Leaning gently forward, Kurt paused for effect, thinking it looked good to show hesitation. The pupils of Darlene’s sea blue eyes widened, showing him it was a good move, but he could tell then she would let him. Then their lips met and the kiss took him back to being fifteen years old when he had first kissed a girl properly. The reason was for that was in sensing the nerves that made Darlene rigid were the same nerves of a girl who had never been kissed properly, just as Marlene Foster had never on that day they were late for lessons.
Kurt was not prepared for such a reminiscence, which made him glow inside in a manner no girl had ever caused. Who would have thought the daughter of Clive Furse would knock all the others out of the water, but Darlene was doing so despite her in-experience.
But then Kurt also realized, in a sense this experience would be something knew for him also. Back when he had taken that first step with Marlene, shyness had held him back from going one step further and, for a number of reasons, they had never gotten around to it. Since then, despite his many conquests, Kurt had always been with women who knew what they were doing. Up until now he had not concerned himself that he had missed out on anything. That was until his lips met with Darlene and he was transported back to first love.
Suddenly he was nervous too, as he realized that, in a sense, now was the chance to make up for that one that got away. Darlene was stiff and trembling just as Marlene had been, but his experience meant that this was an opportunity to go one step further. Being a first kiss sure fed his ego, but being the first kiss who then led the girl all the way too was something else entirely.
Nothing was certain. Even if Darlene wanted him she might still hold back, imagining they needed longer together before taking the next step. He knew that some girls who were less comfortable with being sexually active liked to test men by making them wait. If so, that would be a disappointing end to an evening that had gone perfectly so far.
Kissing her sweet lips, Kurt’s next subtle move was to gently place his right hand on her shoulder then, when she did not shrink from his touch, he stepped closer so their chests were almost touching. Indeed, as they became delightfully breathless, their chests did touch and Darlene did not give in to any of the voices telling her ‘no’. He knew she must have been competing with a few of them, because her breathing was staggered and her trembling increased. That was how he knew that she must have waited too long for physical love and wanted him to take her in his arms and put things right, because she did nothing to discourage him and their kissing became more passionate.
When Kurt opened his eyes again it was darker; the sun setting fast. There seemed nothing more to say and he sensed that the dying light helped to hide her shyness somewhat.
Taking her by the hand, he gently guided her back into the deck and then down the steps into the first cabin. If Darlene didn’t want to go all the way with him then she would surely have said so by then.
The air was electric between them, because Kurt also felt pressure and nerves about getting it right. Knowing that he was taking her into uncharted territory, he was anxious to make sure the voyage was well manned. Getting it right mattered more than he realized and he longed for her to take as much pleasure from the lovemaking as he.
Inside the cabin he kissed her again, running his fingers gently through her hair before loosening her shoulder straps and letting her dress fall to the floor. Usually he would have proceeded swiftly onwards, considering that his mainsail was perfectly aligned, but he knew that with Darlene he still needed to take his time. These were sensitive seas, but ones that knew of man’s tendency to pillage. They needed to know that he arrived without arrogance or supremacy and only wanted to dock there as an equal.
Feeling the bare skin of her midriff on his hands for the first time, Kurt was struck by how soft and delicate she was – and yet all woman. If she had commanded him to do something there and then, he felt he would have swayed to her will, but she was unaware of her power over him and so he maintained the illusion of control.
In a state of passion, he could not recall for some time – if ever – Kurt found the nerve to act confidently. Leaning into her, Darlene allowed him to take her weight and dip her in the manner of a gentle waltz. But, instead of spinning her around, he let the momentum take her onto the bed and then lay beside her. All the while their lips refused to part, though his hands were becoming ever more adventurous, loosening her bra and stroking her wonderful legs and inner thighs.
Darlene had begun to moan a little, even before they were naked and he knew that each sound of delight and yearning she made was genuine and not for show. She was not trying to impress him needlessly, but being led by him and letting him be the one to teach her the pleasures of love and desire.
Her body did not disappoint. The change he had seen in her when first casting his eyes her way at her parents’ house had not been imagined, but was at his fingertips. Being unclothed together and feeling the length of her body against his was like being challenged to accept a lost treasure without knowing whether or not it could really belong to you. Like many an explorer before him, however, he would risk whatever curse or consequence that might arise as a result because to take and possess meant everything to him. It was his nature to yearn for such a find, despite knowing all the perils of the sea.
And so, it was his doom to suffer if fate so decreed.
In the meantime, any sensations he felt were quite the opposite, however. Darlene continued to let him lead the way, but all the rigidity in her had melted away and she was fully compliant. She might have been a novice, but one blessed with fine natural talent and that was all that mattered. They responded instinctively to each other and no doubt she was surprising herself in the process; she was surprising him too and he was sure there wasn’t a luckier man alive on the entire West Coast that night.
Afterwards they lay in each other’s arms for some time. Indeed, until there was no more light coming in through the windowpane at all and the only reason they could still see each other was the artificial light from the deck that made its way through the door.
Kurt had, of course, made sure the yacht was sufficiently lighted so any passing vessels had no reason to come dangerously close, while he also knew they were nowhere near any significant traffic. This part of Oregon’s coastline had been set aside for luxury, but the sea taught caution nevertheless and it was a few checks of their position that caused him to get up at last. At that point Darlene said she would come with him, but he assured her he would only be a minute and then returned to lie down beside her again after having a naked check of the deck that anyone with binoculars might have found amusing.
He judged they still had an hour to kill before having to get back, with the aim of getting her home around midnight (though he didn’t care that much if she was a bit late – it wasn’t as if she had made a habit of such things in the past and the idea of Clive Furse having sleepless nights amused him).
Unusually for Kurt, he found he had the need to seek reassurance from Darlene that the experience had been to her liking – even though his ego told him it had been fabulous for them both.
‘I hope I haven’t put too much pressure on you?’ he said as he lay back down, causing a confused expression to turn his way.
‘What are you talking about?’ she asked. ‘You put no pressure on me whatsoever.’
‘That’s good. It’s just that I know some women feel pressure if a date has gone well. You have to believe me I didn’t plan to kiss you when I did – it just happened.’
That was sort of a lie and also sort of true, in that he had planned it but it would also have happened anyway.
‘I guess you need to get to know me a bit better,’ was her response. ‘I’ve really not been the kind of girl who does this often – what am I talking about? I haven’t done this at all.’
‘You mean you’re a…?’
‘Oh! Not quite – I don’t really know,’ she confessed. ‘I sort of still think of myself in that way – though not after this evening of course,’ she added with a smile.
‘How do you mean?’
‘I guess I should just tell you. I did have a sort of sexual encounter with my ex – I don’t know if you got the impression they were a bit against sex before marriage.’
‘I did get that impression.’