"People are going to think we're a couple or something if I keep holding your hand like this, Sands." The elevator doors opened and she helped him out.
Sands pulled his hand away, but he was smiling. "Fine, then. Let go. I told you that I don't need to be coddled."
"So, you'll be fine with the set of steps here then?"
Sands paused. "Where?"
Grace laughed. "Eh, about a hundred feet to your left…and they go up."
"You're cruel."
"You need coddling."
"You do know how much I want to…"
"Watch it."
"…stick my feet in the ocean, right?"
"I believe that statement was going to be about sticking a different body part someplace else, but I'll let it go."
"You're a peach, Gracie."
She smiled. "Come on, Mr. Tally Man."
"Tally Man?"
"Yeah, you know, bananas? Your trunks?" She grew embarrassed. "Huh…must be the heat here…"
"You know, I usually don't go for the cute ones, but," he reached around and playfully slapped Grace's rear, "I'll make an exception."
"You just touched my ass!" Grace said as they walked out the large glass doors that led to the pools and the beach.
"I did. And now I can safely call you 'sugarbutt.' I bet I could bounce a…" Retaliating, Grace repeated the action on Sands. "Mm…she's rough."
"You weren't supposed to like it, but I suppose I should've known better."
"You have the biggest smile on your face right now, don't you."
"No," Grace lied.
"You don't play poker, do you? Even your voice gives you away."
"Fine, I'll admit that you have a very touchable ass, happy?"
"Very."
They walked outside and Sands was thankful to feel the sun beat down on him. This heat was much different than the "I'm wearing a horrible disguise and I'm sweating my ass off" heat. Had the circumstances been slightly different, this would have been like vacation heat – where you want to be out in it as much as you can be. He heard the sounds of the Latin music coming from the speakers around the pool, the laughs of the families that were there, the gulls, the surf…He could almost picture it.
"You're too quiet," Grace said. "What's up?"
"Huh? Nothing…" He quickly recovered. "Just thinking about the moment when you'll cave in to me, that's all."
"On that note, I'm going to go and get myself a nice, alcohol filled margarita. And you can't have any." Sands' pouted, sticking out his lower lip and Grace couldn't help herself. "I know you're doing that on purpose." She caught his lip between her own and gently suckled it for a moment. She pulled away and said, "For the record Sands, I can assure you that my body wants to do far more than that with you, but that damn mind of mine is getting in the way." She went over to the bar and ordered her drink, leaving Sands standing alone.
"O.K….I'm going to freak right out if I can't get into that woman's bed."
Grace returned with two drinks in her hand. She handed one of the glasses to Sands, who still seemed slightly frazzled. "You can pretend there's alcohol in it."
"Huh?"
"Hello?" she said playfully. "Anyone in there?" She put her ice cold drink against his chest, causing him to jump back.
"Jesus, woman!"
"Is someone stuck on something I did?"
Sands smiled. "Gracie, you're far worse than a tease, you know that? Hell, you admitted that you want me and…"
"And still," she interrupted, "I don't act on it in more than a way that's driving you completely out of your mind."
"You're not the same woman that picked me up off of the street two days ago."
"I most certainly am, Sands. It's just that I sort of…had to adapt to my new surroundings. If you're going to say the things that you do, I have to protect myself by staying a few steps ahead of you…Don't I?"
His smiled widened. "So much like me that it's unreal. If I would have met you last week, you wouldn't have lasted five minutes without giving in…"
"Aren't we cocky?"
"Can you dig it?"
Grace laughed and sipped her margarita. She played with her straw a moment before saying, "Why don't I hate you?"
"Been trying to figure that one out myself. I was sure you would have tried to push me down a set of stairs by now."
"Makes you wonder doesn't it?"
"Nope. Remember that speech you gave me about sand and how it never seems to go away…how it always sticks in places?"
"Stop right there – I've a feeling you're going to go into some odd analogy that I really don't wanna hear."
"O.K., then – what do you want to hear?"
Grace seemed to lose all ability to distinguish right from wrong around Sands. She been making innuendos that never would have crossed her lips around any other man, but she couldn't control herself. She had fun trading the words back and forth; she enjoyed teasing him. She knew he enjoyed it just as much, which made it seem all right, despite his newfound handicap. All this in mind, she chose her next few words very carefully.
"I want to hear you scream out my name in a bout of carnal, animal lust."
"I can do that," he quickly replied.
"Sorry, Mr. I Don't Share Things – you know my stipulations. No talky, no nookie."
"So…maybe I'll talk."