Ingrid Ch. 07

"My pleasure," she smiled, "And I mean it. After two fabulous trips to the moon, it was the least I could do."

They lay together for a few minutes, not talking, just stroking and caressing and fondling. After a while, Steve rolled over to pick up his watch and pressed the light button. It was almost eleven.

"Ingrid, I'm going up on deck to check things out. Why don't you join me and we can count the stars," he said quietly.

"Love to," she replied. "I think we should have a drink to celebrate, don't you? We've earned it."

"Definitely!" he said, rising up. The air in the boat had cooled noticeably as he threw his legs over his side of the bed. "There's some clean sweat pants in the bottom drawer. That and your sweatshirt will keep you warm enough," he suggested.

She watched him pull on a pair of old, faded jeans and his new green sweat shirt. Since arriving in the cove, he had been wearing a pair of cream-yellow moccasins with flat rubber-like soles.

She pulled on the sweatshirt and pants and slipped her feet into her sandals. Steve came around to her side of the bed and held out his hand to help her up. They embraced, kissed briefly, and headed up to the deck.

They were holding hands as they moved out into the open air of the stern deck. As it had been, it remained quiet. The birds were long gone to bed, and the lights were out on the moored cruisers.

Ingrid looked up and was immediately struck by the blanket of stars covering the sky. Countless numbers of them dotted every visible part of the heavens. Steve was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her closely.

"A beautiful sky for a beautiful woman," he said quietly. "Could it be any more perfect than this?"

"Ummmm, no, never," Ingrid softly replied.

They stood there a while, holding each other closely, content, happy, optimistic about tomorrow and the tomorrows after. Steve was the first to move.

"I didn't forget something special, Ingrid. Wait here for me."

He disappeared down the companionway. In a minute, Ingrid heard the unmistakable sound of a champagne cork popping. She smiled to herself.

"I should have known he would remember."

He appeared in the now lit wheelhouse holding two flutes, the second half bottle of Moet, and a small tray. He placed the tray on one of the tables from their earlier meal and placed the glasses and bottle of Moet down beside it. In the dim light, it was difficult for Ingrid to see what was on the tray.

Steve picked one up and offered it to her.

"What is it?"

"A truffle," he replied. "Have you tried them before?" he asked.

"No, never." She took the dark, small confection from his hand and bit into to it gingerly.

"Oh, it's wonderful. These could be addictive," she said softly.

They had been talking very quietly since coming back on deck. The silence of the cove made them conscious that the sound of their voices would carry. Ingrid wondered if the sounds of their lovemaking had found an audience on the decks of the houses above them, or in the boats moored behind.

Steve poured the champagne, and handed one to her.

They moved together again and with an arm around each other, they touched their glasses and silently toasted their new relationship. They moved to the stern cushions and Steve turned them over to avoid the dew that had formed on the exposed surface.

"I hope it's always like this, Ingrid."

"It will if we want it to. It's all up to us," she answered.

"No bad weather, no pain, no mistakes, no angry moments?"

"Can't avoid that stuff," she replied. "I know, I tried," she murmured.

"We have a lot to learn about each other, I think."

"We do ... we do. But something I do know," she said nodding and turning to him. "I've fallen in love with you. I promised myself I wouldn't rush into another relationship and you have messed that all up," she said in a mock accusatory whisper. She leaned toward him and kissed him tenderly.

"What a coincidence," he said brightly. "It just so happens I've fallen in love with you, too. What I don't know is how far I've fallen. Maybe I'm only half way," he said, semi-seriously. "Will that be OK for now?"

"Well, having heard your confession earlier, I guess it will have to be. But I'm not going to settle for half-a-loaf, you know. I'm an all-or-nothing girl, so be prepared for a full frontal assault," she growled.

"Full frontal assault, eh?" he said with a sly smile. "You've certainly got the weapons for that."

"Smart ass!"

"Let's not rush this, Ingrid," he said after a pause. "I want this to be right more than you can know."

"What will it take to convince you?"

"That's the part I can't come to grips with," he said slowly. "Right now, I'm so overwhelmed by what's happened to us in such a short time that I can't think straight. I never imagined a beautiful woman like you would ever want someone like me, an ordinary guy. It's like the movie star and the delivery boy. It only happens in the movies." His chin was resting on his knees while he spoke.

Ingrid put her arm around him and squeezed. "Quit downplaying yourself. You're far from ordinary. Finance and business whiz, chef, sailor. Does that sound ordinary? I think not!" she stated emphatically.

"Sometimes, you just have to go with your heart, lover. Don't be afraid to fall in love. Celebrate us! Please ... celebrate us," she whispered.

Steve turned to her and kissed her, holding her head and lingering on her lips. "Yes ma'am," he said quietly. He poured the last of the champagne with his free hand and they sat, holding each other.

They awoke Saturday morning in each other's arms. It was just after six and the sun was already lighting the cove. Steve gently stroked Ingrid's tousled red hair away from her eyes as he lay on his side facing her. He saw her eyelids flutter once or twice before she stirred in his arms. She stretched and yawned and brought her arm down over his back and snuggled into him.

"Good Morning Ms. Solberg," he said quietly.

"Mmmphhhh," was her muffled reply as she stretched and yawned again. Her eyes blinked open in surprise and her head snapped back as she looked at him. He felt the breath go out of her as she relaxed and smiled.

"And what interesting dream were you having, young lady?"

"I'll never tell. You'd just get jealous," she replied groggily as she curled back into his shoulder.

"I already am. Who were you expecting to see when you woke up?" he asked playfully.

She wrinkled her nose and frowned at him. "You don't know me well enough to get all my secrets ... yet," she mumbled into his body.

He smiled and stroked her flawless back and ass with his hand. He kissed her forehead gently and softly blew the stray red forelock away from her eyes and nose.

"Any special requests for breakfast, love?"

Ingrid's hand slipped down his front and grasped his semi-erect morning erection, softly stroking it with her thumb and fingers. "This will do nicely," she smiled, tilting her head back and kissing his nose and cheeks. "I have to warn you, though. I have bad breath in the morning. Will that ruin our relationship?"

"Well, we could always keep a small bottle of mouthwash in the bedside table," he laughed.

"I've got a better idea," she said, promptly pushing back the covers and moving down to face the hand holding his now rigid manhood. She looked at him with a wicked grin and bent her head and flicked her tongue out to snap at his glans.

Steve felt a jolt of surprise and an electric-like shock go through him. He had no sooner looked back down at her when she had covered the head of his cock with her mouth, using her tongue to finish the job. She took him fully in her mouth and began a rhythmic stroke. Her head was moving up and down, her face hidden from him. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable conclusion of this sensual act. It wouldn't take long.

"Oh, Ingrid, I can't ... I can't hold on," he moaned.

She stopped abruptly, looked up at him, and smiled.

"Then don't." She promptly went back to her task.

He came almost immediately, and she accepted his ejaculation hungrily, almost sucking it out of him before he was finished. She swallowed the semen and continued to lick and rotate her mouth around his slowly declining erection. In a minute or so, she rose up on her knees and grinned at him. "Well, that looks after my bad breath. Now what do you want to do about yours?" she challenged.

Steve didn't need a written invitation. He rose and pulled her toward him and turned her, pushing her gently on her back with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. He climbed down, and on his knees, pushed his hands under her buttocks to raise her up, moving between her thighs. He began kissing her inner thighs above the knee and gradually worked his way upward toward her now very wet sex.

Her scent was strong and Steve felt his erection returning. He looked into her eyes for a moment, then bent his head and using his tongue, began to tantalize her from anus to pubic bone. Ingrid's hips rose to meet him and he stroked his tongue on that same path over and over again. He then began to probe between her labia and upward to her clit.

Ingrid was rising with more ragged movements now, and he was certain he was reaching her. She made it clear she had no patience with his foreplay. She pushed her hips against his tongue and mouth, seeking to increase her pleasure. He responded with more aggressive strokes.

He could feel her orgasm beginning to build and chose to risk everything at that moment. He pushed his mouth as far up and in as he could and allowed his upper teeth and tongue to pinch between her pubic bone and Clitoris. Ingrid exploded in a writhing gyration that threw him off her. He thought he had made a horrible mistake until she grabbed at his head and pulled it back violently into her.

She had made some sort of indistinguishable cry when she had reacted to his sexual bite, but he had no idea what it was. Her thighs had slammed against the side of his head, producing a ringing in his ears. She pulled his tongue and nose, and for that matter his whole head into her center until her orgasmic spasms had slowed.

It took her a few moments to recover.

"What the fuck was that?" she gasped.

Steve looked up sheepishly between her raised legs. She had propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes as big as saucers, her mouth wide open, and her panting audible. She looked at Steve in disbelief, then flopped back on the bed with a thud. He could no longer see her face but could see the rapid rise of her breasts as she tried to catch her breath. He slowly raised himself up and crawled up the bed beside her.

"I'm sorry, Ingrid," he said quietly. "It was a stupid thing to do. I guess I got carried away."

Ingrid opened her eyes and looked at him. "What the hell are you apologizing for? You just set off Krakatoa and you're apologizing? I tell you now, Steve Inhalt, I have never ... I repeat never ... had an orgasm like that in my entire life.

"Where did you learn to do that Mr. Neat and Tidy ... Mr. Born Again Virgin ... Mr. I Only Ever Had One Girl Friend? You just blew your cover story all ...to ... hell!"

She was still panting when she finished.

"Ooops!" Steve had a contrite look on his face. "In the words of Maxwell Smart, would you believe, I read it in a book?"

"In the words of Ingrid Solberg ... Bullshit!"

He crawled up to her and put his face mere inches from hers. "It's about that breath thing," he said slyly, moving the last couple of inches to kiss her. Ingrid's arms slowly wrapped around him as they kissed deeply.

"In the words of Desi Arnaz, you got some 'splainin' to do," she purred.

"I need time to concoct a believable story," he replied smiling, bending down to kiss her once more.

"I'll bet you do. Now, about that breakfast. I'm starved."

"Go have a shower and I'll look after your hungers ... all of them," he boasted, playfully slapping her butt before sitting up.

Both of them were naked while Steve showed Ingrid how to work the water controls for both the toilet and the shower. Ingrid was absent-mindedly fondling his cock as he explained the system.

"I think there's just enough room in here for both of us," she said smiling. "It would be the responsible, water-conservation thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"OK, but breakfast will be ten minutes or so late," he laughed.

He turned on the water and adjusted the temperature while Ingrid got her bathroom kit from her bag. By the time she had returned, Steve had already entered the stall and Ingrid squeezed in beside him. From the beginning it was obvious that while both could stand in the small stall, both could not wash at the same time and any idea that they could have sex in the stall was clearly out.

The sound of banging elbows against the walls brought gales of laughter and little washing. They finally figured out that if one washed the other in sequence, they could accomplish their task.

When they stepped out of the shower, Steve took two large bath towels off the warmer and used one to wrap up Ingrid from shoulder to knee. She shivered in the cool morning air. Her beautifully freckled skin had goose bumps, not to mention very erect nipples.

He wrapped the other towel around his waist and proceeded to pat and rub Ingrid dry with his hands on the outside of the towel. She turned her back to him and leaned back, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and explore her body as he dried her. She rested her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck and cheek.

"What a lovely way to start the day," she smiled.

When they had finished, Steve began the breakfast preparation. He had snapped on the coffee maker as they exited the shower. Ingrid poured the juice, cut some fresh fruit, and then made toast.

Steve began preparations for omelets and bacon. He looked at the clock and was not surprised to see that it was just past seven thirty, still early. He thought about their course for the day, but decided he'd better get a handle on the weather before he got too far ahead of himself. Breakfast first, and then plan the day, making sure Ingrid was included.

A few minutes later they sat down at the galley table and enjoyed their first breakfast together. Steve couldn't help watching Ingrid as she ate. He felt rewarded with her enjoyment of the food he prepared. It was a treat to cook for her.

She looked up occasionally, noticing him watching her, but just smiled and continued eating. He had to pinch himself to remember that they had made love for the first time mere hours ago, and woke together in the same bed only an hour or so ago. They had three more days of freedom ahead of them, and no matter what the weather, he was sure it would be an idyllic time.

They exchanged small talk while they enjoyed their coffee. Steve cleaned up last night's remains and cleared the dishes. With Ingrid's help, they washed, dried, and stowed away the plates, pans and utensils. Each item had a place as Steve explained that when rough weather came along, the last thing you wanted was crockery and hardware flying around the galley.

Ingrid poured them each another coffee before moving up the companionway to the wheelhouse.

After Steve had opened the curtains and wiped the dew off the seat covers, he started the engine. A slight whiff of diesel passed through the boat.

He moved over to the radios and tuned in the local and regional marine weather reports. He listened carefully to the wind and sea conditions, paying particular attention to both his desired route, and an alternate route. He was pleased that either would be fine today, and once again the prevailing winds would fill their sails nicely.

"Looks like we're in for another fine day Ingrid. Come over here and we can decide where we want to go," he suggested. He pulled a chart from the rack below the wheel and spread it out in front of them.

Ingrid stood beside him as he pointed out where they were and what options were within their reach.

"So it boils down to the 'going ashore in town' route, or the 'sailing into the wilderness route,'" she summarized. "Do we need supplies?"

"Nope. We're good for the weekend and then some," he said positively.

"Then I opt for the wilderness route, assuming I get a vote," she said deferentially.

"You get a vote, and it's the deciding vote!" he smiled. "We're off to Hotham Sound!"

Steve began preparations to depart and showed Ingrid what she would need to do differently this time. It was a bit more complicated as it involved holding the mooring line while Steve pulled the stern anchor. He had no concerns about leaving this task to her, but the little cove was very tight, there was an outflow current near the mouth, and he had to make sure he didn't get into difficulty maneuvering in the tight anchorage.

"I'm just happy I have you along today and don't have to worry about it. We are the 'A Team' you know," he said proudly.

Ingrid smiled at the reference to her newfound skills and got ready for his signals. Within ten minutes they were motoring out of the tiny cove, heading out into the Gulf of Georgia.

By now, Ingrid needed no instructions when making sail. Steve removed the cover on the mainsail and Ingrid began to bring the boat about into the wind. Within minutes they were under sail with the engine off and only the sounds of the wind and water against their hull. Steve came back to the wheelhouse and began to remove the cover on the mizzenmast sail.

"You haven't used this sail before," Ingrid commented.

"No, when I'm by myself, I don't usually use it. It's worth a couple of knots, but sometimes it's more work than speed," he said. "Today, we're going a fair distance, so we can use some extra speed, if that's the right word for it," he laughed.

"I love this boat," Ingrid said sincerely. "Don't you dare say a negative thing about it ... I mean her."

"I hope you've got lots of film for your camera, Ingrid. You're going to get some spectacular sights if this weather holds."

"I've got about forty eight, I think. I hope that's enough." she replied.

"Should do, but if you run low, we can stop and get some more at one of the marinas along the way."

Two hours after leaving the cove, they were making good headway north along the west side of Texada Island. The winds were holding and the sea was a sparkling light chop. Sunglasses and sun block were the order of the day.

The windscreen in the wheelhouse was open about twenty degrees to allow circulation and the back curtains had been rolled up and tied to the corners. The side windows were fully open and the wheelhouse was bathed in bright sunlight on the starboard rear quarter. Ingrid was at the helm for her first watch while Steve was lost in thought staring off into the distance ahead.

"A penny," she said, breaking the silence.

"Ummmh?" he replied absently.

"A penny for your thoughts," she smiled, looking at him.

He was silent for a few moments. He was neither smiling nor frowning. "Oh nothing. Just absorbing these last few days," he said not looking at her. "I'm celebrating, I guess."

"That's good, but what are you celebrating," she probed.

"You ... and maybe having my faith in my definition of love ... you know, that romantic ideal my 'shrink' said was real ... having that come true."

He had turned to look at her as he spoke and made the few steps to her side as he said them. He put his arm around her waist and lightly hugged her.

Ingrid flushed and looked straight ahead, hoping he wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy, Ingrid. Not ever," he said, kissing her ear.

The tears began to stream down Ingrid's face and she turned to him and then turned away. "You're going to put us on the rocks if you keep that up, Captain," she said trying to laugh. "I can't see a thing. Must be a bug in my eye."