It was after three in the morning when Holly awoke. Feeling kind of cold, she rolled over and reached toward where David had fallen asleep. There was some warmth under the covers, but he wasn't. She sat up with a start and noticed in the dim moonlight how the covers on his side were pulled back and for a split second she thought he had left. But after noticing his unpacked bag by the dresser, she looked around and saw that the small oriental lamp in the kitchen was lit. She slipped into her robe and when she reached the bedroom doorway saw that David was seated at the kitchen table dressed in only a pair of silk boxers, writing on an open steno pad.
She smiled and stepped up silently behind him, trying not to make a sound. She knew that he had this power of concentration that couldn't be disturbed no matter how she tried to distract him. The room was filled with a golden glow from the lamp that shone on his face and hands. He was scribbling intently on the pad, pausing every few seconds to look up and away as if in deep thought. Then, he looked back down and began writing again in earnest. When she almost reached him, he turned back to her, held out his hand and waved it at her.
She wanted so much to stand behind his chair and wrap her arms around his shoulders to hug him, but the way he waved her off made her reluctant to disturb him. He turned back to the pad and continued to scribble. After sketching down a bit more, he picked up the pad as if reading what he had written. He made a couple of corrections, then smiled, nodded, and turned back to her.
"You didn't have to get up, Baby," he whispered hoarsely. "It's almost four in the morning."
"I know, but I missed you and saw the light on," she replied softly.
"Come here, Baby," he called over to her, pushing back from the table and holding out his arm.
She slipped onto his lap and let him put his arms around her. She let her own arms slip around his shoulders. It was an incredible warm hug that they shared; his face nestled into her breast, her cheek resting on his head, their arms keeping the other close. He raised his face from her breast and brought his lips up toward hers. He kissed her softly, warmly, and deeply.
"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep," he said, softly. "I didn't want to disturb you, so I came out here and wrote you this poem."
He held the pad up for her to take it. In pencil, in his own distinctive longhand were the words, Summer Sun, Summer Moon, and several lines below it. She began to read them and by the third line felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
Summer Sun, Summer Moon
I've walked this moonlit highway a thousand miles tonight Looking for the path that will lead me to your heart. From sun rise to set you've haunted me, Your smile and laugh and girlish giggle, That smooth touch of yours on my most tender parts, The soft beauty that melts me down completely, That strong stance when you're serious about something, That heavy-lidded look of deep desire when I tell you of my love. We've laid side by side in the sun, toasting and roasting our bodies, Letting our emotions catch fire as we make love In the mix of broad daylight and deep shadows. And when the moon came out tonight, it only heats us up the more, Escalating my thoughts and desires, accelerating our passion, Driving me out into the chill night to call out to the moon Your name and my love for you! We have these hours, these days alone, And tomorrow holds no promise of another day. Take me in your arms tonight, feel my tears and my love, Let me be the man you desire, the one you need, That one precious thing without which you cannot live! For when these days are done and the summer sun and moon Have moved on to fall, and the blaze of summer has been chilled by the frost, Will you still need me for these simple, precious things That only I can bring to you: my self, my heart, my love?
Holly let her hand that held the pad fall to her side, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, yes, David," she cried. "I will always want those things from you."
He held her close, his own eyes glazing over with tears. "You didn't have to answer," he said softly. "You don't have to say a thing."
"It's not fair," she sobbed, tapping his chest with her hands. "You made me cry again. It's just not fair."
"I only wanted to touch you, Holly, not make you cry." He reached under her chin and raised her face up so he could kiss her lips warmly and tenderly. "What I feel for you I have never known before, not with my ex-wife, not with the girlfriends I've had. Let's just enjoy it, okay?"
She nodded and kissed him back. They sat there in the dim golden light of the little kitchen lamp for several minutes, holding each other and swaying back and forth. Then they walked back to bed arm in arm, and lay under the covers with just the sound of their breathing and the night air surrounding them. The scent of the cabin and the dim early morning light faded into dreams for both of them. It was nearly ten o'clock when Holly woke up. The warm sun had splashed across the bed and she slipped back into her robe and looked for David, finding him standing at the stove still in just his boxers. She snuck up behind him and quickly reached around his waist and clung to him.
"Hey, Baby!" he said with a start. "Good morning."
"Morning," she said letting her hands wander all over his bare chest. "What'cha doing?"
"Cooking breakfast for the lady of the house," he replied. "And it's almost ready."
She looked down around his shoulder and saw him tending a fry pan.
"What is it? It smells delicious!"
"Chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream," he replied. "Some fresh fruit and freshly squeezed orange juice."
"Mmm, good thing, because I'm starved."
"I know. Can't make love on a empty stomach."
They took their time eating breakfast, playfully feeding each other when the spirit struck them. Then they spent the rest of the morning taking a long walk through the woods and back along the winding road. When the sun had warmed things up, they went swimming out to the raft to lie in the sun for a while and then swam back. They lay on the beach in the sun taking turns spreading sunblock on each other. They kissed and lay close together touching tenderly but stopping short of making love. By the afternoon, when they had finished lunch, they were ready for another boat trip.
"Oh, gee, honey," she teased him as she stood over by the rowboat. "Are you sure you don't want to take this one again? It was sooo romantic."
David didn't say a word and only glared at her playfully as he checked out the speedboat. There was something about neat old wooden boats and the CrisCraft had it all. Holly joined him and slipped into the seat across from him. Away from the dock, they took a leisurely circuit around the lake. Since there were more people out on the lake today than the day before, he wanted to get familiar with the lake before taking any liberties with the throttle.
"You don't have to baby this thing, you know," she said. "My brothers always jump right on it."
"Next pass I'll floor it," David replied.
And he did so. It made such a sweet scene too, this strikingly attractive girl beside him, her snug colorful little swimsuit caressing her supple body, her hair streaming out behind her, the exhilarating broad smile on her face, the warm touch of her hand on his shoulder.
"That's more like it!" she shouted out over the roar of the engine.
"This is a lot more fun than the rowboat," he yelled.
"Told ya," she yelled back with a broad smile spread across her face.
David glanced over at her, letting his eyes linger on this lover, this one who was so unexpected in his life. Her fabulous smile and terrific laugh delighted him endlessly. As he spun the wheel to guide the boat around the lake, there was something special about the breeze flowing over them, the burbling roar of the motor, the slurping rush of the water underneath, and the passing of the sunlight and shadows over their half naked bodies. He took a long deep breath and wished that this wonderful feeling could last forever.
