Fourteen
Ben opened his eyes, fully lucid and wonderfully refreshed though he had been sleeping soundly just moments ago. He looked through the mesh skylights of the tents. The sky was bright with coming day, but the forest canopy was still in the shadow of the mountain peaks. A glance around the interior of the tent showed both dogs curled up together on the other side of June. When his gaze fell on his lover, memories of last night saturated his brain with sweet intensity, and tendrils of need curled through him. He never would have thought that the quietly observant girl he’d known in high school would be so eager and so willing, though perhaps he should have had an idea from the way she kissed. She was an enthralling mixture of confidence and innocence, demanding one moment and yieldi
