Jean Reese

Seven: Hot

The sun outside was inviting. Thinking better than letting last night's ruckus ruin my day, I quickly took a bath, got dressed and joined Olivia in the garden.

I skimmed the place to find Finn but there was no sign of him. I could still remember him tucking me in bed last night. I slept with his hand firmly entwined with mine.

When the woman saw me, her face lit up. She took off her gloves and put her gardening tools away. "Good morning, Jean," she said. "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, a bit embarrassed of my outbreak last night.

"I'm glad," she uttered. "Well, would you like to have your breakfast here or at the beach?"

"There's a beach here?" I asked, surprised. I didn't expect to find a beach in that place.

"Yes. This place almost has everything. This is Finn's little paradise. It's a few-minute walk from the house. But I know a shortcut."

"Breakfast at the beach would be very nice," I replied, eyes shone in excitement.

Olivia grinned sweetly. "Let me get the picnic basket, and then we're good to go."

"Let me help you." I followed.

We ambled along the narrow road by foot on our way to the beach, yet the walk wasn't exhausting at all. We passed several exotic plants that were alien to me, and I enjoyed the view way too much that I asked Olivia to take some pictures of me using her phone.

When we reached the beach, I was stunned. The white sand sparkled beneath the morning sun. And the sea was a reflection of the bluish sky. It was calm and inviting.

"I could live here," I declared, placing the picnic mat I was carrying on the sand. I inhaled the fresh air. "This is amazing. I'll just go check the beach, Olivia."

Olivia nodded in agreement. "I'll call you when the food is ready."

I beamed at her before I rushed to the shore. It had been so long since I had been to the beach. I was too excited to get my feet soaked that I didn't notice a man's figure emerging from the water.

"Hey," Finn called out, marching his way towards me. I looked up and made no attempt to shift my gaze. My eyes were glued on him.

He was topless and was soaked with water. Tiny drips of water streamed down from his hair to his lean torso. His six-packed abs was demanding to be noticed too. He got everything in place. And below that...

"Did I pass?" Finn asked when he stopped few inches away from me. I looked up, realizing that Finn was towering me. He was pretty tall. His eyes held mine for a moment. Then he grinned. "What? You like what you're seeing?"

I gulped. I thought I swallowed my tongue. Finn had the ability to turn me into a dog. I almost drooled. My wits left me for a while, and when it came back, I tried so hard to look away. I felt my cheeks burning.

"I-I didn't know you're here," I stammered, trying hard to fix my eyes somewhere else.

Finn looked ahead and saw Olivia. Then he turned to me. "You brought food?"

"Ah, yes. Olivia said we could eat breakfast here."

"Did you bring more?"