Cheryl's POV
The ocean spread out before us. Rippling and blue and endless, the thin white line of the beach the only thing separating us from it. Birds flew overhead. There was driftwood everywhere, floating in the water, lining the edge, and piled up on the sand, but nothing could ruin the sight of that beautiful blue water.
At my side, Kimberley gasped, her hand going to my upper arm. "It's gorgeous."
It was, though the same could've been said for my companion. I loved her enthusiasm, too. We moved toward the lapping waves. At my side, Kimberley sighed.
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking that it figures that we have nice beach weather after my vacation has already been ruined. I would have loved to spend a few days just enjoying the sun and sand."
I waved a hand at the empty beach. "What's stopping you?"
Her face lit up, then fell again. "Shouldn't we be working on making shelter or some other survival sorts of things?"
"We have food. We have shelter. All we need to do is wait to be rescued. If it'll make you feel better, we can make an SOS on the sand."
Kimberley stepped forward into the water, letting it wash over her ankles, and her eyes closed in pure bliss. She tilted her head back, letting her tangled hair whip in the breeze.
I didn't feel the same urge to step into the water that she did, but my gaze followed her intently as she soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed the water.
Her eyes opened after a minute. "Should we go back and get swimsuits?"
"Why?"
Kimberley grinned at her. "To swim?"
I picked up a piece of driftwood heading in her direction and tossed it away. I didn't see the point in going back to the hotel just for a change of clothing. "There's no one here but me, Kimberley."
She bit her lip, studying me for a moment. "You're right." She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for courage, and then pulled off her bra. "Last one in's a rotten egg."
Damn. I was suggesting that she could swim in her underwear, not that we should skinny-dip.
***
Kimberley's POV
This was the bravest, stupidest thing I had ever done. I tossed my bra onto the sand, my heart pounding, and I didn't look at Cheryl as I shook off my panties and kicked off my shoes. Instead, I concentrated on the water, as if standing naked on the beach were something I did every single flipping day.
The truth was, this was an experiment. And it would either go really well or really badly.
But i seen cheryl looking at me. And she wasn't giving my the looks that someone uninterested would give me. The looks she gave me were hot, scorching with interest. As if she were waiting for something to happen before making her move. What that would be, i had no idea.
And i was getting tired of waiting for cheryl. After she'd caressed my lip the night before as we ate, i had been unable to think about anything but kissing Cheryl. Sleeping with Cheryl. Sharing this remote, tropical paradise with Cheryl and having no one around but the two of us. Granted, a building destroyed by a hurricane wasn't the most romantic setting, but Cheryl was gorgeous and attentive, and it had been a while since i had been seeing anyone seriously, so why not grab the bull by the horns?
Standing in the water, totally naked, i put my hands on my hips and tried to look at this in a positive way. Even if cheryl thought i was a crazy woman, the sun felt warm on my skin, and i was going to enjoy the ocean for today at least. I headed further into the water until it was up to my knees and reached down for a handful of water. It felt colder than i'd thought it would be, and i felt myself shiver a little, rubbing my arms.
