I started writing fan fiction when reading the Murder, She Wrote books, because I love George so much. Strangely enough, I have ended up writing far more about Seth of late. But I saw a movie this weekend with a funny scene about a nude beach, and it just made me think about George and Jessica and then this story happened. It's my first George story that I'm actually posting. I hope you enjoy it! I'll get back to work on my multi-chapter with Seth soon!

Nude Beach

I woke up to the sun streaming in my room and the ocean breeze softly coming through the windows. I had opened them last night as it was cool enough to lower the temperature in my room without the need of the air conditioner. I stretched and felt a grin form on my face, as I was anticipating the day ahead with George.

After a short European tour this summer, George and I are taking a week-long vacation on a remote Greek island. I had invited him to meet me while I was on tour, giving him several options of locations to meet for a few days, including London. However, he had been in the middle of a case and wasn't available. But three days ago, he called when I was in Paris and said that the case had been wrapped up and he wondered if I could extend my trip somewhere. After an internet search on my laptop that night, I found a beautiful whitewashed hotel on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean not far from the mainland. The photos were beautiful, and as I daydreamed about being on the beach with George, I realized that I needed to find some beachwear before arriving.

The next day, I spent several hours shopping, finding something called a tankini that was flattering, but still full coverage even with two pieces, as well as a matching floral wrap cover-up, two sundresses, a wide hat, a pair of sandals, and plenty of sunblock for my fair skin.

I had arrived at the hotel yesterday at lunch time and took the time to settle into my room and explore the small village. During the afternoon, I allowed myself to think about George as I knew he had caught his plane and unless a disaster happened, nothing would keep him from coming now. Walking up and down the winding streets of the village, I scouted out possible restaurants and coffee shops to visit once he arrived.

It had been over six months since I had seen George and I had been missing him more and more of late. We had made more effort this year to talk on the phone regularly, not just keeping in touch via email as in years past. I'm not really sure what caused the shift, but we are both getting older, and even though I have no intention of ever retiring, I have stopped signing contracts requiring me to write more than two books a year.

The change has meant there have been a lot of times that he stayed up late to talk to me or I woke up earlier than I planned, to talk to him with the differences in time zones. More importantly though, it has meant that after several months of more regular phone calls and waking early on many weekday mornings to talk to him, that I had finally admitted privately to myself that I loved him. I knew he had loved me for a long time, but I had always held back for many reasons. The two biggest reasons were both easy excuses; I liked my independence and we lived an ocean apart. But the real reason was that after Frank died, it hurt so badly to lose him, that I had told myself never again would I open myself to that kind of pain. Now, though many years later, I have learned that pain is unavoidable in this life and that even if I avoided the agony of having another spouse die before me, I would instead continue to deal with the pain of loneliness. And loneliness had become deeply painful. I had been successful in having wonderful friends and family my whole life, but none of them kept the bed warm at night.

I returned to the hotel to freshen up, knowing that George would arrive in time for dinner. The moment I opened the door and saw him, we stepped into a warm embrace. We had already decided to eat at the hotel when we spoke earlier and I was glad we had when I saw him. It was apparent from his eyes that he was exhausted. Over a delicious meal, George shared briefly about his case that had kept him from meeting me before now. One of the hostages had died right before they apprehended the group of terrorists and his voice broke as he told me what happened. I had reached over to hold his hand, and he had gripped it tightly.

It had been so difficult to tell him goodnight when we came upstairs, but it was obvious he needed a good night's sleep. I was glad to know that our rooms were next to each other, and I hope that he had felt comforted by that as I did. Standing by my door, we agreed to meet this morning and spend the day at the beach, and I kissed his lips softly before I entered my room.

Getting up, I prepared for the day, putting on my new swimsuit and cover-up, while adding a thick layer of sunblock. I grabbed the book that I have been trying to find time to read, beach towels, as well as the snacks and drinks that I bought for us yesterday when I was in the village. Placing everything into a large tote bag, I am ready, but decide that I have time for a cup of tea. I turn the kettle on, before calling George's room.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, George. How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead. Seeing you did me a world of good."

I smile, even though I know he can't see me.

"I'm glad. Do you still feel like going to the beach in a few minutes?"

"Yes, lass, nothing sounds more wonderful than a day at the beach with you."

"Do you want a cup of coffee before we leave?"

"How did you guess?"

"When you are ready, come to my room, and I will have a cup waiting on you."

Five minutes later, George knocks on my door, and I open it to see him in a pair of tropical patterned swim shorts and a t-shirt, easily the most casual clothes I have ever seen him wear. Definitely a far cry from his usual pressed pants, ankle boots, blazers with the leather patches and shirts and ties. I realize by his startled reaction, that he has never seen me in what I am wearing either.

We both stare at each other, even as we stand frozen at the door.

After a few moments, I am the first to react when I open the door wider and welcome him inside.

He walks in, leaning to kiss me on the cheek.

We sit down on the couch and I give him a cup of coffee, as I continue drinking my cup of tea. I pull down on the cover up, trying to get it to cover my knees, as I am aware that George is looking at them. It did not seem this short in the store, and even if it did, I did not realize that it would make me feel so exposed in front of George.

After finishing our drinks, I put on my hat and sandals, grabbing my tote. George had an extra towel and shirt that I added to my bag and we went downstairs and hired a car to drive us down to the beach.

Arriving at the waterfront, George and I found a small cafe, sitting at a sidewalk table and eating a small breakfast. This island does have tourists, but as it is already the beginning of September, the mad rush of European tourists who converge during the month of August is over. This morning, there appear to be just as many locals as tourists out.

We walked down to the beach, renting a wide beach umbrella on the way down to the water. Setting up, George and I place our beach towels side by side and tilt the umbrella to block the sun from our eyes, while still allowing us to have sun on our lower bodies. He sits down first and takes off his shirt, before stretching out in the sun. I stare at him. He took his shirt off so casually and appeared unbothered by me seeing him.

I have never seen him without his shirt on and I don't know what to do. I want to look but I am embarrassed that I want to look. I sit on my towel and out of the corner of my eye, I regard him. I knew he was fit. There have been enough times over the years when we have embraced and I could tell that he was muscular, and he has told me that with his work at Scotland Yard he often runs and does different training exercises. But, I was not expecting what I was seeing. There is nothing excess about his body, and even though he is my age, I suddenly feel old, as I look down and see the softness and curves that I have. I have always stayed trim and biked and walked everywhere since I don't drive, but I feel self-conscious all the same.

"Lass?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so tense?"

"What?"

"I can feel the stress rolling off of you. I thought we were going to unwind today. What's wrong?"

I look into his green eyes and I know he can't see my eyes with my sunglasses on, but he does know me well.

He rolls on his side and reaches out to hold my hand.

"Jess? Come on, lass, get comfortable."

He gazes at me expectantly and I realize he is waiting for me to take off my cover up. I reach for the belt tie to undo it, but my hand stills. There are butterflies in my stomach all of a sudden, and I freeze.

Slowly, his hand moves my hand out of the way and I watch as he undoes the tie for me.

I open my mouth to stop him, but no sound comes out.

Watching his hand slowly undo an item of my clothing feels intimate. My mouth goes dry and my heart begins to race.

When it is undone, he pulls it apart before moving his hand away, and I shrug it off, placing it in the tote bag. My suit has the same red flowers with green leaves as the wrap, but the cut of it shows a bit of cleavage while the material is ruched and the bottoms are high waisted. I hope it is as flattering in public as it was in the dressing room.

"You look lovely."

I clear my throat, not knowing where to look, moving my knees up to my chest, trying to cover myself.

I feel him pull my arm gently, coaxing me to turn towards him. I move on my side, laying back on the towel to face him. He smiles at me.

"That's better, love. We are on vacation. It's time to relax and I get to be next to the most beautiful woman. And that beautiful woman is wearing a sexy new swimsuit."

"George!"

"What? Am I not allowed to say sexy?" He pauses and then lowers his voice and asks, "Even if it's true?"

I don't answer. I don't know what to say to him.

"You don't need these either, since our faces are in the shade," he says as he takes off my sunglasses and sets them above his head. "That's better, I love seeing your blue eyes. I think they are the color of the sea here."

He reaches out to caress my face and I sigh. I must have closed my eyes, because I am startled to feel his lips against mine, searching for my reaction. It took me a moment to respond, but I did submit to his overture, parting my lips for him to explore my mouth. I have known George for many years now and in that time, many embraces and kisses on the cheek have been exchanged. On occasion, usually when saying goodbye, a brief kiss on the lips has been shared. And the last time we saw each other was six months ago, after a little too much to drink one night, we kissed a little longer, lingering and nibbling on bottom lips, before pulling away to say goodnight. But even though we had been in my suite that evening on a couch, we were fully clothed and neither of us had been brave enough to explore any further.

This seemed different, mainly because George was currently only wearing a pair of swim trunks and I was in a swimsuit. He had inched his way closer, where his hand was now around my head, pulling me closer, almost on top of him. My breathing started to shorten as I knew oxygen was in short supply, both from there being no separation in our mouths now, as well as my own excitement increasing.

His confidence in what he was doing was a turn on, and I had no desire to stop him. Knowing we were in public, I knew there was only so much either of us would do anyway, so there was a safety somehow, knowing that I did not have to think too clearly and make any kind of decision of just how far to take this.

After letting him explore my mouth, I could tell he wanted me to reciprocate as he tried to engage my tongue with his. I was hesitant at first, but the more I allowed myself to respond, the braver I became, as I moved my tongue into his mouth, hearing him groan against me. I froze at the sound, suddenly realizing that he was becoming aroused, even as I started feeling desire spread out from my midsection. Shifting again, I experimented as I focused on his reaction and discerning what he enjoyed.

Needing air after a bit, I slowed down and began to pull away, gazing at his face. His eyes opened and his green eyes were the darkest I had ever seen them. Even though it was obvious that he wanted to continue, we both knew to stop. He blinked and I could see the exhaustion still heavy on his face.

"I think you should try to nap a little while we still have some shade." He nodded and closed his eyes, lying back, his hand reaching to hold mine.

Knowing his eyes were closed, I shifted to get comfortable, on my back making sure my swimsuit was in place, while putting another towel under my head, and moving my hat to fully cover my face.

I must have dozed myself, as I woke up sometime later, feeling a little stiff but very warm, as the sun had crept farther up our bodies, where only our faces were completely out of the sunlight under the umbrella. I sat up, putting on my hat and sunglasses and began to gaze around us. George appeared to be still asleep. Finding a bottle of water in my bag, I drank half of it in one long gulp.

When we had arrived earlier, there were not many people yet. The beach we walked to after breakfast was in a cove that saved it from most of the activity of the pier on the other side where boats came in and out all day. We had chosen a spot by the rocks on one side, giving us a natural barrier from others, close to the water's edge, while still being far enough away to not have to move as the tide moved.

Now about an hour later, there were a number of people about, but thankfully no one within speaking distance. There were a few people out in the water, as well as small children playing at the shoreline in the sand.

Glancing around though, I did a double take at others sunbathing. Was I seeing what I thought I was? Turning back out to the water, I saw others who looked the same way, even though most of them were submerged to their necks. One woman was not, and I could not believe my eyes.

"George! Wake up!"

"Hmm? Something wrong, lass?" as he pulled himself up on his elbows, trying to open his eyes.

"Do you see what I see?"

He sits all the way up, running his hands over his face roughly in an effort to become alert, before again turning to look out at the beach, trying to understand what I am saying.

He chuckles as he must understand, "Jess, don't tell me you are embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed? I'm not embarrassed. I'm shocked. Where are we?"

"We're in Greece, darling, on the Mediterranean, where no one gets bothered about a little nudity."

"A little? Some of these people are completely nude! This must be a nude beach."

"I doubt it, Jess. Most of the Mediterranean is topless if desired, and a large number of them are fine with complete nudity. They don't even call a lot of them nude beaches, because Europeans aren't bothered by it. It's a non-issue."

"Are you saying that I am a prude?"

"No, I'm saying that you are American, where it's not understood that we all have a body and it shouldn't be embarrassing or shameful to see them."

"I have never been to a beach where clothing was optional."

He smirks at me. "Do we need to leave, Jess?"

"No, of course not! As you say…we all have a body and it does seem to be all ages who are…engaging…in that. And no one appears to be doing anything inappropriate…somehow it even appears family friendly with all the children around too."

"Next question is, are we going to…engage in it?" he asks as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"George!"

"That's a no?"

I break out in a sweat, as I stammer, trying to answer him.

"I…don't know…"

Which must not be what he expected me to say, as he gapes at me, but then asks me, "You don't know?"

"Well, I have gone skinny dipping before and I did like it," I say shyly, looking down at my hands.

"Really? Do I want details?"

"You aren't getting details!" I say, but then soften my voice as I say, "I do live on the coast, George. It's happened before, but many years ago and I looked a lot different then. And it was not in front of people I didn't know. I…am always aware now of the possibility of being recognized…"

He takes a big breath, letting it out, while reaching for my hand. I keep my gaze on our hands, as he begins to talk softly, "For starters, you know me and the dangerous work I do. I am always aware of everyone and everything around us. Your protection, which would include your privacy, is always first and foremost on my mind when I am with you. If you want to skinny dip while we are here, I am confident we can find a way without you worrying about being compromised in any way."

"But I want to make one thing very clear before we go any further." He pauses, seeming to gather his thoughts, and I tilt my head at him, waiting to hear what he will say.

He looks down at our hands, still holding my left, as my right rests on top of both, before looking up at my face. I sense that he wants me to make eye contact, even as I raise my head back up.

"I made a decision before meeting you on this holiday. Gone are the days, Jessica, of me being passive and letting you control the trajectory of our relationship. I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do, but I am not planning for that kiss earlier to be a one-off. I am going to pursue you this week with the intention of getting you in my bed."

I gasp. Never has George spoken to me this way.

He doesn't stop though, as he squeezes my hand tighter. "Jess, I want you. In any and every way I can get you. I am ready to discuss a permanent relationship, as I am seriously contemplating setting a retirement date by the end of the year. But I will take as much of a relationship as you are willing to give me. I will never force you, but I intend to push you as far as I can unless or until you clearly tell me no. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes, I think I do."

"Am I way off base, lass, even hoping you won't say no to my pursuit?"

I inhale and let it out in a rush, "You aren't off base."

He nods with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Picking up a bottle of water, he drinks, before grabbing the sunblock to reapply. He motions for me to turn around, before rubbing a thick layer on my back and shoulders, moving the straps down to gain access. I reapply to my face, chest and arms, before offering to do the same for George's back. I know my face is red by the time I finish rubbing the sunblock into his warm skin.

"Would you like to swim now?"

Standing, he reaches to hold my hand, and we walk to the edge of the shore. The water is refreshing and cools us both as we wade into it together. Knowing that it will feel warmer to get all the way in quickly, I duck down to my neck in one motion, feeling the cold water flow all over my body, even as I seek to keep my hair dry. George does the same beside me, and we swim out to about four or five feet, deep enough to tread water, but also to stop and stand if needed. The water is crystal clear and I can see small fish swim around us.

There are others in the water, but the closest people to us are a small family that are focused on their children and even as they are talking loudly, they are far enough away that we can't hear any conversation, even if we could understand Greek. The woman is topless and I would guess both she and her partner are in their forties, both fit, but neither looking like models, just real people enjoying their holiday at the sea. I realize that since arriving, I have not seen any other Americans and George and I have been the only ones speaking English, except for the hotel and restaurant staff who have waited on us.

"This feels heavenly, George," as I begin to float onto my back, with the blue sky above us, and the white washed buildings reflecting off the water and sun on the cliff behind us.

"Aye, lass, it does."

I glance at him and he is staring at me.

"What?"

"No one is around us to see. Why don't you take your swimsuit off and I will carry it back to my towels? Then when you are ready to get out, I will bring it back to you and you can put it back on?"

"You must not have ever tried to put a wet swimsuit on, George. That will be impossible."

"Then, I can bring your cover-up to you or a towel."

I stare at him, considering. The last time I went skinny dipping was over thirty years ago with Frank. It was our anniversary and we had shared a picnic in an area that we often went to alone. It was the middle of the week and we had both taken the day off work to celebrate. No one else was around and laughing, we had hurriedly shed all our clothes and raced into the water. At home later, we had climbed the stairs as soon as we arrived, discarding our clothes as we went up to our bedroom and made love immediately, not being able to wait until bedtime.

I have stopped treading water, but my toes squish into the sand, as I can stand firmly with the water reaching my chest. I know that my eyes are hidden from his view behind my sunglasses, but I regard him thoughtfully, deciding at this moment that it is high time that I start living again.

Reaching for my shoulder straps, I lower them, as I pull the top of the tankini loose and up and over my head. He is within arm's reach, and his eyes are on me, as he reaches out to take the top of my swimsuit from me, as I push the bottoms down my legs, reaching to pull them out of the water. Handing them over as well, I reach to cover myself, but he stops my hands.

"Don't do that. Please."

I bite my bottom lip, but I do as he asks. The water is clear but it is still water. I know he can see me, but the water distorts the details. I am submerged to my shoulders now, so I know except for the fish, no one else can see me either.

"I'll be right back, love."

"You need to take off yours, George. It's only fair," I say before he can swim away.

He smirks, but does not seem bothered by my demand.

When he arrives at our towels, I watch as he twists the water out of my suit and hangs it from the umbrella handle to drip dry. Before I realized what he was doing, he took his own shorts off where I could see! Oh my! As he walked back to the water, I turned away, but not before I had a good view. My face feels flushed, as he swims back to me.

"Hi," I say shyly.

"Hello, lass."

We are treading water again, about five feet away from each other. Close enough to glimpse, but I try to keep my eyes above the water.

"You're beautiful, Jess."

"George."

"It's the truth." Changing topics slightly, he says, "How does it feel to skinny dip again?"

I sigh, "It's so freeing. I forgot." I pause, as I consider if I should say more, but then decide there is nothing to stop me. I am already exposed; I might as well tell him. "As a woman, it feels so relaxing to have my breasts float."

"There are parts that float for men, too, lass." I hear him whisper in my ear, as he moves up closer behind me.

I shiver, as my mind goes down that path, before trying to stop it. We have moved slightly closer to the shore. There isn't much of an undertow here, but the last thing I need is to get too tired and need help getting back to shore while wearing nothing.

I can easily touch the sea bed here and probably have the water only come to my waist if I should stand, but I stay in the water fully and tread water, occasionally taking a break but keeping my knees bent to not be exposed. George follows my lead, even though he often pauses to stand, as he isn't worried about anyone seeing his chest like I am.

The family that had been in view, have gotten out of the water now, and the younger child is playing in the sand with a shovel and pail, while the older one keeps running in and out of the water while yelling in delight. The woman who was topless is now sunbathing, still topless, while the man sits up and watches the children.

There are a few other pockets of people in the water, but they are all further away from us than the family were.

"All is good, lass."

"Yes."

I sense him moving slightly behind me, as his arm comes around from the side and wraps around my waist, as he holds me at a somewhat awkward angle to avoid full body contact, while still trying to touch me.

He begins to kiss my shoulder, while keeping his hand firmly in place. I held my breath when he reached for me, and I didn't breathe again, until he told me to after peppering my shoulder with kisses.

After taking in a ragged breath, he asks me in my ear, "Do I need to stop?"

Thinking of what he said earlier about being more aggressive and that I would clearly need to tell him to stop if I wanted him to, I understand now what he meant, as I am still struggling to breathe. Do I want him to stop? Not really. At least, not yet. But if I decide to stop him after he continues a little more? Is that leading him on? I don't know that either, but quickly decide that he will have to handle the disappointment if so. I can only be responsible for my own feelings and emotions right now. Since he has set these new parameters for this vacation, I decide he can continue.

"You don't have to stop. At least, not yet," I whisper.

He begins to move his hands, not touching anywhere too scandalous, but he does move them down my sides, around my waist, holding my hips, before bringing them around to my back and caressing me down to my bottom. I lean back to put my head on his shoulder, and begin to float in his arms, as he lifts me closer to the surface with his arm around my back. He keeps me from breaking the surface, but he can obviously see me far better now.

I move my arms languidly, as I bob in the water, floating in his arms.

I know his eyes are on me. After some time, I turn my head and somehow his green eyes appear to be on fire. I reach for his face, bringing his lips to my own. It is my turn to initiate and I eagerly explore his mouth, as I hear him groan in reply.

Knowing that my desire is now ignited, I turn around in the water and swim into his arms, bringing his body fully against my own. I am warm in the water, but feeling him next to me, causes a chill to run through me and I shiver. His body against my own while in the sea is so heady and delightful.

I can tell that he can't decide where to put his hands, as he tentatively moves them on my back, even as I bring my arms around his neck. Standing up in the water, I know my chest is above the surface, but as my back is to the shoreline and George is holding me to him, I am protected in his arms. Continuing to kiss him, I hear him groan, even as I moan in reply.

Very aware of his arousal and my own, as well as the fact that there is absolutely no way that I will ever say no to George again, I whisper in his ear, "My love, I think we need to stop, so that we can get out of the water and go back to the hotel."

He freezes and I realize that he is not sure what I mean yet.

Using my teeth to tug on his ear, it's his body that shivers this time, as I say, "I love you, George Sutherland." His arms tighten around me, and I continue but in a lower and I hope, seductive voice, "I believe you mentioned that you intended to take me to your bed. I don't know about you, darling, but I'm ready."

He growled in my ear and I laughed in reply, as he picked me up in the water and spun me around.

Putting me down, he moved away from me to calm down, as I looked away to give him some privacy.

Half an hour later, we arrived back at the hotel. Quietly, we walk down the hallway towards our rooms.

Pausing outside our doors, we stand holding hands.

"Do you need to go into your room first for anything?"

I shake my head no.

"Are you sure about this, lass?"

"Yes, as long as you don't mind if we get any sand in your bed."

He chuckled.

"If we do, we can always decide to move to your bed after a shower," which made me smile shyly, even as I nodded my agreement.

He opened his door and I walked inside. The door closes and his arms wrap around me and he lifts me effortlessly in his arms, carrying me to his bed.

Looking into my eyes, he lays me down on top of the sheets and joins me. I am finally in his arms and there is nowhere else I would rather be.

Yes, Greece was a good idea.