he peeked up at her and smirked.
“Any objections, Blondie?” he asked. He couldn’t help the smugness that laced his voice.
She shook her head. “All I hear is you being a wimp.”
“You’re afraid of water,” he retorted.
“I am not! If I were so afraid, why did I wear a bikini to the beach?” Stephanie took a large step back, pulling her dress away from his grasp. Then she took a few more, creating more distance between them.
“Honestly, I have no answer for that. I have no idea what goes on in that pretty little head of yours,” Julian answered before he removed the grey shirt he was wearing and dropped it next to her bag.
He didn’t mind her wandering eyes. And he definitely didn’t mind the way she licked her lips. He was sure she wasn’t even aware she had done so.
When their eyes locked, he couldn’t help but thank whichever higher power had allowed him to be the focus of her stare. Whoever’s handiwork it was, Julian was very appreciative.
He took a slow, calculated step towards her, and Stephanie froze. Then another until his body was centimetres from hers. She continued to stare at his chest until the moment he slipped his fingers underneath the spaghetti strap of her dress and pulled it off her shoulder. Those vibrant, beautiful, and get-a-man-to-say-stupid-shit blue pools shot up and collided with his. The way her heavy breaths sounded made him weak in the knees.
Just as he was about to pull her other strap down, Stephanie grasped his wrist and shook her head. He began to apologise for crossing a boundary when she lowered his hand towards the hem of her dress. Julian swallowed hard as his heart beat frantically in his chest.
“Any objections?” she asked in a whisper.
Julian leant forward, his lips close to her right ear. “None from me, Blondie.” Then he placed his fingers on the end of her sundress and lifted it up off her body, revealing her light orange bikini.
Perfect.
Every curve and inch of her was perfect. Every surface of her sun-kissed skin was where his lips wanted to touch and taste. The woman was every wet dream and fantasy somehow wrapped into one. He wanted that body of hers under his, those long legs wrapped around him, and her breasts pushed against his chest as he took her mouth with his.
Oh, shit.
Shit.
Shit.
Fuck!
His grip on her dress tightened, wrinkling it. He knew that if he didn’t get in the water soon, things would be awkward in the pants department. Sure, he could parade it off and give her a well done for making him hard, but that wasn’t really romantic. Nothing says romance like, “Here’s a hard-on.” Normally, it was the go-to plan, but not with Stephanie. She was far too different from the women back home. Far too special for dirty tricks.
“Drop the dress,” she instructed, breaking him from the spell her breasts had cast.
Breasts, why do I love you so?
Why do I love Stephanie’s perfect rack?
Because they’re perfect.
I could write a poem about how perfect they are.
Maybe even a song.
Double fuck!
“Yes, ma’am,” Julian said and dropped the article of clothing.
Then he waited.
The nervous flash in her blue eyes had him stepping towards her and taking her hands. His fingers threaded hers, and then he leant in close, his nose brushing against hers.
“Ready for some fun, Stephanie?” he asked, loving the way she stared up at him.
Wonder. Beauty. Only two of the million different emotions that had taken hold of her face. And there were countless expressions he still needed to see.
Stephanie stepped back towards the water, taking him with her. Julian happily followed. In that one heartbeat, he decided he’d follow her wherever he needed to just to be near her. Then the thought of how short-lived this all was worried him for a minute. There’d be good-bye and good luck. But he didn’t want that. A squeeze of his hand had him shaking his head slightly. No. He was working himself up to knowing so much more of her. He’d find a way.
And the first step was to know, to taste, and to learn her lips.
Once she let go of his hands, he watched her shriek as a wave came crashing towards them. Stephanie turned in time for the wave to hit her back, and the fearless expression on her face caused another jump of his heart.
When she pulled her hair to one side, she sent a smile his way, and then Julian followed her into