Cabin Fever

I'm looking for input and a crit as well as votes. Should I post more this is an excerpt of my burgeoning work..

PJ....

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"I got your invite!" she said, waving as she walked up the trail.

"Glad you decided to show up. You couldn't have picked a better time. The wood is all chopped and stacked," Max said, dusting off his jeans. He opened his arms for a welcome hug, which she accepted, and returned her kiss on the cheek. "Come on, I'll show you around." He took her pack and stowed it in the cabin.

Arm in arm they walked around the cabin, looking at all the local interests, the location of the outhouse, the woodshed, and the spring box. They walked down to the lake, where there was a small dock with a red canoe overturned on it.

"So now you have found my hideaway, Sarah. Do you like it?" Max asked as they walked back up to the cabin along the trail. Her hand squeezed his as she smiled sweetly at him. " We still have a lot to see. Ask me again when the weekend is over," Sarah said, looking sideways at him.

Sarah looked up, holding onto her sun hat as she tilted her head back. The spruce and poplar trees crowded out the blue sky overhead, but they opened and gave a grand view of the lake to the west. The air smelled so fresh and clean. She took deep breaths, letting each out with a long sigh. The treetops swayed in a light breeze, rustling the leaves of the poplars and filling the air with a sighing sound. There were birds singing everywhere: little chickadees in the spruce, white-throated sparrows over in the birch, and even the rat-tat-a-tat of a woodpecker somewhere deeper in the woods. Sarah jumped as a squirrel scolded her from a branch just above her head and she let out a squeal. She blushed as she heard Max laughing from the porch.

Max picked up a few blankets off the porch railing and extended his hand to Sarah.

"Let's go down to the lake. A campfire is in order, I'm sure."

Sarah's eyes sparkled and she held up her finger, signaling Max to wait, and she rushed into the cabin to retrieve something from her pack. She came back out and grabbed Max's offered hand, keeping a small packet safely hidden.

"Ok, let's go."

Down the path to the beach they walked hand in hand. The nighthawks buzzing overhead were catching the last of the season's insects on wing and the little brown bats were just starting to come out for their evening hunts.

The fire pit was sunk into the beach high above the waterline. Having the fire down out of the wind made it more enjoyable for all. The sand was pushed back to form backrests against a huge fallen log. Out of the wind, one could stretch out and enjoy the fire in comfort. There was a small pile of wood already stacked and waiting for the spark to call forth the element of the evening.

Max spread out the blankets and then busied himself with lighting the fire. Sarah settled back against the log and watched him, smiling and content. Max spied her watching, smiled himself, and settled down next to her as the fire started. The stars began popping out overhead.

The fire crackled and the far vista of the dusky shores shrank down to the circle of firelight. Sarah sighed and relaxed against Max. "This is wonderful. I can't believe the smell of an open campfire is so much different than the fireplace back home." Max just nodded.

"I have a surprise for you." Sarah said, giggling, her eyes bright. Max raised his eyebrows in question. Sarah fumbled in her pocket and produced a small package of marshmallows for roasting. Max laughed and got up to find the roasting sticks hanging from a nearby tree limb.

"I like them when they turn into muffins," she told him with a giggle as she roasted her first treat. "Then I pull the top off and roast them again, like this." Sarah pulled the top off the puffed-up marshmallow and pulled long sugary strings with it. The strings clung to her fingers and chin when she put the top in her mouth, and she stuck out her tongue to try to catch them. She giggled and started to roast it again. Max just ate his marshmallow raw, but smiled when Sarah laughed.

After about three more she stopped, sighed and leaned back against the log. Max put more wood on the fire, sending sparks shooting up into the air like a fiery dance of fairies. He settled down against the log and Sarah snuggled into his shoulder.

They talked quietly, laughed at little jokes, then just stared at the flames, lost in thought. Sarah's face glowed in the firelight while Max's was awash with dancing shadows. The firelight had a way of playing tricks with the eyes, making things move when they were still.

She snuggled closer and put her head on his shoulder. Max lifted his arm and Sarah settled in, smiling at him when he wrapped his arm around her. She played with the hair on his arm with her fingers while Max seemed lost in thought, staring at the flames. The soft crackling of the fire drowned out most of the night noises of the lake, but the soft wash of the waves rippling on the shore and the few crickets and frogs still braving the climate filled the night between the pops of the fire. She could hear his heartbeat, strong in his chest. She could feel it quicken as she played her little games.

She looked up at him with her big green eyes, sucking in her lower lip, and slowly lifted his hand and placed it on her breast.

"It's such a lovely night. I just wished you would have shared this spot with me sooner," Sarah sighed.

They melted together in the heat of the fire; their world consisted of nothing but what was contained in the small circle of light. They were so close to each other and so, so far away from the rest of the world.

Every touch, every whisper burned her skin, her soul. She matched the rhythm of his caresses with her own and soon they were naked in the firelight, slick with sweat and adding moans and sighs to the pops and snaps of the fire.

Their burning passion climaxed as the fire collapsed in on itself in a shower of sparks and a renewed burst of flame lit up the joyous expressions on the lovers’ faces. As the flames of their passions died down, they settled back against the log rests and wrapped themselves in the blanket so they could stare up at the stars.

The lake was calm now. The earlier waves had faded to small ripples. It reflected the millions of stars hanging overhead in the night sky. There is nothing like the sight of a late summer night sky far from the city lights.

Sarah shivered a bit and Max got all concerned, but she assured him she was not cold. "I'm just overwhelmed by the sight of all these stars. It’s awesome." She leaned over and kissed him, thanking him for the concern. Just then the wolves from across the lake broke into their nightly serenade of the rising moon. Sarah, startled, clung to Max. Max held her tighter and felt her slicked skin, warm against his.

He rose, untangling himself from her and the blankets, and added some wood to the dying fire. She watched him through hooded eyes, admiring his body, which was so close to her, feeling the need to have him inside her again. He paused, then poked the wood, waiting for it to catch fire. The flickering flames made the shadows dance over his skin, showing off the farmer’s tan he was sporting.

Sarah whimpered. Max turned to see her bundled to her nose in the blankets. He smiled, shaking his head. "It's not cold out." Her green eyes wide and reflecting the firelight filled Max with wonder. Sarah whimpered again as she opened her arms and the blanket fell to the side. Her long, auburn hair framed her face with the pouting lips and the little turned up nose. He paused just to look at her in the firelight. Max took her all in, making her squirm on the blanket under his gaze.

At last he joined her, and they continued to make love under the blanket of stars by the firelight, with the wolves across the lake serenading their passion, until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Max rose in the cool early hours and dressed quickly but quietly, then stirred the embers of the fire to make sure they were out. He picked up Sarah, still wrapped in the blanket, and carried her up to his cabin. He was so happy that she had come into his life. He was not going to let her slip away again.

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