Passions Prologue
By Dana Keylits

Chapter Nine: Sailing Away

Tempering my feelings for you would be like taming a tsunami. Why had I even bothered to try? It was hopeless, I was helpless, and you were there, looking at me with that wicked smile of yours, that seductive glint in your eye, and I was pulled right back in.

It took, what, maybe half a second?

And we were all arms and legs, lips and hands, exploring, wanting, touching, your kiss like an amulet, healing me, protecting me, my fear vanquished to the dustier corners of my heart, dormant and dull, where it could do no more damage.

And, I began to understand what you were saying about the textures of life, the subtle transformations that, just your eyes searching mine, could elicit.

I was bewitched.

Day Five

We decided to visit the beach, we both had the day off, and although I had plenty of studying to do, I'd put it off so I could be with her. It was a no brainer. Study? Or, Bette? Bette was going to always win in that equation. Besides, there'd be plenty of time to study tomorrow.

We found a spot not too close, but not too far, from the water, and spread the blanket, dumping our bags and books and lotion onto the corners to prevent a sudden gust of wind from taking the blanket on an airborne trip down the beach. Bette had packed a lunch of cheese and fruit and chocolate, and had poured half a bottle of wine into a thermos. We also had plenty of water to prevent our dehydrating under the hot California sun, which was already scorching for so early in the day. We set up a large umbrella for shade and then both flopped onto the blanket, shedding our outer garments.

Bette was modeling a bright orange bikini that hugged her curves like it was painted on. I couldn't stop staring at her. Head to toe, she was fascinating, perfect and sultry, hard and soft in all the right places, as though she had been chiseled from stone and brought to life by a wizards wand, not born of flesh and blood.

"Surely, your parents aren't human," I blurted, my eyes roaming, of their own accord, up and down her body.

She giggled, leaned over and planted a kiss on my lips, her fingers tracing my jawline. She smiled at me. "I could say the same thing about you, Kate." Her finger wandered down my neck, to my clavicle where she traced the hard line of bone beneath flesh. "You wear that bathing suit well."

I shivered, her finger like a feather against my charged skin, sending delicious shards of pleasure in every direction, including there.

She held up a bottle of sunscreen, "Will you?" I took the bottle from her outstretched hand and she rearranged herself so her back was exposed to me, she used one sun-kissed hand to hold her hair up. I just sat there for a beat, admiring the lines and curves of her back, the flawless mocha skin that covered muscle and bone, the ripples of her spine, the impeccably round dimples that adorned her flesh just above the line of her bikini.

Breathe, Kate. I reminded myself.

She craned her neck, glancing back at me. "Kate?"

"Sorry," I stuttered, blushing. I squeezed the creamy white lotion from the bronze bottle, giggling at the rude sounds the pockets of air in the cavern of plastic emitted, and spread it around my hands, and then I gently, slowly, rubbed it into her shoulders. Her skin was warm and soft and I couldn't help myself, I leaned in and brushed my lips along the back of her neck, my tongue darting out to taste her salty flesh. She shivered, thousands of goose bumps rising along her erstwhile smooth skin and I smiled, knowing my lips had done that.

She leaned slightly back, a soft 'Mmmmm' rising up her throat, and I smothered the rest of her back with sunscreen, my fingers dipping beneath the straps of her bikini, and then curving mischievously around to her front, just barely tickling the sides of her rounded breasts as they remained captive in the bikini top. She arched her back suddenly, a gust of air rushing past her lips before she turned and grinned at me, wagging her finger. "Naughty," she playfully admonished.

I smiled stupidly, shrugging my shoulders. "Sorry, couldn't help it."

She rotated back around to face me and took the bottle from my hands. She circled her finger in an upside down corkscrew motion. "Turn around," she commanded. "I'll do your back, now."

I did as I was told, gathering my long hair in one hand and holding it on top of my head. Her hands were gentle and cool, despite the hot day, and she smoothed the aromatic lotion over my waiting flesh, her fingers darting beneath the green straps of my bikini top. I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation of her skin on my skin, all the delicious feels, when she snaked her hand around to my left side, the side hidden from public view by the umbrella, sneaking beneath the taut fabric of my bikini and massaging my breast, her fingers playfully pinching and tugging at my nipple, its immediate erection betraying the constant arousal that always hummed just beneath the surface whenever she was around. My eyes flew open and I gasped, looking to my right to see if anyone had seen. "Bette!" I admonished, though not harshly.

She laughed, withdrawing her hand and placing it obediently back in her lap. "You started it," she reminded.

Oh, yeah. I kinda had.

We finished applying sunscreen and I tossed the bottle back in the open beach bag. Bette folded the umbrella so we could get the full benefit of the sun, and we lay back on the blanket, beside each other, our faces raised to the cloudless blue sky. Bette's hand was beside me, barely touching, her pinky finger crossed over mine and it took everything in me not to just roll over on top of her, rip her bathing suit from her body, touch her in forbidden places.

Instead, I dozed off, my mind sailing to places faraway, happy, peaceful, romantic places, no doubt inspired by the seductress currently laying to my right.

And, I am quite sure that as I slept, I was smiling.

A/N: Dedicating this chapter to KJ on her hard day. Hope this little bit of summer brightens your day. ;-)