"Awesome, everyone's set, so let's get going!" Stevo finally called out. I made sure not to turn around and look at the guy. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to know if he recognized me. I didn't want my body to react the way it did every time I looked at him. It felt so wrong, and yet at the same time, it felt so good. It felt naughty.

As we walked along the beach towards the surf, I began to silently thank G.o.d that Lisa hadn't decided to come with me today. I asked her before leaving, but she'd decided to sleep in. I could only imagine her reaction if she had. She would have instantly introduced me to the guy, told him how hot I thought he was, and suggested we go out for drinks after the lesson. Yes, it was definitely a lifesaver that Lisa hadn't shown up.

When we got down to the beach, Stevo got us all to put down our boards, so we could learn the positioning. I walked to the other side of the couple that had arrived after me, making sure I was on the far end.

We spent the next twenty minutes practicing jumping up on the surfboard, while Stevo came around and gave us tips and advice. It was tougher than I thought it would be, even with the board just sitting on the sand. I had years of balance practice from figure skating under my belt, but it had been so long since I had done anything that required any sort of balance skills that it felt like I was starting again from square one. Then, we got a bit of a talk about paddling out, choosing a wave, tips on how to catch the waves, and eventually Stevo invited us into the water to practice.

I quickly realized that there was no way I was going to be able to avoid the man completely in the water. We made eye contact after a couple of minutes, and he smiled at me. I thought I was going to melt. His smile was gorgeous, it felt like it sent rays of sunlight penetrating through my skin.

Does that mean he recognized me, or is he just being polite?

Before I got the chance to overa.n.a.lyze the situation to death, Stevo called me over.

"Caroline, you're up!" he announced. I swam over to him on my board. We were in waist deep water, the waves we were catching had to be less than six inches high, but they looked enormous to me.

"Alright. You remember everything we've done so far. Just don't panic, and don't worry if you fall, almost everyone falls their first time."

I nodded and looked out at the water. After a few seconds I saw a wave that looked promising. I turned and jumped up on my board, and the next thing I knew I was riding on the water! I must have been going about a mile an hour, but it felt like I was racing. I held my arms out, making sure to keep my balance, and the next thing I knew I had actually hit the beach. I had done it!

Jumping off my board, I grabbed it and ran into the water, getting high fives and cheers from some of the others in the group. Then Stevo called out "Mark" and the man whose name I now knew went out with his board.

I wasn't the least bit surprised when Mark found a wave and caught it almost instantly. He looked so athletic, so strong, I had even wondered if he should be in the beginner's group. At one point he just about lost his balance, coming only inches away from plunging into the surf, but saved himself at the very last second.

We spent the next hour in the surf, practicing on the little waves. After everyone had done a couple of waves with Stevo watching, we were invited to separate and find waves of our own. I ventured off a little ways from everyone else, not wanting to accidentally run into anyone. Slowly but surely I was getting the hang of this. I was getting used to it! This was awesome!

The time absolutely flew by. I guess it was probably only about ten minutes or so before the lesson was ending, but I was getting really confident. Maybe a little bit too confident. I decided I wanted to go a bit deeper, try and take on a wave that was a foot, maybe two feet high. It was going to be awesome!

I swam out further than before. It's not like I was in the deep or anything, the water wouldn't have been higher than me. But still, considering this was my first time ever surfing, it was a big thing for me.

Spotting a wave that looked pretty decent, I turned my board around, paddled with it and jumped up when I thought the time was right. Sure enough, I nailed it! It was awesome. I felt like I was flying, I felt like I was really surfing. Floating on the water, it was one of the best feelings I'd ever experienced in my life.

Then as I came in towards the sand, almost reaching the sh.o.r.e, my left foot suddenly slipped along the board. I tried to compensate by moving my body to the right, but it was too late. My board flew out from under me, and the last thing I remember was. .h.i.tting the water with a splash, and a horrendous pain in the back of my head.

When I woke up, I was on the beach, blurry faces over me. My throat felt like it was on fire. I coughed, and seawater came spewing out of my mouth. As I began to focus, I realized it was Stevo and Mark that were leaning over me.

"Are you alright there Caroline?" Stevo asked. I groaned, then nodded. My head was throbbing, so much so that I couldn't even care that Mark had just seen me cough up seawater onto my bathing suit. Oh G.o.d, why did I choose the one piece?

"What happened?" I finally managed to mumble, my throat feeling raspy and sore.

"You were right by the sand, it looked like you lost your footing," Mark replied. "You fell off the board, and hit your head. The water was less than a foot deep where you went in. I was the closest person to you, when you didn't get up right away I came and got you, and Steve did first aid."

"Thank... thank you, both of you," I replied, thoughts swirling in my head. Everything was slowly starting to make sense again, and the more I realized exactly what had happened, the more embarra.s.sed I got.

Here I was, lying on the beach because I fell off a surfboard and hit my head in a foot of water. I couldn't believe it. I had made a complete and total idiot of myself. I had to get out of here. I had to go back to the hotel, forget this had happened at all, forget Mark existed, and go on with my life again.

I tried to get up, Stevo and Mark giving me a hand. The world spun and I took a few tentative steps.

"Are you alright, Caroline? I can call you an ambulance, if you want to go to the hospital. I suspect you've got a concussion," Stevo told me, but I shook my head. The only thing that could possibly be more embarra.s.sing than what had already happened was having to go to the hospital on top of it.

Besides, with every pa.s.sing second I was feeling better and better.

"No, thanks, I think it was just a bit of a shock, I'm feeling fine now," I replied, hoping my voice sounded confident.

"Let me at least take you back to the hotel. You can't say it's not on my way," Mark told me, flashing me that gorgeous smile that, even in the state I was in, couldn't help but send a heat rushing through me. s.h.i.t, he does recognize me I thought. There was really no way to get around this. It wasn't like I could say I didn't want him to go out of his road.

"Thank you. That sounds nice," I told him. "If you're busy though, I'll be fine. I'm feeling better already," I replied, flashing a smile of my own and hoping against all hope that he did have something else to do.

"Oh no, I'm on vacation, I don't have anything planned for the rest of the day." c.r.a.p. There goes that. I guess I'm going to have to actually do this, I'm going to have to walk back to the resort with the s.e.xiest guy I've ever spoken to.

My heart was pounding as I handed back my stuff to Stevo, he wished me luck and told me not to worry if I had to go to the hospital, then Mark and I headed back to the resort.

"So you're here on holidays?" he asked as we headed slowly back down the street. My headache was pretty much gone, and the more normal I felt, the more my embarra.s.sment meter went into overdrive.

"Yeah. Our branch won a contest run by the company, everyone in the branch won a week's vacation in Hawaii. Listen, thanks for getting me out of the water. It's pretty embarra.s.sing, I can't believe I did that."

"Don't worry about it. Everyone falls, some people just have worse luck when it comes to where they fell. It could have happened to anyone."

"I guess so. Didn't happen to you though."

"That's because I'm a sporting legend."

I looked up at him, surprised. "Seriously?"

Mark laughed, not in a mean spirited way, just the way people do when they're having a joke.

"Nah. I wish. Well, I used to wish, anyway. I wanted to be a professional football player when I was little. Of course, the fact that I was incapable of catching a ball got in the way of that dream."

I thought it was going to be the most awkward thing, walking back with Mark. I mean, I had never been a conversationalist for conversation's sake. I always thought of myself as awkward with strangers. On top of that, I didn't know if I could hide the fact that every fibre, every cell in my body was on fire, electricity pa.s.sing through me, desperate for Mark to touch me. I wanted his hands all over me. I wanted his tongue all over me. I wanted to give him free reign over my body, wanted him to bring me to new heights of pleasure I couldn't have fathomed in my wildest dreams, but under no circ.u.mstances could I let him know that. Absolutely not a chance.

It wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be though. Mark was one of those people who can have a conversation with literally anybody. The more we spoke, the more at ease I felt, even though I couldn't help but feel the pulsating desires in my body every time he looked at me.

"So where are you from?" he asked.

"Minneapolis. I'm a financial a.n.a.lyst."

"I don't think I've ever met a financial a.n.a.lyst that surfs."

"I wouldn't describe what I was doing out there as 'surfing'," I joked, and Mark threw his head back, laughing.

"You were fine. Honestly, I was impressed. You stayed on the board a lot better than most people."

"I used to figure skate when I was younger, I guess all that balancing paid off."

"Oh yeah, that definitely would help. Hey, listen, can I buy you a drink or lunch or something before we go back to the Hibiscus? I just want to make sure you're really fine before I leave you."

I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped open as soon as he asked me. Oh my G.o.d, close your mouth Caroline, you idiot! I scolded to myself as I forced my mouth closed and smiled at Mark in a way I hoped was charming.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," I replied. I refused to let myself say anything else. If I did, I knew I was going to put my foot in it. This crazy s.e.xy guy that had just rescued me on a beach in Hawaii was now asking me out? What the h.e.l.l was going on? This wasn't the sort of thing that happened to me, this was the sort of thing that happened on cheesy TV shows. It just didn't happen in real life. Especially not to me.

Get a hold of yourself. He just wants to make sure you're ok.

"Awesome, there's a bar I like over here, we'll get a great view over the beach," Mark replied, leading me towards a row of buildings. We pa.s.sed through a number of small shops before ending up almost on the beach, at a bar that sure enough, had an absolutely incredible view.

"Aloha, Mark," a beautiful woman with curly brown hair greeted Mark only seconds after we'd arrived. "Your usual seat?"

"Yes please, Alisa," Mark replied, and she led us straight to the rail, with a perfect view overlooking Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head.

"Wow, the view here's incredible!" I told Mark as I sat down. "You come here often, by the sound of things."

"Not as often as I like. I'm lucky that I get to work in Hawaii from time to time though. It's a beautiful place."

"So you're not here on holiday?"

Mark shook his head. "No, that was a little white lie. I work all around the west coast and Hawaii. Today's a day off though, so I wasn't lying when I said I didn't have anything to get back to. Usually I'm in San Diego."

"What is it that you do?"

"I help my dad run a couple companies, mainly," Mark replied.

For the first time I sensed a shadow forming across his face. I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me, something he wasn't happy with. I decided to change the subject.

"All these trips to Hawaii and you've never taken surfing lessons before?" I asked, and Mark grinned.

"Yeah, I guess I deserved that. Seriously though, it had never really interested me before. I'm a licensed scuba diver and I was even out doing some dives yesterday, but I'd never really considered surfing. My sister called my yesterday, we got to talking about it, she wished she could come to Hawaii and then asked me about it. She eventually said it was because I was too chicken, so I actually just went out today to prove her wrong," he finished, sheepishly. Oh G.o.d, he looked so adorable with that sheepish look on his face, I just wanted to grab him and kiss him everywhere.

Instead, I burst out laughing.

"Well, I guess you did show her!"

"Yeah, Stevo said he'd send me some photos he took so I could prove to her I did it."

We had a late lunch and a few drinks, sitting by the ocean, and the more time went on the more comfortable I was, and yet the more I needed Mark. It was like an all encompa.s.sing desire, taking over my body, inch by inch. My heart pounded when he looked at me. My s.e.x throbbed with desire. I could feel my bathing suit under my clothes, soaking wet even though I'd dried myself off after getting out of the water.

This wasn't me at all. I was career focused. I chose what I wanted to get out of life. I'd had enough of the choices in my life being made for me, I decided years ago that I would make my own decisions. And ever since that moment, I had. I had decided to finish high school, I had decided to pay my way through college. I had decided I would work two jobs to pay for it while minimizing my student loan balance, and I had decided I would get a good job when I was finished. I had also decided I was finished with men. Whenever I decided to do something, I did it. I had a one-track mind. And yet, right now, my body was telling me I wanted Mark without me deciding whether or not that was a good decision. What was going on?

Before I knew it, the sun was making its way towards the horizon as the blue of the ocean got a little bit deeper. I'd had a couple of drinks, but I definitely wasn't drunk. There might have been a little bit of a buzz, but I honestly wasn't sure. After all, every second I spent with Mark made me feel high, alcohol or no.

"I didn't realize how late it was," Mark sheepishly replied when I pointed out the time.

"Me neither. It was nice talking to you."

"Hey, no problem. Same here. Let me get you back to the resort."

When we finally got to the elevators, where we had met the first time, my heart froze with embarra.s.sment. More than anything, I didn't want Mark to mention me running straight into him, and to my relief, he didn't.

I was on the 22nd floor of the hotel, Mark on the 20th. The elevator slid silently upwards, carrying us up to our rooms. Presumably I would never see Mark again. After all, we were leaving in a couple of days. My heart pounded in my chest. We didn't speak. More than anything I wanted Mark to grab me, to take me right here in the elevator. My skin tingled as I imagined his touch on mine. Fire coursed through me as I imagined his lips all over me, exploring me, discovering my every curve, every inch of my skin.

The ding of the elevator snapped me out of my fantasy, the doors opening on the 20th floor.

"Thanks again for, you know, saving my life," I told Mark, trying to sound casual, jokingly.

"No problem," he told me, leaning in and planting his lips on mine. It was so unexpected, so sudden, and yet so nice. I closed my eyes and an involuntary moan escaped my lips as Mark's touched my own. I leaned in, pressing my b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his chest, desperate for more. Pleasure radiated through my body from my lips. This was everything I'd wanted, everything I'd needed all day.

That was all the invitation Mark needed. With a single quick, swift movement he grabbed my a.s.s and hoisted me upwards. I grabbed him, wrapping my legs around his waist, feeling his throbbing desire pressing in between my legs, and he carried me down the hallway towards his room.

I squealed with excitement as he unlocked the door. We didn't even get inside the doorway before Mark had me pressed up against the wall, his lips all over mine.

I closed my eyes as his lips roamed my body. His hands, so strong, kneaded the firm skin of my a.s.s, sending my body absolutely wild with desire. I had never wanted anything as much as I wanted this, right here, right now.

There was something so strong, so powerful about Mark. Maybe it was the way he had me pinned against the wall, my arms wrapped around his legs. The way he suddenly grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. I felt so helpless, I felt so weak, and yet it turned me on like I'd never experienced before.

His hands were so large, his arms so strong, he only needed one hand to pin both my wrists above my head. I let out a moan as his lips roamed, moving from my lips and down to my earlobe, nibbling it lightly, then down my jawline. I could feel my pulse against his lips, feel my heart going a million miles a minute. It felt like my heart was going to burst from the effort, but I hoped it wouldn't be until I got more of Mark.

"Oh G.o.d!" I cried out, without realizing it, as his lips moved to my neck. I leaned my head back, exposing my delicate skin to him, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Suddenly, I stopped.

"Wait!" I exclaimed. Mark stopped instantly, letting my hands go.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes full of concern. He didn't even seem to care that I'd just basically stopped us in the middle of what was bound to be amazing s.e.x.

"I... sorry... I just don't usually... do this sort... of thing," I muttered sheepishly. I could hear how stupid I sounded.

"What sort of thing?" Mark replied, obviously taking great pleasure in my embarra.s.sment.

"You know... like, casual s.e.x."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Let me know if you want to stop, ok?"

I nodded, and seconds later he was pressing against me once more. I knew then I didn't want to stop. I was never going to see Mark again after tonight, but as his mouth touched my skin, his fingers roaming towards the hem of my shirt, I knew I wanted this more than I'd ever wanted anything before.

His fingers nimbly grabbed the hem of my shirt. Seconds later it was on the floor, discarded and unwanted. For the fiftieth time that day I cursed my decision to bring the one piece. Why couldn't I have been wearing my s.e.xy bikini under this?

Still, it was too late now. Mark grabbed the straps of my suit and yanked them down over my shoulders, almost roughly. He was definitely in charge. He was taking control, and to my surprise, it turned me on. I didn't understand it. I always needed to be in control. So why was it that every time he took that control away my s.e.x got just a little bit wetter?

"I'm going to take you so hard, make you feel things you've never felt before," Mark whispered into my ear as he leaned down. The words made my legs feel like jelly as his face moved down, towards my now exposed b.r.e.a.s.t.s. There was something so animalistic, so primal about him. I grabbed his hair, those wavy brown locks flowing in between my fingers, needing something to hold onto as his tongue moved down and touched my nipple.

My fingers squeezed harder on his hair as pleasure radiated through me from my nipple. It was like a tidal wave, a tsunami coursing through my veins, washing every single cell in my body with an ecstasy unmatched by any other sensation on the planet. I opened my mouth to cry out but no sound escaped. My body couldn't handle these incredible sensations, these feelings that rocked me to my core.

Suddenly, without any warning, Mark bit down on my nipple, hard enough to replace the pleasure with pain. I cried out, but as Mark immediately suckled my nipple, his hot mouth and tongue caressing my sensitive skin, the pain was replaced with pleasure once more.

Why is he doing this? More importantly, why do I like it?

Mark continued to suckle my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, bringing back the pleasure I'd felt before, when he bit down on my nipple once more. Again, I cried out, again, he sucked it gently until it no longer hurt. I didn't know how to react, but even if I did, I don't know if my body would have obeyed. I felt glued to the spot, addicted to the alternating pain and pleasure Mark was making me feel. It hurt so bad, but it felt so good. I'd never experienced such conflicting feelings, but I couldn't deny the fact that my body was reacting in ways I never would have expected.

As he continued to toy with my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, Mark's fingers grabbed my bathing suit, the bottom half of it still on my body, and slid it slowly down towards my hips. Without looking he found the b.u.t.ton and the zipper to the jean shorts I was wearing, and dropped them to the floor. He grabbed the bathing suit once more. I closed my eyes as I felt his fingers slowly sliding down my leg, along with the last little piece of fabric that hid the most private parts of my body from him.