Cass giggled as she ran across the wet sand, dropping her bra and panties behind her onto the deserted beach. Her feet made little splashes as she ran into the chilly surf. Once the water deepened, she began to swim with strong, confident strokes. After swimming a couple dozen yards, Cass tested the depth with pointed toes and was satisfied that she could still touch sand. She turned in the shoulder-deep water to face the squeals and gleeful shouts on the shore behind her, barely making out her friends’ silhouettes in the moonlight.

“Hey guys! Come on in! The water’s great!” she yelled. They had just arrived in the seaside town on a train from Barcelona an hour or two ago. After a few drinks, everyone decided they couldn’t wait until morning, or until their swimsuits were unpacked, for a quick dip. A satisfied grin spread across her face as she surveyed the group. She had organized the villa rental as a sort of last blast before the group of college friends scattered to begin their respective careers after a summer spent traveling.

It had worked out in the end, but it wasn’t easy for the nine friends to coordinate their plans. Each of them had traveled from their northeastern university to Europe on a different itinerary: Jed and Jeremy, former roommates who had been traveling Western Europe together for the last few weeks, visiting as many music festivals and smoking as much weed as possible; charming Sam, who had flown straight here from school, chilling out and strumming his guitar; Noah, her best guy friend from college and maybe the one she shouldn’t have let get away; Mara and Lainey, former roommates and generally cool chicks who usually hung with this group of guys and occasionally with Cass; dear Lola, all around wackadoo, and Lola’s best friend Caroline, who was always hilarious except when she was depressed.

Last but certainly not least, there was Cass’s best friend, Danica, with whom Cass had been traveling for two weeks now, and fighting since Madrid. Really, it was more of a détente. Her brows knit in a momentary frown as she considered the likelihood they would make up before leaving the Costa Brava. Slim to none, she decided, unless Cass sucked it up and apologized. God knows she wasn’t going to hear an apology from Danica. Cass decided for what seemed the hundredth time that she just wasn’t willing to do it right now. Friendship was supposed to go both ways and she was sick of Danica’s bullshit.

Cass quickly dipped her head back into the water to clear the hair from her face. She felt sexy and free without clothes, her naughty bits rubbing together as she moved through the water. As her head came back up, she felt something brush against her bare thigh, and froze. Shark? No way. In her characteristic paranoia, she had already read up on sharks of the Med, and knew that sightings were quite rare. Like not for over 20 years. Jellyfish? Her heart sped up. Maybe, and that could still be really dangerous.

Suddenly a sinewy arm came from behind and wrapped itself around her waist in a vise-like grip, a hand on her breast. OK, not a jellyfish, but…Cass began breathing faster. “Noah?” He had never done anything like this before, and this newfound forcefulness was hot.

A stubbly chin rested where her neck joined her shoulder and her shiver was more like a convulsion. Hello erogenous zone! “No. I’m Lex. I thought you were a mermaid.” His low, deeply resonant voice was not without humor. Cass panicked and turned to face her assailant, not quite breaking free from his strong arm, which still held her close. The tanned skin, the chiseled jaw, the high cheekbones; none of these registered with her at first because underwater something stiff and slippery pressed against her thigh…was that the stranger’s—Lex’s—cock? It was the slickest, most slippery cock she had ever felt, and both its length and girth were astonishing. Oh. My. God. She felt a warmth spreading from between her legs.

Still, she was indignant at being manhandled, and a little scared. “What the hell are you doing?!?” Cass wondered if he was going to pull her under, maybe a combination rape/murder by drowning, and she began to scream. He flashed white teeth and bright blue eyes for just a moment before he disappeared under the water. She waited for him to come back up, but there was no sign of him. “What the fuck?”

There was something familiar—and hot—about this stranger. She had to admit that she wanted him, and now she was almost sorry he was gone, despite the creepy interaction they just had. Maybe it was an accident—maybe he had thought she was someone else. They could have made up, gotten to know each other, exchanged numbers. But then she considered that, right before he went under, he looked almost…feral. Maybe she wasn’t sorry.

Noah swam up first. He was a strong swimmer. “What happened, Cass? Are you OK?”

“Huh? Didn’t you see him?”

“Who?”

“Oh my god…A naked stranger just grabbed me. I felt … I felt his dick brush up against me.” A thrill shot through her shudder.

“What?” his face reflected disbelief.

“You didn’t see him?” She was beside herself.

“Nooo …”

“But he was right here! I mean, how could you miss him?” She shuddered, a bit more dramatically than necessary.

“Are you sure there was someone here? The moon’s pretty bright. I think we would’ve seen him—unless he held his breath for an exceedingly long time.” He spoke in a wry tone that was de rigueur among his group of guy friends, falling just short of mocking.

“I guess. I don’t think I imagined it. Do you think I was hallucinating?”

“Definitely,” he chuckled gently. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” Now he was mocking.

She pushed him playfully on the shoulder, a bit giddy from her earlier run-in. Their naked bodies brushed together momentarily and she felt his substantial hardness brush against her hip just as her heavy breasts brushed his chest. He paused for a moment and gave her a hard look before the mood broke. He lightly dunked her and then swam away as she pursued him, both laughing. A little faster than she would have liked, they were joined by the rest of the group. Yet another Noah and Cass flirtation without action. She sighed and wondered if they would ever hook up.

She had recently learned that, apparently, all of his boys assumed they’d slept together at some point in their three-year friendship. She couldn’t blame them. The guys had watched the two of them retreat to his room together, alone, several times, and had even walked in on the pair in bed together. Little did the guys know, however, that, though they’d cuddled many times, Cass and Noah had never even kissed.

The group reminisced about the past week’s travels as they laughed and splashed in the moonlight. For a few moments Cass felt apart from her friends, as if she was floating above them and eavesdropping, rather than part of the group. She dove under and swam a couple of body lengths, but the silence of the pitch-black seawater was too eerie for her. As she broke the surface she overheard Jeremy tease Mara about sharks as he grabbed her ass, and she watched Lola’s and Sam’s bodies intertwine—they couldn’t get any closer—as they explored each other’s mouths with their tongues, her breast in his hand and his thumb gently rubbing a stiff pink nipple.

The group played for another few minutes and then Caroline got a leg cramp and they all decided to head back up to the villa. As they filed up the rocky hill path, Cass closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the scent of night-blooming flowers.

Noah came up behind her and gently put a hand on the small of her back to help her up the steepest part of the path. In the face of this typical thoughtful gesture, she asked herself why they couldn’t get it together. In many ways, she blamed herself. Cass always knew he had a major thing for her, and he was not unattractive. In fact, though he had never made a move, she considered going for it herself, many times. But she feared she might change her mind after hooking up, thereby ruining their special friendship, and she was too self-righteous to comfortably play the bad guy.

By the time they returned to the villa, the group’s big travel day had finally caught up with them, and everyone was ready to hit the hay, or, hit it, at least in the case of Lola and Sam, who had just retreated into a bedroom together. Cass noted Jeremy and Mara were also now kissing in the hallway.

As Cass grabbed her stuff and got ready to drag it up to her room, Noah stared at her with puppy eyes. She could almost taste his vulnerability. Whether he finally wanted to consummate their relationship, or just wanted another cuddle fest, Cass ignored his plaintive glances.

The handsome stranger had her hot and bothered, and she preferred to scratch her own itch. Unlike Noah, self-pleasure was a sure thing, and anyway, a drunken hookup with Noah tonight seemed like a bad idea. She knew he must think she was toying with his emotions—how else to explain their increasing distance over the past several months?—but it was probably for the best. She couldn’t bear the thought of hurting him, though maybe she already had.

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The house was quiet by the time Cass slipped under the duvet cover and sunk into a mountain of pillows…all except for the faint but unmistakable grunts and moans from Sam and Lola or Jeremy and Mara that were now filtering through her open balcony doors. As she concentrated on the stranger’s face, Cass’s cool fingers slipped under the waistband of her silk panties, and slowly moved between her legs. She slipped the panties and her tank top off so she was naked, wanting to feel that same bareness she experienced while skinny dipping. Cass began gently rubbing her clit, already wet after hearing her friends getting it on.

Cass imagined the stranger’s hands on her full breasts, sliding down her torso to slip between her legs. Her breaths came faster as two fingers disappeared into her swollen vulva, while she used three fingers of the other hand to stroke her wet clit. In her mind’s eye, he turned her around and now they were face to face, pressing their bodies together. That’s when she first noticed he didn’t have legs—only a giant fish’s tail that swooped gently from side to side in the depths below her. “Mmm…is that a tail?”

“Yes…does that bother you?”

“No…I think it’s hot.”

His enormous member retracted from his body, unlike anything she had ever seen, and he slipped it between her legs, rubbing teasingly against her slit. The friction of the slippery cock rubbing against her pussy delighted her, but in this fantasy, she quickly grew desperate to have him inside of her.

Before long, she was begging: “Lex! Fuck me! Please, fuck me!” She realized too late that she had just cried out those words aloud, and froze. Cass blushed a little when she considered her friends might have heard through the villa’s many open windows. When a few moments passed without any response, Cass re-focused on her pleasure. In her mind, Cass began pressing her fingernails hard into Lex’s back, and finally, he slowly, tantalizingly pushed his impossibly thick, slippery cock deep inside of her, while kissing her roughly.

As Cass continued to lie in the bed imagining this scene, she moaned and keened, her fingers sliding rhythmically in and out of her dripping wet pussy. Cass began writhing on the bed but never stopped massaging the little nub, the movements coming harder and faster as she imagined him pounding into her, over and over again. She held her breath once, twice, again, felt the pleasure building, imagined his cock in, and out, hard, thrusting, felt the orgasm building, building, and then it crashed over her as he shot cum deep inside of her.

For several minutes Cass waited for her own panting to stop, imagining that Lex cradled her. “Oh, Lex.” She sighed aloud. As her breath slowed down, she began drifting off to sleep, a wide smile on her face.

In what felt like just a few minutes later, Cass awakened to the wind banging against her balcony door. The Mediterranean night air was still warm, but a brisk breeze rustled the trees outside. What time was it? Was it raining? Did she need to close the balcony door? She rolled over in the bed and opened her eyes a crack. A male silhouette stood out in the moonlight, just an arm’s length from her bed. She gasped in terror, and he quickly put a hand over her mouth.

“Shh. It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” She recognized the voice from somewhere…“I’m Lex. From the beach.” He continued to hold her gaze as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth. She stared at him. “I know you remember me. I heard you say my name…a few times.” He raised an eyebrow.

She blushed a deep crimson. “Were you watching me just now?”

“Yes. I know what you were thinking about, and how good it felt, by the way you cried out…”

“Why were you watching me touch myself?”

“Because I couldn’t stop watching you, Cassandra.” How did he know her name? Had he been hanging around outside, listening, all night?

He lay down on the bed next to her, staring intently at her with his light blue eyes. “I want what you want.” She shook her head to clear it. She shouldn’t let him stay here. She should scream bloody murder. She didn’t know this guy, and wasn’t this breaking and entering? Or didn’t it count because the balcony door had been open?

“You don’t know what I want.” She wasn’t sure what he planned, and, whatever it was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop him.

“I do. You want me.” He said simply. “Don’t deny it. I heard you.” She kept staring at him dumbly, a prickling sensation between her legs, then looked down and suddenly remembered that she was completely naked. Mortified, she reached for the duvet to cover herself, but he stopped her with one hand. At this moment, she realized, both her mind and body were laid bare for him.

“Please. Don’t. I want to look at you.” She was ambivalent with shame and arousal. The prickling grew stronger, became nearly unbearable, and she almost touched herself again, just to feel some release. But finally it was his finger that lazily traced the curve of her breast, down her ribcage, over her pelvis, and into the tangle of hair between her legs.

“Mmm. You’re so wet! Did thinking about me make you wet?”

She blushed deeper. “No.” She paused. ”I mean, maybe.”

He grasped her hand in his, and whispered, his lips brushing her ear, “Let me tell you a secret: watching you come makes me hard. Feel how hard you make me.” As he spoke he moved her hand downward to grip that impossibly long and thick cock. She tested its girth and noted she couldn’t even encircle it with her two longest fingers. They didn’t even come close to meeting at the fingertips. She looked down at his cock with curiosity. It stood at attention, bending back so far it touched his belly. She wondered for a moment what it would feel like inside of her. He would probably break her in two.

“So…um…did you see and hear that whole thing? Me. Earlier.”

“Mmm hmm.” He murmured. “Don’t be ashamed. I liked how deep you put your fingers inside of yourself, and how hard and fast you moved your body just before you came. Will you move like that with me when I put my cock inside of you?”

His hand rhythmically rubbed her clit, now even wetter than before, as his other hand played with her erect nipple. He pinched the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and then knelt to taste it, teasing it with his lips and bathing it with strokes of his tongue. The licking, and now sucking, on her nipple made her gasp, and her pelvic floor contracted. It felt like a flower blooming, in time lapse.

Lex slipped two fingers past her swollen vulva and deep inside of her. Then he began exploring her from the inside until he found her G-spot. Lex’s thumb rubbed her there, vigorously, while he rubbed circles on her wet clit.

She was almost immediately on the brink of orgasm, and found it hard to catch her breath. Lex stopped abruptly and turned her over, face down on the bed.

He stretched his entire body length over her, his muscular chest against her back, the hard cock between her ass cheeks. He moved his body up and down, penis rubbing against her ass. His hands pinned her wrists to the bed. He moved his cock down between her legs, rubbing against her slit. Cass moaned. Then Lex was kissing the back of her neck, her most sensitive spot. She cried out as he bit her at the base of her hairline without stopping the unbearably pleasurable friction between his cock and her slit.

Lex turned her over so she lay on her back, face up, and he pressed the front of his muscular body against hers. Her breasts crushed against his chest and his erect cock nestled directly into her vulva. They rubbed their bodies together a few times, her nipples, hard and round like pearls, skipping against his strong chest. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain self-possession. It was becoming increasingly more difficult.

He pulled away slightly, found her mouth, and caught her soft lips between his strong ones. She dipped her tongue into his mouth as if tasting honey. He gently bit her lower lip and slipped his tongue into her mouth, slow and sly. She immediately crushed his lips with her own. They explored each other’s mouths, their tongues slowly moving in and out.

Cass realized Lex had begun slipping the tip of his penis between the folds of her labia. He was almost inside her when he stopped and stared into her green eyes, his bright blue ones burning the question into her. For a moment she considered the fact that she had no condom. Maybe he did. “Do you have something?”

“No. But don’t worry about it.” That wasn’t really an answer, and she certainly didn’t want to get pregnant. But she wanted him badly. She nodded and he began slipping it in…tantalizingly slow. Even with her wetness, it hurt, but it was a sweet pain. He paused when he was about halfway in. Then, without warning, he plunged the massive cock deeply into her. She gasped in shock, then sighed roughly as he filled her completely…and then some.

She felt Lex’s enormous cock stretch her almost to the breaking point. It hurt—but the pleasure was a thousand times the pain. He looked into her eyes, “am I hurting you?” he asked, concerned.

“No.” she lied. “You feel incredible inside of me.” This part, at least, was true. His cock touched all of her vagina walls at once, simultaneously pressing against both her G-spot, and her clitoris. It was so good—his girth was such that it would have felt incredible even if she hadn’t moved at all. As it was, she could barely get the words out. She felt she would go wild with the pleasure.

After a few minutes of feeling their bodies move together, he rolled her over and they flipped, Cass on top. She sat back a bit on her heels, silently thanking her yoga instructor. He penetrated deeper at this angle, and could see much more. In the mirror next to the bed, she watched herself, and him, as he thrust with a hard jerk, pulled his cock almost all the way out, and then thrust it into her once again. Cass could tell from Lex’s face that he liked what he saw as he watched her breasts jiggle, then cupped them in his hands, smiling devilishly. Almost without warning, he slapped her ass, hard, which only further inflamed her.

Cass and Lex almost telepathically anticipated each other’s rhythm, as if they had done this a hundred times before. She noted how well their bodies fit, moving silently together, only their rapid breathing giving them away. Their movements sped up, her ass cheeks filling his hands completely as she rode his cock faster and rougher. Cass heard him moan, unable to contain his need, and she gasped as his hard thrusts drove the massive member deeper and deeper inside of her. She panted, yearning desperately for release.

The look on his face intensified. “I’m going to come.” She lowered herself to feel their bodies together. She held her breath and tensed a bit, wanting to hasten her own orgasm so they could come together.

He cried out, and drove into her, ever faster and harder. Suddenly, Cass felt herself coming to her peak, and pausing there for a few blissful seconds. She was dizzy, and it felt like her heart had stopped. Then she began falling, falling, and crashing with a colossal release, her vagina contracting powerfully. At the same time, Lex cried out again, more loudly this time. With a few more powerful thrusts, he pumped his warm juices into her, just as her own throbbing orgasm began to abate.

They both sighed and Lex pulled Cass closer to him. They lay together like that for long minutes, his arm beneath Cass and Cass nestled into his chest, their heartbeats slowing.

“How was that?” he inquired.

“Amazing.” she gasped. It had been an unforgettable night of pleasure, and she drifted off almost immediately, nestled into his chest.

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The sun was high in the sky when Cass woke up, and Lex was gone. She sighed, and wondered for a few minutes whether she had dreamt the whole thing. As she stretched and felt the sweet soreness between her legs, she realized it had all been real, and she smiled with pleasure. She was not entirely surprised by his disappearance this morning, though slightly dismayed. No question, he could be abrupt.

Cass fervently hoped to see him again soon as she quickly pulled on some clothes and rushed downstairs.

She wondered if it was earlier, or later, than she thought when she got downstairs and no one was there but Lola, glowering over a cup of coffee. Hungover, or homicidal? She wondered what was on Lola’s mind this morning. Cass was relieved to see Caroline stroll in. She was bound to perk up Lola’s foul mood.

“Hey, guys. Morning! What’s up?” Cass forced herself to sound chipper, even though she wasn’t sure yet what kind of crowd she was facing.

“Nothing.” Lola muttered.

“Morning, Cass! Do you know where everyone went?” Caroline was practically yelling.

“No…are they gone?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“They went to some seaside cafe. For brunch.” Lola looked pissed.

“Café de la Playa? How long ago did they leave?” Cass asked, bemused.

“Yeah, I think so. Like 15 minutes ago.”

“Well, that’s really not much of a brunch place. It’s more of a lounge. But let’s go find them.”

During the walk Cass gathered that Lola was pissed the rest of the group had left without them, and that she had even tried to persuade them to stay a few more minutes, but to no avail. She also picked up on some other undertones of frustration—perhaps Sam’s passion toward Lola had dissipated in the cold light of day.

Cass wondered briefly if it would be the same with herself and Lex. Who was she kidding? She’d be lucky to ever see him again. Despite their intense coupling, and her warm feelings toward him when she woke up this morning, she had to admit to herself that it was probably a momentary fling, and nothing more. Isn’t that what European vacations are for, anyway?

As they carefully walked down the steep downhill road that led to the small town’s largest beach, the three friends spotted a dark-haired, fiftysomething woman sitting at a card table by the side of the road. They didn’t see her until they were almost upon her, as she sat behind some bushes at a bend in the road. The fortuneteller wore leopard-print spandex that barely contained her tan, wrinkly breasts, and lots of dark eyeliner. Cass understood “fortune” in Spanish. Lola understood her better and crowed with laughter, the dark mood gone. “Guys, she wants to read our fortunes. Let’s do it!”

Caroline and Cass both shrugged and they began negotiating with the woman. 25 Euros each was the final price. Caroline declined, but Lola and Cass decided to do it. Lola was really into this sort of thing, and Cass found her enthusiasm infectious. Everyone listened as the woman read Lola’s fortune in Spanish. Something about being in love with a guy for years, and finally getting what she wanted. She just needed a little more patience. Lola was positively giddy.

“Could she be more generic?” Caroline was irritated.

“Shh. She was so detailed. She said he was dark-haired, and that his first initial starts with ‘S.’”

“Yeah, after guessing ‘T’ and ‘R’ first.”

“Whatever.” Lola rolled her eyes.

It was Cass’s turn. She stepped over to the fortune teller, who had Cass shuffle the cards. She began to lay them out, and then looked up at Cass with an ominous look in her eyes.

“Peligro. Peligro del agua.” Cass thought she said “danger from the water.” The fortune teller went on to say more, something about a man who meant her harm, a man with dark hair. She thought she caught the word “Sireno.” Was that like, a fire engine siren? An ambulance siren? Was some guy going to put her in an ambulance? Or was it the water that would do that? It was particularly creepy because she had a few extended family members who had drowned, and sometimes it felt like a family curse. At least, that’s what her cousin said. She shivered.

“Guys. Guys. What is she saying?” Cass interrupted Caroline and Lola, who were still griping at each other over the fortune teller’s earlier pronouncements. They ignored her. “Guys! Would you stop arguing and come over here for a minute please?” As Cass raised her voice, Lola and Caroline stopped and stared at her. She gestured at the fortune teller. “Repite, por favor.”

But the woman had crossed her arms and would say no more. She looked at Cass with wild eyes and shook her head.

“Fine. Then I’m not going to pay you.” The woman held up a hand and said something. Cass thought she was trying to tell them to leave. Lola held up some cash, but the woman wouldn’t take it. She shooed them away. Lola shrugged and they all started walking quickly down the hill, hungry now and eager to catch their friends.

“That was weird. Why wouldn’t she take my money?” Lola wondered.

“I thought it was kind of creepy, what she said, and then how she acted after she read my fortune.” Cass mused.

“What did she say?” Lola asked.

“Something about danger in the water, a dangerous dark-haired man.” Cass was thoroughly spooked, and began walking faster. She heard Caroline’s snort of derision behind her, and sped up even more. The trees here were thick enough that they walked in shadow.

“You guys know that’s bullshit, right? She’s just a gypsy, trying to make a buck.” Caroline was scornful. Lola was quiet.

“Maybe.” Cass said tightly. The shadows gave way to sunlight after a few moments, and as they came around another bend, they could see the beach and the many seaside cafes, bars, and shops scattered on the shore below them. In the full light of the sun, her fears seemed silly. “OK. I guess you’re right. Maybe I should stop freaking myself out.” Caroline nodded and raised her eyebrows. Lola remained silent. They began walking down the ancient stairs carved in the cliff side.

Cass heard loud ambient music as they approached the Café de la Playa, wondering for a wild moment if she might run into Lex while she was here, and what she would say if she did. She entered the gates of the seaside café, and scanned. No Lex.

Cass did see their friends, though, in front of a few large wrought iron tables that had been pushed together. The remains of what looked like hummus and pita, and some leftover sushi were spread in front of them. As she neared the group, Lola and Caroline joined Noah and Danica at one end. Cass sat near Sam and Jeremy at the other end, and noticed a couple of unfamiliar guys had joined them. Sam and one of the guys apparently knew each other, and animatedly discussed a soccer match in Spanish.

The other guy looked up at her as she approached, and held her gaze. He had dark black hair; eyelashes so thick he seemed to be wearing eyeliner; tanned skin; dark eyes; fine, strong bones in his face; and a Roman nose: not tiny, with a slight curve. He was exactly her type. She felt a flutter in her chest as she stared back at him. “Hey, Cass.” Sam broke in. “This is Javier and Juan Carlos. I met Juan on the train a few weeks ago and we hung out together in Amsterdam. Dude, I can’t believe we ended up meeting up again. It’s crazy!”

“Hola,” she said shyly, holding out her hand. “Soy Cass.” Javier took her hand and drew her in closer, kissing her on each cheek. “Mucho gusto. Soy Javier.” He dropped her hand slowly, continuing to look into her eyes.

“Much gusto,” Juan Carlos double cheek kissed her as well, but somehow it felt much less intimate.

“Do you speak English?” she asked Javier casually. She was fully aware that her Spanish wasn’t good enough to carry on a conversation for any extended period of time.

“Mmm hmm. I went to university in the U.S.” Yes!

“Where?”

“UC Santa Barbara.”

“Nice. Is that near the beach?”

“It’s bordered by the Pacific on three sides. There’s water everywhere you turn.”

“Mmm. That sounds amazing.”

“Do you like the water?”

“I live for it. I sail, surf, scuba dive, and I used to be a swim instructor, swim coach, and lifeguard.”

“Me, too! I’m scuba certified, and I sail. You should come out on Juan Carlos’s family boat sometime.”

“I’d love that. So, how do you two know each other—you and Juan Carlos?”

“We actually met pretty recently. Maybe a year ago? On the beach. We both sail, so, I race with him sometimes.”

“Which position?”

“Foredeck.”

“Tricky.”

He told a few stories about some races, and some Mediterranean island hopping they had done. As he spoke she stared at his white teeth, his soft lips, his impossibly long eyelashes. She thought he noticed her staring at him, and he smiled back at her several times, feeding off her giddiness with his own. The rest of the table carried on their own conversations as if the two of them weren’t there.

Cass admitted to herself that she was powerfully drawn to this man…and man he was. Nothing like the college boys she was used to. She wondered if Javier would ever be interested in her, then considered that maybe he already was, as he again flashed that irresistible smile. She briefly registered that Noah was scowling at the other end of the table, but quickly dismissed it. This was her vacation, and he didn’t own her. She would deal with him later.

Javier suddenly put both of his hands on the table. “So,” he looked a little nervous. Him? Nervous? Around her? She looked at him expectantly. “Juan Carlos is having a party at his parent’s house this afternoon. You and your friends are all invited.”

She smiled back at him shyly. “I’d love to. We’d love to. What time?”

“Why don’t you stop by around 5pm? It should go late. Oh, and bring your swimsuit.”

“We will.” She bit her lip for a minute. Would she be able to convince her friends that they had to go? With Noah’s and Danica’s moodiness, which seemed to involve some animus toward her, maybe not. With this weird little sexual tension between Sam and Lola, who now sat as far away from each other as possible, maybe not. But she would try.

Javier and Juan Carlos excused themselves. They had to start getting ready for the party. As he rose, Javier gave her one last, meaningful stare after getting up from the table, and whispered “I really hope you come tonight,” in her ear as he gave her a lingering cheek kiss. He was shorter than she had expected, with a wiry frame. In fact, he was probably a bit shorter than her five feet, nine inches. As he strode purposefully away, he moved with a compact confidence that she found incredibly sexy, height or not.

Cass did feel like a bit of a slut pursuing the next guy after the last had left her bed a scant few hours ago, but she rationalized it as normal behavior for post-graduation travel. She certainly had some steam to burn off, and as amazing as last night with Lex had been, she didn’t really expect to see him again. She chalked it up to one of those insane things you do before you go off and act respectable in the real world. The good thing was, the whole thing with Lex was a secret. No one even knew he existed! She could pretend it had never happened.

This guy, though. Javier. He had promise. She wasn’t going to let this one slip through her fingers.

**Stay tuned for Part 2: The Sea Cave. Both Rocky Shores and The Sea Cave are currently available at your favorite eBook retailer!**