Warm sun, soft sand, and tall waves - the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia were a surfer's paradise. No doubt that was why they had been chosen as the surprise destination of the newlywed Kings' honeymoon, provided in spite of their protests by various members of the Granger family. With an uma all to themselves - one of only eight on this resort island - Tommy and Helena had unparalleled access to intimate privacy, as well as the beach less than a minute from the steps of their little hideaway. It was the perfect season for surfing, too, in a resort that prided itself on providing for that sport almost exclusively. With the right boards, and a daily report on the predicted swells, it was as close to perfect as they could have wished for.
Today, Tommy had picked the spot they would be trying the surf at, and together with a few other hopeful surfers, they'd been testing the waves as they rolled in. Lena straddled her board, very grateful she'd been a quick study at this sport, a few feet away from where Tommy did the same, waiting for the next wave. She'd already let a few go, judging them too big for her, and was laughing at Tommy's insistence that she could handle it. "I swear, you just wanna see me go flying," she accused her husband affectionately.
It was definitely a surfer's paradise, and though Tommy had his heart set on surfing in Australia someday, it was winter there now and would just have to wait for another time. The waves here were amazing, and he was anxious to try a really big one, but for now, he was holding back, waiting for Lena to get in a few good runs first. He was wearing nothing but a colorful pair of swim trunks, wayward blond curls falling recklessly over his forehead, a happy grin on his sun-kissed face. "Believe me, the last thing I wanna see is you wiping out." He looked out on the waves as they came rolling in. "You're never gonna believe you can do it if you don't try!"
"Hey, I can stay upright!" she protested laughingly, aware that the other surfers on the beach and in the water around them found the newlywed couple entertaining when they got going. "Sort of." She followed his gaze to the incoming waves, spotting a swell that looked manageable for her. Checking the ties on her bikini, she glanced at Tommy, her gaze shifting to see who else was going to go for this wave, and began to paddle out to meet it. "If I wipe out, I'm going to paddle your *ss," she informed her husband as she passed him cheekily.
"Right!" he laughed. "Because it will be my fault!" he called to her as she started to paddle out to catch the incoming wave. As far as Tommy was concerned, she was a natural. She just needed a little self-confidence, and there was only one way to gain that.
Of course, it helped that the other surfers sharing the island with them were encouraging. No one seemed to mind that she was more of a novice than a professional. This wave was bigger than any she'd tried before, setting her heart to thumping as she eased herself up onto her feet, angling the board to run the length of the wave, her head just beneath the cresting break above her. Tommy had taught her how to do this, and Tommy was responsible for the whoop of delighted laughter audible as she rode the wave with a great deal more success than she had expected. She looked like she belonged there, a small slender figure taming the elements for just a few short minutes before the wave broke and took her down with it.
"That's it, Midge!" Tommy called out to her, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice carried, despite the roar of the waves in her ears. "You've got it. Now, ride it out, nice and smooth!" He beamed a grin, proud of her, wincing a little when the wave finally took her down, his heart beating nervously as he waited to see her bob back up to the surface. He'd lost a friend surfing once who was trying to conquer a wave that was too much for him, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to her. He was careful which waves he chose for her, even the big ones. He'd made a habit of studying the surf carefully for a while before either of them attempted to surf even a small wave. These were unfamiliar waters, and though he knew what a thrill every wave was, you couldn't be too careful.
She bobbed back to the surface a few seconds after the wave had crashed, tugging on her line to bring the board back to her and scramble aboard once again. Even from this distance, her triumphant grin was obvious, deeply impressed with herself for managing a wave that was at least twice as big as any she'd tried before. And it wasn't only Tommy who was encouraging her - embarrassingly, the other surfers were also cheering the novice who'd nearly conquered her first big wave. Giggling, she let the tide sweep her back to the shore, taking up the board to watch as a few significantly bigger waves made themselves known in the swell approaching the shoreline.
Tommy exhaled an audible sigh when he saw Lena bob back up to the surface, grinning back at her, just as proud of her achievement as she was. "That's my wife!" he told the other surfers proudly, pointing to the pretty young woman who was making her way back to shore. He knew there were at least a few of them who were envious, but she was his Helena, his Midget, his wife. She officially belonged to him now, and he had taken every opportunity to let those around him know it.
"Has she got any sisters?" the nearest guy called back with a wide grin of his own, raising his hands into the air to signal that he wasn't going to go for the next swell himself. It was just as well Lena couldn't hear them from the beach, or that little comment would have made her laugh so hard she was likely to fall over.
Tommy laughed. "Yeah, but she's jail-bait!" he called back with a grin. Not to mention taken, but they didn't need to know that. Tommy let the wave go as well, so that he could check on Lena before he claimed one for himself. Besides, some of these waves were almost too tame for him. He was waiting for a swell that was well worth his effort.
It didn't take long for Lena to paddle back out to them, content to sit and wait while the other surfers took on the next few waves. It had surprised her how polite this sport seemed to be; how everyone who partook understood the innate fairness of allowing everyone else a go. She beamed at Tommy. "Okay, so maybe you weren't completely wrong," she conceded fondly.
It wasn't just about being polite - it was about being safe - and anyone who was an experienced surfer knew the rules that governed the waves. It was one of the first things they learned when they were taking lessons. Tommy was happy to see that those rules were upheld, even in a place as far from home as this one. "That was awesome!" he praised her as she came in, his 70's slang giving way these days to a more modern way of speaking. Groovy had slowly given way to awesome in no time.
Today, Tommy had picked the spot they would be trying the surf at, and together with a few other hopeful surfers, they'd been testing the waves as they rolled in. Lena straddled her board, very grateful she'd been a quick study at this sport, a few feet away from where Tommy did the same, waiting for the next wave. She'd already let a few go, judging them too big for her, and was laughing at Tommy's insistence that she could handle it. "I swear, you just wanna see me go flying," she accused her husband affectionately.
It was definitely a surfer's paradise, and though Tommy had his heart set on surfing in Australia someday, it was winter there now and would just have to wait for another time. The waves here were amazing, and he was anxious to try a really big one, but for now, he was holding back, waiting for Lena to get in a few good runs first. He was wearing nothing but a colorful pair of swim trunks, wayward blond curls falling recklessly over his forehead, a happy grin on his sun-kissed face. "Believe me, the last thing I wanna see is you wiping out." He looked out on the waves as they came rolling in. "You're never gonna believe you can do it if you don't try!"
"Hey, I can stay upright!" she protested laughingly, aware that the other surfers on the beach and in the water around them found the newlywed couple entertaining when they got going. "Sort of." She followed his gaze to the incoming waves, spotting a swell that looked manageable for her. Checking the ties on her bikini, she glanced at Tommy, her gaze shifting to see who else was going to go for this wave, and began to paddle out to meet it. "If I wipe out, I'm going to paddle your *ss," she informed her husband as she passed him cheekily.
"Right!" he laughed. "Because it will be my fault!" he called to her as she started to paddle out to catch the incoming wave. As far as Tommy was concerned, she was a natural. She just needed a little self-confidence, and there was only one way to gain that.
Of course, it helped that the other surfers sharing the island with them were encouraging. No one seemed to mind that she was more of a novice than a professional. This wave was bigger than any she'd tried before, setting her heart to thumping as she eased herself up onto her feet, angling the board to run the length of the wave, her head just beneath the cresting break above her. Tommy had taught her how to do this, and Tommy was responsible for the whoop of delighted laughter audible as she rode the wave with a great deal more success than she had expected. She looked like she belonged there, a small slender figure taming the elements for just a few short minutes before the wave broke and took her down with it.
"That's it, Midge!" Tommy called out to her, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice carried, despite the roar of the waves in her ears. "You've got it. Now, ride it out, nice and smooth!" He beamed a grin, proud of her, wincing a little when the wave finally took her down, his heart beating nervously as he waited to see her bob back up to the surface. He'd lost a friend surfing once who was trying to conquer a wave that was too much for him, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to her. He was careful which waves he chose for her, even the big ones. He'd made a habit of studying the surf carefully for a while before either of them attempted to surf even a small wave. These were unfamiliar waters, and though he knew what a thrill every wave was, you couldn't be too careful.
She bobbed back to the surface a few seconds after the wave had crashed, tugging on her line to bring the board back to her and scramble aboard once again. Even from this distance, her triumphant grin was obvious, deeply impressed with herself for managing a wave that was at least twice as big as any she'd tried before. And it wasn't only Tommy who was encouraging her - embarrassingly, the other surfers were also cheering the novice who'd nearly conquered her first big wave. Giggling, she let the tide sweep her back to the shore, taking up the board to watch as a few significantly bigger waves made themselves known in the swell approaching the shoreline.
Tommy exhaled an audible sigh when he saw Lena bob back up to the surface, grinning back at her, just as proud of her achievement as she was. "That's my wife!" he told the other surfers proudly, pointing to the pretty young woman who was making her way back to shore. He knew there were at least a few of them who were envious, but she was his Helena, his Midget, his wife. She officially belonged to him now, and he had taken every opportunity to let those around him know it.
"Has she got any sisters?" the nearest guy called back with a wide grin of his own, raising his hands into the air to signal that he wasn't going to go for the next swell himself. It was just as well Lena couldn't hear them from the beach, or that little comment would have made her laugh so hard she was likely to fall over.
Tommy laughed. "Yeah, but she's jail-bait!" he called back with a grin. Not to mention taken, but they didn't need to know that. Tommy let the wave go as well, so that he could check on Lena before he claimed one for himself. Besides, some of these waves were almost too tame for him. He was waiting for a swell that was well worth his effort.
It didn't take long for Lena to paddle back out to them, content to sit and wait while the other surfers took on the next few waves. It had surprised her how polite this sport seemed to be; how everyone who partook understood the innate fairness of allowing everyone else a go. She beamed at Tommy. "Okay, so maybe you weren't completely wrong," she conceded fondly.
It wasn't just about being polite - it was about being safe - and anyone who was an experienced surfer knew the rules that governed the waves. It was one of the first things they learned when they were taking lessons. Tommy was happy to see that those rules were upheld, even in a place as far from home as this one. "That was awesome!" he praised her as she came in, his 70's slang giving way these days to a more modern way of speaking. Groovy had slowly given way to awesome in no time.