12.

"Will, you're staring at me. Again."

"I'm sorry." He looked down, blushing at getting caught.

She laughed a little and took another sip of her drink. "It's ok," she said, blushing a little herself, realising she probably shouldn't have told her fiancé off for looking at her. "So, do you like the cocktail?" she asked.

"Surprisingly, it's not too bad," he teased, looking up at her again, only to be distracted for about the millionth time by her body, stretched out lengthways beside him on the towel, bathed in sunlight, cocktail in one hand and book in the other. He had seen her wearing a lot less than this – she was currently sporting a bikini – but for some reason, he just couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Not too girly then?" she asked; he'd complained that drinking the cocktails Emma and her sister-in-law had made, in a public place would diminish his masculinity forever. She giggled nervously when she realised he was staring again. She tried to go back to her reading, but Will seemed to have noticed she was looking uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Em, I'm sorry. I can stop. Well, I can try to."

"I'm sorry," she echoed, placing her book down and reaching over to take his hand. "I just feel a bit strange, you know, in full view of my brother." They were currently visiting her brother, sister-in-law, and five-year-old nephew, and all five were spending the day on the beach near her brother's house.

"They're pretty pre-occupied with Bruno in the water, Em, I don't think he can see where my eyes are," he replied mischievously.

She rolled towards him on the towel, onto her front. "I know, but we don't know when the three of them could be coming back. Wouldn't want to scar Bruno for life, catching Auntie Emma and Uncle Will in a compromising position," she said as she raised her eyebrows. Rolling over, though, had shown him a whole new area that he hadn't yet stared at, and he was now gazing in awe at her back, and... lower, before practically drooling over the backs of her legs.

"Me appreciating my fiancée's sexiness with my eyes only is hardly a compromising position," he countered.

"Yes, but if you don't stop looking at me like that, I don't know if I can stop myself from doing something where we would most definitely end up in a compromising position," she blushed.

"Oh, I see... so you like it when I look at you like that, then?" he grinned, and moved his hand over to stroke her leg.

"Will," she warned.

He was just moving his hand higher, when –

"Auntie Emma!" The five-year-old came bounding up to them and Will snatched his hand away. "Come play in the sea with me and Mummy and Daddy!" he cried, trying to grab her hand and drag her towards the waves. She looked panicky – her sole condition of spending her day by the sea was that she wouldn't have to go in it, and would be able to stay on the towel at all times.

"Sorry, sweetie, I don't think that's a great idea," she managed to get out.

"Ohhhh," Bruno whined. "Why not?"

Emma didn't know what to say. Her brother hadn't yet explained her condition to the little boy. "She's going to stay here with me, Bruno," Will started. "Uncle Will's not feeling too good, and Auntie Emma's making me feel much better." He winked discretely at her. It wasn't a complete lie. She only glared back at him.

Bruno, however, seemed happy with the answer. "Ok!" he replied and bounced off. She thought he must be repeating the conversation to his parents, because they glanced over at Will and Emma with worried expressions, before realising it was probably just their way of getting out of Emma having to go into the water.

"You can go with them if you want, Will."

"Trying to get rid of me, sweetheart?" he teased.

"Maybe. I told you not to look at me like that. Why did you have to touch me? Now all I want to do is... well inappropriate stuff for a public place." She pouted, looking thoroughly annoyed with him.

He only smiled back at her. "Wellll... I'm drinking this cocktail in public, which I didn't want to do. Maybe," he started slowly, "you should do the same. Face your fears. Do whatever it is right now that you're scared of doing in public."

"Will, one, I don't think you even want to know what it was I was thinking about, and two, it's not just that I'm scared, but more that we'd probably never be allowed to see our nephew again on the orders of my brother, and we'd be lucky to avoid getting arrested." She rolled back onto her back, away from him before he could persuade her into anything else.

"In that case, I definitely want to know what it was you were thinking about," he grinned as he shuffled closer, reaching out and placing a hand on her stomach.

His touch was electric. "Will!" she exclaimed, and was up like a shot.

He was momentarily dazed by the length and beauty of the legs now standing in front of his face, before looking up to notice she was trying to hide a smile.

"What?" he questioned, a little confused.

"Oh, nothing. It's just..." she sighed. "Nobody's ever looked at me like you do. Appreciated me like you do."

"Well, that, my darling, is something we need to put right immediately. I'll make up for everyone who ever didn't think you were the sexiest woman to walk the planet." He stood up himself, handing Emma her sunglasses as she'd starting squinting in the sun. She took them gratefully, but Will could tell she was holding back a giggle.

Before Will could ask her what she was laughing at, she turned from him and ran, calling over her shoulder, "You'll have to catch me first!" She heard Will's hearty laughter as he began sprinting after her, neither noticing that she hadn't even thought of putting on some sort of footwear before stepping onto the germ-ridden sand, with the rest of the people on the beach watching the young couple chase each other, squealing and laughing, obviously so very happy, and so very much in love.