Chapter 2: Jillian

Jillian stepped into the scorching sand and was grateful for the protection of her sandals. The trail from the hotel to the beach led through a dimly lit jungle alive with the sounds of birds. Now that they had reached the beach, the bright sunlight had her pulling her dark glasses down over her eyes.

"Wanna swim or just hang out at the bar?" Zach asked, nodding to the bamboo hut where people were sipping icy drinks under the shaded canopy.

"Swim," Jillian said, maybe a little too quickly. She noticed his eyebrows rise and then he shrugged. She could drink anywhere and was dying to see Zach with his shirt off.

He was clearly cut like a bodybuilder and she didn't come all the way to Eilean D'maichte to just read about sex like she did at home. She wanted to enjoy it again, and Zach had the look of someone who'd be fun to play with.

Her job as a teacher made her cautious when she dated. With the prevalence of social media and all her students having cell phone cameras, all it took was one out-of-context picture to ruin her career. This was her chance to let her hair down and be as impulsive as she'd always secretly wanted to be, and fate had placed Zach right in her path.

They found an empty beach umbrella near the water to spread their towels. Kicking off her sandals and whipping off her wrap, Jillian ran for the water with a laugh.

"Catch me if you can!" she called over her shoulder to watch him.

Zach grinned as he pulled his shirt over his head. Even his muscles had muscles. The warmth she felt in her stomach had nothing to do with the sun. She decided she didn't want to play easy, so she dove into a breaking wave and swam away from the shore.

The shock of seeing the gorgeous view from her hotel window made her want to share it with someone. On impulse, she had knocked on the adjoining door to Zach's room before thinking how he might view her intrusion. She didn't want him to think she was throwing herself at him, but the truth was she had already made up her mind. Slut, she chided herself with a mental laugh. No one back home would believe that quiet Ms. Cortez wanted a sexy vacation fling.

The sounds of the surf made it hard to hear if Zach was catching up or not, but she looked over her shoulder whenever she topped another wave. She could tell by the breakers she was approaching a sand bar, so she reached down with her toes to feel for the sandy bottom so she could surprise him.

Zach was so intent on swimming he missed her until she reached out and tickled her fingertips along his ribs. He stopped and jerked away from her hands before he realized she was bouncing neck deep in the surf. His hands found hers underwater and pulled her closer to him.

"Oh, hi," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Hi yourself." Zach held her up since he was taller and the water only came to his shoulders.

"You caught me." Jillian slipped her arms around his neck.

"You let me," he whispered, raising an eyebrow as he studied her face.

"I might let you do something else, too." She felt bold and brave as she hooked her foot around his knee to bring their bodies together. His shaft was already growing firm against her stomach, despite the exercise in the cool water.

Zach kept glancing at her lips, moving closer slowly as if verifying she was really going to let him kiss her. They came together tenderly with a salty tang amid the waves, then she shut her eyes and gave him the best kiss she could muster.

Her fingers went into his wet hair as her mouth opened to his tongue. He kept them both above the water while she sucked him gently into her mouth. When she let his tongue go to press her forehead against his, he hummed deep in his throat and squeezed her tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist to rub against him, her body responding to his arousal and demanding more as the kiss heated up again. The firm shaft she'd felt before was now an iron rod rubbing against the gusset of her swimsuit.

"Damn," he whispered as the kiss broke at last. His eyes had an unfocused look of pleasure as he searched her face. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, but you're gonna have to catch me again if you want more." She wiggled out of his grasp and swam hard towards shore. He laughed as he tried to catch her feet before she got away. She knew he would catch her eventually, but the thrill of being pursued kept her trying.