He fumbled in his pocket and held out the keys to me. I was stunned he didn’t argue or resist. I knew how to drive; I just didn’t enjoy it much. He could have told me to give him directions, but he didn’t.

Pulling out, I went slow. I headed to a secluded piece of beach I had found during high school. It was my favorite place to just clear my mind. Stopping on the street, next to a row of trees, I turned to him before getting out.

“Baby, thank you for a lovely evening, but I think you went a little overboard. I’m not one for lavish or fancy things.”

I could see the worry in his eyes as he responded in a shaky tone. “Was it a bad date? Did you like anything?”

“No, no, don’t get me wrong,” I said, taking his hand. “It wasn’t bad, that’s not what I meant. I just want you to dial it down a bit.”

He smiled softly and nodded as he spoke. “Understood.”

“Follow me,” I said as I got out. I led him down a narrow path through some trees and bushes. Stepping through the last trees into the clearing, we were on the beach. I heard him gasp. The view was blocked by the trees, but it was spectacular.

The sun had started setting. It was throwing an orange glow over the ocean. Taking off my shoes and carrying them, I started towards the water. I loved walking barefoot on the sand. Glancing back, I saw Konstantin jumping around on one leg, trying to get his other shoe off.

Laughing at the sight of him, I stopped and waited. “You think that’s funny,” he shouted as he ran towards me.

Sprinting towards the ocean, I hollered back at him over my shoulder. “I do.”

I was almost in the water when I felt his arm closing around my waist. He softly pulled me to a stop, and we tumbled over. For a moment, we lay laughing in the sand. Getting up first, he held out his hand and pulled me to my feet.

Pulling me into his arms, he kissed me. I felt all expectations flowing away as the ocean lapped at the beach behind us. “How did you find this place?” he asked as he let go of me.

Holding his hand, I moved to the edge of the water. We stood with our toes in the water. Every time the waves came in, our feet would disappear and reappear as the water pulled back.

“I stumbled upon it one day while roaming around after my mother’s passing.” Swallowing hard, I felt his hand move across my back as he pulled me closer. “I have been coming here for years now. Every time I felt alone or needed comfort, I came here. It calms me. The sound of the waves crashing, the water rumbling. It’s nice to be here.”

Glancing up, I noticed he was looking at me oddly. Bending over, I cupped my hand and splashed him with water before taking off. He dashed after me again. Luckily, we didn’t tumble as we were in the water.

We kicked water at each other for a bit and ran up and down the beach. Before we were completely soaked, I stopped. Konstantin pulled me into his strong embrace, looking out over the ocean. Leaning back against his chest, I felt safe. “This is nice,” I whispered as we watched the sunset.

Turning in his arms before heading back to the car, I kissed him passionately. “Thank you,” I breathed out over his lips.

“Look,” he whispered, pointing out to the ocean.

Turning back, I saw the most amazing thing ever. A group of dolphins were jumping in and out of the water. “That is something you don’t see every day,” I replied softly. We stood until they disappeared into the night.

Konstantin put on the heater as we got in. The night air was cooling quickly. Leaning over, I kissed his cheek. “Thank you for an amazing day,” He took hold of one side of my face as he kissed me back. For a moment, our tongues tangoed with each other.

He moved his seat back and pulled me onto his lap. Placing my hands on his chest, I could feel his heart racing even through all his muscles. His hands moved up and down my legs. His touch was tender and warm. I felt my insides stirring.

While we kissed, I felt his hands move over my back down to my rear. He pulled me closer as our kiss intensified. His hands moved back up and into my hair.

Shifting on his lap, I caressed his chest and abs as I moved down to his pants. Pulling his shirt out of his pants, I placed my hands on his abs. His skin was sizzling as I moved over those perfectly formed abs to his chiseled chest. I loved the feeling of him. He moved his hands around, grabbing hold of my breasts. I moaned as he squeezed them tenderly.

The weather outside was very cool, and the car windows started steaming up with the heat we were giving off. Konstantin kissed my neck softly, pulling my head back as he moved down to my breasts. He came back to my neck. I nibbled on his ear as I breathed out heavily. “Baby,” I whispered.

His mouth found mine, and his kiss was hard but sensual. My stomach was making waves as my body tingled. Nibbling his lower lip, I felt his love for me growing. Tugging gently at his bottom lip with my teeth, he shifted under me. Konstantin accidentally pressed my body back as he moved.

The next moment, the quiet night air was filled with the loud hooting of his car horn. We stopped and glanced around asI shifted off the steering wheel. Looking at him, I knew we both got a fright. I started giggling as he hugged me.

Konstantin took hold of my face, staring into my eyes he spoke softly. “You are my world. But I think we should be getting back. I don’t want you freezing and getting ill in this night breeze.”

Placing my hand on his cheek, I kissed him passionately before getting back into my seat. He got out and took off his jacket. “Here, put this on,” he said, getting back in and starting the car.

Our drive home was spent in silence but wasn’t uncomfortable. I welcomed the bit of silence as it gave me time to think. Today was a special day, one I will never forget. Staring out at the stars starting to accumulate in the sky, I felt calm.

I loved everything Konstantin offered. Yet, I didn’t want to depend financially on him or his family. I had to be able to provide for myself. As we pulled in, I smiled at Konstantin as I spoke. “Do you know when Piotr will be returning?”