The day was warm and the sky was a brilliant blue. Ryan lay stretched out on the blanket, his toes digging gently in the sand as he listened to the sound of the beach. The waves lapping at the shore, the children giggling, splashing, and skipping across the sand . . . The rustle of paper?

Turning his head, his gaze landed on Valera. His girlfriend was on her stomach in a bright purple bikini. He watched as she skimmed through the last few chapters of her library book. She obviously didn't find what she was looking for because she closed the book, shoved it in her bag, and pulled out a new one. "Aren't you going to finish the other one first?"

"I was finished." She replied offhandedly, flipping rapidly through the beginning pages of the new paperback.

"What are looking for?"

"The sex, maybe?" She said, with her best 'you're an idiot look.' He knew that look well.

"You mean to tell me you got that pile of books just to read the sex scenes." He replied in mild disbelief.

She snorted in amusement and looked up from her search. "What, you think people actually read these for the plot? Please, it's all about the sex!" Clearing her throat, she held up the book and started reading dramatically. "'Normando's throbbing member was impossibly hard in her hand. Elena's core ached at the thought of it plunging deep within her most secret place. She knew of his reputation, but at this moment she couldn't bring herself to care.'"

"Maxine!" Ryan quickly sat up and looked around in a paranoid fashion. "You can't talk about . . . that at the beach. There are kids!"

She just waved her hand at him. "Oh, c'mon. Most of them are in the water; the closest one is way over there building a sand castle."

"I'm serious, Max. Remember what happened when that mother at the amusement park overhead you telling Calleigh about our sex life – in an embarrassing amount of detail, might I add?"

"First off, I was nothing but flattering to you. Calleigh'll stop teasing eventually. And more importantly, when another woman slaps you, you have to retaliate . . . Besides, I'm sure they weren't serious about that whole 'banned for life' thing." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lie back down and relax. I'll warn you if the angry mob starts looking for the couple that corrupted their children."

"Gee, thanks," he replied, but settled back beside her. He adjusted his sunglasses and lay listening to her flip through the pages. Finally, he had to break the silence. "So you actually like that stuff?"

"Sometimes. Not everything can be as realistic as porn."

"Porn is realistic?" Even without glancing her way, Ryan knew she was giving him the 'idiot' look – he always did, but he chose not to dwell on that fact. It was easier that way. "Right. Forget I asked."

They sat in silence a bit longer. After Valera pull out her third book, Ryan frowned. "Don't you feel uncomfortable reading that in public?"

Maxine didn't look up from her page. "Why should I? It's no different than watching a sex scene in the movie theater. Since you were so paranoid about someone overhearing us talking about S-E-X, can we please talk about something besides my reading habits?"

"Like what?"

"How about the fact that I'm wearing a bikini that I look amazing in and I got even though it cost way more than I can afford."

"I don't want to fight about the credit card bill again, Max."

"That wasn't a fight; that was you whining about my spending habits with my card. Besides, that's not why I brought it up. You haven't stared at me all today. No gazing, no gawking, not even leering."

"I've stared at you! I mean, at home didn't I say how nice you look?"

"That's not the same thing. You stare more at me when I wear a lab coat."

"Yeah, well staring at you in a lab coat doesn't give me a hard-on." He could hear Valera suck in a breath and he cringed in anticipation of trouble.

"Ryan! That's so . . . sweet!"

"It is?" He asked, the surprise evident.

"Yeah, it does a girl good to know she can still make her man horny." A wicked grin lit up her face and she inched closer to him on the blanket. "Let's go home, Normando. You can pierce my womanly flesh with your spear of manhood."

"That doesn't sound right." Ryan wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Your offers are better when you've been watching porn."

"Yeah, but you won't let me bring porn to the beach, so you'll have to make do." Valera just continued grinning. "C'mon stallion, my womanhood aches for you."

Ryan rolled his eyes, but stood to help Maxine gather their belongings. Just a typical ending to a typical day at the beach.