The Gift

Chapter 5

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"I can't believe you did that," Lainie giggled, as they made their way to the car.

"She's a bitch and she hurt your feelings. She deserved it," Nick shrugged. "You wanna tell me what she used to do when you were a kid? Maybe it'll piss me off even more and I can be even meaner to her next time I see her."  He grinned down at her.

"Not particularly," Lainie muttered. "Suffice to say she is the spawn of Satan. I'll just leave it at that."

"Ok. Fine with me. But you know I'm going to be an ass every time I run into her from now on," Nick laughed.

"Hopefully we won't run into her anymore," Lainie said, climbing into the passenger seat. Nick closed the door behind her.

As they drove down the main street in the new section of town, Nick chattered about everything. He asked questions about people who waived at them as they drove by. He asked questions about the town in general. Lainie answered them all. She knew everything about everything.

"So, what else are we gonna do today?" he asked. "I'm in the mood to be outside. I don't get to do this relaxation stuff very often."

"Oh, I don't know. We could go out into the country or something," Lainie mused.

"Out into the country? You mean this isn't out in the country?" he laughed.

"Heck no!" Lainie giggled. "This is 'town'. The country is waaaay out in the boonies."

"Oh man. I don't know if I've ever been in the boonies," Nick said, widening his eyes sarcastically. "Is it scary?"

"Hmmm. Sometimes. It depends. Are you afraid of snakes and spiders?"

Nick shivered. "Well, they're not my favorite things in the world."

"I don't know. Maybe you're too much of a wimp to go out in the woods."

"Hey, I'm not a wimp," Nick said, trying to sound offended. "I'm a manly man."

"Whatever," Lainie said, rolling her eyes. "Ok, manly man, I have an idea. We can go out to my dad's hunting land. It's really out in the boonies. We're talking deliverance country here."

"Oh shit. Are there big inbreeders with bad teeth who're gonna tell me I have a pretty mouth and make me squeal like a piggy?" Nick snickered.

"Maybe..." Lainie said, smiling.

"Sounds like my kinda place."
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The driveway out to the hunting cabin was a mile long, and was nothing but red Alabama dirt and rocks. The trees grew so close to the road that Nick could count the needles on the pine trees as they drove by. Suddenly, the landscape changed, and there were rolling hills with emerald green grass, bordered with the thickest forest of pine trees that Nick had ever seen.

"Wow," he said, duly amazed. "This is incredible."

"This is daddy's land. We never had a lot of money, but what we didn't have in money, we had in land."

"Damn. How many acres is this place?"

"About 1800 acres. It stretches back for miles. There are trails all through those woods," Lainie said, happy that he was impressed.

"What do you do? Walk the trails or something?" Nick asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Why walk when you can ride 4-wheelers," she laughed.

"You have 4-wheelers?" Nick asked, his eyes brightening.

"Oh yeah. We've got a bunch of them. That's how we get around. We have to put out corn for the deer and salt licks and stuff."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Nick asked. "Where are they?"

"They're in the barn," Lainie said, pointing to the large building behind the cabin. Nick drove around and Lainie hopped out. Nick followed her as she used her key to open the barn door. There for six 4-wheelers lined up inside the barn.

"I only have the key to mine, so we'll have to share," she said, hopping a bright red one.

"No problem," Nick said. "You gonna let me drive?"

"Have you ever driven one before?"

"Well... no, but it doesn't seem like it would be too hard," he replied.

"It can be if you don't know what you're doing. Let me drive at first, and then I'll let you, ok?"

"Oh alright," Nick pouted. He on behind her, and put his arms around her waist, then scooted up against her back. "Hey, this isn't so bad," he laughed.

"Pervert," she muttered, starting the 4-wheeler. They pulled out of the barn, and Lainie headed off over the hills and into the woods. They rode down the bumpy trails until they reached a circular clearing that was covered in green grass.

"What's this?" Nick asked.

"It's rye. We plant it in the fall so the deer will have something to eat in the winter."

"That's nice," Nick said, smiling.

"Well, actually, it's so they'll come to this area to eat and the hunters can shoot them. But yeah, it does sound nice on paper, doesn't it," Lainie laughed.

"You're twisted. Did you know that?" Nick said, shaking his head.

"Sorry. I know it sounds bad, but this is what I've grown up with," she replied.

"Can I drive now?" Nick asked.

"Ok. But you have to go slow. I don't want either of us going over the handlebars, ok?"

"I'm not gonna wreck," he laughed. She got off and let him scoot up. She sat down behind him and held onto the bars beside her to steady herself. Nick reached behind himself and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I like your hands better here," he said, smiling back at her.

"Whatever you say, chief," she replied. Nick started the machine and they moved onto another trail. He drove slowly, looking at all the trees and flowers that grew on the sides of the little road. Suddenly, a mother deer and her baby walked in front of them and stopped. Nick braked and they watched as the mother and baby calmly walked across the road and into the woods.

"They're not afraid?" Nick asked quietly.

"Nah. They know we won't hurt them. These deer are so used to these 4-wheelers. They've actually started associating them with food. I always bring corn out here for a treat."

"That's cool," Nick said. "Have you ever killed one?"

"Me? Heck no. I don't shoot anything living. I've never killed anything in my life. Well except for spiders and bugs, but they don't count."

Nick shivered again. "I don't like spiders."

"Me either. Watch out, because they build their webs across these trails sometimes," she said, laughing.

"Now you tell me," Nick muttered. "If I run through a spider web, you're gonna see one freaked out motherfucker."

"Don't cuss," Lainie laughed. "It's unattractive."

"Sorry," Nick said. They moved on down the trail some more, and came to another open field full of cotton.

"Is that cotton??" Nick asked, amazed.

"Yes. Please don't tell me you've never seen cotton growing," Lainie laughed.

"Well, I've seen it from the window of the bus, but never in person," Nick said. Hopping off and running to the field.

"Watch for snakes," Lainie called. Nick ignored her and picked a stalk of cotton.  He was admiring it as he returned.

"I've gotta take this to AJ. He'll love it," Nick mumbled, putting the cotton stalk in the back basket and hopping back on. "He's coming to visit day after tomorrow."

"He's... huh?" Lainie asked, feeling fear creeping over her body.

"AJ's coming down. He needs a little vacation, too, so I invited him to come down for a few days."

"Oh," Lainie said. She was just getting used to Nick, now he was bringing somebody else to stay with her. This wasn't good. She had seen AJ in concert. He was sex personified. He oozed sex appeal. He had attitude. He was the most intimidating person she had ever seen in her life.

"You'll like AJ," Nick laughed. "He's fun."

"I'll bet he is," Lainie muttered.  She put her arms back around Nick's waist, and they rode further into the woods. After about a half hour, Nick stopped in the middle of a trail and turned off the bike.

"I hope you know where we are, because I have no idea," he laughed.

"Yeah, I know where we are."

Nick turned around and rested his back on the handle bars with his hands on his stomach. He propped his legs up on either side of her and smiled.

"So. Here we are," he said, smirking sexily at her.

"Yep. Here we are," she said, looking away. Look at the trees, Laine. Look at the dirt. Look at anything except those blue eyes and that blonde hair. She had to keep reminding herself.

"Look at me, Lainie."

Lainie looked at him briefly, but she couldn't hold her gaze too long.

"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked, chuckling.

"I'm not afraid of you," she replied, blushing.

"Yeah. You're afraid of me. I just can't figure out why. It's not like I'm some kind of ferocious beast or something. What is it?"

Lainie tilted her head and looked up at him. "You're Nick Carter," she said, simply.

"Yessss... and your point would be?" he laughed.

"That's my point. You're Nick Carter. I'm not afraid of you. I'm intimidated by you. You're just so..." she paused, searching for the right word. She couldn't find it. "Never mind."

"You say that a lot. Did you know that?" Nick mused.

"No. I didn't realize that," she muttered. Nick's legs dropped and he leaned forward. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to his. She looked into his blue eyes and felt her stomach turn over. Nick brought his lips down to hers, kissing her softly. She returned the kiss, which delighted Nick, and encouraged him to continue. His hands ran down her shoulders lightly, then moved to her back. He gently pushed her back into a semi-reclining position against the back of the seat. His lips moved down to her neck.

"I probably taste like dirt," Lainie mumbled, her eyes closed, a warm feeling coursing over her body.

"Shut up," Nick muttered back. "You taste delicious. I'd like to taste more of you." His words sent a shiver from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. His hands tugged at her shirt, untucking it from her jeans. They roamed under the soft cotton fabric over the silky firm flesh of her stomach. Lainie was so lost in her thoughts of Nick's lips on her neck that she barely noticed when his hands trailed up to her breasts. He slowly pushed her shirt up as he kissed her lips again. His fingers teased her nipples through the silky fabric of her bra, and she immediately felt a hot tingling sensation between her legs. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again, a slight smile crossing his lips. He bent his head as he pulled the cup of her bra down and his tongue flicked across her nipple. Lainie's breath caught in her throat and she jumped.

"Settle down," Nick chided gently, then attached his lips to her now-hard nipple. His hand caressed the other breast, freeing it from the confines of the bra. Lainie's face burned hot, as she held onto Nick's broad shoulders for support. He slowly eased her shirt over her head without taking his attention from the actions of his mouth. Lainie's brain was reeling. She wasn't sure whether she should rake her nails across his back and tell him to fuck her here and now, or if she should grab her shirt and run screaming into the woods. Nick sensed her apprehension and he sat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, smiling.

"Nothing," she gulped.

"Tell me what you want," he said, fully expecting her to ask him to make love to her.

Without thinking, Lainie replied, "I want to run my fingers though your hair." She blushed profusely, hating herself as soon as the words left her mouth, and feeling like a total idiot. But that beautiful blonde hair... she just couldn't help it. She loved Nick's hair.

Nick chuckled. "You can do whatever you want to do. Here," he said, taking her hand and placing it on the back of his neck. "Run your fingers wherever you want."

Lainie, laughed and looked away, but Nick turned her face back to his. "I'm serious. If you want to run your fingers through my hair, do it. Don't be shy with me. Do whatever your body tells you to do. Don't think about it. Just do it. You can let your guard down with me, Lainie. I promise. Nothing bad will happen."

Lainie smiled and pulled him back to her lips. Nick's hand ran up her thighs, then pulled her legs over his own so that their bodies were pressed together. Her fingers found their way to his soft, blonde hair, and she sighed. He really was perfection. He placed his hands on her lower back, and pulled her to him even tighter, her pelvis grinding into his own. Her eyes flew open as she felt his hardness pressing against her groin.

"Whoa. I think we need to cool off for a minute," she said, breathlessly. Nick's cheeks were flushed with desire, but he did as she asked, and he let go of her.

"But why?" Nick whined. "I want you..."

"I can't," she said, pulling away from him. "I mean... well... I just..." She didn't know what to say. Why couldnt' she? He was hot. He was single. He was sexy as hell... And how many other girls could say that Nick Carter was their first? Strike that. She didn't even want to know the answer to that question. It creeped her out to imagine Nick with another girl.

"Lainie, can I ask you something?" he said quietly.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Have you ever been with a guy before?"

Lainie swallowed hard and looked down.

"Well, I guess that answers my question," Nick said, smiling. "Hey, look at me."

Lainie looked back up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. He certainly wouldn't want her now. No way in hell he'd want her now. Nick Carter, who probably had more women than he could remember, would never want an inexperienced, fumbling idiot such as herself.

"Why are you crying?" Nick asked, wiping away a tear. He laughed a little. "Lainie, baby," he hugged her. "It's ok. I'm proud of you! I mean, damn! You're a guy's dream come true! Hot girl who's never been touched by another man. Holy shit, girl! Whoever ends up with you is one lucky son of a bitch."

"Well, I guess I'll take that as a compliment," she said, trying to laugh. "I could have probably come up with a better way to phrase it, but..."

Nick kissed her lips again, silencing her. "No pressure. I promise," he said, stroking her cheek. "Come on. Let's get back to the car. It's getting dark."

Lainie nodded, pulling her shirt back on. Nick started the 4-wheeler and she put her arms around his waist. As they rode through the woods, she rested her cheek against his back. He felt warm. He smelled like... like a man. Little cologne. Little sweat. Lainie shivered again.

"Um, Laine, you're gonna have to tell me how the hell to get back to the car," Nick said.

"Just keep going straight. When you come to the 'T' in the road, turn left. You'll get there eventually," she said, not removing her cheek from his back. It felt too wonderful to move. Nick just laughed.

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