Chapter 28

Bryant had his back to the bedroom door as he loaded bottles of water into a small cooler he kept for his beach trips. He heard the door open but didn't turn around until Jan cleared her throat. When he did turn, he almost dropped the cooler on his foot.

It was far more of Jan Elliot than he had seen in the four years she was his partner. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Maybe we should carry our guns," he said. "If you walk down the beach looking like that, we're going to see a few 'domestic disturbance' cases."

Jan had been extremely nervous when she exited the bedroom. The longer Bryant had his back to her the more the butterflies in her stomach grew. She was just about ready to return to the bedroom and change into her other suit when Bryant turned around.

She couldn't tell from the look on his face if he was appalled, perplexed or intrigued. It took a moment for his words to sink into her brain but when they did she blushed scarlet.

"I, uh, well ... I knew you were fit, but damn, you are really put together," Bryant said.

He shook his head quickly because he knew he was babbling.

"I decided to go for daring," Jan said.

She mustered all of her courage and spun in a circle so Bryant could see the back. It was an unnatural action for Jan and she stumbled. Bryant had the cooler in one hand but he reached out with other and put a hand on her shoulder.

Her first instinct when she saw his arm coming forward was that he was going to grab her breast. It wasn't until he put his strong hand on her shoulder to keep her from tumbling onto the couch that she understood.

"Been walking long?" he asked with a smile.

"Two years, and fell both times," Jan replied.

It was a running joke in the squad room but neither of them understood it. They still laughed.

"You might think about shorts and T-shirt until we hit the sand," Bryant suggested. "Otherwise, Chuck is going to lose a lot of money today."

Jan looked at him in confusion.

"If the college guys downstairs get a look at you, they're going to leave Chuck high and dry and follow you outside," he said. "Seriously, Jan, you look really nice."

"Thanks," Jan said, her cheeks reddening further. The blush extended down her chest. "I think I'll just throw a sundress on over the top of this."

Bryant's groan puzzled her and she gave him a questioning look.

"I was just picturing you pulling the sundress over your head at the beach," he said, shaking his head. "Hell, it won't matter. The same thing would happen if you pulled your shorts down and lifted your top off. I just want you to know that I am suspended from duty already. I do not want to get into a fist-fight with every guy on the beach defending your honor."

Jan scoffed but Bryant could tell she was pleased. He had noticed the nervous look on her face before he noticed what she was wearing.

"Should I change?" Jan asked seriously.

"Don't you dare," Bryant replied. "I think you look great, Jan. And you'll definitely teach the tramp-stamp bimbos a little bit about looking sexy and classy, at the same time."

Jan hooked her arm through Bryant's as they strolled down the beach. Jan doubted anyone would recognize her with her hair down and wearing a dress. But Bryant stood out. He wore a T-shirt and Bermuda-style swim trunks. He drew admiring glances from women ranging from 13 to 73 as he carried the cooler in their search for a vacant spot of sand.

Jan wasn't certain why she felt the need to grasp Bryant's elbow as they walked. But he simply glanced over at her and smiled when she did. They found a spot a few hundred yards from Bryant's apartment in an area behind a family-friendly hotel.

"Kids okay?" Bryant asked.

"Sure," Jan said. The area had several groups of parents watching their preteen children frolicking in the surf. The kids were laughing as they made sand castles or rode their rafts. Jan noticed that some of the mothers were dressed similarly to herself. She noted with satisfaction that they didn't look half as good as she did.

The adult males were uniformly going soft. Most were at least ten pounds overweight and several were a lot more than that. Bryant took the bag that Jan had carried and spread out a blanket in an open area then sat the cooler down.

He turned to Jan with a smile.

"Well?" he said.

"Well, what?" Jan wondered.

"I'm waiting for the grand unveiling," he joked. "I figured I better stay on my feet to make sure there isn't a stampede."

Jan slapped him on the arm lightly but smiled back at him. She shrugged and raised one eyebrow at him.

Rather than lift the sundress over her head, she slipped the straps off her shoulders and let it slide down her body until it pooled at her feet. She briefly considered bending at the waist to pick it up but the sound of a female berating her husband for staring made her reconsider. Instead she primly sat down on the blanket and folded the garment before putting it in the bag.

She turned back around just in time to see Bryant lifting his shirt over his head. As had been true for him, this was more of Bryant Hawkins that Jan had ever seen. She was amazed at how broad his shoulders were and how the muscles in his chest were so defined. She was glad she was wearing oversized sunglasses because that kept him from noticing that her eyes were traveling up and down his torso.

She fought back a laugh when she heard a male voice behind them.

"And you chew my ass about staring?" he told his girlfriend. Jan suspected he was getting revenge on his girlfriend or wife for her comments.

Bryant was beet red and it wasn't from the sun. He took a seat beside Jan on the blanket.

"I went out to buy a lawn chair at the start of the summer," he said, anxious to start a conversation before Jan started to pick on him. "They wanted $38 for something I would have broken the first time I sat in it."

"The blanket is fine," Jan assured him. She was looking out at the surf breaking as it neared the shore. She had never seen the ocean before she moved to South Carolina. She had seen all the Great Lakes but never the ocean. "Why haven't I done this before?"

"Because you've been working your ass off for the past year," Bryant told her.

"I guess," Jan replied. "But I could have taken a few minutes to come here and enjoy this."

"Are you?" Bryant wondered. "Enjoying it, I mean."

Jan turned to face him.

"I really am," she said. "This whole day has been fun. I mean, I probably could have done without hearing your new world's record for cursing when you dropped the pipe wrench this morning but outside of that, it's been fun."

"Jesus, if you consider this fun, I can't imagine how you'll act when we go to Disney World in September," Bryant replied with a laugh. "Mickey and Minnie might not survive your enthusiasm."

"I can do without the cartoon characters," Jan said. "I just want to ride the roller coasters. I love the speed."

"I got to ride backseat in an F-15 once," Bryant said. "I lasted until we landed before I barfed everywhere. I could barely walk when I got out. My legs were shaky two hours later."

"You can wait at the exit and hold my purse," Jan joked. "Are you up for some splashing around in the water?"

Bryant nodded and started to stand.

"Can you wear that suit in the water?" he wondered.

Jan looked down at her swimsuit and back up at Bryant. She realized it was a very good question. She could just imagine walking up the beach to her towel with her nipples and pubic hair visible through her suit.

"Well, I guess we'll see," she said.

"If it's bad, I'll come back and get your towel before you get out," Bryant offered.

Jan fought the urge to put a little extra sway in her hips as they walked down to the water's edge. For one of the rare times her life, she felt attractive. Bryant seemed content to take his time to acclimate his body – heated from exposure to the sun – to the cooler water.

"Oh, come on," Jan yelled back as she raced ahead of him. It wasn't until she dove forward that she realized she still wore her sunglasses. At least she'd worn them until her head hit the salty water. Then they were gone. She cursed at herself. Those glasses had been expensive. She saw Bryant dive to his right. He came up sputtering but he had her glasses in his hands.

"I'll stick these in my pocket," he offered. Jan saw the goose bumps on his chest and she realized the cold water had made her nipples stand out from her chest like bullets. She was thankful that she was far enough out that she could lower herself until the water reached her chin.

"Look out!" Bryant yelled. Jan turned, fearing that a body surfer or a kid on a raft was about to plow into her. Instead a large wave broke right over top of her, knocking her off her feet and carrying her back toward the beach. She felt two hands under her arms and then she was pulled to her feet.

"I didn't mean for you to turn right into it," Bryant said, smiling and shaking his head. Jan was standing so close to Bryant that she could count the hairs on his chest. "Are you okay?"

Jan looked up and saw him staring down at her.

"I'm fine," she answered. She made no effort to move way and neither did Bryant. In fact, he moved even closer until his body was almost touching hers.

"Your top came down," he whispered. Jan glanced downward to where one red-tipped nipple was pointing out of the top of her suit. She pulled the top back up but when she did her nipple grazed across Bryant's midsection. She was amazed at how good the slight contact had felt. Then it dawned on her. She had felt it so rarely that it was a foreign emotion. But she suddenly figured out that she was aroused.

"Oops," she said. She didn't have to force the smile that came to her. "It was actually pretty fun once I figured out I wasn't going to drown. Let's go out deeper."

"Are you sure?" Bryant asked. "What about your suit?"

Jan shrugged.

"Well, you saw my boob," she replied. "Neither of us burst into flames. If you see it again, so what? I'll tell you ... the other one looks just like this one. If that one pops into view it won't be much of a surprise."

Bryant held his hands apart and laughed. He had worried that Jan would freak out when he stepped closer to her. But he didn't want her to be embarrassed by having everyone close to her see that her top was down.

"I want to try that!" Jan exclaimed suddenly.

Bryant looked around to see where Jan was peering. There was a father and daughter down the beach. The girl looked to be in her early teens. She was standing on her father's thighs and he was tossing her backward into the surf as it broke.

"He's getting drowned," Bryant pointed out. "She's might be having the time of her life but those waves are breaking right on top of him."

"Don't be a wuss," Jan said. She grabbed his hand and tried to drag him out farther. She was completely unsuccessful.

"Jan, if you do a flip like that girl, you might as well take your top off," he pointed out. "That strap that goes around her neck is the only thing keeping hers up."

"I wondered what that was for when I took it off," Jan remarked. "Well, you're taller than he is and I'm taller than she is. We should be able to go far enough out that if I lose my top no one will see."

"I'll see," Bryant said.

Jan looked to each side and the stepped until there was barely three inches between them. She took the elastic at the top of her suit and pulled it out so Bryant could see down it.

"There, you've seen them both," she said. "I'm pretty sure you're ruined for other women but what the hell. Now are you going to bitch and moan all day or what?"

She and Bryant were able to make it about 20 feet farther out before she could no longer touch the bottom. There were a few people around them but not many. The people that were farther out were riding the waves toward the beach; they weren't paying attention to anyone around them.

"Here," Jan said turning around. She put her hands on Bryant's shoulders and he crouched down slightly so she could climb up on his hands – which rested on his thighs.

"Tell me when," Jan urged. Bryant could see that even climbing out of the water had brought the top of Jan's nipple into view. It was almost in line with his face so he couldn't avoid looking at it. He could only imagine what he'd see after she did a flip into a wave.

"If you lose your top completely, I'm not looking for it," he said. "And I'm going to make you walk topless back to get your own damned towel."

Jan was pondering the possibility that her top might indeed not survive at all when Bryant shouted, "Now!" and jerked her upward. She barely had a moment to consider what might happen when she was flipping through the air.

She had failed to consider two other things. First, Bryant was considerably stronger than the father she had watched. She found herself almost above the wave when she flipped. The top of the wave caught her just below her chest and flipped her the rest of the way over until her feet were pointed toward the beach.

That's when the second thing she missed became evident. The waves were much stronger farther out and she was sent careening into Bryant, who was just coming up from have a large wave force him under the water. He caught her but both of them had the breath forced out of their lungs by the impact. Before they could recover, a second wave hit them. Jan wrapped her arms and legs around Bryant and held on. His hands were on her butt and her bikini top rested at her navel.

Bryant was still coughing up seawater but Jan couldn't keep the laughter from exploding from her throat.

"Jesus Christ," Bryant muttered. He could feel Jan's nipples pressed tight against his chest – and he felt the cups of her bikini top where his hands clasped her ass. He jerked his hands away like he'd put them on a hot stove.

"You have to hold me somewhere," Jan said through her laughter. The current had taken them farther out and the water was up to Bryant's neck. "I can't touch bottom here. So you might as well touch my bottom instead of letting me drown."