Page 98 of Champagne Fizz

But the cut of the bikini is not so innocent.

I can’t believe she even picked it out to try on, much less is walking toward me in the burning gold sand wearing it. Hell, she could be a swimsuit model.

The top of the yellow swimsuit has cute capped sleeves. That sounds sweet until you see the way the thin fabric hugs her tits. The style reminds me of those skimpy white peasant blouses female pirates wear in the movies, you know, with silk ribbons tying the fabric together between their boobs. And with the right flick of my pirate’s saber, I could cut those ribbons apart and be rewarded with her perky, gorgeous breasts as my bounty.

I’m already getting stiff looking at how her nipples press against the fabric. That suit is cheap—tourist-shop quality—which means the second that top gets wet, nothing will be left to the imagination. The cheap polyester will stick to her tits and the concept of “fabric” will only be a formality, a pretense.

I want her on top of me, leaning over with those lush tits dangling in my face. I want her begging for me to cover them with my hands and my mouth, and when I scrape her nipples with my teeth, she’ll be crying out.

No time like the present.

I pull off my shirt and toss it to the sand at my feet, beside my shoes, discarding all my clothing until I’m only wearing my black swim trunks (I don’t actually own a speedo). Kendall’s eyes widen as she approaches, forgetting her own almost-nakedness as she takes in mine. Her eyes trace my chest with a hunger that makes me feel like she might strip off that bikini and go skinny dipping.

The hot sun feels electric. It’s like we’re teenagers seeing another body for the first time. There’s an awe and a nervousness to it, which is all wrapped up in a wicked heat that’s as thick as frosting.

“Kendall, you look …” My words are a growl as my eyes trace her curves.

Breasts. Thighs. Hips.

That oh-so-familiar bloom of red flushes over her skin as she stands lit by the sun.

It’s not innocent—everything I’m thinking. I’m about to become my base self with all my instincts twisting me up with need.

“You don’t have to draw attention to it, Simon,” Kendall manages in a thin voice. Her eyes dancing over me with a tawdry lust. She’s turned on, too. She likes the way I look at her, like an animal ready to pounce.

Tossing her sun-lit hair over her shoulder, Kendall brushes past me and heads toward the water with all the swagger and confidence she can manage. I let her go, savoring the view of her heart-shaped ass tucked into that thin yellow fabric as she heads toward the shoreline. Mercy knows, I want to roll that suit bottom down her sexy legs and move in behind her, let the ocean splash around us as I lower her onto her hands and knees, then coaching her as she finds her own rhythm on the end of my—

I can’t be thinking like that. It’s too brash. Too hot.

Only, Iamthinking that.

There’s no way we’re getting anywhere near porn-level fantasies today, even if my cock thinks differently.Down boy!This must be how Kendall feels all the time—ready to blast off.Enjoy the view, buddy, and let’s hope she lets you kiss her.

I take off my glasses and tuck them into my shoe, letting the shape of Kendall at the water’s edge soften. The paleness of her skin is surprisingly close to the color of her bikini, and from a distance, without my glasses on, she looks naked.

She looks beautiful against the pink kiss of the sky.

Despite all my tasteless thoughts, there’s an ache in my chest that’s more powerful. I’m overwhelmed by the responsibility that Kendall’s trusted me with: her body, her patience, her pleasure on display at every second. All of our moments together have been an epiphany for her, like the world is being written anew. And I don’t know if it’s the honor of simply being allowed to take part in that which makes me feel special, or if this is the beginning of something deeper warming my heart.

She’s made it clear that she doesn’t need my heart for this. But there’s a truth in what she said back at the ax studio: there’s an intimacy in this action too. Something between us that feels important.

I take a deep breath and run after her, toward the turquoise water that’s glazed with all the colors of the sunset. Palm trees sway in the breeze, and there’s a high berm of rocks and grass at the edge of the beach that helps hide us from the rest of the world. Not to mention, this cove is hidden at the end of a long winding dirt road that nobody drives down.

Everything is right in front of me.

A thousand miles of ocean and Kendall’s brave and gorgeous heart.

I catch her as her feet begin to splash in the salty water. She’s only up to her ankles when I slide my hands around her stomach and pull her backwards against my chest. I need the warmth of her—and her skin.

Kendall releases one of those gorgeous, hot gasps that says my hands are a lightning bolt that’s taken her from zero to fifty. It makes me want to tear more of them from her throat and claim them all.

I spread my fingers over her silky abdomen and she mews at my assault.

“You make me feel like anything is possible,” I say in her ear, feeling her body shiver under my hands. “You remind me that bravery can be a small act of trust.”

She whimpers—so much of our skin is already touching.

My chest is against her back.

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