Justine stepped into the spacious shower decorated in stucco desert tiles with primitive Native American historical figures embedded in the stone. This certainly made her dinky little bathroom in her loft look like a crack in the wall. Here, there was room to play, and she did. The large showerhead propelled jets of steamy warm water against her flesh, and naturally, it made her think of him. This time, imagining her body pressing against his wasn’t what she wanted to do. It would take up way too much time, and there was so much still to do. She lathered up using a bar of glycerin petroglyph-styled soap. It smelled like spices and made her skin shimmer and feel soft.
While getting into the feel of the soap, the doors opened and Darrius stood there, naked. His voice cracked. “I need a shower, too. Mind if I share with you?” Without waiting for an answer, he slipped in and nestled behind her. His lips lowered to her ear. “I promise, just a shower. I’ll bathe you and you bathe me. Deal?”
She handed him the soap without saying a word. His sudsy fingers traveled her neck and breasts, circling them, rubbing hard up and down on the nipple as he soaped them. He cupped her breasts in his hands, feeling the heft and slippery velvet of them while he nuzzled against her neck. From there, he moved down her belly and circled her navel, around her hips, to her buttocks, kneading each smooth cheek as he pressed against her. He parted her thighs, letting streaks of soap and water trail between them.
With a quick nibble on her earlobe, he moved them both into the stream of the jets, removed the detachable head and sprinkled her body from top to bottom. The jets lingered long and lavishly on her heated sex, playing on it, massaging with a slow, deliberate rhythm.
With quivering lips, she managed only one sentence. “I…thought this was just a shower?”
“It’ll never be just a shower while with me. You should know that, since I can’t keep my hands off you.” He patted her behind. “All clean now, darling. It’s my turn.”
With the soap now in her hands, she lathered his strong shoulders, moving down his muscled arms and back up to his chest. The lathery bar traced his pecs, paying detailed attention to his hardened abs before slowly trickling down his stomach and sides. All along, their eyes matched, their stares lingered, lips dying to kiss, yet refrained. His erection pressed against her, wanting attention as well. No matter how long she saved the best for last, it was still there, and waiting for her soft, soapy clutch. Reluctance ended, and her hand slipped around his shaft, soaping it up and down. His back slightly arched from the pleasure of it.
Justine saw the magic working because, though his eyes were mostly open, her gentle touch made them close. Her hands wrapped around him, circling his tight behind, and then whispered against his chest, “All clean now.” The cloth dropped to the bottom of the shower. Together they stood, staring lovingly at one another, wanting to do more than shower. In the end, however, they knew refraining would give them so much more—the coming night.
* * *
Dressed now in a bright yellow summer dress, she wore her hair in a high ponytail, and had a single strand necklace of turquoise around her neck. She was ready to get busy with her day at Red Rock.
Darrius walked in holding his laptop. “You can download the pictures on mine if you like.”
Justine loved how he looked dressed in all native attire from the fringes on his sleeves to the feather in his hair. The clothing brought out his features. His dark hair glistened against the orange-red of his tunic. “You look great. I like the tunic, and the colors blend in well with your complexion.” She then looked at the laptop he was carrying. “I remembered to bring mine along, but thanks. Is there anywhere quiet where I can download them for a little while?”
“Sure. Go to my den, and while you’re in there I’ll make us a light breakfast. You shouldn’t have anything heavy today since it’s going to be in the mid-nineties.”
“That hot?”
“It’s blazing around here in the summer.”
“Yeah, also in Arizona. I like the heat, though.”
He walked over and kissed her cheek. “You sure bring enough of it. But, yes, go to the den, and when breakfast is ready, I’ll come for you and then whisk you off to Red Rock.”
When he came back in forty minutes for breakfast, he casually looked at what she was scanning. There were pictures of buffalo dancers, the day parade dancers and the crafters from the craft show. He dryly asked, “You ready to eat?”
The lack of life in his voice got her attention and she turned, facing him. “Are you okay? You seem a little, well, drained of energy all of a sudden.”
“It’s nothing.”
She looked down at the photos on the screen, realizing what he was looking at. “Do you miss dancing?”
“It’s not important. Skip it.”
“It is important to you, and that’s why you miss it. I can see it in your eyes. You should dance again, if for no more than personal satisfaction.”
“I dance for educational purposes when I feel like it, Justine, and that’s it.”
“But, you—”
“Can we not talk about this? It’s a dead subject with me.” To avoid any more questions, he left her alone and went back to the dining room.
Alone, but not wanting to be, she returned to her photographs, letting Darrius work out whatever he needed to. She’d apologize for pushing a touchy subject. She looked closer at two of the photos on the screen, not remembering taking either of them, especially the one featuring the outline of two teepees in the foreground. The other was of what looked to be small caves carved within the walls of Red Rock State Park itself. Her eyes squinted. A figure seemed to be huddled against a wall within one of the caves. What is this? She looked more closely but still couldn’t make out what was going on inside the small cave. She figured she would see it later that day and get a better idea of what it was, photograph it better.
The other photo gained her attention. It was of the road that led to the dangerous side of the park, and for some reason it intrigued her. Justine wanted to see the apparent beauty of the place for her own personal reasons—it was the photographer inside of her, as well as her natural curiosity. Taking pictures of anything not related to the powwow was not part of her assignment, but she didn’t care. She wanted to see it, see the majestic plains and never-ending landscapes, yet it was dangerous. Going up the road would definitely be a breach of Darrius’s trust. He told her not to venture up the hill, and she wouldn’t because she trusted his word. She quickly finished the pictures and went to join Darrius.
He stood in the middle of the dining room pouring juice into two glasses. Without calling to him, she walked over, took his hand and looked into his eyes. “I’m bad at keeping my mouth shut. Can you forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive.”
“Sure there is. You shouldn’t have to explain to me about not wanting to dance anymore. I’ve heard your reasons, but you just looked so sad when you saw the pictures of the dancers.”
“It involves more than my beliefs about dancing before crowds who don’t know the story. That’s all I can say about it right now, Justine. I really hope you understand.”
She reached up and kissed his lips. His tense features then relaxed. “The only thing you have to tell me is whether or not I’m good for you. You sure are good for me.”
“I think you can see that on my face—and on my body.” He guided her hand across his beating heart. “You’re always good for me.” A devilish smile shadowed his face. “Can I be good to you again?”
“Oh, no, you don’t; not until tonight. I have work, Darrius, and so do you.” She tapped his butt. “Let’s eat and then get a move on.”
“Do I have time to check my horses?”
“Sure. I’d like to see the one you rode at the rodeo anyway. He was lovely.”
“I have more than one. I want you to see my corral.” They ate, talked of their lovemaking the night before and of the photographs she scanned. However, she failed to mention the one featuring the cave, and definitely did not bring up the one of the road leading to the other side of Red Rock. He would not like the picture and would assume she had her mind set on photographing more than just the powwow events. He would have been correct; her mind was on the plains and lands on the other side, but she was determined not to go against his word. At least, that’s what she hoped she would do.
After breakfast, he took her hand, and led her through the back door and out into a large background. The mountains in back of his home simply amazed her. They looked as though they could part the sky with their gigantic peaks; with the sky so brilliant blue for their backdrop, the sight was breathtaking. “I wish I lived here. I could look at those mountains all day long.”
“Could you?”
