Arousing Love, a teen novel (4 page)

I got the camera from the top shelf and we
started taking photos of each other. We tried to take one with both
of us in the same shot but we were giggling like crazy and all the
photos looked like we were drunk.

We fell back on the bed laughing, and lay
there looking at each other.

She smiled at me, and I leaned over and
kissed her smiling lips, followed by another, and another, covering
her mouth with tiny kisses. She responded with little kisses of her
own, our lips opening and closing over each other’s, sharing each
other’s quickened breath. The tips of our tongues touched, sending
sensations through me.

I stroked my fingers through her soft hair.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered.

We lay there for a long time, completely
consumed with each other like nothing else existed, just staring
into each other’s eyes, our souls communing.

Joanna sat up. “What time is it?” She looked
around and saw my clock. “I should go, my parents will be wondering
where I am. I could try and come back later, after dinner, if you
want?”

“Sure. I could paint your portrait then.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

She kissed me and climbed over me to get up.
At the door, she glanced back and said in a teasing voice, “Maybe
I’ll even let you paint me nude.”

She flashed me a cheeky smile and was
gone.

Whoa, she’s such a flirt.

I went to the house to see if dinner was
ready. As soon as I walked through the door, my mom started asking
me questions about Joanna.

“She’s very pretty. How old is she? How did
you meet her?”

“She’s nearly sixteen, but she’s pretty
mature for her age.”

“What about her parents? What do they think
of an eighteen year old boy hanging around with their
daughter?”

“I don’t know. They probably don’t know about
it.”

“Be careful, Zach. She might seem mature to
you, but sixteen year olds are still emotionally fragile. They seek
attention and flattery at that age, they often have such a low self
esteem they’ll do anything to be admired or loved.”

“She’s not like that. She’s very self
confident.”

“You still need to be careful. You don’t want
to break her heart.”

“Yeah, okay Mom.” I signaled an end to the
conversation. She was right though, I had to be careful not to
break Joanna’s heart. But maybe it was too late for that.
Maybe
we’ll both get hurt, and there’s nothing we can do except live
through it and eventually get over it.

I headed for the door with my dinner in hand.
My dad was standing in the hallway and must have been listening to
our conversation.

He shook his head at me. “Zach, if you can’t
see that girl is trouble, you’re a bigger fool than I took you
for.”

“You don’t even know her, Dad.”

“I saw her, in that skimpy, little
dress.”

I walked past him and out the door.
He’s
so judgmental—as if he’s so perfect and knows everything.

In my room, I put on some music to match my
mood and turned it up loud. But then I remembered Joanna was coming
back soon, so I changed it to some Ben Harper—I thought she might
like that.

I got out my paints and brushes and set up
the easel ready for her portrait. I only had two canvases left.

There was a quiet knock at the door and I
leaped to open it.

“Hi.” She breezed in and kissed me, her eyes
dancing.

“What did you say to your parents?”

“They just think I’m with my friends.
Sometimes Matt and Dave make a fire on the beach and we stay out
‘til after midnight, so they won’t miss me for a while.”

“You want me to paint your portrait
then?”

“Yeah.” She seemed to shiver. “You can paint
me now.” She smiled up at me.

I showed her the two canvases I had left. “I
can use one for your portrait, and the other to paint something
else for you—whatever you want.”

“Maybe you can do two portraits—one for me
and one for you to keep.”

“Okay, if you don’t mind sitting for two
portraits?” I sure didn’t mind painting her twice.

“No, I don’t mind, but the one I keep can’t
be a nude.”

I looked at her and she blushed.

“You mean
. . .
” I couldn’t even say it.

She nodded and smiled at me.

My heart was already racing. “Okay,” I gave
her a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, this’ll be great.”

I was saying it to myself as much as for her.
I felt all jittery as I put the canvas up on the easel.

“So where do you want me?” She asked
meekly.

“Umm, you can sit on the bed if you want, or
stand, any way you’re comfortable.”

“Are we doing the nude one first?”

Her question took my breath away. “If you
want to.”

Is she really gonna do this?
I took a
deep breath and watched to find out.

She was blushing, and fumbling with her
clothes. She looked around at all the windows to see if anyone
could see in, then she slipped the straps of her dress off her
shoulders and let it fall to the floor with a flutter.

Wow, amazing how easy it comes off.

She stood there in her underwear, looking at
me. “When I’m naked you can’t come near me, you’re only allowed to
look, okay?”

“Okay.” My voice sounded strange.

She unhooked her bra and slipped it off,
dropping it to the floor. I just stared. I couldn’t believe she was
really doing this. She hesitated for a moment, then slipped her
underpants down and stepped out of them.

My eyes swept unimpeded over her smooth,
flawless skin, no longer interrupted by strips of cloth. The effect
was amazing. I couldn’t help but stare in awe. I felt dizzy,
overcome by her beauty.

She started turning around slowly, letting me
see all of her. She was so beautiful, her sleek, young body with
its alluring curves and long, slender limbs, so smooth and
graceful. She was perfect.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and
looked at me like she was waiting for me to say something.

“You could
. . .
lie down
. . .
if you want.”

She swung her legs onto the bed, and lay on
her side, her head resting on one arm. “Like this?”

“Yeah, that’s good.” I started trying to
sketch her shape. “I don’t know if I can do this, my hands are
shaking too much.”

“You’re shaking? I’m shivering like a leaf!”
She laughed.

I breathed in a deep, shuddery breath and
slowly exhaled. I still couldn’t believe she was doing this. I
managed to sketch her shape, though it wasn’t the best outline I’d
ever done.

I mixed some skin tones on my palette, and
started to paint. As I got involved in what I was doing, I began to
relax, though my heart was still pounding. Joanna was looking more
relaxed too.

“Why did you decide to pose nude for me?”

“Umm, because you’re a good artist, and your
nude portrait was beautiful
. . .
and you’ve already seen me naked anyway. I just wanted to do
something nice for you.”

I smiled. “It’s the best thing anyone’s ever
done for me.”

She smiled too. She seemed to be enjoying her
exhibitionism now.

“Do you like being naked like this?”

“Yes,” she giggled.

I laughed. I was enjoying this too. It was
beautiful, and sexy, and the most exciting thing I’d ever done.

“It’s a bit like your dream isn’t it. Hey,
I’ve got an idea, why don’t I paint you nude too?”

“Ha ha, no way!”

“Aw, why not?” She teased.

“‘Cause I’m not beautiful like you, for a
start.”

“Yes you are! You’ve got a nice body, and
that sexy surfer look.”

“The well-defined tan lines?” I laughed, but
my ego was eating up her every word.

I continued to paint, working quickly with
several brushes. She was quiet for a while, letting me work. After
a long time of staying so still, she started getting restless,
shifting the arm under her head.

“Sorry, my arm’s falling asleep. What part of
me are you painting now?”

“Just some touch ups on your breasts.”

She opened her mouth in pretend shock, then
grinned. “Can I see it?”

“Not yet. It won’t be much longer.”

I was pleased with how it was looking, but I
still had some work to do on her face.

“Were you surprised when I said I’d pose nude
for you?”

“Yeah, I thought you were joking.”

“You looked surprised.” She laughed. “I was
joking when I first said it, but then I thought, why not? I guess I
was being impulsive again. You think it’s okay to be doing
this?”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t worry, nothing’s
going to happen like last time.”

“No goodbye kisses?” She laughed, then became
serious. “You don’t think it’s wrong though, for a Christian?”

“You’re asking me?”

“It’s what you think that matters. I don’t
wanna be a bad example and put you off because of me.”

“You’re not a bad example of anything. At
least you’re not judgmental like other Christians. And I don’t see
this as something bad, beauty isn’t sinful. There’s lots of
historical Christian nude art.”

“Yeah.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with our bodies.
Adam and Eve were naked, so God must have liked it that way to
begin with.” I looked again at her graceful form. “Besides, your
body is the finest example of God’s handiwork I’ve ever seen. It
has to be the best evidence that there is a God.” I smiled, feeling
pleased with myself.

“You’re funny. But you’re right—this is about
beauty, not something sinful. I want to please you with the beauty
God has given me.”

Her words sent a warm, tingly sensation
flowing through me.

“Thanks.” I said, my voice rough with
sincerity.

She smiled, like she was just realizing how
much this meant to me.

“Do you think this is stupid, though, putting
ourselves in the way of temptation?”

“It’s okay, as long as we don’t fall into
temptation, right? Being on the edge of temptation is the most
exciting place to be. Are you feeling guilty about it?”

“No, that’s the weird thing though, I don’t
feel guilty about any of this. It’s like part of me
feels
. . . .
”

“What?”

“Nothing, don’t worry.”

“What were you going to say?”

“I don’t know. Part of me feels like we
already belong together, like we’re meant to be.”

I blinked, and my mother’s warnings came to
mind. “Joanna, you know I really like you, but you’re going back to
Colorado soon, and we might never see each other again.”

“You never know, though, Zach. Love can make
a way if it’s meant to be.”

“Love breaks more hearts than it makes a way
for.”

She didn’t say anything. I kept painting and
didn’t say anything either.

“I should go.”

“Why?”

She got up and started gathering her
clothes.

“No wait, don’t go. I’m sorry. I just get a
little nervous with all this talk of love. We’ve only known each
other a few days. You’re right, we don’t know what the future holds
for us. I don’t even know how I really feel about you. I have all
these mixed up emotions. All I know is I don’t wanna hurt you. I
don’t care about me, I can handle it, but you’re young. I’m scared
of breaking your heart.”

She finished putting her clothes on, but she
didn’t leave. Instead, she came over and stood beside me to look at
the painting.

“Wow that’s really good. Who are you going to
show this to?”

“Just you.”

“No one else is going to see it?”

I shook my head.

She looked up at me and smiled sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, Zach. I know I’m being stupid about
everything.”

I pulled her to me and we hugged. She rested
her head on my chest and looked again at the painting. “You made me
look too perfect.”

“What do you mean?”

“My hips are wider than that, and you didn’t
paint any of my blemishes. It just looks too perfect.”

“What blemishes?” I leaned back to look at
her. “I don’t even see any.”
It’s amazing, even the prettiest
girl can find something wrong with the way she looks.

“You don’t see them?”

“No? You must cover them up with makeup or
something.”

“I don’t wear makeup. I don’t like being
fake.”

I had to laugh. She had such a natural beauty
she didn’t even need makeup. “I painted you the way I see you, and
if that’s too perfect, it’s ‘cause that’s what you look like to
me.”

She smiled up at me, and I kissed her smile.
When our lips parted she said softly, “I love you.”

My stirred emotions arose to her words, and I
whispered, “I love you too.” The words were so powerful, I
instantly regretted saying them. I knew what it would do to her
young heart, but it was too late to take back now.

“I better go, it’s getting late.” She
released herself from my arms. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” She looked
up at me with such softness in her eyes.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come by at five.” She opened the door,
and it was dark outside.

“I better walk you home.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

We walked in comfortable silence. It was a
warm, clear night, and Joanna turned her face to the star-filled
sky. “See Zach, God’s an artist too.”

I looked admiringly at Joanna’s sleek
silhouette. “He sure is. I’m a mere imitator of his artistry.”

I could just make out her smile in the dim
light.

We reached the edge of the campground, and
Joanna stopped. “You don’t have to come any farther.”

“Alright.” I guessed she didn’t want her
parents to see us together.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” I leaned in to kiss her. She
gently touched her lips to mine but teasingly kept them just out of
reach of a full kiss, drawing me closer until my hungry lips caught
hers and we kissed passionately, our bodies pressing against each
other.