Swimming at Sunset
written by:
Howl

F. was dead, dead and gone, and I was at loose ends. I got the news while I was traveling the country, got a call from his father while sleeping in a California hostel. F. was dead, the funeral was in two days at his hometown in Florida, and I was penniless and on the other side of the continent. Still, I knew I had to get there, to pay my respects, so I borrowed some money from my sister and got a plane ticket to Melbourne and a rental car.

That about did it for cash, though, and lacking any other options for where to stay, I got in touch with my old friend Maddy, who lived on a shoreside house just southeast of Palm Bay. Maddy and I had gone to college together a decade before, and though we hadn't much kept in touch, she seemed like my best option. For one thing, she knew F., knew what he meant to me. For another, even when I began to have some troubles at school, she was always there for me. We never dated, though we did fool around a few times, but she always looked out for me when I needed help. I sent her a message on Facebook to let her know I'd be in town, and she sent over her phone number.

I called her from the airport and she came right over, insisted I stay at her place until the funeral. I followed her to her house, a beautiful modern home that stretched right over to a near-private beach, shared only with a couple of other similar homes. Maddy had made out well out of college, following her art degree up with an advertising gig, where she met her husband. It was a far cry from my own fortunes, which consisted of an interesting life, but not a profitable one.

We sat in her living room, east-facing windows looking out over the beach, talking a little about F. over a bottle of wine. Her husband was in Chicago working on a contract for the advertising firm, and so it was just the two of us, sad and quiet on a hot Florida afternoon. With all my travels, and coming off a cross-country flight, I felt ragged, worn out, a blemish on the beautiful picture of the seaside growing orange as the sun fell behind us. Still, it was good to see Maddy. She was still beautiful, taller than me with wide hips and a full chest, soft and kind.

We made our way to the bottom of the bottle and ran out of things to say to each other, just sat watching the sky grow darker in stages. Maddy had her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my ear, and it was nice. Then she got up, walked over to the other side of the room and looked out the east-facing window.

"Sun's going down soon," she said. "Want to go swimming?"

"Huh?"

"I try to go swimming every sunset," she said. "One of the perks of living here. You can stay up here if you want, but I'm going to go."

"I didn't bring anything to wear," I said.

She laughed. "Who cares? I mean, no one else is around here. It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."

We made our way out of her home and down to the beach. There were a few lights on in the other beachside homes, but other than that, it was deserted. We walked right up to where the water finished running against the sand. Maddy dropped a couple of towels on the ground and stripped off her clothes. Her large frame had rounded out a bit since I had last seen her naked, softened at the edges, and it was a nice effect. Her heavy breasts were peaked with dark, dark nipples, almost black, and the red rays of the sun embraced her and turned her skin a deep orange.

She kicked off her panties and darted into the water, no precursor, just a flash of skin and hair, a hint of her butt before she disappeared into the waves. She reappeared shortly after, her head peeking above the darkening water, curly hair plastered against her face.

I was slower in following. It was cool in northern California where I had come from, and I had more layers to remove, casting them aside like insect shells. It had been several days of dirty showers in hostels, and it felt good to just be naked, wearing only the humid Florida air. I relished the feeling for a few, then followed Maddy into the water, more gingerly than her mad dash. Finally, when it was up to my knees, I plunged forward, cock and balls and stomach contracting at the shock of water. It was cool, not cold, but it took me by surprise, and I quickly dunked my head under to try to get used to it.

Maddy was several paces out by then. I was a poor swimmer overall, but in the salt water of the ocean, I did alright. I paddled over to her slowly, found her a little ways away, treading water. I could just barely brush the sandy floor and bounced in place next to her.

She laughed again, a wonderful sound, clear as rain. "You do everything the hard way," she said. "It's easier when you just go for it, dive right in."

"Easy for you to say," I panted. "You grew up swimming. You do this every night?"

"I try to," she said. She leaned backwards, arms spread to the side, and with a few kicks she pushed away from me, floating on her back. Each motion brought hints of breast rising above the water, the occasional dark fist of hair visible between her legs as she kicked. I followed in my own slow manner, pulled up next to her, put a hand out on her arm. She spun around towards me, then danced backwards, easily cutting through the waves. I followed again, and this time she dove under me, skin brushing skin for an instant before she appeared behind me. "I mean, I like to swim, always have, but it's especially nice around now. Just watch. You'll see."

She pointed me toward the shore, and the sun was really low now, so that it was painful to look that way for long. I squinted, trying to figure out what she was showing me. Then I turned back, and saw that she was farther off again. I moved toward her once more, grabbed her with both hands this time. Laughing, she grabbed me too, then rocked to the side, pulling me beneath the sea. Panic grabbed me then, instinctive panic that I couldn't shake even though I knew I wasn't drowning, knew I was perfectly safe. I closed my eyes against the stinging salt water, but not before seeing flashes of that strange, underwater world, dim and murky - alien strands of kelp, hints of Maddy's dark body, some small and darting shapes that scattered as I passed by them. I came up spluttering, letting the water drain from my face before opening my eyes again.

The sun was really low now, halfway gone below the shelf of land to the west. A crimson line began to form across the horizon, bright and deep, traces of orange spreading toward us from the shore. Maddy was on her back again, floating on top of the waves, most of her body visible over the water, and I felt my cock stirring, waking up after the shock of water had put it to sleep.

"Go ahead," she said "Lie back."

I tried my best, kept panicking and spinning around every time my head went to far back, and finally switched back to treading water. I was panting. Maddy giggled, swam over to me and held out her hands to help me back. Eventually I was doing it, floating on my back, and with the sun in the west I stared up at a purple sky, the moon already visible in between dark clouds. Relaxing back, my rubbery erection flopped clear of the water, the head of my penis poking absurdly out of the ocean. Maddy bobbed next to me, gave it a wry smile, then pointed my head back toward the shore.

"Just watch the horizon," she said, and I did. The sun was wide, melting against the shelf of water spread out before us, and suddenly the whole world was on fire. The water around me turned a dark orange, glowing, gleaming. The waves became flickering flames, foam-crested peaks glinting in reflected light.

"Wow," I said. Maddy was right next to me, and I felt her nod, eyes still fixed on the setting sun.

"It's like this almost every day," she said. "Well, any time the sky's clear at least."

I just shook my head in wonder. "Wow," I repeated, dumb, exhausted and completely awestruck.

We watched the sun until the last lick of it melted below the water's level, the waters themselves changing from red and orange to a deep purple to match the sky. The top of my body grew cold, my erection momentarily forgotten in the powerful sunset, and we swam back to the shore. Maddy handed me a towel and began to dry off, offering me a few more brief glimpses of her ample body before she wrapped the towel around herself. She led me back up the shore to her house, tracking wet, sandy footprints on the clean hardwood floors.

"I only have one shower," she said. "You can have it first if you want. I'm going to get another drink."

"A shower sounds great," I said, "but I wouldn't mind a drink myself."

She opened up another bottle of wine and we sat quietly for a while, damp towels still wrapped around our bodies, salt drying on our skin. She didn't have AC on, and the night was warm, but I didn't mind. I sat close to her, arm around her bare shoulders. She dropped her head onto my own shoulder, damp hair sticking to me, and we sat like that for a long time, the world swimming.

After a while, she caught herself dozing, woke up with a start. "Listen," she said. "I'm going to fall asleep if I stay like this, and I know you've got a funeral to get to tomorrow morning. I can set up a bed for you, if you like."

I got up too, my skin goosepimpling even in the warm air. "Thanks for everything, Maddy," I said. "Really. You've been great." I pulled her in for a hug, bodies separated by two still-damp towels, and kissed her softly, just below the ear. Her hands grabbed at me, then, held me close.

"Or you could stay with me," she whispered.

I followed her mutely as she led me by the hand to her room. Her bed was soft and wide, set low to the ground, and I felt a momentary pang of guilt as I looked at a wedding picture on the bedside table, Maddy resplendent in her white dress, her husband grinning happily next to her. She paid it no mind, though, slipping towel to the floor and burrowing underneath the soft covers. I joined her, heart thumping. I suddenly thought back to the handful of times I had slept with Maddy back at school, found myself oddly nervous.

She pressed her warm, soft body against mine, her breasts billowing, spilling over against my chest. I loved those breasts, then, large and luscious, showing just the barest signs of age. I held each one in turn, getting a feel for it with my hands before bringing my face down to her chest, taking first one nipple and then the other into my mouth, letting my tongue dart over them. She began to rotate her hips, grinding them against my leg, her thigh brushing against my cock with every rotation. I ran my hands down her body, let a finger explore her pubic tangle, lingered there feeling the damp that had nothing to do with the ocean. She made a small noise, somewhere between a breath and a sigh, and I brought my head down from those beautiful breasts, lips pausing on her belly, then bringing myself down between her legs.

There, I let my breath play over her for a tense moment, hands on her thighs, feeling those large muscles tense and contract. I wanted her so badly, wanted to dive my cock deep into her, was already stretched to the point of bursting, but I held the moment, stretched it out as long as either of us could stand. Then, tentatively, I darted my tongue out, felt for the small bud of her sex, circled it briefly before moving my lips there. Another sigh from Maddy, this one longer, fuller. I sucked and kissed at her clitoris, timing my movements with the motion of her hips, which rocked like waves. I rocked with her, cock against her leg, dry humping as I kissed and nibbled.

Her breathing grew faster, hands circling my hair, and she shivered in place. Then she reached down, fingertips brushing softly against my body as they found my cock, still pressed against her thigh. Just the slightest touch of her hands was electric, and I was stretched to the point of bursting.

"Careful," I whispered. "It's been a little while for me. I -"

It was too late. As her hands circled my cock, I sputtered against the contact, covering her palm and leg with my sticky seed. She pulled me up, directed my spurting cock into her. I did my best to oblige, taking advantage of the few moments left of hardness to grind against her, pumping. She was warm and wonderful, but it was like fighting the rising tide, and eventually I slipped out. She wrapped her arms around me, squeezed me tight and kissed me. I felt her arm wander downward, felt another motion between her legs, looked down to see her rubbing at her clit. I watched her hand move faster and faster, enjoying the sight, the closed-eyes pleasure on her face. Her breasts rose in the air and she whimpered and collapsed. Then her arms were back around me and she was kissing me again, smiling and laughing.

"Sorry," I started to say, but she silenced me with her lips. We held each other close for a while, tight, and it was comfortable and perfect. I hadn't been held like that for a long, long time. I closed my eyes, and let myself drift off into the night.

I woke up to a warm, pleasant sensation. I thought I was dreaming at first, felt my cock twitching and growing stages, my hips beginning to buck. I looked down to see Maddy with her mouth around my prick, licking and sucking, her head bobbing in the dark. She looked up at me with playful eyes, and the sight was so perfect, so amazing, I was instantly rock hard. Those soft lips danced over me, sending shivers down my spine, tongue playing at the sensitive area just beneath the crown. I watched, amazed, as this gentle woman took the whole of my quivering penis into her mouth, felt the tip hit the back of her throat, her lips lost in my pubic hair. I shuddered and shook, enjoying the sounds and sight of it all almost as much as the sensation. This felt close, closer even than sex, like I was making a pact with this darling creature. Her head bounced and spun and bobbed, and I could tell she was turned on too, watched her hips shake, watched her touching herself again between her legs.

I pulled her up close to me, then, let her sopping sex hover just above my prick, glistening with her spit in the moonlight. Carefully, tremulously, she lowered herself, and it was like sinking into molasses, so warm and soft. We rocked against each other, slowly at first, then frantically, and I was pulling at her hair and scratching her back, and she was doing the same to me. I took one of those beautiful large breasts into my mouth, sucked desperately at a hard nipple as she bucked and spun and eventually arched her back, one soft cry. I felt the warmth inside her increase, felt a new wetness there.

She spun to the side, turned herself over, and I took her from behind then, pumping against her, lips curling back from teeth, going in hard and fast. She didn't mind, moved her body against me. I teetered on the edge of orgasm for a long while, longing for release but terrified it would end. I thrust and thrust, panting, sometimes slipping out of her in those fast movements. Each time she would laugh and direct me back in, reaching between her legs with her gentle hands.

I was stretched like an overfull balloon, and finally I burst, shuddering and shaking. There wasn't much come left in me, but what little there was went deep inside her, my stomach quivering as I shot out increasingly small spurts of come. She laughed, sighed and moaned, reached down again and massaged my balls as I ground my hips against her, not wanting to break the contact.

"You're amazing, you know that?" I said, and she held me close again, kissed at me, warm hands against my now limp penis. We fell asleep once again, claimed by the hot Florida night.

*

I left the next morning, drove down in my rental car for F.'s funeral, leaving Maddy behind. She had a husband coming home to her, had a wonderful life that I knew she would want to get back to eventually. I didn't belong there, not really, didn't belong in her world of beauty and wonder, of fiery sunsets and warm, sticky nights. Still, I think about her a lot, wonder about that night. This was four years ago, four long and busy years, and I haven't so much as spoken to Maddy since. Still, I wonder. How much has she changed? Does she still swim in the sunset?

I hope so. With all my heart, I hope so.