“Do you want to wait them out or head down there?” Damien motioned to the other couple.
“We could have another glass of wine and see if they leave.” I shrugged. “If they stay, then we may just have to make some new friends.”
“Okay.” Damien nodded and refilled our wine glasses.
The couple was on the beach by themselves for several minutes, and then two kids joined them. It did look like they were going to stay for a while, especially once the kids ran down to the ocean. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw them. I never had that kind of experience—two parents—hanging out and having fun. I got it with my grandparents, but it wasn’t exactly the same. I wondered if Damien ever had a moment like that. I doubted it, considering how much anger he had towards his father, who didn’t seem like the kind of man who would take a beach vacation with the family.
“Do you want children one day?” Damien looked over at me and sipped his wine.
“Definitely.” I smiled and nodded. “You?”
“Yeah…” He sipped his wine. “I always have.”
We finished our glass of wine as the family started wrapping things up, so we decided to get changed and head down to the beach. Since Damien told me to bring my swimsuit in advance, I brought a sheer chiffon tunic to wear over it. I assumed I would have to take it off at some point if we actually went in the ocean, but it made me feel a little less self-conscious about what I had on underneath it—even if the swimsuit was rather modest compared to the other ones in the store. I never really worried about that when I took beach trips with my grandparents, but it was different with Damien.
I walked out of the bedroom that I was changing in and saw that the door to the other room wasn’t fully closed. I could see Damien through the crack. It appeared that he hadn’t changed yet and was looking at something on his phone. I started to walk back to the living room when I saw him throw his phone on the bed and reach for the top button on his shirt. I paused in my tracks without even really thinking about it—and stared as he removed his shirt. I knew he had an impressive physique and a little ink, but it was even more breathtaking than I realized. His muscles were cut, defined, and most of his upper torso was tattooed. I was still staring, with my eyes getting wider by the second when he reached for his belt.
Oh god, I really should look away…
Damien turned towards the bed where his swim trunks were lying while he unbuckled his belt, let his pants fall to the floor, and slid his boxers down before I even had a chance to process the fact that I was about to see him totally naked, from the back at least. Maybe I did process it—and maybe that’s why I didn’t look away. He was simply gorgeous from head to toe, and I felt my temperature rising when I saw as much of his impressive physique as I could through the door. He reached for his swimsuit and turned back around as he pulled it around his waist—our eyes met through the crack in the door for a split second before I looked away and hurried to the living room. I was blushing. It was impossible not to blush after being literally caught with my eyes where they most certainly shouldn’t have been in that moment.
“Did you get a good show.” I heard Damien behind me, and I couldn’t turn around—otherwise, he would have realized I was as red-faced as a kid that had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“I didn’t see anything.” I shook my head back and forth.
“Really?” He put his hands on my hips and pressed his lips to the side of my neck. “Then why is your neck so red?”
My neck blushes too?
“It’s probably just the wine.” I shrugged and pulled away. “Come on, let’s get to the beach before someone else beats us there.”
It was an obvious lie, but I made my escape and prayed that I wouldn’t still be blushing when we got to the beach. Damien either bought my facade or decided not to ask any more questions. He followed me down to the beach and immediately walked into the ocean. He turned and motioned for me to follow him once he was about knee deep in the gentle waves that were crashing into the sand. I stripped off my tunic and tried not to let my lack of confidence about how I looked in a swimsuit show as I walked towards the water. Damien didn’t take his eyes off me and took my hand as I tried to get my footing on the soft sand along the edge of the ocean. We carefully stepped forward until we
were about waist deep, and the waves were splashing our chests every time they rolled towards the shore.
“I forgot how good this feels…” I moved my arms around in the water.
“It’s the perfect time of year for it—but we can’t stay out here too long.” Damien sank a little lower in the water. “The tide will be coming in soon.”
“We should have come in earlier.” I sighed and lowered myself into the water so that most of my body was submerged.
“We’ll be okay for a little bit.” Damien moved behind me and put his arms around my waist.
I leaned back against Damien, and the waves bounced us around as we moved further from shore and got submerged up to our necks. The water really did feel good, but I couldn’t concentrate on it very much. Damien’s lips were against my neck—his breath was on my ear—and his hands were moving across my skin. I felt the same tingle that overcame me the first night we were together on the merry-go-round. I turned in his arms, and our eyes met for a moment before he crushed my lips. The salt from the ocean mixed with our saliva as the water around us went from cool to simmering as our passion ignited a fire that swarmed through both of us.
“I can’t feel the sand.” I pulled back from his lips and used my arms to stay afloat.
“I got you.” Damien put both hands on my ass and kept me from sinking.
“Is that the only place you could grab me?” I narrowed my eyes and grinned.
“No, but you don’t seem to be complaining.” He squeezed my ass and smiled.
Damien’s lips found mine again, and they seared together. He slowly walked us back to the shallow water, but he didn’t let go, even when my feet were in the sand again. I didn’t care. I loved being in his arms. It felt natural—it felt right. I never understood how a person knew that someone was meant for them in some way, but Damien gave me clairvoyance—it rooted itself deep in my thoughts—toyed with my emotions—and connected with my soul. The desires that manifested as teenage lust when I was younger and briefly flourished on the merry-go-round practically exploded inside of me. I wanted him in a way that transcended attraction, and the mild crushes I thought were real—they weren’t—because they didn’t even compare to the desire I had, craving Damien’s touch.
“Are you ready to go back inside?” Damien leaned back from our kiss, and I looked down to see that we weren’t even in the ocean anymore—the water was ankle deep.
“Yeah, I think so.” I nodded and noticed a couple from one of the other villas approaching. “It looks like it’s about to get crowded anyway.”