Why the hell are you wearing that? He's going to think you're a fucking slut.

Sophia sat under the hot, summer sun, feeling the sand burning her feet as she did her best to shut Graham's voice out. Graham's particularly loud and frequent voice, as of today.

With summer in full swing and the temperatures in the sweltering high nineties, Sophia and Dean had made plans to meet at the beach. She got there before him, partially because he had work that day and she didn't, so she could get there as early as she wanted. But the bigger part of her knew she would need some time to work up her confidence.

It had been a long time since she had worn a bikini to the beach. And despite her resolve to do so, her chest was tight as she waited for Dean.

Her eyes were drawn to him the moment he appeared out of the crowd of beachgoers. Despite her nerves about Dean's reaction, some of the tension that ran through Sophia's body dissipated just by seeing him.

Last chance to put something else on to cover up.

No. Dean wouldn't react like that. Over the past few months, the trust Sophia had developed for him was both comforting and terrifying. He was nothing like who she dated in the past, but she was quickly coming to realize just how much power he had to break her heart.

She stood up as he got closer, and as his eyes landed on her, he paused for a split second and Sophia's heart seized up. But then a grin spread across his face, he picked up the pace toward her and grabbed her face in his hands, planting a kiss on her lips.

"I think we need to go to the beach more often," he said quietly, the grin still on his face as his eyes traveled over her body.

Sophia lightly shoved him but felt a lot of warmth in a lot of places. Places that were not appropriate given that they were surrounded by families and children.

But with his eyes on her, she felt attractive. Desirable. Sexy. Sure, Dean had told her just how attracted he was to her several times, but now more than ever, she could see in his face just how much he truly meant those words.

It probably helped that this was his first time seeing her without a shirt on.

A surge of confidence went through Sophia's body and she pulled him down for another kiss. She felt his lips curve up underneath hers, his hands skimming the bare skin of her back, causing goosebumps to appear despite the heat.

Dean sucked in a breath as he pulled away. "I could kiss you all day," he said, his voice low, "but there are children around."

Sophia closed her eyes and pouted. "It fucking sucks."

Dean chuckled and sat down, tugging her down beside him. With a groan that sent Sophia's ovaries into a frenzy, he laid back, closing his eyes against the bright sun.

"How was work?" she asked him.

But Sophia already knew the answer the moment she asked the question. Dean always got the same look on his face when they lost someone on a call.

Sophia laid down next to him on her side, propping her head up on her hand. She leaned down and pressed a kiss on his shoulder. "You okay?" she asked him quietly.

Dean opened his eyes and turned his head toward her. "I'm here with you," he replied. "Of course, I'm okay."

Sophia knew exactly how he felt.

She lay down on her back, the two of them in comfortable silence, hands intertwined. Sophia was intensely aware of Dean's fingers interlocked with her own, the way his thumb moved in lazy circles across the back of her hand, how the pads of his fingertip pressed into her skin, sending small jolts of electricity up her arm.

It was rare that he wasn't touching her, in some shape or form. Even if it was just one of his pinkies hooked around hers, Dean liked having that contact. And while it took Sophia a little while to get used to it, now she couldn't imagine spending time with him and not always having some sort of physical connection.

"Come on." Sophia sat up and tugged on his hand. "I want to go in the water."

Dean shot her an amused look but then got to his feet, taking off his shirt and then pulling her up with him. Not wasting another moment, Sophia took off at an almost run toward the water line, half dragging Dean behind her.

Now he just knows how much of your ass you're showing to the entire beach.

Sophia was glad that she was facing away from Dean when the intrusive thought popped into her mind. She knew he would have been able to read that something was wrong just from the minuscule change in her expression.

No. Sophia worked to challenge the negative thought. He more than likely was appreciating the view and wasn't even thinking about everyone else on the beach at the moment.

Sophia turned around, a smile back on her face, just as they hit the water line. Dean came up next to her, hand skimming her bare back, and Sophia gasped as a wave crashed against her chest, knocking her back slightly.

"Cold?" Dean teased her. The wave had broken around him like it was nothing.

"Not as cold as up north," she shot back. "Come on. Let's go farther out."

They waded deeper into the water, bracing themselves as waves crashed over them. Or, Sophia braced herself and somehow managed to remain standing. Dean seemed to have no problem whatsoever.

Sophia went under, clinging to Dean's arm as a wave finally made her lose her footing. Gasping for air, she came back up, Dean's hand firmly on her upper arm but his chest rumbling in an easy chuckle.

"Oh, shut up," Sophia grumbled. "It's not fair that you're built like a brick wall."

Dean glanced toward the shore. "Think we're far enough away from the children?" he asked.

"I think so." Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, pressing her lips to the saltiness of his just as another wave crashed into them. Dean's arms gripped tightly around her, steadying them against the water.

As much as Sophia loved touching him, it was getting harder and harder to keep from going further. Ever since the power outage, they hadn't done anything besides make out, hands roaming underneath shirts but over underwear. In all honestly, if Sophia found herself in a position anything like what happened the day the power went out, she wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself from doing everything her body craved to do with him.

And more and more, Sophia found herself wondering what was stopping her. She trusted him, was incredibly attracted to him, and was more comfortable around him than any other man she had ever met. Not to mention, he had made it clear that sex to him was about more than just his own pleasure.

Dean pulled back, his hand brushing through Sophia's tangled hair. "God, you're so beautiful," he said, his eyes skating over her.

As usual, when he made a comment of that sort, Sophia felt a deep blush coming up on her face. In the past, those remarks had always been followed with a 'but.' But with Dean, the statement was always unconditional.

Her body pressed against him, her breasts flattened against his chest, one of his hands pulling her hips against his. And as usual, whenever their bodies were flush against each other, Sophia could feel the effect in between her legs and in the way her nipples tightened, now pressing against the thin material of her swimsuit.

She took a few steps back and then a few out further into the ocean, willing herself to calm down before she did something rash. Dean came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her body and resting his chin on top of her head.

"This is where we first met," Sophia murmured as she leaned her head back against Dean's chest.

She felt him still under her. "Soph, we met on Santa Monica Pier."

"Ah, pretty sure the first time I saw you was when you cannonballed off of Santa Monica Pier," Sophia argued. "Case in point, we met in the Pacific Ocean."

She felt his chest vibrate. "Fair point," Dean conceded. "Best decision of my life."

Sophia privately agreed.

"I know you would never promise to do something like that again, because I know you would in a heartbeat," Dean continued, "but do me a favor, and try to only do stuff like that when I'm there. It was scary enough watching you go over the edge by yourself when I didn't know you, but now..." he trailed off, but Sophia didn't need him to continue you. The swarm of butterflies that appeared in her stomach was already in enough of a frenzy.

She turned around in his arms. "I promise to try to only do crazy things when you can do them with me," she swore. "Although the keyword is 'try,' here."

Dean just shook his head. "Fair enough."

They stood wrapped in each other's arms for a few moments, and as the seconds passed by, Sophia ached more and more for him. It was hard for her not to, as she stood in front of him, his strong arms surrounding her, his hands trailing over her skin, his firm chest glistening with seawater in the sun. And his eyes, his dark eyes, staring into her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That would be enough to make anyone swoon.

"Hey, Dean?" Sophia said when she finally couldn't take it any longer. "Do you want to head back to your place?"

Dean's eyes darkened. "I thought you'd never ask," he breathed. And this time, it was he who led them back up to shore.

***

It took a lot of self-control on both of their parts to make it back to Dean's without jumping each other, but the moment his apartment door closed, Sophia pulled him down to her and his hands went under her hips. A moment later, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands gripping his shoulders, and his tongue exploring her mouth.

All of their pent-up energy from the past few weeks was coming out, right here and now. She knew exactly where he was taking her as he carried her down the hall, and it only served to increase the pressure between her legs.

Dean set her down as they reached his bedroom, and Sophia took charge, grabbing the hem of her t-shirt and pulling it up and over her head. Dean let out a small growl in frustration.

"I wanted to do that," he said in a low murmur, his eyes skating over her.

Sophia smirked. "You can do the bottom half, then."

With that invitation, Sophia's shorts were gone in an instant, and she stood in front of him once again only in her bikini. But now, in Dean's bedroom, it felt completely different to be mostly naked in front of him compared to on a public beach.

Sophia couldn't get enough of the high that the feeling gave her.

Dean's shirt joined Sophia's clothing on the ground, and then she was flat on her back on his bed, his weight pressing down on top of her. One hand gripping her thigh and another on her breast, Dean slid his tongue back into her mouth, but Sophia knew that he wouldn't go any farther without prompting.

She arched her back, pressing herself farther into him while snaking her hand around to the tie of her bikini. With a single tug, she pulled it loose.

"Soph," Dean said in a strangled whisper as her swimsuit top loosened over her skin.

"Take it off, Dean," Sophia said, her own voice hushed.

Dean ran his hands up her waist and then pushed the swimsuit top over her head, throwing it to the side. His eyes dropped from her face to her bare breasts, firm with arousal, and his lips parted.

"I honestly think I'm dreaming right now," Dean murmured.

Sophia chuckled, but her laughter was cut off as Dean's mouth kissed the top of her breast. Her breath hitched as he slowly moved down, and then she let out a small moan as he licked her nipple and then put his whole mouth over it and sucked.

Her head arched back and she let out a sigh of relief. Her hips grinded into his, feeling his erection put pressure against her clit. Dean moaned against her chest. "Fuck, Sophia, that feels so fucking good."

And they weren't even completely undressed yet.

"Take off your shorts," Sophia ordered.

Dean's eyes widened at her assertiveness but had no problem with doing exactly what she ordered. But Sophia didn't have time to marvel at him, a moment later he was back on top of her.

Now, the only thing separating them was Sophia's thin swimsuit bottom. With one hand on her breast and the other on her hip, Dean looked into her eyes, the obvious question written on his face.

"I'm ready for you, Dean," Sophia said, her voice husky and low. "God, I want you."

Everything turned fast and desperate. Dean's mouth met her chest and moved down, kissing and licking and sucking until he reached the spot on her stomach just above the bikini bottom. With a growl of frustration, Dean yanked them down.

Graham's hands bunched the fabric of Sophia's swimsuit in his hands and he yanked it off of her, throwing it to the side. He lay on top of her, pinning her to the mattress as he took control of both of their movements.

"You're fucking mine, Sophia," he growled, anger shining brightly in his eyes. "No one else should even be allowed to look at you."

Sophia's heart hammered in her chest, but she knew that this would help reassure him, keep him from being insecure about their relationship. And that's all she wanted, him to know that she had no intention of being with anyone else.

He kissed her roughly, and when she tried to run a hand through his hair, he grabbed it and pinned it to the bed. Apparently, he needed to be in control today. Complete control.

"If you're going to act like a slut in public, you might as well obey me in private," Graham said. "Like I said, you're mine, and you need to remember that."

Sophia let out a small, strangled cry and yanked the swimsuit back up. She bunched up her legs to her chest, pushing Dean away from her. In a split second, he was off of her, standing by the bed, staring down at her with fear in his eyes.

It took her a moment to gather herself as she came out of the memory, pushing Graham's voice out of her head. Curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her knees, she finally met Dean's eyes.

And then she burst into tears.