Purity, honor, and virginity – these were words that she had been taught so thoroughly by her mother and father to cherish. The girl knew it would be difficult for any boy to understand her deeply rooted feelings, especially when her own parents had divorced recently, going against the ideals they had so carefully attempted to develop in their two children. She was excited by Bob's closeness to her, and it was obvious that he knew it, but she just couldn't give in to these emotions that were growing more and more intense with each time he touched her.

Bob moved closer, his hand running affectionately across her bare shoulder before slowly beginning to stroke her hair with comforting softness. He put his mouth close to her ear and said softly: "Darling, I will try. I think I understand how you feel. I-I don't know what got into me there for a minute."

Pleased, she turned and gently kissed him, and felt his warm mouth respond as he moved his hand from the soft silkiness of her hair and began to caress the smooth-tanned flesh of her shoulders and back. Again there was that urgent tingle of quickly suppressed pleasure. She pulled her mouth away from his and said, "I love you so much! I want you to know that. Sometimes I think you feel I don't love you because I won't go all the way."

The boy laughed and sat up from the blanket, running his hand down her tanned arm that shone a creamy gold color in the glow of the moonlight. Then, clasping her hand tightly, they sat silently for a moment in a warm affectionate embrace and gazed out beyond the surf into the silvery stillness of the Atlantic Ocean.

"I suppose I should be looking for Jennifer," she said, tapping her finger lightly against his chin. "I don't see her up there with the rest of the party."

"She's probably making out behind some sand dune with my brother, if I know Jennifer," Bob remarked and laughed sharply.