A glorious dusk was settling over the vast south Texas flatlands when I woke up after a fitful doze in my seat near the back of the bus. A change in the tone of the engine had brought me to wakefulness and I could see, as I peered through the grimy window, that we were pulling into the lot of some sort of road house fronted by a brightly lit gas-bar. I had been in this same seat for six hours now and I had another five to go before I finally reached my destination at the San Ysidro military base near the Mexican border. Accordingly, I was very glad when the driver announced that we would have a thirty-minute stopover as I was desperately thirsty and my legs were almost cramping from the enforced idleness in the anything but spacious coach seats.

As we drew to a halt beside a diesel fuel pump, I climbed stiffly to my feet and threw my travelling bag up into the overhead rack, trusting that it would be safe enough there if I left it unattended for a while. It seemed that everybody on the crowded vehicle felt the same need as I to disembark and it was a full five minutes before I finally alit onto the oil-stained pavement between the pump-islands. I crossed quickly over to the ramshackle roadhouse and, once inside, I made directly for the washroom, the pressing fullness in my bladder dictating I take care of that need before I addressed my thirst.

It was a pleasant change to be able to relieve myself somewhere other than the evil-smelling, cramped little facilities on the bus and after I had taken care of my business I went out to the restaurant counter and purchased a large container of sparkling lemon soda. I took it outside and sipped at it in the pleasant night air, admiring the impressive array of twinkling stars that were beginning to shine in the vast expanse of velvet night sky. There was a light breeze arising out of the east and, although it had been a sweltering hot day, I could already detect an increasing chill as the sun dipped down below the horizon. I pulled my lightweight jacket close about me and lit a cigarette from the crumpled pack of Winston's in my pocket.

After my cigarette I finished the remainder of my drink and then climbed back on the bus to await the rest of the passengers. It seemed that nobody was leaving the bus for good at this out of the way little place and, in fact, we picked up five more travelers before we finally pulled away. The first two, a nondescript elderly gentleman in a shabby suit and a skinny black youth with an alarming scar across his face, took the last two seats at the front of the vehicle, while the remaining three, a tired-looking Mexican woman and her two daughters came down the aisle toward my seat near the back. The woman, who wore a brightly colored shawl, was holding the hand of a little girl who I judged to be about six years old and behind her, in the gathering shadows was another girl, appearing to be about twelve or thirteen, who, even at first glance, struck me as one of the prettiest young ladies I have ever seen in my life.

The girl was dressed very poorly in a garish pair of neon-green shorts that were at least two sizes too big for her and a rather grubby yellow T-shirt whose seam at the left shoulder was beginning to part. Her clothing clearly bespoke a difficult and disadvantaged lifestyle, but despite all that her compelling beauty shone through without being diminished in any way. She was deliciously slender, with just the barest hint of a burgeoning bosom, and her long black hair was cut in a straight fringe across the golden-olive expanse of her forehead. Dominating her pretty little face was a pair of darkly luminous eyes whose lovely almond shape lent her features an exotic, almost oriental appeal.

The mother moved past me with the little girl in tow and she took the double seat just behind me and across the aisle. As she sat down she waved the older daughter into the vacant seat beside me and, I have to confess, I felt a little surge of interest as I realized that this gorgeous young creature was going to be my travelling companion for the next little while. I picked up a newspaper I had left on the empty seat and the lovely girl flickered her eyes at me in thanks before sitting down.

The bus moved off with a groaning lurch and the interior cabin lights were suddenly switched off, plunging the passenger area into darkness. Enough light came in through the windows to illuminate the heads and faces of the people around me but, below the high sills of the windows, the entire bus was lost in a velvet pool of blackness. I stole a sideways glance at the young girl beside me but she was looking straight ahead, her face almost hidden in the shadows of her soft black tresses.

"Maria... Maria!"

The sibilant whisper of the Mexican woman behind us hissed audibly over the throaty rumble of the engine and the girl swiveled her head back toward the sound. A brief exchange in Spanish ensued and then the girl shook her head and turned back to face the front once again. I had no idea at all what was said between the two of them but for some reason I felt curiously pleased to have learned the lovely creature's name. I repeated it silently to myself as the bus droned on and I thought how the prettiness of the name suited her very well.

For the next half-hour or so we sped across the silent landscape and I noted that, from time to time, Maria craned her head to peer out the window as something caught her eye. I had no interest in the scenery after having been travelling all day and it occurred to me that she might like it if I gave her the window seat. Turning to her, I tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Would you like to sit by the window?" I asked her quietly. She turned her face to mine and I could immediately tell from her uncomprehending expression that she had no idea what I was saying. Pausing for a moment, I tried again.

"You... sit here ... by window?" I repeated slowly, gesturing first at her, then my seat, then the window. She continued to stare at me for a moment and then she suddenly smiled in understanding, revealing a perfect set of brilliantly white teeth.

"Ah... Si ... Gracias," she replied softly, her smile appearing almost luminous in the shadows of the bus. I smiled back at her as we both climbed to our feet and she stepped into the aisle to let me pass. When she slipped into the window seat I began to follow her and then I saw her mother watching us. She caught my eye, holding it for a second, and then she nodded at me as though acknowledging my kindness. I returned the nod and then sat back down in the seat beside the aisle.

As we continued to rush onward through the night, the somnolent drone of the bus began to take its toll on the passengers. Those few who had been engaged in quiet whispered conversations gradually became lost in their own thoughts and I was able to see quite a few heads dropping forward as various passengers lost the battle with sleep. Maria, who had been watching silently out the window as the telephone poles slid hurriedly past, eventually allowed her head to rest very gently against my shoulder, and though I couldn't see her face at all I thought that she might be dozing herself.

Sitting there in the enveloping shadows, I was able to smell the delicate fragrance of the pretty young girl's hair. She may have been dressed very poorly, but she obviously took great pains to keep herself clean and the scent of her was a subtle mix of lavender and desert wildflowers. I could feel the warmth of her as she sat almost pressed against me and I couldn't help but wonder what her smooth limbs and lithe young body must look like completely unclothed.

Despite that unbidden and, admittedly lascivious thought, you will have to take my word for it that what happened next was totally inadvertent and not planned in any way. I didn't want to disturb the girl, but I had developed an annoying itch along my left leg and as I reached to scratch at it the edge of my hand brushed against the silky softness of her sleek, bare thigh. Instantly I felt an almost electric thrill at the contact and I froze, leaving my hand still touching her. She didn't move, or give any sign that she was aware of the contact, and I wondered, as my heart beat heavily within my chest, whether she had actually fallen asleep.

Having felt the pleasant warmth of her leg, I was strangely reluctant to take my hand away and, before I really knew what I was doing, I slid the palm further over the top of the slender little limb allowing it to rest on top. I held my breath in that instant, watching for any reaction, but there was none and I carefully moved my palm ever so slightly to the left so that it slipped down the little slope in between and allowed me to come up against the inside surface of her left thigh. I knew that I might be getting myself into a lot of trouble at that moment, but I seemed powerless to stop myself and I consoled myself with the thought that if the girl reacted with alarm I could pretend that the touch was inadvertently done in my sleep. She didn't move however and, after a few moments I tentatively began to stroke the tender skin with the tips of my outstretched fingers.

To my incredible surprise, Maria suddenly parted her legs at that moment, sliding the left one over toward the window and pressing her right one tightly enough against my own so that I knew she had done it on purpose. There was no pretending on either of our parts that the contact was accidental now and I realized, with a sudden pounding in my chest, that the gorgeous young girl was actually welcoming my sensual overture. Emboldened by the response, I slipped my hand down into the space between her legs and began to gently caress the enticingly smooth surface of her inner right thigh.

My God, but the sensation of touching her silken skin was incredible... In moments I had developed a tremendous erection and the hard rod of my cock pushed insistently against the unyielding front of my uniform trousers, straining as though desperately trying to break free. Maria, in response to my caress, shifted her hips slightly, sliding them forward on the seat and I began to slide my hand in longer strokes up and down the lovely and delightfully tender young flesh. Her face, hidden by her hair, was still turned toward the window as though watching, but I sensed, rather than saw, that her eyes were closed so as to better savor the pleasure of my touch.

Slowly, millimeter by millimeter, I edged the tips of my finger higher up on her thigh, moving gradually to the cleft of her legs. My wrist was soon touching the edge of her shorts and, as I continued moving my arm backward, the loose leg material slid upward, revealing a further stretch of deliciously naked skin. I tickled gently, moving my finger tips in slow, sensual circles, and as I approached the very sensitive skin lying scant inches from Maria's pussy she astounded me by raising her right leg and sliding it over mine. She was completely spread for me now, her legs splayed wide, and I paused, swallowing hard, before placing my hand squarely on the plump little mound just beneath the soft fabric of her shorts.

Oh, Christ it was so incredibly exciting...

I truly thought I might faint for a moment as my hand cupped and closed around that delicious little saddle and I fancied, for an instant, that I heard the girl sigh quietly as I squeezed her through her shorts. I rubbed my hand slowly back and forth, feeling the soft pillow of her lips separate and Maria responded to this caress by raising her hips slightly and pushing her pussy forward into my palm. My cock, trapped inside my pants, was throbbing fiercely now and in that powerful moment I had an overwhelming desire to finally touch and explore the naked flesh of her sweet, girlish little cunt.

Turning my hand to the left until the fingers grazed against the inner surface of her opposite thigh, I found the edge of her shorts and drew the loose-fitting leg aside as far as I could, snaking my fingers inside. As I did this, Maria raised her left leg also and placed her foot on the back of the leftmost-armrest of the seat in front of us so that this knee was splayed up and out as well. In this position I had a much better angle of entry and was able to twist my hand all the way inside the ample opening and feel the soft, silky cotton of her underpants where they covered her sexy little mound. Hardly daring to breathe, I let my fingers explore the warmth beneath.

Stretching my fingertips over the sheer fabric I quickly located the narrow slit between her lips and I teased the plump pillows apart, wriggling the length of my finger into the narrow little channel. As I slid the digit down the curve of her pudendum into the nest between her legs I found, with a rush of excitement, that her panties were deliciously damp down there. My erection seemed to swell even larger at this discovery and Maria shifted her hips deliciously as I probed the softness of her, teasing the delicate fabric into the moist recesses that were opening under my caress.

As incredibly intoxicating as it was pleasuring Maria through her panties, I wanted desperately to feel the nakedness of her pussy and I tugged at the elastic of her underpants where they encircled her lovely little thigh, trying to slide the thin material over to one side. I managed to draw the front of her panties halfway across the curve of her mound and for a brief, electrifying moment I felt my fingertips slide over the satiny skin beneath. The panties were a little too tightly stretched over at that point, however, and as much as I wanted to explore her further, I realized I needed a better angle of entry.

I withdrew my hand completely from the leg of her shorts and fumbled in the darkness for her waistband. Maria raised her hips for me as I felt around and a moment later I thrust my hand under the loose top and found myself inside her shorts again. I slipped my hand over the smooth little rise of her belly and snaked the fingers slowly downward until I encountered the thin elastic of her panties, pausing for a second before teasing my digits beneath. I eased my hand inside and, even over the throb of the noisy bus engine, I heard the girl's breathing become slow and heavy as I pushed inside, edging my fingertips across her skin and down into the delightful warmth.

As my fingers met the first gentle rise of her vulva I had to suppress a sudden gasp of pleasure as I encountered a wiry little tuft of pubic curls sprouting in a delicious tangle from the top of her pubis. It was not a thick carpet by any means, only a brief patch covering the upper third of her mound, but it excited me tremendously and my cock ached inside my pants as I envisioned pressing my nose into the silkiness of her fur. I let my palm brush lightly over the sparse little tangle, savoring the wonderful sensation, and then, just as I was poised to cup her fully with my hand, a sudden concerto of down-shifting gears jolted us into the realization that the bus was coming to a halt.

Damn it... That was bad timing!

I jerked my hand from Maria's shorts and she dropped her feet back to the floor in some haste. As she straightened up, I caught the sound of her exhaling sharply in a way that seemed to mirror my own annoyed frustration and I patted her thigh in commiseration. The interior lights of the bus came on at that moment, making us blink at the unaccustomed brightness, and we saw as we peered through the glass that we were pulling into another roadside gas station and restaurant.

We lumbered to a halt and the driver announced over the intercom that we were making a parcel delivery stop and that we had five minutes to stretch our legs if we wanted. I didn't really want to get off, and many of the other passengers seemed content to doze in their seats, but Maria's mother seemed to be trying to communicate with her and I thought it might be a good idea if I took a breath of fresh air. Rising from my seat, my erection now thankfully subsiding, I glanced quickly at the pretty young Mexican girl and was rewarded with a lovely little smile which I returned as I turned to head for the door.

Outside, I lit a cigarette and noticed that it had really got quite chilly now that the sun was down. It was very dark there outside the vehicle and there seemed to be no settlement on this stretch of the highway other than the restaurant itself and a small house tucked in behind it. I shivered as I closed my jacket about me and I smoked my cigarette quickly so as to be able to get back inside to the warmth.

When the bus driver returned I climbed back aboard and, as I walked toward my seat, I saw that Maria was not there. The awful thought struck me that she had taken another seat and I was just searching for her pretty face when the toilet door opened and she emerged, swinging her beautiful tresses back over her shoulders with a quick little flick of her head. She saw me as she approached our seats, locking her eyes with mine for a brief, delicious instant, and then she slid inside and sat down. Feeling a sudden rush of anticipation, I quickly took my seat beside her.

As soon as the bus had pulled back onto the highway, the lights were turned off again and we were sunk into darkness once more. I sat there silently for the first mile or so, wondering how to begin again, when Maria, to my very great pleasure, pre-empted any further consideration of the question by sliding her leg back over mine once again and putting her left foot up where it had been before. Clearly, I realized with a thrill of arousal, she was as every bit interested in taking up where we had just left off as I was.

Even though there was no need to employ the same subterfuge as before, I didn't want to simply dive straight for her privates without any sort of preliminary. I wanted to build to the moment a little more slowly than that so I began to caress the inside of her thigh with long, slow strokes, first attending to the one closest to me and then moving my hand over to do the same with the left. With a little more haste than I had employed before, I slid my hand down the sleek little limb toward her groin and then I carefully opened the loose leg of her shorts in order to slide my fingers inside. I paused for a moment, gently teasing her with my fingertips, and then I moved slowly and deliberately inward, searching for the soft material of her panties but finding, to my heart-stopping, incredulous amazement, only the bare, uncovered flesh of her sweet little mound.

Dear Lord... She had taken her panties off!

It would be impossible to communicate to you how incredibly, totally aroused I was in that instant. My cock, which had been slowly uncoiling as I began to touch her again, now ballooned instantly into a full throbbing erection and it bulged inside my trouser leg like a railroad spike on fire. I continued to explore the tender flesh of her pussy, my fingers trembling, but the angle was unsatisfactory and I think I grunted softly as I tried to negotiate the difficult stretch. Maria, however, had a better idea.

"Aqui..." she whispered softly, grasping my wrist. She gently maneuvered my hand out of the leg hole of her shorts and then I sensed, rather than saw, that she was raising the waistband of her pants to let me in. Gratefully, and with increasing excitement, I slipped my hand into the warm little cave she had created.

Maria sighed deep in her throat as my hand closed over the furry top of her mound and the fingers extended down to cup her completely. Almost immediately I could feel the sticky wetness that was gathering down there and I slipped my index finger between her puffy outer lips to tease the delicate folds within. Pressing deeper, I wriggled the tip of my digit, making her squirm deliciously, and then the terminal joint slipped easily into the slick recesses of her lovely little honey-pot.

She was so hot inside... Like satin that had been coated in some exquisite heated oil. I probed deeper into her and Maria slid herself forward on her seat, dropping her trunk and raising her nether regions sexily up toward my hand. My finger was now buried almost completely inside her and I began to slide it back and forth, savoring the velvet warmth within as I explored the tight sheath of her vagina with each sensuous thrust.

As I explored the depths of this beautiful creature, I suddenly felt her right hand slide under my arm and snake down between my legs. Almost immediately, she found the thick rod of my erection and she squeezed it gently as it lay like a hard sausage along my leg. I had to stifle the groan of pleasure that arose within me at that moment and, in my complete and total arousal, it took an extreme effort of will and control not to come then and there. I was already dangerously close to the point of bursting explosively, but I wanted to prolong the agonizing ecstasy for as long as I possibly could.

Maria began to slide her thumb and index finger along the length of my imprisoned shaft, squeezing it as she did so, and making me shiver with the incredible sensation. I continued pleasuring her with my finger by sliding it slowly back and forth and then I hooked the tip of my digit upward under her pubic bone, massaging her sensitive g-spot as I gripped her with my hand. My palm was now pressed hard against her gently curving mound and, as the swollen lips spread aside I was able to feel the turgid little nubbin of her clitoris poking against me. She moaned as I stimulated these two pleasure centers simultaneously and then she began to slowly rock her hips in concert with the ministrations of my hand.

I knew that I was not going to be able to last for long and I could also sense that Maria was getting close to the point of no return herself. Time had begun to lose any real meaning for me at that moment, but it must have been only minutes before the girl suddenly emitted a strangled gasp of pleasure and swung her legs sharply inward to imprison my arm tightly. She shuddered as the climax gripped her, thrusting her hips in short, savage jerks, and then, in response to her energetic pleasure, I came myself, shooting a copious sticky load right into the leg of my pants. I realized, of course, that I was going to leave a visible stain down there, but at that point I could have cared less and I held her tightly with my cupped hand until the power of our mutual orgasm subsided.

Afterward, when we had disentangled ourselves from one another, Maria slept, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder. I would have like to have put my arm around her as she lay there, but that was clearly out of the question and I had to satisfy myself by giving her hand an affectionate squeeze before she finally gave way to slumber. I, too, was spent from our incredibly powerful exchange and, shortly after she fell asleep, I drifted into a fitful doze myself.

Maria left the bus at the next stop, a little hamlet somewhere in the vastness of the night. She smiled up at me through the window after she had disembarked and then she and her family were lost to me in the darkness. I settled into my seat as we pulled back onto the highway and, there in the shadows of the speeding bus, I savored the lingering scent of the girl on my fingers, recapturing the brief, but wonderful moment we had shared together.

The End