Chapter 4

Cover for my night’s sleep is a cotton sheet. There’s a blanket handy if it gets a little too cool, but I’m thinking that I won’t need it, otherwise I’d have it spread out.

Middle of the night I heard a thump. Woke up. Foggily remembered I had a guest, so I didn’t reach for the pistol underneath the corner of my bed.

Still fogged when a female form slid into the bed beside me, pulling the sheet over her.

“Gee?!?”

“Don’t get upset, Josh. Hammock’s a little TOO cool.”

“You brought your pillow?”

“Of course. I’m not a Neanderthal. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

“Ain’t gonna be easy,” I said under my breath. I turned away from her. Double bed’s made for two people who don’t mind bumping into each other a lot. We started out butt to butt. Been a long time since I had a woman in my bed overnight, and never was it one who I wasn’t intimate with. And now, I’d been on the edge of thoughts about Gee and here she was.

How am I supposed to read this? Maybe she really WAS cold. The butt pressed against mine certainly met that criterion. I was musing as she flipped over, spooned up behind me. I was expecting to be wrapped in her arms, a not unpleasant set of thoughts, but what I got was her arms folded between us and a pair of cotton-clad, chilly thighs matching mine.

And soft breathing in my ear, even, measured breathing. Like somebody going back to sleep. So I went back to sleep, too.

When I woke up, we were a pleasant tangle of our arms and legs that had apparently made some sense in the night. When I started to move, I got the flutter of eyelashes at close range and “Hi! Good morning!” and a kiss on my nose.

“Gee ... we’re in bed together.”

Giggle. “So?!? Didn’t you ever go visiting relatives and a bunch of kids ended up in the same bed for the night?”

“Well, yeah, but that was my sister and cousins...”

“Let me guess. GIRL cousins.”

“Oh, there you go again, making up stuff.”

“Am I right?”

“Well, yeah ... But...”

Giggle. “Untangle me before you start reliving some weird fantasy.”

“You’re a horrible person early in the morning.”

“I haven’t had my coffee. You DO drink coffee, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, that’s another point in your favor. You go figure out breakfast and I’ll get dressed.”

“Okay. Your clothes should be dry. Maybe a little clammy.”

I was in my underpants, pulling on a pair of jeans when the back door opened and she started giggling.

“My clothes’re still damp. Can I keep wearing these?”

“Suit yourself,” I said, turning away from her, pulling up my pants. “And giggling, you need to know what that does for my manhood.”

“I’m not scoring you, buddy. I was giggling because you’re trying to be so honorable. News flash. So am I. But loosen up, okay?” And a smile.

I shrugged into a T-shirt, my normal dress on the river. She watched the whole operation. Finishing, I started coffee making, boiling water. I tossed a little hand coffee grinder. “Here, earn your keep.”

“Okay, I can figure this out,” she said. “Beans here, then crank.”

“Very good.”

“How much?” she asked.

“Half that bottle. Enough for the two of us. Toast, bacon and eggs?”

“Sure.”

Easy cooking. The coffee waited until we were finished eating. I dumped the hot water over Gee’s freshly ground beans in a French press, then squeezed us out a couple of mugs. We retired to the back deck, looking up our little nook on the side channel, the river barely visible at its south end.

“This,” she said, “is paradise.”

“I think so.”

“I can’t imagine more tranquility.”

Her tranquility was enhanced as Pickles jumped up into her lap, purring.

“Silly old cat,” she purred back, petting his head. “You purr so loud I can’t hear the birds.”

We were in ‘silent’ mode. Nothing was running on the boat. Sounds of civilization were just barely audible. The sounds of the swamp were much more abundant, bird calls, the croaks and chirps of frogs who haven’t given up in the daylight as it filtered through the canopy. We on the east bank of the cut weren’t going to be in direct sun for several hours at least.

“Pictures,” she said. “We could take pictures, but I don’t want to move. It’s like if I moved, I intrude on the sanctity of a cathedral.”

“Poetic,” I said. “And very correct. The way I see it.”

Her hand reached over, touched my arm. “Thank you for having me here with you.”

“I enjoyed it. Every bit of it.”

“Including the heart attack when I climbed in bed with you last night?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “That, too.”

“I’m not a prude, Josh. I know that two mature people can sleep in the same bed without sex. I know for a fact, because now I’ve done it.”

“Me too. Now,” I said. “Uh, Gee...”

“Yes, Josh?”

“Wasn’t because I don’t find you attractive,” I said. “I do have...”

“Me, too,” she giggled. “‘Specially since I’ve seen you in your drawers.”

“Weren’t supposed to peek.”

“You said YOU wouldn’t peek. I made no such promise.” And that giggle. “I like that you have hair on your chest. Sign of virility, don’tcha know...”

“Oh yeah,” I retorted. “I need lots of virility to lounge around on the river.”

Sassy gleam in her eyes. “You never know what you may need in the future. I look around here and I see you’re a prepared man. Lots of things I see on this boat, you don’t exactly need right now, but under the right conditions, they’d prove useful.”

“I’m often hours away from help. If I can’t take care of myself with what I have on hand, I’m in a fix.”

Giggle. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

“You’re not. I don’t want to encourage your teasing.”

“Josh, Josh, Josh,” she answered. “I find that I take advantage of your good nature. Yes, I’m teasing you. You’re fun. You’re good looking. You’re smart. And you’re as restrained as if I’d chained you to the wall.”

“And you arrived at that conclusion exactly HOW?”

“The first time I kissed you. Most guys would take that as permission to see if I could gargle their tongues. You didn’t. You appreciated the situation and handled the kiss in a manner I think was perfect.” She paused, looked at me carefully. “And subsequent kisses ... same thing. You didn’t see a really nice kiss as permission to go any further. Then last night, I really WAS cold. I was also prepared to push you off if you’d ... but you didn’t.”

“Ba...” I caught myself before I said ‘baby’. She caught it as well. “Gee, I ... It’s not because the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”

“I know it crossed SOMETHING,” she laughed. “Cool off. I think my clothes are really dry now. You’re still under a ‘no peeking’ vow.”

That’s when my dumb ass realized that all this time, she’d been braless. Well, duh! The stupid bra was hanging on the line. She collected it and the rest of her clothes and opened the cabin door to go inside. In profile, I noted that her nipples were erect, poking the fabric up on her scrub top.

It was only the greatest self-restraint that kept me from turning to watch. It seemed like eternity before she came back out. I turned sideways in my chair and put a foot up on the rail of the deck, trying to hide my erection.

Her eyes flashed, she smiled, bent over, kissed me.

“What was that for?”

“Because I like you, Josh. Reason enough?”

“I like you, too, Gee. I need another.” Got that one. Stood, put my arms around her, kissed her back. I let her loose.

“You know, you could turn a girl’s head, boy.”

I smiled. “That’s a thought.”

“What’s a thought?”

“You with your head turned.”

“Like this?” She turned and tilted her head. Neck. Graceful, sweet-smelling, and exposed. Had to be a reason for that.

I kissed her neck. Nuzzled, letting my lips savor her for a few seconds before she completely disintegrated. I caught her when her knees buckled.

“Godddd, Josh ... A weakness.”

“Sorry. Lost control. I’m under treatment as a neck freak.”

She butted into my chest with the crown of her head.

“Owww!”

“Don’t you take advantage of me, Josh.”

“Oh, so who’s teasing who now?”

“You don’t fight fair.”

“Some things are worth fighting over.”

“Finish your coffee, boy!”

“Yes, ma’am.” I took that as a signal to de-escalate.

After coffee, the agenda was simple – drop our moorings and head back along our track so we’d get her back to her car before evening.

At least with the two of us in the topside nav station there was less likely to be as much aggressive teasing, although I do admit that I’m working out the logistics of such things.

Sadly, Gee’s schedule required she get home before dark. I escorted her to the car, Dorable moored with a single line, my normal procedure for a quick foray onshore. I carried her bag.

“Next time I’ll be better prepared, Josh,” she said, opening the trunk of her little Honda. She closed the trunk, turned to face me. “There will be a next time, huh?”

“Absolutely. You have my number. Any time.”

She smiled. “You’re gonna get a call. Where are you going to be during the week?”

“Local area. Maybe back at the home marina. Pickles is due a vet visit. If you’re interested...”

“I might be.” The smile she gave me, unless she’s a complete psychopath, tells me she’s interested.

I watched her leave, easing her way through the park activities, then wheeled around and descended the bank to Dorable. As is often the case (cats never develop patterns) Pickles was on the foredeck waiting when I hopped on board. I untied one end of the looped mooring line and reeled it in, coiling as I went.

Next step was to start the engine. It’s easier when it’s warm. Then I was up in the topside station, easing back away from the bank, then heading up this stream. I know a place that’s just about perfect for tonight.

The hour it took me to get there was time for musing. Pickles uncharacteristically yowled, so I scooted down to the cabin and sat at the lower station so he could take his place on the shelf beside me within worshiping range.

“Okay, Pickles. That’s twice. What’d’ya think?”

“Mrowwr.”

“Me too. Cute thing, ain’t she?”

“Mrowww.”

“You like ‘er.”

“Mewww.”

“I like ‘er too. You think she’s worth another visit?”

“Mowwrrrr.”

“That’s kind of what I’m thinking. But I’m not gonna chase her, not much, anyway.”

Gee’s turn:

I need to clear my head. Maybe I’ve stayed alone too long. Since the divorce, actually since way before the divorce was final, when I moved out of his mom and dad’s house, I’ve NOT dated, not really. Yes, I went out a couple of times. Yes, I got kissed, but it’s like I just told Josh, a kiss isn’t a permission slip for anything else.

I got tired of guys who thought that dinner and a movie was a ticket to boink me, their place, my place, a hotel room, whatever. I got tired of guys thinking that a bit of hand-holding and a bit of active snugglery and kissing meant I was open for anything and everything else.

I sort of buried myself in work, but come on, a middle manager for a couple of stores in a national ‘youth’ fashion chain doesn’t exactly require immersion. I got involved in the church I grew up in. In my twenties, college-educated, I found that they were very much happy to have the help with the youth groups. I participated in the volleyball and the softball and, on this one fateful day, a spring picnic at the local park.