A Date to End All Dates Who: Coop and Adnan When: after dark Where: down by the water Rating: PG for makeouts and dirty thoughts
As predicted, the day had been hot and still and sticky. Adnan was fairly certain he sweated off about ten pounds as he and the men worked on hauling felled trees back to the island. They'd quit a little earlier than previous days, so as not to completely exhaust themselves, and he'd taken on the task of cleaning himself up. He might not have bothered, but for one thing. He had a date tonight. Which was just strange to think about, but undeniable. After washing thoroughly with the soap pods, and again wishing desperately that he had another pair of jeans, he went about setting up.
Adnan dug a small pit in the sand and built a fire in it -- something he was actually pretty good at -- then went to fetch some food to cook over it, including some of the flat bread the girls had made that morning. What he would've given for his mother's advice. But one worked with what they had. There was no way to avoid being hot, and he considered just going shirtless, but decided against it. He chewed on a couple of the mint-brush pods for his teeth, splashed some more water on his face, and then went in search of Coop.
Coop hated to admit to herself that she was tired by the time she made it back to camp to wait for Adnan. She'd done as she said she would, had ferryed the boat across, spent the day harvesting sweetgrind and bringing it back in loosely tired bales. Her lower back ached from being bent over in a position that wasn't exactly routine for the truck driver. Still, she'd cut loose not too long after noon and gone to see the one person she thought might be able to help her out. Analiese.
Hours later she was scrubbed to a shine, fresh and clean and minty smelling. Her dress had even been washed again. All day she'd kept her eyes peeled for something noteworthy to bring to this little dinner for two. Some sort of treat they wouldn't ordinarily get to enjoy. Alas, nothing new had revealed itself to her as she worked and so it was just herself tonight. Analiese was puppy-sitting, thankfully.
Seated on a bench near the fire but upwind of the smoke, Coop sat still and waited for the steady crunch of worn boots on the sand. The other guys were back and already eating so she suspected it wouldn't be all that much longer.
She wasn't disappointed. He spotted that bright red dress in the glow of the firelight and paused for a moment just to look. His logical sense said that this was bizarre. Didn't in fact make any sense at all. They were struggling to survive, and he was having a date? But looking at her not looking at him ... it did make sense. With a faint smile, he came up by her side and very lightly touched her shoulder. "Evening," he said, looking down at her. Allah, he wished he'd been able to wash his jeans. They never would've dried by this time, especially in the humidity, but being wet with lake water would've been better than sweat-soaked. But it was too late now.
Coop had been half watching Ashwin and Corbie trying to pull apart some of the cooling grazer meat that was cooked with their fingers, making a horrible mess in the process. It wasn't that she'd missed the sound of someone approaching but she'd been playing coy. Now, at the touch, she looked up at him with a smile. "Hi," she said though the pleased expression. "Ready to go?" she asked, rising from her seat.
"Definitely ready," he said, and offered her his arm. Not that she really needed it, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do, right? Even if not, that was what he was doing. Once they were walking, he looked over at her again. "So how was your day?" he asked, a bit tongue in cheek, but mostly just curious about what she'd done with herself. The whole camp was constantly busy lately. It was a good thing. But he had to wonder a bit if she'd had to scrub herself as well as he had; she smelled wonderful.
Coop took his arm and walked wherever he lead which seemed to be down the beach in the direction of the swimming area she'd found him in the night before. "Hot," she told him. In fact, it was still warm and sticky. Just this easy movement brought the feeling of moisture on her skin. Ordinarily, she'd have hated that. She'd have insisted on a date in a nice air conditioned venue. Seeing as that was out of the question for them now, she had to agree that sitting someplace near the water it would probably be cooler than in the camp. "I went across and helped a few of the others bale sweetgrind." The waving stalks of grain had multiple uses for the tribe. The dried it and bundled it for roof thatching or munched on it live and fresh. Rowan and others took turns half heartedly pounding the grains into flour most of the day. "We're trying to get a stockpile dried and pounded into flour now that we know it works well for bread. Have you tried the flatbread yet?" she asked, tilting a dark eyed look up at his face. Her head barely made it to his shoulder, she noticed. It was funny that she and Adnan never seemed to spend much time standing next to one another. Always sitting or lying down.
He nodded. "We took some for lunch, I had some for breakfast. It's really quite good. So I suppose we owe you ladies." He looked over -- and down -- at her and smiled. He led her over the dune and down to the little fire that was thankfully still going. Small on purpose to hopefully avoid most of the heat. There was a small spit structure of sticks set up, with some grazer meat cooking over it. He'd emptied out his duffel bag and had it laid out flat for them to sit on. Really, it had been kind of sad setting the thing up; he could think of so many things he could've done, given the time and materials. And he vowed to build a little table and some chairs eventually, just for occasions like this. "Your feast awaits," he said, making a gesture. "Loin of grazer, eggs, flat bread, and fresh water straight from the jug." And relative privacy. Unless someone wandered down there by accident, they wouldn't be heard or seen.
"Oooh, very nice," Coop said appreciatively with an accompanying gurgle of agreement from her stomach. She chuckled, wrapping her free arm around her middle. "I sort of nibbled on the run today. I'm starving." She tucked her skirt around her legs as she settled down on her half of the duffel. The light in the sky to the west was almost entirely gone and she had to wonder how long it would be before the distant laughers crashed their party of two. She put that thought out of her mind with the reminder that they were perfectly safe where they were. "How about you guys? Did you get many trees down today?" Coop shifted just slightly on the duffel so that she was angeled toward him for conversation even as she reached for the jug of water.
"A few, yes," he said, settling down on his knees in front of the fire. He didn't sit with her yet, checking the meat first. Blowing on the smoking chunk of grazer, he tore a little peice off and popped it in his mouth. It was done. Smiling a touch, Adnan handed the stick over to Coop and took the other one out and blew on it as well. Grazer kabobs. It was similar to what they'd been eating all along, but there wasn't much else he could provide. "We mostly worked on hauling what we do have cut back to camp. Finding the real axe was a godsend, I can't get over it." He settled back into a cross-legged position next to her, pulling the flat chunk of wood with the rest of the food closer to them.
After sipping moderately from the jug, Coop set it firmly back into the sand. "I noticed there's quite a log pile on the edge of the camp! That's so much hard work, I can't even imagine how heavy those trees are." She shook her head as she gingerly plucked a juicy hunk of grazer. It was funny but the first time she'd tasted grazer she'd found it so strange. Now, after a few days of eating it every day it simply tasted like beef to her. Perhaps with a subtle hint of pepper naturally in the meat. "And yeah, finding that axe seemed just...eerie." She shivered but her smile didn't leave for an instant. "Did you guys manage to stay hydrated today? We had a minor crisis with Lucien. He didn't drink enough water I guess or just found to too exhausting to work in the heat. He passed out on us."
He attempted not to scarf down his food. Now that he was sitting and unwinding, his appetite was settling in something fierce. Adnan picked at it slowly, trying to make it last. It wasn't as though they were all drowning in food. He nodded to what she said, however. "We stayed very hydrated, and took lots of breaks, like good boys," he said with a faint smirk. "Was he all right?" He glanced over at her, only a bit concerned about that. He assumed the guy was fine, or she wouldn't have mentioned it just off-handedly like that. He was used to heat and working hard in it, but that didn't make it any less dangerous for anyone else. He pulled off another chunk of grazer to chew, taking the water jug to sip from as well.
Coop nodded as she chewed and once the mouthful was down she answered. "He was alright once we got some water in to him. He felt like a bit of a jerk for making us all worry." She smiled and shrugged one of her shoulders. "I guess it's easy to forget to look after yourself when you're trying to get a job done. I know I certainly pushed it on the road more than once." It was illegal for her to haul longer than eight hours at a time. She was required by her company to log off and account for her milage after each chunk of time. Still, more than once she found herself saying 'I'll stop at the next rest stop'.
"That's the truth," he said with a faint chuckle. He'd worked for some dubious people in his time that didn't have such restrictions. You worked until the job was done, or you didn't get paid. When everything you did was under the table, and you weren't even in the country legally ... yeah, you took what you could get. "Good, though, perhaps he'll know better next time," he said, taking another swig of water before putting it down again. "I feel mostly accustomed to it, but I try to remind the guys to hydrate and rest. The ones who don't know, anyway." Like Alex, who didn't seem like he'd worked outside much in his life. Understandable for a priest.
Coop cocked her head to her side as she tore a strip off of a slice of the flatbread, watching his face with easy interest. "It's not blisteringly warm all year round in Iraq, right? Well, I guess not in the north. Were you from the south?" She blushed a little. "I'll confess, I don't really know much about the Kurdish people other than that you don't really have your own country. The land you guy percieved as yours now sorta...covers a chunk owned by three different countries." She paused for a moment before continuing, "that, and that your religion has a lot of similarities to Judaism." A look of thoughtfulness crossed her features before she nodded. "Yeah, that's all I know."
"Not across the entire country. In the mountains, it snows, even. But my family and I ... we were displaced to the south, yes," he said easily enough, pinching off a bit of the bread to chew on, himself. "We moved quite a bit. It was a bad time to be Kurdish." He offered up a rueful smile, and glanced toward the fire before putting something in his mouth again. There had never been a smell like it, the one that still filled his nostrils in his dreams. His family and those he'd grown up knowing as family, burning. "I left much of the religion behind, however. My knowledge is a bit rusty, I've been out of being an active Sunni for quite some years."
Coop could hear it in the faint rust in his voice. It was a topic she should steer away from, at least tonight. She touched him gently on the knee, just once, to acknowledge whatever it was that he didn't want to talk about and announce that she wouldn't pry, but she could redirect on to herself. "Well, my father, Charlie, was a Seneca Native from Southern Ontario." She smiled, as she usually did when she thought about her father. "He wasn't...obsessively observant of 'the ways' but he was big on history and made sure my brothers and I knew how it all went down from the other perspective." She chuckled softly. "His aunt is the current Grand Cheiftess of the Senecas so it's sort of like, family obligation I guess. He didn't move around at all but my mother sure did. She was barely around for any of our childhoods. They were married, together," she laced the fingers of both of her hands together firmly before letting them fall back in to her lap again, "but mom just couldn't sit still back then unless she was really pregnant. Dad understood, I guess. Or if he didn't, he never said anything where we could hear it." Her early life was so unconventional for Canada. Was it any wonder she'd ended up someplace so odd, she wondered to herself?
He appreciated the re-direct, much more than he could possibly express to her. Not without giving everything he had completely away, at least. Adnan focused in on what she was saying instead, looking mildly impressed at the title of Grand Cheiftess of the Senecas. He didn't know much at all about the Native Americans -- Canadians? -- but that sounded like it was important. He was always carefully respectful of other peoples' cultures. As he expected the same himself. Not that he always got it; he'd been called a 'raghead' more times than he could count, just for being from where he was from. "And she passed the wanderlust on to you, I'm assuming," he said with a little smile at Coop. He'd ridden with enough truckers to know that some passion for the road had to exist.
Coop chuckled. "All of us. Rye's the most stationary but that's only because he's currently in university in Nova Scotia." She smiled fondly at the thought of her family, despite the ache that accompanied it. "She's also sort of outgrown it. She has built herself a little pottery studio at home and she just stays there in Elk City most of the time now. I worry about her being there alone for most of the year but we all try to get home as often as we can." She heaved a sigh. "I hope my brothers will take good care of her." She shook her head. "It's going to crush them, to hear that I'm missing."
It was his turn to touch her, and it came as a gentle brush of his hand over her shoulder. he'd lost his family to violence, but he had to imagine that losing them to something like this ... the not-knowing would be enough to drive one mad. "I know they will miss you," he said softly, eyes on her face. "But they sound like strong people. And maybe it's not forever. Whatever landed us here could possibly take us back, right?" Not that he had a boat load of hope for that. But none of them had any idea how things worked here, who knew?
That thought lit a spark in her dark eyes and she leaned toward him a little. "Elk City, Ontario. It's way north. You wouldn't have any trouble finding the Coopers there. If we ever get sent back, you could find my mother there and she could let me know, you know, that you're ok." She finished up with a shy smile and turned her attention to the rest of the grazer on her green stick. Mentally, she kicked herself for coming out with that demand so breathlessly. She had to chuckle outloud. Neither of them had a solid address but she supposed if he was going to wander, Elk City was as good a place as any.
It surprised him, really. Especially the look on her face. Like she might really want to find him if that situation came about. "Elk City, Ontario," he repeated, committing it to memory. It made him want to kiss her, it really did. Which was likely ridiculously overly romantic, but it was an easy thing to fall into while they were sitting so close with the firelight and the strange stars. They'd just gotten there, though, more or less, and he didn't want to make it seem like that was the only reason he'd brought her down there. Despite it being her idea in the first place. After a few beats, Adnan tore his gaze away from her and ate another couple of bites of food.
"So is there anywhere in the world that you've been other than where you were born that you miss?" That seemed safe, right? He was a wanderer just like she was. It was an apt question. "Any place you could ever see yourself settling down in when you're old and your feet hurt too much?" She chuckled as she popped some eggs between her lips and crunched them like smarties.
Adnan considered the question seriously for a moment. He hadn't exactly been a world traveler. There was much of it that he hadn't seen. His meanderings had stayed almost strictly in the United States, besides a couple of quick jaunts into Canada. "Montana," he answered finally, looking up at Coop with a faint and slightly wistful smile. "I'd like to learn to plant something. Grow a crop. Maybe raise horses. It's so quiet and peaceful. And it's beautiful when it snows." Which took up a hefty chunk of the year, but that was all right. The people out there seemed move at a different pace. He'd found something almost zen-like about it, the simplicity. Or perhaps he was romanticizing. That was definitely possible. "Of course, it could've just been my head while I was there. The external scenery changes with the internal scenery. How about you?" he asked, eyes on her face again.
Coop smiled and nodded. "I can see that. There's big air out there in the rural places in Montana. You almost feel like you can fill your lungs and get along fine for a long time without exhaling or something." She wrinkled her nose at her own half-assed poeticism. "Um...well, my brothers live in the middle of nowhere outside of Wellington, New Zealand. Their place is amazing. It seems like everywhere in New Zealand is if you go by the pictures. I like the warm places though. I could see myself settling in the Florida Keys or maybe somewhere further along the Gulf."
Adnan smiled against her nose-wrinkling. Because he knew exactly what she meant. It was that way in the mountains too, everything was so crisp and pristine-feeling. "On the beach," he chuckled a bit, and glanced out toward the water they were sitting near. Not quite the same. Maybe she'd get her coast. He hoped so. Staying here forever -- or until they died, which was not going to be nearly so long -- was a prospect he hadn't given much thought to yet. Everyone seemed more intent on surviving, so that would be where his thoughts stayed. He ate a few more bites, taking one of the small eggs for himself. "I'd like to see New Zealand. For wearing down so many pairs of boots, I've seen precious little of the world."
Coop chuckled. "I drive in foam flip flops. Isn't that horrible? Exploring the word with an accompanying fwip-fwip sound." She lifted her eyes to the last streaks of light on the western horizon. The water was churning ripples now as the last of the grazers swam for the safety of the island. "I'd recommend seeing it at least once. It's weird to be, you know, in a place that is geographically the opposite of home. It looks the same and yet it feels different." Coop was starting to believe that there was no coming home from this place. She couldn't afford to acknowledge the feeling fully because it yawned painfully wide when she did, and she wasn't entirely willing to give up hope. Still, she possessed an admirable ability to be present in the moment she was living. "The sunsets here are just stunning, don't you think?"
Adnan didn't honestly see anything wrong with her driving around in flip-flops. As long as she had some practical shoes to change into if she needed to. In case of an emergency. Of course, any practical shoes here were a godsend. But here was different than there. "They are," he murmured an agreement, though his eyes were still on her. Before he moved them, looking out toward where the sun was going down. It was beautiful indeed. It made him wistful for home, in a way. Yet another way. It was just unfortunate that the night had the soundtrack that it did. He watched the grazers for a moment before looking at Coop again. "There's an oasis somewhere," he said, not sure why it occurred to him to say just then. "Across the desert, the way Jasper came. There was some discussion of moving there eventually."
Coop's brows raised as she turned her eyes away from the smudgey golds, oranges and reds. "An oasis, really?" Part of her leapt inside of her chest. It said 'adventure! warmth!' all at once. "Do they think that's a good idea? Moving, I mean? It must be really far away if it's in a desert. There doesn't look like there's a desert anywhere near here." When you traveled over land between varying climates the way that Petunia Cooper did, you gathered an eye for the change in the lay of the land. She was far from a professional environmentalist but she knew what she could believe and what she couldn't. "Would you go? If they offered the choice?" She wasn't entirely sure this little group was that diplomatic but she thought there was always a chance some people might opt to not risk such a long walk into the unknown.
"I would help scout, if it was needed," he stated without much hesitation, as though he'd already thought of those possibilities. Which was the truth, pretty much. "But I think the general consensus was that it was foolhardy to move everyone into an area that hadn't been thoroughly explored. They seem content to set up rather permanent camp here. Perhaps it will be looked at later." He nodded a bit to himself. He felt that he was in better shape than quite a few of the men there, if only because he hadn't had to make a long arduous journey yet. He hadn't lived on the sparse diet they had for as long. If they needed eyes in the desert, he would step forward. Adnan was determined to contribute as much as he could to this newfound tribe.
Coop nodded. "I thought you would." She huffed, dropping her hands into her lap. "You have no idea how much I wish I'd fallen asleep with shoes on!" She shook her head with grave regret. "Tripper and I would sign up for something like that too. I'd figure out a way to get him up into a tree at night. We'd make it work." She didn't know if that would be the case or if it were even possible. The thought of losing her dog on some ill-fated trek into a desert broke her heart even as her ingrained thirst for adventure urged her to go.
The urge came immediately to tell her that he would protect her. That she wouldn't have anything to worry about, if they were together. But that was a foolish promise, and he knew it. Hadn't life shown him that he was very, very limited? Repeatedly? But the impulse was there, which was ... interesting. He looked away for a moment, then back with a faint smile. "Perhaps you'll get lucky. If we have found an axe where we needed one, there might be a good pair of shoes somewhere for you." He didn't mention that they likely would've come from someone who'd died there. It probably wasn't the best time.
Coop sighed. "I hope so. Otherwise I'm just going to have to tie strips of Bazzer's leather around my feet and hope for the best." It might come to that. Especially since Bazzer had started to bring finished skins to camp. "So let's move on to my next question," she said with a flirty smile. "If you could find one object out here," she gestured around them, encompassing the vast prairie, lake and island around them, "what would it be? Like what's the one luxury I guess we could call it that you think would make life here just a little better?"
Adnan thought about that one as well. Several things crossed his mind. A chainsaw. A bulldozer. A van. A hotel with a supermarket -- complete with staff -- attached. That one made him smirk a little. "I want to say a vehicle," he said in a ponderous sort of tone. "But I don't believe we'll be running across any gas stations any time soon. Then it's only so much scrap metal." He paused again, wetting his lips and thinking. "A shoe store would be nice. If we could come across a great pile of clothes and blankets, I think that would make life much better." He shook his head and looked at her. "It's difficult to think of something small. How about you?"
Coop took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "A bed," she said and a little knowing smile crossed her face. He had to know by now how much she loved her sleep. "I'd settle just for one mattress, actually. Though it would have to be queen sized. Lots of room for me and Tripper." It was amazing that the dog hadn't found them yet, actually. He must have been enjoying some pampering back at the camp. Aaron had promised to keep him busy. "And then I'd have to go hunting for blankets." She gave Adnan a fond smile. "I'd live without a pillow, though." So long as he kept filling the role.
A bed hadn't even occurred to him. Which just went to show how practical his mind had become. Or maybe always was. He smiled back at her a little, trying to picture the two of them lazing around in a huge bed -- his imagination blocked out the dog, however -- that was covered in luxuriant white blankets and pillows ... right on the beach on a perfect day ... It was a nice image, but there was so much work to be done. "I'll build you a bed," he said to Coop, voice dropping just a notch. It was a promise. Though he wasn't sure what could be done about a mattress, he'd figure something out. And there was that urge to kiss her again.
Coop's eyes, dark as they were, seemed to pick up a whole new facet when she lifted her eyes again. It could have been the fire leaping and crackling warmly between them and the water. Or maybe it was pleasure and gratitude at his offer. She couldn't help but beam at him. "Really? I bet you could, too." So maybe he'd think it wasn't too tricky. Just find some way to nail some boards together. To Coop though, that would be granting what was her fondest wish for the time being. "That'd be amazing. Honestly, I'd rather have a bed than walls." She raised her eyebrows in comic confession.
He had to smile more broadly at her expression. He had to do it now. Not that he wasn't going to, but now he had to. "I'll do my best. Once I figure out how to make a decent mattress," he added with a faint chuckle. Straw was an option, gods knew there were tons of grass around, but he wasn't sure if it was the most comfortable one. Fur? Feathers from the ostrich-things? He would have to look into it. And look into it he would. Once he got the main part of a shelter up for everyone, he vowed to himself.
Coop chuckled and sat back. "Well now I have to think of something big that I can do for you," she said, sounding far more contemplative than suggestive. Beyond doing his laundry forever, nothing really came to mind. "I think our friendship is terribly one sided so far," she pointed out to him. "You let me sleep on you, you made the dinner tonight and now you've promised to build me a bed, mattress and all." She ticked these boons off on her fingers.
Adnan could think of a few things she could do to make it up to him, but none of them were really appropriate to speak out loud. Instead he decided that he couldn't wait any longer, and took initiative. Without a word, he bodily shifted in just a bit closer, and reached up as he leaned in. He brushed his fingers over the side of her jaw to turn her head just that bit that was needed, and gently pressed his lips against her's. He didn't think it was one sided in the least, as he enjoyed everything he supposedly did for her. This was no exception.
Coop saw it coming and didn't hurry it along which was strange for her. She was the sort to dive right in once she'd decided that she liked someone. Adnan was definitely likeable. Possibly the sweetest person she'd met on the journey of her life in a long while. To say that she wanted to kiss him was an understatement. She just hadn't exactly been aware of how badly she'd wanted it until she felt him touch her face. She let out just the faintest sigh before the seal of the kiss made it impossible and couldn't help but lean in to him a bit.
Not that he'd expected to get slapped or pushed away, but Adnan felt some smidgeon of relief when she reacted favorably. That meant he could keep doing what he was doing. She tasted wonderful, like mint with an undercurrent of food and the slightest hint of sweat. He thought he could probably soak that in for the rest of the night. Adnan parted his lips slightly to move them over her's, taking his time about everything. It was something to be savored, remembered. To him, anyway. He slid his fingers back into her short hair, taking in the texture like he'd wanted to for days.
Oh, it was more than a little bit tempting to hitch up the long skirt of her dress and shift right into his lap. Or to push him down flat on his back on the sand and kiss him breathless. Slow, she reminded herself. He didn't exactly come from a culture of fast women, no matter how long he'd been drifting in North America. Come to think of it, she didn't normally feel that way about people. Especially people she'd only met days before. There was no denying there was some chemistry here between them and it crackled out from his fingertips and spread out over her skin. Goosebumps raced down her neck as she slipped her tongue over his lip and explored the space gently. All the while she reminded herself to go slow.
He may have grown up in a very conservative family, but that didn't make him any less human. As Coop's tongue slid warmly into his mouth, Adnan made a faint sound in the back of his throat and moved in even closer, until their hips were touching. His tongue moved to meet her's, sliding against it gently, as though he might break her. She was absolutely enticing, and his body couldn't help but poignantly remember the way she felt sleeping against him in the few nights they'd known each other. Part of him desperately wanted to pull her down on top of him and get rid of clothing. But his rationality held him in check. He hardly knew the woman. Granted, what he did know, he liked, but still. They were both under an insane amount of stress, and pushing things might be a bad idea, so ... he could have this, just this.
That primal little sound that he made in the back of his throat almost undid Coop entirely. She really did want to crawl up into his lap, if only to make the kiss all the deeper, all the more amazing. Fumbling with her long skirt so it didn't get caught under her knees, she wrapped her other arm around his shoulders and, without breaking apart from the kiss, she managed to pull herself into position. The grit he'd picked up one his jeans rasped against her bare thighs but she didn't care. What was it about this little tryst that had her so...fired up? Was it the need for comfort? The need for something as familiar and human as a kiss? She didn't know and she was in no state to debate it, either. Bit by bit, Coop was siphoning all of her available passion into this kiss.
He didn't stop her climbing into his lap. It was possible that he should have, but he didn't. The warmth -- despite the heat and stickiness of the night itself -- and pressure and the feeling of being so close to someone, even if it was only physical ... it was wonderful feeling. He wrapped his free arm around her lower back to keep her in close against him, and kissed her back with building passion of his own. It had been quite some months since he'd done anything even remotely close back home, maybe even a year. He lost track sometimes. In any case, Coop's lips and tongue tapped straight into everything in him that was pent-up and well-controlled. His teeth grazed her bottom lip and Adnan pushed his mouth more firmly into her's, fingers bunching briefly in her hair.
Coop felt her heart pounding and a burn in her chest that signaled that it had been a while since she'd taken a breath. Instead of pulling back and away, she skimmed her lips along his jaw to close her teeth on the sensitive tab of skin that was his earlobe. Everywhere that his dark whiskered chin brushed her skin tingled and she wanted nothing more than to just rub up against him. What was up with that? Coop decided she definitely needed a moment to catch her breath. She panted softly against his ear and didn't feel the faintest need to apologize for her amorous behaviour, despite the fact that it was a little bit unusual for her. Especially given the lack of alcohol in the mix. Still, they had their arms around one another and it was nice. As the wild sensations rolled back a bit, it was just good and Coop was happy to feel that way.
Adnan felt like he would've happily suffocated, surrounded by her. The feel of her teeth on his earlobe sent jolts of absolute pleasure straight through him, clenching the muscles around the erection he was sporting already. As he caught his own breath a bit, he had to wonder just what the fuck he thought he was doing. Not that it was a bad thing, it just wasn't like him. He used sex to survive sometimes, yes, but when he had actual interest in a woman, he didn't usually go about it this way. Granted, it wasn't as though they had a variety of activities to indulge in to really make a courtship ... still. It was fast. Very enjoyable, but fast. There was a desperation for connectedness in his chest that likely had something to do with it. He held on to her, regardless, and breathed in the hot, soupy air.
It took a minute but she did let go of his ear to turn to a far more gentle nuzzle into the crook of his neck. She could feel his rapid pulse under her lips and thought for sure she must be hearing her own blood rushing quickly in her ears. When she finally lifted her head and sat back enough that she could look into his face, Coop slid both of her hands into his hair. Taking her own turn to test the texture of his dark hair, she gave him a small smile. "Sorry, I'm being awfully...forward with all of this, aren't I?" Though she supposed they could argue that point. He'd kissed her, after all. Hell, he'd come out from under his cart that first day during the rain and took her hand, pulling her under with him. But she'd asked for the date and had flirted and kissed with no mercy.
With her sitting on his lap, there was no way in all of heaven and earth and wherever they were at the moment that he would accept an apology for it. Adnan shook his head, his gaze locked in on her darker one. Jet black in the low light. "Don't be sorry," he murmured, not really commenting on whether it was forward or not. It was, for him. Or how he used to be, anyway. Allah only knew how he'd changed by coming to this place, already. If the comfort and pleasure of an intelligent and beautiful woman was what his psyche wanted? Perhaps he should give it to himself, to keep some semblance of sanity. "Is it too fast for you?" he asked, eyes finally dropping to her lips before he moved forward a bit to kiss along the line of her jaw.
Coop let her eyes fall closed as his lips traveled over her skin. Talking. Yes, talking was good. They should do more talking. "Um, yes. I'm not, well, inexperienced but I'm not really..." She sighed softly, tilting her head to allow him access to wherever he wanted to go. "Wait, no, I want to take that back. This isn't too fast for me." The last thing on she wanted to do was have him put on the breaks and fish for some sort of decorum out here in the dark. "I like it, it's good," she rushed to assure him.
He hummed a sound that was a vague agreement. He liked it too, it was good. Yes, definitely good and not too fast. What else were they doing, anyway? And if it was weird later, so be it, because her skin tasted amazing. He nipped at the side of her neck very lightly, smoothing his tongue over it a second later before moving on. He thought they would both feel infinitely better and more comfortable if they were naked and in the water and pressed together this way. Or even in different ways. The hands on her back slid slightly down, describing the curve of her back as it turned into ass. The sudden noise across the water froze him up solid, however, cutting through the thick air and straight into his bones, it felt like. The laughers were out.
Coop had just been moments away from purring and wriggling against him like some kind of feline in heat when the laughing had started up in earnest across the water. She groaned faintly and dropped her forehead to rest against his. "Party crashers," she muttered in mock bitterness. She straightened up enough that she could look down into his face. "Adnan, I think I'm going to have to spend the night with someone else tonight," she told him. "Probably Analiese or maybe Delilah in her lean-to. Do you understand why?" Because if she had him within arms reach all night she didn't trust herself not to take advantage of that. "I can't explain this crazy attraction, but..." she shook her head, nearly breathless from the excitement she felt. "It's wild, so unusual for me."
Even though Adnan knew they were safe where they were, that sound was kind of like jumping into ice water. He looked back at her and nodded slightly at her question. He definitely, definitely understood why. He was in fact probably going to have a few minutes to himself once she got back to camp, just to take the edge off. "Okay," he murmured, as that probably warranted an actual verbal response. Then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly at her description of how she felt. 'Crazy attraction' wasn't bad. He could live with that for the moment. Adnan licked his lips, tasting her lingering on them a bit. "I only have to look at you to explain mine," he said with a little smile.
She smiled at him, clearly pleased by the compliment even as she acted a little put off. "Oh is that all? Just the look of me?" Hardly a fair question to tease him with. A moment ago she'd have only been able to respond to a question like that with vowels and she could feel how into her he was, straining hard against his worn jeans. Coop combed her fingers through his short hair once more and chuckled quietly.
"No, not all," he said, even though he knew it was a tease. He could just say it with full confidence. He leaned in to kiss her softly again, and it occurred to him that now he had a reason to shave. Very carefully with what he had available, but he would do it. Unless she liked the scruff-beard. But he knew himself and his genes, and it would be insane in no time. "You should probably go soon, unless you want to drive me completely mad," he murmured against her lips.
"Mmm," she murmured in response but she knew he was right. With a sigh, she gave him one more quick kiss and slid off of his lap carefully. "Ok. Is there anything I can take back, for you?" she asked, not wanting to leave everything to him to clean up. He'd cooked, after all! Didn't that mean she was cleanup duty? Besides, she had a buildup of nervous energy now that they had parted. She felt like she could go for a run or a swim but she knew better than to take off alone at night.
Adnan lifted one leg so that his knee was up, more as camoflage than comfort. It was ingrained habit. "The bowls, if you want," he said, nodding to what he'd brought the food down in. His first impulse had been to say no, but she kind of looked like she wanted something to do. As for him, he was going to have to hang around for a while. Maybe wait for the fire to die down. ... but he really should be getting up to see her off. He actually probably should've been walking her back. Fuck. He did get up, at least, brushing a bit of sand off of his jeans as he took a step toward her. "Do you want me to walk you back?" he said, ever direct.
Coop bent to gather up the bowls, staking them carefully in her arms and gave him a little smile. "You can if you want." Though as she straightened up her gaze dropped down to the middle of him before jumping back up to her face. She caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment and thought was a good thing that her arms were now full. "But if you need some time to yourself, I can make it on my own. This stuff isn't heavy." It was just over one dune and along the beach a little ways before camp was in sight. She thought she'd be fairly safe.
Hot as it was outside already, he felt his neck get even warmer. That had been his intention, but he kind of hadn't wanted her to know it. "No ... I'll walk you," he said pretty decisively. He took the bowl off of the top of her stack and went down to the water to fill it up. Adnan doused the fire with it and kicked some sand in on top to make sure it was out, then started to go about gathering up everything else. It was better that he walk her. Just in case. And maybe his blood would calm down a bit.
There was no wind tonight and Coop found herself wishing that there was at least a breeze. The still heat made one sweat just standing in place. More than anything, Coop wanted to slip away to the water's edge and do a little bit of cleanup herself. Wiggle out of her tiny panties and set them aside to be washed in the morning. However, when he insisted that he would walk her, she lingered out of the way as he gathered the last of his items. She didn't even consider that she'd made him uncomfortable by drawing attention to something they both already knew. She was raised by hippies, after all. She had no illusions.
He could just walk it off. That's what he would do. There was no such thing as absolute privacy in camp, and he wasn't going to let her wander off alone just because he was aroused. What was he thinking? He stuffed the few things left into the duffel bag and walked over to her once more, with a faint smile. He was very tempted to kiss her again, but didn't, just touched his hand to her lower back gently to indicate he was ready to start walking when she was.
It was hard to walk all the way home without turning her face to watch his own expressive features every now and then. She kept the longing gazes to a minimum though through sheer strength of will. She couldn't think of anything to say though that didn't sound Playboyish in her head. When they finally reached the outer ring of lean-tos she was careful to step lightly and quietly between them since people were already settling down after a long and hot day. She set the dirty bowls down and rubbed Tripper who was mostly unconscious next to the fire. He thumped his tail in the dirt a few times but was otherwise unresponsive. Then, Coop turned to the business of saying goodnight to her date.
Adnan tried to be similarly quiet as they arrived in camp, spending the majority of the walk talking himself out of putting her back against the nearest flat surface and picking up where they'd left off. He smiled a touch as he saw Tripper, and his eyes met Coop's as she turned. "Thank you for a wonderful evening," he told her, and even if it sounded corny, it was genuine. Even before she'd gotten in his lap, he'd enjoyed talking with her. Which just made kissing her even better. On impulse, he snagged her hand gently and kissed the back of it.
Coop smiled, tickled by the old fashioned gesture. She curled her fingers around his, giving him just the slightest squeeze as he lowered her hand from his lips. She realized she was actually going to miss going to bed with him under the cart and thought that was a very good sign indeed. "Thank you, too. It was very enjoyable," she said with just as much sincerity. Coop half wished she herself was able to sneak away for some private time but she didn't think she could tonight. Instead she'd curl up next to Analiese or Delilah and imagine what their second date might be like.
Walking hadn't done much for him, so he figured he would be stepping off into the shadows eventually, or he'd never sleep, despite the exhaustion in his limbs. Part of him was going to miss having her bodily there with him, using him as a mattress, but it was something of a relief at the same time. It would make the next time even better, most likely. "Goodnight, Coop," he murmured, leaning in to brush one more kiss gently across her lips. He pulled back and gave her one last lingering smile before he turned to carefully head back to where he was bunking down for the night, entirely pleased with everything.