I had been swimming lengths for about half an hour when I realised that I was not alone. I caught spotted Daise sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling her legs in the water. I complete the length I was busy with, and then stopped, holding on to the pool's edge.

"Hi," I greeted her, "you found it then?"

"Yes," she laughed, "it was easy enough."

I looked up at Daise and was struck by her beauty. The time we had spent together had made me forget a little, but seeing her like this brought it back to me. She was wearing a purple string bikini top, tied behind her neck and back, and a conservatively cut pair of bikini bottoms. Her hair had been loosened from the ponytail she had kept it in all day, and cascaded down her back. She was leaning back on her arms, basking in the late afternoon sun, which gilded her skin with a lovely copper colour. The sun had given her face a red-tinged which the rest of her body lacked. Her skin had a beautiful translucent sheen.

I slowly became aware that Daise was watching me, and blushed.

"I was wondering if you still saw me as a woman." she said softly, "You have been very carefully distant with me all day as if I was your aunt or something."

"I'm sorry Daise. Once I heard your story, I went into full-tilt mode. I have been so focused on doing what I needed to, to ensure that we were in a position to protect you, that I haven't paid you the attention that you deserve."

"That's OK. Seeing the way you looked at me just now tells me that you aren't thinking of me that way any more... ?"

"No. In fact, it is all I can do to keep my hands off you at the moment."

"Then why do you? It must have been obvious that I have fallen completely under your spell. I even told you the story of Alina without any hesitation, and I had promised both myself and Alina that I wouldn't do that. That must tell you something about the way that I feel about you?"

"Yes, I did consider it. Daise, I wanted to thank you for placing your trust in me. The fact that you have though is what has made me back off a bit from you. It feels a little like abuse for me to come on to you under these circumstances."

"You can't rape the willing"

"What?"

"Sorry. I didn't realise I was saying that out loud."

"I smiled. You know you are really cute when you blush?"

"Umm do you always swim like that?"

I recognised the attempt to change the topic and I was grateful for it.

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"Yes. I need to do something to keep fit, and I hate running. Never mind the fact that it is hard on my knees, I just find it incredibly unpleasant. Swimming I can do without leaving the property, and it exercises my whole body."

"I did notice that you have no fat on you. I think I have more fat on my belly than you do on yours and I am much younger than you."

"Actually, a little bit of a belly is very nice on a woman, and enough about the age thing, I already feel like a grave-robber," I said with a smile.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to make you think that..."

"I'm just teasing you. I like to see you blush, although I like your laugh more; it's very sexy."

"Thank you. I..." She stopped in mid-sentence and just looked at me with this deer-in-the-headlights look as I rested my hand on her thigh. I was just testing the waters as I was really turned off by any indication of gratitude or reluctance. I knew that I would go fro m100 to zero in 3 seconds flat at any indication that my attention was unwelcome. The look in her eyes though was anything but rejection. I had a sudden epiphany.

"You're a virgin aren't you?"

"How did you know?" This time there was no light blushing of her face. It looked as if she got an instant sun-burn that spread down her neck and right across her chest.

"Hey ... it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I guess it just means that I was right to take it very slowly. What I want more than anything else is your companionship. That means that we should be friends before anything else. I am quite willing to wait and go only as far and as fast as you are comfortable with Daise."

"Oh no. I really want you to touch me. I feel as if I have skin hunger. Ever since I told you all that stuff this morning, and you held me until I fell asleep, I have wanted to be in your arms and have you touch me. It has been driving me crazy all day."

"Well, that is really good news, because I have wanted to touch you as well." I moved across so that I was directly in front of her and placed my hands on her knees then moved them slowly up to her thighs. I watched her face the whole time I did this, and when I saw her eyes close in pleasure, I had confirmation that she hadn't been lying to me. She could have been acting, but it didn't feel like it; it looked and felt genuine. I decided that I should stop second-guessing myself, and just accept as real what she said as long as it matched her actions. Daise reached down and grasped the top of my fore-arms and ran her hands up my arms, slowly bringing her face close to mine. Her eyes were still closed, and I decided to push a little. I reached around behind her and grabbed her by the hips, then pulled her towards me. Her legs went around my chest and I pulled her face down towards me and kissed her.

She seemed a little startled at first, but then relaxed and started returning my kiss. As we got more passionate, our bodies came together and she slid down with her legs still around me until she was in the water with her body crushed tightly to mine. I supported her with one hand holding her bikini-clad rear and the other pulling her tighter into the kiss by the back of her neck.

Daise moaned into my mouth and squirmed in my arms and I took great delight in the feel of her lithe body held tightly against mine.

Just when I thought that we should be thinking about either moving this out of the pool, I was pulled right out of the moment by a cough. I pulled my face away from Daise and looked up.

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir," said Cpl Maseka, "but the Sgt Major insisted."

Daise had buried her face in my neck and I assumed it was from embarrassment or shyness.

"Why don't you swim a while and I will find out what's happening?" I suggested to Daise. "Cpl, I'll be with you in a second."

I waited for him to acknowledge my comment and turn away, before I pulled myself out of the pool and grabbed my towel to wrap around me and, incidentally, to hide my almost painful erection. I turned to look at Daise and saw that she was smiling mischievously at me. Maybe it hadn't been shyness at all, but amusement at my predicament...