You, Me, & A Beach Day by siberiathewriter 

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Rose fidgeted with the hem of her white sundress, nervous for a long list of reasons. Ruen said he was going to pick her up at her place, along with some of his team that had the day off. And since her team group got word of what was going on, it had kinda turned into a whole group date. She really just wanted to spend some quality time with Ruen.

Are my thighs too big? What will he think of my swimsuit? What if he asks why I'm wearing the dress over it? What will we even do at the beach anyways?

Rose was not used to relaxing, much less with a love interest. So far all their dates had a structure to them, like going on missions, but today it was a big, blank slate.

She blushed at how her body missed Ruen's. His hands, his hair, his lips, his lap, his...

"Ooh, I think that's them!"

Her best friend Solace pointed at a fuzzy portal that opened out next to their front door. Somehow that only made Rose blush more, her face simmering hot.

Then Ruen stepped through the portal, and the heat in her face instantly spread downwards.

I hate how he does this to me just by stepping into the room.

Ruen's eyes took a wide sweep of the room, his gaze uninterestedly passing though everyone there and settling on her. The corners of his lips twitched, like he was fighting back a smile. There was a message in his shadowy eyes for her. Her heart jumped.

I love how he makes me feel just by looking at me.

She subconsciously brought a hand up to her heart, trying to regain her cool and calm composure. Ruen walked over with his signature saunter. His muscles bulged against his thin tank top.

Somehow, she managed to make a weak smile appear on her lips.

"Hello, Ruen. Nice to s–"

He planted his greedy, hot lips on hers. They easily claimed her own, teasing her bottom lip between his teeth. She didn't get the chance to kiss him back before he pulled away.

"Hey there... I've missed you," he said in a low voice.

Butterflies. Butterflies were fluttering all over her stomach. It felt like Ruen had stopped time all together.

"Get a room!" Solace chided from her place next to Rose.

With that, time resumed again. She inhaled, trying to feed some oxygen to her brain, but instead she just got a full dose of Ruen's earthen scent. Why does he have to be so overwhelmingly masculine? He's a curse to me all on his own.

"Let's get this party started! It's beeeeeach tiiiiiiiiime," Vanessa, another teammate shouted, already slightly drunk from a pre-date bottle of wine.

Rose felt the pull of Ruen's hand as he led her to the portal they'd opened to the beach. Bright sunlight greeted them on the other side, and she felt hot sand squish between her toes. Somehow her teammates had convinced her that no one wears shoes on the beach, and she had to admit it did feel very freeing.

"Alllllriiiight! I'm firing up the grill everyone! The burnt burger is our special for today," Mateo announced, already having ignited a small grill with his flames. The fire was way too big to be grilling with, but she doubted pointing that out would do anything.

A group of mixed company headed off to play volleyball while a couple of ladies gathered around Mateo and the grill. He looked quite pleased with himself.

She turned around to see Ruen had pulled up two lounge chairs and an umbrella. Grateful that she didn't have to think about what they were going to do, she laid down next to him and looked over the sparkling sea.

It lapped against the white sand shoreline persistently, endlessly. The ocean had always given her a deep sense of awe. It's surface was constantly in a state of change, the tides and storms disturbing its flow; but at the same time it was constant. The ocean would always be there. It would always be blue. Waves would always kiss the lands it embraced, from sunrise to sunset.

Thoughts of what Ruen had told her about his early life tumbled around in her head. In her mind she finally found the words to express how she felt.

I hope we can be as steady as the ocean... even if circumstances change, I know my heart will always belong to him. Does he feel the same way? Am I enough for him?

His hand reached over and laced their fingers together. She felt her lips respond with a natural smile. She didn't know why, but she could tell he was happy, and so was she.

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From the moment he got up this morning, she was all he could think about. She really was... everything.

Everything he wanted.

Everything he needed.

Everything about her was perfect to him.

There was no request that he wouldn't fulfill for her, just to see a smile light up her face at the end of the day. He wondered at what point his happiness became dependent on hers.

It was that look in her blue, crystal clear eyes that really did him in. It was always that look. Would always be that look. She made his knees weak with just one glance, and then every part of him jumped to hold her. To love her.

When he laid eyes on her today, her desire to be noticed was not lost on him. Her eyes seemed to plead with him to come to her.

She had no idea that her eyes had a gravitational pull of their own. Part of him was relieved to know she felt something similar for him that he felt for her. For once in his life his heart felt safe in the hands of someone else. There was no end to the butterflies that erupted inside of his rock hard core.

She should never have to doubt if I'll notice her. She should never have to question if she's the one who owns my heart. She should never have to worry if she's not good enough for me.

He lay next to her in their beach chairs, breathing in the familiar saltiness of the sea and the vanilla of her hair.

The sun was hot today, but it was the heat from her hand in his that really warmed his heart. His thoughts meandered in circles as he tried to figure her out, his thumb rubbing lazy circles into the back of her palm.

She's so soft, and I'm so rough around the edges. Will I be able to make her happy? I'm constantly broke, I have no status to equal hers, and on top of it all, I'm not even good to look at.

His eyes slid over to peek at her for the hundredth time that day. Seeing her dress ride up on her thighs, barely covering where he assumed a swimsuit was, he licked his lips. He really hoped she hadn't worn it just to catch his attention, because she'd always have that.

But she did look smoking hot.

"Wanna go play in the water?" he asked, his voice coming out more raspy than he anticipated.

Rose turned her head towards him and smiled, "Okay."

Her cheeks colored in like delicate pink rose petals, and he wondered if they would feel like flowers as well. Getting up and brushing off the sand that wasn't actually on him, he walked over to the edge of the sea.

The sand turned from individual grains to a slush under his feet. He bent down to touch his fingertips to the tide. It rushed up to meet him, and then- splash.

Wet. He was wet. More than just his fingers.

Rose giggled behind him, her foot having splashed the wave smack into his side. The cool water actually felt good on his bare skin, and a maniacal grin grew across his face. He gripped the back of his tank top with one hand and pulled it off in one swift movement. With the other he swept the next wave into Rose's direction.

Her eyes widened into big saucers, then she squealed as the cold water dripped down her thighs. She instantly retaliated. Crouching down, her ankles submerged in the tide, she used both hands to shove a wave into his bare chest.

He was ready for her. Dodging to the side, he came around her from behind and pulled her down on his lap. The air rang with their laughter, water swirling around them as his baritone rumbles complimented her tenor ones.

When was the last time he was able to laugh like this?

He wrapped his hands around her waist and gently rocked her into his chest. She shuttered.

"Rose," he murmured.

Her hands rested on his thighs which caged her in on either side. Her touch seared through his swim shorts, chasing away the chill from the ocean. He breathed in her scent along with the saltiness of the sea; his two favorite things.

"Do I make you happy?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

Her voice was soft, her tone turning up at the end in surprise, "Of course... I wouldn't be here with you if you didn't. But, just knowing that you care for me fills me up. I thought I'd never have you, and now I do. That's enough happiness to last me a lifetime."

He closed his eyes.

"That's... you don't know how good that is to hear. All I want is your happiness. I don't think I can be happy without you anymore."

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He reached out to tilt her chin towards him, needing to feel connected to her in not only an emotional way, but also a physical one. She shied away, jumping up and pulling her dress down over her legs.

"Wait! Um, I... it's just that there's so many other people around," she stuttered. The rosy pink flush in her cheeks and lips contrasted against the bright blue all around her- the sky, the sea, her eyes...

His eyes traveled lower, following tiny, shimmering droplets of water as they slid down her skin. The white sundress she had been wearing was now soaked. He saw that she was wearing a bikini underneath, and every line on it was clearly visible. It was even better than seeing her in underwear. He licked his lips.

His heart raced. Why did she have to pull away? Why did she take away her warmth?

He stood up. Rose must have sensed his now unsatiated want for her, because her eyes widened. Turning away from him to hide her face, she only ended up turning him on more.

That damn dress and bikini are a trap. She's caught me hook, line, and sinker...

"Rose..." he murmured as calmly as he could, but it came out more like a deep growl. He wasn't about to let her hide away from him.

When she didn't respond, he figured she was too anxious to speak. About what he had no idea, he only hoped he didn't do anything wrong. Or that he wasn't about to do anything wrong.

"You're coming with me." He huffed and slung her over his shoulder. With one hand securely holding her hip, he carried her across the beach to a more secluded area.

"Ruen! For goodness sake! Put. Me Down!" Flailing her arms and balled fists against his broad back, she squirmed, but to no avail. His grip was secure. Mind made up.

He chuckled at her antics. "Now don't get too handsy down there before we get out of plain sight," he chided when her hand accidentally slapped his butt.

In reciprocation, he gave her rear a healthy squeeze of his own. Instantly, he regretted it, or rather, enjoyed it more than he should have. The intimate touch was more rewarding than he anticipated, and his pace quickened.

A small outcropping of chiseled rocks sat about ten meters away from the main beach area. He decided it would make a nice private room for two.

Rose finally calmed down, letting her weight sit evenly on his shoulder as her fingers dragged lightly through the wake of his strides. Despite her agitated sigh, he could sense her smile.

He was more than a little pleased at the fact that she let him get away with this at all. That meant he had made the right choice. If she was truly upset, she could easy fend him off– and he'd never fight her outside of training purposes.

Women are so difficult. Just tell me what you need instead of freezing up all the time.

Stopping in front of a waist-high boulder, he gently swung her around and sat her on top of it. Surprised by how bright red her face was, he planted a small kiss on her lips.

"Tell me what you want," he asked, doing a poor job of hiding his pleasure at having her all to himself.

Her eyes returned his deep, dark stare, not flinching away like she used to. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she leaned in closer to him. Their connection filled him with a warm light, like the sun breaking through a wall of clouds.

"You," she whispered.

Well then, you won't have to ask twice.

A strand of hair, like a beam of sunlight, had fallen in front of her face, which he brushed behind her ear.

"I'm all yours," he whispered back as he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers once more.