By the time our lunch arrives, my stomach is growling. We dig in, laughing as Rhett steals a bite off my plate, insisting it’s a professional obligation to make sure it’s up to standard. I pretend to roll my eyes and scold him, but I’m secretly enjoying the closeness, the easy intimacy that has settled between us.
“I can see why you brought me here,” I say between mouthfuls, savoring the crunch of the fresh cabbage in my tacos. “It’s definitely not the style-over-substance place I thought it was going to be.”
He leans across the table and picks up his glass of Campari. “I never go for style over substance. I got the impression you were the same.”
I nod, my eyes softening, feeling the warmth of the moment settle in my chest. “I am, and it’s really nice here.”
Lunch winds down.
Rhett settles the bill, and we stroll along the sand toward the beach. The sun is higher and stronger now, and I can feel the heat on my skin as we lay our towels down side by side. Rhett removes his T-shirt and lies on the towel, his arms behind his head, his eyes closed. I take off my clothes and reveal my red bikini. Rhett opens his eyes and whistles. I laugh and shake my head.
Stretching out in the soft sand next to him instantly makes any last lingering tension in my muscles melt away.
“Ah,” I sigh, letting the warmth of the sun seep into me. “This is heaven.”
“Yeah. Nothing like the sun, the sand, and no one looking.”
I glance over at him, smiling. “No one looking? I saw quite a few pairs of eyes watch you when your T-shirt came off.”
He chuckles softly. “Maybe. But right now, pretend it’s just us, Pippa.”
We lie in companionable silence for a few minutes. There is nothing to be said, just enjoyed. Nothing to feel but the warmth, the breeze, the distant laughter of children playing, the sound of the waves rolling in, the soft hiss of the wind through the dunes.
I don’t want to ruin my holiday by burning my skin. Sitting up, I open my bag and dig out my sunscreen. I start applying it, and I can feel Rhett watching me. I glance over at him and find that he has propped himself up on his elbows and he’s staring at me quite intently as I rub the cream into my legs.
“Don’t mind me,” he says. “I’m just watching the show.”
I shake my head and continue on with the cream. I do my arms, my legs, my belly and chest, and my face and neck. Then I turn to him and to my surprise, my voice drops seductively. “Will you do my back?”
Rhett holds his hand out for it. “Roll over.”
For some weird reason, my mouth goes dry. I roll over and hear the cap snap open. A second later, the cold lotion and the warmth of Rhett’s hands are on me. He rubs the cream into my back in slow hypnotic circles. Then his fingers dip along my sides and I moan quietly as his touch reignites last night’s fire within me.
“Stop that or I will take you right here, right now,” Rhett says in a low voice that makes my sex wet. God he’s hot when he’s commanding.
He carries on rubbing my back, even though we both know the sunscreen has been absorbed a long time ago, but I let him.
Finally, he slaps my ass gently with one hand. “All done,” he says thickly.
I roll back onto my back, and Rhett lies down beside me again. His eyes are closed and his expression is bland so I do not know what he is thinking. I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face, and the light breeze like a lover’s caress across my body.
I’m just starting to relax completely when I hear footsteps crunching over the sand close to us. I glance up, and my heart sinks when I see Vanessa standing over us wearing a white bikini with a Chanel logo between her breasts and a pair of dangerously high wedges. Her posture is disdainful, and her expression is that perfected blend of superiority and disdain.
“Fancy seeing the two of you here,” she says.
“Vanessa,” Rhett says, sitting up, his tone polite and measured.
Vanessa glances between us, her lips curling up in a tiny, imperious smile.
“Pippa,” she says, as if acknowledging me is a favor.
Then her gaze slides back to Rhett, lingering in that calculated way she always manages, and I can feel my pulsespeed up just slightly. Not that I’m jealous or anything. No, that would be … not allowed. I force myself to sit up, keeping my tone light, breezy, and entirely unflappable.
“Hi, Vanessa,” I say smoothly, deliberately giving her a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes, because honestly, I’m braced for whatever storm she’s about to bring.
Rhett stands up smoothly and nods his head towards a small shack that is selling cans of soda and bottles of water amongst other things.
“I’m going to grab a drink,” he says, his voice calm. “Do you want one, Pippa?”
