To the Wild Country

Chapter Fifteen

A pounding in his head awoke Bill Maxwell, and he opened his eyes against the strong glare of the afternoon sun.

"Oh man, Pam!" he said, sitting up and grimacing from the headache. "Must be 95 degrees out!"

Pam moaned next to him and sat up as well, holding her head. "My head's KILLING me, Bill!"

"Yeah, we been lyin' in the sun for God knows how long." He moved his shoulders, flexing them and his back muscles, which were protesting the motion.

"I'm half-baked, Counselor."

They both turned and looked at the river.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Pam shouted, jumping deftly to her feet and starting to run. She only got a few feet and stopped, bending over at the waist, her hands grasping her knees.

Bill ran up behind her and grabbed her, pulling her against him, laughing.

"Keep that up and we can just do it right here, Davidson!"

"Oh, stop that!" she said, laughing as he rubbed against her.

He ran his hand over the smoothe skin of her buttocks, down her hips and to the front of her, twiddling and tweaking her.

"Stop it, Bill!" she giggled. "I'm dying here, and you wanna cop a feel!"

"Damn right, every chance I get between now and tomorrow morning."

She wiggled her hips against him, only for a moment, then pulled away.

"Let's get in that water, and we'll see if you can do it or not."

He followed behind her, enjoying the wriggle of her beautiful curves. Funny how something like Pam Davidson could drive a headache straight out.

Knowing where it was deep enough to jump in, landing on sandy riverbottom, the two took hands and leapt in. They came up laughing and splashing, and soon were swimming against the gentle current, stretching their muscles, cooling their sun-baked skin.

Pam grabbed Bill's foot, which was as long and slender as his hands, and pulled him to her. She jumped on his back, and he held her legs over his hips.

"Hmmm, let's do it, Maxwell," she purred playfully into his ear. "After that workout earlier, I need a slow ride, baby."

"Yer insatiable, woman," Bill said as he walked them both to the exact same spot they'd used the night before.

"Damn right, when I can get...." She stopped.

Bill didn't answer for a few seconds, wondering if she was going to continue.

"Get what?" he finally asked, plopping down on the grassy bank. He held Pam on his long thighs, and she turned to face him, her arms around his broad shoulders.

The openness of his expressive face, the curiosity on where she was going with that comment, made Pam look down at him, wondering once again if she should tell him. Oh, what the hell, she thought.

"Can get the best goddamned sex I've ever had in my life, okay? Happy now? You've rung it out of me, Maxwell. You've done it, you've ruined me for other men."

Bill's eyes went wide after she finished this confession. What the hell?

He chuckled, laughing it off. "Oh, c'mon, Counselor, gorgeous broad like you? No way. You must've...."

He stopped, realizing what he was about to say. ...had dozens of men. Oh no, he knew that wasn't the case. But... even over Ralph?

Bill shifted uncomfortably under Pam, not quite sure he wanted to hear that little revelation about his best friend.

"G'won, Davidson, I have not. I mean, the kid, he...."

She shushed him with a finger on his lips. "Trust me on this, Bill. You have. BUT," she stressed, "we're still going back to L.A., we're still going to be FRIENDS and PARTNERS on the team, and I'm still going to try to work it out with Ralph, 'cause I love him, after all's said and done."

"'Course you do, Counselor. I do too, in my own way. You know he's my partner, my best friend."

Neither spoke for a moment; Pam and Bill locked gazes, and came to the same conclusion: let's do it. Again and again, while we can, till we can't do it any more.

Bill looked to the sky, checking the position of the sun. He knew he couldn't go at it like he could as a younger man, the most beautiful woman in the world or not, but he was sure going to try. Maybe twice more he could handle. Pam was wearing him down, but he was certainly not going to tell HER that!

When he glanced away for a moment, Pam slid off him, standing in the water, poised between his knees. He looked back at her, startled.

"What...?" he stammered when she began to bend at the waist, her mouth moving toward his cool wet tummy.

"Hmmmm, shhhh, relax, Maxwell. Slow ride, remember?"

Her warm mouth, her gently carressing and stroking hands, brought Bill along nicely within minutes. Relaxed, comfortable, he remained reclined back on the grass, after Pam had initially pushed him over.

"Ah...ah, Pam, that...that should do it, hon, unless you..." he gasped, gritting his teeth to force himself to hold back, let Pam decide whether she wanted to finish him off with her mouth and hands, or climb on top of him.

"Ah," he said as she climbed out of the cool water. The heat of the day had not abated; in fact, it felt even hotter, if that was possible. Pam paused long enough to kiss him, kneeling by the side of him in the grass. He reached up between her legs, fondling and stroking her as she'd done to him, and she soon reacted to his own promptings.

"Bill," she sighed, letting him bring her once again to the brink of ecstasy. Before he could finish with his fingers, she straddled him, plunging down on him as he arched his hips to meet her.

They moved together slowly, comfortably, the antithesis of what had transpired earlier, so urgent and violent. Pam moved languidly on Bill, his hands holding her hips, her back arching back and forth so she'd rub enticingly along the length of him.

They finished almost as they'd started, gently and smoothly, and Pam fell onto Bill's chest, his arms wrapping around her.

Pam and Bill lay on the grass for only a few moments, because swimming or not, the heat of the late afternoon was beginning to get to them. They took turns going into the cool water, then climbing out to doze contentedly on the soft thick grass. When it had cooled enough to re-start the fire, they returned to their interrupted breakfast of hours ago, practically famished from their exertions.

Once the fish and biscuits were done, the two tucked in, stuffing their faces like they were starving to death.

When they'd finished and cleaned up both the campsite and themselves, it was after sunset.

"I wouldn't mind goin' to bed after all that food, sun and lovin', Counselor," Bill said, yawning mightily. "We gotta break camp come sunup."

Pam sighed and stood to follow Bill into the tent they'd been sharing since the previous night.

"I think you're right, Maxwell," she said as they climbed gratefully onto their bedroll. "You done wore me out, mister."

Neither spoke for a few moments. They lay side-by-side, not cuddling; it was still too hot. Both turned on their sides, facing away from one another, and were soon snoring from exhaustion.

A tickling hand on her breast awoke Pam in the early morning light of dawn. She smiled up at Bill, who was leaning over her, propped on an elbow, smiling down at her.

She rubbed his face, noting he'd taken the time to shave and bathe before waking her up. He turned his head, kissing her palm lightly.

"So, Pam, one more time around the block, before we head back to our lives in L.A.?"

She pulled him down, pressing her lips against his throat. "You better believe it, mister."

With all their gear loaded into the Jeep, Pam and Bill took one more survey of their campsite, from the ring of stones for the campfire down to the river's edge. Both were experienced campers, and knew the cardinal rule that you always leave the site better than you found it. They picked up little bits of debris that others had left behind, threw them into the truck's litter bag, and looked over the now-pristine site.

"Perfect, Bill!"

"Yep. Better than we found it."

They turned to look at one another, and moved together for one last, lingering kiss, while they still could.

Pam ran her thumb along Bill's lower lip, sighing almost sadly.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Just wondering what L.A.'s going to hold, once we get back."

"You said you're going to talk to Ralph, right?"

Bill paused. Pam could tell he was nervous. "What, Bill?"

"Are you, um... going to mention this week to him?"

"I thought our week-long adventure in Oregon could be just between you and me, Bill. Completely. I'm not going to say a word about it. Ever."

"Whew, thanks! I know you said you're considering yourself available and all, and I shouldn't feel guilty, but still... I think the less said, the better."

By the time they got to the airport in Portland, and Pam returned her rented Jeep, the two had fallen back into their usual dynamic of camaraderie and friendly teasing, jostling each other for the window seat on the plane to L.A. They weren't anxious to forget what had transpired that week, but leaving their little riverside Paradise, returning to the "real world," helped them get back to their usual friendly ways.

Bill retrieved his car from long-term parking at LAX, and returned to baggage claim to get Pam and their luggage. They were laughing and chatting, in good spirits, when they arrived at Pam's house.

"When's Ralph supposed to be back, Pam?"

She checked her watch. "Two hours. Good thing we got in ahead of him, huh? That would've been a scene, all three of us showing up at LAX at the same time!"

Bill laughed, envisioning that scenario. "You're right."

"Let me put all my stuff away, and we can go to his place, check on it before he returns. He'll be calling me there any way, to come get him, since he left the wagon with me."

Bill helped her with her luggage and fishing gear while she got her backpack. They soon had it all returned to the appropriate spaces, and went to his car.

When they got to Ralph's, Pam let them in with her key. She held it at the foyer, staring down at it, wondering if she was going to still have possession of it by the evening.

"You all right, Pam?" Bill asked as he got them each a coke from Ralph's fridge.

"I guess," she finally said. "Now that we're here, in Ralph's place, I guess I'm feeling kind of weird."

"Oh, now you do, great! Pam, what happened, happened. When Ralph gets back, you two can air things out, and I'm sure it'll work out for the best for both of you."

They waited about an hour, then the call from LAX and Ralph came.

"Hey, Ralph. We'll be there in a bit, down at baggage claim. Yes, Bill's here, did you want to talk to him? Hang on."

She silently handed the phone to Bill.

"Hey, pard," Bill said.

"Hey, pard," Ralph's happy voice echoed. "How'd the week go, any juicy scenarios that I missed?"

Bill paused, looking at Pam and smiled softly. "Naw, Ralph, no juicy scenarios. L.A. was quiet as a church all week, like they knew you was gone!"

Fin.

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