She hadn’t been planning to stop. Feet dug craters in the warm sand as she shot straight into the waves, shrieking and squealing at the chill of the water. About five feet out, a bigger wave crashed in and knocked her flat, and she came up laughing and swiping hair out of her eyes.
Marvelling at the smaller size of her footprints as they imprinted in the sand, Isaac sprinted after her, slowing down enough to watch her wade into the water. Doubling over with laughter as she tumbled over, he scooped her up and brushed her down, pressing a kiss to the space in between her eyes. “Are you okay?”
She swatted at him, giggling and dripping. “I’m fine! Put me down.” She swept her hands through the water, dashing it up at him, and slid out of his hands, plunging back into the waves like some kind of mermaid.
Summer yelped with laughter, still trying to run while he held her. “Gazelle boy! You have those stupid gorgeous long legs.” Failing to escape his strength, she tried another tactic: kissing him.
Dropping her with surprise, he huffed and tripped over said long legs and managed to get upright – his clumsy nature giving her a head-start. “You’d better keep running!”
She hadn’t been planning to stop. Feet dug craters in the warm sand as she shot straight into the waves, shrieking and squealing at the chill of the water. About five feet out, a bigger wave crashed in and knocked her flat, and she came up laughing and swiping hair out of her eyes.
She licked her lips, watching him avidly. “Yes. Good.” Deliberately she rolled herself off the bed, landing on her feet perfectly, and ducked back into the bathroom to grab whichever swimsuit was closest to the door. It turned out to be the little blue one, and she squirmed into it rapidly before bolting past Isaac and out the open doors with a giggle.
“Enjoying the show?” He grinned and watched her hungrily, fighting the urge to launch at her and bury his face between her legs once more, not wanting to overwhelm her. Perking up and then bounding after her, he easily caught her and pulled her into his arms. “Fast, but not fast enough, I’m afraid!”
Summer yelped with laughter, still trying to run while he held her. “Gazelle boy! You have those stupid gorgeous long legs.” Failing to escape his strength, she tried another tactic: kissing him.
“We can’t do all of it at the same time.” Summer stretched all her limbs, listening to the crackle of realigning bones in her wrists. “So pick one, hot stuff. What are we going to do, right now?”
“Swimming first?” He compromised with a nod as he shimmied into his shorts and tied them tightly around the jut of his hips, before glancing over at her with a fond smile. “And then sunbathing?”
She licked her lips, watching him avidly. “Yes. Good.” Deliberately she rolled herself off the bed, landing on her feet perfectly, and ducked back into the bathroom to grab whichever swimsuit was closest to the door. It turned out to be the little blue one, and she squirmed into it rapidly before bolting past Isaac and out the open doors with a giggle.
She pointed out, “You are still lying on top of me. And I thought you wanted to swim. In the ocean.”
Laughing then, he pulled up and eyed her bare body with an appreciative glance, stroking down her stomach before turning to find his shorts. “I can’t wait to just lay in the sand too.”
“We can’t do all of it at the same time.” Summer stretched all her limbs, listening to the crackle of realigning bones in her wrists. “So pick one, hot stuff. What are we going to do, right now?”
“You know,” she purred, “the bathroom attached to the master bathroom isn’t the best bathroom in the house. The other bathroom, the hall one, has a fifty-square foot bathtub.”
He stilled and eyed her hopefully, running his tongue along his teeth. “Really? And what are we doing here – we could be exploring this new bathtub.”
She pointed out, “You are still lying on top of me. And I thought you wanted to swim. In the ocean.”
“Sure, right up until one of them offered you money for me, and then we’d be trying to explain why there was an angry monster in town,” she teased. “Seriously, I’m not … ugh, what’s the word? I don’t want to, okay. Maybe at night. Or,” she said, as a thought occurred to her, “there’s ponds in the Preserve … maybe when we get back, I might be willing to go skinny-dipping in daylight with you in one of those.”
“Ah…yeah, I probably would end up turning and freaking everybody out, huh?” He winced sheepishly and nosed possessively at her neck, inhaling her familiar and comforting smell before he smiled. “I’m only kidding, Summer – that’s what baths were invented for. But you would? I’d like that…”
“You know,” she purred, “the bathroom attached to the master bathroom isn’t the best bathroom in the house. The other bathroom, the hall one, has a fifty-square foot bathtub.”
“In town? Yes, of course.” She grinned. “I am not going skinny-dipping with you in the daylight, Isaac Lahey. This is a resort town, and there are all kinds of people here, and just no.”
“Spoilsport,” he mumbled petulantly, voice muffled as he licked up and down her collarbone, before pillowing his head on the swell of her breasts. “It’d be entertaining for the locals and the guests?”
“Sure, right up until one of them offered you money for me, and then we’d be trying to explain why there was an angry monster in town,” she teased. “Seriously, I’m not … ugh, what’s the word? I don’t want to, okay. Maybe at night. Or,” she said, as a thought occurred to her, “there’s ponds in the Preserve … maybe when we get back, I might be willing to go skinny-dipping in daylight with you in one of those.”
“I thought you really wanted to go out to the beach?” She bit her lips to keep from laughing, putting on a pretend big-eyed, earnest expression. Her skin twitched under his mouth. A gust of wind swirled the long curtains and carried the smell of salt water into the room.
“I’m comfortable here too, though. I like being naked with you,” he admitted somewhat shyly, shifting against her and then perking up, sniffing and casting a longing glance out of the window. “Are there any other people around here?”
“In town? Yes, of course.” She grinned. “I am not going skinny-dipping with you in the daylight, Isaac Lahey. This is a resort town, and there are all kinds of people here, and just no.”
She stopped squeezing to consider that. “I don’t know.” Then she stuck out her tongue at him. “We go good together, though.” She picked up a stray lock of her hair and draped it over his head. “You’re curlier than I am.”
“That’s not bad, is it?” He blushed and tilted his head to the side, considering as he pressed a kiss to her stomach. “I’m really comfy…are you sure that it’s okay that I lie like this for a bit, or do you want me to move?”
“I thought you really wanted to go out to the beach?” She bit her lips to keep from laughing, putting on a pretend big-eyed, earnest expression. Her skin twitched under his mouth. A gust of wind swirled the long curtains and carried the smell of salt water into the room.