Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.
Finally, I'm posting again! I feel like it's been forever. I have so many of these little one shots half written but just can't seem to figure out how to finish them. Writer's block sucks! Big time. Anyway, hope you like this one. I think someone suggested othe idea, but forgot to write down who, so whoever it was thanks for the prompt! You guys are all awesome and if you have any ideas feel free to send them in :)
"Adrian," she said softly, staring out at the massive body of water in front of us. "This is amazing!"
We'd been dating for a few weeks now but we'd barely had a chance to spend any time together in real life. Today's rendezvous was no exception. But I'd switched up the location of our dream date from my apartment to the beach we'd visited in Malibu. I knew Sydney loved the sun and ocean, so since we couldn't hang out in real life I figured she should at least enjoy her surroundings in the dream.
I took in her T-shirt and jeans with a raised an eyebrow. "And that's how you enjoy all this amazingness? We're at the beach, Sydney," I said with a gesture to my swim trunks and bare torso. "Act like it."
She glanced down at her appearance, considering her outfit and then her clothes started to shimmer away. One minute she was standing there in jeans and a T-shirt, and the next she was...
I swallowed hard, and tried not to stare too much. It wasn't working though and she laughed at me.
"Like what you see?" she asked, her warm brown eyes filled with amusement.
"That's not fair, Sage," I declared. She'd thought herself out of her jeans and into a red bikini. A skimpy red bikini. A skimpy red bikini that was severely messing with my already very fragile grip on my desire. "Where did you even come up with that thing?"
"Jill was looking through a fashion magazine the other day. I remembered this one and thought you might appreciate it. I know how much you like me in red." She smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders. The motion drew my attention back to her chest and I heard her laugh again. "Come on," she said. "You're the one who wanted to go to the beach. What are we going to do here? You know, besides you gawking at me."
I made a face and looked back at her face. She was grinning from ear to ear and I smiled back. "We're going in the water."
She glanced down at the waves crashing against the sand uncertainly, but I was already moving closer. I grabbed her by the waist, hoisted her up over my shoulder and took off for the water. She laughed and when it came out breathy and staggered from the bouncing motion of my steps something in me went primal. We dropped down into the water and then we were kissing.
My hands were everywhere. Tangled in her hair, running down her back, grazing her ribs. We were waist deep in the water, or I was. She was almost up to her chest and suddenly she pulled away from me, sinking down further until she was up to her chin. She took a few short strokes away from me, her eyes daring me to come after her, deeper into the water.
I didn't even hesitate. I launched myself through the water, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her up against me as her ankles locked around my hips. I kissed her neck roughly and she gasped. She loved it when I kissed her like that. She complained if I ever left a mark on her, but this was a dream so she just tipped her head back and enjoyed it. My hands started their explorations again, skimming her chest. She sighed and I pushed a little further, fingering the red bikini ties at her back. She pulled my mouth up to hers, pushing her chest into mine. I took that as assent and slowly—oh so painfully slowly—released the bow that held her bikini top together. I reached up and quickly undid the the second bow at the back of her neck and the red material fell between us before floating off with the waves.
I made a low groaning sound at the feel of her skin pressed against my bare chest. She found it funny and decided to tease me by pulling away. Before I even had the chance to look at her she was in the water again, chin deep much to my disappointment.
"Sydney, are you trying to kill me?" I asked seriously. All I wanted was to pull her back to me but she was paddling further away, a dangerous smile on her face.
"Let's race," she said, still moving away from me toward the shore. "First one to my bikini top gets to keep it." She gestured with her chin toward the floating red material. She grinned and took off toward it.
For the second time I launched myself through the water, desperate to get to that damned bikini before she did. I could cheat and use dream magic to get to it first, but I liked this game she was playing. Sydney came off very reserved, even cold, but she wasn't. This was Sydney, my Sydney. The one only I got to see. The one who just beat me to the bikini. Dammit!
"You cheated," I accused. "You didn't tell me what you were doing until you were sure I couldn't get there first." I figured she'd planned that so she could put the top back on before we could go any further.
"It's not my fault you're so slow," she laughed, settling down on the beach, the waves crashing around her bare legs. Until that moment her back had been to me, but now... She didn't put the bikini back on. She didn't even attempt it. She did wave it at me in victory, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her body.
After a moment I recollected myself and sat down beside her. I couldn't help but touch her, my arms going around her waist and lowering her down onto the sand. Then we were kissing again, really kissing. The kind of kissing where if I didn't stop myself this dream was going to go further than I wanted it to. But she was tugging on my hands, guiding them up to where she wanted them to touch her. I rolled on top of her, pinning her to the beach.
"We have to stop," I murmured against her lips.
"Don't," she whispered breathlessly. "It's okay. I want—"
"I don't, Sydney," I reached up to stroke her cheek as her eyes bore into mine. "I don't want this to happen in a dream. I want you in my bed with me, I want to wake up next to you in the morning. Not alone, wondering if you regret it."
She glanced down at herself and sighed, the red bikini back in place now. I would have liked to watch her put it back on—or better yet helped her—but I figured thinking it back on with magic was probably the safest bet.
"I'd never regret it, you know." She sat up and leaned her head on my shoulder, looking off into the distance at the sun setting over the water. "But I'd like to really be with you, too. Go to sleep with you and wake up with you." She shook her head in frustration. "I just don't know when that'll be possible."
"I know." I smoothed her wet and tangled hair with my fingers. "I'm not in a rush though. I'll wait as long as it takes, but I want to do this right." I kissed her cheek. "I want it to be perfect."
"I think losing my virginity on a secluded beach as the water rushed up around us would have been pretty perfect," she grumbled. Her lips were pulled together in the adorable pout she wore whenever she didn't get her way. I leaned down and kissed it away.
She sighed and snuggled into me, pushing me down beside her in the sand. "I guess this is pretty perfect anyway," she said, looking up at the sky while the cool water lapped gently around our ankles.
"Anytime I'm with you it's pretty perfect," I said, pulling her closer to me and closing my eyes. One day we'd have our perfect moment but for now it was enough to just be here with her. Even if here was only in our dreams.