A/N: So sorry for the delay in the update.

Prompt N° 33: Things get steamy on the sand

Mmmmhhhh, aaahhhhh

Those are the only sounds that are heard as they continue kissing. However, Robin had not planned to open up like this. In his line of work, he needs to talk, to communicate, he has an obligation to be clear and explain everything to his patients ….and this time is no different, even if Regina might not be his patient.

Despite how heated their kisses are and what they might mean, they don't get close to what he has been feeling lately, and he has the urge to talk to her.

Robin wants to be sure of Regina's feelings and needs to reveal his. He needs her to know their kiss isn't something of the heat of the moment, nor because of the circumstances they are in; he yearns to voice his emotions and expectations, so he uses their need to break the kiss for air to his advantage, and asks "So, what now?"

Regina doesn't answer. She takes away her eyes from him, and Robin knows she won't reply. He knows he's the one that needs to begin talking and so he does, "Regina, look at me. We need to talk about this."

"I ...I don't want to talk, Robin. I'm not good at talking."

"Yes, you are, Regina. You're damn good …for God's sake you work with words, and you do a damn good job!" answers Robin beginning to panic because it appears that for her this was something spur of the moment.

He hears her sighing but still doesn't say a word, so he goes on, "Well, you don't have to talk if you don't want, but you will listen to what I have to say."

Robin knows Regina isn't happy with what he just said. Regina is a stubborn woman, and when she doesn't want to face something, she avoids it by all means and shuts down. And it happens he is somehow making her deal with something she would gladly avoid, but she won't get away that easy. She encouraged him to kiss her, to go on, she returned his kiss (hell, she did!) ...and she needs to confront the consequences of that.

Robin recognizes the look of fear and discomfort in Regina's eyes, but this time he won't hold back. They crossed the line of friendship, and they have to face that incident. Not always is the easiest way out of a difficult situation the best one. In fact, it never is!

He clears his throat to buy some time. He realizes it's more difficult than what he expected would be, but he's determined. "Regina, err, we've been friends for a lifetime ...and your friendship means everything to me. I wouldn't risk it for anything …"

He is about to continue when he hears her murmur, "Well, it seems we just did that."

"Maybe. But the thing is, Regina, that your friendship isn't the only thing I need from you. I've wanted something more for a long time. I haven't gathered the courage enough to tell you this before, because I've been reading things differently and I thought my feelings were one-sided."

Robin stops, looks at her. He finds odd that she still isn't looking at him and instead stares at her hands that are grasping the sheet covering her exposed chest. Then, he takes her face with his hands and softly lifts it so that she has no other choice than to gaze into his eyes.

Regina's eyes are clouded with tears, and he hopes those come from emotion and not because she might reject him. He's nervous and afraid, but he gets over his tension and fear and continues talking "But this trip, the unexpected way things turned out to be, have made me realize that maybe that isn't the case. So, please I want you to be honest and answer me: Am I right? Am I the only one that doesn't want to settle for a friendship?"

He hears her sigh, watches her biting the sides of her mouth and knows she's fighting an inner battle. He is aware of it. He waits and hears her talk slowly, quietly, almost in a whisper.

"I ...I will be honest. It's the least we both deserve. I ...I …have wanted something more for a while ...a long while, being honest."

Robin can't believe what Regina just confessed. How was he so blind? How has he misread things for years? The idea of the time he lost based on a wrong perception makes him angry at himself, so he needs to know how much time did he miss.

"For how long?" Robin asks.

"It has been years, Robin. I think three or four. Almost since you divorced, and I guess not having Marian in the picture made me recognize how I truly felt. And you? How long has it been for you?"

He asked her to be honest, so it's fair that he gives the same courtesy he's requesting. However, Robin fears the way Regina will react to his confession. "Uhm ...It's been a lot more. I'll put it this way: most part of my life I've been feeling like this. I just learned to live with it and tried to move on, but that never worked for me."

He leaves aside the fact that he'd loved her even when she was married to Daniel, but he suppressed his feelings. He doesn't mention that his feelings towards Regina had been the reason he divorced Marian, and that he did try to make things work with Marian, but failed. He doesn't dare to tell her he never loved his wife the way he loves her.

"Most part of your life? So, you still felt this way when Daniel lived, and when he died? So you married Marian even knowing you didn't love her?" Shit. This was the exact reason why Robin didn't mention explicitly those facts. He looks the face of shock in Regina's face, sighs, and answers.

"I told you. I learned to live with it. I never acted on my feelings. I never took advantage of our friendship. I have always been there for you, in the exact capacity you'd needed me, Regina. I never crossed a line."

"I know, and I'm grateful for that, Robin. I wouldn't have known how to handle this if you'd told me this while you or I were married to someone else."

"You know I'd have never put you on such a shitty situation, Regina. I hope you have that clear."

After these words, Robin sees relief in Regina's eyes. It appears they are sorting things out little by little, although they haven't talked about how they would deal with these revelations, and what their expectations are.

"I have it clear, Robin. But, wait! What about Ruby?"

"Ruby?" asks Robin. Why would Regina bring up Ruby? Oh….she's jealous.

"Yes, Robin. Ruby. Don't play dumb with me. The girl at the reception desk that wears skirts that I'm sure you've noticed," adds Regina.

Robin notes she is smiling for the first time since this conversation began. It seems things are taking a more relaxing course.

"Oh …. Ruby. What about her?"

"One month ago, I went to the hospital searching for you. I ...I wanted you to be my plus one for Belle and Mr. Gold's wedding, but as soon as I entered I saw you with Ruby. She had her hand all over you, and the two of you were only inches apart. You were smiling at her in such a way that I thought you were together."

It seems both have been reading this wrong, so he rushes to clarify, and will use her question to find out about something that's been bothering him for some time.

"Regina, please. She's just a friend. At one point she wanted something more, but I told her I wasn't interested. I guess she keeps trying, though. And now that you ask, what about that Jeff. I keep seeing his car outside your house when I'm nearby. Are you dating him?"

"Robin, when are you nearby my house? I leave in a different neighborhood than you, and my house definitely isn't on the way to the hospital, so? You've been spying on me."

Robin blushes because that's nothing more than the truth. He is about to deny it when he hears Regina answering "I've dated Jeff, but we both are not on the same page. He wants something serious, and I have told him I can't have that right now."

"So, it's something not serious. A fuck buddy? A friend with benefits?" These words leave his mouth before he can think about the effect they might have. He's jealous. He has always been a jealous man, but when it's about Regina it's worse, he loses control of his emotions.

"Shit, Robin. He's a friend. He has wanted something more and obviously has tried to take things further, but I never accepted anything more than a nice dinner, a chat, and a night at the movies. I didn't want to give him false hope."

"That's good to know." He mutters this words and watches Regina smiling at him. Still, they need to know what's the next step for them, so he continues, "Okay, now that we know where we both stand, I remind you of my very first question. What now?"

"I don't know. I guess it's too late to take a step back and I think I wouldn't like that," says Regina.

"I don't want to push you into a relationship if you don't want to, but I feel that we lost so much time misreading things between us, that I would like to give us a chance, Regina. I don't want a step back, and even if I wanted it, it's too late for something like that."

"So, this means we are together?"

"Yes. We are together. We are exclusive …and I need to tell you that I love you, Regina. These are my feelings, and have been the same for a very long time."

And with those words, Robin grabs Regina's head and kisses her. He kisses her fiercely, taking her lips in his and making her open her mouth almost instantly, and when their tongues meet for the second time that day, they feel the other's one passion, desire, lust, and, yes, love ...and Regina's sunburn is not a matter of concern anymore.

Neither of them will lose a second of their new adventure.

When the sun rises at dawn of day five, Robin and Regina have already woken up.

Spending the night in the arms of the one they love had been more than what any of them could have imagined. They just held each other until they fell asleep, and that had been the best sleep both of them have had in a long time.

They didn't make love that night. They enjoyed a different connection. One of tender caresses and gentle kisses, laugh and chat, and re-discovery of someone they knew for so long and that now will be in their lives in another role.

But, this morning as soon as they woke up, their desire for the other one awoke as well. It all began with Robin's "Good morning, gorgeous!" and Regina's smile just after hearing him.

Robin smiles back at her, thinking how beautiful she is. Even with sleepy eyes and her hair all messy from a night's sleep, she is gorgeous.

Her outfit for the night a pair of shorts and a tank top she bought on the second day of their stay, and still wearing something like that Robin can't help but look at her from head to toes as she lays down on the bed with him by her side.

"How's your back? Do you want me to take a look?" asks Robin. He is concerned because the day before she had stayed in their bedroom with her back exposed all morning and afternoon, and only at sunset time she had been able to put some clothes on without feeling any pain.

"I think it healed, but please don't fail to apply the sunscreen again," answers Regina. She doesn't want to spend the day in the bedroom and now that she and Robin have cleared things up, she wants to enjoy the beach and everything this resort has to offer, with the man she loves, whom she just found out, by the way, has been in love with her since forever.

She is looking forward to the days ahead, and, well, she won't lie to herself, she's very excited about the nights, too. She wants to share every single moment they have for the following five days with Robin. And, she is determined to have the time of her life, sex included, because now that everything is settled between them, the next step is sex, and she's ready for it ...even has the right sleepwear.

And as she thinks about the gift Emma, Tink and Mary Margaret had sent her, she wonders about Robin's gift. If she got a negligée, he must have gotten some silly or sexy underwear, maybe those for bachelors' parties. She smiles at the thought of Robin wearing something like that.

"I think the last time I spread sunscreen on your back, things turned out pretty well for me," answers Robin, referring to the events of the day before that led to their first kiss and to finally be able to talk about their feelings

"I wouldn't try my luck again if I were you!" she answers as she bites her lower lip and lifts one of her eyebrows in a playful mood.

"Come here! I want to kiss you good morning," he says. She doesn't wait for him to ask her again, she gets closer to him, puts her head over his chest and when she lifts her head to look at him, he kisses her.

They kiss laying down on the bed, but the angle is awkward. She has to lift her head a little, and he has to lower his, so she climbs on top of him. She has never been a shy woman in bed. Not with her husband while married, neither with some occasional lovers she's had over the years, and definitely not with Robin.

Although, she must admit this new dynamic is kind of weird. She knows Robin as a friend, a father, a doctor and is aware what to expect from him when he's in any of those roles, but Robin the lover, the boyfriend, the partner is something she has yet to discover. And she thinks it's the same for him.

If kissing him for the first time the day before had been an extraordinary experience, feeling his body below her, sensing his muscles, his heartbeat, and, well, the evidence of his sexual arousal, is even better. It's like every nerve of her body is capable of sensing, at the same, time each stimulation she gets. It's her tongue feeling his as they kiss; her nose perceiving his scent (God, how someone can smell that good just after waking up?); her back (that seems to have healed completely) enjoying the gentle touch of his hands, her feet and calves feeling how his feet brush over her.

She is on fire, yet he hasn't touched her somewhere different than on her back. Shit. She's even ashamed of being so turned on only from some kissing ...well, his kisses are not pecks on the mouth, they're a hell of intense open-mouthed kisses, but kisses after all. If one of them doesn't stop this, in a few minutes she will be begging him to make love to her. It seems she has no willpower when it's about him and the way he makes her feel.

She doesn't want to stop, but she would have wanted for their first time with him to wear something sexier than what she has at that moment.

However, it's Robin the one who makes a choice for her. He breaks their kiss and as flushed as he is he manages to tell her that he wants their first time together to be different, that he wants to woo her, that it doesn't matter if that would mean he needs to wait.

Definitely, Robin was more willpower than her. Shit. She'll have to wait.

They decide to take breakfast late, then go to the beach, have some drinks there, maybe some snacks, before they return to their cabin to get ready for the night.

Robin has arranged something special for the night. He took advantage of the time Regina stayed in bed the day before with her aching back to make the preparations for a special night.

They head to the beach walking holding hands, they both are happy with their new reality.

There are few couples at the beach. All of the cabins on the resort have their own pools and decks, but Regina had wanted a complete beach experience, waves, sand and a proper sea bath, not one where she has to descend from a ladder just like in a pool.

They choose one of the sides of the beach, and they are the only couple there. They extend their towels over the beach chairs, and when Regina takes off the cover up she is wearing and stays in a bikini, Robin's jaw drops.

She has worn a bikini before, during their five days stay in this paradise. However, today's choice is different.

To begin with, this is the smallest piece of fabric he has ever seen. He doesn't know how it covers Regina's body parts without something getting out by accident, yet she wears it with the poise and composure of a queen.

Then, it's the choice of color. It's white. Yes, white. How can someone wear something white and still look gorgeous in it? Well, she does. And, after four days of sun, she's tanned, so the contrast between the white bikini and her skin is just perfect.

But what ignites his desire to touch and kiss her again is the choice of fabric and how her ass looks in it. The bikini is crochet work, and it would be see-through if it weren't for the lining, and he tries to figure out how this works, if what he sees through the crochet work is, in fact, a lining or maybe it's part of Regina's body.

The cut on the back side of the bikini is narrower than a regular one, but not as small as a thong, so it shows more of Regina's ass than her usual bikinis. But her ass looks splendid in it: firm, toned, tanned, rounded ….shit, he's beginning to feel something inside his shorts.

She catches him staring at her, and says "I guess you approve my choice of swimwear for today."

"Regina, are you trying to kill me?"

She laughs at his words, and answers "Well, today's not your lucky day then because I need some sunscreen on my back."

He's fucked.

Regina lays down on her stomach, and Robin proceeds. He begins spreading sunscreen on her back, then on her shoulders. He tries to focus on her back, he does try, until he hears the words that will make him lose all the concentration he'd had before, "Would you mind applying some on my legs? I don't need another sunburn."

He begins with her calves, then goes to her upper legs, and he doesn't dare to touch her ass, although there's a regular part exposed. He has always known she is a woman that gets what she wants, but he's beginning to know her in a different way. Still, the words she says next surprise him, "Robin, do you want my ass to get a sunburn?

He's fucked, indeed!

He's seated on the side of her beach chair, and he can't stand it anymore. He takes his hands to her ass, looking to the sides to check if there's anyone nearby, and when he sees nobody, he grabs her ass strongly, hard enough that she turns around to look at him.

He sees lust and desire in her eyes. She's yearning for him, and he for her. So, he turns her around in one quick movement. They manage to stay on the chair without falling, and he begins kissing her as he says "Regina, you'll kill me, you know?"

"Well, isn't this a good way to go?" answers her whispering into his mouth.

He's so turned on he can't hide anymore what's inside his shorts. The evidence of his arousal shows itself, and Regina notices it.

She smiles at him, and then she's the one kissing him. It's the first time she initiates a kiss, the other times it's been him.

They continue kissing, but they are at the beach. Even though this is a resort for couples, well public indecency is a felony, and they don't need to be reported by any of the hotel staff.

They lie on the sand; they bathe. Robin looks mesmerized at Regina when she gets out of the water. Shit. She's wet, and he can see her nipples through the fabric of her bikini. He's not handling his desire for her well. He's a man, a professional, not a schoolboy, for God's sake.

He needs to put an end to this and distract himself by thinking of something else, so he decides to ask something that's been in his head since their first night.

"Regina, you remember the gift boxes we received the day we arrived here? I was wondering what was in yours?"

"I'll promise to put on what was inside of my gift box if you put on yours. What do you say?" answers Regina, unaware of the effect that her words have in him.

"Oh, I'll try it on ...maybe tonight if I'm lucky," answers Robin.

He shouldn't have asked anything.

To be continued ...

Any thoughts?

On the next chapter, and last one, Robin and Regina will find out what the other one's gift is ...and they even might use them that night!