She felt him begin to pull away, but she stopped him and continued her
examination.
My fingers tell me that you are still, beautiful You have lying fingers,
he whispered, but she ignored his words, and pushed forward teasingly
with her hips.
, And I'm getting another very powerful message from further south. She
gave a breathless little laugh. Come with me, please, sir. Holding his
hand, she ran lightly up the steps, dragging him after her. He was
amazed at the agility and confidence with which she negotiated the
climb. She drew him into the cottage and as he looked about him,
quickly taking it all in, she closed and bolted the door.
Immediately the room was cool and dim and intimate.
On the bed her body was still damp and cold from the lake, but her lips
were hot as she strained against him urgently. The two beautiful young
bodies meshed hungrily, almost as if they were attempting to find
sanctuary within each other, desperately flesh sought haven within
flesh, within each other's encircling arms and legs they searched for
and found surcease from the loneliness and the darkness.
The physical act of love, no matter how often repeated, was insufficient
for their needs; even in the intervals between they clung desperately to
each other; sleeping pressed together, they groped drowsily but
anxiously for each other if the movements of sleep separated them for
even an instant. They talked holding hands, she reaching up to touch
his face at intervals, he staring into her golden eyes. Even when she
prepared their simple meals, he stood close beside or behind her so that
she could sway against him and feel him there. It was as though they
lived in momentary dread of being once more separated.
It was two days before they left the sanctuary of the cottage and walked
together along the lake shore or swam from the jetty and lay in the warm
sun. But even when Ella looked down at them from the terrace and waved,
David asked, Shall we go up to her? No, Debra answered quickly.
Not yet. I'm not ready to share you with anybody else yet. Just a
little while more, please, David. And it was another three days before
they climbed the path to the studio. Ella had laid on one of her
gargantuan lunches, but she had invited no other guests and they were
grateful to her for that.
I thought I'd have to send down a party of stretcherbearers to carry you
up, Davey, Ella greeted him, with a lecherous chuckle.
Don't be crude, Ella, Debra told her primly, flushing to a dark rose
brown, and Ella let fly with one of her explosive bursts of mirth that
was so contagious they must follow it.
They sat beneath the palm trees and drank wine from the earthenware
jugs, and ate hugely, laughing and talking without restraint, David and
Debra so involved with each other that they were not aware of Ella's
shrewdly veiled appraisal.
The change in Debra was dramatic, all the coolness and reserve were gone
now, the armour in which she had clad her emotions was stripped away.
She was vital and eager and blooming with love.
She sat close beside David, laughing with delight at his sallies, and
leaning to touch and caress him, as though to reassure herself of his
