"Jack!" she exclaimed, looking over his shoulder, her dessert forgotten, "Look!"

He turned to see what had captured her attention, feeling her jostle into him as she moved past him to walk to the railing of the boat. He rose to follow, his eyes more drawn to her silhouette than the beauty that nature had laid out before them. Stepping up behind her, he steadied her slight swaying with a hand to her waist, leaving it there for good measure. "I seem to be having a hard time with the motion of the boat," he heard her say by way of apology.

Bringing his hands up in front of her, he signed, "NO PROBLEM. I HOLD YOU."

She glanced over her shoulder, her hair whipping around her face. Laughing, she moved it aside and planted a quick kiss on his jaw. "Thank you," she whispered before turning her attention back to the landscape they were approaching, missing the startled, but pleased, look he shot her.

The boat slowed its speed and dimmed its lights. Floating parallel to the coastline, the passengers had spectacular views of the red hot, molten lava flowing from underground through cracks in the magma, down toward the sea. Plumes of steam could be seen rising on the air currents as the fiery liquid met the cooler waters of the Pacific. The scene was mesmerizing, a testament to the power of nature; its ability to totally destruct but also to create.

Jack eased closer to Sue when he felt her relax against him. Her head fell back against his chest and he heard her sigh of contentment. They'd had a delightful meal, their conversation flowing smoothly. She'd been at ease the entire time, flirting with him and letting her fingers linger on his hand or arm as she relayed a story or watched him tell one of his. There had been no traces of the embarrassment she'd experienced earlier. And now she stood in the circle of his arms, darkness cloaking them with a cape of privacy. He rested his chin on her head, tightened his arms and enjoyed holding her, ignoring the racing of his heartbeat triggered by her nearness.

She had the most delicious fire running through her veins. Her thoughts warred within her between doing what was right and what felt right. Emboldened by his earlier admission and the way he responded to her, she turned within his grasp and lazily raised her gaze to meet his. The fire smoldering deep in his eyes mirrored the one racing through her body, making her feel reckless and powerful, a heady combination new to her, but one she decided she liked.

"What are you up to?" Jack asked, watching her face closely.

"Who says I'm up to anything?" she asked demurely, burrowing her head back under his chin. "Do you want me to be up to something?" she wanted to know, not giving him a chance to respond before planting a series of tiny kisses on the underside of his chin and jaw.

He pulled back and watched her lips form a pouty frown. "Wh...what are you doing?" he asked her, having a bit of trouble catching his breath.

Her frown transformed into a sultry smile as she reached out and gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. "I'm must be doing something wrong if you have to ask. Let me try again."

"Sue, you aren't...," he began before being interrupted by the waitress who had served their dinner.

"I'm sorry, sir," she apologized, "But I wanted to let you know we'll be clearing away the tables and to find out if either of you would like something else to drink."

"Ooooo," Sue said, looking around Jack. "Do you have any more of that slushy orange juice? I had some of that after my swim and I think I'd like that instead of more tea."

"Slushy orange juice?" the waitress asked. "I've only served you the Manhattans."

"Manhattans?" Jack asked, his eyes widening in dawning horror. "You were drinking Manhattans?" he asked Sue, shocked.

"Yeah," she nodded absently, frowning when she swayed just a bit. "I told you they had some kind of special tea. But I really liked the orange stuff I had when I went inside to use the facilities. They had it in a slushy machine where you serve yourself."

"Oh, you mean the Fuzzy Navels," the waitress clarified. "They are good icy cold, aren't they?

"You were drinking Fuzzy Navels too? Sue, I didn't think you liked alcoholic drinks."

She looked incensed. Stepping back, she planted her hands on her hips. "I don't, Jack. You know me better than that. It messes with my equi...equil...it makes me dizzy."

Everything began to fall into place. The amount of alcohol in her first drink, which she'd had on their way to the swimming lagoon, was more than enough to loosen her inhibitions, which he'd witnessed firsthand. Thankfully the amount of ice in the drink had watered it down quite a bit or he was afraid she would have been down and out for the count. The drink she'd had between swimming and their dinner had probably given her a really nice buzz and then the tea she had brought with her to the table, while only sipped, had added to her inebriated state. Sue was drunk!

He thanked the waitress, refusing anything further and turned back to Sue. She was over her anger and smiling alluringly at him, totally oblivious to her predicament. Once again reaching for his shirt, she pulled him toward her and asked, "Now where were we before we were interrupted?"

"We were finding out that you are drunk," he told her lightly, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ears. "You are on an alcohol buzz, feeling pretty good by the looks of things, and totally unaware of what you are doing."

"I know what I'm doing," she countered, sliding her fingers to the buttons on his shirt. She fumbled with the first one only to be stopped by his hands closing over hers.

"Sue," he sighed, keeping her hands within his grasp, "That's not a good idea."

"But you're hot," she declared, only to giggle at her slip. "I mean, you look hot." When that didn't sound any better, she shook her head, wobbling again before trying one more time. "I was trying to cool you off."

"By unbuttoning my shirt?"

"I thought you'd enjoy it," she sulked prettily.

"Trust me," he rasped, digging deep for the patience he needed. "Normally I would enjoy it, but it's not going to help me cool off any."

Sidling back up to him, she wound her arms around his neck and idly let her fingers run through his hair. "Isn't this romantic, Jack? We're out on the ocean, under the full moon, very few people around us," she added, looking around to make sure they were, indeed, alone. "Do you still think it's a lover's moon?" she asked, recalling what he'd said a couple of nights before.

He stared down into her upturned face, her sun-kissed cheeks glowing in the natural light. Her eyes were wide and luminous, hiding nothing. Her hair, having dried naturally in the warm air, hung in loose ringlets, looking windblown and utterly sexy. He wanted nothing more than to take her up on her unspoken invitation and put feet to his feelings, but he knew he'd be taking advantage. She wasn't herself. In fact, he was more than certain that she'd be mortified in the morning, once recollection of the day returned. Her lips on the pulse at his neck jerked him from his musings.

"Sue," he groaned, tangling his fingers in her hair and tugging her head up to look at him. "You've got to stop that. You don't know what you are doing."

She licked her lips, causing him to all but growl in frustration. "I think I was kissing your neck. You taste nice and salty," she told him, once again licking her lips. "Too bad we don't have some whip cream."

"Sue!" he ground out between clenched teeth. "I'm trying to be good here."

"I don't want you to be good," she purred, leaning into him. "I want you to be bad. Or," she corrected with a suggestive giggle, "Be good being bad. It wouldn't hurt you to give me a little kiss, like this," she salaciously informed him, dropping her head to plant a kiss on his chest, where his shirt remained unbuttoned. "Or you could kiss me here," she continued, sliding her lips up his jaw to his ear, teasing the lobe with her tongue. "I'd probably like it if you did this too," she whispered before running her tongue down his neck, pressing closer so that she could feel the vibrations emanating from his chest as she toyed with him. "But I'd like it best," she concluded, "If you'd kiss me here." She used her fingers to tug his chin down, bringing his lips within reach. Moistening her lips, she lifted her head and lightly ran her tongue along his lower lip, using her teeth to gently pull on it, smiling when she felt his hands slide to her waist and grip her tightly.

Jack couldn't stand idly by any longer. He knew she wasn't herself, the alcohol flowing through her dramatically lowering her inhibitions. That, coupled with their romantic surroundings had her acting on every thought that flitted across her mind. When she squirmed provocatively against him, his control snapped and before he knew it, he had her backed up and pinned against the railing of the yacht. Dragging his hands up her body, he framed her face, tilting her head to accept his kiss. He heard her whimper his name and dragged his eyes up to hers, expecting to see a yearning that matched his own. Instead he saw panic written across her face.

"Sue," he soothed, immediately easing his grip, "I didn't mean to scare you..."

"Jack," she whispered shakily, "Go away."

"What? I'm not gonna..."

"Go away," she interrupted frantically, just before she turned and lost the contents of her stomach over the rail.