replied softly. "Should I be worried about something?" he added.

"No, no." 

"I don't mind, but..." He was afraid to ask his question. "So, why this time?" 

"I guess we should have before, but before I wasn't really..." she was afraid to finish the sentence. She thought he would be mad. 

"What?" He tried to turn her face toward him, but she refused to make eye contact.

"I wasn't sleeping with anyone else before." She still couldn't look at him.

JC cracked an ever so slight grin. He assumed she slept with the guy in Mexico, the thought of it even made him jealous, but her apparent regret or guilt about it now was strangely redeeming. He faked a sigh,  "But you are now? Sleeping with someone else?" 

"Well, I mean, I did," she mumbled and finally allowed her eyes to meet his again. Her breath caught suddenly as she looked at him. He was so sexy staring down at her. He was clean-shaven for a change, and his hair was tousled about from her hands and hung around his face. She was baffled by the effect he had on her. The desire was bubbling deep inside of her. Whenever she was with him, she lost all ability to control herself. All she could think about was him attacking her lips, him pinning her to the bed while he thrust inside of her. She wanted to be that close to him again, and now his silence at her confession was killing her. "I'm sorry. I just... We aren't really..."

"Don't apologize. We're good." He closed the space between them again. He placed his hands on her lower back and pushed her close to him. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her feverishly. He attacked her lips, and her chin, and her neck, and on to her ear. Dragged his tongue over her skin and whispered in her ear. "But did he do this?" Then kissed his way down her neck and onto her collar bone. 

Nicole rolled her head back and gasped. He squeezed one breast in his hand and kissed his way down to her nipple and nipped a few times. "Mmmm," Nicole moaned. 

JC pulled back. "Oh, he did?" 

Nicole smirked and nodded. 

JC moved to her shorts and unbuttoned them. He slid them down her legs, and she stepped out of them. He slid his fingers down her stomach and between the cotton fabric of her panties and her skin. He felt her excitement as he brushed against her clit. She moaned louder. 

"How about this, did he do this?" he asked, then turned her around and pressed her back against him. He continued his progress, kissing and nipping at her neck. He wrapped his arms around the front of her. One hand massaged a breast while the other slid one and then two fingers inside of her.

"MMMM, Josh, yes." She whispered. 

"Look at how turned on you are," he whispered. "Did he make you this wet?" 

"Maybe," she breathed.

JC pulled his hand from her panties, turned her around and kissed her lips hard. He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. He ran his hands up and down the side of her body, then looped his fingers into the waistband of her panties, and then bent and lowered them to the ground. She stepped out of them quickly. He pressed her naked body against him and gripped a fist full of hair as he guided her closer to him, allowing him easier access to resume kissing her.  He suddenly released his grip on her hair, reached down and picked her up, walking back a few paces, and placing her on the bar countertop. He kissed between her breasts, and down her stomach. He pulled a barstool out and leaned back against it. He moved her legs apart and lifted them up, so they rested on his shoulders. 

"We gotta do something about these clodhoppers" he motioned toward her hiking boots. 

He kissed the inside of her left thigh, down to her knee, and then moved onto her calf. He unlaced the boot and slid it off her foot. It fell to the ground with a loud thud. He kissed his way back up to her thigh and then moved to her right leg and continued on a similar path. Her right shoe fell with a thud to the ground. He slid his hands up and down her legs. He allowed his right hand to move up to her stomach and down. Sliding his fingers over her center. She moaned, and her body shuddered at his touch. His thumb pushed against her. He kissed the inside of her thighs a few more times and looked up at her. He enjoyed watching. Her entire body flushed and trembled in pleasure as he continued his progress. "Did he do this?" He asked before allowing his tongue to take over for his thumb. 

Nicole panted and moaned. She used her right arm to brace herself on the counter, and her left hand moved to the back of JC's head. It was her turn to grab a fist full of hair. He made a small humming noise as he continued his progress. His tongue circled her and when she thought she couldn't take it anymore he moved his fingers back between her legs and entered her, causing her hips to buck on the counter. 

"Holy fuck, Josh, yes. Josh, please don't stop!" She gasped. 

He pushed his fingers inside of her harder, adding another finger, and his tongue continued its circular path on her clitoris. He felt her getting wetter and noticed her ragged breathing. This, combined with hearing her moan his name over and over, almost sent him over the edge as his own erection pressed against his jeans. He ached to be inside of her. Close to her. Wet and warm. 

Her grip tightened on his hair and her hips bucked upward; she breathed heavily and panted his name as her orgasm washed over her. He slid his fingers from her and used his hands to reposition her legs on his shoulders. He kissed the insides of her thigh and wiped the taste of her from his mouth. He lowered her legs from his shoulder and kissed his way up her stomach, stopped at each breast and kissed his way up to her neck and ear until he was standing. He wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel his erection straining through his pants. 

"Did he make you come like that," he asked her softly. 

She pushed her hand up under his black t-shift. Tracing her fingers across his skin. She pushed his shirt up, and he raised his arms as she slid his shirt from his body. She kissed his chest and allowed her hands to roam over his shoulders and down his arms. She pulled him closer to her, their chest pressed together. 

"Josh, only you make me come like that," she smiled flirtatiously. 

JC groaned, "Mmm, please tell me you have condoms."

Nicole slid from the bar countertop and pulled him by the hand into her bedroom. She opened up a drawer in the dresser and pulled out a small foil packet. JC quickly removed his shoes and pants and sat on the edge of the bed.  She walked over to him and positioned herself between his legs. She reached down and stroked him a few times. JC moaned quietly in response. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back lightly. He pushed himself up in the center of the bed and laid back. 

Nicole straddled his thighs and placed the condom on the tip of him and rolled it down his shaft. She scooted herself forward, gripped him in her right hand, and guided him inside of her. She eased down on top of him and acclimated to the feel of him. She eased up slowly, and sank back down. Immediately, JC's hands moved to her breasts and squeezed, circling her nipples with the pads of his thumbs. 

She quickened her pace, riding him hard, pushing him deep inside of her, he could feel her closing in around him. His hands moved down to her ass, he squeezed tightly as he pushed his hips up to meet her own thrusts. 

He could feel his orgasm beginning to build, and grunts from deep within him surfaced. "Fuck, that feels so good," he panted, as she slid up and pressed back down onto him. He watched her as her head rolled back, and her hair swung wildly. Her breasts bounced as her rhythm increased. 

JC released his grip on her waist and used his arms to prop himself up, he was close to the edge, and he wanted to feel more of her. He wrapped his arms around her, pushing her chest against his as she continued to bounce in his lap. His hands found her hair and gripped tightly. How could she feel this good, even with a condom? He thrust his hips up as she continued to crash down on him. Her body stiffened, and her breathing changed. 

She held him tight, her nails pressed into his back. "Josh, Oh God, Josh, yes!" she panted, "I'm gonna come." 

"MMMM, Nicole. You feel amazing." He grunted as she tightened around him.  "Uh, that's it, come for me." He felt her body tremble in his arms, and that was all he needed before his own orgasm came crashing after hers. He pushed up into her one last time before his own body shuddered with a groan. 

He released his grip on her hair, and he fell back onto the bed, arms spread out. With him still inside of her, Nicole bent down and kissed his chest. She ran her fingers up and down his stomach, while she caught her breath. After a few moments, she braced herself on his chest and lifted herself off of him, crashing on the bed next to him, resting her head on his left bicep. 

Once JC's breathing returned to normal, he kissed Nicole's temple, smiled casually, and whispered, "Happy birthday," with a soft chuckle. 

"Birth-day sex... Birth-day sex," she smiled and sang out softly. 

He moved his arm out from under her, sat up, and rolled from the bed. "It's the best day of the year giiirrrlll," he sang back as he padded to the bathroom and shut the door. 

Nicole looked on as the soft yellow light emanated from the seam of the door. She heard the toilet flush and the water come on in the sink. The light turned off and JC emerged from the bathroom, still naked, and Nicole found it difficult to look away. He had an average build, his clearly dyed hair was always messy and trimmed to an awkward length, and he was in desperate need of a tan. He was nothing like the men Nicole normally was attracted to, but she was extremely attracted to him nonetheless, and the way her body reacted to him, to his touch, to the way his body felt pressed against hers, was out of her control. He climbed back into the bed and pulled her back to his chest, and held her against him. He dragged his fingers up and down her stomach, even his fingertips drove her wild. Maybe she was addicted to him. 

"Josh?" she mumbled. 

Every time she said his name, his stomach did backflips. He pressed his nose into her hair at the back of her neck, "hhhm" he responded. 

"Can you stay?" Not only did he make her lose control of her senses, she had now lost control of her mouth. As soon as the question was asked, she wanted to grab the words and pull them back in. What was she thinking? Her body stiffened. Asking someone to stay the night violated the cardinal rule of fun and casual, commit free sex: Don't get attached. 

He didn't want to tell her no, he wanted to stay right where he was wrapped around her body, but what would he tell Jen? He had no idea. She thought he was recording. He could tell her he was pulling an all-nighter. She was so trusting. How could he be so unfaithful?  But it was like he was addicted to Nicole, or maybe he was addicted to the person he could be with Nicole. He released his embrace and rolled from the bed. 

"Let me check my phone, and see where I have to be tomorrow," he explained as he riffled through the back pocket of his jeans that he picked up from the floor across the room.  

Nicole watched as the light from the phone screen illuminated his face. She watched his finger slide up the screen, scrolling through messages, and then he typed out some kind of reply. He then locked is phone, returned it to the back pocket of his pants, and then gently folded them and set them on top of her dresser.

He climbed back into the bed, and resumed his position behind her, sliding one arm under her, and the other arm over the top of her, pressing her body close to his, and dragging his fingertips lightly up and down her abdomen once again. "Got a meeting in the morning, so I have to leave by 9." He whispered as he nuzzled his face back into her hair that was gathered at the back of her neck. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.