Free It's All in Your Mind by Ann Herrick

salty kiss, then scooped me into his arms. "I love being with my woman."
    I could feel my face flush with happiness.
    It was time to swim. We raced to a buoy and back. We dove down and scanned the bottom for rocks and stones. Whoever found the prettiest rock or stone got a kiss from the other.
    "No one loses," Nolan said. We did the backstroke and gazed at the clouds.
    By then we were famished, and went back to shore. Nolan always insisted on buying our snacks and lunch. I was touched that he did, considering what little money he must have made with his singing. He said he wanted to show me how totally devoted he was to me, and that was one way of doing it. Sometimes I could hardly believe how lucky I was to have found someone as loving as Nolan.
    After lunch, we went for a walk on the beach, hand-in-hand. As we neared the jetty, my heart beat faster. I couldn't wait for the kisses we would share, and the spirals of shivers they sent through me.
    When we reached the jetty, we climbed over the rocks to the other side and found a sunny, private nook where we sat shielded from prying eyes. Nolan rubbed the bare skin of my back and shoulders. I was filled with waiting, enjoying the feel of his arms around me. Finally, Nolan touched his lips to the hollow at the base of my neck, brushed a gentle kiss across my forehead, then pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine. I savored the warm shivers and the pounding of my own blood. It felt so good, so right. I was sure we shared a true love.
    Nolan's hand slid up my arm, to my throat, then slipped down and his fingers traced the edge top of my bathing suit. Just barely they touched my breasts, but I was very aware of their warm caress. I felt weak and confused, and surprised by a strange inner excitement. Was this what Caprice called "petting?" It was good and bad and scary, all at the same time.
    I thought we should stop. I must have said the word, because Nolan did stop, and put his arm back around my waist. "Don't worry, Vija," he whispered, "I would never do anything to hurt you."
    Immediately, I was wrapped in a silken cocoon of happiness. I tipped my face toward the sun. As we sat enjoying the warm glow of sunshine and love, I thought that maybe with Karl home, I should introduce Nolan to Mama and Papa. After all, I couldn't keep him a secret forever. "My brother, Karl, will be home on leave next week, before he is sent to Vietnam. Mama's planning a big homecoming, tons of food. Would you ... would you like to come by and meet him?"
    As soon as the words were out of my mouth, a cloud fell across Nolan's face. "Sorry," he said. "You're on your own for that."
    "Oh. Oh, well." My heart faltered a bit. "It was just a thought—"
    Nolan touched a finger to my lips. "I told you I'd do anything I can for you. But family things ... well, I can't ."
    It occurred to me then that we'd never really talked about our families. For all I knew, he had no family! "Your family ... is not close?"
    "My family ...." Nolan sighed. "First of all, my parents never should have married. They're just too different."
    "Oh." I didn't know what else to say.
    "And my old man ...." Nolan's lips curled down. "I don't want to be anything like my old man. He flops down in his favorite chair—that only he can sit in—completely nude, looking like a beached white whale, to watch TV. It's disgusting. And we always had to do everything his way. If he wanted to go to a movie, it didn't matter if it was late on a weeknight and I had homework.  We all had to pile in the car and go to the movies. And if he wanted to stop somewhere to eat afterwards, we did. Of course, it was always where he wanted to eat."
    "Oh."
    "And watching him eat was so disgusting. He always had food caught in his beard, and he loved eating barbeque, the messier the better. The sauce would drip through his beard, it made me want to barf, just looking at him."
    "Oh."
    "He chewed with his mouth open and talked with his mouth full. And my