Page 12 of On The Beach

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I grinned. "How much time do you have?"

He sighed. "Fine. The water is going to be cold."

"Cold is good."

"I'm assuming you need a towel?"

"And soap," I told him as I walked out of his place…hishut? It was an honest-to-God beach hut with no bedroom. Mick slept in a hammock outside. It was the coolest thing ever. I couldn't wait to tell my sister all about this hot beach bum I had sex with. She was going to be super jealous.

In all honesty, and to my shock, I was behaving like someone else. My phone was on the floor by his couch. I hadn't even bothered to look at it or check my email or messages. And that hadneverhappened before.

I was feeling loose after all that awesome sex.

This was what the books waxed on about. For someone who never really sought out a man in bed (because it had always been a bit anticlimactic), I now knew that I needed to find a regular supply close to home. This was magic!

The ocean waves softly caressed the beach. There was silence except for the birds and sound of nature.

Captain Mick had, with ill grace, thrown a towel at me. I caught it, slung it around my neck, and found myself walkingbehindhim. Just to be an asshole, he was walking faster than he needed to. It wasn't a bad thing because the man had a fine ass that he had covered with swim trunks.

"Hey, Usain Bolt, slow down," I called out.

"Keep up," he muttered without looking back at me.

"I won't leave if you don't slow the fuck down," I warned him.

He did do as I asked then and turned to look at me. "I don't like clingy women."

"I'm not clinging to you, pal. I just need a showerandcoffee." Who the hell was this super-confident woman? If a night of debauched sex could make me feel this good, Ineeded to make sure to have some of Captain Mick right before I presented a paper because I'd knock it out of the ballpark.

The man with the magic hands shook his head. "You saw my kitchen; does it look like a place where you can make coffee?"

I winked at him. "Well, it was my coy way of asking you to take me to breakfast."

Like he couldn't help himself, he shook his head, and his lips curled. He was amused, despite himself. "Breakfast? I thought you wanted coffee. And you're not coy; you're a head case, Dr. Volnay."

That I agreed with. "I'm the most sensible one in my family."

"Good thing I'mnevergoing to meet any of them."

No kidding!

Mick's waterfall was stupendous, a pristine natural wonder that captured the essence of paradise. Enveloped by dense tropical foliage, this cascade looked like a well-kept secret cherished by my sex God.

"Wow!" I was genuinely surprised. When he said waterfall, I thought it would be something utilitarian. If I had a place like this close by and lived in weather this amazing, I'd also not have a working shower.

"This place is asecret. Tell no one about it. I almost blindfolded you, but I didn't want you to get ideas," he glared at me.

I smiled. "Oh, come on, Captain Mick, youlikeme. That's why you're sharing your super-secret place with me."

"It seemed like the only way to get rid of you, Babycakes," Mick growled.

Yeah! He was calling me Babycakes again.

As we got close to the waterfall, the air became alive with the symphony of rushing water and the songs of exotic birds. The sun's rays pierced through the foliage, resulting in a magical dance of light and shadow upon the cascading waters.A vibrant array of wildflowers adorned the surrounding rocks, adding a splash of color to the verdant landscape.

"This is insanely…insane." I looked around in awe. "I mean, it looks great from a distance, buthere…this is the absolute best place I've ever been to."

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