Sarah watched Midgie and Dave walk away then turned to see Sam, standing by the firepit, smoking a cigarette. He was staring into the fire, deep in thought. She walked over to stand beside him.

Sam dropped his cigarette into the firepit and looked down at her. He smiled. "Looks like it's just us, huh?"

His arm circled around her shoulder, drawing her in closer. She felt herself getting lost in his blue eyes; her breath was catching in her chest. Her hands were between them, palms flat against his chest.

Sam put his hand up and stroked her cheek, gently. His fingertips traced the top line of her lip, then followed it around to her bottom lip, pausing there. "You are so beautiful." He whispered in awe.

Sarah puckered her lips and kissed his finger as it rested on her lips.

He smiled and she reached up and placed her fingertip in his dimple, smiling back.

His hands grazed over her shoulder, and down her back, pulling her in closer. He let his fingers trail lightly up and down her back, and Sarah shivered. She rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat picking up speed as he held her.

Sarah raised up on her toes, sliding her arms around Sam's neck, and met his lips as they came down on hers. Their first kiss was light, a brush of the lips, but they each felt the spark of it. They drew apart slightly, then came together again, their lips pressing harder. Sarah's parted as she felt Sam's tongue slip between them, searching. She felt it slide against hers, pull away, teasing, then return again for another taste. She touched it with hers and pulled him in farther, entangling him and teasing his, before they joined, gliding against each other, then apart slowly, torturing, excitement building with each delicious touch. She tightened her arms and stood on her tiptoes as he pulled her up against him, harder. She knew she should pull away and end the kiss, but she was too far gone into it. She had never been kissed with so much passion, and she felt the intense pleasure of their bodies touching from heads to toes. Their tongues continued the dance, the connection unwilling to be broken. At last they broke apart and, reluctant to separate yet, they pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

He moved his head, rubbing his forehead against Sarah's. "You're incredible." He said.

Sarah smiled and tipped forward to kiss his cheek. "I think you're pretty incredible too."

He lowered her and she saw his eyes blaze as she slid against him. Her hands played with the black fur on his chest, raising goosebumps that ran down his arms.

She laughed as she trailed her fingers over them lightly. "Your skin is so sensitive to touch, isn't it?"

"To your touch, yes." His fingers played against her collarbone. Sarah held her breath as they slid towards her breast, then changed direction and followed the curve, his thumb grazing the under side, the tip of it just barely touching her nipple. He watched as it puckered out through her swimsuit in response to the teasing. He loved the way she fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. "You're pretty sensitive to touch too, aren't you?"

She giggled softly and pressed herself against his body, cutting off his view of her breast. "Yeah, I guess I am."

He laid his cheek on the top of her head, inhaling the lemon scent of her shampoo, his arms wrapped around her. Sarah loved being held like this, she loved the way his hair on his chest tickled against her cheek. But she knew that staying here much longer could lead to something that she wasn't ready for yet. She sighed, murmuring reluctantly. "I suppose we should take a walk or something, hm-m?"

Sam stepped back, his hands gripping her shoulders. He reached down and tilted her chin up, looking into her eyes. "That's not exactly what I had in mind, you know."

She nodded and reached up to take his hand, squeezing it gently. "I know."

She tugged on his hand. "There's a part of the shoreline that's my favorite. I like to walk it and look for beach glass. I want to show it to you."

"What's beach glass?" Sam grabbed their cigarettes and a couple beers as they walked by the table.

"I can tell you on the way." She headed towards the woods behind the tent, where Sam noticed a slight opening in the trees. "We'll have to walk single file here, it's not much of a path. Pete and Dave cleared it for me. It's a small, secluded area, not too many people know about it. I found it by accident one day, a few years back, and I like to go there."

She pushed the trees aside and Sam followed, ducking his head to avoid the low hanging branches. Within a few minutes, it was like they had entered their own little paradise. The air was cool and moist, with the smell of earth and damp leaves. He stopped and looked around, listening to the sounds of the wilderness. He could hear a multitude of different bird calls, and far off was the distinct tapping of a woodpecker. There was a rustle in the leaves by his feet, and a chipmunk scampered out and under log. He swatted at a buzzing by his ears.

Sarah looked back at him. "If you keep moving the gnats won't bother you so much." She motioned forward. "It's just a little ways farther."

They hiked up a small rise, then the path sloped down again. Sam looked up and could see a sliver of blue sky through the leafy tree tops.

"Beach glass", Sarah explained as they walked, "is glass that's washed along the shore. It's been worn smooth from the tumbling of the waves. This gives the glass a frosted, kind of worn look. But under that frosting, you can see the brilliance of the glass. It's really beautiful."

Sam was intrigued. "Where does it come from?"

"Well, that's the cool part. It comes from bottles and glass that is washed out into the lake, tumbles around, probably for years, then the waves bring it back on shore. Some of it could have fallen off the cargo ships or some could even have come from sunken ships." She stopped at the end of the path and parted the bushes. "And it lays here, waiting for me to come and find it."

Sam stepped forward and caught his breath. Ahead, he saw the shoreline, just a small strip of pebbled land, dotted with stones, mixed with the tufts of grass. The sun's rays reflected off the stones, which he thought were mostly white, but looking closer, he saw a variety of colors, reds and greens, browns and tans, in all shades.

"Wow!" He exclaimed softly.

Sarah turned towards him and laughed. "Welcome to my little piece of heaven." She bent down and looked around, then picked up a small stone to show him.

"See this? It could have come from a drinking glass." She held the red glass stone in her palm and raised it towards him. "Just think, this could have once been part of a glass that was on a ship. A sailor could've once held this, a long time ago." Her voice was dreamy as she spoke, lost in her story. "Maybe he was thinking about a lost love, or his family back in town, while he drank from it. The glass may have gotten tossed overboard or maybe the ship was sunk and the sailor who held it never made it back. It's been tumbling around in the waves for years. And now the lake has brought it ashore to me."

He watched her as she walked, her head down in concentration, then she knelt down and smiling, picked up another one. "Look I found a pink one."

Sam knelt beside her and examined the glass. "And where do you think this one came from?"

She gently wiped the fine grit off the surface of the flat piece of glass and rubbed her fingertip over it. "It could have been a favorite cup, belonging to a little girl who was playing by the water, across the lake, a long time ago. It got taken away by the waves when she wasn't looking. She looked back to get it, and it was gone, washed away. I'm sure she was heartbroken over it." She looked at the glass, sadly.

"Do you create a story for each piece of glass that you find?"

"No, just the special ones."

Sam felt a glow around his heart, something in this girl who made up stories about glass she found on a beach, touched his very soul. As he looked into her eyes, he felt powerless against the attraction he was feeling. He raised her up to face him, his hands gently holding her elbows.

"Do you think there could be a story about us?" He asked.

She reached up and placed her fingertips on his chest, feeling his heart pounding rapidly. "Yes, I'm not sure how the story will go, but," she took her hand away and placed her fingertips over her own pounding heart. "Those glass stones don't have the power in them to break my heart. You do, Sam."

"I won't break your heart Sarah." Sam said, tenderly.

She stepped back, smiling. "That's a good beginning for our story."

As he watched, she wandered away, stopping now and then to pick up a piece of glass. Some, she would keep and others she would gently place back on the ground. Finally, shaking his head, he gave in and started looking around also.

"Sam." Sarah asked from a few feet away. "You heard about me and my life today, but I don't know much about you."

"What would you like to know?" He examined a small white glass piece, the set it back down. "You know I have an older brother, but I also have a sister, she's the oldest. Her name is Sophie, she lives in France with her husband, Lucas."

"Are you close to her? What did you all do when you were younger?"

"We attended a private school in New York City. My father is American and my mom is French, so on our holidays, we went to my grandparents villa in France." He smiled as he remembered. "My dad was away a lot, but he tried to be home as much as possible in the summer. He built my mom the house in the Catskills when they were first married. There is a spring fed lake there, and we would all camp by it. It was our time to spend with our parents. When we got into our teenage years, my parents started staying up in the main house, but Sophie, Georgie and I still camp there, anytime we get a chance."

Sarah came up behind him. "Did you always want to be in a band?"

"No, I went to a university and got a degree first. Georgie, he's always had a band. He heard me goofing off one day at school, just a bunch of us singing. He talked me into joining his group, it was called something else then, they changed the name on a weekly basis. It was Georgie, he's the lead guitarist and Tex, the drummer and Leon, the bass guitarist. We named it Blood Brothers when it became the four of us. We started getting more gigs lined up. That was two years ago. We started being recognized in our area so we decided to broaden our horizons. We met a business associate of my father's, Julien Dupres, who agreed to manage us. He's helped us a lot. We took on another guitar player just before we put together the album. Things are really starting up for us."

"What did you get your degree in?"

"Architecture. My father is an architect, he wanted me to follow in his footsteps."

"Were you good at it?"

"I don't know, I never had the chance to try. I joined the band in my last year of school. We started playing more places and getting recognized right after I graduated. My dad was pissed at me. I think he's changed his mind, now." He stopped and bent down, picking up a piece and rolling it around in his hand. "I just found a blue one."

"Cool! Let me see!" Sarah ran up to him excitedly. "I don't usually find a blue one here."

Sam took it to the waters edge and rinsed it off, looking at it closely. It was about the size of a nickel, a brilliant blue under the frosted surface, and it was roughly in the shape of a heart. He reached for Sarah's hand and placed it in her palm. "For you." He said simply.

She held it up to the sun and squinted at it, then she looked at him and smiled. "This is the first time I've seen the real cobalt color up close. I've only seen pictures in books before. It's beautiful." She looked into his eyes and held the glass up next to them. "This is the same color as your eyes."

He smiled. "Then I want you to keep it and when you look at it, think of me, and you'll have a nice story to go with it."

Sarah smiled back and nodded, feeling the stone's warmth in her palm. "Yeah, I think it's starting out nicely."

Sam pulled her closer and rubbed his hands down her back, his head bent low to hers. "I think so too." His lips grazed her ear and then slid down to kiss her cheekbone. She turned her face towards his and their lips met for a light feather kiss.

Sam pressed in to deepen the kiss and Sarah pulled back. He cupped her cheek and smiled down on her. "You are just too delicious to resist."

She took his hand and led him over to a log that had drifted ashore some time ago. She sat on the sand and leaned back. "Let's sit here for awhile." She inhaled deeply, laying her head on the grey, twisted log. "I love it here, it's so quiet."

Sam looked around at the trees surrounding the small inlet, he heard the breeze whispering through them. The waves made a gentle shush sound as they hit the shore. No boats could be seen, but once in awhile, the low buzzing of a speedboat floated in.

"This is a peaceful place." He sat on the sand beside her, tucking her into his side, his arm around her.

Sarah snuggled into him, her head rested on his shoulder. "Tell me more about your grandparents in France. That would be so amazing to live in another country."

Sam put his chin on her head and looked out over the lake, he answered her thoughtfully. "Where my grandparents lived is beautiful, a lot like the wild areas around here. I loved going to visit them. They were fun. My grandfather was very tall, a big man." He smiled as he remembered them. "And my grandmother was just a little tiny lady." He picked up her hand, turning it over to study it, then touched it to his lips. "Small, like you are. Man, she was small and mighty. My grandfather loved her very much, you could see it in his face, every time he looked at her."

Sarah noticed the past tense. "So they're gone now?"

He nodded. "My grandmother had a heart attack. She died in her sleep, in their bed. My grandfather was lost without her, he passed away just a year later." Sam looked at her. "My parents inherited the villa, but we haven't gone back there. It's not the same place anymore."

Sarah looked at their hands, resting together on her leg. "That's a cool story, Sam. They had a good life together."

Sam reached for his cigarettes. "When should we head back?"

She shrugged. "The bonfire will start at dusk, we probably have a little more time."

"Do you want to smoke this?" He pulled a joint from his cigarette pack.

At Sarah's nod, he lit it up, inhaling deeply, then passed it to her. "So, I'll see you at the Agora on Sunday?"

"Yeah, we'll be there. I can't wait to hear you sing. Pete saw your band before and he came back telling us how great you were."

Sam looked at Sarah in surprise. "When did Pete see the band?" Pete hadn't said before that he'd seen them, only that he'd heard their music.

Sarah scrunched her face as she tried to remember. "Maybe about a month ago? I think it was a couple weeks before I came home, so yeah, about a month ago. I don't know where it was, he ended up staying the night there."

Sam thought back and nodded. "We were playing close by here, so that's probably when it was."

Sarah watched him closely. "Do you get nervous before a show?"

He thought about it for a minute. The nervous buzz he had before was a lot quieter now. He was actually looking forward to being onstage in front of a crowd. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he knew Sarah would be there. "Not as much as I was before." He smiled down on her. "I'll see you there, in the crowd."

She saw his smile and felt the butterflies in her stomach. She held up the shortened joint. "Want me to give you a shotgun?"

Sam laughed. "Sure, I'd love it." He cupped her face as she blew the smoke into his mouth. He held it in, watching as she removed the joint, then he leaned in and blew the smoke back into her parted lips.

Sarah released the smoke into the air between them, as their mouths came together. His tongue found hers, joyously reuniting for another slow dance, but she stopped after a little bit, pulling back to smile, coyly, as she looked up at him. "You're tempting me, you know that?"

He grinned mischievously. "That was my plan."

She shook her head. "You are persistent." She sat away from him, leaning back on the log, her hand still clasped in his.

Sam looked at her as he answered her in a soft voice. "We are sitting here, barely clothed. When I get this close to you all I can think about is how good you smell, how soft your skin is. I can't help it. You turn me on, Sarah." His fingers tickled her palm. "I know you feel it too."

Sarah leaned her head back and groaned. "I do, but we barely know each other!" She sat up suddenly and looked at him in surprise. "I don't even know your last name!"

Sam chuckled. "I don't know yours either, come to think of it."

Sarah reached for his right hand, twisting around to take it from behind her. "Sarah Winston. And you are...?"

"Sam Carter. It's nice to meet you, Sarah Winston." He shook her hand then pulled her on top of him. "Now can we get back to business?"

"You're impossible!" Sarah giggled as she lowered her face to his. "And irresistible."

"M-m-m." Sam ran his tongue around her lips, following the contour of her bottom one. He nipped it slightly, sucking it into his mouth, then he pulled her down for a slow, passionate kiss, tongues meshing together, unrestricted and unending, sending Sarah into a tailspin. His hands slid down to her bikini bottoms, sliding under the light material and kneading, pushing her even tighter against him. He felt her legs spreading, straddling his, as she rubbed against him. Her moan against his mouth nearly undid him, he pulled her bottoms down lower, while his fingers moved around to the front.

"Wait!" Sarah stopped him. Sam's fingers stilled and he groaned in frustration.

She pulled back, breathlessly, and ran her hand over the hair straggled around her face, brushing it back, trying to clear her head. She slid to the side, adjusting her bikini bottoms, and lay facing him. Her elbow propped her up, beside him, as she tried to slow down her pounding heart. Her body was betraying her as it ached for more.

Sam flipped onto his side, propping his head on his hand, then reached around for her braid. He concentrated on it, running his fingers over the plaits, as he also collected his wits about him. He wanted her, more than anyone he had ever been with, but he was afraid that if he pushed too hard, he would scare her away. After several minutes, he looked up at her. "Just let me hold you, I promise, that's all the farther we'll go."

Sarah looked at him, biting the inside of her cheek. "It's me that I don't trust. I don't understand what is happening here." She gave a short laugh. "My god, I've never felt like this, ever."

Sam chuckled and tickled her nose with her braid. "So what's stopping you?"

She shook her head. "It's too soon."