Rick was just stirring when Jane went in to get the bikini for Pat; she warned him to stay inside for a while, then took it back out to her. Pat got rather red in the face when she looked at how tiny it was, although it was considerably more conservative than the one Jane had on. But Pat said she’d give it a fair try and hoped it would work, and Jane told her it was about all she could ask for.

“What was that all about?” Rick wanted to know when she got back inside.

“Oh, just a little girl talk about a girl problem,” Jane replied obliquely. “If it works out maybe I’ll tell you about it. Let’s see if there are any coffee and pastries left over at the main building, and then maybe go play tourist for a bit.”

Half an hour later Jane was wearing one of her sundresses as she and Rick took off in the Nissan to do some driving around. They had a good tour, visiting several of the common tourist spots, and Rick took quite a few photos with his new Nikon – some of them just landscapes, but some of them with Jane in the foreground. They hit one nice beach on the north shore where the waves were crashing in, making them both wish Jane had brought at least one of her swimsuits since wearing one would have made good photos of her even better. That was a mistake they determined they wouldn’t make again.

After several hours they decided they’d had about all the tourism they needed for one day, so drove back to the Lunahilo Bay Resort. Rick was starting to get the hang of the camera now, so after they got on swimsuits again they went out along the shore and spent some time getting some photos of her. Since they were alone as far as they could tell, Jane even got brave and while they were up in the brush behind the beach she let Rick take some pictures of her with her top off. Sooner or later, she was sure, she was going to let him do it with her bottoms off too, but there was no point in going that far just yet.

One thing was pretty clear: he was getting some good pictures, but it was a little hard to tell in the view screen of the camera, the only viewer they had with them. “I wish now I’d not listened to Sophia and brought a laptop or something with me,” he complained.

“I don’t know but what I’m with Sophia on that one,” Jane told him. “I’m afraid you’d have gotten buried with that and missed out on some of the more important things you have to do on a honeymoon.”

“I’ll tell you what, I’d rather be doing those things than screwing around on the computer,” he said. “But I do feel a little out of touch, and it would be nice to get a better look at these photos.”

Jane had to give him that. In the end they compromised: the next time they were in town, probably the next day, they’d stop and buy a small laptop for her – she could use one anyway. But he had to stay the hell off the Internet and not do any coding or the thong bikinis were going to be packed up in the suitcase and stay there. Perhaps it was weak of her, she thought, but she wanted to see what those pictures looked like too – from what she could see on the view screen the photos of her were coming out with her looking a lot better than she thought of herself looking. In fact, from what she could see she looked smoking hot in some of those topless poses, not like “Plain Jane” at all.

But that could wait for another day. After a breather in the bedroom, they got their swimsuits back on and headed down to the shore for a dip in the ocean to cool off. Not far away they saw Bert and Pat, who was wearing the bikini Jane had given her. Both of them looked a lot happier and livelier than they had seemed the day before. Jane wouldn’t have wanted to bet, but it seemed like it might not have been the first time today Pat had worn the bikini.

After a while the couples joined each other, playing on the beach a little, until the sun got to be too much for them. They retreated to Rick and Jane’s cottage, gathered around in the shade, and sipped on soft drinks and fruit juice until it was nearly time to get dressed for dinner.

Bert and Pat went back to their cottage to change into something a little more appropriate for dinner, while Rick and Jane went inside to do the same. “That was fun,” Rick commented. “They seemed to be nice people.”

“They are,” Jane agreed. “If they lived a little closer to Boulder I could see us becoming good friends with them, even though there are a lot of things about them that are pretty different from you and me.”

“They sure haven’t talked much about their religion, and that surprises me a little,” Rick said with a frown.

“Yeah, me too. My experience with people who are serious about their religion is that they’re usually trying to cram it down my throat. They’ve hardly mentioned it. It makes me wonder a little, but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much to us. The important part is that you weren’t terribly shy around them. I’m proud of you for that.”

“They’re easy to talk to, even though we didn’t talk about anything important,” he shrugged. “It’s not like they’re Chuck and Bianca. Well, at least Bianca. Chuck seems like he might be all right, but Bianca . . .”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she nodded her head in agreement. “And I don’t think Bert and Pat would care much for Bianca either. I don’t think they’ve met her yet.”

“Probably not. But Jane, I don’t think I’d mind if we wound up hanging out with Bert and Pat a little more. I mean, not too much since, well, uh . . .”

“We have things we want to do by ourselves,” she grinned, getting his message exactly. “But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t invite them along when we go out to explore the island sometime.”

“I think I’d like that.” he agreed. “But then, there’s something else I’d like to do but I don’t think we have time enough left before dinner.”

“We’ll make up for it afterward.”

As she put on a sundress, Jane was actually pretty satisfied with the way things had gone that afternoon. Not only had she apparently started to clear up a little problem with Bert and Pat, she was very glad of the way Rick had opened up with them. He was still pretty shy overall, but hadn’t been totally tongue-tied and blushing with them, either. That didn’t mean she’d solved the problem by any means, but it was a step in the right direction.

A little while later they walked over to the main house for dinner – roast pork, Hawaiian style, at least according to Sabrina, although beyond having a lot of pineapple with it Jane wasn’t sure what that meant. At least it tasted good, which was the important part.

Chuck and Bianca were at dinner – they’d been gone all day, although there wasn’t any mention of where they had been, not that Jane cared very much. She was happy that the two were seated at the far end of the long table from where she and Rick sat with their new friends. She tried to not pay a great deal of attention to them, but did notice that there wasn’t a lot being said, and that Bianca sounded a bit snippy when Jane did hear her voice. Apparently all was not perfect bliss between the two, which wasn’t a surprise after some of the things Bianca had said yesterday. In any case, she was at best mildly curious about the couple.

Dinner was soon over, although several people, including Rick, Jane, and their new friends sat around talking with one of the older couples in the lights of the lanai for a while. Jane hardly noticed when Chuck and Bianca had left the scene, mainly because Rick was having a good discussion with the older couple, Doug and Lillian Ross. They proved to be college professors; she taught English and he taught American history, both of them at the same college in North Carolina.

After a while the discussion drifted toward Pearl Harbor, which because of Rob, was on Rick and Jane’s list of places to visit. Rick mentioned that he’d been working with Rob doing a little research for him, and they spent a few minutes discussing the project – not very deeply, and they soon got past the place Jane had read to in her book. A little to her relief, the topic soon changed to something else and settled down for a while on Doug and Lillian’s life as college professors; they’d met at the college they were teaching at after being hired there years before.

The discussion didn’t go very late, but lasted through a couple drinks apiece, at least for the Rosses and the Thredfords; Bert and Pat didn’t drink at all, not to Jane’s surprise. During the discussion, it was worked out that Bert and Pat would go with Rick and Jane the next day to explore the north side of the island.

Before long, everyone was heading back to their cottages. “Hey, Rick,” Jane said as soon as they were by themselves. “Would you be up for another round of evening skinny dipping? If we’re going to we ought to do it so we can shower off while the water is still warm.”

“Jane, you don’t have to talk me into it,” Rick grinned. “I was just trying to figure out how I could suggest it myself.”

“Rick, you don’t have to be shy with me about something like that,” she laughed.

They didn’t turn on the lights in the cottage, just walked in, stripped off their clothes, and headed down to the beach. They didn’t stay in the water long – it was still a thrill to be doing it at all – and it led to some serious action on the beach as soon as they were out of the water. Afterwards, they lay quietly cuddling on the still-warm sand, listening to the nearly-silent lapping of the tiny waves on the shore, enjoying being with each other. So far, Jane reflected, this was working out pretty well – it was going much better than she had imagined it would have when Sophia first suggested this idea to her. What’s more, the future seemed promising.

Neither of them was paying a lot of attention to anything besides each other, but eventually they became aware of some laughing and talking up the beach a ways – Bert and Pat from the sound of their voices. “Sounds to me like they’re doing some skinny dipping, too,” Rick snickered.

“It does to me, too,” Jane smiled. She was pleased that their friends had managed to work out that issue in their relationship. “Maybe we’d better head in and take a shower to get the salt off of us before we go to bed. If we wait too long the water is going to be cooling down.”

“I was thinking pretty much the same thing. If we took a shower together it might not get too cold for a while. Of course, if it does, we’ve got a real good way to warm up.”

They slept late the next morning, or at least stayed in bed late. It was mid-morning before they went over to the main house for coffee and rolls. They were just getting settled in at the table near the pool when Bert and Pat showed up; it looked to Jane like their friends had been spending their time enjoyably, too.

After lingering over coffee for a while, the four of them got into the rental car and went off to do tourist things on the north coast of the island. While they all wore swimsuits under their clothes, they wound up giving a pass on actually getting in the water on the windward side of the island as the surf was up a little too much for them to want to try to deal with it. On their way back they stopped off in Lihue, where Rick bought a small laptop so he and Jane could check out what he’d been doing with the Nikon at a rather greater resolution.

It was late in the afternoon before they had a chance to check out the pictures. Jane thought to herself that she still looked a little plain, but the bikinis – and less – she’d been wearing for the photos tended to overcome her vision of herself. If that was how Rick saw her, she thought, then she didn’t have much room to complain.

They met up with Bert and Pat at dinner, where they again formed a little cluster down at the far end of the table from Chuck and Bianca, the first time they’d seen the couple all day and too soon at that, in Jane’s opinion.

The four of them didn’t have to snoop to tell that all was not well with Chuck and Bianca. The night before Bianca had been surly and snippy toward Chuck, but now it was down to honest rancor on both their parts. Knowing what she knew about Bianca, Jane figured that the trouble stemmed from Bianca trying to get a handle on her husband, and he wasn’t going to knuckle under to her easily. Jane – and the others – tried to ignore the squabble, but it was obvious what was going on.

Chuck and Bianca left the dinner table as soon as it was over, and clearly not on good terms. The four friends hung around afterwards, again having a couple drinks with the Rosses, who were becoming friends, too.

A couple drinks were enough, and soon the Rosses headed off to their cottage, while Bert, Pat, Rick, and Jane stayed on the lanai for a few minutes before getting up and heading off in the general direction of their cottages themselves. As they walked back, they could hear that Chuck and Bianca were having a real fight down in their cottage. Few words could actually be made out clearly, other than “fuck you’s” coming from both of them. “That sounds serious,” Pat commented.

“Right,” Bert snickered. “It sounds like the honeymoon is about over for them.”

“I’ll have to admit, I sort of wonder how that is going to come out,” Jane agreed. “I mean, not that I really care, but I’m a little curious.”

“Not curious enough to go find out?” Rick said.

“No way,” Jane replied. “It’s none of my business.”

Jane and Rick left Bert and Pat at their cottage, and walked on to their own in silence, with the sounds of Chuck and Bianca’s squabble fading into the distance, although they could still be heard. Once the two were back inside their cottage, Rick turned to his wife and said, “Jane, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Rick, but for what?”

“For not being a bitch like Bianca. You’re nice, you’re easy going, and you’re not trying to wrap me around your little finger like she’s doing. I realize you’re trying to change me a little, and I’m glad of it, since it’s in ways I know I need to change. I mean, I know I’m shy and I’m not good with people, but it’s better when I have you to help me. God knows what would have happened if Sophia had come up with someone like her for me.”

“I don’t think it would be very pretty,” Jane agreed.

“It would have been a real mistake, and I might not be willing to ever try again with another woman. Jane, look, I know this hasn’t exactly been the most conventional way to get married, but so far it seems to be working out well.”

“I think so, Rick,” she smiled. “To tell you the truth, it’s working out way better than I expected, too, and I don’t mean just in bed.”

“It’s working out real well there,” he grinned. “I’ve really enjoyed that part of it.”

“I have, too. I don’t think we can keep going forever like we’ve been doing, but it sure has been fun so far, and we ought to be able to keep our interest in it going for a while yet.”

“I guess that’s what a honeymoon is for. It actually makes me a little concerned about what comes afterward. I mean, all too soon we’re going to have to be back in Boulder. I’ll be back sitting at my desk all damn day with nothing much to do, and I don’t know what you’ll be doing. Maybe being a hostess at that restaurant, if you get too bored sitting around whatever apartment Sophia finds for us. Things will be different then, and I can’t help but wonder if our situation won’t get worse.”

“All I can say is that we have to take it as it comes,” she sighed. “I really don’t want to go back to the Mountain Grove if I don’t have to. At least you’ll be able to look forward to coming home to me and hopefully as much as I want you there with me.”

“There is that. Let’s face it, until now there hasn’t been much reason for me to want to go home. Before I was at Comsector there were always things to do at work, things that I was really interested in. That gave me a reason to stay around. Now, at least I’ll be able to look forward to coming home, and that’s a huge improvement all by itself. I just hope we can manage to make it work out between us when we go back.”

“I do too, Rick. It’s pretty easy to be together and make things work all right while we’re on our honeymoon at a place like this. It may not be as easy back in Boulder, but I’ll do my best to make them work if you will.”

“I’ll try,” he sighed. “You’ve made it easy for me so far. Jane, I know I must not be the easiest guy to live with, and I really do appreciate what you’re trying to do for me. It’s just that I’m worried that being back in Boulder won’t be like being with you on our honeymoon. I guess maybe I’m a little worried that you’re going to turn into another Bianca on me.”

“Rick, I doubt that could happen with me. I don’t think I have the kind of drive Bianca has. Yes, I’m trying to change you a little, I’ll admit that. But it isn’t much of a change, just trying to make you a little more outgoing, a little more comfortable with me, and a little more comfortable with who you are. I’m not trying to make you into some kind of a slave, or anything. I just want to cooperate, while Bianca seems to want to dominate Chuck and used her body to try and get her claws into him. I don’t think that’s a very good basis for a relationship, and it sure didn’t work for her, while the two of us working together is a different story altogether.”

“I think so too, and like I said, the things you are trying to push me to do are things I can see need to be done. I’m sure Sophia sees it that way, too, and I guess the two of you have talked about it.”

“We have some,” she admitted. “But I don’t think it’s all that much of a change. Rick, I’ve come to like you a lot the last few days. You’re a nice guy, Rick. A little shy, yes, but I hope I’m getting you to come out of it. I suspect that if you had something worthwhile to do at work you’d be pretty focused on that, and I can’t blame you. Maybe that time will come again, and we’ll have to work on helping you to see that there’s more to life than coding.”

“You’ve taught me that already,” he grinned. “I’ve not had the chance to try it that way yet, but it strikes me that sex and coding aren’t things that go together very well.”

“I don’t think it would work very well to do them at the same time, but I guess you have to look for some moderation somewhere in life. I take it you’re hinting at something.”

“Of course I am,” he laughed. “There are times for moderation, I suppose, but I like being focused on things. It’s part of the way I am. Since I can’t be focused on coding right now, the other alternative is very appealing.”

“Do you mean that the sex is appealing, or that I’m appealing?”

“I mean that the thought of having sex with you is very appealing. Much more so than having it with a woman like Bianca. I mean, yes, when I look at her I think it could be fun, but I can see that it would be something different once I got beyond the surface. She’s in it for herself. You’re in it for us. That’s very different.”

“Yes, a world of difference. Do you just want to do it here, or should be go out on the beach like we’ve done the past couple nights?”

“I’d be willing to do it right here, right now, and I can hardly wait,” he smiled. “On the other hand, we won’t always have a beach right out in front, so we’d better make use of it while we can.”

It only took seconds for them to get their clothes off and to be out of the door. Once again it was a very calm evening, and only little ripples of waves splashed up on the shore. They played with each other in the water for a bit, and then, half in and half out of the water did what they really wanted to do.

Afterward, they lay cuddled together in the warm evening, happy to be in each other’s arms. Jane had enjoyed sex with Rick from the first, but they were getting better at it, more attuned to each other, and that meant that she just enjoyed it more and more.

Apparently he did, too. “Jane,” he whispered, “I often dreamed of doing something like this, but now that I’m doing it with you, I find I’m enjoying it even more than I could have dreamed. Jane, it wasn’t long ago that I would never have dreamed of saying it to anyone, and it still seems surprising to be able to say it at all, but I love you, Jane. My God, I never thought I’d see the day come.”

“Rick, even though we’re married I never thought I’d be saying it this soon, but I love you too. I know we’ve got some differences to work out, but I think we can do it if we learn to love each other enough.”

“I think we can do it,” he agreed. “I know I want to try.”

They were wrapped up in a long, serious kiss, when quite suddenly they heard, not all that far away, a scream from Bianca: “I never want to see you again, you fucking son of a bitch.”

“I wonder what that’s all about?” Rick asked.

“Don’t know,” Jane replied. “And I really don’t care. But maybe we’d better get inside before she finds us out here like this.”

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