Page 118 of Hot & Heavy

"Can you meet me someplace, outside the house?"

"Like where? I don't want you going out somewhere by yourself where you might get lost."

"The beach behind your house," she suggested.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He heard a rustling sound, then a loud bang in his ear as she obviously dropped the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Taking off my underwear."

"Make that five minutes."

Goin' for a dirty swim…

Madrene was walking along the beach some distance down the shore from Ian's house. The cold foam of the surf came and went over her bare feet. A soft breeze whipped her gauzy, ankle-length skirt about her. The late-afternoon sun still felt warm on her shoulders… or what part of her shoulders was exposed by her tanktop.

Her family, especially her father, was outraged over the welts that crisscrossed her back. She hadn't realized when she put on the tanktop that part of them would be visible. Torolf was the one who said, "The bastard will pay."

But Madrene could not care about all that now. She was at peace for the first time in forever. It was one of those moments out of time that a person comes back to over and over in her mind, a time when all the world seems to be in step. I'm happy. Pure and simple. I am happy and in love and glad to be alive.

She started to walk out a little deeper, up to her knees. Like a child she reveled in the splash of the water against her body. It was then, as she twirled about, that she saw Ian coming down the beach. He was taking off his shert as he walked and smiling wickedly at her. Once the shert was dropped to the sand, he toed off his shoes, then pulled off his socks. He was at the water's edge directly in front of her when he began to undo his braies.

She backed up a bit.

He walked in as he continued to work on his braies. The water covered him up to his waist when he scooted down, tugged his braies off and tossed them back to the shore. He was left in only white small clothes. She could see how much he already wanted her.

"No underwear, eh?" he said when he reached her.

She just smiled.

A large wave broke, wetting them totally. So they swam out past the breaking wave to still water. At this time of day, it was only waist high. He pulled her into an embrace with her legs wrapped around his waist. They bobbed about with the ripple of the current, just smiling at each other.

"Greetings, husband," she said.

An odd look crossed his face, but then he replied, "Hello, wife." Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he murmured against her mouth, "So, do you have something to reward me for coming home so quickly?"

She laughed and undulated her hips against him, belly hitting belly. "I was hoping it was the other way around. That you had something for me."

"Do I ever!" Without any foresport, he lifted her skirt and settled her on his upraised, very hard staff.

"Oh, baby!" he said, closing his eyes for a second. "You make me breathless."

Madrene was not a playful person, and certainly had never been playful in the bed furs, but she was now.

"Well, mayhap I should jump off this pole, then. I would not want to kill you for lack of breath."

He nipped her chin with his teeth. "Don't you dare move." Taking her buttocks firmly in hand, he eased his fingers under and forward so he was touching her in her nether folds, which held him in their clasp.

"Oh."

"Oh? That is all?" He grinned at her.

"Now I am breathless. Mayhap you will kill me with pleasure."

"Have you ever heard of the little death?" he whispered against her ear.

"Nooooo."